Working Life: So You Want to Work a Wedding...

Working Life: So You Want to Work a Wedding...

This post is inspired by my friend Sarah, who just recently got engaged to her long-time boyfriend, Jason. 

Congrats!

(That rock, though! Am I right?)

So generally, I get asked A LOT why I like working weddings- because most people would rather gouge out their eyeballs and eat them on spaghetti than endure the stress that is a wedding.

Short answer: I'm good at it.

Long answer:

Because weddings aren't just about slapping an up-do or makeup on a girl who's been crying all morning and getting out of there as soon as possible. It just isn't. Brides and weddings are so much more- especially if you're like me and you're a sucker for helping people.

Let's break down the bride:

(This is Katie and Matt. I did her makeup!)

If you've never had the (mis)fortune of being a bride, let me break down exactly what they're doing for an entire year to put this together:

-Trying to keep their mother and mother in law out of every step of planning. (This is like, a minefield of problems in and of itself.)

-Paying roughly between $10-$30k for a wedding between you, your husband, and your parents. 

-ALWAYS coming in over the budget you set. Your wedding was supposed to be $12k, it was $14k instead because you forgot to budget something dumb like favors, and forks.

-Brides spend MINIMUM of 2 hours a week planning their wedding for an entire year. (And if her mother had it her way, more like 40 hours a week).

-Hiring a caterer, finding a cake, renting a car or limo, the venue, the dress, his tux, your mother's dress, your mother in laws dress, wrangling bridesmaids, going to tacky bachelorette parties you didn't want to go to, realizing that you have to rent not only tables, but every item on the table like forks, spoons, coffee cups, making a guest list that grows every time your dad sneezes, finding the right flowers, having vases for the flowers when you're not using them, the jewelry, the shoes, the colors for the wedding, trying to do everything without offending anyone, trying NOT to invite the whole damn town but you end up doing it anyway because you once were in the high school band.

...Needless to say, by the time the wedding day actually comes up, you'll see how fast a bride crumbles at the sight of her dress. You have to imagine planning every detail on a vacation and when the day finally comes, you feel a little numb and you don't actually end up remembering the flight/drive there.

Brides on the day of their wedding go one of two ways:

-CRAZY BRIDEZILLA, who everyone is ready to just throttle. She is demanding and annoying and crazy and nothing will ever please her. We've all seen the show, we know what's up.

-Space cadet. She is drifting through, and her bridesmaids and mother sort of keep her going through the motions. She's seeing everything come together finally and she's just trying to be quiet and absorb everything. She'll probably cry here and there. This is why she's last when it comes to makeup. You have to give her time to emotionally ride out the day.

And here's the bridesmaids:

(This is Heather and Jackie, my new favorite people.)

Almost every wedding I've worked, bridesmaids break down like this:

-The quiet friend who kind of doesn't know what to do with herself. She stands around a lot, and frankly just takes care of herself because that is something she knows will help. She is the first one dressed, first one ready and then just stands and waits for someone to tell her what to do. You won't have to worry too much about her.

-The friend who's kind of a hot mess. She's mad her friend is getting married first or she's going through a breakup, or can't stand to not have the attention on herself. This is the one who will ask for thick eyeliner and 8 pounds of lashes because she wants to stand out. Your job is to tell her that you'll be happy to to her makeup like that in the future, but for today the bride wants everyone to match. Then give her a business card. 

-The one who takes somehow all the responsibility on herself. She is feeding the bride, handing out mimosas, cracking jokes to keep the mood light. This is the bridesmaid everyone dreams of but rarely gets. Sometimes she is a crazy in disguise but knows she'll get attention if she's helpful. Let it happen. She gives you mimosas too and calls you family. 

-The disappearing act. She's locked in the bathroom, she's out in car on the phone, she's doing her own makeup, she's fixing her hair after you leave the room. Try to leave her alone, she's having her own thing going on. I promise she'll be dressed and ready to go a minute before everyone is leaving. Everyone sort of obsesses over her because they can't find her. 

-And lastly, the rare and elusive best friend. This is the girl who is emotionally helping. She stays close to the bride and makes faces at her and reminds her how dorky her fiance is. She laughs when the bride laughs, and cries when she cries. 

