~ Makeup Tips for College Girls ( or a college budget) ~

College girls are a busy group. Between a new school, new social activities, plenty of adjustments and  family commitments… All this activity doesn’t leave a ton of time to fuss over how they look much less a lot of leftover cash to buy expensive makeup. Here are a few ideas to speed up that “off and running” beauty routine for college girls or anyone who just wants to save money or simplify on busy days…

Here is a routine to achieve a quick, affordable daytime look using only 5 products and it can be done in about 5 minutes. Add more if you have the time, but here are some key basics:

TINTED MOISTURIZER:  Seconds to apply and just enough coverage for daytime activities. Use your clean hands for maximum blending and time efficiency. Cover Girl, BOOTS NO 7 and Neutrogena all have a range of tinted moisturizers easily found in drugstores. Find your shade and get going!

TINTED LIP BALM:  Just enough color to give you some life but not enough to keep anyone from taking you seriously. All lips need moisture and it’s easy to keep handy in your bag for touch ups when you need it. NIVEA, NEUTROGENA and BURTS BEES all come to mind. Find them any/everywhere!

KOHL EYE LINER PENCIL:  Choose brown or navy – Neutral enough to be *neutral” but not overpowering like black. (Save black for nights on the town.) Even the green would work great for daytime eye definition. Simply line upper lash line and smudge with a damp Q-tip to give eyes some shape ( and a subtle , daytime smokey look) and your face some overall balance. RIMMEL Soft Kohl liners are available almost anywhere, affordable and easily smudge-able.

MASCARA:  A simple, inexpensive mascara like Maybelline FULL n SOFT will give you just enough definition without the flakey, crispy lashes of some mascaras. One coat will do the trick. It does exactly as promised – makes lashes full and yet, still soft. Guess where you can get it…

BRONZER:  A little bronzer goes a long way so don’t abuse it. You want a sun-kissed look, not a sun-abused one. Use a fluffy powder brush ( tap of excess) and place in areas the sun would naturally hit – your cheeks, chin and forehead. If you are concerned that it may seem ” too much”, try just applying it sparingly to the outer edges of your face and blend well.  NYX makes an affordable bronzer you can find in most drugstores.

It’s so affordable, you may even have some money left over for a cute new bag to keep it all in! If not, stay tuned for a giveaway coming soon where you can win an adorable, colorful bag for your makeup and accessories. Subscribe to this blog for updates or find me on FACEBOOK and become a fan for the latest on the giveaway!

Above and beyond anything, skin care is the most important part of any makeup routine so be sure to wash well at night and stay consistent with removing all traces of makeup before going to bed. Plenty of sleep, water and nutritious food don’t hurt, but we all know how hard that is on a busy college schedule so do the best you can.

~ Colored Contacts, My first experience ~

I always wanted to have different colored eyes. I think we all have those types of phases be it wanting to try a new hair color, makeup look, or in my case – eye color. I always wanted those deep brown bedroom eyes but a light yellowy-green is what I was given. Well…you hear songs about blue-eyed girls and brown-eyed girls but when is the last time you heard a song about a yellowy-green eyed girl, hmmmm? So yeah, I wanted in on that recognition;)

I finally decided to make a change. I am not getting any younger and am not into waiting for the perfect times to do things anymore. If you wait for the perfect time, you may end up waiting forever. So, I took the plunge today. I went in for my eye exam and contact lens fitting and walked away with 3 new sets of colored contact lenses…

My experience was really good. I arrived a couple of minutes early for my optometry appointment and filled out a quick little form and off to the exam room I went.  I had to stare into 2 machines (one of which sneezed onto my eye – I swear that’s what it felt like.) Then the doctor asked me to read the letters on the chart and next he took a peek at my eyes up close with some pretty bright lights.

After about 8 minutes of painless, albeit eye watering observations, they determined I had healthy eyes, perfect vision and all that was left was to learn everything I needed to know to manage my new adventure. Yay! Finally some fun stuff!

I washed my hands super clean and sat down with a wonderful employee to learn some contact lens basics –  The different types of contacts, how to handle them, clean them, store them, insert /remove them and what products I would need to use to keep the lenses ( and my eyeballs) at their best. It took me a few tries to master getting them in and out of my eye but I had it down before I left;) I am super sensitive about anything near my face/eyes so this was a BIG step for me.

