Jen Clark

How to Choose the Perfect Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Formula to Be a Glowing Goddess This Summer

June 3rd, 2016 by Jen Clark 8 Comments

Becca Opal collection — The Becca Shimmering Skin Perfectors come in liquid, cream, and powder form!

My nightly routine consists of getting into some comfy jammies, snuggling my boys in bed and, as soon as they fall asleep, that’s my YouTube time. From the time I discovered YouTube beauty videos in college all those years ago, I can’t sleep until I watch the newest videos from my favorite beauty gurus.

And a lot of the time when they’re talking about highlighters, Becca’s in the conversation! Now after finally using them, I see what all the fuss is about.

Opal is my favorite Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector shade. It’s the perfect champagne, and I think it looks stunning on everyone. They’ve got some other shades as well that are more cool toned, and some that are more golden, so there’s something for every skin tone out there.They also come in three formulas — Liquid (the O.G. Skin Perfector), Poured (which is a cream), and Pressed (which is a powder).

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Liquid in Opal ($41 for 1.7 oz.)

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Poured in Opal — Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Liquid in Opal

I love how versatile the liquid version is. There are at least three different ways you can use it, like you can use it as a primer and apply it all over your face before your foundation for a really subtle lit-from-within glow.

Probably my favorite way to use it is to mix it in with my foundation. I just put my foundation on the back of my hand and mix in about half a pump, and it makes your foundation gorgeously dewy! Be warned, though — it’s suuuuper glowy, and if you’re already oily, it may be a little too much for your skin.

The last way I like to use it is as my highlighter. After my makeup is all done, I tap just a little bit on the top of my cheekbones and blend it out with my beautyblender.

But I usually only use it that way on lighter makeup days, because I don’t like to put liquids on top of powder. It can kind of chunk up, so I only use it when I haven’t set my makeup with a powder.

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Poured Crème in Opal ($38 for 0.17 oz.)

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A Subtle, Less Scary Way to Wear the Ombre Lip Trend

June 2nd, 2016 by Jen Clark 16 Comments

I can’t even tell you how often I’ll be scrolling through Pinterest or Instagram and see all these really cool chicks wearing the coolest makeup trends, then get super bummed because I don’t think I can actually pull them off! But even for makeup trends that are super scary, there’s usually a more wearable way to wear them, although we should all just be brave enough to wear whatever we want, whenevever we want. Of course, that’s easier said than done.

One of those trends I always “pin” but never wear is an ombre lip. I decided to grow a pair and just try it, and it turns out, I love it! And it turned out to be pretty wearable too! I could walk around wearing this and not feel like a crazy person, even though that’s sometimes a liberating feeling. 😉

I love how customizable ombre lips are; you can literally do whatever colors you want, and make them as dramatic as you want. For my lips here I decided to go with red and coral and fairly subtle.

1. Blank out the color of your lips

The first step is to use the leftover product of whatever you used for your foundation to blank out the color of your lips. This will make the lip colors you use more vibrant and longer lasting.

ombre lip tutorial — Using my leftover foundation on my beautyblender to pat over my lips

2. Line your lips, and bring in the color slightly at the inner corners

Next, use a lip liner in the darkest shade that you want to use for your ombre (gradient) effect. I used an ancient Sephora Collection Lip Liner in a deepish raspberry that I didn’t realize wasn’t available anymore (sorry about that!). Line your lips, and bring in the color slightly at the inner corners.

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Have You Ever Shaved Your Face?

June 1st, 2016 by Jen Clark 50 Comments

face shaving dermaplaning — Me? Shave my face??

Don’t freak out! But today we’re going to talk about shaving our faces.

Yes, I know that most of us are women, and most people think we shouldn’t shave our faces, but they’re WRONG!

I’m one of those people plagued with a fuzzy face. I’ve got peach fuzz all over my cheeks and jaw.

Most of the time you can’t really tell, but if the sun hits me the right way, I look like I’ve got a full-on blonde beard.

It’s not my favorite look. Plus, makeup clings to it, which makes it even more noticeable.

So, one night while I was perusing the interwebs, I came across an article where this girl was talking about how she shaved her face! Needless to say, I was intrigued… I learned that there’s actually a procedure done at the dermatologist’s office called Dermaplanin, which is literally where they go in with a little razor, just like the one I have, and they shave your face.

Not only does it get rid of the fuzz, but it’s also lightly exfoliating, as it scrapes off the top layer of dead skin.

Oh, and you can do it at home! No need to ring up an expensive dermatology bill. All you need is an inexpensive eyebrow razor, which I get from my local Sally Beauty Supply. A lot of people use the Tinkle Razors from Amazon instead, but I haven’t tried them yet. They’re next on my list.

To use the razor, hold the blade at a 45-degree angle to your skin, and run it lightly down your face…in the direction of the hair growth! Keep working around the areas that need it.

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Allow Me to Introduce Matt(e) Hughes! theBalm Meet Matt(e) Hughes Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick

May 27th, 2016 by Jen Clark 11 Comments

Meet Matt(e) Hughes.

He’s attractive, feels good on the lips, smells like Thin Mint cookies (LITERALLY, to the tee!), and sticks around even when you sloppily pound down a massive Big Mac and fries!

Let’s ignore the fact that I just made two food references in the first sentence of this post and get to know Matt(e) a little better…

The Balm has come out with these $17 Meet Matt(e) Hughes Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick, and I’m a huge fan. They’re extremely comfortable and don’t feel drying at all, which is so rare when it comes to matte lip products. The formula actually reminds me a bit of the NYX Soft Matte Lip Cremes.

When applied they’re quite liquid-y and can even bleed a little, so I would use them with a lip liner to prevent that.

Compared to matte liquid lipsticks from brands like Anastasia and Colourpop before, these are quite different. While those formulas remain full-on GLUED to your lips, which some people like, but some people also hate, these can be easily removed and don’t feel so…claustrophobic. In turn, that does mean that they aren’t quite as bulletproof of some of the other liquid lipsticks out there.

Once they dry down to their matte finish, though, they do stay put.

Here’s the kiss test…

As you can see, they aren’t completely budge-proof, but they are long wearing! (Side note: Why couldn’t I make kiss marks that looked that cute and not like the squid tentacle prints I made when I was busy sending almost every boy in my 5th grade class a “Do you like me? Check yes or no” note?)

I love the color selection too. There’s mostly everything you need, aside from possibly a purple, but I don’t think a lot of people will really miss that though.

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A Pink Eyeshadow Makeup Tutorial

May 24th, 2016 by Jen Clark 10 Comments

How I rock pink eyeshadow — Loving the pink eye shadow look!

Not long ago, Anna, Adia and I collaborated on how we rock pink eyeshadow, and many of you wanted to know how I got my look! I loved it too, so I thought I would do a quick tutorial. It’s actually super easy.

If you saw the other post, you’ll know that I mostly used the e.l.f Blush Palette in Light.

Are you ready? Here we go!

To start, blend the lightest pink blush in the palette into and slightly above your crease using a fluffy blending brush.

Bright pink eyeshadow tutorial — Top left shade in the e.l.f Blush Palette

Next, once you have that blended out really well, using a blending brush that’s a little more dense, place the bottom left shade from the palette all over your lid, and blend it into the crease.

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#FOTD Starring the Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette and My New Fave Clinique Lippie

May 20th, 2016 by Jen Clark 28 Comments

Daytime Glam FOTD naked 3 — Today’s daytime glam look!

You guys are all my friends here, right?

That’s what I thought, so I can vent a little bit? I know you guys will listen to me.

Well, there’s only so much my poor husband can handle. As a mom and, honestly, I know that’s partly a cop-out excuse, an introvert, I don’t get out of the house as often as I’d like.

When I do finally peel off the sweatpants that have been plastered to my body since the day before and put on an outfit that doesn’t make me look like a hobo, I want to do something nice with my makeup too. That’s when I usually go for something in the “daytime glam” category, which is what I did today.

But first, the venting. I spent a lot of time on my makeup and hair today, and I even threw on a dress. Lookin’ hot, I was ready for a day out of the house, but my son had other plans. He’s two and a half right now, and I know it has got to be hard to be two. He’s got an amazing vocabulary, but when he’s upset or overwhelmed, he sometimes has a hard time getting his feelings out in a way that doesn’t involve screaming or crying.

We hit the town, but he was not having it. At the first store we went to he had a total meltdown, for reasons unbeknownst to me. I’m talking a screaming-thrashing-snot-flying-everywhere kind of meltdown.

Needless to say, with both of us in tears feeling so sorry for ourselves, we headed home… Just like that, our day out of the house was over.

