Micellar water is quickly becoming an item to covet among its users' skincare staples.
Over the past year, it has been raved about in magazines, on blogs, and on YouTube as more and more beauty gurus find and fall in love with the product. Initially, I thought it was strictly a makeup remover, but when I saw a video of a beauty vlogger going camping and using the micellar water as a cleanser, I thought to myself, Hmmmm. I wanted to try the product out for myself and quench whatever curiosities I had.
I did so and I loved it and it really affirmed to me that it's one of the best cleansers out there.
Let me demystify why micellar water might need to be added to your skincare staples.
WHAT IS MICELLAR WATER?
Micellar water is made up of tiny balls of cleansing oil molecules (micelles) suspended in soft water. It looks and moves like water but has a slightly different texture. It's like if you could perfectly blend oil and water together, with no separation.
Micelles are attracted to dirt, oil, and grime so they draw out impurities, but won't dry your skin out. To put it in simpler terms, it removes the stuff you don't want on your skin and leaves the good stuff. Micelles stick to the dirt and makeup on your skin and pull them away, leaving your skin clean, radiant and hydrated. Therefore, it can be used for pretty much all of your basic skincare needs from makeup removal to moisturizer. Most other cleansers have a foaming solution that strips away everything and requires you to balance and rehydrate your skin. Micellar water allows you to skip the toning and moisturizing if you want.
HOW DOES IT HELP MY SKIN?
The less you touch your skin, the better off it usually is. Micellar water allows you to cleanse, tone, and moisturize all in one step and could possibly do a better job at all three than the products you're using right now. If it does all three at once, then you don't have to rub your face two more times.
Micellar water is great for people with dry and sensitive skin. It's gentle and hydrating so it won't dry your skin out or irritate it. It could be your entire skin care routine! If you have oily or acne prone skin it might not clean super well on its own so you'll have to use a traditional cleanser as well, but way more impurities will be removed from your skin with the second cleanser. This probably explains why the wipes didn't work so well for me.
Bonus: If you hate packing up all of your skincare products to travel, micellar water is pretty much all you need.
HOW DO I USE IT?
Whether you use it mostly as a makeup remover or as a cleanser you'll use it the same way. Soak a cotton pad or round with product and press it into your skin. Wipe all the makeup and dirt way. That easy! You don't even need to rinse!
SHOP:Garnier | Simple | LaRoche
Hailing from the hometown of Beyoncé, DeAndrea is a hyper-chatty winged eyeliner enthusiast in love with all things feminine chic. Keep up with her on Instagram and Twitter (@xodeandrea) and on her lifestyle blog: asisterscrown.com.
Featured image by Shutterstock
There was a time in my life when I was clueless about makeup.
Makeup application is a learned skill. Before I found the makeup life-changer that was translucent powder, my foundation was shifting and sliding all over my face. I was shiny after an hour and my makeup wouldn't make it for three hours without needing a touchup and sometimes completely reapplied.
My makeup application became ten times better when I started using a setting spray, but translucent powder is THE reason I'm able to get my makeup to stay virtually flawless for hours and hours.
If my praise for this colorless miracle powder isn't enough for you to believe in as truth, here are 5 reasons you need a translucent powder:
1. There is nothing that will set your makeup like a translucent powder.
Why bother taking so much time to apply your makeup if it's only going to melt off or shift? Translucent powder holds your liquid and cream foundations right where you want them.
2. It bakes you to perfection!
If you you don't want o buy another product to bake with translucent power is the way to go. Just dust or pat on a little more product than you need under your eyes and in your t-zone, wait at least 5 minutes, then dust away the excess product. You will be matte and flawless. Lots of people bake with banana powder, myself included, but it isn't best for everyone. It can look too yellow. Because, translucent powder is colorless it works universally.
3. It keeps you from being too oily.
If oily skin is your struggle you need to get some of this not now, but RIGHT now. You can use translucent powder over your favorite primer and be matte all day. No foundation required.
4. It gives you a smooth, airbrushed finish.
In a world where we must be selfie ready 95% of the time and not everyone has FaceTune, we need all the smoothing we can get pre-filter. Translucent powder smooths fine lines and creates a soft focused blur. Who doesn't want that?!
5. It can be used to make mascara work better.
Just dust a little on your lashes then apply mascara. Watch the magic happen. Your lashes will be longer and more voluminous than if you used just the mascara.
