Check out more makeup tips here :)

Blackheads are probably the trickiest acne to treat because those little suckers are deep in the pores. Blackheads are caused by build up of oil, so blackheads tend to accumulate in the T Zone where the majority of people are oily. To prevent blackheads you want a good skin care routine and make sure you cleanse your face morning and night. I have a post on a good skin care routine here. There are a few little tricks to get remove and treat black heads!

• Exfoliation. Since blackheads are so deep into the skin, exfoliating is key to remove dead skin to reach where the blackhead is so you can treat it. Even if you have a great skin care routine, if you have built up dead skin and clogged pores your acne medication won’t be as effective. Exfoliation using a face scrub will remove dead skin and make it easier to clean your pores. My favorite face scrubs are Olay’s Microdermabrasion System which is a very intense face scrub and St. Ives Blemish Control Apricot Scrub which is a more gentle face scrub, I personally prefer a more intense face scrub but sensitive skin should go for a gentle one.

• Steam. Placing your face over steamy water or placing a hot towel over your skin opens up your pores. By opening up your pores any acne medication like a toner, cleanser or spot treatment will be more effective and have a deeper clean.

• Pore Strips. I’ve heard that pore strips are fairly harmful to your skin, so I wouldn’t recommend them as a weekly thing but pore strips are pretty effective! They won’t remove every black head but they will remove some. Biore makes great pore strips, however there are many sold at the drugstore!

• Clay Masks. Clay masks are great for controlling oil and cleaning deep into the pores.

A good little at home spa treatment you can do to treat black heads is to first exfoliate with a good face scrub, then steam your face to open up your pores, after your pores have been steamed and open use a face mask (my favorite is Queen Helen’s Mint Julep Face Mask) and then follow with your usual skin care routine. This will deep clean your pores and treat any black heads! Done continually should dramatically help black heads :)

Check out more makeup/skin care tips here!

As a fellow oily skin gal, let me share a few tips and products I use to help with oily skin!

Skin Care for oily skin  

• Toner. Toner is a liquid you apply with a cotton ball all over your face to help control oils, clarify skin, treat acne, etc. Different toners have different claims and uses but generally they help with acne and controlling oil. You apply a toner after washing your face and before moisturizer. My favorite toner is Murad Clarifying toner, but great affordable options are Witchhazel or drugstore toners like Neutrogena Pore Refining toner! :)

• Moisturizer. Even oily skin needs moisturizer! The less hydrated your skin is the more oils it will produce to try to balance out the skin. For the day time stick with a light weight moisturizer, an oil controlling moisturizer is best. Moisturizer will also help your foundation go on smoother, blend easier, and look less cakey. Some great moisturizers for oily skin are Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel, Boots 7 Oil Control Lotion (sold at Target), Murad Oil Control Moisturizer (my personal favorite), Cetaphil Oil Control moisturizer, Clean & Clear Dual Action Moisturizer or Clean & Clear Mattifying Finishes.

• Clay Masks. Clay masks can be used once to twice a week to help shrink pores and control oils. One of my favorite masks is Queen Helen’s Mint Julep Mask sold super cheap at drugstores!

• Exfoliation. Exfoliation is vital for good skin health. Exfoliation will help shrink pores, keep acne away, create a smooth skin texture and keep your pores clear and clean which will help with controlling oils! Check out my post on exfoliation here.

• Primer. Primer acts like a layer of glue between your moisturizer and foundation, primer helps keep foundation on your face longer by giving your foundation something to stick to. Primer also has other benefits such as making your skin texture more smooth & flawless by creating a thin layer all over your skin under foundation, good for large pores! There are different primers for different skin types, so not ALL primers will work for you, primers that claim to be oil controlling, makes your foundation last all day, etc are the ones to go for! Try primers like Smashbox Photofinish Light (white formula), Clinique Pore Refining Solutions, MAC Oil Control, or a cheaper alternative such as Phillip’s Milk Of Magnesia. Phillip’s Milk Of Magnesia isnt a “beauty product” but it’s an amazing affordable primer & reeeally helps with oily skin!

