makeup – Page 3 – the Spiff

Where to Save and Splurge with Your Beauty Products

May 12, 2015 No Comments

In a dream world we could splurge on everything and it wouldn’t affect our budget. Unfortunately that isn’t the case. We run out of everything at the same time, our panty hose run and our hair looks fantastic the day before our hair appointment – such is life. So we have to strategically splurge and save in order to get the most for our money and look.

My general rule of thumb is to splurge on your base products, save on the “fluffier” ones. I’ll explain that here in a second.

First, keep in mind the fact that when you spend a lot of money on a product, it is going to go a lot farther so your cost per use might be about the same as a cheaper product.

Now let me show you what I’m talking about…

Moisturizers: Splurge

It’s the first thing you put on in the morning and the last thing you put on at night. They sit on your skin for long periods of time and have long-term effects on your skin. Here’s what I use…

Artistry Brand Night Cream – one of the highest rated brands in the beauty industry. It runs around $100 (click here to get more info about purchasing). At night your skin cells are turning over while you sleep, which makes it even more important that you have quality ingredients helping your skin repair itself.

Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate – Facial oil that also helps while you sleep. It’s going to really moisturize and help stave off wrinkles as well as help with putting good oil on your skin so that it doesn’t have to work hard to produce its own (which ends up in a breakout). This is around $50 at Kiehl’s.

Neutrogena Day Cream – while it’s not as expensive, it is a higher end drugstore product ringing in at $20. It’s got SPF and Vitamin C which helps keep your skin tone look radiant.

With all the money you’re spending on these moisturizers you can save it when it comes to face wash and body lotion.

Face Wash, Body Lotion: Save

Cetaphil: I’ve heard and read so many good things about this brand. And I’ve gotten from multiple sources that dermatologists recommend it. I’ve also tried a wide range of brands when it comes to face wash and this stuff does just as good of a job as the expensive brands. It’s only $6. The lotion is great as well, it really puts the moisture back in your skin without being greasy (it’s around $10).

Makeup Brushes: Splurge

To get the most professional looking makeup, you’ve got to have great brushes.

A cheap makeup brush isn’t going to last you as long, it’s not going to leave the product on your face well, and it’s going to start shedding little hairs all over your face.

Sephora has a great selection, MAC and Bare Minerals are also great places to go. I have an angled eye brush from MAC that I’ve been using every day for over 5 years and the bristles are still strong and useful. I’ve definitely gotten my money’s worth out of it.

Mascara, Eye Makeup Remover: Save

Save some cash with your mascara and eye makeup remover. I’ve tried different expensive brands of eye makeup remover that do work great – but this Target brand does just as good of a job and it’s around $3-4 (and sometimes it comes in a two pack at a deal).

Same things goes for mascara. Sure there are some expensive brands out there that are going to be awesome, but with something like this that you have to replace every 3 months, go with a cheaper brand that’s going to work really well. I love this Loreal Voluminous mascara more than I’ve loved bigger brand name mascaras that promise all these different things but don’t deliver.

This one gives me full lashes, allows me to touch up without becoming crunchy and comes off easily at night.

I hope this has helped spread our your beauty budget as well as give you ideas on how to best take care of your skin!

Beauty, eyes, makeup

A Light Spring Makeup Routine

May 1, 2015 No Comments

A giant eye shadow pallet is enough to make me want to create a new eye shadow look every. single. day.

Which is kind of what I’ve been doing for the past year, ever since I got Sephora’s giant eye shadow collection for Christmas.

One day it dawned on me how much time creating a new look adds to my morning routine, plus my day time look was heavier than it needed to be. Not to mention the fact that I had almost used up all the good shades when I could have been saving them for special use.

Enter: my resolve to pair down my every day eye makeup routine. Spring especially is a great time to do this because everything gets lighter and we’re outside more, so we want to make sure our face is conveying our natural beauty and not a strong sparkly purple shadow.

Here are the three products I used to lighten up my look and my routine…

1. Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Eden: I’ve been using the primer on my lids for years, but when I went in to get some more, the girl suggested using it under my eyes as well. Whoa girl – it does an amazing job of not only brightening that area but keeping my concealer in tact (sometimes I’ll even skip concealer…shhh). This shade is perfect for pulling double duty if need be because it’s light and matte.

2. Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadow in “Bad to the Bronze”: I’ve written and talked about this product so much, it would take me half an hour to track down all of the other blogs I’ve mentioned it in. This shade is light, it’s shimmery but not over powering. It gives you a nice natural sheen that lasts for hours. And the fact that I can apply it simply with my finger means it goes on in seconds.

3. Hikari Blush in Tango: For over five years now I’ve been slapping on the same old boring blush thinking I was doing just fine. Then when I got this full size product in my Ipsy bag, it was as if someone turned off the black and white in my world. It’s bright, vibrant color translates perfectly on my cheeks making me look as if I just DANCED the tango and am now lit from within. A great blush, truly goes a long way to waking up your look.

Time to take a look at your everyday beauty routine – what can you improve?!

Beauty, makeup, makeup brushes, Videos, wbir

Cute Babies and Clean Makeup Drawers

April 17, 2015 No Comments

A lesson I’ve learned this week, is babies will come into the world when they’re good and ready.!