SHOP:Laura Mercier Powder | Covergirl Professional Loose Finishing Powder | Sasha Buttercup Setting Powder For Multicultural Women
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Highlighter-obsessed ladies raise your hands! I have both of mine raised right now because my stash is ridiculous. Highlighter makes you look like you drink enough water and don't have any stress in your life, but let's be real, only using powder as highlighters can get a little boring. There are some things powder highlighters just can't do. With liquid highlighter, aka illuminating drops, you can get an awesome or subtle glow with very little effort. Plus, there's an added bonus for us oilier girls: you can get a radiant glow in your foundation without getting any oilier than usual.
I've got three ways to use liquid highlighter to take your complexion game to the next level. Thank me later.
DeAndrea Douglas
On Its Own
I love to layer powder foundation on as much as the next highlighter junkie, but sometimes that just doesn't glow the way I want it to. Illuminating drops solve that problem for me. Just a couple strategically placed drops are all I need to get a full impact, megawatt glow. No fan brush necessary. To be honest, I like to use my fingers to blend it out. It gives a more natural-looking finish. (Not that natural is what I'm going for.)
Products Used:
From top left to bottom right
Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector – Rose Gold
Makeup Revolution Liquid Highlighter – Champagne
Makeup Revolution Liquid Highlighter – Luminous Gold
Layered Under Foundation
This is where the fun starts. Because the highlighter is a liquid, it won't slide right off if you apply a liquid product on top of it like a powder would. This means you can cover your face in liquid highlighter before you put on your foundation and you'll look like you have a radiant glow coming from within.
DeAndrea Douglas
To show you what I mean, I added a very thin layer of Milk Makeup Blur Liquid Foundation over the liquid highlighter swatches so you can really see the difference between the shades. Pro tip: You can always add more layers of foundation to tone it down if the radiance seems to be a bit much.
Products Used:
From top to bottom
Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector – Rose Gold
Makeup Revolution Liquid Highlighter – Champagne
Makeup Revolution Liquid Highlighter – Luminous Gold
Mixed Into Foundation
This is probably my favorite way to use these drops. I have oily skin all year long so a foundation with a dewy, radiant finish is out of the question. I don't like for my foundation to look so matte that it's dull so a couple of drops of illuminator mixed into my usual foundation saves me! All I do is pump out my usual amount of foundation on to the back of my hand, add a few drops of illuminator and mix them together. I apply that mixture like I would my foundation and, bam! I have a radiant finish without any extra oiliness.
To show you what these look like mixed, I used equal parts foundation and illuminating drops. I would normally use more foundation than highlighter, but again, I wanted you to really be able to see what I'm talking about with the added radiance. I mixed each highlighter with Milk Makeup Blur Liquid Matte Foundation.
You can add as much or as little liquid highlighter to layer or mix as you'd like.
Products Used:
From top left to bottom right
Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector – Rose Gold
Makeup Revolution Liquid Highlighter – Champagne
Makeup Revolution Liquid Highlighter – Luminous Gold
Now that you know the tricks of the megawatt highlight trade and the tools that will help you elevant your radiant look - test the waters. If you really want to have fun with it, you can mix different liquid illuminators together to make a custom shade! That's the fun part about make-up - you can really do whatever you want. You better glow girl!
Featured image by Shutterstock
Brows are still having their makeup moment. And if you haven't understood the hype of stunting a good brow yet, understand that brows can make or break your whole look. However, with all the brow products available on the market, it can feel a little daunting to decide which brow tool will give you the effect you desire. Still, you don't want to be out here with mediocre brows just because you don't know what product to use to get your perfect brow!
That's where we come in. These four brow products will give you all the versions of achieving the perfect brows, ranging from "I woke up like this" to "This took me two hours." Let's find the perfect product for your brows, shall we?
Which Product Should You Use To Achieve The Perfect Brow?
How to Achieve the Perfect Brow: Brow Gel Review
Brows x Eylure Brow Gel
The Product:
A gel is perfect for a no-makeup makeup look. Your hairs won't be out of place, but your brows won't be filled in at all. It's like your brows, but slightly better.
The Verdict:
My brows are pretty full, so when I want my most natural looking brow, I just brush through my brows with clear brow gel to make them stay in place. I have some unruly hairs that pretty much refuse to be tamed without a gel holding them where I need them to be. My new go-to brow gel is Eylure Brow Control and Shape Gel. The wand is incredibly easy to use and coats my brow hairs well, so I know they won't budge.
