CoverGirl #IamWhatIMakeup Campaign: Changing the Beauty Industry

Hey everyone! I recently came across CoverGirl’s new campaign called #IamWhatIMakeup.

I have always admired this brand for not only their high quality and affordable products, but for their modern and open-minded views of the beauty industry. This brand has always been revolutionary, as they embrace diversity. For example, as a brand with a variety of ambassadors, they also host the first male CoverGirl, James Charles, and have made strides to break the “norm” that makeup is only meant for women.

#IamWhatIMakeup is all about defining yourself however you choose. On January 23 of this year, they released a video on their YouTube channel titled “Unapology” followed by the campaign hashtag. The video emphasized that you should be “unapologetic” in how you choose to express yourself. A huge benefit of makeup is the creative aspect, as it allows people to show the world who they are. I love this campaign because it showcases that you should not be sorry for who you choose to be, and how you choose to express yourself.

The video features a woman who wears a variety of makeup looks and is essentially represented as someone who can express herself in different ways, but still be the strong woman she is. She is represented as smart, strong, sexy, and beautiful. I love how CoverGirl is showing that you do not have to be tied down to one specific look, and thus do not need to be defined by one specific thing.

One thing in the video that especially stood out to me was when the narrator said “my face can be bold when you expect me to be weak.” I think that through this statement CoverGirl is showing that although you may have people betting against you for a variety of reasons, (whether that be your gender, your ethnicity, etc.) you can use makeup in a way to convey your true self, and not be sorry about who that person is. Makeup allows you to show the world that you are not afraid to be strong and out-there, when society wants you to sit back and be quiet.

The campaign also says makeup can be “as comforting as your best friend’s laugh” which I think it a very important point. Not everyone realizes that makeup is used as a confidence tool, and it can bring familiarity and comfort to a person.

Here is a link to the 45-second campaign ad. I really recommend everyone to check it out. It’s so inspiring to see a brand embrace a diverse culture that is respectful and open to the variety of ways people chose to express themselves.

I love how this campaign is now part of their brand as a whole, and “I am What I Makeup” is a slogan for the company. I feel as though this allows their consumers to know their values and morals. They gain consumer trust by representing themselves as a company who supports diversity and embraces the empowerment of all through expression with makeup.

I found some more information about the campaign from this article on Allure’s website, and this is definitely worth checking out as well.

What do you guys think of this campaign?

Christine

The BEST Eyeshadow Palettes You’ll Ever Try

Hey everyone! This past week I have been putting some extra time into my normal makeup for class, and I’ve been using my favorite makeup product: eyeshadow. Eyeshadow is so fun for me because it’s something, like lipstick, that I can vary day by day. I have so many palettes, therefore so many different shades, that are mostly in the neutral tones. They can be combined in millions of ways to create different looks, and the glitter and shimmer always add a pop to your look.

My top five favorite eyeshadow palettes:

1.MORPHE 35O – 35 COLOR NATURE GLOW EYESHADOW PALETTE- $23

This palette is absolutely amazing. It comes with colors, in various neutral shades, that are pigmented and blendable. This is my go-to palette when I’m doing makeup on other people, as it has a variety of different tones to work with, and you can find find colors that complement any skin tone. For the price, and amount of product, you can’t beat this palette!

2. Tartelette Amazonian Clay Matte Palette- $46

This is my all time favorite palette for when I want something simple. This contains all matte shades, that are all soft, neutral brown and purple tones. I highly recommend this palette!

3. Pur x Boxycharm Eyeshadow Palette-$36

This the newest palette I have purchased. It came in the March BoxyCharm box and is a collaboration with the brand Pur.. It’s amazing! It has a perfect mix of matte and shimmer shades. The glitter shades in this palette are some of my favorites, as they’re extremely pigmented and creamy. I also love the colors in here, as they are perfect for stepping out of these everyday neutral tones without going too overboard. That blue color is amazing for under the lash line for a pop of color!

4. Two Faced Sweet Peach Eyeshadow Palette- $49

I’ve mentioned this palette in my blog before, which goes to show that this is a palette very loved by me. I use this frequently, and can easily use the colors to create a fast look, as I’m very familiar with the shades and always use this as kind of a default look when I’m not sure what to wear in the morning! The colors are beautiful and the palette smells like peaches!

