January's Favorite Lip

I was doing my usual stalking on Instagram one day when I came across a lip color that I hadn't seen yet. Its by MAC (duh) called KINDA SEXY.  I quickly looked online to make sure it wasn't a lipstick I had missed and if it was a limited edition. NO! Its a permanent one!! :)

Its a matte pinkish nude shade that is very natural but not colorless. It seriously compliments the pink in your lips. 

MY new lip combo is MAC Soar lip liner and the KINDA SEXY lipstick and I get many many people asking me what shade Im wearing. It looks even more beautiful with a gloss over the top.

I cant see myself going wrong when I say, THIS IS A MUST HAVE lipstick, no matter what color of skin you have.

HIghlighting and contouring

MY favorite part of makeup is definately highlighting and contouring. I dont rememeber what I was doing prior to this. It makes such a difference by giving dimension on your face and making your better features stand out more while hiding the imperfections. Contouring can make your nose look smaller or your face look thinner while highlighting can make your cheekbones higher and your face very bold.

There are 2 ways of doing this. Creams vs Powders. Or if you have done this as much as I have then you can possible pull off doing both. I belive creams are more dramatic and have more of a glowy effect. Probably better for people with dry skin too. Powders are more natural and require more build up but are probably better for people with oily skin.

The highlight has to be 2-3 shades lighter than your current skin color. Mac has the Prep and Prime collection and seperates the highlights into 3 categories. 

1. Radiant Rose has a pink underdone for cooler skin

2. Light Boost has a yellow undertone for a warmer skin tone

3. Bright forecast is a salmon color that is preferable for people of darker skin color.

Personally I am a big fan of using concealer (light one) or a product by Maybeline called the Instant Age Rewind Concealer in the color Neutralizer. Its a very complementary color that can easily work as a highlighter for most people, PLUS its not as expensive as other brands. 

Apply the highlighter in the center of the face to bring out those features.

Then u can set with a powder that's either lighter or yellow. I love the kim kardashian look so I use Ben nye banana powder 

As for contouring. This is tricky. Chose 2 shades darker than your skin color. I said this is tricky because you dont want to end up with a color that makes your skin look ashy or muddy.  I would recommend using powder personally if your a beginner. Chose a powder WITHOUT the shimmer. It has to be matte to be natural and to hide the areas you're going to be contouring.

Apply it to the hollow of your cheek bone to make your face look slimmer. (it helps to make a fish face to find this area).

Apply it to both sides of your nose to make it slimmer. 

Apply it around your forehead and temples to make your forehead look smaller. 

And lastly apply it to the jawline and under the chin to hide a double chin and make your jawlinge more chizzeled.

A good trick is to apply a little bit of darker color under your lower lip to create a shadow and an illusion  of a bigger lower lip.  You can also highlight the cupids bow to make your lips look fuller.

After I apply my cream h & B I always set with powders. You can either start with the powders or add them at the end like me.  

* If your colors a very defined and not very blended it, you can powder your face with your regular face powder that is your shade to smooth out any harsh lines.

Hope this helps. There are a lot of youtube beauty gurus that have step by step H&C videos that have taught me everything I know.

I am not as equipped yet to do a full on tutorial but I'm working on it 

A little schooling on AcNe!

I have been working with dermatologists for 7 years now. I can literally dictate the consultations my doctor has with patients regarding any skin condition, especially acne.   I have seen very mild acne to the worse you can imagine. All treated very differently and all treatments targeted to a specific kind.
Prescriptions target different kinds of acne.

There are blackheads and white heads. This is call comedonal acne.

There are deep red pimples called inflammatory acne

There are cysts called cystic acne ( this one tends to be more scarring.

 

and then there is the hormonal acne. This tends to be in a beard like distribution (chin, neck, jawline) and is usually along your period.

For blackheads and whiteheads, the best treatment is a retinoid. (Retin A or Retrinol) These are clogged pores. So the Retin A exfoliates them and that way the oil dries up (this is why retin a makes you peel) and then the head makes its way up.

