Back to School Makeup Looks

Hello glam girls!!

And especially younger readers because today's post is specifically for you. I initially planned on doing this post quite a while ago, back when school just started. Forgive me for posting this so late, but I think it's always worth it to learn about how you can be planning your "professional" makeup look a little better, don't you think? It's never too late to re-assess your daily makeup routine and improve it.

I can tell you right now that at my old high school, we had a very strict no makeup policy. We were able to get away with wearing a bit of concealer and mascara here and there but if you were caught, you had to go to the washroom and take it off. If it was waterproof, you ended up scrubbing your skin off. I think that having a no makeup rule is a good thing, it's honestly one less thing to worry about. I mean, would you really want to be concerned with how you were going to wear your makeup that day and which brands you would use so that you could impress all the popular girls? Yeah, didn't think so. And it's also better for your skin that it gets to breathe. But if you do want to wear a little bit of makeup, stick around for a light makeup look. Remember, less is more.

But what if your school allows makeup (meaning you're in college)? Then how should you wear it? School isn't a place to show off how you're planning on doing your makeup at that party coming up this Saturday night. So no club makeup, no smokey eyes, nothing too dramatic. You really want to keep it simple. So you can enhance your features with a bit of help from our friend, makeup. You want the makeup to look effortless. You want to make people think that you woke up like that, looking all beautiful.

Stick around to see a very natural makeup look towards the bottom.


Makeup Policy Makeup

I can say that we've all cheated back in high school when we weren't allowed to wear makeup. The trick to this look is to wear the least amount of makeup possible, because if they realize you are wearing an ounce of makeup, they make you take the whole thing off. So the trick is to keep it very low key and to not get caught. I'm going to give you suggestions and the point isn't to wear everything that I've suggested. Pick and choose between what you would like to wear the most and eliminate things that you don't normally wear. This look is most appropriate for very young teenagers in high school. I want to stress that this list is by no means the minimum amount of makeup you should wear, in fact, it is the opposite. Remember that less is more.

Eyes:
Nude or Highlighting Eyeshadow (MAC Shroom or Stila Kitten)
Mascara (Benefit Bad Gal Lash or Too Faced Lashgasm)
Brow Pencil (Benefit Instant Brow Pencil)

As a teenager, the most I did was put MAC Shroom on my eyelid. If you want to even out the color of your eyelids, you can use a very light neutral color (MAC Cork). If you want to look more awake, I would suggest more of a highlighting color (like Shroom or Stila Kitten). And if you want, you can also apply a light coat of mascara. Also, if you are so inclined, you can also fill in your brows real quick using a pencil. For high school level, this isn't really necessary unless you don't actually have any eyebrows.

Face:
Concealer (MAC Select Cover-Up Concealer for under eye circles, Studio Finish for blemishes and acne)
Tinted Moisturizer or BB Cream (Too Faced BB Cream)
Loose Powder (MUFE HD Powder)
Blush (Benefit Bella Bamba)

Honestly, a teenager does not need to wear loads of foundation and concealer on their face. You've got perfect baby skin. If you have dark under eye circles, I suggest wearing a concealer. I didn't wear foundation or bb cream (BB cream didn't even exist back then) but if you really want to wear something on your face I would suggest a tinted moisturizer or BB cream. If you have any acne or pimples or redness, use a cream concealer. If you are going the makeup route, I would suggest the tiniest touch of blush to add color back to your cheeks. I never wore blush in high school. Honestly, you really don't need to wear much makeup. Less is more. That is key. Oh and don't forget to set your makeup with a good powder!

Lips:
Lip Balm (EOS)

All you need for your lips is lip balm. For the fashionista in you, wear a light pink lipgloss. My favorite as a teenager was MAC Cultured and MAC Oyster Girl. Nowadays, the "cool" lip balm is that EOS one that looks like an egg.




No Makeup Policy Makeup

After high school you would probably think "yeah finally I can wear makeup!"  but honestly, that statement is a little overrated. Sure, you can finally choose what to wear each day, but each morning you find yourself thinking "what the hell should I wear today?"everyday  and "but I just wore that shirt yesterday". At least with a uniform you never had to panic over what you were going to wear that day. Same goes for makeup. I'm the kind of person that likes to switch it up everyday. I don't wear a set makeup look to school and work. I'm always trying out different products, especially for this blog now. So here I'll try to give you an example of something that I would wear everyday for school and work. The makeup look I'm describing in this section is for the older teen, the off to college teen. I've been really liking this look a lot lately.

