Basic Daily Skincare Routine

This blog post is to go along with my YouTube video here:

The essentials are this:
No matter whether you do or do not wear makeup, it is important to get into the habit of washing and moisturizing your face every morning and night. 

I personally have acne prone skin that is very sensitive. It is neither dry nor oily but really doesn't like heavy perfumes or harsh chemicals. I tend to get cystic acne the worst, though I do get black heads and white heads too. I'm also very pale and sensitive to sun exposure.

I recommend to really get an idea of what kind of skin you have. Is it drenched in oil at the end of the day? Is it dry and flaky? Are some parts dry and some parts oily? If you have that last one, welcome to "normal/combination" skin like me. Try using a product for at least a solid week steadily before making any judgement on it. That is of course provided you don't have an immediate allergic reaction.

For my skin, I like gentle exfoliating washes. This one has lactic acid in it. I use this daily but you could get by with every other day if your skin isn't very clogged. Or if its hardly clogged at all, I'd only use it once a week. This is what I use right now and what I'm talking about in the video:
https://www.murad.com/product/renewing-cleansing-cream/

For acne breakouts, I am insanely in love with this salicylic acid cleanser. It's not too rough for me, I will use it daily if I'm not using the above wash.
https://www.murad.com/product/adult-acne-cleanser/

And I learned after shooting the video that Murad doesn't make their Sulfur Spot Treatment anymore! I've had it for a long time because a little goes a very long way and you only want to put it on your acne spots. If you use it all over, your skin will absolutely dry out and hate you. But I do see Murad has a Sulfur Mask here (that I have yet to check out):
http://www.ulta.com/acne-complex-clarifying-mask?productId=prod2082346

And I'm currently using EradiKate Acne treatment for problem spots. Which I WILL be reviewing hopefully soon since I've already shot video for that. Here are the details:
https://www.sephora.com/product/eradikate-acne-treatment-P232903

I also mention this is my favorite moisturizer. This stuff is great for acne prone skin because it is not heavy, has no oil, has no fragrance, and absorbs quickly. I sometimes get knock off CVS brand, but the actual Neutrogena brand is slightly,  but noticeably, better by a small increment:
http://www.neutrogena.com/skin/skin-moisturizers/oil-free-moisture-sensitive-skin/6805400.html?cgid=skin-moisturizers#start=16

Going Purple

My friend Sarah wanted my assistance in dyeing her hair purple. I was of course very excited because I love colorful hair. And so we made her hair purple!

Some advance back story about Sarah's hair type: her hair is super fine, very soft, doesn't keep curl to save it's life, and her scalp is exceptionally oily. Her hair is also thick, she has a lot of it. She tells me she has to wash her hair every day, otherwise it is dripping with grease. 

Here is her before, normal brown hair. Note that her hair was previously dyed black but her roots are grown out and so just the tips of the hair have remaining dark brown/black dye on them.

To get her hair blonde, Sarah used Blond Brillance. I didn't assist with this part of the process, she had a handle on it herself.

In the process of blonding:

A re-usable shower cap! Excellent idea!

After shots of the blonde. First, indoor lighting:

Natural lighting:

Sarah did all the bleaching herself, but I did come over to apply the Manic Panic to her hair though. We went with Ultra Violet on the top layer and Purple Haze on the underside. When you want to section off different areas for different colors, I recommend  butterfly clamps. Something non-metal is best, especially when dealing with permanent colors. We didn't use clamps with Sarah, I had to make her hold the top section of her hair while I applied the color to the bottom part. She also used vaseline around her hair line, her ears and neck to make sure the color didn't get her skin. I skip this step personally because I hate the feeling of vaseline on me and I always end up with it in other parts of my hair, but it is a good way to keep from being some colorful skinned person for the next few days.

An important step is making sure the hair is fully saturated. I start around the hair line and coat that thoroughly before I start globbing on the dye by the fingertip-full. Be sure to always separate the hair and apply to the scalp in multiple areas. You have to give your scalp a nice massage and squeegee from root to tip a lot to assure good coverage. A comb is nice for very long hair. I always recommend to get a bottle or two more than you THINK you need. No one wants to be halfway through their hair and have to send someone to the store. You can always return what you don't open. Speaking of opening: prep your space accordingly. Get out towels to cover anything you don't want hair dye to get on. Get at least 1 washcloth and hand towel you don't mind destroying to wipe up messes on you and your bathroom. Open your jars (at least the ones you know you'll use, not the reserve ones) now because without gloves is certainly easier than with hairdye-covered gloves. I keep rubbing alcohol out to get spots off my skin and ceramic sink.