How to Achieve the Perfect Brow: Brow Powder Review
Brows x NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder
The Product:
Brow powders are an incredibly easy way to make your brows look fuller when you don't have a lot of time to put them on or don't feel comfortable doing more advanced techniques. Essentially what a brow powder does is fill the little gaps created by the way your hairs naturally grow to make them look more perfect. It looks almost like a shadow underneath your natural brows.
The Verdict:
Powder isn't my favorite product because it can get messy if you get too much product on the brush you're applying it with. Plus, since I already have full brows, it doesn't do much for me. I'll mostly use it on the head part of my brows when I get a little too tweezer happy. NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder has been the only brow powder I've used for a while now. You get a lot of product for the price and they have enough shades to choose from that you know you'll find a good match, but won't feel overwhelmed choosing.
How to Achieve the Perfect Brow: Brow Pencil Review
Brows x Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz
The Product:
A step above a brow powder, eyebrow pencils can make your brows look more realistically dense to fill in gaps, instead of just shading in the spaces like a powder does. A pencil is perfect for when you want to go for a "is she wearing brow product or nah" look. Unless they know you.
The Verdict:
I used to hate brow pencils. Then, I learned how to use them properly. I used to try to get them to fill in my brows like a pomade, but I quickly learned that I wasn't letting the product be great in the way it was intended to be used. Once I figured out how to make small hair-like strokes with Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz to fill in gaps, the whole game was changed for me!
How to Achieve the Perfect Brow: Brow Pomade Review
Brows x Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade
The Product:
Brow pomades will give you the least natural looking brow. Nine times out of ten, a pomade was used to create the pervasive and highly sought after Instagram Brow. They will create that perfectly filled in and shaped brow using nothing but an angled brush.
The Verdict:
I like to use a brow pomade when I need my brows to look like absolute perfection from every angle. To me, that's not special occasions only. Sometimes I just want to look like I'm THAT chick in the grocery store too. The current reigning champ of pomades in my stash in Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade. That little tub lasts a super long time and glides on so easily.
There's no rule that says you can only use one brow product at a time. My personal favorite combo is pomade on the tail and pencil at the head with some brow gel to keep everything in place. It's like a toned down, more everyday version of the IG brow.
If you're unsure about what shade of product to get, it's best to use one that's one shade lighter than your brow color. That will look the most natural. Don't let that stop you from having some fun though! Sometimes I like to go a little darker to be dramatic.
Don't forget to clean any uneven edges with concealer and a flat brush or concealer brush if you want an absolutely perfect looking brow and you don't have the steadiest of hands.
Featured image via Giphy
Frigid, windy air outside and warm, dry air inside really give your skin the business and not in a good way. As a result, there are a few things that I like to change/add to my skincare routine to keep my melanin glowing, no matter the season.
Here's how you can achieve great skin all winter long.
Add A Chemical Exfoliator
DeAndrea Douglas
When it's warmer and more humid, your skin doesn't need as much help staying moisturized and radiant as it does in the winter. The air inside and outside is out to make you look dull and dusty. I can't live my life like that, so I add a chemical exfoliator to my cleansing routine.
Full disclosure; I use it all year long, but only once per week.
However, as soon as it dips below 50 degrees, I use the Mario Badescu Glycolic Foaming Cleanser to chemically exfoliate in lieu of my regular cleanser twice per week. I'll also use a toner with glycolic acid in it, like Pixi Glow Tonic. Basically, look for products with Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) and Beta Hydroxy Acids (BHAs) in them like glycolic, lactic, and salicylic acid to exfoliate chemically.
You need to exfoliate more in the winter because your cells are dehydrating and dying out faster and exfoliating gets them out of the way so newer, more radiant cells can shine. Dull skin is not cute!
Plus, with the dead cells out of the way your moisturizers and treatments will be able to work a lot better. Opt for a chemical exfoliator for your face because they are gentler than manual ones. That means the skin on your face won't be rubbed raw, but will still be radiant.Switch To A Heavy Duty Moisturizer
DeAndrea Douglas
As for keeping these facial moisturization levels in check, I'll swap my lighter emulsion for a heavier moisturizer. I like to use an emulsion to moisturize in the warmer months because it's very light and almost watery, so my oily skin won't start shining in a bad way, but it's not enough for the winter. Usually switching to a regular daily moisturizer like Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer does the trick, but this year…not so much.