I have done a similar look, the eyes are the same but the rest is diff. If you want to see this look, it's 10 Minute Makeup - Light, Work Appropriate, and Fast for the Gal on the Go. This is a great example of another makeup look that is perfect for the college girl.

Eyes:
Eyeshadow Primer (Too Faced Shadow Insurance)
Shimmery Beige Highlight Shade (MAC Shroom)
Medium Matte Brown Shade (MAC Charcoal Brown)
Shimmery Light Pink Highlight Shade (MAC Naked Lunch)
Gel Liner (MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack)
Pencil Liner (MAC Powerpoint Eye Pencil in Engraved)
Mascara (Too Faced Better Than Sex)
Brow Pencil (Benefit Instant Brow Pencil)

Prime your eyes, this will give you a good base to start on. Then apply MAC Shroom to your lid, MAC Charcoal Brown to your crease and then MAC Naked Lunch as a highlight under the brow bone. Then take a black gel liner and line your top lash line in a cat eye fashion (wing out the ends). Then take a pencil liner and tightline your top and bottom lash lines. Fill in your brows if necessary. I've posted this look before. I like it a lot.

Face:
Face Primer (Too Faced Primed and Poreless)
Concealer (MAC Select Cover-Up and MAC Studio Finish)
Foundation (MUFE HD Foundation)
Loose Powder (MUFE HD Powder)
Blush (Benefit Bella Bamba, Too Faced Secret to No Makeup Makeup)
Bronzer (Too Faced Bronzed and Poreless, Too Faced Secret to No Makeup Makeup)

This is the standard face routine that I go through currently. I usually add a highlighter/luminizer, but we don't need that for today's purposes. You can even skip on the face primer, but it does a lot of good honestly. Concealer and foundation are important (MAC and MUFE, respectively). If you have great skin, opt for bb cream instead. Also, get yourself an all-in-one face palette, it makes life so much easier, and your makeup bag so much lighter. I like to contour with my bronzer, but you honestly don't even need a bronzer, or just dust it lightly all over your face. A good blush will brighten up your face and give it some dimension. For a long time, Benefit's Bella Bamba was my go-to blush. Nowadays, I switch around often.

Lips:
Lipstick (Too Faced La Creme in Marshmallow Bunny, Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Candeur)
Lipgloss (NARS Sweet Dreams, Turkish Delight, Too Faced Barely Legal)
Lip Balm (EOS)
Any nude or light pink lipstick or lipgloss is key for me. I like to keep it very natural looking. My favorite is Chanel's Rouge Coco Shine lipstick in Candeur. I love it, it's so moisturizing! It feels like a lipgloss. Something a little cheaper would be NARS Turkish Delight and Sweet Dreams lipglosses, Too Faced Glamour Gloss in Barely Legal, etc. Can't go wrong with a good lip balm like EOS or Fresh either.



My Low-Key Makeup Look

This makeup look is an in-between of the two looks I talked about. It takes things from both looks for a sort of mash-up. So don't take it for a definitive what to wear to high school look because it's not. I also used my fingers to save time. I'm not kidding when I say less is more. You're young and beautiful and don't need makeup. I had low self-esteem throughout high school. You don't need to hide behind a mask, you're beautiful. If others don't see that, then it's their loss, NOT yours. So with that said, here's my intermediate look:

Eyes:
Benefit Stay Don't Stray Eye Primer
Stila Eyeshadow in Kitten
Stila Smudgestick Waterproof Eyeliner in Angelfish (LE)
Benefit Bad Gal Lash Mascara
Benefit Eye Bright
Benefit High Brow
Benefit Brow Zings in Light

Prime your eyelids with Benefit Stay Don't Stray. Apply Stila Kitten to your lid using your finger or a brush.  Blend it out slightly past the crease, but concentrate most of the color on the lid. Apply Stila Smudgestick in Angelfish to the top and bottom lids. To make your eyes look brighter put Benefit Eye Bright in the corners of your eyes and blend it out with your finger. I sometimes like to apply it to my waterline to make my eyes look more awake. Then apply one coat of Benefit Bad Gal Lash mascara. To highlight the brow, apply Benefit High Brow directly under your brows. Now fill them in using Benefit Brow Zings. Voila! Your eyes are now more beautiful!

