Saturday 20 July 2013

Formal/Prom Makeup Tips

Saturday 20 July 2013
I know it's a little bit late for proms seeing as prom season in America has just passed, however formal season is upon us here in Australia, and I've been receiving questions asking for tips on formal makeup.

If you've decided to do your own makeup for formal, good on you! Here I will share with you a few tips and suggestions to ensure the night runs as smoothly as possible for you.

  • Practice your makeup beforehand
    This is the absolute most important piece of advice I can give you. Particularly if you are trying something new or attempting a look you've never created before, make sure you practice at least once at home so you get an idea of how long it will take, and how it will turn out. Better to mess it up at home when you have no plans than mess it up on the night of your formal and have to stress about fixing it or starting again.
  • Take test photos of your makeupWhen you practice your makeup, be sure to take a few pictures with and without flash, just to check how your makeup will come out in photos. You will also notice that photos (particularly flash photography) lessens the intensity of your makep (meaning it shows up less), therefore you can afford to go heavier with the makeup than you would normally. Not too heavy though!
  • Do not use products that contain SPF or light reflecting particles
    I know, you hear it all the time, but there's a reason for that. If your foundation or concealer is high in SPF or contains light reflecting partciles, it's going to show up far lighter in flash photogprahy, causing your face to look ghostly and white.
  • Set your makeupIn order to avoid looking oily in photos (and in person) make sure you set your face makeup with a powder! It's also a good idea to use a primer if you have oily skin, just to help with staying power. You want your makeup to last all night!
  • Do your eyes first
    This is something that I often just completely forget to do - even on clients sometimes - but it really does help to save a lot of bother later on. This tip is particularly helpful if you're doing dark/smokey eye makeup where eyeshadow fallout tends to occur. Do your eyes first, then once you're done with them, wipe any eyeshadow fallout off your face, prime and apply the rest of your makeup as usual.
  • Make your lipstick last
    To maximise the staying power of your lipstick, blot and repeat! Along with filling your lips in with lip liner prior to applying your liptick, this well help to make your lipstick last a lot longer by staining it onto your lips. Simply do one layer of lipstick, blot with a tissue, reapply, then blot with a tissue again. When you're done, stick your finger in your mouth, close your lips, and slide your finger out. Sounds weird, I know, but it helps to stop your lipstick from getting on your teeth. This is particularly helpful if you're wearing red lipstick.
  • Bring your lip color and eyelash glue with you
    Regardless of how well you applied it, your lip color is bound to wear off throughout the night, just through eating and drinking and whatever else. Be sure to bring your lip color with you (whether it's lipstick or gloss), so you can touch up whenever your lips are starting to fade. Eyelashes also tend to have a nasty habit of coming up at the corners or falling off, so make sure you or a friend brings along some eyelash glue in case of emergency!

Those are all the makeup tips I can think of for now, but remember, the most important thing is to have fun and don't let anything ruin your night! Try not to stress out, and make the most of your night because formals are one of the best times to make good memories and take lots of pictures!

If anybody in the Melbourne area is interested in having their makeup done for a cheaper price, I am available to freelance. Check out my page and folio here: http://carajademakeup.carbonmade.com/about

All the best!

Sunday 23 June 2013

Product Review: TRESemme Split Remedy Split End Sealing Serum

Sunday 23 June 2013

(image source)

I bought this product from Priceline a week or two ago when they were having a big sale on hair products. I've had my eye on this product for a while, but was skeptical as to whether it would actually work or not, but seeing as it was reduced to $4 (or thereabouts), I decided I may as well give it a try.

What it claims:

"Tresemme Split Remedy reduces frizz and seals in shine for a polished finish and reduces split ends by up to 80% after just three uses."

The packaging advises to use one pump on towel dried or damp hair, focusing on the ends before styling as usual. Personally I find that one whole pump is a little too much at one time as the product is quite runny (which I see as a plus because the formula is lightweight) and quite a large amount comes out in one pump, therefore I usually dispense about half a pump at a time, concentating on the ends of my layers at the front to begin with as they have the most split ends, then working it through the rest of my hair. I usually end up using about three or four half pumps, so I guess up to two full pumps altogether. Once I'm done concentrating on the ends, I just use residue on my hands to smooth down flyaways and any frizz around the crown. After applying this, I just spray in a heat protectant and go ahead and style my hair as usual (blow dry and straighten).

As for results... Well I'm not sure how effective it is as to actually repairing the hair, but as far as visible results go - my hair looks a lot shinier and healthier when I use this product. It basically works by just sticking (or sealing) the split ends back together, therefore they appear less fluffy and frizzy, making the hair appear generally healthier. Not only does this product make my hair look better, it also makes my hair feel a lot smoother and sleeker when I use it.

Pros:

  • Inexpensive
  • Sleek packaging
  • Adds shine, makes hair look healthier
  • Lightweight enough to use (sparingly) on dry hair as well as damp hair
  • Smell is very light, non offensive


Cons:

  • Doesn't technically fix split ends (although no product really can to be fair)
  • Pump dispenses too much in one go


Overall rating = 8.5/10

So would I recommend this product? Yes, absolutely.

Even at its full retail price, (around $9.99 from memory), this product is an absolute godsend. Even if you don't have many split ends, I would definitely recommend this product to use as an ordinary serum just to give your hair some extra shine.

Hey there blogspot!

Hello!

Those of you who already know me or have been following me for a while will know that I've been running a beauty blog on tumblr for a year or so now, but I have finally decided to move on up to blogspot!

I haven't yet decided if this blog will be solely beauty related posts, or possibly include other bits and pieces, however I promise I will try and keep my posts as interesting as possible. I will also try to post as regularly as possible to keep things alive over here (unlike my tumblr lately lol).

If you want to go check out my old beauty blog, feel free: http://carajademakeup.tumblr.com

I guess that's it for now.

Time to get posting!
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