• Foundation. There are many foundations for different skin types, not every foundation will work on oily skin. Some might even make your skin much more oily! Sticking to foundations that claim to be matte, long wearing, etc are ones targeted for oil skin. Some great foundations for oily skin are Estee Lauder Double Wear, Revlon Colorstay, Covergirl 3 in 1 Outlast, NARS Sheer Matte, Tarte Amazonian Clay foundation and Kat Von D Lock It Tattoo foundation.

• Powder. Setting your foundation with powder is crucial for helping your makeup last all day. Powder will keep your makeup from sliding off your face. Pressing the powder into your skin with a brush rather than swirling all over your face will give you the most coverage and will control oils better. Powders like Makeup Forever Duo Matte, MAC Blot Powder, Rimmel Stay Matte or Maybelline Dream Matte will be the most control controlling. Translucent powders are amazing at controlling oils as well. Translucent powders are white powders that apply clear, they provide no extra coverage but are incredible at making your foundation last longer and makes your skin look more flawless because translucent powders have blurring properties. Usually I apply my regular pressed powder lightly all over my skin and then apply my translucent powder after. You can do one or the other but I prefer to use both for extra oil control :)

• Setting sprays. Setting sprays will also help your makeup last longer as well as make your makeup look less cakey by taking away any dry, powdery look. Setting sprays create a thin barrier around your foundation, powder, blush, etc so sweat, head, oils, etc won’t mess up your makeup. You can apply setting sprays before and after makeup for extra protection. I use Urban Decay’s All Nighter after my primer then again after all my makeup is complete.

Check out more makeup/beauty tips here! :)

There are a few factors that will help create a beautifully filled in eyebrow :)

• Eyebrow shape that fits your face
• Color/shade you’re using to fill in your eyebrows
• Deciding what works best for your eyebrows, pencil or shadow/brow powder?

Creating your eyebrow shape: If you have very little eyebrow hair you can create this shape when filling in your eyebrows, if you have thick enough eyebrows you can tweeze/wax/thread them to be the right shape for your face. Your eyebrow shape depends on your eye! Ideally, your brow should start where your eye starts and stop where you eye stops. Your arch should be where your iris ends. (but this is just a guideline there are no “rules” for makeup, do what you please! ;) )

What shade/color to use: If you have blonde/lighter hair then you want to fill in your eyebrows with a shade two to three shades darker than your current hair color, if you have brown/darker hair you want to fill in your eyebrows a shade two to three times lighter than your current hair color. You also want to take into consideration the undertones to your hair, do you have warm, neutral or cool undertones in your hair? If you have strawberry blonde hair you wouldnt want to use the same shade as someone with ash blonde hair because one is cool and one is warm and it would look a bit off :)

Take these two browns for example, the brown (top left) is a cool toned brown with ash/grey undertones while the other brown (top right) is a warm brown with orange/red undertones.

(not my photo)

How to fill in your eyebrows: I personally prefer using a matte eye shadow or brow powder with an angled brush because I think it looks a little more natural. However the concept of filling in eyebrows is the same using pencil or powder.

The trick to get natural looking, fabulous eyebrows is to create a gradient effect from the beginning of the brow to the end starting from light and fading to dark. Naturally, our eyebrows are not super thick and dark from beginning to end. To make this gradient effect fill in the beginning of your brow with a very light hand and with short strokes to mimic real hair. The farther towards the arch you go you can start filling in with more pressure to make a darker look. You can also use two different shades one lighter eyeshadow/pencil and one darker eyeshadow/pencil that often come in brow duos.