5.Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance-$42

Anastasia has some of my favorite eyeshadows I’ve ever tried. I’ve never used a brand with a more creamy/blendable formula. This particular palette is gorgeous and has reddish tones, with some neutral colors thrown in as well. I love this for a more dramatic look, but it is also versatile, as I can use some of the brown shades to create a more everyday look. It also comes with an amazing brush that’s super soft!

As someone who has tried various different eyeshadow palettes, I thought it may be useful for someone who does not know a lot about makeup to see what I have narrowed down as the Top 5 best eyeshadow palettes. If you do know makeup, maybe this list will include some you haven’t tried before, and you can let me know ones that I don’t include, so I can try some more out!

Christine

Makeup Then vs. Now: An Interview with My Grandma!

Hey guys! So as you can probably assume by now, makeup is one of my favorite things in the world. What you may not know, is that one of my favorite people in the world is my grandma! I have lived with her since elementary school, and she is like a second mom to me. Her name is Cecelia Kiernan, but my family calls her Nena (my brother couldn’t say “Nana” when he was learning how to talk, so Nena kind of stuck).

My grandma knows how much I love makeup, and we always talk about it together. One of our traditions is going to get our nails done, then I usually bring her to Ulta after. So I thought it would be a fun idea to interview her on what makeup was like when she was younger, and about her makeup habits today, as an almost 8o year old woman!

Here are the questions I asked her, and her answers! Enjoy!

ME: How old were you when you first started wearing makeup?

NENA: I was about 16, so around 1954.

ME: What were the type of products you/ your friends wore when you were younger?

NENA: Powder and blush were the main things, I didn’t wear that mascara stuff, still don’t! 

ME: How much did you spend on makeup when you were younger?

NENA: Not too much, I just picked it up from the drugstore.

ME: Do you spend a lot now?

NENA: Oh yeah, I get sucked in watching QVC and order things I don’t wear.

ME: Where else do you get makeup?

NENA: Drugstore, Walmart, sometimes Ulta but only because of you.

ME: Did your mom wear makeup? Is she the one who taught you to use it?

NENA: Yes she wore makeup, but she didn’t teach me. The gals I hung around with all wore it too, I guess we kind of taught ourselves.

ME: Do you think girls in this day and age wear more makeup?

NENA: Yeah but not too much more, it was normal to wear makeup back then too.

ME: What’s your current makeup routine look like?

NENA: I put on powder still, and blush, and lipstick. Oh and the eyebrows, because I don’t have much of them left!

ME: What’s your favorite makeup brand and why?

NENA: Covergirl, just because that’s a brand I’ve always bought.

ME: So, do you like makeup, and would you say that makeup is good for confidence?

NENA: I like makeup enough, I just wear it because it makes me feel put together, its jsut been a part of my routine for so long now.

Thank you guys for reading my interview with my cutie of a grandma! I love her so much, and I am always talking about makeup around her, or unboxing packages of things I bought in front of her, so I thought this would be cool to do!

I think it’s interesting that she kind of just taught herself, which must have been very different from teaching yourself, now, because we have so many more resources, like YouTube tutorials to learn from, while she just had herself and those around her!

Hope you all have a good week! I’m sure I will be posting again this week, so let me know if you have any suggestions for posts!

Christine

A Night In: Beauty/Pampering Essentials

Hey everyone and happy Friday! While not the most exciting of Friday night plans, sometimes you just need to stay in and pamper yourself. Which is exactly my plan for tonight! While this post isn’t specifically about makeup products, sometimes the cosmetics that you put on your skin can be building up in your pores. This can lead to acne, and well, no one wants that!

It’s time to give your skin a break, and this list of essentials will include things that make not your skin, but also your mind happy after a long week! I know these things definitely help me recharge and feel my best!

1. Take off that makeup! 

Now this may seem obvious, but it is so important to take your makeup off after having it on all day. You don’t want to clog your pores with makeup and oils, because this leads to bacteria and pimples! Take it off! I usually start with a makeup wipe, then I’ll wash my face with a basic facial cleanser. This is so refreshing after having it on all day! Here’s what I use:

Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes

Cerave Foaming Facial Cleanser

 

2. Take a relaxing shower/bath.

Now if I were home and having a pampering night, I would 100% take a bath with a Lush bath bomb, and read a book while soaking in the hot water. It’s one of my favorite things to do, and sooo relaxing! But being at school, a shower will have to do, and it can still be relaxing! I play some music through my speaker to help me de-stress (I have two moods: Cardi B or John Mayer).