If this girl is not here, your job is to fill that role. I know it sounds crazy, but for a good 20 minutes, that bride is watching you tie everything up in a fluffy white bow. You're putting the cherry on the sundae that is her bridal look. She trusts you, and you have to be honest when things aren't working and supportive when she needs you. You're the one staring her in the face right before she gets in her dress and sees herself all put together. That's a big role to fill. Even the toughest of Bridezillas have an underbelly and they will ask you, "Do you think I look nice?" and you will say, "You're the most beautiful bride."

What kind of person does it take to work a wedding?

(This is me doing Katie's makeup).

You have a really large responsibility on your shoulders whether you know it or not. This bride and her family are going to be looking at their photos for years to come, and frankly- looking at the work you did for years to come. If you botch this, you've botched pictures that probably costed them $1k.

And on top of this, you're the only one in the room who isn't related to the bride one way or another than can reassure her that everything is fine, no she doesn't look fat, and yes- celedon was a good bridesmaid dress color choice.

So it kind of takes someone with a calm demeanor who can also crack a joke. You need to work quickly and efficiently. Rarely does a bride give you enough time to do you job. It just happens like that, and you always end up running over anyway. 

And what I think makes a great bridal stylist- being a jack of all trades and being ready for anything.

For example- I know how to bustle a wedding gown, I know how to get a stain out of one, and I know how to get a bride into a button up, corset laced, zipper sided, 18 layered cake dress. 

My kit also includes a stain remover, sewing kit, food (the bride won't eat much- it might be your job to get that bitch a granola bar), etc. I'm prepared for anything.

Because you'd be surprised how many times the bride's mother has trouble getting her in the dress, and you'd be surprised what stains await you.

And what kind of makeup do you use?

A little bit of everything. I've done insane research into what holds up vs what doesn't. Doesn't matter if it's drugstore or high end.

To make the bride feel like she's gotten a high end service though, depot everything into z-palettes and Japonesque palettes. It makes everything look the same and you won't freak your bride out when you bust our a Sonia Kashuk cream bronzer even though we all well know that it's an exact dupe for the Chanel Tan de Soliel.

They're paying a lot of money for you, the least you can do is use the good stuff on them, or pretend to.

I will say this though, if you are doing any large parties, or if the bride is paying you very good money- stick with an airbrush. It'll make your life a lot easier and you don't have to dirty up as many brushes.

And I always suggest, if you have any sway with the brides/bridesmaids- eyelash extensions. Applying false lashes all day on every girl who is crying and rubbing their eyes... it's kind of a mess. I usually apply individuals to make a more natural feel, but sometimes if the girl is a hardcore crier or eye rubber- you're not going to break that habit in a day. 

Plus, you wouldn't apply mascara over them so you won't have drippy runny mascara. Gross.

Some tips and things you should know:

-ALWAYS do the bride last. The longer she sits in hair and makeup, the more time she has to pick at her hair and obsess over it until she hates it- even if it's an exact match to the run through you did weeks ago.

-Whatever the bride wants, give it to her- within reason. 99% of the time (now that pinterest is a thing), the bride will change her mind on makeup and hair (especially makeup). It's one of the last things about her day that she has freedom to change or worry about- so if the look she wants is appropriate, do it. If her wedding colors are pink and white and everything is traditional- don't do over the top lashes and a red lip. Catch my drift?

-If you are being paid top dollar, you are giving top dollar service. You are not playing around on your cell phone, you are not expecting tips, you are dressed appropriately, and you keep a good attitude going. You are giving the bride and the 'maids an experience. Make it one where you wouldn't be embarrassed to give them your business card. 

I'll put it to you this way. At Starbucks you pay $5 for a coffee that would cost you $2 to make at home, so if you're paying that much more for it- don't you want it done the right way? You want it done by a guy in a uniform with clean hands, who gets you your coffee in 2 minutes, piping hot. Period. Working a wedding is not a time to dress like a hooker and do makeup that would embarrass your mother.

-Keep your things sanitary. Clean your brushes in between girls and sanitize your hands. You are in a room with 12 hawks, don't let them catch you doing something gross.

-During your run through and consultation, ask to the bride what she wants for her bridesmaids and mothers. Pretty much every bride will immediately tell you how annoyed they are with so and so. Don't gossip and take the opportunity to instead get a feel of what she really wants. Brides will say "do whatever they want" but they rarely mean it. So if she tells you the wedding is "simple", "classic", "daytime" and the colors are pastels- go easy on the liners. Stick with greys and taupes. If she's doing a rockabilly theme, I mean, by all means- go for the theatrics. Just understand, there is an underlying theme in this wedding and the bridesmaids should look a part of that- the mothers too for that matter. No 60's bouffants if the wedding is "ethereal" and "natural".