*Personally if your not too patient with this or cant get your hands on the medication, invest in an Comedone extractor. They are about $5 at drugstores and are amazing! They put the pressure around the acne lesion and make it pop to the surface. Kind of like squeezing a pimple. Some deeper ones need a little "unroofing" So what I do is get a needle (any) gently insert the sharp end on the black or white head giving it a way out, then applying the extractor gently over the top an watching the substance come out. It is sooooooooooooo satisfying and doesn't scar.  FYI Look for them on Amazon if you cant find them, its nice having them around.. there are also some sold with the sharp end so that can be your unroofer.

Deeper red pimples at the office are usually treated with antibiotic pills. The antibiotic helps the inflammation and bacterial in the skin go away. These can be treated with benzoyl peroxide which is over the counter. It literally dries out the pimple. If you cant get any, put some tooth paste on it over night.  At the office we also inject these with cortisone and they disappear in 24 hours. (good for emergencies like weddings)

Cystic acne are the really big ones that look lilke they have PUS inside. Although sometimes you think that popping them is the way to go, the redness and irritation after popping them make them more visible. Again I would recommend a combination of the extractor method and the Benzoyl peroxide/or tooth paste on it. Don't wait too long to see a dermatologist for this. Scarring can not be undone. Sometimes hard measures are needed like ACCUTANE

Hormonal acne is a stubborn one. It is that breakout that comes with your before your period around the chin, neck, jawline. There is only one good way of treating and avoiding this and it is a birth control. Now, you must know that NOT ALL birthcontrol pills are equally acne friendly. If you have progesterone in your pills or if you have the MIRENA IUD, you are getting more progesterone (hormone) and guess what is the hormone that causes this acne..PROGESTERONE!  Stay clear from the pills that have "Lo" in the end like Ortho Tryclen Lo. A good hint is that if the pill or method is preventing a period from coming then your probably going to flare your acne instead of helping.


Washing your face is always a help when treating acne. I wash my face at night as well as in the morning. I use an oil free sunscreen and never go to bed with makeup on. Its has been my little help for keeping my face clear.

Another help is using a wash with salicylic acid. This helps acne a lot too but some people's skin might be too sensitive, but this is another option. Purpose by Johnson and Johnson is a cheap easy wash that cleanses your skin without adding anything chemicals.

Food can sometimes be a trigger. Ive heard of people going on gluten free diets and their acne and other skin problems like eczema go away.

Otherwise you're looking at prescriptions and procedures. Look in your makeup bag and make sure everything is oil free and not too heavy. Moisturizing isn't always acnes best friend so don't put anything heavy on your face. Stick to oil free moisturizing lotions instead of heavy creams. I personally like CeRave.

Hope his is a good start for y'all!

1Face Watch

For Xmas, a coworker of mine gave me a 1face watch. I had mentioned to her months ago on how much I was seeing my beauty gurus on instagram sporting the different colors. These arent your average watch, they are for #1 digital, #2 every single one of them costs no more than $40. #3 Not only that but each color stands for something. Each watch contributes to a foundation. #4 They are all waterproof,  #5 There is a 1 year warranty and last #6 they look very cool!

The Black one (this is the one I own) supports 8 cancer patients

The Silver one dispenses 16 meals to a hunger foundation

The Red one is for Aids and gives treatment to 8 patients

The Pink one is for Breast cancer and every 9 watches is for a mammogram

The yellow one is for education and 5 if them provide 1 year of education,

The blue one is for enviroment and 3 of them is 1 charcoal effecient stove. 

I plan on getting more colors because they are very light, the band is like sillicon, and the screen is a MIRROR!!!!! *Perfect for reapplying some lipstick!!!

Check out for yourself at: www.1facewatch.com

Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit

The hype for this contour kit is everywhere!!! I was finally able to get my hands on the kit. It was available a week ago online (not sold in stores)  and I was lucky enough to but it before it sold out again. *Should be available again at the end of this month. 

