Lipsense Dupes

here's a link to my youtube video if you'd rather watch that instead of read this.

don't know what lipsense is? here's the link to that video.

but basically all of you should know what lipsense is by now (incase you don't here's the quick rundown: it's a molecularly bonded liquid lipstick that doesn't smear, transfer, bleed, feather, smudge, no matter what you do for the entire day, you can eat, swim, kiss, even wash your face and it ain't goin' nowhere till you purposefully take it off.-if applied correctly-) but what you probably didn't know is that there are dupes for them at the drugstore!

yes, i said DRUGSTORE DUPES.

here they are:



i made an entire video where you see me apply one of these colors to my lips, and i give my review, plus swatch each of the colors i own on my arm. (and it's under 10 minutes long!) you can view that here.

but, i wanted to include some more information here on the blog that i didn't share on the video.

mostly, the pro's and con's:

also, here's a picture of the swatches up close.

from top to bottom:
-covergirl 512 "coral sunset"
-covergirl 555 "blossom berry"
-maybelline 070 "on and on orchid"
-maybelline 005 "everlasting wine"
-loreal 101 "rose tattoo"
-loreal 117 "permanent blush"
-loreal 119 "neverending nutmeg"
-loreal 213 "continual crimson"
-rimmel 200 "i'll call you"

and here are those same swatches 2 days later. 2 DAYS. you read that right. and i obviously showered, and washed my hands frequently in those two days. plus, i'm a hairdresser, so my hands are wet constantly from hair washing. and granted, that's an arm swatch, so they wear differently on the lips, but still. two days??

My Favorite, Holy-Grail, Eyeshadows

about 2 months ago, I purchased 21 individual eyeshadows from Makeup Geek. after hearing everyone rave about them on youtube, I figured I should give them a shot even though i'm usually pretty reluctant to buy something without swatching it (which is why ulta and sephora get soooo much of my monies) but, i'm so glad I did! for only 5.00 a shadow these babies are a STEAL!

when I got the package in the mail, I filmed an unboxing video for you cause I was sooo excited. I muted the audio during the unboxing because my little girlish screams were so annoying -I truly was that excited- then, after opening them, I decided I needed to include a little tutorial, and give my first impressions to see if they were worth the hype. and they did not disappoint! watch the video, here's a link.

it's taken me 2 months, like i mentioned earlier, to get this video up onto my youtube channel, BUT... that just means I can give even more of an in-depth review for you. these shadows are officially my favorite. they have replaced all of my other eyeshadow palettes, my top 3 favorite shadows thus far are...
Peach Smoothie
Cocoa Bear
Grandstand

and of course, you NEED a z-palette to put them in, they have 3 sizes, small, medium, and large. i'd suggest getting a large, cause it's not that expensive and you can put any brand of shadows in them, just google de-potting that kind of eyeshadow and i'm sure there will be a tutorial online showing you how to do it. i've de-potted all of my individual mac and nyx shadows into another z-palette that i was given for christmas last year. it's awesome!

Throwback Thursday pt. 2

a few years ago i was asked to collaborate with my favorite photographer, Clark Goldsberry (the guy who did our wedding/engagement photos) to do the hair and makeup for a photo shoot. the best part: some of my clients from the salon were used as the models.

the idea was to embrace some of the old, timeless beauty from the past, and yet still have it all seem light and airy as if a woman from each of the different eras had just come home from whatever she was doing, and at the end of the day, she had finally finished putting on that proper smile of hers, and her true self came through.

i did three totally different vintage hairstyles for this shoot: brushed out fingerwaves, messy curls from an undid updo, and finally a partially windswept  edwardian "psyche knot". the makeup was based around each of the different era's as well.

it was truly so fun to be a part of the entire experience. i cannot wait to do something similar like this again.

THIS is my mothers day present

it's mothers day, and all i asked for was the time to sit down and write this blog post. no joke. that's my present. mostly because i took these pictures the day before we left on our cruise last week (that post is coming next) and so i spent all last week getting excited to write it all down and share the good news with you guys!

i LOVE a good before and after picture. but, because of my knowledge in editing and Photoshop from taking classes on it in college for years, i am very critical. if i see one thing out of place, i basically discredit the entire product review. so... with that said, let me give you a few disclaimers: no, i did not edit these pictures. but... a few things have changed between the before and after picture -besides my makeup- mostly the lighting in the room from my living room window was changing because instead of this routine taking me about 15 minutes like usual, it took me over an hour to finish because i had to take all the pictures with my tripod and remote as i went. so... the sun was starting to set as i finished. also, if you notice, my hair looks a bit darker in the second picture, that's just because i brushed out my curls right before i took the before picture, so they look lighter and fluffier. in the after picture, those curls had settled. i tried my hardest to stay in the same pose, with the same expression for all of the pictures. my sister says i look angry, but i promise i'm not, apparently this is just the face that's easiest for me to replicate picture, after picture, after picture.

