St Tropez Classic Untinted Self Tanner Mousse

I have been trying out various different self tanner mousses. If you have been a subscriber/reader for a while you will have seen my review on the Sally Hansen Sunless Tanner. The results of that one were nice but I wanted a little more color. I also wanted it to last longer than 3 days.

So I decided to try out the St Tropez Untinted Classic Self Bronzing Mousse. It is usually more on the expensive side with the 6.7 fl oz bottle costing around $44 in retail stores. Now I (being the thrifty person that I am) found a bottle that was barely used on Poshmark for only $14 so I decided to try it out. And I finally broke down and bought an actual mitt from Ulta so we're really getting fancy now!

I applied it in the same way as in my previous blog review but I will tell you my self tanning routine in case anything has changed.

1. I take a shower before I am going to get into bed but I do not wash my hair because if it is wet while the tan is developing and drips on your skin then the tan won't develop evenly.
2. I use a body scrub or some Epsom salt and I exfoliate my whole body, paying extra special attention to my elbows, knees, ankles and feet.
3. Then I shave everything! Well I don't shave my arms, but everything else. If you are not a full body shaver like me, your legs only will do just fine! It's all about preference.
4. When I get out of the shower I pat myself dry with the towel. I let myself air dry the rest of the way until there is not more drops of water on me. Then I put on some thick body butter on my spots that I extra exfoliated.
5. I use my mitt to apply my tanner evenly. This tanner does not have a color guide which threw me off a bit at first but I got used to it. I start with my calves and work my way up from there, only applying tanner to my elbows, knees and ankles when there is very little product on my mitt.
6. When I am finished applying tanner I stand in front of a fan and wait for it to dry and then I put on a big t-shirt and baggy pants and go to bed for the night.
7. When I wake up I jump in the shower and wash the rest of the tanner off and I am left with a beautiful, golden tan.

Here is my before and after pictures:

I LOVE the results of this tanner! Plus I can get 5 days easily out of it before it even starts to fade!!

Semi Goth Makeup Look

I was heading out to a Goth Night event and ended up with a migraine after getting all done up to go out! So I thought I'd share the makeup look that I did with you all! Here's some of the pictures that I took! I was also playing around with taking different pictures at different angles as well! Enjoy!

Video Review on the Tarte Amazonian Clay Foundation

I just posted a Youtube video wear test and review on the Tarte Amazonian Clay foundation on oily skin! Check it out at: https://youtu.be/2izbbGutLUg

I know a lot of the beauty gurus rave about this foundation but I just could not get on the band wagon with it. See my full thoughts in the video!

Review on the Wet n Wild Photofocus foundation!

Yesterday I posted a new Youtube video! It is a review and wear test on the new Wet n Wild Photofocus foundation! I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of photos that I got from it, but had different feelings on how it looked in person. Check it out at the link below to see my thoughts and how it looked!

https://youtu.be/UGy8qgixhGI

Hope you enjoy this tutorial and feel free to comment on the video or on this blog with any comments/questions/concerns/suggestions! Have a beautiful day!

Sally Hansen Airbrush Sun Tanner Review

I decided to try out the new Sally Hansen Airbrush Sun self tanner. I have tried the Jergens self tanner before and was not happy with the color pay off and that the tanner faded off in patches in less than 3 days. I saw a review on this tanner on Youtube and decided to try it.

I bought it at Walgreens and it was $14.99. Not too bad for a drug store self tanner but not cheap. They only had medium and dark so I bought medium.

I am very fair skinned, especially on my legs. But I just love the look of tanned legs. It makes them look so much more slimmed and defined.

Here is how I look without any tanner on.

So I didn't get to purchase a mit because nothing local to me sells them. I would have to drive to a Sephora or an Ulta to get them and we are talking like over 30 minutes to drive there one way! So on Pinterest I found this hack. Cover your hand with a grocery bag and then turn a really soft sock inside out and put it over top of the bag. And you have a mit!

The way I prep prior to applying self tanner is I take a shower and exfoliate my whole body but paying extra attention to my elbows, wrists, knees, ankles and feet. Then I put a heavy, creamy lotion on those areas only.

Then I pump 2 pumps at a time onto the mit and apply it to my body. I start from my legs and go up. I apply it in circular motions, avoiding my joints until I have almost nothing left on my mit and then going over those areas.

Now the color guard on this one scared me a bit because it is very gray. I really thought I was going to turn out gray! But I didn't.

When I got done applying this I waited about 5 minutes and it was dry. I did reapply it to my legs for a second layer because my legs are so much paler than my arms and I wanted them to match.

I put on some baggy pajamas and went to bed for the night. When I woke up in the morning I took a quick shower just to wash off the guard. I just used my normal gel body wash and a loofah.

And here you can see my after pictures!

I absolutely love the results! It looks so natural and like a sun kissed glow! I would definitely recommend this to anyone! I will be repurchasing it in the future!

If you enjoyed this blog review please do me a favor and follow using e-mail notifications for when I release new blogs! You can do that from the link on the right hand side of the page. Thanks and have a beautiful day!

Jergens Natural Glow Face Moisturizer

This review is on the Jergens Natural Glow face moisturizer. I have been using self tanner lately and needed something to make my face match my body. I decided to try this moisturizer that gradually tans your skin.

I replaced my usual face moisturizer with this and am happy to report that it did not break me out or make my acne worse! It also did not make my face any oilier than normal. I got the formula for fair to medium skin. It also has 20 SPF in the formula.

It claims to gradually create flawless, natural-looking color when used once daily. I applied it every morning after washing my face. I really feel like it fulfilled its claims. My skin has a very natural looking glow. It did only darken about 2 shades but it looks very natural, not orange or streaky.

                                     Before                                                                                             After

Here is a before and an after picture. It's hard to tell a difference just looking at the pictures but if look at the difference between my face and my neck in both pictures you can see the change.

I am in love with this product and will continue to use and repurchase it! If you enjoyed this blog review please do me a favor and follow using e-mail notifications for when I release new blogs! You can do that from the link on the right hand side of the page. Thanks and have a beautiful day!

Blue Smokey Eye Look

Hi there beauties! Today I am actually doing a full face makeup look. This is my first time doing one on my blog and most of this type of look that I have seen have been on Youtube. Which, by the way, I am debating on starting my own channel. Give me your thoughts on that in the comments blow! Or you can go to my Contact Me page and get a hold of me there!





So here we go! This is my go to face routine. I have already washed and moisturized my face using my Paula's Choice products. And here is my beautiful, clean bare face!

I primed my face using 2 different primers. I started with my Artistry Exact Fit Beauty Balm Perfecting Primer. It smooths out my pores and skin tone and gives a subtle glow to the skin. And then I followed with my Make Up For Ever Step 1 Mattifying Primer. I only put this in my areas that get oily and it helps to keep me matte throughout the day. I have a few spots that get a little dry and this stuff is so good at mattifying that it will make those spots dryer if applied there. And this is what my primed face looks like.

And then, of course, my furbaby Wally has to come in a make his photo bomb appearance! It wouldn't be a true blog for me if one of my furbabies wasn't in a photo!

I do like to color correct prior to applying foundation to cancel out my red spots. I like to use the green shade in the NYX Color Correcting palette. I like to use this tiny detailing brush from ELF for this because it gets the product right where I want it and then I blend it out with my finger.

And here is my very
concentrated while applying
my color corrector face.

And then the finished
color correcting
product.

Now I will apply my all time favorite foundation! The Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet foundation in shade 15, which is the lightest shade they have. Shout out to all my pale princesses out there!

I like to dot it on my face one section at a time and then stipple it on using a very dense brush like this ELF one. I feel like I get the most coverage this way.

And like magic, I am flawless! It is the perfect shade for me, it is high coverage without being cakey and uncomfortable. I love this stuff!

And now I use the Tarte Shape Tape concealer in shade fair to conceal under my eyes. This stuff is the best at concealing my dark under eyes without creasing.

And here we are, concealed to
perfection and set using the
RCMA No Color Powder.

And, for some reason, I didn't show my contouring, highlighting or blush. Not sure what happened there so we will just move right along...

I did my brows using the Anastasia
Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in the shade
Auburn. They might look kind of crazy
but they look better when my whole
face is done!

I primed my eyes using the Urban Decay Primer Potion and set that in place with a light dusting of the RCMA powder. I then went into the Kat Von D Shade and Light Eye palette. I used a mixture of the shades Ludwin and Samael as a transition shade in the crease.

Then I went in with the L'Oreal Infallible eye shadow in the shade Timeless Blue Spark all over the lid.

I then placed some of the shade Sytry from the Shade and Light palette in the outer V to darken it up.

I then used my Maybelline Eyestudio gel liner and lined my top and bottom water line and smudged it out a bit.

Then I used my holy grail mascara: the Younique Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes. That made my eyes go from a little bit of a blue pop to hello bright blue eyes!

And that completes this look! If you enjoyed this blog please do me a favor and subscribe to e-mail notifications for when I release new blogs! You can do that from the link on the right hand side of the page. Please comment with any thoughts or suggestions or if you would like to see more blogs like this one! Thanks and have a beautiful day!

My Skin Care Routine

This picture in the left is my skin. It's my skin on a good day. The good thing is that I have more good days than bad days now. 2-3 years ago that was not the case. I have found a skin care routine that works for me and that involves the products in the picture on the right.

My morning routine is using my electronic face scrubber. I use the Philosophy Purity Facial cleanser for this step. The reason that I use it is that it is a cream cleanser, it's not abrasive, and it doesn't strip the skin of moisture. I also use this facial cleanser on my makeup artist clients because it truly can be used on any skin type. I usually have an affiliate coupon in the right hand bar if you are interested in purchasing it. I spend a good 2 minutes scrubbing my face on the slowest setting in gentle circular motions.

Next I wash my face gently with the Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Reducing Cleanser with my fingertips. It is so much easier for the face wash to clean my skin and pores because I have deep cleaned my skin and pores with the brush. I than put on the Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Daily Defense Moisturizer with SPF. Then I am set for the day!

My nighttime routine is first cleaning the makeup off of my face using the Amway Artistry Eye & Lip Makeup Remover to remove my makeup. I like this formula because it has an oil base that cuts through water proof makeup. You can purchase this remover from my Mom's Amway site here.

My next step is to use the Purity facial cleanser again. This time I just use it with my fingertips and I massage it into my skin for at least 2 minutes. I then apply the Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Invisible Finish Moisture Gel. I also apply Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Super Antioxidant Serum and then I'm ready for bed!

This combination has made a world of difference in my skin. I am looking into what I could add or use to improve the texture left behind from years and years of acne but I haven't found that product yet. I am always open to suggestions on products to use so feel free to comment below.

And if you enjoyed this blog please follow me so that you can get notified when I post more. You can find that on the right hand bar of this page. Have a beautiful day!

Review on Palladio Rice Paper Blotting Sheets

Not long ago I purchased the the Palladio Rice Paper Blotting Tissues. I have not tried a product from Palladio before this. I bought them after seeing Youtube beauty guru Casey Holmes rave about them on several of her videos. They are oil blotting sheets that have one side as regular rice paper and the other side is powdered rice paper. They have 3 different shades but I chose the translucent shade as I am very pale.

Now my immediate concern was that they would end up making my foundation look cakey. I am actually very impressed with them though. It absorbs the oil and adds just the right amount of powder to give you a matte finish without caking.

Here is what I looked like about 3 hours after I applied my foundation:

 



















Yes, I am very oily for only 3 hours after application, but we had been outside walking and playing with dogs at the animal shelter.

When we got home I got out my Palladio blotting sheets and this is what I looked like after using one sheet:

 



















I was amazed at how well they worked! I will definitely be using these in the future!

And this is what it looks like when you try to take beauty selfies when you have a jealous puppy!

 



















You can purchase these on Amazon.com for $5.68 here: Palladio Rice Papers on Amazon. You can also purchase them at Sally's Beauty supply in store or online for $4.79.

Please feel free to comment with any suggestions that you might have for me to try. And if you enjoyed this blog please subscribe to email notifications when I post more. You can find that on the right hand bar of this page. Have a beautiful day!

Intro to my skin

These are my face go to products

As I said in my intro, I am a brand new freelance makeup artist. I specialize in both beauty and special effects makeup. I love everything to do with skin and makeup. I am a very fair, very oily skin type. I also am very acne prone. This all means that I have some major texture on my face. I have finally gotten to the point where I have more good skin days than bad skin days. I have large pores which usually require a smoothing primer before foundation.

I also have an odd quirk with my skin. With some foundations my skin just completely rejects it. I haven't pinned down why it does it. I have tried sponges and brushes and sometimes it is just random, just it’s a thing and I am learning to work with it. I love trying new foundations out so feel free to comment or email me any foundations that you think I should try. Also, if you have ever had this issue please feel free to shoot me any tips you have. I have recently found a skin care routine that I love and it does really help. I will put up my full skin care routine here soon.

I try out all different brands of makeup. I am not the type of person to love one brand and use all of their stuff. I also have a pretty good balance of high end and drug store favs. I love trying out new things. I plan to review all different types of makeup.

Feel free to follow me on any of my social media platforms. Also, please check out my makeup artist page to see any of my work or if you live in the Louisville, Ky area I would love to do your makeup for your event!

Freelance Makeup Page: http://charmebyericka.wixsite.com/charmebyericka

If you enjoyed this blog please subscribe to email notifications when I post more. You can find that on the right hand bar of this page. Have a beautiful day!