I can’t even fathom how hard it would be to have two kids, but for those of you who don’t know, I’m having a baby girl in September! 🙂 Moms, please tell me it gets better and that having two isn’t hard at all. Lie to me if you must!

Now for the fun part of this post — the makeup! I recently did a little collaboration with Anna and Adia on how we rock pink eyeshadow, and I went with a really bright look. They did really pretty, more wearable looks, so I was feeling inspired to use some similar colors.

I decided to break out my Naked 3 Palette because it’s full of those gorgeous rosy/mauve tones I was looking to use.

I’ll tell you quickly how I got this look. I started by using ‘Limit’ (a light mauve-y rose) in the crease, then deepened it up a bit using ‘Nooner’ (mid toned mauve-y rose).

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The New Make Up For Ever Aqua XL Eye Pencils Are THE Eyeliners of all Eyeliners

May 16th, 2016 by Jen Clark 17 Comments

Where are my watery-eyed ladies at? (*frantically waves arms above head*)

If you’re raising your hands, listen up!

And even if you aren’t raising your hands, still listen up.

If you’re in need of an uber-pigmented, budge-proof eyeliner, look no further. The Make Up For Ever Aqua XL Waterproof Eye Pencils have arrived, and they are the *BLEEEEEP!*

Make Up For Ever teamed up with Charli XCX to create these 20 amazing $21 shades, and let me tell you about the formula, because I’ve never met another eyeliner that does what these do — and I’ve met a lot of eyeliners.

First, I’m so impressed by how smooth and pigmented they are. When first swatching them, I couldn’t believe how lightly I had to press to get a smooth, opaque line. There is no tugging or skipping here!

I did a look using shade M-26 (a matte pastel blue) on my upper lash lines, and I was able to get a wing with a pencil eyeliner.

I have never been able to do that before!

Because they are so smooth and blend-able, I was able to use a tiny angled brush to pull out the color to get that sharp wing I was looking for, and you do have some time to play and smudge if you’d like. But once they set, giiiirl, they are not moving around!

The new Makeup Forever Aqua XL Eye Pencil Waterproof Eyeliners

Now back to why I think watery-eyed girls will love these: wear time. It is usually so pointless for me to line my waterline and tightline because my eyes just wash away the color within minutes, sometimes seconds, so after hearing about these pencils and their reputation, I had to give them a go.

You guys, this liner stays on my waterline THE. ENTIRE. DAY. I kid you not. I did my makeup and used ME-42 (a metallic bronze), and when I looked in the mirror to take off my makeup that night, ME-42 was still where I put it. That has never happened to me before.

I have found a few of them that only last a couple of hours, which is still great in my book, but many of them, including ME-42, last well over six hours.

Makeup Forever Aqua XL Waterproof Eye Pencil — ME-42 on my waterline; probably my favorite shade!

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The Essie Resort 2016 Collection Will Get Your Fingers and Toes Ready for Summer!

May 13th, 2016 by Jen Clark 19 Comments

I feel the need to talk about some nail polish today, so let’s talk about this cute collection, Essie Resort 2016.

If you knew me a couple of years ago, you probably would have known about my ridiculous polish addiction. Like, the addiction was real. I had a shelf covered with hundreds — yes, hundreds — of bottles.

I’ve since downsized to my current nail polish collection, but those were the days… I would paint my nails a different color almost every day of the week, not even kidding. I even got really good at design, but alas, babies came and time got short, and sleep became more important.

I am so, so ashamed to admit that I’ve only painted my nails maybe once over the last six months (!). That is just ree-dic and so unlike me, so when my best friend texted me the other day to go get my nails done with her, I jumped at the chance.

I also did something really different — I got acrylics! — and had them do the almond shape. I’ve always admired almond shaped nails but never thought to try them myself. Turns out, I LOVE them! There’s just something so feminine about long nails, although I am having the hardest time typing this post. You win some, you lose some, I guess.

In honor of my new nails, I’m wearing the new Essie Resort Collection for 2016.

All of these colors are so up my alley. I’ve never, ever been one to shy away from bright colors. In fact, they’re what I gravitate toward, and these are gorgeous! And actually pretty unique!

Normally when I get new nail polish colors the ones I decide to get aren’t too special compared to the polishes I already have, but some of these are unique and unlike anything I own.

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