now that we've got that covered, let's get onto what i did in order to evoke this transformation!

i skipped all of the moisturizers and primers and just started right in with the new bareMinerals bareSkin pure brightening foundation serum. you guys, this stuff is a dream. today i am wearing the shade "07 bare natural", it is a little darker than my natural skin color but that is on purpose since i have fake tan on my neck and body for the summer. (the fake tan i use is st tropez) i haven't even touched any other foundation since first trying this. it goes on so smoothly, and looks so natural that it even has my husbands seal of approval. he loves that it doesn't look cakey even from his up close view. he is a man that openly admits that he would rather see me in jeans and a tee shirt, with no makeup on and my hair in a ponytail. (sooooo not my style) so his approval is a big deal! i would highly recommend getting their foundation brush as well, it works perfectly when paired with their new serum. the "well" in the center of the brush makes the application of this product so easy and smooth. to apply this product, you just shake the container to mix, and start by dropping two drops into the well of the brush, buff in circular motions starting in the center of your face, or where you feel you need most coverage, and add more product a few drops at a time until you achieve your desired coverage. 1-2 drops is light coverage 3-4 drops is medium coverage and 5-6 drops is full coverage. i use 6 drops because i am slightly changing the color of my face to match my tan. if i was using a lighter color i am sure i would feel like i had enough coverage with three drops. also, some have asked if i use a powder to set the foundation... no, i do not. only because i haven't felt the need for it. the foundation dries pretty matte and i have normal to dry skin. if you have oily skin i would recommend setting this foundation with bareMinerals mineral veil. or, if you found that this product didn't stay all day like you wished, try using the powder to see if it helps. i have had absolutely no complaints about this product and so i haven't tried changing anything.

 ^^gotta love that my camera remote got it's 10 seconds of fame in this shot.

next i added some blush and bronzer. using bareMinerals bronzer in "warmth" and their buffing brush i created a subtle line in the hollows of my cheek from my ear to the center of my cheek and along my hairline. next i apply their blush in "beauty". using their flawless application face brush directly to the apples of my cheek and sweeping upward towards my temples.

 next i pencil in my eyebrows. i use anastasia's brow wiz skinny brow pencil in brunette. i love it because it is so easy to use. i have heard good things about the bareMinerals eyebrow pencil, but until i run out of this anastasia stuff, i feel no need to try anything else. i apply this with soft hairlike strokes along my eyebrow and use the spooley brush on the other end of the pencil to soften and blend any harsh lines. after filling in my brows, i highlight my brow bone underneath my brows and the inner corner of my eye with the anastasia brow duality chubby pencil in "camille sand". i have also used the bareMinerals eyeshadow color in "snow" to achieve this same highlighting effect in matte.

 next i do my eyeshadow. this vary's from day to day, i love to change up my eyeshadow looks depending on what activity i am going to do that day, or what i am wearing. today because i am going for a more natural look, i used my naked palette colors "naked" and "buck" in my crease to create some definition and draw attention to my eyes without the use of shimmer.

next i put on eyeliner using a light hand so that it is not too dark or too thick and one coat of mascara using bareMinerals lash domination. if i am going for a natural look i do only one coat on the top lashes, and if i want to show off the length of my lashes i do 2-3 coats. letting my mascara dry completely between coats and one coat on the lower lashes to balance out the eye.

lastly, i put on some lipgloss. the moxie lipglosses are by far my favorite lipgloss. i currently own 6 of their colors, -it's become quite an addiction- but, my current favorite for a natural look, and the color i am wearing today is the shade "rebel" it's a soft pink with no sparkle. my lips are pretty darn huge, so i need to stay away from sparkle if i'm wanting a natural look,  if your wanting some sparkle, my favorite is "spark plug"

^^i'm a deer in headlights, it's awesome.

makeup is one of those instant self esteem boosters for me, i love wearing it, but i love it even more if people don't instantly recognize that i have any on. this look is by far my most complimented makeup look, and i hope this helps you to create your own natural look!

 ...and now for a picture of me actually smiling to show how happy this makeup makes me feel!!! :) Happy Mothers Day!

