VIRTUALLY VOGUE

Backgrounds-

For me personally, having the right background is essential to my photos. Whether it is something iconic in a city like the Golden Gate Bridge or a monochromatic wall, backgrounds add a lot to the overall aesthetic. 

1. Elle recommends using monochromatic walls for more professional shots when the focus of the image is a specific product or clothing item you want a simple background that won't detract from the focal point. 
2. When you want a photo showing you in action like strutting your stuff in your favorite outfit, the background can be busier -- like the classic New York Taxi in the photo above. 
3. The background should always complement your look but you should still be the focus unless you want to show off something specific.

Hi friends! We are back to our regularly scheduled posts, sorry about the confusion last week. As most of you have guessed by now, I love doing my makeup. In the morning, however, it can be a lot less fun haha. I do still wear makeup most days but have definitely simplified my routine to only include a few products. Over the few years I have been wearing makeup I have tested lots of different products and I now feel confident that I have found some "ride or die" products that I cannot live without. I am going to list every category of the makeup products I use and the ones I love the most for each so you can all try them out. I hope you enjoy!

Primer:



For the majority of the year I tend to have combination to oily skin so finding a primer that kept my makeup from running during the day was a challenge. Eventually after watching one of NikkieTutorials' (adore her! you should really watch her Youtube videos) videos I decided to try the Becca Ever-Matte Poreless Primer and I fell in love. It is SO mattefying and really helps lock in your makeup -- it is on the more expensive side which is a bummer but I think it is worth the investment if you can. In terms of eyeshadow primers, which I didn't even know you needed for a while lol, I first tried the Urban Decay Primer Potion and I fell in love. The one I use is colorless so it doesn't alter your makeup look but it really helps make your eyeshadow last for a long time -- even when you're dancing all night long! I highly recommend this product especially if you tend to have oily eyelids and your eye makeup runs easily.

Foundation:



Ok you might be a little skeptical to see that my absolute favorite foundation is from the drugstore. It really only costs $7.99 and it is the best foundation I have ever used. I have tried such a range of foundations from ones that cost more than 50 dollars to others that only cost 10, but I have never found one better than Maybelline's Fit Me Matte and Powerless Foundation. If you have oily skin this foundation is going to be your holy grail! They also have a Dewy version of it for those of you that don't like the matte consistency and it is just as good. The coverage on this foundation is beautiful, one layer of it and you really can't see any of my imperfections it's ridiculous! They have a huge color range (not all pictured above) which means it is very women of color friendly and the price is just the cherry on top.

Concealer:



For concealer it was really hard for me to pick just one so I narrowed it down to my 2 favorites even though there are more. The first is the Sephora Collection Gel Serum Concealer I kid you not, this concealer is the perfect dupe for the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer which used to be my absolute favorite -- and it is almost half the price! This concealer blends beautifully and is my personal favorite for highlighting because the undertones complement my skin tone so well. They also have a wide range of colors so I'm sure you can find one you love. The second one i can't live without is the L.A. Girl Pro-Conceal Concealer. Let me start by mentioning that this concealer costs 5 dollars like how amazing is that?! This concealer also blends super well and works super well with building coverage so you can go very natural or full glam pretty easily. The one thing I will say is that you have to work quickly with the product because it does tend to dry quickly but other than that I love it!

Powder:



If you follow any makeup blogger ever, you probably won't be surprised to see the Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder on here. To be honest, I didn't buy this product until about a year ago because I always thought it was too hyped up and that it was more of a trend rather than a good product. But man was I wrong! This stuff is magic, it locks your makeup in and it does not go anywhere all day long. It is such a fine powder that it doesn't make you look cakey or like a ghost in pictures. It is pretty expensive but I really would recommend it to every one and it does last for a long time -- the travel size lasted me for a year. Now for face powder I am in love with MAC's Mineralized Skinfinish Powder, mainly because it doesn't make my makeup look dry or too heavy. It almost feels hydrating when you put it on and the finish is really beautiful. It adds coverage but not too much and it is very buildable which is always a plus, it also lasts for a long time like the Laura Mercier powder!

Bronzer:



Let me start by saying, this Guerlain Terra-cotta Bronzing Powder is everything! I received it as a gift and I fell in love. Whether I am feeling pale during the winter or very tan during the summer, this bronzer always complements my skin tone and makes me feel like a tanned goddess. It has a tad of shimmer in it so it makes me glow even more than usual and the color range is very good for darker skin tones as well! The only bad thing is it is very expensive, $53 dollars to be exact, but I will say it has lasted me for a really long time. I have never found a bronzer I like more than this one so I have to make it last as long as possible to save myself that cost lol.

Blush:


These two blushes have really changed the way I see blush overall. Before I found these I didn't really wear blush because I felt like it was too much and never complemented my skin tone well. The one on the left is MAC's Style and it is an incredible combination of peach with gold shimmers. In the summer I could not live without this shade because not only is the color perfect for summer, the gold specks in it made me glow like no other. I don't know if it is still available in stores but if it is I highly recommend it. The one on the right is Too Faced's Love Flush Blush and it is the perfect taupe shade for my skin tone. It never looks like too much when you put it on and it is very buildable depending on how much flush you like. I love them both so much!

