Bridal Trial: Aug 31, 2011

My cousin Emily works with Caroline who is getting married next month and was looking for a makeup artist, and of course Emily recommended me, and this is how her look turned out!

Products I used:

Prime: Urban Decay De Slick in a Tube

Eyes: Prime with MAC paint pot in Indianwood

          Yaby eye shadow in golden age  (lid)

           (Crease) Yaby Dark brown, new penny, Almost black

           Black eye liner (top smoked out & waterline)

           Waterproof mascara

Eyebrows: Yaby Abyss eyeshadow

Concealer (highlight)- Eve Pearl Salmon Concealer

                                        Make Up For Ever Camouflage Yellow Cream

Foundation- Eve Pearl Foundation Trio "B"

Powder- NYX Dark Beige

Highlight - MAC cream color base in Improper Copper

                   MAC Golden Bronze

Contour - Graftobian Powder

Blush- IMAN peace

Lips- IMAN lip liner in Tan & Spice/ Cover Girl Queen Lip Gloss in Sugar & Spice

Urban Decay De-slick Oil Control Setting Spray

Sorry, I don't have a before picture, sometimes I forget to take those. She has been engaged for 4 years and has been with her Fiance for 14 years! I was like whaa! lol She said she didn't want to deal with planning a wedding. I totally understand her, haha. She had great skin to I didn't have to conceal anything!

Wish List : ridiculously long

Makeup Wish List

Max factor mascara 2000 I remember seeing this on a Makeup Reality TV show and not only was I immediately impressed, so were the contestants.














Make Up For Ever HD concealer: I want ever shade of this concealer for my kit. One day I will have them all, I love them so much, my holy grail concealer.














Vichy Dermablend concealer: Lisa Eldrige uses these and I love full coverage concealer for spot concealing.

Kett wheel foundation: I couldn't find a picture of the wheel but Goss from YouTube uses it all the time for highlighting and contouring & he raves about it and it looks so creamy. I love highlighting & contouring with cream products.

Chanel Poudre Universelle Libre Natural Finish Loose powder: This is a matte powder which talc as one of the ingredients so it actually is good at keeping oils at bay. It even got a good review from beautypedica.com. It comes in three translucent shades. I know there are cheaper options but for my kit I like to get some luxurious items for my clients.

Make Up For Ever matte lip: I love the idea that you may have no matte lipsticks in your kit but apply this clear gloss and it will turn it matte!









Japonesque Lipstick palette: I definitely need a palette for lipsticks.

La femme blushes & powder: Lesly has the blushes in her kit and they are soooo creamy and pigmented it's crazy, and the prize is amazing! And celebrity MUA Kim Greene recommends their pressed powders.





Bioderm crealine makeup remover: You get this huge bottle for such an amazing price and you don't have to rinse with water. Lisa Eldrige uses this a lot and did a video on removing makeup and it totally sold me on how easy it took off makeup.











Make up for ever lip line: I can't wait to buy this at the MUFE Pro Road Show! I tried this at Sephora and it definitely filled in the fine lines (so as to prevent bleeding of lipstick) & when I applied a powder of it, you could actually see where I applied it, that's how much of a barrier it made!










Nyx matte lipsticks: I know I want the MUFE matte lip but hey, I still want matte lipsticks in my kit, I have none!












Eye lashes by naimies: I only have two types of lashes available in my kit, so sad.

Sigma HD Brushes: I have the F80 and it's amazing! I want them all for my kit.

Suqqu face brush: I have wanted this brush since I saw Lisa Eldrige use it. What attacks me to it is the way the brush head is shaped. Which is funny to me now because I think the Real Techniques brush is shaped just like it....

Hakuhodo brushes: I would love to add these luxurious brushes to my kit. I hear nothing but amazing things about them!







Kyoku for men: I would love to get this line in the future is I'm getting a lot of men clients. Men's skin really is different than women's so I like that this caters to them.