-Do the damn research. You have pinterest at your fingertips. If you want a great look inside the bride's mind- go on her pinterest and look at her bridal boards. You'll instantly get a vibe that will help lead you do your overall looks. And read blogs, watch youtube videos, etc to see what kind of makeup you should be using. And don't read/watch people who aren't industry pro's- they've probably never worked a wedding. 

Watch artists like: Pixiwoo, NikkiTutorials, Emilynoel83, MakeupbytiffanyD, MakeupgeekTV, etc. These are people who either work professionally, or do extensive researching. 

I hope that helped anyone who really want to try and work a wedding- hopefully soon I'll get into doing wedding tutorials,

-SamanthaK

P.S- Feel free to leave questions in the comments, I'll be happy to answer!

101 Degree Hottie: Easy Smokey Eye

101 Degree Hottie: Easy Smokey Eye (Glasses Friendly)

So I wear glasses.

Duh.

-which kind of makes wearing eye makeup a little difficult for me, considering my frames cover most of it and cast a shadow. HOWEVER, there's a way around that (shimmer) and it looks great on anyone- even non-glasses wearers.

So start with an eye primer to prevent creasing/fading, and go ahead and do your face primer/foundation first, you'll see why later.

Start by lining the top and bottom lash line with a brown pencil. I use pencils with a gel-type consistency because they when they dry/set, they're there forever.

Smudge when you first put it on for a smokier look.

Using a medium brown (go lighter or darker depending on your own skin tone), apply the shadow to the outer half of your eyelid and up into the crease. (I used a mix of Naked and Buck from the Urban Decay Naked palette). My apologies for the woolly brows, I have not bothered to wax them.

Now, taking what's leftover on your foundation brush, run it around the edges to create a sharper, cleaner look. (You're welcome).

Go ahead and run the same brown under your bottom lash line, and then run a vanilla type shade at the top of your brow bone. (I used Virgin from the Urban Decay Palette).

Now, using a metallic shadow, apply it to the inner corner and inner half of your eyelid. I used the L'Oreal Infallible Eye Shadow in Silver Sky. It's very pretty but oh, sweet baby Jesus, is it FULL of glitter. I did not know this going in.

So here's a sweet tip for you- If you ever get caught with glitter all over your face, don't panic and don't swipe or touch it. Get a strip of tape and roll it around your finger. Gently press it a couple times on the back of your hand to get the initial stickiness off and then press it wherever you see glitter. The tape removes it without destroying all the makeup you put on.

Lastly, curl lashes and apply mascara. At this point, you could beef up your eyeliner if you wanted to, I left mine alone cause it was big enough for me. (That's what she said?)

To sort of cap off the look, I applied a mix of a peach and coral blushes for a semi-nude look. (I used the ones from ELF called Peachy Keen and Coral something or other.) I'm also wearing a tiny bit of bronzer (Sonia Kashuk cream bronzer in the lighter color).

And for lips, I used the Neutrogena lip balm stick thing in Papaya, and threw on a little Benefit Hoola lip gloss.

The look is super easy, and very pretty. The glitter/metallic/shine takes it easily into night, but the coloring still works for daytime. (This pic has no filter, it just turned out amazing).

 You could also turn this easily into a drugstore look- most of this was except for some of the eye shadows which can be easily duped by the Coastal Scents Revealed palette ($20 online) or by just going through the drugstore isles and finding a mid-tone brown (Wet and Wild has several shades).

To really set this for the day- apply a light mist of Urban Decay's All-nighter setting spray. (There's one to banish oil to if you find you get oily through the day).

Enjoy your bonfire party/summer wedding/date night/whatever,

-SamanthaK

Beauty 101: What's Your Undertone?

Beauty 101: What's Your Undertone?

I get asked this question a lot, because I think people are sort of confused when it comes to their own faces. We can identify someone else's features from 10 miles away, but when it comes to our own skin- it's like we've never looked at a human before.

So let's break this down a little:

Why is knowing your skin's tone important?

EVERYTHING you do in beauty plays off of your skins natural coloring. When you look at a girl's hair color and you feel like something is "off", that's usually because the hair color is clashing against skin color.

This is why a lot of people can't pull of certain types of blondes and reds.

