Tag Archives: Ilia Beauty

Five Tips to a Beautiful Bold Lip

Cherry_Lips

By Camila Zanon. (originally posted to Flickr as Cherry Lips.) CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

I enjoy a bold lip color during the fall and winter months – colors like deep red, burgundy, and plum are some of my favorites. But pulling off a bold lip can be a little intimidating. What looks good on the runway can come off as clownish in every-day life – especially if you have a fair complexion like myself. Here are a few tips as well as some green, nontoxic product recommendations to making a bold lip part of your look:

Step 1: Exfoliate 

Use a gentle scrub to remove any dead skin cells on your lips and creative a smooth surface prior to applying lipstick. I like One Love Organic Brand New Day Microderma Scrub + Masque. It is a very gentle, yet effective exfoliator and won’t cause any skin abrasions.

Step 2: Lightly Moisturize

Lightly apply your favorite lip moisturizing. I use Meow Meow Tweet Vegan Lip Balm. They are the best lip balms I have ever used! Be careful not to use too much or else it can make your lipstick smear.

Step 3: Apply fine powder

Apply a light dusting of fine powder to your lips such as Alima Pure Satin Finishing Powder. This will give the lipstick something to stick to, and prevent lipstick from bleeding or gathering in fine lines. It will also make your lipstick last longer.

Step 4: Choose a bold color

Choose a color based on your skin-tone and complexion. I am fair and cool-toned, so I avoid anything too orangey or bright. My absolute favorite lipsticks are by Ilia Beauty. They have gorgeous colors for all skin-tones and are long-lasting. For natural, nontoxic lipsticks – nothing beats Ilia for me! My favorite colors are Femme Fatale – a berry/burgundy color. It’s the perfect classic red-lip! My other favorite is Lust for Life – a deep mulberry/plum color.

        ILIABEAUTY_LustForLife_smear_grandeILIABEAUTY_Femme_Fatale_smear_grande

Step 5: Go light on eyes and cheeks

Avoid using heavy eye shadow or blush. You want the rest of your makeup to be minimal and allow the bold lip to pop. I use eyeliner along my top lash-line and mascara, add some light contouring, and soft blush.

How do you pull off a bold lip? What natural lipsticks do you wear? 

Best Mascara for Contact Lens Wearers

best mascara

For anyone who has made the transition from wearing mainstream mascara to natural alternatives, you know that finding a mascara that performs as well as it’s toxic-counterparts is no easy task.

To make things even more tricky, I wear contact lenses nearly every day. Because my eyesight is so challenged, I am not able to wear the soft lenses that most people who use contacts are able to wear. Instead I wear rigid, “bitoric” lenses. These are about the size of my fingertip and feel like glass to the touch. Although I am forever thankful to have corrective lenses that allow me to see, wearing eye makeup can be problematic. If mascara flakes or runs into my eye, it literally feels like a needle repeatedly piercing my eye (the worst is when this happens while driving)! I call this a “contact-attack!”

I also cannot rub my eyes, because the contact lenses could potentially tear my cornea. Therefore, I can’t easily wash or wipe away eye makeup without having to take my contacts out.

Here is what I typically look for in mascara:

  • Glides on easily without being too runny
  • Lasts all day without drying up and flaking
  • Extends my lashes while also giving volume and a “feathery” look

I am elated to report that I have finally found a mascara COMBINATION that has worked wonders for me. Ilia Beauty Mascara and Jane Iredale Purelash Lash Extender and Conditioner come to the rescue!

The lash conditioner is the secret to preventing flakes and keeping my lashes soft all day. I apply a couple coats right before I apply mascara. The conditioner thickens my lashes, really enhancing the effects of mascara.

Ilia’s mascara glides on easily over the conditioner, and really separates my lashes, giving great volume! It truly performs just as well as commercial mascaras I have used. With the lash conditioner, there is no need for a second coat. This also helps prevent build-up and flaking.

The best part is that it’s not messy. Some of my other favorite natural mascaras look great, but are really runny and messy to apply. I always needed to use a q-tip to clean up the stray marks around my eyes – but not with Ilia! Less clean up = faster morning routine.

It gives my lashes that thick, feathery look I aim for. Ilia’s mascara comes in several colors as well – all great options for ladies of varying skin tones and eye colors!

Ilia mascara is vegan and gluten-free. Jane Iredale lash conditioner is not contains beeswax and wheat, so those who want a vegan product or are gluten free, may want to seek an alternative product.

There you have it – soft, thick lashes that last all day without any flaking! What is your favorite mascara? Have you tried using a lash conditioner? Please share!

 

 

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