Sampar prodigal pen: MUA Kim Greene recommended this product & it sounds amazing! It treats blemishes, ingrown hairs, insect bites, fights bacteria, heals razor burns, & more! There are plenty of models that were in my chair that could have benefited from this, dying to get this.

Viseart corrector palette: I love my Graftobian corrector palette but I like that this palette has correctors for both light & dark skin tones, so I'd like to try it out.

Make Up For Ever sculpting palette: I am not happy with the powder products in my kit for contouring and these palettes follow me everywhere! I see them in stores & read great reviews without meaning too!








Make Up For Ever matte powder: Beautypedia.com gave this a great review and I love matte powders and need them in my kit, I have none.

Real Techniques brushes: I want them all, case in point. Hear so many good things about them. Every time I go to ULTA they are sold out!








Embryolisse Lotion Micellar: I don't have a face cleanser in my kit & the great thing about this one is that you don't need to rinse with water! How convenient is that!?












Philosophy Eye believe : I don't have an eye cream in my kit & this also got a good review from beautypedia.com












Iwata Airbrush compressor: I am disappointed with my Dinair airbrush gun so I bought an Iwata gun but it doesn't work with my Dinair compressor so I must buy a new compressor.











Make up for ever lash fibers: I am obsessed with THICK lashes so I really want to try this. It also got a good review from beautypedia.com

Stila brow pen: I always use powder but I would like to start practicing with a pen, rather than a pencil because it seems more fine and natural looking.

Soleil Tan de Chanel: I've heard so many great things about this cream bronzer and I am still looking for good bronzers, so why not add another luxurious item to my kit.

Senna's brow kit: I love that it comes with so many things, especially the stencils, because there are plenty of clients that will come to me with absolutely NO eye brows and in those instances, I need stencils, I don't like to freehand them because I want both sides to look identical.








New Skin Liquid Bandage: I can't believe I have never seen or heard of this until MUA Kim Greene recommended it. Funny because at my last shoot, the male model had an open wound and wanted me to put makeup over it! I refused because it was open and did not want to infect it by putting makeup over it. If I had this product, I would have been able to!










Soooo, that is the end to my LONG wish list. It's all stuff for my kit, not for my personal collection, that would be another wishlist. The products are expensive I know, but you've heard it before, clients like it when you use expensive makeup because they are paying you to look and even FEEL glamourous and using expensive products they can't afford makes them all giddy. And I know I referenced www.beautypedia.com a lot, but know that I don't agree with ALL of her reviews, but when she gives you hard facts about certain ingredients, she's just right! So have you guys tried any of the items I listed? Tell me what you think of them.

Learning how to do HAIR!

I have fought tooth and nail about learning how to do hair. I mean, I can do really simple hair like waves, curls, or straighten. But in Miami, they prefer you to be a Makeup Artist AND Hair Stylist. Now, I do not want to do hair AT ALL, it's not my thing. But I want to learn and be comfortable with it in case I have to do it. 

So my awesome friend Lesly came over my house today (Tues, Aug 2, 2011) to give me my first hair styling lesson! We skipped regular curls and what not. Thank goodness she is here to help me because there are little tricks to doing something that I was doing in a much more complicated way. And here is the outcome!

Lesly also gave me a list of a basic hair kit:

Gel

Soft Hairspray

Hard Hairspray

Teasing brush

Round brush

Blow dryer

Paddle brush

Clear & Black rubber bands

Bobby Pins

Hair Pins

Flat Iron

Barrel Hot Tool

I won't be offering hair services but I want to practice hair so that if I have to do it on photo shoots, at least I will feel more confident and used to it with all the practice I will get.

SECOND Look with Lesly, August 11, 2011

I began her hair with huge curls. We were going for a pinup look but that didn't work out so we went for the look below lol.

It was a crazy messy bun with a little faux hawk thing in the front hehe.

Thank you Lesly! Love ya!

Soap Hope

Hey guys, so Soap Hope sent me a little package of sample sizes of some of their products. Here is the little box it came in.

The little note is really cute, and of course it's great that they are all about recycling to better our earth. 