Makeup especially makes a difference when you know your coloring. Ever tried on a foundation from the drugstore only to find it made you look yellow and sallow? As in, by the end of blending you looked sickly?

That's because it's too yellow, or warm for you. It's camouflaging your color completely rather than enhancing your beauty.

So how do I know if I'm warm or cool?

50% of the time, people seem to know instinctually. 

Do you look good with icy blonde highlights, or warm buttery blonde highlights? Do you naturally wear more gold jewelry or silver jewelry? How do you feel wearing an orange or yellow shirt as opposed to a blue or purple shirt?

Cliff notes version: If you answered icy, silver, and blue and purple- you're cool. Everything else is warm. If you don't know, you might actually be neutral.

Neutral is an option?

It is. Not everyone falls magically under one category or another- and may actually be the reason why you're having so much confusion. No one ever bothers to tell you that could be it. (Such is the case with me, thinking for 20 years I was cool toned and hating every pink-looking foundation I ever put on.)

So here's how to figure it out:

Do your best to stand in front of something white- like a white wall, and wrap your hair in a white towel. Ideally be wearing white as well- all of this makes a blank canvas. Take off your makeup, all of it. Having on a foundation in the wrong color tone is going to throw everything off.

A simple trick is to hold up a t-shirt with blues or purples and see how your face looks. Do you look brighter? Better?

Now hold up the yellow or orange shirt- Are you bright? Does your skin look better?

Try the gold or silver jewelry now and see how it looks.

Did one look better?

Another question to ask yourself is what happens when you go outside- Are you prone to sunburns or do you tan like a golden Christmas goose? (Side note, if you tan, I'm jealous.)

The easiest way to tell what coloring you are (this is assuming you aren't color blind) is to check your palms and wrists.

Look at your palms. Does your skin look red/pink or peachy?

Now look at your wrists- Do your veins look blue or green?

If you're red/pink and blue- you're cool.

If you're peachy and green- you're warm.

And if you're like me and you have one of each- you're neutral.

Did you discover something about yourself today? Or did you confirm what you already know and feel legit smart?

Ok, yeah, so what do I do with this information now?

GO OUT INTO THE WORLD AND FINALLY HAVE THE MAKEUP AND HAIR YOU WANT.

If you're unsure where to go from here, here's a cheat sheet:

If you're cool toned: Play around with anything on the left side of this color wheel.

Warm tones: Stay on the right.

Neutral: Whatever, you can pretty much do whatever you want for the most part.

But don't feel like this is a life sentence. If you're cool toned and want to wear orange, then do it! Just find an orange that's more of a pink-based color- like salmon or coral. 

Warm and want to wear purple? Do it, try experimenting with red-violets like magenta.

Here's some tips and trips for when it comes to makeup and skin color:

The foundations in the drugstore are primarily yellow based. (Unless stated otherwise on the bottle).

This is so that they cover a majority of consumers, and you should try to find colors that say things like "pink ivory" or something like that to find something cooler- or stick with companies who offer their foundations in warm, neutral, and pink.

Brown eye shadow isn't automatically neutral. There are red browns, cool browns, light browns, orange browns and everything in between. 

Check out these swatches of MakeupGeek eyeshadows. Look at the difference between Mocha and Cocoa Bear. That's a HUGE difference. Cocoa Bear is insanely more red based, while Mocha has a rich blue.

Mocha would have a more soothing effect on blue eyes, while Cocoa Bear makes blue eyes look bluer- so the effect is much different.

If you ever want to see the read difference between blues and yellows- go through and swatch red lipsticks on white paper. You'd be amazed how different they look from each other.

And in terms of hair color- just understand the difference between having warmth vs cool-ness.

If you're a tanned beauty, you can get away with a "brassier" blonde- head into the zone of caramels or buttery blondes- it'll actually enhance your tan and look very real. Whereas if you go with icy platinum or cool blondes, it looks incredibly unrealistic.

Hope this beauty 101 helps, and if nothing else, at least you know where to go for foundations now,

-SamanthaK

Review Time: OPI's Coca-Cola Collection summer 2014

Review Time: OPI's Coca-Cola Collection summer 2014

So my cosmoprof ladies have been giving me the hookup for months now, especially since I see them like once a week. And when I told them I wanted the Coca-Cola stuff- they immediately grabbed a mini set and put it to the side for me. 