Face:
MAC Select Cover-Up Concealer in NW20
Too Faced Air-Buffed BB Creme in Snow Glow
Too Faced Primed and Poreless Loose Powder
Too Faced Candlelight
Too Faced The Secret to No Makeup Makeup Palette

• Luminizer
• Power Blush
• Bronzer

Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray

I didn't apply a face primer, but do as you like. Cover up those undereye circles using MAC Select Cover-Up Concealer and your finger. Then apply Too Faced Air-Buffed BB Creme all over your face. I prefer to use my fingers because the body heat warms up the products and makes it more pleasant to deal with. Everytime I use this BB cream I realize how much I don't like it but I'm trying to use it more because I hate having products sit there not being used when I paid good money for them. I much prefer their first Tinted BB Cream, which was liquid. If you're using the cream one, definitely make sure you set it with a good powder, like Too Faced Primed and Poreless Loose Powder. Next take your trusty Too Faced Secret to No Makeup Makeup Palette out. Contour your cheeks using the Bronzer and get the perimeter of your face, temples, etc, as well. Apply the Powder Blush to the apples of your cheeks and blend outward and into the bronzer. Then take the Luminizer and apply it to the tops of your cheekbones, the top arch of your brows, the cupid's bow. Then go over all those places with Too Faced Candlelight for added glow. Also get the chin, down the nose, and the forehead. Remember to spray your face with Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray if you want your look to last from the morning til the evening. Your face should now look spectacular.

Lips:
NARS Lipgloss in Sweet Dreams

Lastly, apply a nude or light pink lipstick, like NARS in Sweet Dreams. The makeup look is complete and you should be looking great for your first day (or 50th day) of school!

Products Used

Stila Eyeshadow in Kitten - 23$CAD

Stila Smudgestick Waterproof Eyeliner in Angelfish (LE) - 26$CAD

Benefit Bad Gal Lash Mascara - 12$CAD for the mini. 26$CAD for the fullsize

Benefit Eye Bright - 25$CAD

Benefit High Brow - 26$CAD

Benefit Brow Zings in Light

Benefit Brow Zings in Light - 36$CAD

Too Faced Air-Buffed BB Creme in Snow Glow - 48$CAD

Too Faced Candlelight

Too Faced Candlelight - 38$CAD

Too Faced The Secret to No Makeup Makeup Palette

Too Faced The Secret to No Makeup Makeup Palette - 48$CAD

Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray - 15$CAD for the new mini (2X the size of the pic) and 35$CAD for the fullsize

NARS Lipgloss in Sweet Dreams - 29$CAD

Swatches from left to right:
Stila Eyeshadow in Kitten
Stila Smudgestick Waterproof Eyeliner in Angelfish
Benefit Eye Bright
Benefit High Brow
Too Faced Air-Buffed BB Creme in Snow Glow
Too Faced Candlelight
NARS Lipgloss in Sweet Dreams

Swatches from left to right:
Too Faced The Secret to No Makeup Makeup Palette
Concealer
Luminizer
Brightener
Cream Blush
Powder Blush
Bronzer

Thanks for reading today's  post and I hope it wasn't too long! I had really been meaning to do a Back to School Look for quite some time now! I hope that this post was informative and helpful and that hopefully you took something away from this. I really want to stress that for younger teens, less is more. You really don't need a full face of foundation. For college-bound girls, obviously makeup is more acceptable but you have to limit the amount you wear. It's not time to test-drive Friday night's look.

So what did you think of my Back to School look for all the youngsters out there? If it wasn't for the fact that I wore this look out today, I would have tried to do an actual look for a young high school girl. But I'm not running around with absolutely no makeup  :P  I really tried to keep it simple as much as possible. Obviously, you don't need to go and illuminate your eyes like crazy like I did. But you catch my drift. Stila Kitten is such a beautiful eyeshadow color, no wonder they're famous for it. I really like the Kitten eyeliner (actually called Angelfish), it pairs very well with the shadow. I didn't want to do a harsh black liner, so this was perfect to keep it natural. If I'm doing very natural eyes like this, I like to take the face a step further and start highlighting and luminizing. I think it just gives a great glowy appearance and makes you look more alive. Benefit has some great pencils that do just that. One thing I didn't like is Too Faced's new Air-Buffed BB Creme. Everytime I use it I remember why I stopped using it. The consistency of the cream sucks. It never ever sets and it just doesn't lie on the skin nicely. Also, I've noticed that it's been causing breakouts whenever I use it. I'm sad to say that this is my first product from Too Faced that I'm truly disappointed in. I wish I could say I love it, but it's far from it. I hope that you girls are able to get better results from it than me. What I did love from Too Faced is their Secret to No Makeup Makeup palette. That palette comes in handy, especially in your purse! It really has everything you need, especially for a younger girl cuz you don't even need foundation! I've spoken loads already about the other products, you should know I love them.