The other bar of soap is in my shower right now and it's great. It lathers like a soap bar should and smells so good! Their soaps also work as soaps should and have a really great smell as well. The dishwashing soap is in my kitchen sink right now. The eye shadows are loose pigments, which I don't buy for myself or my kit because pressed shadows are more practical for me.

Soap Hope brings you this all-natural minerals-based premium Glimmering Multi-Purpose Minerals Eye Shadow by Mahya Cosmetics.

Here is a photo of me wearing the shadows on my lid, NOT my crease. 

Honey Beige is a very nude color, almost like the powder version of MAC's painterly paint pot. Happy is a gold shimmer color which is very fine and catches the light so well in person. It's not too much and I actually really love it. I have that over the honey beige on my lid. Here are swatches. 

On the left you can't even see the color Honey Beige because it is my skin tone color. On the right you can see the light shimmer of Happy. Honey Beige is better seen over my eyelid with primer underneath. And now I use the color Happy over my brown shadows all the time and get compliments. 

What I like about Soap Hope is that all of their profits go to providing opportunity for women in poverty. Like, seriously, every single dollar. 

They have bath products, cleaning products, makeup, and even pet products. They gear towards the natural and organic, so check out Soap Hope for yourself! Thanks Soap Hope for your package of goodies. 

Makeup By Marla (:: Makeup for School Pictures (Guest Post)

Makeup By Marla (:: Makeup for School Pictures (Guest Post): I'm so happy that Jessica agreed to do this post for me.. I was really interested in reading her thoughts because she works with professiona...

2nd MAC Interview

Here are a compilations of questions you could be asked: 

How to handle a challenging client
What would you do if paired with a coworker you didn't like
What do you know about color theory
Rate your makeup
Rate yourself as a makeup artist
What do you feel you have mastered & what you need to work on
What experience do you have in sales
Why do you want to work at Mac
What is your availability
Do you have previous cosmetics experience
Do you have customer service experience
Where do you get inspiration from
Where do you see yourself in 5 years
Have you had to let someone go
Describe your daily/weekly activities
What experience do you have doing makeup
How would you sell me a red lipstick
What Mac products do you recommend
How long before you expected a promotion
If you made $300 and had 2hrs to make $200 more what would you do
What do you know about Mac the company (in which they want you to know about their recycling program back to Mac, and their humanitarian fund viva a glam which goes to the fight against aids/HIV)

Above are the questions you could be asked on your interview. The interviewer liked me, so she scheduled me for the next days interview which consists of doing makeup on a model you bring yourself. It was at the same location (not at a MAC counter). Here was my FOTD for that interview. My makeup for the first interview was more of a MAC style in my opinion and went for a more simple look for the second interview because it was really about doing makeup on someone else.

Soooo, here is how the second interview went down. There were six of us with our models and we stood at our own stations. On one side of the room were the eye and lip products, and on the other side of the room were the face products. You only had to supply your own makeup brushes (they had brushes but not enough for everyone). Then they made everyone give up their models for another model because they wanted this to be as real as possible, ie. doing makeup on a stranger like you would everyday at the counter. You were timed with 45 minutes to complete a full face of makeup and everyone was assigned one MAC employee to just sit there and watch you do makeup and SELL. Yea, they pretty much want to see you 'pretend sell' to the model/customer. 

