Foundation for your MakeUp

Finding the right foundation for your skin tone and type can be difficult. There are many brands offering different benefits so here is a breakdown of the different types of foundations and what skin type they are best for.

Source: Skin Care Vitals

Oil-based foundation is suitable for dry skin as it adds moisture. It can also plump up and minimises the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Sheer foundation is best for those with normal to dry skin. It provides a light coverage giving the appearance of not having applied foundation and glides on smoothly.

Matte foundation is the saviour for people with oily skin. It is made with water and not oils like other foundations and therefore it is best for people with oily skin. If you’re finding that it dries quickly make sure you apply a foundation primer or moisturiser when you use it next.

Shimmer or Dewy foundation creates a fresh and glowing look. Make sure that you get a lighter shade than your skin tone and apply to the t-zone as a highlighter rather than all over your face to get the best results.

Cream or Liquid foundation is suitable for normal to dry skin and provides a heavier coverage. If you don’t prefer a powdery foundation than this should be perfect for you.  

Tinted Moisturiser is a foundation that is best used in the warmer months to provide your skin with moisture to avoid a dry complexion while providing cover.

Mousse foundation can be used on all skin complexions particularly dry skin. The aerated formulation is light and smooth and results in a beautiful matte finish.

Mineral foundation is suitable for those with sensitive skin or allergies and is the answer for those who want natural and organic makeup products.

Waterproof foundation is not a daily wear foundation as it can clog pores but is perfect for humid and hot days. You may need a makeup remover to remove the product.

On-The-Go Foundations:

Stick foundation is for oily skin but those with a dry complexion can use it as long as you use a moisturiser. You can use this throughout the day on problem areas as it provides a heavy coverage.

Powder or Compact foundation is a powder and foundation in one and is suitable for oily skin. It comes in various formulations for you to pick from.

Final tips:

• A foundation primer ensures an even and smooth coverage so definitely consider trying it and seeing the difference it makes.
• Try to find a foundation that contains SPF so that can take care of your skin while having the perfect coverage.
• When testing the colour of the foundation apply a sample onto your face not hand. Many people make this mistake and discover after they use it that it doesn't suit their face.

On that note, happy shopping everyone!

Manisha

What order should I apply makeup in?

Here is something that I get asked on a lot! In what order does makeup go? 

It really depends on personal preference on which part to do first. Some like to do eyes first and then the face, and vice versa. So here I put it down in order of the categories- face, eyes & lips. So whether you want to do eyes first or your face...just follow the steps and move on to the next section. 

As a professional makeup artist, I follow the following order to ensure my clients' or my makeup lasts the longest possible. 

Face:
1. Moisturize
2. Prime
3. Apply foundation
4. Conceal (under eyes can be done after the eyes are finished)
5. Set face with setting powder
6. Contour/Highlight
7. Apply blush
8. Finish with a Setting Spray 

Eyes :
1. Prime
2. Do eyebrows
3. Eyeshadow
4. Eyeliner
5. Curl eyelashes
6. Mascara
7. False lashes (mascara the false lashes with real ones to blend if necessary) 

Lips:
1. Apply concealer/foundation (will allow the lipstick’s true colour to show)
2. Line lips with lip liner
3. Apply your lipstick/lipgloss
4. Conceal around the lips to clean edges (for dark/bold colours)

I hope this made sense and helped answer your question. Let us know how you do yours and also how these steps worked for you all !! 

Au revoir ladies!
Myura Kumar xoxo

Simplicity is the Key

Hey lovelies time to switch it to me. We all know that dreadful and impeccable timing, when we unfortunately forgot to set the alarm properly or perhaps slept right through the alarm. Whatever it is; its always hard for us girls, in particular, to get our hair, makeup and outfit ready within an hour, so what do you do? 

Photo content sourced from the Disney® movie Frozen. Collage sourced from weknowmemes.com

That's right! You guessed it, an early morning routine for the rush hour. Now most of you know how much considerable amount of time we spend in the bathroom trying to perfect: that strand of hair and smoothing out that eyeliner. Thankfully our prayers have been answered; we've learned to invent "a messy bun" or the classical braid. What better way to look classy and causal? Now for the face, after the whole routine of washing any dirt from last nights sleep and making sure the face is squeaky clean, you would assume to moisturize your face right? Correct! However the heavenly sent Garnier Skin Renew BB Cream provides moisturiser and SPF 15 protection all in one, and to make it even better, yes it does get better, it comes in a small carry-along tube you can pop into your bag for a touch up.

Garnier Skin Renew BB Cream | Photo sourced from katelynsaid.com

It not only provides full coverage but also hides those rebellious breakouts; yes we can run but never avoid them, and the best part? It only takes about 5 minutes to put it on and blend away! So what have we learnt today? Simple is beautiful! We can outsmart alarm calls and rush hours in the morning; the key to looking beautiful doesn't necessarily mean countless amounts of makeup or hours spent staring at the mirror and expecting a miracle.

Mahak

Bare Face, Not Bear Face

Greetings, lovelies!

I often get asked how to build the confidence to go out with no makeup. Cause let's be real, ain't nobody got time to put on a full face of makeup every day. First off, I don't like how it's got to the point where wearing no makeup is considered 'brave'. Yes, I am rocking the face I was born with and the pimples I've unfortunately been saddled with. And I'm not sure why that's viewed as outside of the norm.

