Current Every Day Makeup Look for Summer!

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Well hellooooo, beauties!

I've missed you all, but I have been so incredibly busy lately. I hope you all had an amazing, and safe, Fourth of July celebration (if you live here in the states.)

Today, I wanted to share with you my every day go-to makeup look that I've been rocking on days when I don't want to wear a full face of makeup, but still want to do a little something- something! 

I have been reaching for these products every single day for the last two or three weeks on days when I'm wearing makeup, but not a full face, as stated above. I love, love, love these products, and they give me such a beautiful, natural  glow-from-within complexion that stays put on these hot summer days. 

Let's jump in, shall we?! 

I always work on my eyes first. I always conceal my eyes with my Ready, Set, Gorgeous concealer from CoverGirl. I do this as a way to even out my eye area, conceal any redness, darkness, veins, etc; in order to have my shadows apply evenly and prime my eyes. After I conceal I always make sure to set my concealer with the bareMinerals Mineral Veil. When I do this, my shadow stays in place ALL day!

As far as shadows, it varies every day depending on what colors I'm wearing etc. etc., but my go-to is still my every day summer eye look that I told you all how to accomplish using the Coastal Scents Revealed 2 palette. This eye look goes with everything bright and summery, and it is super easy! Check out how to get this look HERE! :)

After I do my eyeshadow, I will curl my lashes and apply my mascara! I've been loving the Tarte Gifted Mascara lately. It gives your lashes such a wispy, fluffy, beautiful look with crazy good volume! If you're going to be outdoors where you're sweating, then I'd recommend a waterproof mascara like the Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes! And then we move on to face... 

 I have been L.O.V. I. N.G. this product lately... the bareMinerals Complexion Resuce: Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream. Oh em gee, you guys! I am living for this product. I need it by the case! 

This is me BEFORE the Complexion Rescue. A little redness, uneven skin tone, discoloration.

This is the perfect way to get that natural no- makeup look. It's amazing weightless since it's not a foundation. It's basically a moisturizer, with a tint to even out, brighten, and hydrate your skin. When I wear this. It doesn't feel like anything is on my skin at all, yet it still gives me a flawless complexion.

This is me AFTER applying Complexion Rescue. Brighter, even complexion!

The coverage is buildable. This is NOT if you're looking for full coverage. This isn't a foundation. It's for sheer to medium coverage. I highly recommend this product if you want some coverage, but hate the feeling of foundation sitting on your face.

It's perfect for days when you just don't want to be bothered with a full face, or if you want something light that you can't feel. It's perfect for being outdoors for long periods of time, because it doesn't slide all over your face. I don't use a primer when I use this product, and it stays put all day. Perrrrfect for a beach day! Plus, it has SPF 30 so it will protect your precious faces. 

And, for how amazing this product is, I think it's an amazing price! $28.00 for a 1.18 fl oz tube. I highly, HIGHLY recommend this product. Please buy it, haha!

Next up, after I apply my Complexion Rescue, I reach for my Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer. This product slays!! I have never found a concealer that I've loved so much. Ugh. Guys and gals. This concealer is so beautiful, so weightless, gives such coverage, and blends so easily. It's amazing!

I apply it using the wand, in a "V" shape around my eye. I start at the inner corner, take the wand down the side of my nose, and then up at an angle toward the outer corner of my eye. Then, I simply take my damp beauty blender, and use the pointed end to tap out this concealer and it blends FLAWLESSLY. Sweet babies, is it flawless. I can't say enough about it. Well worth the $26.00 at Sephora, in my opinion.

Then, I always fill in my brows! I may skip this step if I realllllly don't want to be bothered, but 9 times out of 10, I put the brows on, honey! I always use my go-to brow product... The It Cosmetics Brow Power Universal Brow Pencil. You can read my post on how to fill in your brows using this product (or any) by clicking HERE!

Hit it with a quick sweep of the Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel to set them in place and make sure they don't move!

 I  always want to quickly pop on some color to make my cheeks stand out a bit more and give myself a little more color, I apply my Josie Maran Cosmetics Argan Infinity Lip and Cheek Creamy Oil. Squeeze a tiny bit onto the tip of your ring finger and blend between the two ring fingers, and then tap a bit of this on your cheeks, blend it out, and you've got a beautiful, natural color to your cheeks while getting extra hydration. 