3. Do a facemask.

This is possibly one of the best ways to relax. Putting on a facemask and just relaxing and reading a book, or watching your favorite show is a great way to recharge. When you wash it off your skin will feel so soft and smooth! My favorite mask:

Lush Mask of Magnaminty

4. Use pore strips.

If I am using a facemask that is more harsh on the skin (like a peel off one) I’ll usually skip this step. But if not, then this is a nice extra thing you can do for your skin to get some blackheads out and really clean deep down in your pores. My favorite pore strips:

Bioré Charcoal Pore Strips

5. Moisturize

This is such a crucial step for a pampering night. I usually will put lotion on my legs and arms and it’s such a nice step that makes you feel extra smooth and not to mention, smell nice! I usually use a Bath and Body Works, or Victoria’s Secret Lotion I have hanging around. I also of course put some lotion on my face, and this really makes me feel complete. I do this after applying my prescribed acne topical creams. My facial moisturizer:

Cerave Moisturizing Cream

6. Facial Spray

This is the ultimate pampering product. I cannot say enough good things about rose-water! I love spraying it on my face after moisturizer, as it adds even more moisture, but I mostly use it for how refreshing it feels on the skin. The one I use also has aloe and herbs in it, which I definitely think have an effect on making my skin clearer. I should also mention, this smells AMAZING. The product I use:

Mario Badescu Facial Spray

Overall, taking care of yourself is so important, and should not be an afterthought. Take the time to pamper yourself every once in a while and you’ll feel so much more relaxed and refreshed!

Colourpop: An Affordable Makeup Brand You NEED to try

Makeup can be crazy expensive. Have you ever walked into Sephora and immediately felt overwhelmed looking at the prices? Don’t you just wish that there was a brand that combined both quality and affordability in one?!

Well…there is! ColourPop has been on of my favorite brands for years now. They introduced their brand to Sephora with holiday sets near Christmastime, which was amazing to see, since most of the products featured in the store are high-end, aka expensive. It would be nice to see a permanent collection here.

ColourPop’s main source of  business comes from their website. I recently placed an order with them and I thought it would be fun to share what I purchased, and shed some light on this amazing brand!

The first thing I knew that I wanted to try was their new concealer. On March 29th they expanded their concelaer shades, and now have 30 shades total! This is great as all skin tones can be accommodated. I purchased the concealer after hearing a ton of hype about it, and it definitely lives up to the reviews. It covers exactly what I need it to, and it’s such a perfect consistency: not too thick, not too light! The only negative thing I have to say is that it slightly oxidizes once on the skin, so I would recommend getting a lighter shade than you usually do!

No Filter Concealer in “Light 10”: $6.00

Next, gong along with face products, I decided to try out some of their bronzers since I recently ran out of my HOOLA by Benefit Bronzer, which I love. So this new bronzer had to meet my standards- and I have to say it definitely does! I love the shade and I think it’s perfect for my skin tone, which is hard to find a bronzer that does not look muddy on my pale skin. I highly recommend!

Pressed Powder Bronzer in “CA Dreaming”: $8.00

I also ran out of my staple brow pomade from Anastasia Beverly Hills, so I wanted to try ColourPop’s. I think that this is my favorite thing I got, because I find the formula to be just as long-wearing and high quality as my $18 Anastasia one! Another plus: they have a great shade range for people with lighter hair, which is something that Anastasia lacks, as their lightest shade was definitely too dark to go with my light hair color.

Precision Brow Colour in “Blondie”: $6.00

I also needed to repurchase my all time favorite highlighter. This is the best, most intense highlighter I have ever tried, and its consistency is so unique. It is almost a wet-like formula, which makes it look extra intense and AMAZING for inner corner highlight. The product description describes it as “buttery soft” and it definitely is!

Super Shock Highlighter in “Flexitarian”: $8.00

Finally, I had to pick up some of the classic matte liquid lipsticks that ColourPop is so well-known for. The formula is smooth, dries down beautifully, and stays place all day. The only thing I have to say about their lipstick collection is that they tend to look a lot different on the lips than in the bottle, they usually come out darker, but maybe that’s just me! Regardless, these lipsticks are amazing and such a good price for the quality (just like the rest of the items)!

Ultra Matte Lip in “Flurries”: $6.50

Ultra Matte Lip in “Sunday”: $6.50 

* I always seem to buy almost identical shades haha*

Overall, I would recommend this brand to anyone who wears makeup. You can buy high quality makeup for a price that doesn’t hurt your wallet!