I know you’ve heard of highlighting and contouring. But today I want to share my newest makeup technique that will make you look sculpted in a more natural way: blush draping.
What is blush draping? It’s kind of similar to contouring in that it exaggerates curves and angles of your face, but instead of contouring sticks and bronzers, all you need is blush. Before we go further, I have to share my favorite blush with you: Charlotte Tilbury’s Cheek to Chic Blush in Love Glow. It’s the perfect pink. Not too brown, not too orange. It’s the perfect Barbie pink without looking fake. If you have fair to medium skin, this blush will be gorgeous on you. I also use the same blush in the color Sex on Fire, which is a darker version of Love Glow. You’ll see why in a second.
How to blush-drape: take your darker blush and buff it on to your temples, bring it beneath your cheekbones, and dust right beneath your brow bone. Then take your lighter shade (for me, it’s Love Glow) and dust it on the apples of your cheeks, down the center of your nose, and a tiny but on your chin. Adding the lighter shade gives you the perfect ombré’d look but it also provides a really pretty and soft chisel to the face.
Blush draping adds a liveliness and a sunkissed look (surprisingly) that bronzer just doesn’t offer.
Keratosis pilaris is like that pesky person who just gets under your skin (literally). If you deal with KP, you know what I’m talking about. It’s a nuisance. I’ve dealt with KP since I went through puberty at 10 years old…lucky me! Over the years, I’ve tried creams, exfoliators, diets, and everything else you can imagine to treat it.
While maintaining a healthy gut is the biggest key to the puzzle (we’ll save that for another day), I have a fabulous DIY treatment for you, if you struggle with Keratosis pilaris.
First, WTF is Keratosis Pilaris?
Also nicknamed “chicken skin,” keratosis pilaris is a skin condition that manifests as red patches and bumps. It resembles goosebumps and appears most often on the back of the arms and thighs. They feel rough like sandpaper and are very small, about the size of a salt grain. Sometimes they occur on the face and can be mistaken for acne. There may also be redness around the bumps that varies from light pink to bright red. {source}
Your skin naturally contains keratin, which is a protein. About 50% overproduce this protein. When overproduced, it becomes trapped inside hair follicles which forms a rough, raised, and plugged follicle. These follicles become inflamed, which is why the surrounding skin turns red or pink.
The DIY Treatment
KP is not something that you can make disappear with topical treatments, but exfoliating helps A LOT. You just have to be consistent.
So this brings me to my DIY treatment that helps more than any other lotion or potion I’ve put on my KP. I did hours of research and months of being a guinea pig and this stuff really works. Just call me Antoine Lavoisier. 😉
I started my research with finding out the best anti-inflammatory products, and I mixed and matched until I came up with THE holy grail KP relief.
Before we get to the exact measurements, here is the background on each ingredient: turmeric helps with inflammation when ingested and applied to the body. You’ve probably seen that it’s super trendy right now do order a turmeric latte, right? They taste pretty good, too.
Jojoba oil and lavender oil are also anti-inflammatories. Jojoba oil is known to reduce redness and is very hydrating. Lavender is known to kill bacteria.
♡ 2T Baking Soda
♡ 1.5 t Turmeric Powder
♡ 3T Jojoba Oil
♡ 5-10 drops of pure essential lavender oil
Mix all of the ingredients, and apply to the KP skin. I always do this in the shower, and rinse off with warm water.
Do you deal with keratosis pilaris? Any other tips to deal?
Hello! SKIN, SKIN, SKIN. It’s SO in and you know I’m all about taking the best possible care of my skin especially if you follow along on IG Stories.
One product in particular seems to have a really mystifying identity: toners. I didn’t really ‘get it’ until recently myself. However they really are a crucial part of taking care of your skin.
Before, I thought of toner as being super astringent and harsh because that’s how I recall it being back in the day, like when I was 14. Do you guys remember those toners?
The game has changed in a BIG way since then, and now toners are made for every skin type without drying alcohol and stinging ingredients. So, what is it?
To put it simply, toner looks like water and acts like water. But it’s not water. Depending on the toner, it also can contain acids, glycerin, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatories.
“If you want to talk science, a toner is a fast-penetrating liquid that delivers skin a quick hit of hydration and helps remove some dead cells off the surface of the skin. The result: plump, glowy skin. On a makeup-related note, toner is like a primer for the rest of your skincare routine like serums and moisturizer.” {source}
Here’s what toners can do for your skin:
Sops up every last speck of makeup
Toners were initially created to help as an extra step cleaning your face, AKA getting all the shit that might be left on your skin after cleansing. And it’s true: when I use toner, I can see grime on the cotton ball I use just about every time.