It was really nerve wrecking for me because I feel like I know how to do makeup, but I'm used to my own kit where I know how everything works and where everything is. They wanted you to ask the model what kind of makeup she wanted and go from there. My model wanted a gold and purple smokey eye and I gave her the mirror after every three steps of the way lol (which is important to MAC that you show them what they look like). The problem was when I got to the face products, I was running back and forth across the room in heels, grabbing three different foundation bottles, three different face powders, two different concealers, so that I could match the color to her skin tone. This was waisting my precious time! So even when you know what you are doing, the pressure is on and makes you nervous! Then, my model told me what color foundation she was (she uses MAC) and she was actually off like most women are. Most women I know always pick foundation colors that are too light for them. She was going to let me pick the correct color but then I guess decided she didn't trust me and told me to mix the two. Okay fine, so I dabbed my stippling brush once in each of the foundations and HOLY CRAP! I have heard about MAC foundations being thick and what not, but I had enough foundation to cover her whole body! I started sweating and freaking out. I kept wetting my brush and buffing, wetting my brush and buffing. I was trying to stand in front of the model so the MAC employee wouldn't see her! lol I finally asked the MAC employee for a sponge, which I wet and blended the crap out of that foundation. Finally it was all okay. During all of this, my nerves got to me and I dropped things and grabbed the wrong products at other times. One time I went to grab Fix+ to wet my brush and when I pressed the pump, lotion came out instead, grabbed the wrong bottle LOL It was a disaster. I can only laugh at it all now. All in all, it wasn't so bad. The makeup came out good. Other MAC employees came to my model and told her they loved the makeup. The problem was that I really didn't sell. I would only sell products that not everyone may be aware of, like primers, setting spray, and blot powder. How do I sell a blush that the model already wants and asked for? 

But good news is I got the call today and I got the job!

Review: Urban Decay Revolution Lash Curler

Urban Decay's Revolution High Performance Lash Curler

Before I even saw this product, I had heard about it from my cousin Crystal. She was explaining this eyelash curler that didn't have the sides which was great because I wouldn't end up pinching my client's eyes, which sounded weird to me and I never thought about it again. 

I then went to Sephora and saw it and was like OOOhhhhhhh! This is the curler my cousin was telling me about. Right away I asked an employee at Sephora if she had one that I could try. She pulled one out of the drawer and cleaned it before handing it to me. 

It was weird to handle, but after a second I got it. And let me tell you, total fail. Now, I have long eyelashes myself. So long that I get asked if they are fake all the time. So believe me, I know which eyelash curlers make these babies curl up! lol And these did not make them budge! I kept trying and trying, until the Sephora employee looked at me like, when is she going to give up!? 

I went home and saw that most of the reviews on this curler agreed with me. But hey, try it for yourself! In fact, have any of you tried it? What did you think?

Need an ONLINE Portfolio?

It is rare that actually portfolio books are swapped nowadays. Now everyone asks you for your online portfolio. I have both to meet the needs of online networking and face to face interviews. 

What is the difference between your website and online portfolio if both contain your work?

My website: www.beautybyrivera.com is public for everyone to view and can be found on google and other search engines. It is the website I use on my business card and is mainly for hiring purposes. Therefore, I show not only my professional portfolio, but I have client work and before & afters. I also have a page dedicated to my prices and another for reviews. I also have a page dedicated to my services for makeup classes. Basically this website is geared to the everyday person who is looking for wedding, prom, or special occasion makeup. I also will send this link to wedding planners. 

My online portfolio: www.behance.net/jessicarivera is also public, but you cannot find it easily. Pretty much, people who see that page are either a part of Behance or are sent to that page by me personally. I do not use this page for hiring purposes unless it's to hire me for a professional photo/video shoot. Therefore, I only have my professional work on here ie. agency model shoots and published work. You will not find any pricing or reviews on here. It is solely to display my work, a picture and bio of me, and a way of contacting me. This is the link I send to agencies, photographers, models, etc. It is not geared to the everyday person. 

Showing my online portfolio page to potential bridal clients for example can intimidate the client or make the client think you are too expensive, especially if you have published work. Your clients want to relate to you, even if in a small way. So seeing regular people and how you work with them is very important, so know the difference between the two sites and know which one to send out.