Finally, before I finish, I do a little highlighting using the new strobing technique. I've always been highlighting this way, but now it has a name, haha! I use the new Josie Maran Elightenment Illuminizing Wand that I told you all I recently purchased in a recent haul. I won't share how I apply the illuminzer just yet, my next post will be about strobing ;) 

And here's the finished product! Dewey, even, lightweight, and fresh!! I love it!

________________________________________

An alternative for this every day look, if you really want to go for a no-makeup look, or if you're don't want to apply anything extra If you're just going to go to the beach, I normally... 

ALWAYS conceal my eyelids, curl my lashes, and apply mascara. It just makes your eyes look my awake and alive. If you don't want to conceal or apply mascara, at least curl them. This opens up the eye to give a more awake and alert appearance. Then, apply the Complexion rescue, use a quick swipe of the Argan Color Stick (and blend) to give a pinch of color to your skin, and be done! 

And there you have it! I hope I've convinced you to get some of these products, if you do, please let me know so I can get excited! Share with me your every day looks and be on the lookout for my next post coming this week about strobing with the Josie Maran Illuminizing Wand! 

Until then, stay beautiful! 

Christina Bracco 

Xoxoxoxo

For PR inquiries, questions, comments, suggestions, please email: Christina.f.b@aol.com or please fill out a Contact Form in the sidebar. Thank you. 

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Beat The Heat! How To Keep Your Makeup From Melting in The Summer!

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Happy Friday, beauties!!!

It's been a while since my last post. I'm so sorry I've been slacking, but I will make up for it this upcoming week with a few different reviews of skincare and makeup products. Be on the lookout next week via my Instagram, Twitter, or the blog itself for my new posts! :)

Now that summer is almost here (9 days away, YAY) the weather has been getting hotter and hotter, and more recently, more and more humid. Humid weather is just a pain in the bum for so many reasons. It makes my hair frizz, and it makes my makeup melt. Even the most high end products are victims of hot/humid weather... unless you take the proper precautions! That's why today's post is all about some of my tips for keeping your makeup from melting, creasing, smudging, and running, in these hot, sweaty summer months!

My number one tip for surviving the summer months: Keep it natural. Try to rock your natural beauty as much as possible in the summertime. Let your natural beauty shine through. You can do this while still looking beautiful, and making sure your precious skin is protected! If you're going to be outside in the sun, you want to make sure to apply SPF to your face. I hate applying regular sunscreen to my face. It's greasy, oily, white, gross... yuck! I don't mind it on the rest of my body, but I want something a little more gentle for my face, while still receiving all the safety benefits and coverage.

• My go-to product: Josie Maran Argan Daily Moisturizer SPF 47. This is essentially a hydrating, fast-absorbing, non-greasy, Argan Oil-infused, all natural moisturizer and sunscreen in one! You can skip your usual moisturizer (my daily moisturizer is Argan Oil anyway, so I'm not so far off) and apply this amazing product instead. It absorbs right into the skin, giving you a hydrated/dewy glow, and it has SPF 47. Does it get any better? It doesn't smell, it's all natural, it's not greasy, it goes on in a breeze, it has the all-natural skincare benefits of Argan Oil and Green Tea, and it protects you. What more do I have to say? It's perfect for all skin types, including sensitive skin, and it doesn't leave any irritation like a regular sunscreen would.  Texture-smoothing, skin-nourishing, radiance-boosting GOODNESS IN A BOTTLE.

 Less is more. The more layers of makeup you apply, the more at risk you are for your makeup to start melting throughout the day. If you really must apply some sort of coverage to your face, whether it be to even out your skin tone, or camouflage blemishes, I would suggest using a tinted moisturizer or a BB Cream. If you're going to be out in the sun, coverage with an SPF is a must.

• My go-to product: bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream with SPF 30. I LOVE this product!!! You can skip your moisturizer for the day (less chance of melting), as well as getting sheer coverage. It evens out your skin tone, without feeling like you have any product on your skin. This product simply makes you look naturally beautiful. The Complexion Rescue is perfect for all skin types! 

If you insist on wearing a foundation, it's so important that you PRIME. 

I cannot stress the importance of priming your skin before foundation, ESPECIALLY in the summer months. If you don't use a primer on your skin, I can almost guarantee you will be creasing, smudging, and melting within the first hour of being outside. I recommend staying away from liquid foundations if you're going to be outside. They're liquid foundations. They can melt off in an instance. Stick with a powder foundation. Regardless, primer is a necessity. But, make sure you're using the right primer. You want a primer that's bulletproof, mattifying, long-lasting, smoothing, translucent, and not greasy. 