This little beauty (my niece from my husband’s sister) surprised us a few days early which threw off our week (in the best way possible). Her name is Delaney! I can already see where she’ll be fun to shop with, and be able handle her little boy cousin who will join her in a few months!

I gave you a cute baby to look at so that you’ll overlook the fact that this post is going to be short and sweet.

Please enjoy my segment from a couple weeks ago when I talked about cleaning out your make up drawer. It’s such a necessity since we’re putting these things on our FACE. And it’s going to completely revolutionize how you get ready in the morning.

I know that’s a strong statement, but cleaning out your makeup and only having what you’re actually going to use AND seeing it organized will send you out the door feeling like super woman.

Beauty, makeup, makeup brushes, wbir

8 Makeup Brushes I Wouldn’t Live Without

March 23, 2015 No Comments

Spring has arrived! The birds are singing, trees are starting to bud and all of the people complaining about winter and snow have finally put a sock in it. ;)

Sure, spring is great. It’s beautiful, blah, blah, blah. But I’ll miss my snow, boots and tights!

So all you winter-haters out there, let’s put your money where your mouth is and start talking spring cleaning! It’s a great time to deep clean, refresh and re-evaluate your beauty routine. Which is perfect because today I’m going to talk about the makeup brushes you need. There are 8 of them to be exact.

Opinions on this subject may vary, depending on who you talk to (or whose blog you read), but these are the 8 brushes I’ve found to be the most helpful in my beauty routine. And one thing everyone everywhere will agree on, is that a good makeup job is highly dependent upon the type of brush you use and it’s quality. So if you’ve been frustrated with how your eye shadow looks, it could be entirely based on the brush you’re using.

5 eye shadow brushes that will make your life easier…

1. Fluff Brush: this is a bigger brush used for depositing color all over your eye lid. This one you’ll use almost everyday, since just one sweep of subtle color is perfect for a daytime look.

2. Shader Brush: this brush gives you more control and helps add color closer to the lash line (above and below) and in the corners of your lid. Which leads directly to the next brush…

3. Tapered Blending Brush: once you’ve used the Shader Brush to deposit a little bit of color in the corners of your eyes, you’ll want to use this one to blend that color across your crease.

4. Pencil Brush: I love this brush for smudging shadow and getting a smokey look around my lash line.

5. Angled Liner Brush: truly, I couldn’t live without this guy. This is how I apply my eye liner everyday, and fill in my eyebrows. It may look daunting, but once you use it a lot it’s precision will be invaluable.

3 Brushes you need for your face…

1. Powder/Foundation Brush: depending on how you apply your foundation, you may or may not use this one a lot. I’m a die-hard Bare Minerals lover, so I love this brush for adding and buffing that mineral powder onto my face. If you’re adding powder on top of a liquid foundation, you wouldn’t need a brush that’s packed this tightly.

2. Bronzer Brush: DO NOT use a bronzer brush for anything but bronzer. And, by the way, you should be using a little bit of bronzer all year. I love the fluffy bristles of this one because it allows me to add bronzer in a less precise way which allows me to contour my face without looking like a Pinterest tutorial picture.

3. Blush Brush: an angled blush brush like this will really help you to add blush to your cheek bones like a pro.

A good brush can really elevate your beauty routine from DIY to “done by a professional.”

Tune in to FOX43 tomorrow morning at 8:30am to see how I clean and organize these brushes and all my other beauty products!

#thespiffknows, Beauty, beauty products, hair, hair spray, makeup, Sephora

These Beauty Products Went to the Head of the Class in 2014

December 30, 2014 No Comments

Between subscription beauty boxes and new beauty technology, it seems that the beauty product world is taking great strides to make things easier for us all. Pretty soon we’ll be doing the Jane Jetson thing – walk into our closet and a few puff of makeup-laden clouds later, emerge ready to take on the day!

I’m excited to see what 2015 is going to bring, but I’m also very happy to take my favorite products from 2014 into the new year.

Here are my top five favorite beauty product picks from 2014…

Dove Hair Spray
I have tried so many different brands and holds, but this Dove extra hold hair spray that you can pick up at any grocery store, has become my absolute favorite. When I spray it on while I’m styling then again afterwards, I can wake up the next day with the same hair. It also doesn’t crunch up and leaves my hair shiny

Beauty Blender
This little sponge doesn’t look amazing, but once you try it you’ll believe. If you get it a little damp, it expands to twice it size and becomes the absolute best way to apply concealer or really any kind of foundation to your face. It gets right in there and leaves your makeup so smooth.

Artistry Moisturizer and Spot Corrector
This was the year I really decided to spend a little extra on my skin. Because it’s something you’re wearing always so why not invest a little more in it. Their spot corrector actually works, and this moisturizer does a great job of brightening your skin overall. Contact this gal to get you some!

Smashbox Photo Finish Hydrating Under Eye Primer
This is a primer that goes under your concealer. It automatically brightens your under eye area just by itself, and it helps your concealer stay put. I just started using this and I’m impressed by it. You can pick it up at Sephora or Dillard’s.

Urban Decay Makeup Setting Spray
I am addicted to this stuff. It just provides the perfect pick-me-up mist in the middle of the day and really helps set my makeup. On the days I use it I can tell a difference on my face. My makeup doesn’t look so tired. And if you get the big bottle it will last you a long time. This one has lasted me a full year.

Previous page Next page