Need an online portfolio? Here are some good options:

www.behance.net : is what I use. You can put video and photos on here which is a plus if you do makeup for television or music videos. The only problem you may have is that you may want to keep all your beauty work together, fashion work together etc. With behance, it's more like having photo albums, so I have an album for every shoot I have worked on. Also, you don't get your own url, which for me is not a problem at all. Also, behance is free! If you want it even more professional looking, they have a partner site called ProSite which you can create by just adding your already uploaded work into the prosite but this site charges monthly. It is visible on the iPad/phone. I like that when you post a new project, you can twitter share it. 

www.photocrew.com : I used to use this one as my portfolio, but the more work I got, I realized you are only allowed three or four albums and I couldn't fit all of it in here! I believe you have to pay for more space, but not positive. It is sectioned into three or four albums, which makes it easier to separate your work into Beauty, Fashion, Lifestyle, etc. You can upload videos on here, but it does not show up on your portfolio, it shows up on your photocrew page, so this is a downside for me. It is visible on the iPad/phone.

www.dripbook.com : This is a very nice online portfolio to have. The reason I don't have it is because it was difficult for me to navigate, and you have to pay monthly. If I could, this is what I would have as my online portfolio, but at this time, I cannot add another bill to my life lol. It allows many photo albums to separate into beauty, lifestyle, fashion, etc. It also has a contact form in your portfolio page. And you can add video. I love dripbook and will maybe one day pay for a dripbook portfolio, but I hate that it is hard for me to navigate through! It is visible on the iPad/phone.

www.wix.com :You can use this for a portfolio but Wix is what I use for my website. You can have a free wix website by having the url contain wix.com in it and having Wix ads on your website. I pay around $9 a month to have my own url and to remove the Wix ads. Problem is, it is Flash based, therefore, is NOT visible on the iPad/iPhone. Although you do get a mobile version of your page for free along with your website which is visible on the iPad/phone but, it looks NOTHING like your cool page that you worked so hard on; which is why I don't mind Wix for my regular website because the mobile version still shows what it needs to show, but to show a portfolio, it can look unprofessional. Beware, at first Wix may be hard to use, but keep playing with it and it's super easy. For $9 a month, this is the best site I have found because you can upload sooooo many photos and create a website however you like! I like that anytime you update your site, you can Facebook share it. Not sure about twitter....

What sites do you guys recommend?

Makeup on Corporate Men

So when we think of the jobs makeup artists go on, we think of photo shoots with models or weddings. But there is a lot of makeup work for corporate photo shoots and commercials. Just think about it, open up a bank pamphlet and you see regular everyday people in there, or you see head shots of employees. 

I was watching a YouTube video from In My Professional Opinion on her kit for a corporate shoot, and she was saying how the everyday man does not take care of their skin like women or celebrity men do. Most of the time their skin is red from being in the sun a lot and she was giving tips on what she does and what she uses, so I thought, why not do that on my husband! 

My husband has been playing sports since he was a kid, got a football scholarship till he broke his leg, and still plays sports now and works in the sun, so he has EXTREMELY red skin. It's so bad I really do worry about him getting skin cancer. So anyway, after two weeks of bothering him,  he let me do his makeup! But I didn't go full blown with concealer and all that because he just wanted it to be over with.

What I mainly wanted to concentrate on was taking away redness for the everyday man. And here are the results. 

He didn't want to look directly in the camera for the second picture because he was embarrassed that he had makeup on. So this is what I used:

Clinique (green) redness solutions base spf 15

I used three coats of the green primer.
MAC mineralize skin finish powder (applied with a puff instead of a brush)

So that's it! He has some discoloration and all that jazz but like I said, I was only concentrating on getting rid of the red on his face, especially since he wasn't really enjoying the experience as it was LOL

Now that I see this, it looks like I need to do my hubby's tape, getting kinda long! hehe

So make sure you have that green primer in your kit for any client you may have with very red skin!