I prefer to start outlining the bottom of my brow to create the shape then filling in the rest of the brow. You can outline your brows with a concealer after to create a very crisp, sharp brow :)

(not my photo)

Eyebrow pencils I recommend

• Rimmel Brow Pencil, Maybelline Define a Brow, Maybelline Mastershape Brow Pencil, Anastasia Brow Wiz & MAC’s Brow Pencil

Eyebrow kits I recommend (or use a matte eyeshadow)

• Wet n Wil Eyebrow Kit, ELF’s Eyebrow Kit, NYC’s Eyebrow Kit, Anastasia Brow powder or duo, Benefit’s Brow Kit, Bobbi Browns Brow Kit & MAC Brow Duo

I often get questions like “whats the best drugstore foundation?” because I know how overwhelming it can be with so many foundation choices on the market! Unfortunately, there is no one “best” foundation out there because everyone has different skin types and different wants in a foundation. One foundation might work great for one person but work poorly on another :)

There are a few factors to take into consideration before you buy a foundaion

• Skin type. Are you oily, dry, combination, normal? If you don’t know I have a post on how to figure that out here! :)
• Coverage. If you don’t have much to cover you wouldnt want a super full coverage foundation because it might be too heavy and thick on your skin and if you have a lot to cover a light coverage foundation just wont do it for you! A foundation with medium to full coverage will coverage acne scars, acne, hyper pigmentation, etc. A foundation with light to medium coverage will cover a minor acne, minor scars and will even out your skin tone. 

Dry Skin - Those who have flakey patches, skin feels tight, need to use a lot of moisturizer, etc. Make sure to moisturize before foundation. I wouldn’t recommend using a setting powder so your skin can look as moisturized as possible :)

• For dry skin who want a medium/full coverage try Loreal Magic Lumi, Revlon Colorstay Whipped or Neutrogena Healthy Skin. Foundations for “mature” skin such as Loreal Visible Lift and Revlon Age Defying are also great for dry skin because they are very moisturizing!
• For dry skin who want a light/medium coverage try a BB cream like Loreal’s BB Cream or Revlon Photoready BB Cream.

Normal Skin - Those who don’t get oily, but also don’t have dry skin.

• For normal skin who want a medium/full coverage try Loreal True Match, Revlon Photoready, Loreal Magic Lumi or Revlon Colorstay in the normal/dry skin formula.
• For normal skin who want a light/medium coverage try a BB Cream as well like the ones listed for dry skin. Maybelline Fit Me and Revlon Nearly Naked are also a great light/medium very natural looking foundation for normal skin.
• Powders for normal skin (not a super matte finish): Maybelline Fit Me, Revlon Nearly Naked and Loreal True Match powder.

Oily/Combination Skin - Those who get shiny & oily through out the day. Those who aren’t super oily can also be categorized as a combination skin type which is oily in the z tone but normal or dry everywhere else. For combination skin you want to use a long wearing foundation like those for oily skin however make sure to moisturize in any dry areas and only powder on the t zone. For more ways to help oily skin check out my post here!

• For oily/combination skin who want a medium/full coverage try Revlon Colorstay, Maybelline Superstay or Covergirl Outlast 3 in 1 foundation. 
• For oily/combination skin who want a light/medium coverage try Loreal’s BB Cream or Garnier’s BB Cream in the oily skin formula
• Powders for oily/combination skin (matte finish): Rimmel Stay Matte or Maybelline Dream Matte powder.

Also keep in mind, you can try a foundation for other skin types for example if you have oily skin but like a more dewy finish then you could try a foundation for normal or dry skin :)

Check out more makeup tips here!

Little things we neglect daily can be a factor or causes of your break outs & acne!

Make sure to

• Wash your pillow cases. Dirt, oil, hair products, etc can build up on your pillow cases transferring the bacteria on your face while youre sleeping. 
• Wash your makeup brushes. Wash your most used face brushes at least once a week, built up makeup, dirt, dust, etc is put on your face every time you use a dirty brush.
• Wash your face twice at night (if youre wearing makeup). Wash your face once to remove your makeup and once to actually clean the skin, sometimes only washing your face once doesnt remove ALL your makeup. Also make sure to take your time washing your face, trying to rush it can leave traces of makeup behind. 
• Tie your hair up when youre sleeping if you go a few days without washing your hair. Make sure you tie up your hair when you sleep because any built up dirt, oils and hair products can transfer onto your face if your hair touches your face while you sleep.
• Change your foundation/powder. Sometimes we just think were breaking out naturally when your foundation/powder is the cause. Stop using a particular product for a few days to see if youre acne starts to clear up. 
• Dont touch your face through out the day. All the bacteria and oils on your hands can cause you to break out.

Just a few little tips to help avoid break outs :)

What is contouring? 

• Contouring is using makeup to sculpt your face making your face look slimmer, cheek bones more defined, nose slimmer, even sculpting your law line, etc. You can use a darker concealer/cream/foundation/liquid, a bronzer or even a face powder a few shades darker than your skin tone.

What To Use For Contouring:

The most popular way to contour is using a brush and a matte, cool toned bronzer. You don’t want to use a shimmery, warm, orange toned bronzer because youre trying to create a shadow and a natural effect like your face is naturally sculpted and shimmery, warm bronzers don’t look too natural!

Some great bronzers for contouring are NYC Sunny ($3), Revlon Photoready Bronzed & Chic ($10), MAC Blunt ($20), Benefit Hoola ($29) & Too Faced Chocolate Soleil ($29). Remember, you can even use a face powder that is a few shades darker because it’s matte. I’d recommend a face powder from Loreal True Match line because they make shades in W (warm), C (cool) and N (neutral) so you can use a N or C to avoid getting a shade too warm :)

When applying bronzer with a brush you want to make sure it’s small enough to fit into the hollow of your cheeks, you don’t want a brush that is too fluffy or large. 

Some great brushes for contouring are a small contour brush like MAC 109 ($35), Sigma Small Contour F05 ($16) or Sedona Lace Dome Contour FB 05 (13$).

An Angled Blush Brush works great as well like Sedona Lace Large Angled Contour 850 ($13), Sigma F40 ($16), MAC 168 ($35) & Sephora Pro Angled Brush ($32).

However there are many brushes that will work for contouring, you just want to make sure it’s small enough to fit into the hollow of the cheeks! :)

How To Contour:

When applying the bronzer you want to apply it in a 3 shape on your temple, hollow of the cheek bones and under the jaw so it helps look more natural. This is an optional step, I usually just apply it on my temple and hollow of my cheek bones.

To find where to contour, do the “fish face” to find the hollow of your cheeks, where your cheek sinks in. When applying bronzer/contour powder blend the powder back towards your ear. You also don’t want to bring the contour powder too close in near the nose, keep the contour powder mid way through your cheek :)

Then youre done! You have a new sculpted face thanks to makeup :)

Hi guys! So I know a lot of people experience acne, including me. So here is how I treat my skin which really helped cleared my skin :)

In my opinion a good skin care routine should have a face wash, toner, spot treatment, moisturizer, face mask and face scrub/exfoliator. Keep in mind, you don’t use all these products every day. On an every day basis you should only use a face wash, toner and moisturizer. You want to use a mask or face scrub a few times a week and a spot treatment over any active pimples :)

Face Wash: If you have acne you want a face wash that has either Benzoyl Peroxide or Salicylic Acid, these are the two most popular ingredients that fight acne. Some people’s skin work better with one or the other, for example my skin works better with Salicylic Acid! If you wear makeup, you also want to make sure you wash your skin twice, once to remove the makeup and once to actually clean the skin and take your time washing you face. You don’t want to quickly wash your face and accidentally leave some makeup on which can cause you to break out. I use Philosophy Purity Cleanser to remove my makeup, then Murad Clarifying Face Wash to actually clean my skin.

Toner: After face wash you want to apply a toner with a cotton ball/pad, a toner will deep clean your face and pick up whatever your face wash left behind. It will also balance the skin’s PH levels and clarify the skin. My skin always feels extra clean after i use my Murad Clarifying Toner. I also like Neutrogena Stress Control Toner & Dickinson’s Witch hazel! Just a little extra step to help treat acne.

Spot Treatment: Using a spot treatment over an active pimple will help the acne clear up faster than without one. It’s a really concentrated formula so you don’t want to apply it all over the face only directly on the pimple. I love Clinique Spot Healing Gel, a good cheaper alternative is Clean & Clear Spot Treatment.

Moisturizer: Moisturizer helps prevent wrinkles in the future and just overall makes the skin look better and more soft/smooth. Even oily skin should moisturize because your skin will produce even more oils to make up for the dryness of the skin. For oily/combo skin i recommend Cetphail Oil Control Moisturizer or Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturzing Gel. For normal/combo skin i recommend Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer or Cetaphil’s Daily Moisturizer. For dry skin you want a thick cream moisturizer, serum or oil, they will be extra moisturizing. 

Face Masks: My favorite face mask is Queen Helen’s Mint Julep Face Mask, it’s cheap at 3$, helps shrink pores and dries up acne. You can also mix honey and cinnamon for a DIY face mask to help treat acne!

Face Scrub/Exfoliants: Exfoliation is very, VERY important! This really helped my skin. You can use a face scrub, a face brush (like the Clarisonic) or even chemical face exfoliants that arent abrasive at all. Exfoliating your skin will help your skin become smoother, help take away the dead skin that will clog your pores, help make your pores smaller, help your products sink in & work better because nothing is clogging the pores, fade acne scars/hyper pigmentation, etc just so many things! You don’t want to use many exfoliation products at once though, pick one and use it a few times a week. The harsher the scrub is, the less you want to use it. I personally love the Olay Microdelivery Face Scrub for a very intense scrub meant to only be used about twice a month, it’s very effective at making your skin baby soft. I also like St Ives Apricot Face Scrub.

Keep in mind*

What works for me may not work for you. Also you may have to try different products to find one that works for you, I know I have tried soo many products! But hopefully this post helps you narrow down the search a bit & guide you to choose the right products :)

One of my most frequently asked questions is about nude lipsticks, because everyone comes in all different skin colors and one nude lipstick just won’t work on everyone!

A nude lipstick should usually be a shade or two darker than your skin color because a lipstick your exact skin tone or lighter can wash you out and not be the most flattering. However that is just a tip if you love pale lips then ROCK IT there are no rules in makeup! :)

Keep in mind, you can lighten or darken any lip color with a lip liner or lipgloss over top to help make a lipstick shade work for you :)

Nude lipsticks for fair/light skin:

• MAC Fleshpot (pro color, can buy online or at MAC Pro stores 
• MAC Myth, MAC Creme D Nude
• Makeup Forever Rouge Artist Intense #22 
• Kat Von D Painted Love Lipstick in Agatha
• Hard Candy Fire Alarm (brand sold at Walmart only) 
• ELF Mineral Lipstick in Natural Nymph
• Revlon Nude Attitude
• NYX Black Label Lipstick in Nude 
• Revlon Lip Butter in Creme Brule
• Wet n Wild 900B Pink Sugar

Nude lipsticks for medium/tan skin:

• NARS Honolulu Honey
•  Loreal Color Riche Fairest Nude (pinky nude)
•  Loreal Color Riche in Tawny
•  Revlon Just Enough Buff
•  Milani Nude Creme
•  MAC Honey Love, MAC Jubilee, MAC Blankety, MAC Cherish
•  Rimmel Kate Moss lipstick in #14
•  Wet n Wild Mega Last Lip Color - Bare It All 902C

Nude lipsticks for dark/deep skin: 

• MAC Fresh Brew
• MAC Half n Half
• MAC Siss
• Loreal Color Riche Toasted Almond
• Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick Rose Velvet (pinky nude)
• Wet n Wild Mega Last Lip Color Mochalicious 914C
• Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick Totally Toffee

Brightening & concealing your under eye area can help you look more awake & refreshed. Even if you have no or minimal dark under eye circles using a concealer under your eyes can be very brightening!

For example the famous Kim Kardashian highlighting method

For really dark under eye circles choose a concealer that is yellow toned or peachy/salmon toned these will counter act/balance the color of under eye circles making the color less visible. Sometimes you can layer on concealer & still see the color of the under eye circles underneath it, using a corrector concealing shade will fix that. After you conceal the color you can then begin using a skin tone concealer thats a shade or two lighter than your skin tone to highlight/brighten the under eye area. You want to make sure the concealer youre using is light weight because using thick concealers can cake up & feel thick under your eyes. So try sticking to a liquid concealer or concealer that isnt really thick.

• To avoid creasing try applying an eyeshadow primer under your concealer, it will help stop creasing like it does for your eyeshadow! 

If you have minimal or no dark under eye circles or already concealed them then you can use a brightening concealer like Loreal Magic Lumi concealer, Maybelline Dream Lumi concealer, YSL Touche Eclat or MAC Prep & Prime Highlighter. These provide about a medium coverage & feel very light weight on the skin. 

When you apply a concealer thats a few shades lighter you want to apply it in a triangle under your eyes. It not only highlights/brightens your face and accentuates your cheek bones, but it also looks more natural because no one’s skin is a lot lighter directly under their eyes so blending the color down helps create a more natural effect.

Photo credit: http://www.missnattysbeautydiary.com/2012/05/my-everyday-face-routine.html 

After you’ve concealed you then want to set your concealer with a powder so it lasts all day and doesnt crease. You can use a translucent powder which is white but applies clear to set your concealer, or you can use a colored powder the same shade as the concealer. You dont want to use a powder darker than your concealer because it will take away the brightening effect. You can also use a brightening powder like Ben Nye Banana powder which is a yellow powder for under the eyes or rest of the face. 

Happy concealing! :)

To check out more of my tips check here!

To keep your under eye concealer from creasing & fading away through out the day, apply eyeshadow primer under your eyes where you apply concealer! It will keep your concealer from creasing like it keeps your eyeshadow from creasing :)

Check out more of my tips here! 

So i get a lot of questions about basic makeup items to have for beginners so this will give drugstore & high end options to help start your collection! I know going into a cosmetic store can be overwhelming so here is a little guide :)

Face Primer. This step isnt necessary but it’s good to have a base before foundation either moisturizer or primer or both!

• For oily/combination skin i recommend Phillip’s Milk Of Magnesia (not a beauty product but very popular in the beauty world as an affordable primer to help control oily skin), Neutrogena Shine Control, Benefit Porefessional, Smashbox Photofinish Light.
• For normal/dry skin i recommend Benefit Porefessional, MAC Prep & Prime Skin Base, Monistat Anti Chafing Gel (not a beauty product but has the same ingredients as many high end primers, great at giving skin a smooth base) or Revlon Photoready Perfecting Primer.

Foundation/Tinted Moisturizer. 

• Foundations for oily/combination skin: Revlon Colorstay (medium/full coverage), Estee Lauder Double Wear (medium/full coverage), NARS Sheer Matte (light/medium coverage), Lancome Tient Idole Ultra 25 Hour (medium coverage), Tarte Amazonian Clay (full coverage), Kat Von D Lock It (full coverage)
• Foundations for normal/dry skin: Loreal True Match (medium coverage), Loreal Magic Lumi (medium coverage), Neutrogena Healthy Skin (medium/full coverage), Revlon Nearly Naked (light/medium coverage), Lancome Tient Miracle (medium/full coverage), NARS Sheer Glow (light/medium coverage), Urban Decay Naked (medium coverage)
• Great Tinted Moisturizers/BB Creams - Loreal BB Cream (oily/combination skin), Garnier BB Cream (normal/dry skin) Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer, Smashbox BB Cream.

Concealer. 

• For face (full coverage) - Revlon Photoready, Covergirl Smoothers, Hard Candy Glamoflauge (sold at Walmart only), MAC Studio Finish or Kat Von D Tattoo concealer.
• For under eyes for a brighter effect - Loreal Magic Lumi, Maybelline Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser, MAC Select Cover Up concealer. 

Powder. 