Here's her dye applied and hair covered with a plastic shopping bag to process:



Sarah was only willing to leave her hair dye in for a couple of hours, but I feel like the longer you can stand it, the better. You can also heat process to get a bolder color. I personally sleep on my Manic Panic dye. Its usually in my hair for about 10 hours. I put two grocery bags on, a towel on my pillow and go to bed. When you rinse, I suggest the coldest water you can bear. I can't bear much myself, so I usually kneel hands and knees in the shower and rinse my hair off using the tub filling spigot. Put your chin as close to your chest as you can and use freezing cold water. I use a wide tooth comb, but Sarah's fine hair doesn't get tangly like mine. Once you've got the majority of it out there, you can stand up and turn on the shower. Again, use the coldest you can stand. You'll have to leave your head way back with your body facing away from the shower head. Scrub like you are shampooing your hair. Once the majority of it is out (not when it "rinses clear" that's total BS), condition your hair. If you have a nice color protecting conditioner, now's the time to use it.

Once your hair is all rinsed out, you can clip it up in the shower. Turn your water to warm/hot and wash all the color off your body. Pay special attention to your face, ears, neck, back and butt crack. Those will assuredly be colorful. If you can't get anything off in the shower with your regular facewash, you can use cotton balls and rubbing alcohol once you get out of the shower. Towel drying your hair is recommended but you can blow dry it too.

Here's Sarah the day after dyeing it. Blam! It's purple!

In order to try to keep this color, Sarah used a combination of Ion Sulfate Free Shampoo, Conditioner, and hair color lock in conditioner. But all these measures, as well as waiting days to wash it for real the first time, didn't help her keep her color long. She reported to me her hair faded almost instantaneously. Here it is just 4 days later in inside lighting:

Then she went to the zoo and spent all day in the sun. She said these were taken a week after and she had washed her hair four times with the sulfate free shampoo & conditioner.

The underside was less faded:

So I think we learned some things by dyeing Sarah's hair. Wear a hat or bandanna to avoid UV fading. This goes for any hair colors but there are certain dyes Manic Panic makes that are UV reactive (glow under black light) which may be even more susceptible to fading than their other shades. Other tips to avoid fading are: washing your hair less, washing it in cold water, using sulfate free/color safe shampoos and conditioners, avoiding swimming (or getting your hair wet really, especially just after dyeing), waiting longer & washing more between bleaching and dyeing your hair (I actually recommend 1-2 weeks of being blonde before dyeing it), using a ph neutral shampoo/conditioner after bleaching, leaving your hair color in for a long time, heat processing your hair once the dye is on.

I also have a theory that perhaps Manic Panic might not work well on fine hair. When I say fine, I mean the hairs themselves are skinny and shiny. My hair is coarse, meaning the hairs themselves tend to be thick and rough. This isn't to be confused with thick or thin hair. Thick meaning there is an abundance (high number of hairs per square inch) of hair on your scalp. Thin meaning there are few hairs on your scalp. Sarah's hair, although fine, is also thick. She has plenty of hair, its just the hairs themselves aren't very fat. 

Sarah did purchase Raw in Deep Purple and is going to try to re-apply herself to see if this formula is any better. You may also find out for yourself as you experiment with temporary colors that certain brands just don't work as well as others. I've personally never used Raw. I've had luck with Manic Panic's Classic Line as well as their Amplified formulas (which do indeed seem to last longer). I've tried N'Rage with just OK results (smelled good, washed out quickly). Color Jamz washed out way too fast and wasn't as bright as I wanted it. Jazzing had a crappy applicator, doesn't come in a lot of colors, and I don't recall it being good or bad at staying in the hair. I have not yet tried Ion's colorful colors. I've had Pravana Vivid Red in my closet for at least a year and haven't used it yet. I bought it because my friend Lexie said "It's like sharpie for your hair!" I will report back once I use those last two to review.