MAC interview/FOTD

Face: Inglot Foundation, MUFE HD concealer, MAC Mineralized Skin Finish

Blush: MAC mineralized blush Dainty, NYX mosaic powder for contour

Lips: MAC Viva Glam V, MAC lustreglass in LOVE NECTAR

Eyes: MAC paint pot in painterly, Purple (lid) & Pink (crease) eyeshadows by Inglot, Buxom gel liner, MUFE smoky lash mascara

This was my chic interview outfit. I was worried I wouldn't have anything black because after I gave birth I don't fit into my old clothes but thank goodness I found these harem pants which are baggy and paired it with a regular black tank top and cute heels. My son wanted my attention after getting home so he decided to get in on the picture with me, hehe. Seriously though, my baby hair are driving me crazy! You can see them from a mile away! And they are curly too! lol perks of my latin heritage =D

The interview went great! I was so worried that it was going to be a very serious interview but they had music going on and Liz who interviews me was extremely nice and when answering the questions, I didn't feel like it was all robotic, I was able to really just have a conversation with her during the interview. I was in an office room where there were three other tables with interviews going on, so that made me more comfortable. Sometimes when it's just one on one with silence in between questions it makes your nervous! She loved that I brought my portfolio and wants me to come back for a second interview tomorrow where I bring a model to do makeup on. 

I applied to do freelance with MAC in case you were wondering. Now I have to rummage my mother's closet for black clothes for tomorrow's interview, ack!

My Skincare Routine: Oily-Acne Prone

 

       













This is my skincare routine that I do not change due to
years of looking for the perfect skincare routine FOR ME.
I have tried so many products and I did some research on
acne.org and that is when I learned about retinol, salicylic acid and glycolic acid. A big part of my skin doing better is my Clarisonic Mia. I love it and always bring it with me when I travel. What I love about my skincare routine is that only one of the items is "high end" which is the Philosophy cream. I refused to need a high end cleanser, toner, moisturizer, etc. Although all these products together totals up to a nice large price lol. My husband complains about my routine because he says I'm in the shower an hour after I'm done. I tell him he will thank me when we are older. Hey, I'm 27 now and I think I still look pretty young and that's how I like to keep it! =D

INFO

Salicylic acid is a beta hydroxy acid commonly used to treat comedonal or non-inflamed acne. It is a popular ingredient in many over-the-counter products. Salicylic acid is found in lotions and creams, cleansers, medicated treatment pads, solutions or "toners."

How it Works

Salicylic acid helps correct the abnormal desquamation process that occurs in acne-prone skin. It works as an exfoliant, promoting the sloughing away of dead skin cells.

Salicylic acid is especially helpful in treating acne because of its ability to penetrate the follicle. It encourages the shedding of dead skin cells from within the follicle, helping keep the pores clear of cellular debris. In this way, it reduces the number of pore blockages and breakouts on the skin.

Glycolic Acid is from Natural fruit acids (alpha hydroxy acids or AHAs) to rejuvenate the skin by encouraging the shedding of old, sun-damaged surface skin cells. Glycolic acid is the alpha hydroxy acid most frequently used for Glycolic Acid facial treatments but lactic and citric acid are also useful. Of course, lactic acid doesn't come from fruit - it comes from milk.Other type of Chemical Peels Healthy natural skin care.

Who should use Glycolic Acid - AHA treatments?

AHA - glycolic acid peel preparations are recommended for those whose skin is showing signs of aging. Fine lines, brown marks and dry spots (solar keratoses) can improve with regular applications or peels. Glycolic acid may also prove helpful for those prone to acne. Hand rejuvenation with Glycolic acid (as seen on The Doctors - Radiesse).

How do they work?

With time and sun exposure there is a gradual but slow-down in the rate at which old cells leave the surface of the skin and are replaced by newer cells. This results in a surface layer of dead skin cells that are responsible for the appearance of aged skin.

Glycolic Acid - AHA 's loosen the glue-like substances that hold the surface skin cells to each other, therefore allowing the dead skin to peel off. The skin underneath has a fresher, healthier look with a more even color and texture.

With high concentration and long-term use, AHA 's may also affect the deeper layers of the skin. Collagen and elastin regenerate making fine lines less obvious.