• For a matte look: Rimmel Stay Matte, Maybelline Dream Matte, MAC Studio Fix, Makeup Forever Duo Matte.
• For a more natural look/not too matte: Revlon Nearly Naked powder, MAC Mineralized Skinfinish Natural, Benefit Hello Flawless, any translucent powder (white but applies clear)

Blush.

• Brands that make good inexpensive blushes: Sleek (UK), Wet n Wild, ELF, NYX & Milani
• Brands that make good higher end blushes: Tarte, NARS, MAC, Illamasqua & Benefit

Bronzer: 

• Good matte bronzers (good for contouring): NYC Sunny, Benefit Hoola, Too Faced Chocolate Solieil 
• Good bronzers with shimmer: Wet n Wild Princess bronzer, Physicians Formula Bronze Booster, MAC Refined Golden, NARS Laguna or Tarte Park Avenue Princess 

Lip Products. 

• Best lipstick brands: Wet n Wild, NYX, Revlon, Loreal, Maybelline, MAC, NARS, Buxom, 
• Best lip glosses: Revlon’s Colorburst lip glosses & Revlon’s Super Lusturous lip glosses, NYX’s lip glosses, Maybelline Color Sensational lip glosses, All MAC lip glosses, Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Polish & NARS Lip gloss.

Brow Products.

• Good brow pencils: Rimmel Brow Pencil, Maybelline Define a Brow, MAC Brow Pencil, Anastasia Brow Pencil
• Good Brow Powders: Wet n Wild brow kit, ELF’s Brow Kit, Anastasia Eyebrow Duo, Benefit Brow Duo. But any matte eyeshadow will work well :)

• The way you apply it. Using a wet sponge or a wet beauty blender will give the most natural, non cakey finish.       

• Use a moisturizer & primer underneath. When your skin is dry any foundation/powder that goes over it will look dry & cakey. Using a moisturizer & primer underneath will give your foundation a smoother base to apply on.

• Keep your skin exfoliated using a face scrub, face brush, etc. Check out my whole post on exfoliation here. Exfoliation makes your face a smoother canvas so your foundation will look more flawless & not accentuate dry patches and uneven skin texture. 

• Instead of using a full coverage foundation, use a light/medium coverage foundation all over & a concealer to cover the problem areas. By applying a full coverage foundation all over your face youre applying coverage/extra foundation on areas that dont need it. You want to keep the majority of your face looking natural and only apply the most foundation/concealer where you really need it.

• Looking too “matte”/powdery. Our skin naturally isnt super matte so adding a little sheen on some areas like your cheek bones, down the nose, on the cupids bow will add a little life back to the face. When your face is too matte usually people can tell youre wearing face makeup making you look cakey. Apply a light layer of powder to only the oily areas, try not to layer it on or apply no powder at all. Even better is a translucent powder which is white but applies clear, translucent powder is super silky/finely milled so it looks very light weight on the skin not looking cakey but still setting your foundation for us oily skin gals.

• Setting Spray. To avoid to powdery look, setting spray will “melt” your powder into your foundation taking away a super powdery/cakey look. Plus it helps your makeup last longer!

If youre doing all these & you still look cakey, it might just be the foundation or powder youre using :) 

Flat Shader Eyeshadow Brush, good for applying color all over the lid, on the brow bone & smudging eyeshadow on the lower lash line. A must have brush!

Pencil Brush, good for applying color in the crease/outer v or applying color on the lower lash line. You can also use a pencil brush to smudge eyeliner/eyeshadow.

Fluffy Blending Brush, good for blending out eyeshadow, applying color on the brow bone, outer v/crease or applying a light wash of color all over the lid.

Tapered Blending Brush which is similar to the fluffy blending brush but more flat when turned to the side & less fluffy. Good for applying color in the crease more precisely than the fluffy blending brush or blending out shadow. 

Angled brush, good for filling in eyebrows, used for gel/powder liner or applying color on the lower lash line.

Eyeliner Brush, good for gel/powder eyeliner or applying color on the lower lash line. 

Check out my post on Basic/Must Have Face Brushes to Have here :)