Cosmoprof price: 

Full retail price: 

And for the lack of nails that I do, I'm usually pretty obsessive about limited collections. (Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm devastated that my Muppets Collection polishes from like, 2 Christmas' ago is running out and there's no way I can replace them.)

And I find a lot of the time when OPI does collections they're either re-releases from ages ago, or it's colors that were once out for something else and then repackaged for something new. (So don't panic like I do... trust me.)

But I've found so far with these I don't have a whole lot of comparisons I can make- genuinely I do have similar colors to the ones in this particular kit, but nothing identical.

So first of all, the packaging for the mini set is pretty adorable. I think they did a nice job explaining what each color was supposed to represent in the Coca-Cola family. 

Top to bottom: 

Coca-Cola Red- This is definitely the red straight off the can. It has kind of a blue base and is actually a very wearable red, despite how bright it is. The formula itself is very creamy, very easy to apply. 2 coats and it's done. This would be a great "all american" red that you'd keep in your collection for art work or 4th of July stuff.

Today I Accomplished Zero- Based off the Coke Zero cans, this is a black based polish with red glitter in it. This is genuinely the only polish I was disappointed with. The base is pretty sheer as opposed to using a cream or jelly base- which I understand if maybe that fights with the glitter... but it took like 3 good coats to get this to look as it does in the bottle. HOWEVER, it is very pretty and the glitter in the sunlight is pretty great.

My Signature is "DC"- Obviously the silver is for Diet Coke. It's a very foiled sort of look and very shimmery. To me, it always reminds me a little of the Tin Man from Wizard of Oz. It's doable and wearable- you just have to be mindful of streaking.

You're so Vain-illa- A light vanilla beige, cream formula again. This is definitely the MOST wearable of any of the polishes and just from doing a few manicures for my family I already had to run out and buy the big sized bottle. It's insanely easy to wear, matches all my glitters and polish "extras", and almost everyone that's seen it asks me to put it on them. If you're going to full size any of these- let it be this one. (Side note: It reminds me a lot of another OPI polish called "My Vampire is Buff" and maybe even OPI's "Don't Burst My Bubble" if you want a similar look).

Sorry I'm Fizzy Today- This one was such a surprise to me because a) I didn't expect a pink to be in this and b) I didn't expect I'd like a pink. It's another creamy formula and is based off the pink swirls on a Vanilla Coke can. (Basically the idea of what color happens when you mix the You're So Vain-illa and Coca Cola Red colors). This is an extremely wearable pink that leans maybe even a little peachy and has looked good on everyone I put it on. 

Top to bottom:

Get Cherried Away: This was one I was sort of surprised by. On the Cherry Coke can, I thought the color seemed more reddish to me, but whatever, this is a very pretty color. Again it's a cream formula- easy to apply and work with. I kind of find the colors on the second row here are all pretty "fall" colors, but whatevs.

Green on the Runway: Inspired by Sprite, this is a green/brown duochrome (my favorites in the polish world). I will say the formula was a tad sheer and might need that 3rd coat, but I do really love the color. It reminds me a ton of the Spiderman OPI shade called "Just Spotted the Lizard" (A HUUUUGE favorite of mine and a cheaper dupe for Chanel "Peridot") but the difference is the Spiderman polish has a gold duochrome as opposed to brown, but it's pretty similar.

A Grape Affair: Another strange idea- grape Fanta! This is another very pretty color that to me screams "fall". A creamy purple base, so it's easy to work with again and once it's dry it's actually a little more magenta than I thought. Not my favorite color in the collection, but it's a really nice polish. 

And then lastly, OPI includes a base (Nail Envy) and a top coat, both of which I love and have bigger bottles of. (Especially Nail Envy, it's pricey but awesome.)

Bear wanted to help swatch.

I prefer swatching and seeing pictures of indoor lighting because, frankly, it's the most unflattering. And if a polish looks good like that, that means it'll look great anywhere.

All of these swatches include 2 coats and a top coat. 

Now, the mini collection is actually missing one of the colors, a glitter in fact- Orange You Fantastic.

Here's a fantastic swatch from "The Polish Aholic"'s blog- which you can find here:

http://www.thepolishaholic.com/

She does an awesome job with swatches. So for this one, she applied a coat of "Orange You Fantastic" over "You're so Vain-illa"- so you can see the actual base of the glittery is kind of an orangey-yellow, and the glitter is various shades of orange and red, with a little gold thrown on there. You can either wear it over another polish- or like the Coke Zero color, you can just apply 2 or 3 coats and get it to full glitter opacity (my favorite way to wear a glitter).