What is Retinol? Retinol is the whole vitamin A molecule, which can be broken down into thousands  of smaller components, including “retinoic acid” (also called tretinoin, the active ingredient in Renova and Retin-A). Essentially retinol is just a fancy name for vitamin A;  however, it is perhaps the most important vitamin for the appearance of the skin. It belongs to the family of chemical compounds known as retinoids and is one of the few substances with a small enough molecular structure to penetrate the outer layers of the skin and work to repair the lower layers where collagen and elastin reside. Retinol is vitamin A in its purest and most active form. It penetrates deep into the skin, where it becomes fully operative. Wrinkles and lines are gradually smoothed, moisture and elasticity increase, the complexion glows and damage is diminished. Question: Is Toner Necessary? Many women assume they need toner. They believe it removes the extra makeup and oils on your skin, while minimizing pores. There are hundreds of toners on the market. Every brand sells it. But is toner really necessary? Answer: No, unless you have really oily skin.  While many people feel toners truly cleanse their faces, removing any excess makeup residue, most beauty editors agree toners are not a "must-have" part of most people's skincare regimen. Since most modern toners aren't as drying as the ones of the past, I believe they aren't harmful to most skin types. However, this is up for debate, as you'll see below. So who should use toner? People with extremely oily or acne-prone skin and those of us who want extra cleansing after wearing a lot of makeup. If you love your toner and sincerely believe it works, then by all means do not throw it out. What's most important is your own skin's reaction to it, not the hype surrounding toner's necessity in the beauty world.

FOTD Modern 1920s Look

This was my modern take on 1920s. The hair really helped pulled it off. 

Face: Inglot cream foundation. MUFE HD concealer. MAC mineralized skin finish. 

MAC mineralized blush in Dainty

Contour with NYX mosaic powder

Eyes: MAC painterly paint pot. Browns from E.L.F. palette. MUFE smoky lash mascara.

Lips: Sephora lip liner

I did not follow the natural lines of my lips since I was going for a defined cupids bow and rounder bottom lip for that 1920s look. I love the shape of my lips this way.... I think I will do it all the time now!

Product Battle: Clean & Clear Wipes VS Say Yes to Cucumbers Wipes

I have never been satisfied with a makeup remover wipe until recently. But a You Tube Guru convinced me to change my holy grail wipes to the new Say Yes to Cucumber Wipes. She was raving about them and I liked the packaging so I caved and bought it at CVS. Well, in one word, my review is: FAIL! This is the last time I will change my wipes because after trying every brand of wipes out there, why didn't I stick with my holy grail wipes? The SYTC Wipes are not as soft and moist. And because they don't remove makeup that great, I find myself rubbing my skin hard and pulling in certain areas which is big no no! I have to say the packaging is great and wish my holy grail wipes had this packaging to lock in moisture. Funny thing is, the SYTC wipes don't have much moisture to begin with anyway, so why bother with the great packaging. The smell is nice, obviously it smells like cucumbers. But I will never repurchase these, nor would I recommend them. 

Drum roll please....... my HOLY GRAIL makeup remover wipes aaaarrrre Clean & Clear Wipes! Like I mentioned before, I have tried every brand of wipes there is because I was never satisfied, so anytime a new wipe came out, I tried it. So when Clean & Clear came out with their first ever makeup remover wipes, I tried it without any expectations and it was love at first touch. The wipes are extremely moist and soft, and it removes my makeup wonderfully. I don't have to rub hard or pull at my skin. I just softly wiped it past my skin. The smell is not strong at all.... I would say it just smells clean. .... Wow, I didn't even mean that in a pun kind of way, smells clean, like their name, clean & clear lol. Makes sense though. The only downside is the packaging. The little sticker on top that is resealable looses it's stickiness and by the time you get to your last wipes, the seal flaps back which allows air in the package which dries out the last of your wipes. So I started putting it away facing down to keep the flap shut. Oh, and it's oil free, which is a plus for my oily skin! 

What are your holy grail wipes? Have you even found it yet?

Celebrity Makeup Artist: Melanie Makeup

http://www.mel-shesgotthelook.com/

I have found another celebrity makeup artist with a blogspot blog! 

Check out Melanie Makeup!

Some of her work: