Beauty 101: Smudge-Proof, Budge-Proof, Smooch-Proof Matte Red Lips

With the holiday season rolling around, nothing is more classic than a bright red lip and winged liner at a holiday party. I spent a long time trying to figure out how to, 1) prevent my lipstick from feathering, and 2) make it stay all night long. These are just a few tips and tricks that I have found work really well for me, and keep my lipstick looking great all night long!

The first thing I definitely suggest is exfoliating your lips, because the matte finish that this lip look will give you can bring out any flaws or dry skin on your lips. A great place to get a lip scrub is Lush, and all of their lip scrubs are edible! If you don't want to go out and purchase a lip scrub, though, there is an easy solution. All you need is one part olive oil, and one part sugar. Just mix the two ingredients together and rub it all over your lips! You can also add a little bit of honey to help bring out some extra moisture. Wipe your lips, then apply some lip balm.

My absolute favorite lip balm is the Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm, but you can use whatever lip balm you like! After exfoliating, let the lip balm sit on your lips and absorb for a few minutes. You can just move on to the rest of your makeup while you allow the product to really sink in. If you want, you can also use a lip primer like MAC's Prep + Prime Lip, which helps to add moisture while priming your lips, but this isn't a completely necessary step.

Finally, moving onto the lip color itself. If you used lip balm, you will need to wipe your lips down to get off any excess product. Then, using a lip liner, I line the edges of my lips, and fill it in. The lip liner I have is by NYX, in the shade "Red," which is a gorgeous blue-based red which works really well on my skin tone. By filling in the lips with the lip liner, you help to stain the lips and prevent any feathering!

Next, the lipstick. My go-to matte lipstick is MAC's "Russian Red," but if you're looking for a drugstore option, I really recommend Wet n Wild's MegaLast Lipstick in "Stoplight Red" or "Red Velvet," any of the beautiful red Color Statement lipsticks by Milani, or Maybelline's Creamy Matte Lipstick in "Siren in Scarlet." Of course, it doesn't have to be a matte lipstick, because you're going to make your favorite lipstick into a matte formula! I like to apply the product straight from the bullet, then I take a tissue and blot the lipstick, to help get rid of any shine. Then, I take a lip brush and really go back and even out the product while refining the edges. 

To really help set the lipstick in place, I take a translucent powder on a fluffy brush, and pat this over the lipstick. This helps to get rid of any of the moisture that could cause the product to slip and slide. To brighten up any of the color lost from applying the powder, I go back in with a lip brush, loaded up with the lipstick, and apply that on top of the powder. 

Of course, to help everything look even more crisp and clean, I take my MAC Studio Finish Concealer with a small detail brush and clean up the edges of my lips. I also make sure to set the concealer with a translucent powder so that the creaminess of the lipstick doesn't bleed into the concealer!

What are your go-to tips for red lips? 

- D. 

Quick Graduation Ceremony Tips + Throwback Thursday

In my experience, graduation day can be a totally nerve-wracking experience! My biggest concern on graduation day was "Don't fall don't fall don't fall." And looking back, there were definitely some things that I wish I could go back and re-do. So I decided to make a quick list for you to help make you less worried about your big day!

Beauty-Related Tips

• If your ceremony is outdoors, make sure to apply plenty of sunscreen! For both my middle school promotion and my high school graduation, I got majorly sunburned. A lot less so at my high school graduation, but either way, I definitely suffered some sun damage from sitting out on the field. For my post about different types of sunscreen, click here.
• Wear a great long-wearing foundation. Nothing is worse than finding your family and getting ready to take pictures and realizing your foundation is melting off! Definitely invest in a good primer or setting spray, if you haven't already, to help prevent any meltdowns. 
• Bobby pin your cap to your head, especially if you will be outside or if it doesn't quite fit right. On my graduation day, I didn't pin my cap down, and it was windy, so I constantly was playing with it to keep it from flying off! A great way to make the bobby pins unnoticeable is to spray paint them the same color as your cap. No one will even know they're there!
• Wear a lip balm that has SPF. I promise you that nothing is worse than sunburned lips. Just do it.
• If you think you might cry, or the weather may be hot, make sure to wear waterproof eye makeup. Smeared eye makeup never looks good in pictures!

Fashion-Related Tips

• If your graduation is out on grass, avoid wearing pumps. If you want to wear heels, go for a wedge instead. If you have a pair of pumps that you really love, you can always purchase some heel caps, which can help prevent you from sinking into the grass and ruining your shoes. 
• Wear shoes that are comfortable to walk in. If you aren't comfortable in your shoes, you may trip!
• If you're wearing a white gown like I had to, try to avoid wearing a bright outfit underneath. It will show through the gown, and look rather tacky. 
• Avoid wearing dresses that are longer than your gown. Typically, it just doesn't look good, and unless you're super comfortable in maxi dresses, they can be a cause for a great big tripping disaster.

Etc, etc, etc.

• Drink water. If your school is anything like my high school was, I wasn't allowed to take anything with me onto that field! Especially because, for me, my graduation was outdoors here in sunny California, I got really dehydrated while sitting out waiting for my name to be called. Just make sure to run to the restroom before it's too late!
• If you are allowed, wear sunglasses. The year I graduated, my high school instated this really stupid rule that we weren't allowed to wear sunglasses during the ceremony. Honestly, we should have been allowed to, because I felt like I was really straining my eyes through the whole ceremony. Protect your eyes and they will thank you later.
• Walk tall. This is your day -- you've earned it! Don't be afraid to wear all the things you earned while you were in high school. For me, it was my colorguard and theatre medals, and my Thespian stole and pins. It isn't cocky or conceited to show everyone what you've accomplished. That's what this whole day is for!
• Make sure to tell your family to arrive early. Unless you are graduating from a very small school, the parking lot will fill up fast.

I thought this would be the perfect time for a fun throwback to my high school graduation!

Me with two of my best friends from high school, right before our graduation rehearsal.
I didn't wear any of my medals that day, but I did rock my Thespian stole! 

Alana was squeezing the heck out of me because she was so proud! We've been friends since way back when.

Huge congratulations for all of you who are graduating, whether it be from high school or college, or anywhere in between. It's your big day, enjoy it, and good luck! ♥

- d.