I had to pull out the big guns to keep my oil production from going into overdrive. I wanted some intense hydration that wouldn't mess with my makeup application in the morning like a moisturizer for dry skin does.
I reached for the Laneige Water Sleeping Mask and my skin loved it! I just put it on before bed and I woke up to soft, radiant skin. I saw there was a lip version of this mask (Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask), so I tried that too and I don't know how my lips made it through all of these winters without it.
Up Your Shower Routine Game
DeAndrea Douglas
I can't be out here with a radiant face and ashy body, so I make a few changes to my shower routine too. The first thing hurts my feelings. I will do anything for beauty because I'm a little vain like that, but I'll never stop taking steaming hot showers. I usually like my water so hot that it almost itches, but that does my skin exactly 0 favors. Hot water strips moisture from your skin so after a day of many cotton layers, wind, and dry air stealing moisture from your skin, taking a hot shower will zap the last of it right up. Warm water is okay, though.
A regular loofah and soap don't really cut it for me exfoliation-wise when it's cooler. I add a body scrub twice per week to pick up the slack. I've tried a few here and there, but this Fresh Brown Sugar Body Polish is on a new level! It smells so good and has HUGE sugar crystals in it, so it exfoliates like no other! My skin feels so smooth and soft afterwards from all of the nourishing oils in it, but I will still layer a body butter on when I get out of the shower.
I love to use body butters in the winter instead of body lotion because they're a lot heavier and moisturize WAY deeper. My current favorite is Mango Body Butter from The Body Shop. Personally, I enjoy smelling like a tropical vacation, so this scent is right up my alley.
If I'm feeling particularly parched, I'll layer an oil on after the body butter to seal in all of that moisturizing goodness. Almond oil and coconut oil are great options for this. They make your skin glisten and don't have overwhelming scents.
Do you change your beauty routines with the seasons? Let us know some of your tried and true favorites in the comments below.
As a lipstick lover, I am no stranger to all kinds of formulas and finishes available on the market.
And while I don't have a preference for the finish, what I won't tolerate is a long-wear formula that gives up on me as soon as I have my morning coffee. Who wants to apply “long-wear" lipstick four times per day?!
I put five longwear lipsticks to the test to see how well they hold up for the coin spent. To make it fair, I prepped my lips the same way for each lipstick by exfoliating and wearing the same lip primer. I also wore each one for 8 hours without touching it up.
Here's how they did:
Colourpop Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick: $6
I tested this one with a teeny bit of bias. I love makeup, so this was unavoidable. I have six Ultra Matte Liquid Lipsticks from this brand, so I chose a lovely berry shade from my collection called Notion. I'm a sucker for a nude, but I wanted to make sure I'd be able to see the results.
The Application:
The application was fairly easy. It has a doe foot applicator, so you don't have to turn your hand at weird angles. But with this particular one, it takes some concentration to get a straight line around the edges of your lips. The formula is thin, almost like water, but very pigmented. It took two layers to get full coverage and was dry in about 10 seconds. When it dries, it is MATTE! They don't call these Ultra Matte for nothing.
The Wear:
It held up pretty well after eating. It was only thin in one spot close to the inside of my mouth. It wasn't even noticeable with my mouth completely closed. I did run into trouble shortly after eating at the four hour mark. It felt extremely dry so I was dying to take it off, but I pressed on with the experiment. Once 8 hours was up, it looked no different than it did after lunch.
The Verdict:
For $6 each, this is a pretty good deal. Sure, it's drying, but this could be fixed with a little lip balm and a touch up. You'd probably only need to do this once throughout the day.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipstick: $20
I came to test this one with a little bias also. I have another color (Craft) from this line and the one I tested, Kathryn, had been sitting in my drawer, waiting to be used. I had a wonderful experience with Craft and was hoping Kathryn would be the same.
The Application:
Application was simple enough. This one has a flat applicator with a rounded tip and the formula is creamy. This combo usually means that it's easy to get straight lines around your lips and even application. I got straight lines, but that application was every kind of patchy that there is. It was bad. I had to do three coats and touch up specific spots and it still wasn't all the way even. Plus, it took about 30 seconds to dry. I wouldn't see the dry time as a negative if the application was even.