• My go-to products: Benefit Cosmetics Porefessional or Mally Beauty Perfect Prep Poreless Primer. I've talked about my love for the Mally Beauty Perfect Prep Poreless Primer on my page before. It's a go-to, must-have primer for me. I use it daily. It's everything I said a primer should be above. The Benefit Porefessional is another favorite of mine. It keeps you matte and bulletproof throughout the day. Sometimes, if I want double-duty priming, I'll use both of these primers at once! Put that foundation on lockdown.

 

Wear a waterproof mascara! 

If you're out in the summer heat, you sweat. It's natural, ladies and gents. This can cause your mascara to smudge underneath your eyes. We don't want to get the I-Just-Got-Punched-In-The-Face look or raccoon eyes, so it's important to make your lashes bulletproof against sweat! 

My go-to product: Tarte Cosmetics Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara. This mascara is amazing! It's totally bulletproof thanks to its waterproof properties, so it won't smudge around your eye area. Along with it being waterproof, it's also volumizing, lengthening, curling, and conditioning. It doesn't clump ( a pet peeve of mine) and I've never experienced any fall out. Definitely my top pick for the summer months, and all year round, really! 

Set your eyes! If you want to wear eyeshadows and/or eyeliners while in the summer heat, it's important to mattify your eyelids so they don't crease, sweat, and smudge throughout the day! Our eyelids are one of the most oily parts of the face, therefore, we have to set them properly so our beautiful eyeshadows don't start melting off. I'm not a total fan of eye primers, I use them every once in a blue moon. I feel as though most of them are a little too greasy and don't totally set the eyelids properly. That's why I have my own method of priming and setting my eyes. 

• My go-to Product: bareMinerals Mineral Veil. Normally, I take a concealer, and I use that to prep my eyes. As you all know from my On-The-Go Makeup bag post, I use the CoverGirl Ready Set Gorgeous Concealer on most days. I use this to even out my eyelids, brighten them, hide any redness/veins, and lay down a base for my shadow. After concealing my lids, I take a brush and I tap on a little Mineral Veil over them, and my eyelids are set for the rest of the day. I put on my shadows, do my thing, and my eyeshadow (no matter what the brand) does NOT MOVE. Totally matte, totally bulletproof. I do this every single day. 

Set Your Makeup! If you don't want to keep it natural,  you want more coverage than just a tinted moisturizer or a BB Cream, and you're looking to do a full face of makeup- blush, contour, and all... then just like priming, it's incredibly important to set your makeup. Setting your makeup will help your foundation to settle into your skin and lay properly, as well as keeping it all from moving and melting off. I usually go for a dewy finish, but for the sake of today's post, we'll talk about keeping it matte for all the girls who don't want any extra shine in the summer months. 

• My go-to product: Nyx Cosmetics Matte Finishing Spray. This long-lasting, durable setting spray will keep your makeup in place, and keep you from getting extra shine throughout the day. For those of you (like myself) who enjoy the dewy look more, than I'd go with the Nyx Dewy Finishing Spray. It does the same as the matte, except it doesn't make you look matte, lol!

There you have it, peeps! These are a few of my makeup tips for surviving the summer heat and still looking fierce and beautiful! Try to rock your natural beauty throughout the summer months, but if you still feel like being a glam diva, you can do it without worrying about looking like a greased chicken! 

I love you all, and I will be back next week with some more fun posts!

Stay beautiful,

Christina Bracco

xoxoxoxo

For PR inquiries, questions, comments, suggestions, please email: Christina.f.b@aol.com or please fill out the Contact Form in the sidebar. Thank you. 

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Tips To Heal A Bad Sunburn Quickly! No Pain, No Peeling!

Bonjour, beauties!!

I hope you're all doing well! I know this post is a few days late, but I've been so busy since my Graduation on Thursday. Please forgive me!

As I shared in my last post, I went to the beach last week, I walked away with a bit of sunburn... and it wasn't pretty. I quickly went to the internet to find some extra tips on how to heal the sunburn as quickly, and as painlessly as possible, while also turning it into a nice tan, and what I discovered was pretty whacky! Even though it was whacky, it worked! So, for this post, I wanted to take what I know about treating a sunburn, and the whacky tip that I learned about healing sunburn, and share it with all of you!