What did you think of the look itself? Would you wear this to school? And what products do you wear on a school day? Show me your lists and pictures! I'm curious to see your looks!

That 10 Minute Makeup post is here if you want to check it out.

Steph xo.

Empties & Extras #1

Hello Hello!!

You have no idea how long I've been waiting to do this post. It feels like I had to wait forever to empty enough containers to do this post. I wanted to have around 10 empties to show you. I also have a ton of Extras in my drawer to show you as well.

I'll show you the Empty Container and then I will tell you about the product, and finally if I would repurchase it or not.

For the extras, I will tell you why I stocked up on a particular item and why I liked it. If I didn't buy it, then how I came to have it. I'll tell you how it came to be in my drawer.

I have a lot of skincare empties, and I know I just did a post on all my skincare products, but here are my empties to prove it I guess haha. Just bear with me, you'll be glad you did when you see all the Extras I've got.

Since this is a little picture-heavy, I'll make the pics slightly smaller than usual.

Empties

#1 Body Shop Camomile Gentle Eye Makeup Remover

I use this makeup remover everyday to get the last traces of mascara and eyeliner off my eyes and surrounding area. I would definitely repurchase this product!!! In fact, I already have.

#2 Body Shop Tea Tree Face Mask

I use this once a week after my shower to help get rid of the impurities and redness on my skin. I would def repurchase this. I have extras of this.

#3 Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Lotion

I use this nightly on my face after cleansing and toning. Normally I would repurchase, but now I'm trying out the Seaweed Lotion which should hopefully help my cheeks retain some moisture and be less dry.

#4 Body Shop Tea Tree Blemish Fade Night Lotion

I love this stuff. It really helped to get rid of scars on my face and diminish redness. This is the one product out of everything I use that I would recommend before everything else. This was the first tea tree product I had every used and I loved it so much that now I use almost the entire line. I would repurchase this times a million, but I've repurchased one so far.

#5 MUFE HD Face Primer

I thought it was all right. Nothing special, I prefer Too Faced's Primed and Poreless. I wouldn't repurchase it but I would use it if someone gave it to me.

#6 Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner in Oscar Fish

I like the shimmery brown colour of Oscar Fish, but I didn't like the quality of the product. I would not repurchase this (I have an extra of this, I didn't know at the time that I wouldn't like it and I thought it was a good deal). I would use it sometimes if it was given to me, though I would not use it on a special occasion, because I know it won't last all day.

#7 MAC Powerpoint Eye Pencil in Engraved

This used to be my go to Eyeliner as a teen. I had even bought an extra of this a while back. Then I discovered Too Faced's Perfect Black and honestly I haven't been using my MAC pencils at all lol. I use them sometimes if I'm doing a look at home or not going anywhere important. If I am going somewhere important, I use my Perfect Black. I would not repurchase, only because I've found a better product in Too Faced's Perfect Black Eyeliner.

#8 NARS Pro-Prime Pore Refining Primer

I got this mini in Sephora's 500 Point Perk, which was a NARS set. It came with a mini eye primer, mini face primer, mini orgasm blush and mini velvet gloss lip pencil in new lover. The primer was okay, it smelled nice and it did it's job. I prefer Too Faced's Primed and Poreless so I wouldn't repurchase the NARS primer because I already have a favorite. If someone gave it to me though, I would use it. I just think the Too Faced primer is better.

#9 Too Faced Pink Leopard Brightening Bronzer

I'm so sad that this bronzer finally ran out. This is my holy grail bronzer. This is the last one I have from before Too Faced decided to revamp all their bronzers. Their new Pink Leopard bronzer looks way different than this one and they swatch different. I haven't used the new one yet even though I bought it months ago just because I love this one so much and I'm scared I might be disappointed. I would definitely repurchase the old Pink Leopard bronzer if they would start making it again. I hope I fall in love with the new, re-vamped version of it.

Extras

Benefit The Pretty Committee Set

This set includes a full size Bella Bamba blush, a full size Eye Bright, a full size Stay Don't Stray and a deluxe High Beam. This set is 42$CAD which is an awesome effing deal!!!! Bella Bamba alone costs 36$CAD. You get 3 fullsize items and a mini. This deal was such a steal I had to buy an extra set.

Benefit Watt's Up (mini)

I got this from the Birthday Set at Sephora that you get for free on your birthday if you're a Beauty Insider member. Already had a mini from a minis set I bought.

Sephora + Pantone Universe Foiled Waterproof Eyeliner Set

I really liked this palette. All the eyeliners are a nice shimmery color so when I saw this on sale for 15$CAD at Sephora I bought myself a second one.