It removes excess oil, which leads to less acne
Toners are notorious for removing excess oil, which is what clogs pores and causes blackheads in the first place. If you have oily or acne prone skin, try a toner with glycolic acid or “If you have acne or oil-prone skin, look for a toner that contains glycolic acid or salicylic acid, as it will cut down on oil and shine. {source}
Adds hydration to your skin
Toner serves as the perfect base for oils and moisturizers in addition to cleaning your face. It also restores the pH balance to your skin which equals glowy-ness.
Ok, so here’s when and how I use toner: I use it every single morning before I use anything else on my face. I do not use a cleanser on my face in the morning because I find that they’re too drying to use twice a day…so I only use cleansers at night (I double cleanse). I pack on all of my oils and moisturizers at night after I’ve cleansed, and then in the morning I do a swipe all over my face and neck with Pacifica’s Toner, which is provides a gentle clean to my face and serves as a hydrating base for my AM skincare and then makeup.
Science says that your willpower is highest in the morning. Running with that theme, I have created a morning routine that takes full advantage of that fact…and I’ve experienced so much more ease with how my entire day goes. No frantic shit in the morning, no “what am I going to eat?”, “what time do I have to be up?”, “OMG. I’m so late”. None of it. My mornings are almost always calm and productive because I’ve built a strong routine.
I was inspired to create a morning routine a little over a year ago by studying up on what some of the most successful people in history do each morning. If you’re curious, you can check out Fast Company’s article on The Morning Routines of the Most Successful people.
In this video, I break down my entire morning, including:
♡ My tongue scraper
♡ Hydroflask
♡ Coffee
♡ Skincare routine
♡ Gym routine
Do you have a morning routine that you love? Share the deets, please!
Confession: I never understood the obsession with Princess Kate. So shoot me. I’ll leave it at that, but I have been reading about Princess Meghan. About what, you ask? Her beauty and wellness routine.
If her routine is good enough for a princess, it must be amazing, right? She has this glow and she just SPARKLES – very fitting for a princess! So I had to know what she’s doing and what she’s using on her skin and what her wellness routine is.
SO, here are specifics on what Meghan Markle’s uses and does to keep herself looking sparkly:
♡ INFRARED SAUNA: Meghan uses an infrared sauna once a week to sweat out toxins. The benefits include glowing skin, stress relief, and weight loss. I have personally been wanting to try one for the longest time – have you guys tried?
♡ LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE FACIALS. Meghan has attributes her sculpted cheekbones and jawline to the hands of London-based facialist, Nichola Joss, known for her transformative pressure-point lymphatic drainage facial massages. These treatments offer an instant de-puff from manually draining the lymphatic system and reducing excess fluids around the eyes. They also improve blood circulation, giving the skin an instant radiance.
Meghan says: “I do facial exercises from one of my favorite aestheticians who basically has you sculpt your face from the inside out. I swear it works, as silly as you may feel. On the days I do it, my cheekbones and jaw line are waaaay more sculpted. There’s a reason this kind of massage is in high demand around awards season when every actress wants to look A-plus.”
So much yes. If you haven’t tried facial massage yet, you must try it — it’s FREE if you do it yourself. LMK if you’d like a tutorial? It’s something I do every single morning.
♡ ACUPUNCTURE + CUPPING. Meghan is a long-time fan of the ancient Chinese practices of both acupuncture and cupping. These traditional holistic treatments are known for deep healing and stress reduction.
♡ DR. BRONNER’S BODY WASH IN LAVENDER. “I love the smell and it lasts for such a long time. ” And it’s true. I picked up this body wash after researching the best vegan and cruelty-free body washes and this was at the top of the list. It smells so good, and it’s affordable.
♡ ADD SHIMMER TO INNER CORNERS OF THE EYES: “I learned to add the smallest touch of shimmer to the inner corner of the eye after they’re lined. A touch of shimmer powder adds a brightness and sparkle. Even if I have no makeup on, I am likely to apply concealer and a bit of shimmer to the corners of my eye.” If you watched my video on how to make your eyes look bigger and whiter, you saw my absolute FAVORITE shimmer for this purpose: NYX Platinum.
Lastly, on her favorite “grooming look” on a man: “Oh I love a scruffy face. Gets me every time.”
Me too, Meghan, me too. LOVE a beard.
So many good beauty tips and tricks, right? Meghan is ON IT when it comes to beauty and wellness, and I’ll continue to follow along to see what she’s doing.