Highlighter:

Now this was probably the hardest decision about makeup I had to make. If you know me, you know highlighter is my everything! I live to glow like no one else so picking my favorites was nearly impossible but I narrowed it down to 2. The left is Kylie Cosmetic's Highlighter in Strawberry Shortcake and the funniest thing is that when I first got this I really did not like it. I think there was some sort of film on top that didn't allow for me to get a lot of pigmentation however the more I played with it the more I fell in love. Now, it makes me glow so much and it is the perfect soft pink where it's noticeable but doesn't overpower the look. The second is probably in most makeup lover's bags and it is Becca x Jaclyn Hill's Champagne Pop this shade is the most incredible gold champagne shade and it makes you look like you have just bathed in sunshine. The pigmentation is unbelievable and it really looks beautiful on so many different skin tones. Ugh I could go on and on forever but I'll stop.

Mascara:



You really cannot go wrong with the Too Faced Better than Sex Mascaras, both of them make even the smallest lashes (like mine) look super full. If your mascara tends to run during the day I recommend the waterproof which I have recently switched to and love just as much as the original. They both make your lashes look really black and the coverage is super buildable so you can make them look as dramatic as you want. 10/10 would recommend!

Brows:




Like most people, my brows are my life! If my brows don't look good I feel like my makeup is not right. I have tried so many different types of eyebrow products and my favorite is MAC's Eyebrow Pencil in Spiked. It is the perfect brown for brunettes like myself, not too dark and not too light. My favorite thing about it is that it is so thin so you can really make perfect hair strokes and make them look perfect without too many mistakes. Especially for people just starting with brows, I think this product is excellent!

Lips:


I'm not going to include any lipsticks this time because that requires an entire post for itself haha. I did discover the best moisturizer randomly the other day when I wanted to get free shipping on Sephora. This Rosebud Salve not only smells amazing, it only costs 6 dollars for a good amount! It always alleviates my dry lips and adds a nice shine that makes it look like I have added lipgloss. I am so happy I added it to my cart because I can't stop using it now!

I hope you found this tag helpful and that you go out and try some of my favorites! See you all again soon. Xoxo,

As you all know, I try to keep my blog posts light hearted and fun. After an event like the terrorist attack in Las Vegas, however, I felt the need to get a little serious on here. Like most other people, the shooting that took place in Vegas at the beginning of this week, shook me to my core. I felt disgusted, frustrated, and couldn't find the words to express fully how it affected me. This month, and even year, has been filled with so many traumatic experiences around the world. It can often be very overwhelming to deal with the emotions associated with these events and it's easier to just bottle them up. So, I thought it would be a good opportunity for me to share some of my self care tips with all of you and ask you all to share your tips with me. Always remember to take care of your mental and physical health above all else. Put love into the universe whenever you possibly can. 💞

Talk to your loved ones: something as simple as calling someone you love to tell them how much you appreciate them can have such an impact. Whenever something traumatic happens or I'm feeling very sad I think the most important thing for me is to talk to my friends and family and just feel the love they have for me. It changes my mood instantly and it's also nice to be able to make them feel loved as well. Or even just talking to them as a distraction can really help get your mind of the horrible things going on around the world. 

Sleep: sometimes the best thing you can do is sleep it off. Sleep is a way for our body to recover and it is an essential part of our health. I know we're all very busy but if you get the chance to take a nap or go to bed early, take it! I also just downloaded an app called "Sleep Cycle" that wakes you up when you're in your lightest sleep, which makes waking up in the morning easier and you get all of the benefits of sleep without interruption.

Let it out: personally, talking about my emotions has always been challenging for me. Yet, every time I get a chance to just cry it out and talk about how I'm feeling, I always feel so much better. Even if it is hard for you to talk about your feelings, I would really recommend you reach out to someone you trust and talk to a lot and just let it all out. I promise you it will make you feel a lot freer and it will prevent an explosion later on if you try to bottle everything up.

Exercise: ok ok I know running isn't the most appealing thing in the world, but exercising is incredibly good for your mental health. Exercising actually releases dopamine which is a chemical in your brain that controls your happiness. So, whatever your level of comfort with exercise I would recommend you get out and do something physical. You might be surprised by how you feel afterwards.

Treat your self: potentially on the contrary of exercise, one of my favorite ways of taking care of myself is to indulge my wants. I will make myself some tea, have my favorite candy, do some retail therapy, or watch my favorite movie/tv show. I often think people are told to avoid eating sweets or binging tv shows but sometimes it makes you feel so much better -- so, I say "screw it!" and do what you feel is necessary. Whenever I'm stressed you can catch me watching The Proposal with a bag of sour patch kids or at the mall trying things on. Find what you love and treat your self!!!

Start a project: I think keeping yourself occupied can be a good way to deal with stress or sadness. For me, writing and managing the social media for my blog has been a really good way for me to deal with being away from home. I think starting a new and exciting project whether it be as small as gardening or as big as creating your own start-up, having something to look forward to is a huge help. It helps you feel accomplished and you will have a lot of fun doing it.