I discovered Cle’ de Peau after a nasty sunburn left me with discolored skin. (Wear your sunscreen and floppy hats, ladies!) While a small tube will set you back a pretty penny, it’s proved well worth the splurge for me. Also, you only use a small amount at a time so one tube will last you a while. If you have the funds, I highly recommend treating yourself to this amazing concealer. I never leave home without out it and the coverage is insanely good.

Pick up your Cle’ de Peau at Barneys.com.

Or for a prettier price, I suggest checking out Secret Camouflage by Laura Mercier at Sephora.

What concealer do you use?

XO Lauren

To see more of my Beauty Essentials, click here!

Photo is from cassandravkennedy

My favorite mascara is a bargain at just around $7. Maybelline Full ‘N Soft Mascara is the best one I’ve found to date. I use both regular and waterproof depending on the occasion. It gives volume without clumping and it lasts until the tube is empty (unlike other brands that often dry up in just a few weeks). If you’re on the hunt for the perfect product to gloss your lashes with, I highly recommend giving Full N’ Soft a go!

What mascara do you use and why?

XO Lauren

Click here to check out more of my Beauty Essentials!

Photo: Maybelline

For day, I like the natural color of my lips and prefer not to fuss over applications all day long so I tend to gravitate towards balms. A few of my favorites are by Rosebud Perfume & Co. and Dior. They leave my lips feeling smooth rather than sticky (and they usually taste wonderful). Rosebud Lip Balm smells like strawberries and takes me straight back to my childhood while Dior Smoothing Plumping Lip Balm with SPF 10 has a lovely hint of roses.

As for night, sometimes a pop of color can be just what your look needs. I prefer to go with a bold red lip (Go big or go home!). When I wear a statement lip, I do have a few rules. The first: Crimson lips are reserved for girls’ nights. (If you have a man in your life, he probably wants to forgo the matching lips.) And my second bold lip law is keeping a strict 2-drink maximum. Nothing is worse than a hot mess with smudged lips, right?

XO Lauren

P.S. If you’re in the market for a rouge lipstick, Dior makes a great red. Also, learn how to achieve a rouge pout with my Perfect Red Lip tutorial.

To see more of my Beauty Essentials click here.

Photo: Sephora, Dior

To be honest, I am not committed to a particular blush. While a few of my favorites are Chanel Joues Contraste Powder Blush in #55 In Love and NARS Blush in Amour, I don’t really stick to one brand over the other. 

I also alternate between powder and cream blushes depending on my mood. For daytime, I tend to stick to pale pink or a coral shade. As for nighttime, I sometimes go for a bolder hue like bright pink (take caution though… too much and you look crazy).

When deciding which blush to go with, I always take my lip color into consideration. If I will go with nude lip, I will try and choose a blush in the same family. And if I’m wearing a red lip, I will do the same. Since it’s hard to match the exact shade of a red lip, try dabbing a little of the lipstick on your finger and using it as a cream blush. I usually turn to this trick when I’m in a pinch and don’t have any blush on me. It works like a gem. But, be forewarned: a little bit goes a long way. 

So tell me, what blush do you use? I’m currently searching for a new coral based blush for summer… Any suggestions?

Welcome to Amy Nadine's second session of Beauty 101 courtesy of The Beauty Department. If you need to get caught up, check out the first part of the brush series by clicking here. Today's post is focused on the best tools for blushing and bronzing. I have posted the second part of Amy's post about brushes for you to read below. Enjoy!

1. Cheekbones (powder blush): Look for natural hair bristles and an angled tip to perfectly sculpt and shape cheekbones. To find where yours are, look in the mirror and suck in your cheeks, then work the brush directly on them using short strokes as you make your way across towards your ears.

2. Apples (powder blush): Look for natural bristles and a plump body with a pointed tip for the best precision when applying blush to the apples of your cheeks. To find where yours are, look in the mirror and smile; your apples will literally pop out like little golf balls. Swirl the blush in circular motions directly on top of them.
   
3. Stippling (cream blush): Look for synthetic bristles in two layers that are different colors, a dark set that is dense and short and a lighter set that is long and sparse. This design picks up two layers when you gently dip it in your cream blush, allowing for different outcomes when swirling it from the apples across your cheekbones (light pressure = sheer finish, heavier pressure = satin finish). Then blend edges with your fingers.
   
4. Contouring (cream or powder bronzer): Look for synthetic bristles if you are using a cream bronzer or a cream foundation three shades darker than your skin tone; look for natural bristles if you are using a bronzing powder. Using short strokes, trace the product directly under your cheekbone in the hollows of your cheeks, up to your temples, across your hairline and under your jawline. For a refresher course on contouring, click here to see Lauren’s demonstration in six steps.
   
5. Highlighting (loose or pressed highlighting powder): Look for natural bristles in a fan shape that feel light and airy on your skin. This design is perfect for sweeping a shimmery highlighting powder directly above your cheekbones using light, downward strokes. Bonus: Fan brushes were originally developed to “dust” away excess powder or shadow particles, so next time you create a smoky eye and there are little black shadow droppings that have fallen on your cheeks, use your fan brush like a duster to sweep them away.
   
6. Bronzing (loose or pressed powder bronzer): Look for natural bristles with a rounded head for the most even application. Unlike using bronzer for contouring, here we’re using it to look sunkissed, so this brush design is ideal to evenly distribute, diffuse and blend the powder as you swirl it all over your face and neck.
   
7. Blending (everything!): This Botan Brush by NARS is the only one of its kind out there and a must-have splurge for serious make-up artists. It has short and dense natural bristles that cover almost two inches in diameter and is the ultimate blender to use following blush, bronzer or powder application. Bonus trick: If you use a foundation or bronzer that comes in a spray can, instead of applying it directly to your face, spray it in the palm of your hand, dip the Botan Brush in it then swirl it all over your face and neck for an airbrushed look that is simply gorgeous.

Thanks for this great post, Amy! I hope all of you find it helpful...

If you have any questions, post them in the comments below!

XO Lauren

Source: TheBeautyDepartment

Pin It

I have always struggled a bit to find the perfect foundation. Luckily, I had some help finding the product for me. My poor makeup artist, Amy Nadine, went through countless brands in search of the hue that would match my olive toned skin. Finally, Amy introduced me to Sensai by Kanebo’s Fluid Finish foundation and I’ve been in love with it ever since. I use this foundation during the day since it’s lightweight and incredibly moisturizing (I hear it has a 55% water content!). My skin is always left looking glowy, flawless and fresh, which is exactly how you should feel (and look) after using a good foundation.

What’s your favorite foundation?

XO Lauren

Photo: 4.bp