I tried SO MANY colors. Some were just enhancers ( a hint of color) and some were more opaque (complete color change) but in the end, I ended up with 3 trial pairs to test drive. Brown ( a deep dark brown), Honey ( a brown with a strong gold hue) and Aqua ( which on my eyes looks more like a sea-green).

First impression of how they felt? Well, know that feeling early in the morning when you wake up and your eyes are sort of cruddy feeling and blurry? Well, that’s exactly what it was like. My eyes watered for a few moments (most likely from the multiple attempts to get the lens in…) but once everything settled, it felt fine. I could tell they were there, but it didn’t hurt and wasn’t uncomfortable – just a feeling of awareness.

One of the more vibrant green colors actually made the whole room look a different color, but I didn’t experience anything like that with any of the others.

Now, I still have to go back in a week or two for my final “prescription” so I can go forward and order new contacts when the time comes, but already I am bombarded with all the different options out there from solutions to eye drops and even cases…there is a whole WORLD of stuff out there. I am already eyeing ( pardon the pun!) a pink HELLO KITTY case. I know…so superficial! LOVE IT:)

I will update soon to tell you about the brand of my lenses, show photos of the colors I chose and tell you a little about my experience with them so far. Any tips for me including where to buy supplies ( cases, lenses, solutions, drops) at good rates, tips for traveling with contacts, best techniques for removing, warnings – anything is appreciated.

Until then, if you are already to take the plunge into colored contacts, I recommend Dr. Nathan P. Bond, O.D. at EYE CARE OPTOMETRY ASSOCIATES, P.C.  They have 2 locations in Virginia Beach (one in Pembroke Mall near Town Center) and one in Norfolk, VA. They can be reached at 757-497-3205, 757-430-2863 or 757-587-6828. In my experience and opinion they are quick, efficient, very friendly and knowledgeable. Can’t ask for better than that!

For more updates on this adventure, or other girly related madness please subscribe to the blog and visit me on FACEBOOK ( KristineMarie Makeup Artistry) and YOUTUBE ( Kristine Marie Makeup) and be sure to comment;)

Kristine Marie

~ Blue Eye Shadow ~

For many, it is a scary thought. The idea of blue conjures up thoughts of MIMI from the Drew Carey Show or even BARBIE …but blue can be done well. It’s all about balance really. And yes, ANYONE can wear blue eye shadow, but it is especially flattering to those brown eyed girls;)

When wearing something extremely colorful or high drama on the eyes, it is best to temper it with nude or toned down colors on the rest of the face. For example, If I do a deep brown smokey eye I would wear a pale pink blush and gloss. If I do a bold red lip, I wouldn’t put on purple eyeshadow. Make sense?

So, here is a BLUE look I did today. It is a bit more dramatic than most would wear for daytime, but I find my occupation affords me the ability to feel a bit more liberated in what I walk around with on my face;) For those who are a bit intimidated at the look, try it yourself with lighter versions of the blues I used, or blend them down with a cream colored shadow to take the edge off.

Here is the look:

Products Used :

FACE:

MAC Mineralize Skin finish Natural in MEDIUM  (applied w/ kabuki style brush)

MAC Blush in TENDERLING  (applied w/MAC 168 blush/contour brush)

LIPS:

MAC lip liner pencil in SUBCULTURE

SOFTLIPS Lip Protectant with SPF 20 in VANILLA

SALLY HANSEN Natural Butter Lip Shine in BLOOM

EYES:

MAC paint pot in BARE STUDY as a base ( applied with fingers)

MAC  eyeshadow in VANILLA all over the entire lid up to brow (applied with a MAC 239 brush)

Pale blue shadow from the COASTAL SCENTS 28 pallete on the inner 1/2 of eyelid ( using a MAC 239 brush)

Shimmery Dark blue shadow from CS PALLET on the outer 1/2 of eye (using MAC 239)

( Blend the shimmery blue up and into crease slightly)

Darkest blue from CS PALLET (navy colored) into the outer “v” of eye ( using a MAC 219 pencil brush)

(Blend carefully inward and upward  enhancing the outer “V” shape)

* I also applied the eyeshadow colors  to my lower lid starting at the inner corner with the lightest color and working outward to the darkest.

TOO FACED lash injection Mascara in BLACK ( curl lashes and apply two coats)

Questions or requests? Simply comment below and be sure to check out KRISTINE MARIE MAKEUP ARTISTRY  on  YOUTUBE and  FACEBOOK