Contouring & Highliting has to be my most favorite part of makeup. You can change the shape of your face in minutes if you get the technique down.  Highlighting brightens certain areas of the face. If you look at beauty icons like Kim Kardashian & Lilly Ghalichi, you can tell the center of their face is very bright. (under eyes, center of nose, and in between forehead.) The outer part of their face is s few shades darker. This is called contouring. This shades the areas of the face to slim and give your "canvas" dimension. You PUSH BACK these areas. This is what gives you a smaller nose, slimmer cheeks and a defined jaw.  The highlighting lifts your cheekbones and gives you a very specific glow as well as bring foward the areas. 

In most cases you purchase these products seperately and its a guessing game to which color will look good with your skin. Before this kit I was obssessed with the Ben Nye Banana POwder for hightlight and the MAC Matte Bronze for the contour. 

After doing heavy reseach on youtube and instagram, I learned that my fellow beauty gurus will apply the powder after applying a cream based concealer and bronzer. That way the powder sets in the countour and hightlight and seals in the color. The powder is a little more forgiving than cream bases because the blending is easier. 

The kit is only sold at www.anastasia.net. It is $40 out the door with no Shipping or Handling in the US. 

Be wise on the brushes you use to apply these and do more of a patting motion instead of a sweeping so you keep the color where you want it. It is my understanding that the palette can be refilled with the specific color.  Its a very compact case, easy to carry around, but a little fragile so BE CAREFUL and dont drop it. 

Here's my experience with it. 

Skin Care (Drugstore) #Cerave review.

Working for dermatologists, you always get samples of the high end products as well as the drug store cosmetics. I have messed with my skin so much that sometimes LESS is BETTER. Recently I have been very consistent with the CERAVE Hydrating Cleanser & Lotion.  I have used many cleansers on my face but I like the simpleness of this one. Its very light and gives me the clean feeling without feeling like I just stripped my skin from the oils I need. I have combination skin and in most cases I am dry, not oily, but I do have acne prone skin (complicated right).
As for the lotion, I have always been in denial trying to moisturize my face with heavy products. I always end up breaking out and dealing with so much acne and clogged pores. 
I went to a meeting a few months ago and the REP fro Cerave talked me into trying out their products and gave me these trade sizes. I decided to give it a go and see for myself.
I  LOVE THEM! They are so light and so no-nonsense that my skin has come such a long way.
I actually take the time to massage in my lotion in the morning and at night and I feel the healthiness immediately. Cerave provides the ingredients our skin needs to help restore and repair the skin's natural protective barrier. Therefore, makeup looks smoother, skin stays healthy and acne stays away.

Makeup Storage

I had my time of throwing all of my makeup in a big Caboodle (remember those) or makeup bag that usually leads to a big unorganized dirty mess. NOW, I know better. Ive become pretty OCD on how my makeup is organized at home and its very satisfying in my regime knowing exactly where I keep everything.
First I bought a BIG desk on AMAZON. Its in the shape of an "L" a very typical office computer desk but its made out of glass so it looks a little modern. Of course I have to clean it everyday but when everything is nicely organized it looks so nice!

 

For individual compartments I have also relied on AMAZON. There are extremely expensive acrylic organizers on the market. I have yet to buy one that's over $30.00.  There are organizers for lipsticks that are around $12 or less. The only thing I did splurge on was a tower in which I keep my blushes and eyeshadows in.  Since I had many palettes from UofM, I organized them nicely into a DVD rack. That way I can look through them without misplacing them.

Heres what I have accomplished with these goodies. 

 

 

M....I... A Missing in Action

Hello fellow beauties, I have been neglecting my blog for many many months due to heavy wedding planning. Thank God that's all over with and its a thing of the past. I have so much to write about I don't know where to start.
Well on my lists of things to blog about are:
skin care, highlighting and contouring, curling hair, makeup storage and some product reviews.
I will also like to start filming short videos on some techniques I've learned along the way. There are hundreds of makeup videos and bloggers out there but I like to filter through them and pass on what I think is crucial to know in this Beauty World.

So if there is anything you guys want me to blog about, shoot me a msg.

My email is vanespinklipstick@gmail.com

My Instagram is : ruizvane

Twitter:  @ VanessaRuizG