The Wear:
Two hours in, I wanted to scrub my lips off my face. They were so dry and screaming for any kind of moisture. It almost hurt. It was flaking up around the inside of my mouth after I ate too. I was walking around looking crazy for another four hours until I could take it off and when it was time, the color was pretty much gone from the inner part of my mouth.
The Verdict:
You should pass on this one. For $20, you should get even application and your lips shouldn't feel like you've been on an island for days with no water. You should also be able to expect some consistency with wear throughout the line for that price too.
Fenty Stunna Lip Paint: $24
With the well-deserved buzz around Fenty's foundation range, I couldn't pass testing a universal red. To be honest, I didn't think a universal red was possible, but somehow Fenty pulled it off. Every Instagram photo I've seen of this shade has looked amazing.
The Application:
The application of Uncensored is nothing short of amazing. I thought I was going to pass out from how pigmented this stuff is! I had to collect myself after the first swipe. The applicator has a very unique shape that can be off-putting at first, but after using it, I like it. I don't know what the thought process behind it was, but it works. I was able to get nearly straight lines with it. The formula isn't creamy or watery, but about halfway between the two. You'll get full, vibrant coverage in one coat.
The Wear:
It's rare that a red lip looks good on me without liner, but here I was liner-less and void of all other makeup, and I felt like I was the baddest thing walking. Plus, it felt like I wasn't wearing lipstick at all.
I started to feel it on my lips after about four hours, but every bit of the initial color was still there. The color rubbed off on the inside of my bottom lip after eating, but I committed a longwear lipstick sin by eating a greasy food…pizza. Other than that, the color was just as vibrant as when I first put it on.
Six hours in, I noticed a teeny bit of dryness, but nothing that made me want to grab a makeup wipe. When 8 hours passed, I noticed no difference in the look or feel after eating and didn't bother taking it off for another three hours. Still no difference. This stuff is bomb!
The Verdict:
Buy this right now. For $24, you'll get every bit of bang for your buck.
Dose of Colors Liquid Lipstick: $18
This Instagram-favorite brand piqued my interest with their color options. Every shade always looked so great on my favorite Insta-beauty, Queens, so I had to give them a go. I went with Plum Queen because it swatched like a nice mauve for darker skin.
The Application:
The applicator has a point on it, so getting close to the edges of my lips was very easy. It has a creamy soft formula that takes about 20 seconds to dry to matte. It took a little longer than I'd like it to, but since it's not immediately drying, I'll take that. It looked AMAZING! The color payoff was intense. Not Fenty intense, but still worth noting.
The Wear:
My lips felt dry after about 2 hours, and the color was starting to lift on the inside of my mouth. A lot came off after I ate. If I had allowed myself to touch up the color, it probably would have been fine. I didn't touch up for the sake of testing, and the next 6 hours weren't fun at all. I kept wanting to pick at my lips or at least put on lip balm.
The Verdict:
This gets a green light from me because of the color payoff and application. The color applies very easily and evenly. You'll still have to touch it up if you eat, but that's not a deal breaker for me. Plus, the price is only $18, a little more than a drugstore brand, but not as pricey as most prestigious brands.
BH Cosmetics Long-Wearing Matte Lipstick: $6
I had been meaning to give BH Cosmetics lipsticks a try for a good minute. Their first edition 120-eyeshadow palette was the first one I ever bought and I loved it. The brand is definitely on the drugstore side in terms of price and has great quality. I chose the shade Icon since it looked like a lovely, deep burgundy/purple.
The Application:
The formula is mad thicc. Like, Thiccsgiving thick. I had to dip the wand back into the tube a couple of times to get my lips fully covered. It applied very evenly, though, and dried to completely matte in ten seconds. It wasn't sticky at all. I kept mashing my lips together to make sure I wasn't mistaken.
The Wear:
I was very pleasantly surprised by how it wore. I was expecting insane dryness since it's a drugstore brand and is on the lower end of the price spectrum for drugstore too. I barely noticed it was on my lips. I saw some of it transfer on my coffee cup, but on my lips, there was no difference.
The Verdict:
This one is my favorite. Buy it! Buy every color! This one has the comfort and longevity of Fenty Stunna and is only $6. My Ulta cart is loaded up with these!
What are some of your favorite tried and true longwear lipsticks?
