Sedona Lace 28 Blush Palette

Blush is hands down my favorite part of my makeup routine. On an everyday basis I don't wear a lot of eye makeup or lip colors but I ALWAYS wear blush. It is the perfect pick me up. I was contacted by Sedona Lace and asked if I would like to review an item from their line. I chose to review the 28 blush palette. 28 blushes? Yes, please! There was a great color range and well as a nice range of textures. This palette even included two highlight shades. Some of the colors can be a tad sheer when applied to the face, but they easily build up for a more intense payoff without looking chalky. I would highly recommend this palette if you're just starting out with makeup or if you're a blush fiend, like myself. Also Sedona Lace was kind enough to include a discount code. Enter Justkellee101 for $4 off your purchase.
Swatches to follow:

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 An overview without flash:

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Super cute packaging!

Must Have Brushes

Brushes are often the least talked about in the makeup world, and I feel they may be the most important. Well, second, behind skin care. ^_^ So, I went through my unnecessarily large brush collection and picked my favorites. I have a variety of brands to let you know there are some great options available. Start with the very basics, brushes that are multipurpose, and add on a few honorable mentions I've selected. 

First up, face tools. 

From left to right:

Sonia Kashuk blending sponge: I know it's not a brush but its a must have for liquids and creams. Use it wet, to apply foundation or concealer, for a natural skin look.

Elf powder brush: Perfect if you want more coverage. Gives an airbrushed finish. Plus this brush is only $3!

Mac 130: Another multipurpose brush that is great and applying cream or liquid foundation, concealer, blush or bronzer. Provides lighter coverage that still achieves an airbrushed natural look. 

Real Techniques powder brush: These brushes are the softest ones I own. They never shed and they pick up just enough product so you don't have that cake face look. 

Sonia Kashuk blush brush: This is one of my oldest brushes. Sonia Kashuk is one of the best drugstore brands for brushes. This brush picks up just enough product but can easily build upon it, for more intense color. 

Real Techniques blush brush: I love using this brush for very pigmented blushes/bronzers, so I don't end up looking like a clown. It's very soft and blends powders like a dream.

Honorable mentions:

Sephora Professional #50 brush: This brush is extremely soft and can be used for mineral foundation, powder, blush, and bronzer. Sephora brushes can be pricey but I've had this brush for about 6 years and it has not once shed.

Crown kabuki fan brush: Fan brushes are perfect for highlighting and contouring. They pick up just the right amount of product and diffuse it evenly across the highest points of your face. 

Now lets move on to eyes!

From left to right:

Crown pro blending fluff brush: If you only own one brush, make sure it's a tapered blending crease brush. You could do an entire eye look using this brush. It's sides are flat so you can pack your lids or brow bones. And the fluffy top makes it easy to apply crease colors and blend them out. 

Sonia Kashuk blending brush: The number 1 rule in makeup is blend! You can never have too many blending brushes. They can be used to diffuse color across the lid so you get a light wash, to blend color into the crease and to blend out harsh lines. 

Crown dual ended flat angle and spoolie brush: This brush is a must for brows! Use the flat angle side to fill in your brows and the spoolie end to brush them out. Plus the flat angle side can be used to apply eyeliner. 

Honorable mentions:

Mac 239: This was the first Mac brush I purchased. I love it but everyone makes a good classic flat shader brush, so there are lots of alternatives. This brush is great at packing color. 

Tarte flat synthetic brush: I love using this brush to apply cream bases or concealers. It's also awesome at packing loose eyeshadows, pigments and glitter, when used wet. 

Sonia Kashuk angle eyeliner brush: Angled eyeliner brushes allow you to get closer to your eye without having to twist your arm into a pretzel. 

Sigma pencil brush: Pencil brushes are great for applying color to the inner corners and in the crease/outer v for a more intense look. 

Whew. Sorry for the novel. But thank you so much for reading. And don't forget to follow!

~Kellee

 

 

Face of the Day: Bronze Smokey Eyes

I was playing around with my Naked palette the other day and decided to do a bronze smokey eye. I almost never wear darker colors on my lids during the day so this was something new for me. I like the way it turned out and I think it's still "light" enough for the daytime. If anyone would like to see a tutorial on my youtube channel, then just let me know.

Inner corner: Half Baked, Lid: Smog, Crease: Naked & Buck, Outer corner: Darkhorse

Cheeks: Tarte Park Ave Princess Bronzer, Milani Luminoso

Lips: Covergirl Delish & Revlon Bronze Shimmer Colorburst lipgloss

Top: American Eagle

Earrings: Tobi

Nail of the Day: China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy

China Glaze's Flip Flop Fantasy is one of my favorite nail colors. It is described as a neon coral pink. This polish dries with a matte finish, so I always make sure finish with my shiniest top coat. If I could wear neon colors on my nails 365 days of the year I would.  I'm about half way finished with the bottle I have, but thankfully this polish has been added to China Glaze's permanent line.

Updated Curly Hair Routine: Finger Coil Method

I don't change up my hair care routine too often. I'm also pretty loyal to my wash and go's. Recently, however, I was getting bored with my routine and so I decided to try something new. Finger coiling is a method of just twisting smaller sections of your hair tightly around itself. This smoothes the hair in one direction, making it less frizzy, more defined and it also stretches the curl out. I also decided to revisit a few products I had mixed reviews on. I co washed using Curls Creamy Cleanser, detangled with Tresemme Natural Moisture Conditioner, moisturized with Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie, styled with Shea Moisture Curling Soufflé & sealed with unrefined virgin coconut oil. Whew. That seems like a mountain of products. I am loving the results I've been getting. Also I've been getting 6 day hair from this method. 6 days! That is unheard of for me. Let me know what are your go to hair care products?

Welcome, Welcome!

So I finally bit the bullet and created a blog. I was never opposed to blogging, I just didn't know if I would be able to consistently update one. I'm going to make a valiant effort to frequently update this blog. My youtube channel is youtube.com/justkellee101, so make sure you check it out and subscribe! Thanks so much for stopping by!