I actually ended up buying the orange for the sake of having the full collection and I think it's quite pretty- again though it's kind of a fall color, but it's very pretty. I foresee some Halloween nails with this glitter.

Really, all in all, they were really great- the consistency was nice, all of the polishes were easy to work with- my only gripe was the Coke Zero polish and only because I had to go with 3 coats. (First world problems, am I right?) And honestly, sometimes using the mini bottles are tough just because the nail brush and handles are soooo tiny and hard to hold, (Again, first world problems) so I can really see this being better for a consumer as opposed to a professional nail tech.

I think the mini kits are great, and make life easy for people like me who get tired of colors easily and don't really wear the same colors often- or for someone who loves polish collections but doesn't want to waste money on a full size if they hate it.

(I will say this, if you're going to get full sizes- I'd spring for "You're so Vain-illa", "Coca-Cola Red", and either "Green on the Runway" or "Sorry I'm so Fizzy" depending on if you don't already have a pink or green that you love.)

Full retail price of the kit is around $24.95, and each full size bottle is around $8.50.

Professional/Cosmoprof pricing is around $12.50 and each full size bottle is $4.50 (being a professional is awesome).

And side note for those interested: OPI also has these Coca-Cola shades available in gel format now.

Hope you enjoyed this post, polish freaks,

-SamanthaK

My Face, As of Late

My Face, As of Late

Summertime is here, and my makeup has generally fallen into a rut of similar looks. Don't judge me. I sweat, and I work with blow dryers all day- gimme a break.

It also doesn't help that my hormonal acne went away completely, only to resurface once again.

Start with a good foundation. (I'm using Smashbox Studio Skin 15 Hour so I have the extra hydration along with the long hour wear). You can opt for a brush with gets a fuller finish, or use a sponge to create something lighter.

I opted for using leftover foundation as concealer and then let it sit on my face to develop for while before using any powder. It makes a big difference, promise. This foundation is pretty sticky/tacky for the most part, so letting it sit really helps it to set up and sink in.

Then, for THE BLUE CIRCLES UNDER MY EYES THAT I'VE BEEN DEALING WITH FOREVER, I used the Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light peach (I think that's the color?). It has made a huge, huge, hugeeee difference in my eye makeup lately. I can't believe I've been avoiding buying this for so long.

 First, apply the peach concealer, and then go over it with your favorite regular concealer to make everything look flawless. Peach by itself might be ok, but it obviously doesn't match your skin color, so you'll have to blend the crap out of it to make it work on its own.

(I used my Color Match concealer from Rimmel. It's generally ok, not great, but ok.)

Then go crazy with bronzer. The Sonia Kashuk cream bronzers are IDENTICAL to the Chanel Tan de Soliel creams. (The chanel is technically more cost effective in terms of money to actual ounces, but whatever.)

I like to apply it under my cheekbones (in the hollow of your cheek), at the temples/upper hairline, and then under the jaw for a look that's tan but also a tiny bit contouring/sculpted.

Then blush (Luminoso from Milani is very pretty), and then I FINALLY set it all with powder. (ELF studio powder- which is identical to the MUFE HD powder.)

Quick tip: If you ever find you threw on too much powder, just mist with something like Evian sprays, or MAC Fix +- it's not a setting mist (a common misconception for Fix+) but it helps settle everything down and make makeup look more like "skin".

Now it's time for the laziest eye makeup ever.

Add a light, slightly shimmery shade to the lid and brow bone.

Then using the same brush and same cream bonzer, add a little bit on the edge of your brush and apply it as a crease color. Boom. That took like 2 seconds. You could probably even skip the lighter color if your eyelids don't get oily.

Then I tight-lined with a black eyeliner and added mascara. You can skip tight lining if you want, I usually do.

Then a lip color. I've been really into stains and balms lately because it keeps my lips hydrated and I don't have to keep up with a high maintenance color all day. (This one is from Mark and it's a stain/gloss called Bella. I have no idea if they sell it anymore, but it's the best color.)

WELL, I hope that was fun for you. I have been basically wearing my makeup the same for the last 2 weeks (aside from small changes like thicker liner or a different color cheek or lip). Summertime is when I like to sort of give myself a break (half the time, I end up in the pool or immediately jump in the shower when I get home anyway).

Have fun in the summer sun,

-SamanthaK