Eyeshadow: silver & black with crease

A lot of ladies ask me how I do my fantastic eye make up. It takes practice, so one big thing I can recommend is to do it more often. I try to do my makeup every time I go out. I usually don't wear eyeshadow at all to work and even when I do, its usually subtle. This is pretty dramatic. It will also take time to do, so factor in how long it normally takes and then add about 20 minutes. The more unpracticed, the more time you want to give yourself so you don't get frustrated.

Here I am with my finished daily-wear base makeup:

Pretty bland and boring. My eyebrows look like crap. Yes, I've covered most my flaws but I don't really look enhanced either.

You'll want to start with an eyeshadow primer. I use Urban Decay as previously mentioned in past posts. Dab and smooth a spot of that on your entire eyelid and let it dry before starting on the eyeshadow. You'll also want a fairly large hand mirror. I use the one that comes in this Urban Decay Vice Palette. You need this if you want to lean over and put your shadow on to keep it from falling on your cheeks. Some people tape off their eye (lol I tried that once with terrible results) or tap the brush off a lot after loading up the eyeshadow (yes I tap a bit off, but I don't want to waste my eyeshadow!)

Start with the lightest color on the browbone:

This is Aspen Summit No 23 by Sephora.

Next, load up your second lightest color. This is Cover Girl Dream Eyes #222 Quad.

Put this on.. basically the rest of your lid. Don't concentrate it on the outside and crease.

Now for the lighter of your two dark colors. This is Sally Girl White Chocolate 388715.

Apply that to the outer edges of your eyelids, up to the crease and about 1/3 to 1/2 way across your lid. This is where that big hand mirror comes in handy. Since the other colors were lighter, you won't (if you are white) have to worry about the shadow falling onto your cheeks. With the darker colors, though, set the mirror on a flat surface and lean over and apply your color. Its lazy and works!

Now for your darkest color. All the other colors you can apply with a standard oval brush, but for the crease I highly recommend a small, angled brush. This is Urban Decay Oil Slick.

Make sure you tap out excess eyeshadow before applying. It will give you a better line. Work slowly. There is no rush. Yes, it kind of looks like you drew on your crease with an eyeliner pencil. That is good definition! You'll make it less drawn on in the next few steps.

This is a nice base. Now you basically go over it all again and make it richer. In the first round, I used a fluffier oval brush. This one is a lot thinner so as to give me better control. Again, start with the lightest and work to the darkest. Same as before.

This is where you change it up. You've done your two light colors and now onto the dark. I then actually do the Darkest color. Yes, I made the black even blacker by going over it a second time. Your final color application will be the lighter of the two dark colors. You take that thinner oval brush right into the black of the crease to help blend it out and over your lid. 

Now Eyebrows! I used to pluck the ever loving hell out of my eyebrows. I'm going to be one of those old ladies with drawn on eyebrows. I'm not even that old and right now, I still advocate filling in your brows a bit. I have green hair, so I picked out my Urban Decay Graffiti. Use either the smaller oval brush or even a small angled brush. Something you have good control over.

You can see how much of a difference this makes:

The bottom eyelid, we've been mostly ignoring you. Here you use a pencil liner on the waterline (inner eyelid). A lot of people have to pull their lower lid down to apply this. Sure, go for it. You'll also notice I made sure to use the lightest shadow (same thing as the brow bone)on my inner eye where my tear duct is. The silver on my lower lid all across and swept under the black. And I used the small angled brush to take a tiny bit of that black into my under eyelid about halfway across.

Now on to this awesome creme eyeliner. I used the eyeliner brush that came out of my L'Oreal HIP Creme eyeliner. But this color is Ebony by Glo.

I usually start working from my outer lid and then to the inner since I only line like 3/4 of my eyelid. I go back and fix the cat eye after I have a nice dark line.

Here you can see the difference between lined and unlined.

I usually like Maybelline's Blackest Black, but this Avon wash off waterproof in black W01 isn't bad at all. I like how Maybelline washes right off (but stains your washclothes). The Avon is harder to wash off, I usually use an eye makeup remover. I recommend Almay gentle eye makeup remover pads. I like the brush on both the Maybelline and Avon. NOTE: don't pump the brush in and out. That only serves to dry out your mascara. Once is good enough.

Applied!

Lips. This looks silvery but it is really mostly clear with tiny flecks of silver. This is ancient Bonne Bell Lip Sheers in Glistening Glaze 9b. I like it because it smells like vanilla.

And Finally, you are done. Well, put on your clothes and then you are fantastic: