beautytip

Beauty Tip : Plump Lip Hack

Posted on June 7, 2017June 7, 2017 by mckennahbybee

I unintentionally found this hack while using a lip exfoliator from E.L.F. I originally bought it to help my lipstick go on smoother. I use it 3-4 times a week and have noticed a HUGE difference in the size and plumpness of my lips. This exfoliator is THREE dollars. It keeps your lips looking and feeling so soft. It’s not too messy because it comes in lipstick form and really scrubs off the dead skin. I purchased mine from Target, but it is also available at Ulta and it has a 4.5 star rating! I use the clear one because it has big exfoliating sugar grains. For the price I think it’s good. It’s not going to plump your lips up like $800 lip injections would, but I love this and will continue to use it. The exfoliator is also cruelty-free which gives you even more reason to try it out!

Xx, Kennah

Beauty Tip : Using a Beauty Blender like a Pro

Posted on April 23, 2017June 4, 2017 by mckennahbybee

It’s no secret the Beauty Blender sponge is one of the greatest make-up application products on the market, so I decided to write some tips to help you use it like a pro!

Saturate the sponge in water! Squeeze (don’t wring because it will tear!) out the excess water and if needed give it a squeeze in a wash cloth or paper towel to get it just damp enough. Keep it moist as you continue to use it in your beauty routine (I use a beauty water from LUSH).
Use cold water! If you use warm water it makes your sponge smell musky.
When applying foundation don’t put the product directly on the sponge, use a mixing plate or the back of your hand to help you get an even coverage.
Pounce and press your make-up in to get the best natural blending results. Rubbing will wipe off your product or create lines and we don’t want to do that so dab it into your skin!
When using the sponge around and under your eyes squeeze it to make the tip smaller to get into all those crevices.
DRY SPONGE! Did you know because of the denseness when the sponge is dry its perfect for packing on loose powder or erasing mistakes such as too much blush!
WASH IT! Any anti-bacterial soap will work, baby soap, hand soap! Just make sure to keep it clean. The sponge needs to be cleaned just as often as your make-up brushes.
Replace your Beauty Blender every few months, the sponge will start to lose its shape and break down.
After using it make sure to leave it out to dry! Don’t immediately put it in a makeup bag to help you avoid creating bacteria which can cause unwanted breakouts!
If you use a sunless tanner, the blending sponge is a great way to evenly blend it out on your face instead of trying to use a big mitt that you used on your entire body.

Hopefully these tips will help you better understand how to get the most out of your beauty blending sponge! I’m sure in no time you all will be looking like your own MUA’s. If you have any questions about beauty tips please send them to me on the Contact Me page! Knowledge is power.

This is the beauty blender I use from Real Techniques! I don’t use the Beautyblender brand because they’re more expensive for the same thing.

Xx, Kennah

Dying Hair at Home

Posted on April 16, 2017June 8, 2017 by mckennahbybee

Being a girl can get pretty expensive with all the beauty treatments and services we pay for each month. I’ve found a way to check one of these off the list and save you some money! This is for girls who dye their hair all one color like me! (Something like balayage or highlights or a drastic color change I would suggest going to a professional for). I’ve divided it into sections to help you understand the whole process!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

Hair Dye
Mixing Bowl
Coloring Brush
Gloves

Optional:

Vasaline
Cape
Shower Cap
Hair Clip
Parting Comb

DYE:

First you have to select your color. DO NOT BUY DRUGSTORE HAIR DYE! I buy professional grade hair products and use them at home. If you do not have a cosmetology license or a friend with one who is willing to help you out there are websites you can order it from (it is a few dollars more, but worth it for the quality!) Trust me I’ve tried every drugstore hair dye they make and all of them wash out and if you like your hair neutral or cool toned it always pulls red tones. If your hair is longer than your shoulders and pretty thick you’re going to need 2 boxes of hair dye. The dye I use is ISO icolor in the color 3N. This is super dark and most people say it looks like a 2, but it is actually a 3. icolor dye doesn’t pull red tones and it doesn’t look blue. It doesn’t damage my hair too much (obviously all dye does some damage) and makes it look so shiny and healthy.

DEVELOPER:

If you didn’t already know there are different volumes of developer. 10, 20, 30 (they make 40 level developer, but it is VERY damaging to your hair so only let a pro use this on your hair). The number or level on the bottle of developer represents the amount of hydrogen peroxide it contains. The more peroxide, the more your hair follicle will open during the coloring process. 10 volume developer is the one you would want use if you are going darker than your natural color and don’t need to lift the color at all (this is what I use). 20 developer is great for grey coverage and for coloring 1-2 shades from your current level. 30 volume is used for lightening your hair 3+ shades from your natural hair color.

PREP:

Make sure to move anything you don’t want getting dirty or stained (if you have one, use a cape to protect your clothes). Put vaseline on your skin near your hair line and on your ears so you don’t dye your skin. Once you’ve done it a few times you will get better and you won’t have to do this step. Have face wipes on hand in case you spill any. Start by mixing your color in the bowl using your brush. The hair dye box will give you the color to developer ratio that you should mix to create your color. The dye I use is 1 to 1 1/2 so for every 1 oz of color I use 1.5 oz of developer. Get your parting comb, clip, or a shower cap ready if you have one.

HOW TO:

Start from the roots at the top of your head brushing downwards and move in small sections down. I do one side of my head at a time and then finish with the back. This is where the parting comb comes in handy if you have one. I use mine to section off pieces about 1 inch apart. I brush both sides of each strand of hair (top and bottom) with a good glob of hair dye and massage it in a little with my gloves to make sure it’s evenly spread. Then I flip it over to the opposite side and clip it, then continue down. When doing the back of your head it can be tricky, but if you use 2 mirrors across from each other you can see the back of your head and it makes it a ton easier! Once you have it completely covered clip it up and put on the shower cap to make sure you don’t get it on anything while you wait for it to finish (usually 40 minutes ish).

CLEAN UP:

I hand scrub the bowl and brush and then wash my hands with the gloves still on using regular hand soap. Then I lay them out to dry. Rise the dye out before you start shampooing, I like to lay in the tub with my head under the faucet for this step.

EXTRA TIPS AND INFO:

You cannot dye hair while it is wet, it must be dry but it is the best to dye 2nd day hair that has all your natural oils.
Use a color therapy shampoo and conditioner afterwards. I use joico brand k-pak color therapy.
Use a hair mask to repair the hair (about once a week). I use the joico k-pak one as well.

Xx, Kennah

The Perfect Lipstick Application

Posted on April 11, 2017April 11, 2017 by mckennahbybee

Lipsticks in general are always going to be a trend, but they’re majorly big right now in liquid form. I know we all want the perfect application for lipstick, but a big step I think a lot of people miss is exfoliating your lips! Chapstick or lip balm isn’t enough to keep your lips silky smooth, they need to be exfoliated to remove dry skin and dead cells. Thus my first step to getting the perfect lipstick application every time.

Start with exfoliating. There are a bunch of lip exfoliators out there, but I use a cheap e.l.f. one I got from Target for only $3 and it does a good job (I’ve also heard great things about Tarte’s Rainforest of the Sea Lip Scrub.)
Moisturize. Make sure you’re applying a chapstick regularly to keep your lips kissably soft. Before lipstick, I apply a small amount of Burt’s Bee’s Lip Balm to my lips to “prime” the area if you will. You only need enough to make your lips feel a bit tacky. (If you use a lot of a slippery chapstick the lipstick won’t go on well).
Line your lips! Lipstick looks SO MUCH BETTER when you line your lips. It gives you a crisp fine line. I start by drawing an X on my cupids bow and work my way down and around. Then I fill in a little on the edges and right in the center to help blend it out so you don’t get a crazy line. (DISCLAIMER: If you want to over line your lips only do so towards the top and bottom not the corners of your mouth because you can see where your mouth ends and it will look weird if you draw too far beyond the edge).
APPLY THE LIPSTICK! Start with the edges and move in to the center. Some people use a lip brush, but if it already comes with a wand I will just use that.

TA-DAA! Now you know how to perfectly apply your lipstick every single time!!

Xx, Kennah

Beauty Tip: How to Clean Make-Up Brushes

Posted on February 25, 2017February 25, 2017 by mckennahbybee

Cleaning your make-up brushes is everyone’s least favorite part about make-up. I’ve tried a few different methods and this is the one I’ve found to get even my dirtiest brushes the cleanest. It’s also the easiest way I’ve found to keep your brushes like-new. I use the SIGMA SPA® BRUSH CLEANING MAT along with Johnson & Johnson baby shampoo. The mat sticks right to the bottom of your sink and has 7 patented textures perfect for cleaning eye and face brushes. I start by wetting my brushes with warm water and putting the baby soap directly on the mat. I swirl and wipe my brushes back and forth, rinsing and repeating until my bubbles are white. I lay my brushes on a wash cloth to dry after I’ve fixed their forming and hang the mat over my towel bar to dry. Could this seriously get any easier? I LOVE this mat.