Favorite Find Friday: LiLash Giveaway

LiLash is a eyelash growing serum that you apply like a clear liquid eyeliner daily. if you haven't heard about it, then your really missing out. i started using it about a year ago, and it has been the single biggest improvement to my self confidence in years! sadly, i heard the company has been sued by Latisse and so they cannot sell to the usa anymore, but, i am giving away a 3 month supply (techincally, but it lasted me 6 months) to one of my followers (an 80.00 value!) the only reason they cannot sell in the usa is not because their product is bad, but only because the formula is too close to latisse and so there are patent issues. (but it seems like their website still works so, i don't know. maybe they won the settlement.)

Application Process

here's my story about this product:

i was a new mom, and i was obsessed with how long my baby daughters eyelashes were. they were the kind of lashes that every single person said "oh my, look how cute she is! and those lashes! who did she get those from?" cause really. if you looked at mine, then you knew that they couldn't possibly have come from my genes. before i continue, you have to know that i have never been a big believer in products. i had tried the hair growth shampoos and never saw results, heck, i had even just tried the simple volumizing shampoos and never saw results, i have been a hairdresser for 6 years and 90% of the time, my clients didn't see any real dramatic results either, with acne creams, face serums, body lotions, potions, etc so, for the most part i just gave up on thinking that anything like that would really work. well, i would soon be proven wrong because we had this receptionist at my salon that had the longest lashes i have ever seen, and because of my line of work, even the best application of fake lashes, or eyelash extensions, i can still tell if they are real or not. so... i knew hers were real and complimented them basically every time i saw her. one day i asked about what mascara she wore, and that's when she told me that it wasn't just because of her mascara, that it was all due to this product. "LiLash". so, i promptly went home and researched it, and read reviews, and figured, what the heck, she had great results, and swears by this product, so i will give it a try. well, the store that i went to didn't carry lilash, but they had another product, "Lash Genesis" that was 5.00 cheaper, and the cashier said it worked exactly the same, so... i bought it. bad idea. i used it for a few months, no results, and it irritated my eyelids.
thinking that i had been proven right, that no growing product would ever work on me, i gave up on the idea. well, as a few months went by, a few other stylists at the salon also started using lilash and we even started selling it to our clients at the salon. i instantly saw results in my co-workers, and their clients. so, i decided to buy the actual right product this time, and give it a shot. well, it took me a few weeks longer that the average girl at my salon to see results, it took me 6 weeks instead of 4. but, at 6 weeks it was like a switch went off, genuinely waking up one morning and noticing a dramatic difference, probably 2 cm of growth overnight. no joke. well, that continued to happen, and people started noticing my eyelashes growing saying "have your eyelashes gotten longer?", and then as they kept growing people would compliment them, a first for me to hear someone else wishing their lashes were as long as mine, and then as they kept growing more and more, i had random strangers at the mall asking who did my eyelash extensions. and i had the pleasure of correcting them and telling them about this product that was not anything close to eyelash extensions. still to this day i get people that assume i have eyelash extensions... it happened yesterday. and they are always so amazed when i tell them that they are all real, and all mine!

 so... that's my story, as soon as i heard about the issue they were having with latisse, i went and stocked up on this product because i am sooo scared to try something else, i have had periods of time when i forget to use it, or get lazy and i have seen them get shorter during those periods of time, and it usually takes about 1.5 weeks of using it again to get them back to my normal extra long length. using the application like it says to on the bottle, i noticed an obvious difference with both thickness and length (my lashes easily doubled, actually, probably tripled in length) on both upper and lower lashes.
to me, it is 100%, no doubt, worth the money. also, as a way for me to justify the cost, i now use the cheapest mascara. my 3 favorites are e.l.f. ($3) wet-n-wild ($2.50) and jordana ($3) instead of the pricey mascaras i was using back in the day with my stubby stubs. because, my lashes have more than enough volume and length, that using a perfectly formulated expensive mascara is no longer a necessity for pretty lashes.
i now looove doing my makeup, mostly because i love to put on mascara, it brought fun into my daily makeup routine, and made me WANT to get ready. which proves how awesome this product is, because being a mother of a one year old at the time, i did not want to do anything besides all my mom duties. on more than one occasion, i have done my makeup and still walked around in a robe all day. but, like i said in the very beginning of this post, having long eyelashes has been the single biggest improvement to my self esteem because instead of looking in the mirror and seeing my flaws everyday, i look in the mirror and am still so amazed everyday that those are MY eyelashes, and instead of leaving the mirror frowning with a splotchy red face from picking at my imperfections, i now leave with a smile. i tell myself, "who could be looking at my zits, or freckles, or wrinkles, etc when they have these big fat long lashes to look at instead." :)

^^sorry about the crappy quality picture as my "before" i promise i tried to find a good one, but back in the day, i wasn't proud of my lashes so i didn't take any pictures up close of my eyes. also...today is not my best mascara day, so sorry about the weird clumps. i thought about taking my makeup off and doing it again for this post, but that's not real. and i want you guys to see what they look like without any editing, either on photoshop, or physical editing before the picture was taken by making sure every hair was perfect.

also, as a tidbit of information, besides tons of clients at our salon, and other hairdressers that i personally know, my mother, and mother in law are also using it regularly and saw the exact same results as me. so... if your still skeptical, all you have to do is look up the hashtag #lilash on instagram and you can see tons of people all races, genders, and ages, who have seen results.

This is probably my biggest "favorite find friday" and as you know, i buy all of these products to giveaway with my own money at full cost, and give them away not because i'm sponsored, but only because i genuinely believe that these products are wonderful and its worth sharing the good info. because this giveaway cost me so much money, i am going to ask more of you in order to win it. i would love to give this product to someone who helps me share my blog with more people.

to enter: first you have to be a follower of this blog, either on google, or on bloglovin.
next share any image from this post on either your facebook by copy and pasting the link onto your wall. or on twitter/instagram by either screenshotting my instagram picture, or any of these pictures on the blog about this giveaway and posting it on your account with a comment about the giveaway i am holding. (if you do not have any facebook, instagram, or twitter, then you can still enter by commenting below, telling me about how you plan on sharing this giveaway with your friends.) and finally, come back here and comment below with your email, and how you entered. for example: "keepupwithusjones@gmail.com and i entered on instagram" i am going to let this giveaway go on for 2 weeks and will be announcing the winner on my next "favorite find friday."

if you have any questions or comments about the product, then feel free also: there are lots of other products similar to lilash, including: latisse (you need a prescription) neulash, rapidlash, revitalash, flash, and more, but i like LiLash the best because of it's fairly reasonable price compared to some others, little to no side effects, (i have heard of some people using lilash and getting darker eyelids in the area where the serum is applied -a redish tint- but thats it!) and consistent results. but, if you do not win the giveaway, and would not like to purchase this brand, i would recommend trying Neulash as the most similar product, and you can get it at Nordstrom.

picture from howdoesshe.com

here are a few other reviews i've found about lilash:
1/2/3/4

Makeup Tips

today's makeup was done using the exact same products as in this post, with one exception. i used nyx's butter gloss in the shade "devil's food cake" instead of the moxie on my lips. also, i did less coats on the mascara, and eyebrows because i prefer to do a softer eye when using a bold lip color.

Makeup Tips:

when asked about extremely trendy things that might not stay in style for long, such as coral/orange lips, deep eggplant vampy lips (like my pictures above), super dark thick eyebrows, extreme highlighting and contouring, etc. i would suggest that you try out those colors/products in a cheaper line first until you find that you either one: LOOOVEEE it for more than just one day, or two: it stays in style long enough to have used the product up. this way you are not investing (yes, i said investing, because i believe skin care and make up are truly an investment) in trendy things that you will only find in the bottom of your bag a few years down the road and be sad about the 30+ dollars you spent on something you didn't end up using.

makeup with freckles/age spots: this is one of my most common questions by my clients. i think they feel comfortable asking me because i am covered from head to toe with freckles. (thanks mom.) i always suggest to pick a foundation that matches the lighter color of the freckles, or, the color of their neck if they only have freckles across their cheeks. i also suggest to use a medium coverage foundation that contains spf. i find that when trying sooo hard to make your freckles go away while using a full coverage foundation, you just cause other problems like your face looking cakey or your pores appearing huge. yet, with a light coverage your freckles peek through just enough to make your skin look uneven. i like medium coverage with my freckles because if you look close enough you can still see my skin and freckles underneath, yet that's only when looking very close, so, the average person doesn't know i have freckles and my skin looks smooth and has an even tone. also, highlighting and contouring adds some dimension and a variation of color to your cheeks, so that also helps because where people would usually notice freckles before if you only had foundation on, after contouring there is something more to look at and trick the eye when looking at your cheeks that a small freckle/dark spot usually takes a back seat to what a person sees. lastly: apply foundation with a brush, if you use your fingers you will be able to see streaks on top of your darkest and largest freckles/dark spots. using a brush will help eliminate this. i prefer using powdered foundation for this very reason, it is the only product that has left me 100% without streaks.

finally, do your makeup in great lighting. i put all my makeup in this ikea cart so that i can move it from window to window while i do my makeup. if i do my makeup in the morning, i know which window to do it by, if i am doing it in the evening, then i'm in a different place. makeup bags work well for this also, but, i have quite a few products that wouldn't all fit inside one bag. also, once your makeup is done, check it out in different lighting situations. for example my bathroom is very poorly lit and so i will check it in there, make sure i don't look terrible, also in the car, where you are encircled by natural light, checking your makeup in these different lighting situations will help you feel more confident about your makeup wherever you go through out the day.

My Daily Make-up Routine

first i start with a clean face. i like to use aveeno's clear complexion cream cleanser as my face wash that i use whenever i shower, and daily i use neutrogena's makeup remover cleansing towelettes for my eye makeup, and neutrogena's alcohol-free toner on a cotton pad for my face makeup. being a mom, i don't have  the time to do a huge beauty removal routine in order to get in bed, i just want to crash, so these are super quick and easy for me.
to moisturize i use one pump of aveeno's clear complexion daily moisturizer, mixed with one pump of bare minerals prime time neutralizing primer. i use this lotion because it came with  my face cleanser and I've seen good results and enjoyed both, and i use this primer because it is tinted yellow so it helps with my uneven red splotchy-ness.
i forgot to mention that daily i apply a coat of LiLash eyelash serum when my face is clean to make my eyelashes grow. it works amazing, and i will be doing an entire post on that product soon.

Before

before my moisturizer has dried completely i apply my foundation. i use bare minerals pressed powder in fairly light. i have been using bare minerals for about 5 years now and love it. just recently i was introduced to their pressed powders and i'm never going back. i like that they appear a bit lighter than the loose powder because i'm one extremely white girl. and i always felt like the same shade in the loose powder was just a bit too dark, but now i love it. for my acne spots, and under my eyes i just apply more layers of the foundation. but, if i really feel the need to cover them up seamlessly, then i use nyx's concealer in 01 porcelain. although i have heard amazing things about the bare minerals concealer and will probably be switching to that once my nyx runs out.
next i apply my bronzer for some contouring. i like to use the victoria's secret bronzer in gold crush. i feel like it is more brown than orange and so it gives a more natural look with my skin tone. i love that it is highly pigmented so i don't have to layer on the bronzer, this only works well if you have a great brush to apply it with though, so if you find that it doesn't blend well, or appears streaky, then invest in a good bronzing brush.
the blush i used today is a coral colored one by mac, technically called style (frost) but, on the days when i am rushing out the door i use a bare minerals blush called the confession to do both my bronzing and blush, it is a brownish-rose color and so i find that it will do both jobs well in a hurry.

During

finally i pencil in my brows with the e.l.f brow kit and an angled brush, then apply my eye shadow which changes daily but today i chose to use my mac woodwinked for all over the lid, and mac mulch for the crease. i always do some sort of highlighting below my eyebrows on my brow bone, and in the inner corners of my eye with a white/pink shimmer loose powder from the company "pur element" but it is extremely hard to find, and difficult to apply, and i am looking for a new one. i'd love your suggestions!
next is mascara on both upper and lower lashes. i use they're real by benefit. it's a new product to me and i have been using it because of so many people's suggestion and good reviews, but, i'm not 100% sold on that either. i think i might try lash domination by bare minerals next.
then lastly, i apply my lipstick or lip gloss. today i used bare minerals marvelous moxie lip gloss in maverick. i will be doing a more in depth post all about lips soon.

After

i try to stick within one company: if you didn't notice, i basically use bare minerals exclusively with only a few products of aveeno, mac, and neutrogena. i love that when you stick within one company, your skin rarely flares up and generally feels healthier. i know that during the company meetings they are trying to make sure that all the vitamins and minerals your skin needs are found within that one company. it's not like they say, "oh well, hopefully the customers are using that other company's product to get that vitamin" that's just stupid. so, unless i find something terrible about one specific product, (like the fact that i HATE loose powders for eyeshadow, so, i don't use bare minerals for that) then my first stop for something new is a counter/aisle i have shopped from before. i find that if your skin like's one product, they will probably like the rest. and same goes for the reverse: if you find that your skin doesn't react well to a product, then honestly, i would stay away from their entire line, and try something else.

*these photo's have not been edited, and the last two pictures were taken after a few hours of makeup wear. this is not a sponsored post, all opinions are my own.