It's very important to state that I in NO WAY support getting a sunburn to turn it into a tan. The UV rays of the sun are INCREDIBLY harmful, and the damage just 15 minutes in the sun can do to your skin is intense. Rapid aging, wrinkles, sun spots, sun poisoning, skin cancer, etc. 

It is incredibly, incredibly important to wear SPF when you're going to be out in the sun, and cover up appropriately  Even if it is cloudy, and you don't believe the sun is strong, it is, and you can still walk away with damage if you are not taking the proper precautions. 

I spent about 5 hours at the beach last Tuesday. It was my first beach day of the season. I wore SPF 50 on my face, and my body, but the sun was just too strong for my fair/porcelain skin that day, and I got sunburn pretty much all over my body. Things happen, and I will try to be much more careful during my next beach trip. 

So, how did I treat this sunburn? Here's what I do when I come back from the beach looking like a roasted tomato:

• Once you get home from the beach, take a shower. It's important to take the right type of shower. When your skin is sunburned, there is heat trapped under your skin. That's why your skin feels so hot to the touch. Therefore, we don't want to shock the skin with any more heat. It's best to take a lukewarm shower when you have sunburn. A warm/hot shower will burn your already burnt skin some more, and a cold shower will close your pores and trap the heat inside. A lukewarm shower is the perfect balance. 

• Aloe Vera. Apply the soothing gel to your burned area for instant cooling relief. For the first day and night, keep this on hand to help ease your pain

• Ibuprofen. When you have sunburn, your skin is inflamed. For the first 48 hours, take an Ibuprofen as directed. This will help to decrease inflammation, as well as relieving pain associated with the burn. It's a major lifesaver for me! Do NOT take more than directed on the bottle of the Ibuprofen you own. 

• Sleep with a fan. As mentioned above, your skin has heat trapped inside. If you sleep without a fan, especially in the summer, your body heat rises. We don't need any more extra heat going on! Sleeping with a fan blowing on you will help to keep your body cooler. 

• Moisturize and hydrate! Sunburn dries you out from the inside out. Keep applying fragrance free lotion to your skin, (like Eucerin), and drink lots and lots of water!

• Loose clothing! You want your skin to be able to breathe. It's irritated enough due to the burn, don't irritate it anymore by having tight clothing rubbing and chaffing against it. Wear loose clothing as often as you can to give your skin some space!

Now let's move on to the whacky tip...

Apple Cider Vinegar. 

Why yes, reader... you are reading that right. I am indeed telling you to rub Apple Cider Vinegar all over your body. 

I read several articles advising the usage of Apple Cider Vinegar on sunburned skin. I had so many questions, "Won't it burn? Will I smell terribly? Will this actually WORK?"- but what do I have to lose? I had Apple Cider Vinegar sitting in a kitchen cabinet, so I grabbed it!

I advise you to start on the morning of the day after you get your sunburn. Your skin has had a day to take in the Aloe, and now you bring in the vinegar.

I also advise you to apply it in the shower, for it can get a bit messy. Undress, and pour out handfuls into your hand and rub it into your skin. I actually found a spare spray bottle in my linen closet, so I filled it with the Apple Cider Vinegar, sprayed it onto my sunburn and then rubbed it in.

There's no burning, no itchiness, no irritation. It's actually quite soothing. As far as the smell goes... yes, you will smell. However, the Apple Cider Vinegar absorbs into the skin rather quickly, and the scent evaporates. 

I reapplied every hour. I don't know how little or how often you should apply, but I found this best for me. Especially since it is soothing to the skin. I advise to at least apply in the morning and at night. 

I did this, along with wearing loose clothing, hydrating, Ibuprofen, lukewarm showers, and sleeping with a fan, and in just 2 days, my sunburn was completely gone and turned into a tan. No pain, no blisters, no itchiness, no peeling. It was amazing! 

I read that you can use any type of vinegar, but that Apple Cider Vinegar works best! That is the only one that I used, so that is all I can vouch for. It worked wonders for me! I really suggest it! And it's just really fun to watch people's reactions when you tell them how you've been treating your sunburn, haha. 

What are your tips for treating a sunburn? What's the whackiest thing you've done? Share with me!

Remember, WEAR SPF IN THE SUN!!! Protect yourself. It's important. And if, for whatever reason,   you get a burn, use these tips to your advantage!

I'll have a new post later this week! Stay safe, put on that SPF. 

Much love, stay beautiful,

Christina Bracco

xoxoxoxo

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Adore Me Lashes and Lingerie Challenge!

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Well hellooooo there, beauties!

 It's been a while, hasn't it? I just got back from a week long vacation, and the first thing I wanted to do was get back to writing a new post for you all, and what a fun one it is!

I'm very excited about today's post, because I had the pleasure of teaming up with NYC based Lingerie company, Adore Me, for their Lashes and Lingerie Challenge!

I'm pairing some pieces from their Spring/Summer collection with some of my favorite makeup looks to help you feel your best!

I believe lingerie is all about feeling confident, and being your best self. You can create ANY type of look you want, but I wanted to share some of the looks I would create while wearing certain pieces. Whether it's girly and sweet, or a little more sultry, it's always important to accommodate your lingerie with a makeup look that ties it all together!

I chose three gorgeous sets from the Adore Me Spring Collection, and I chose some of my favorite beauty products that I think would go beautifully with each! Here are the three Adore Me sets I chose:

Fleur Contour

Claire 

Audrina

Aren't they beautiful? 

Adore Me has SO many beautiful lingerie pieces  - but the Fleur Contour, Claire, and Audrina pieces really stuck out to me the most.

The second I saw each of these sets, I immediately had makeup looks in mind, and that's the kind of inspiration you want! 

Let's start with the Fleur Contour!

The second I saw this piece, I knew it needed to be paired with a gorgeous, sultry smokey eye, and a true matte red lip. As I've mentioned previously on my blog, the Mally Beauty City Chick Smokey Eye Kit in Soho Silver is one of my favorites. This will give you the perfect silver smokey eye to perfectly match the black, white, and gray shades of the Fleur Contour piece. Pairing the smokey eye with a classic matte red lip using the Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate Moss in the shade 111 (found in most drugstores, and Ulta), gives you such a classic, sexy, pinup girl-esque look! I LOVE it!

Let's talk about the Claire, shall we?! 

This set is such a beautiful, light, silky set for the Spring and Summer months! It's a gorgeous, blush/peach/nude color that will go beautifully with ALL skin tones, and pretty much all makeup looks. I felt that due to the softness of the color and material, this look would look best with a very natural, warm toned, nude look. That's why I went to my favorite go-to palette for a warm toned look using the Too Faced Cosmetics Chocolate Bar Palette. Just looking at the color of the shadows of the palette next to the Claire set from Adore Me: Every single one of the champagne/chocolate/brown/gold shadows match this set PERFECTLY. And can we talk about how perfectly the Too Faced La Creme Lipstick in the shade Nude Beach matches the Claire set??? I am living for this look!! If you'd like a more in-depth post about both of the Too Faced products I paired with this set, you can read my post right HERE! I even provide a demonstration of a look using shadows from the palette that would be the perfect look for this set!

Last but not least, let's end things with the Audrina!

Is this piece not gorgeous?? Another beautiful set for Spring and Summer from the Adore Me collection. I wanted to pair this set with a beautiful fresh Spring/Summer look using the It Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Eyeshadow Palette. As you all know, this palette has been one of my favorites lately. It's perfect for natural/bright/fresh looks! If you were to pair ANY of the shadows in this palette with the Audrina, you'd look amazing. I'd suggest mixing the Transforming Pearl with  Love and spreading that all over the lid. Then, I'd take Soulful and blend that into my crease, and finally pop some of Violet in the outer corner of my lid. Highlight your brow bone with a little Sheer, and you have a gorgeous eye look to go with the Audrina! 

I wanted to throw in a scent with this particular look, because I immediately thought of the Philosophy Loveswept perfume when I was thinking of what I would wear with this set. Loveswept is a warm, sensual scent that reminds you of a Spring bouquet. Can you say perfect?? If you'd like a more in-depth review of both beauty products paired with the Audrina, you can click HERE! 

And there you have it! I'm really pleased with the looks I've created to match some pieces from the Adore Me Spring/Summer collection for their Lashes and Lingerie challenge, and I hope you all love them as well!

 Play around and create your own looks using these pieces, or any of the other pieces over at Adore Me's site and do some shopping for some gorgeous new sets for your own collections! :)

Thank you so much for reading, I'm so happy to be back! I will have a new post this week featuring my favorite bright Spring look I've been rocking CONSTANTLY lately! 

Much love, stay beautiful!

Christina Bracco

For PR inquiries, questions, comments, concerns, please email Christina.f.b@aol.com or please fill out a Contact Form in the sidebar. Thank you. 

INSTAGRAM  <----- CLICK AND FOLLOW ME HERE!!

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