Don't get me wrong, I love makeup (I wouldn't be posting here if I didn't!) but I don't feel like I need it every time I go out of the house. And if you think otherwise, that's okay too! But for those who want some tips on feeling more comfortable with a bare face, try it as a slow process such as this one:

1. If you're used to quite a full-on look, especially with your foundation, try reducing it to a BB Cream: I love the Garnier Oil-Free one. They're lighter coverage than a foundation, but still do a great job of covering redness and evening out skin tone.
2. If you're fine with skipping foundation, apply concealer to any blemishes and/or on under-eye circles.
3. One day, you may find that you're okay with skipping base altogether. On days like this I usually just go for mascara and brows, and maybe a touch of translucent powder such as the Rimmel Stay Matte on my T-zone.
4. And at some point, you may just wake up in the morning and think, SCREW IT, I'm fine without makeup today! And there you go.

I also find that the more I get used to seeing myself with no makeup, the more chill I am about going out bare-faced. And if you rock it with pride, people around you are gonna be none the wiser :)

Still unsure? Well, today, I'm going to give you a slight nudge into the deep end (if you want to, of course). You've probably seen these types of things in various social media campaigns - 'no makeup selfies'. And, that's right, I'm challenging YOU to send us your best one to the twitter @ISYSdreamteam with the hashtag #barefacenotbearface - cause I guarantee you guys will look a lot better than this guy!

Photo sourced from imgarcade.com

Amy

Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge?!?!

Happy Hump Day everyone! So, I'm sure you've all heard about the viral trend that is taking over Facebook, Instagram and Vine at the moment. Yes, the one that involves sucking your lips in a shot glass for a couple of minutes, and releasing them to see a waterfall of drool and a massively expanded pout. That's, right, the #kyliejennerlipchallenge.

If you've been living under a rock on Mars and don't know who Kylie Jenner is, she's the 17 year old half-sister of the Kardashians: Kourtney, Kim, and Khloe. And she's famous for her lip-alicious Instagrams, such as the one below. Now, whether or not she's had lip surgery is unclear and often a hot topic of conversation - she claims that she just overdraws her lips, which is a great tip for enhancing them and I will get to that later in the post.

Photo sourced from @kyliejenner - Instagram.com

Now, don't get me wrong - it's great to try and emulate a person's look if that's what you're trying to go for. And to have fun with it! But this is CLEARLY not what Kylie does to enhance her lips. This is a typical result:

Photo sourced from @kyliejennerlipchallenge - Instagram.com

But it can get worse. A LOT WORSE. I'm going to spare you the pictures, but I have seen plenty of instances in the past week of the skin around the lips being bruised, swollen for hours, or even cut from the glass breaking and tearing the lips in the process. In conclusion? I wouldn't recommend it.

Don't worry! There are plenty of SAFE, natural ways to enhance those babies. These are my favourite techniques:

• For the most natural look, overdraw your lips slightly with a lip pencil close to your lip colour. A safe, affordable option is the Rimmel Lasting Finish 1000 Kisses Lip Liner in 'Natural'. Fill in the rest of your lips with the same pencil and chuck some lip gloss over the top to make them appear more plump. Here's a great tutorial on how to achieve this from the lovely Lauren Curtis:

• You can do the same with any colour lip pencil and a matching lippy, but a warning: it does require more maintenance over the day. Make sure you go for something long-lasting and relatively matte.
• There is also a suction tool called 'Fullips', which kind of works like the shot glass but is a lot safer - it's plastic, comes in different sizes and you don't suck as hard or for as long. The downside is that it only lasts up to 4 hours, but it's definitely a better option!

So what's the bottom line here? Well, I think it's fab to experiment with different lip shapes and sizes - like eyebrows, they can do a lot for the face. But even though 'duck face' and big lips seem to be a 'thing' at the moment, don't get caught up in the hype if you're not into it. For me personally, I feel like I can't pull off a look unless I'm confident in it. But if you do what works for you, I promise you those suckers will be stretching into smiles more often.

Enjoy the rest of your week everyone, and stay rad :)

Amy

Introduction - Our Holy Grail Beauty Product?

Hello everyone! Before you delve into exploring our blog, it's best that we introduce ourselves. From left to right, our names are Amy, Myura, Mahak and Manisha. We are four Macquarie Uni students who are passionate about the makeup and beauty world. Although we're young, between the four of us, we've had a lot of makeup highs and lows. We've learnt a lot.

So, you may be wondering - girls, what is your ultimate holy grail product? Something that will make me beautiful every time I use it, without fail? Well, good news. It comes directly from you, its benefits will transcend every part of your life, and it won't cost you a cent. No, it's not a cream, a mask or a magical gel. It's CONFIDENCE. That's it!

Our blog is not a run-of-the-mill beauty blog. We believe that makeup, when applied correctly and tailored to you, can make you more confident. It is not simply a tool used to hide your 'problem areas', but rather, something that can enhance the features of yourself that you love most. So you can show the best and happiest side of yourself to the world.

Okay, you must think we're on crazy pills or something. This could be up there in the list of the corniest things you've ever read. And you might click off this blog right now and go watch some videos of pugs on skateboards. But if you're just a little bit curious about the #beautysiconfidence revolution, and also want some great makeup tips and tricks for expressing the real you, take a look around! We may surprise you.

Amy