a blog by:
HEATHER ANDERS
flawless foundation.
01.27.2015
I follow my fair share of blogs, and as much as I wish I could take credit for coming up with this genious trick, I actually tried it based on the suggestion of Pink Pistachio's blog. Typically I wouldn't post something on here that's someone else's tip, but this is such.a.lifesaver (er, skin saver?) that I decided I still owed it to all of you who read my blog to reap the benefits of this trick.
And for anyone who doesn't check back on Pink Pistachio's blog regularly, I strongly suggest it. She's the cutest thing, pregnant with baby #3, and she's the queen of balance, lowcost fashion, and just a perfect, storybook home. Seriously, click on over to her page...you won't be disappointed. But first, read this post for the trick to amazing looking skin (that she actually explained she learned from her mom's friend)!
BACKGROUND
I've always had really sensitive skin. When I was a kid we were told something or another about how I don't have enough antibodies to my skin's surface, so when I got things like the chicken pox I had scabs for a month after the virus was out of my system. To this day, if I lay in grass my forearms will get little red bumps on them for an hour or so then go away, and heaven forbid I get a mosquito bite because without even touching the area it will swell to the size of a penny. Weird, I know.
Because of all that I tend to be fairly paranoid about what I put on my skin because I can break out in a rash pretty easily. As you can see in the picture above, when I'm so.pale from living in the Midwest in winter the imperfections in the tone of my skin are extremely blatant. They're not bumps, it's just a color difference.
Once I get even a little bit of a tan they aren't noticeable at all, but that certainly doesn't help a girl who refuses to step foot in a tanning bed and lives in a state where it's "winter" 8-9 months of the year!
WHAT YOU NEED
1 tube of your choice of liquid foundation (I swear by L'Oreal BB Magic); $7.99
1 bottle Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion; $11.99
1 tube Monistat Chafing Relief Powder Gel; $5.99
Before you close out the browser after seeing that last item on the list, you have to admit you're a little curious. Call me naïve, but I didn't even realize women could need...chafing relief? Moreso, never in a million years would I have ever thought about putting the relief gel on my sensitive face!!
But...it works. And it doesn't irritate my skin at.all. My guess is this little piece is what makes my skin look and feel so.smooth after everything is applied, and I even believe this is the key to the mixture not caking in cracks and wrinkles. Still, I wonder who thinks hey, maybe I should put some of that chafing relief gel in with my foundation and see what happens!
STEPS TO SMOOTH LOOKING SKIN
First, use the back of your hand as a "paint tray" if you will.
Next you'll squeeze a pea-sized amount of the chafing relief gel on the top of your hand, then put the same amount of liquid foundation next to it. Finally, add about 1/3 of the pea-sized amount of lotion next to everything (so your ratios are 3:3:1).
Next, mix all three parts with your finger until evenly combined.
Now you'll just swipe a bunch up with your finger and put it on one of your cheeks. This doesn't have to be a careful or meticulously thought through application because you're just going to rub it in like lotion.
Rub in the mixture like lotion all the way up to your eyelid, your hairline, etc. so all your skin has been covered. Do the same with your other cheek, then forehead. As you do this you'll see how smooth it all goes on and covers any imperfections.
That's it! The only thing I noticed is that it does take a little longer for this to dry than just using a concealer and foundation alone, but since it takes out the step of using any concealer for me I think it's well worth it (and looks better). My skin stays soft and moisturized all day without becoming greasy at any point.
Once it's dry, apply blush as usual, and I always seal off my makeup with a transparent setting powder just for good measure. My favorite is Mac Prep+Prime Transparent Finishing Powder.
FINAL NOTE
On a little side note (because I always seem to need to include these...one of my flaws I guess!), since I manage this blog in addition to working a very full time {plus} job, I had to get up extra early to get this put together for you all today before heading to work. Because of that there are shadows in the pictures since, well, the sun wasn't even close to coming up yet to utilize the natural light! And the artificial house lighting just isn't always the best.
I always do my hair after my makeup, hence the crazy knot on top of my head. And seeing I still needed to get ready to head to the office after putting all of this together, something had to give in the pictures.
Thus, you are left with messy hair and shadows, BUT on the flip side you now have the best makeup trick ever as a resource! Sacrifices must be made, and I thank you for accepting me despite my imperfect skin, messy hair and shadowy pictures in this post.
FILED UNDER: BEAUTY
This recipe was developed by a very dear friend of mine; I only made modifications as explained at the bottom of the post.
Hello beautiful people! So today I’m lucky enough to have the day off (and actually tomorrow too, giving me a four day weekend…woohoo!) because I had some extra 2014 vacation days back at my old big girl job that need to be used up before the end of January. This means I’m spending some quality time with my mini and devoting her naptime to sprucing up this blog a bit.
Since last week I challenged all of you to live a healthier lifestyle throughout all of 2015, I realized it might also then be useful to periodically provide tools help you achieve that goal. Especially since it’s my goal to do the same! What I’ll then commit to you is to post healthier versions of recipes throughout the year to give you that extra little nudge.
NOTE: I’m not claiming these recipes to be fat free or sodium free, I’m just offering my alterations to reduce each of these things to make it a healthier meal.
Ok, so a little disclosure before today's post: I hate being cold. Like hate it, hate it. I feel like my toes go numb after being outside in the winter for any extended period of time without toe warmers in my shoes. That said, outfit posts are just going to have to be done inside until it's a little warmer out.
I know that doesn't exactly create the best lighting or provide the most desireable backdrop, but I just can't do it outside when it's so cold out. Sorry! Ok, on to this week's outfit...
After the super disappointing Packer loss yesterday (waaaahhhhh!), reality set in that now it's just winter in the Midwest. The holidays are over, football season is over and all that's left is cold. Cold and grey most days. I don't know about you, but I get sooooooo sick of bundling up every day, especially since said bundling typically means I'm limited in my outfit choices because staying warm supercedes looking cute {almost} always.
This post is in affiliation with KIND Snacks. All opinions are my own.
I’m so excited about the great comments and personal messages I received from Wednesday’s post that I want to react to some right away that broached the topic of learning more about healthy eating. While eating healthy isn’t always easy, it also isn’t as hard as some people make it out to be. My belief is that the primary difference between those two outlooks is education.
Like I briefly mentioned in Wednesday’s post about my fitness journey, I’ve spent a lot of time figuring out little tricks that make meals flavorful yet still healthy. Likewise, I’ve learned tricks to limit my over-indulgence on gluttonous meals when I travel for work.
Really, they’re simply tricks like snacking on a KIND bar mid afternoon. And drinking water. Whether it’s a fancy glass/bottle that makes it more enticing or adding fresh fruit to your water, do something and drink up. You can read an overwhelming amount of info on why drinking water is healthy, but for me... [Continue reading...]
This post is in affiliation with Fabletics. All opinions are my own.
I’ve mentioned fairly often on here the positive impact that fitness and living a healthy lifestyle has had on my life. From my mood to my energy levels, I always feel better when I’m on a consistent workout routine and filling my body with primarily healthy foods. Since it’s the second week of January, my guess is that incorporating a fitness routine might be on a couple of your resolution lists as well. Whether it’s because your fitness schedule got botched up with the busyness of the holidays or if you’re just planning to start your fitness journey, I’m here to tell you the importance of continuing this journey. Fitness should be a part of your lifestyle every.day, not just for the first 6-8 weeks of each new year.
As someone who’s always been on the smaller side, incorporating a fitness routine was something I did to both maintain my body image and because I’ve always had a pretty good grasp on the importance of healthy living. Throughout my entire childhood my dad...