Stila Seeing Stars Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner Set

When I originally bought this, I thought I liked it and it was a good deal. It was 42$CAD and I think it might still be available on Sephora's website. But then I tried Urban Decay and Too Faced's eyeliners and I was blown away. I keep these Stila eyeliners around because they're all shimmer and the colours are nice. I find that the eyeliner comes off in the inner corners of my eyes and gives me a hard time when I reapply in that spot. And the device doesn't allow you to turn it so as to put the eyeliner down, you can only twist it up. I wouldn't buy this again, sorry Stila.

Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Volumizing Mascara (2 minis)

I hate these mascaras. I've got 3 minis now and I don't know what to do with them. When they say waterproof, what they really mean is makeup remover proof. I couldn't get the damn stuff off. I ended up ripping eyelashes out. I never used it again and will never unless I know I'm going to cry my eyes out.

Stila Mini Lipglazes in Kitten, Splendor

Kitten

Splendor

I really like Stila's lipglazes. I have both of these already and I like them. I don't use them as often as I used to when I was younger but I still do wear them from time to time, along with all my other Stila lipglazes.

MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NW20

This concealer is amazing to cover up blemishes. I got a sample of this when I had literally scratched off a chunk of skin by my eyebrow in my sleep. I didn't even feel it or wake up, when I got up later I looked in the mirror and there was crusty blood all stuck in my eyebrow. All above it I had literally scratched off a CHUNK of skin. It looked like a burn but I knew it couldn't be. So I needed some heavy duty concealer to cover that up and this stuff was a miracle. When I'm done my sample, I'm attacking this fullsize baby.

MAC Zoomlash in Zoomblack (2 minis)

This used to be my favorite mascara as a teenager, mainly because it was MAC. I've discovered some mascaras that I like more, but this one will always have its place as my most loved teen mascara. I still use it sometimes.

Too Faced Perfect Eyes in Perfect Black

This eyeliner is perfect. There are no other words to describe it. Mattest black and it goes on in one smooth stroke and stays on all day, no problem. I love this eyeliner. I'd stock 100 of these if I could.

Too Faced Glamour Gloss in Barely Legal

This lipgloss has become my favorite. It stole NARS's spot and NARS wants it back. Barely Legal is such a nice pink colour that I just had to stock up.

Too Faced Primed and Poreless

This is my favorite primer and I use it almost every day unless I'm trying out new products. It makes your skin feel smooth and preps it for foundation. You end up using less foundation and its so smooth on your skin that it doesn't even look like makeup.

Too Faced Pink Leopard

Most favorite bronzer ever! I was so mad when I found out that they had reformulated it. I thought it was the same bronzer but just in new packaging but when I got home and compared the two, I was sadly mistaken. I swatched the two and the colours are different and I'm pissed off. I just hope I like it cuz in the long run I'm going to need a good bronzer and I finally finished my old one.

Too Faced Shadow Insurance (mini)

I use Shadow Insurance almost everyday so a mini is always good to have, especially for travel. I got this in a set, I'm sure.

Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Pencil in Whiskey

I bought the fullsize Whiskey eyeliner after having bought the Double-Ended 24/7 Eyeliner in Zero/Whiskey. Too Faced's Perfect Black takes the cake for best black eyeliner but when I tried UD's Whiskey, I fell in love. This is now my favorite brown eyeliner.



And now all my Skincare Extras!! I won't talk about them, because I already spoke about all these products in the My Skincare and Shower Routine post.

1. Body Shop Coconut Body Scrub

2. Body Shop Tea Tree Face Mask (2)

3. Body Shop Tea Tree Blemish Fade Night Lotion

4. Body Shop Seaweed Skin Clearing Lotion SPF 15

And that's it!! I hope you enjoyed taking a peak into my drawer and seeing all the empty containers I've been saving up for this post as well as all the extra items I've either bought or somehow ended up with. Hopefully this gives you a perspective on what products I use a lot, and even some I would call my favorites.

I encourage everyone to collect their empty containers (I usually wait until I've got at least 10) and write in the comments what your empties are. I would be interested to hear what all of you guys and girls use most!!

This post won't be monthly, because I just don't finish off that many containers. So whenever I reach about 10 containers I will do another post. I won't re-show all the extra stuff I have in my drawer, but I will show all the new stuff I've gotten since this post. I'll also leave a link to the previous Empties & Extras posts so you can see what's lingering in my drawer. If it changes significantly, I'll show the whole drawer, but I really don't think it will.

I look forward to doing another Empties & Extras post!!

Steph xo.