I'm Back!

I have been seriously slacking lately, and there is just no excuse! I mean, I did graduate college, start a new job, and been planning a wedding that is officially two weeks away, but other than that... absolutely no excuse!

I was crazy busy during June and July with wedding after wedding. I can't wait to show you guys some of the work I did, but I haven't seen pictures from any of them yet. In the mean time, I thought I would go ahead and show you a sneak peek of the run through I did with Mrs. Elizabeth Powers.


Before:

After:

Is she not absolutely stunning?! She is seriously model material.

This is one picture from her actual wedding day that I stole from her Facebook. I hope that's okay, Liz!

Beautiful fairy-tale wedding! Looks like something straight out of a magazine.

I hope I will get to share more with you soon. Pictures from MY wedding will be coming shortly! 14 days... Oh my!

Prom Season!

I did my first prom look of the season yesterday for the lovely Cierra. I did a very simple variation of a pin-up look. I wanted to stay pretty simple since she rarely wears makeup - not that she needs it! I wanted to people to see her and her beautiful features when they looked at her, not just see makeup.

I stayed very basic with the eyeshadow, using a light brown to slightly define the crease. I used a midnight blue cream liner because it's not as harsh as black, and it makes her eyes pop even more!

I used a coral-toned blush and instead of the typical, predictable red or hot pink lip, I used a light pink lip stick and set it with pink shimmery shadow.

She's so stunning! Hope you all enjoy :) 

For better quality pictures, find me on Facebook! MakeupByAundi (all one word)

xoxo.

Maybelline Fit Me Foundation Review

There was so much fuss when this foundation came out, I just had to try it out for myself. I have used the Fit Me foundation for almost two weeks now, and I've been dying to give this review. I really love the packaging- props to Maybelline! It looks much more high-end. It kinda reminds me of the Nars Sheerglow bottle. For my day-to-day routine, I use Revlon Colorstay. I've used this for about a year, maybe a little longer, and I've been hard pressed to find anything that tops it. The Colorstay is $13.99 at CVS - rather steep for a drugstore brand, but I pretty much always buy it when I have my Extra-Care extra bucks (or whatever they're called!). So needless to say, I found the price of the Fit Me Foundation quite attractive at $7.99. Literally almost half the price!

I didn't research the foundation before purchasing, which I probably should have done. The product claims to:
-match natural skintone
-blend seamlessly
-let skin breathe
... it actually does all those things. I'm glad CVS had testers, because judging by the bottle, I almost bought two shades too dark. I'm the shade 120. You might want to test the color first if you can!

I noticed the first couple days of trying it out that my skin looked super shiny, which is weird because I have really dry skin. My face looking oily is very, very rare. I always, always, always apply moisturizer before foundation, and usually forego the primer for my daily routine, but after a few days, I tried it without moisturizer, which helped control the shine a bit. I'm all about the dewy, glowy finish, but too much shine is not a good thing. Apparently Maybelline left out oil absorbent ingredients in order to keep the coverage light. Which brings me to my next point: the coverage is super sheer. The formula is slightly buildable, so you can apply a couple layers to even out your skin, but if you need heavy coverage, Fit Me probably isn't for you. For my day-to-day look, I don't mind the light coverage. But Fit Me won't be the first foundation I grab when doing a night look.

Because it is so light, it is super easy to apply and blend. The price is great, and like I said, I don't mind it for everyday use. It lasts about 8 hours on my before it starts to separate and look gross.

Overall, I'm not in love with it, but I don't hate it. I probably will repurchase it, along with my ever-faithful Colorstay.

If you're looking for a lighter coverage foundation, definitely check it out. If you're looking for a great price, check it out!

If you have oily skin, I would stay far, far away from this product.


Sorry this is so long, but I wanted to make sure I covered everything and did a thorough review. I'm going to keep using it for the next month, so if my opinion changes, I will update you guys!

I hope you find this helpful. Let me know what you think!


xoxo.

Out-the-Door Makeup

Being a college student, I have those push-the-snooze-button-til-the-last-possible-minute mornings all too often. I usually just throw on some moisturizer and go, but sometimes ya just need to look like you put in a little effort. Maybe you're running late for a meeting or for work, or maybe you just need to even out your skintone. Here are a few simple tricks that make a huge difference!

If you're really running late, just massage on some foundation with your fingertips. I pretty much only use my fingers on a regular basis (unless I'm working on others!); I just think it gives a nicer, well-blended finish. Just make sure your hands are clean! And if you need it, some under eye concealer.

Another quick trick to give your face some more definition is to highlight. You can use a light shadow or concealer. I just did my inner corners and under the brow for simplicity's sake, but it makes a huge difference.

Now if you have just a few more seconds to spare, add some mascara and lipgloss!

Three simple steps that make a world of difference!

Before: As you can tell by my hair, this must have been one of those days! haha :)

After:

So simple... Very little effort, less than five minutes!

Hope this was helpful!


xoxo.

I need your help!

Hey guys! I entered a makeup contest on Youtube.  Please help me out by watching, commenting, and subscribing! :)

Even if I don't win, it has inspired me to start making my own videos. So, let me know what you guys think!

Thanks so much for your help. You guys are the best! :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSTToFyqoyM


Also, check out my Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/MakeupByAundi/192664414091148


xoxo.

More Valentine's Makeup!

This look is much more dramatic than the last. Perfect if you're going on a nice date with your honey!

I did a plum-colored smokey eye, and for the first option, a glossy nude lip.

Normally I would add some strip lashes to add to the drama, but I ran out, so I added just a few individual lashes. If you have somewhat long lashes naturally, the individual ones won't really add any length, but they do make your lashes look fuller, which is always a good thing!

Another option to make the look even more glamorous is add a bright lip. This one is my favorite! :)

This is a trick I learned from Kandee that makes your lips look super sultry. I lined my lips with a red liner ( I really like the Revlon Colorstay one) and filled them in a bit, then went over that with a hot pink lipstick. Super glamorous! :)

I hope you try out at least some version of this look. Even if you don't normally wear bright or bold colors, it's always nice to get dolled up every once in a while! ;)

I don't think I'll have time to upload another look before Monday, so I hope you all have a wonderful, love-filled Valentine's Day!

Aundi

Valentine's Day

This is my first Valentine's Day inspired look. I will post at least one more this weekend. This is a very natural and practical look, which is great if you don't usually wear bright colors. This year, Valentine's falls on a Monday (blegh!), so this is perfect to wear to work.

Before... Yikes! :)

After:

I used a very light grey shadow on the lid and a light brown in the crease. I smudged brown liner on top and bottom and added some mascara. So simple! And what is Valentine's Day without bright pink lips?? :)

Au Naturale

I have been snowed in my apartment since Sunday evening. I live in the south, and whenever we get a few inches of snow, the entire state shuts down. This is probably the perfect time to create a new look for my blog, but I've been trying to give my skin a break. I have continued my normal skincare routine, which I did a blog about a few months ago if you'd like to check it out.

This is what I have looked like all week:

Although it may not look like it, I have been showering this week! :)

You should always try to go one or two days a week without makeup. It gives your skin a chance to breathe, especially if you have a blemish or deal with acne. Blemishes can't completely heal if you keep caking foundation and concealer over them!

I got a Clarisonic face brush for Christmas, which is phenomenal! It is a bit pricy, but it is so worth it. It's definitely not something you should use everyday. I use mine a couple times a week after take off my makeup with makeup remover towelettes. 

Have fun giving your skin a break and going au naturale! :)