You may think Beyonce is a stuck up diva. You may think she’s the sweet Southern belle. You might also think she’s a terrible singer. It’s possible that you might believe she’s the greatest singer of our generation. One thing is for sure though…that woman is a entertainer like no other. I’ve seen her in concert twice, and I’ll continue to do so! Seriously, she brings it. Every time.
This tutorial is my rendition of the gold look that she wore throughout the concert. Beyonce does her own makeup on tour (wow!), and she’s pretty freakin’ good at it! For my face, I used two Black Opal Stick Foundations “Khalahari Sand” and “Beautiful Bronze” with Ben Nye Loose Powder in “Banana”. Here’s a tutorial of how I highlighted and contoured my face using the two.
For the eyes, I used two colors of glitter by MAC Pro. I also used #48 Red Cherry lashes. These have been sitting in my lash box forever, and quite frankly I thought they were ugly and akward. I tried them on…and WOW. They are on my list of lashes to purchase in NYC this weekend! Yes! Here’s the eye makeup tutorial on Youtube! Enjoy!
After hearing multiple recommendtions for this product from artists like Sam Fine and Billy B., I went ahead and picked up a Black Opal Stick Foundation last week. Since it’s about 20 bucks cheaper than my MAC Stick Foundation and about 30 bucks cheaper than Becca, I had nothing to lose. Now that I’ve been in the makeup game for a few years, I can usually pick out my foundation color without testing it. I am astonished at how well these sticks work! Granted, it’s slightly greasy when it’s applied, but once you blend it down and apply powder, it’s perfect! I’ve always been skeptical about certain drugstore products, and Black Opal looked like it would disappoint me. I bought some of their glosses years ago and I wasn’t happy. If you’re on the search for a new foundation, definitely try these bad boys. To see the foundation live and in action, check out my Major Beauty Announcement Video, I’m wearing it all over my face!
Black Opal can be found at drugstores and convenience stores nationwide. For more information, check out this (bland) website, http://www.blackopalbeauty.com/color.html.
On my Youtube channel, tons of people ask me about the differnces between MAC foundation formulas. This video highlights many of my favorites! MAC got rid of Select Tint, but added Studio Sculpt. This new foundation is picture perfect, medium to full coverage, and works wonders for those with normal or dry skin. Oily girls, proceed with caution! This tore my face up for over a week. It was just wrong. Here are a few more FAQ’s and answers.
What’s the difference between the MAC concealers?
Studio Finish-Full coverage, will cover everything if you apply it the right way. LOVE this. Sort of a “cake” concealer, you need to break it down to use it. Moisturecover-Very moisturizing, great for dry skin and under eye. Studio Touch-Up Stick-This is a creamy pencil, basically “draw” over anything you want to cover and blend. Very handbag friendly. Studio Stick- Convenient, gives medium to high coverage, very natural looking. Select Cover Up-Dries to a satin/opaque finish with a medium coverage. Great alternative to wearing foundation. Studio Sculpt-Super creamy with medium to full coverage. Looks flawless on the skin. Great for dry skin. Can be a HUGE problem for oily skin. I speak from experience!
What’s the difference between NC and NW?
There are 4 skin tone classifications: NC-Neutral cool, for golden undertones NW-Neutral Warm, for more red undertones C-Cool (Studio Fix Only) N-Neutral (Studio Fix Only)
What’s the best way to apply liquid and powder foundations? Brushes of course! I prefer to use the 109 brush with liquid and cream foundations for a silky soft finish, then using the 187 or 150 brush for powder afterward. Keep in mind, the larger the brush, the more sheer the powder coverage. You can also use the 129 or 187 brush for foundation.
While collecting empty containers to turn in at the MAC store for the Back 2 MAC program, I found some old MAC Studio Stick Foundations. Don’t know if you recall, but before finding Make Up For Ever foundations, the MAC Stick was my FAVE. Actually, this is the only foundation that I have ever used enough of to have to purchase a new one. I used it ALL the time. Anyway, I knew that I had them stashed for a reason…to scoop out all of the product that is below the point of intended use. And looky looky! Using a bobby pin, I salvaged 5-6 full faces worth of foundation! The moral of this story…get your money’s worth! If you use a liquid product, ANY liquid product, always leave it upside down to gather as much product to the opening. If your foundation is in a jar or pot (like the little pot above) and you see remnants of creame foundation, blast it with a bow dryer for a few seconds to melt the remaining. This will gather all of the cream at the bottom, so you can get more use of it. If you don’t want it to be too liquidy, just let it set for a few hours.
Everytime I turn around, Make Up For Ever has come out with something else to stun the competition. Each time that I wear it, I am thinking that Mat Velvet+ Mattifying Foundation could be the best matte foundation EVER. Bold statement, I know. I seriously can’t stop using it. In fact, here is a video tutorial on how to use it! This is precisely how I felt about the HD Foundation that I had been wearing for months on end. But then I realized, if I’m oily, why not use the foundation that makes you matte and flawless all at the same time! HD is my go to foundation for dewy, natural and fresh faced looks. The two foundations are in very heavy rotation. Want to learn how to apply HD? I’ll show you how to do dramatic, delicious dewy skin as well as everyday natural skin!
Many people tell me that I never say anything bad about MAC. Well let me tell you what I HATE. I loathe Studio Sculpt Foundation on myself. If you have normal or dry skin, this will make your skin look blissful. I put it on several clients that complained of boring, flaky and dull skin. They all looked amazing in it! Absolutely flawless. I put it on myself, and within hours I was in bumps and welts. I have the dark marks ALL over my face to prove it. Here is the quick review I posted on a few message boards while my face still itched!
Oily girls beware. I wore this foundation the other day around my jaw line just to test it out, then the next day I wore it all over my face, and my skin was perfection!!!! Absolute perfection! My face itched a few hours after I tried it on my jawline, then all day after and is still itching 4 days later. If you’re an oily girl like me and every other oily girl with bad reviews, don’t even bother. I have fine bumps and regular sized bumps ALL over my face. It’s disgusting. So, I will stick to the concealer, which is Heaven. Clearly this foundation is for drier skins b/c of the creaminess, which I knew, but had to try anyway.
So, MUFE has to be the winner in this category. I don’t like to bash products, but sorry MAC, it just isn’t cutting it to me.
Finding foundation for Woman of Color could almost be considered a catastrophe from the beginning. Supermodel Iman had to create her own bases when she began modeling, because a shade for her did not even exist. I remember reading about her brand when I was younger, I bought my first foundation from there. It was the wrong shade.
Today, I’m introducing a new column on my blog, all about foundations. There are a ton of factors to finding your best match, including the texture, color, brand, etc. There are a bunch of questions your should ask yourself when looking for a foundation.
What do I want my skin to look like? Do I want a foundation suitable for my skin type, or the look of my skin? Do I want to follow trends in the fashion industry? Do I want different foundations for different looks?
The list could go on and on. I’ve already created quite a few stories about Foundations, but I would like to get more in depth. If you have a foundation that has worked for you, one to recommend, one that you hated, or anything else, feel free to e-mail me (link in the top toolbar) so that I may feature you.
Earlier this evening, I created a video with my random thoughts and tips about how to choose your perfect foundation. Hopefully this will give you some more things to think about!
Over the weekend, I did a a few videos showcasing one of my favorite brands ever, Make Up For Ever. All of the products are made to resist water and everything is made in Paris. After I created a video using High Definition Foundation, people started to tell me that they wanted to know more!!!
First up, Face and Body Liquid Makeup. This is a super sheer formula that evens out your skin beautifully. You can also apply it on your body to even out your skin tone. I wore it once with a teeny tiny dress, and it was amazing just how great my legs looked.
The other is Mat Velvet + Matifying Foundation. If you want natural, matte looking skin, this is the foundation for you! If you have oily skin like I do, this is sure to keep you shine free!!!
Hopefully these videos will give you more insight on the tons of other foundations to choose from. I have packed away my MAC Foundations, and MUFE have certainly become my staple!
I didn’t realize that there would be such a hoopla over my look for the Billy B. contest. When I had over 20 requests for the look, it was time more me to do a tutorial! Guess which foundation I used? Make Up For Ever HD Foundation. This base is so absolutely ridiculously amazing, and can give you so many looks and finishes. I just can’t get enough of it! Billy B. inspired me to do this look, as well as his contest look, from all of the impeccable looks that he does to so many people around the world. I swear, the man is so bad!
As you saw in the video, I had went back and forth in my mind about how it compared with MAC Fix+. After analyzing the video, I realized that the Scott Barnes Luminizing Mist does make a difference. There was a slight glow on the skin, not a shimmery obnoxious glow, but a subtle, illuminating glow. Just wanted to add that side note!
I never thought I’d see it happen, but I think I am over MAC foundations. I’ve tried every foundation that MAC makes. In my makeup collection, I own Studio Tech, Studio Fix, Fix Fluid, Full Coverage and Studio Stick, not to mention that I use Studio Finish Concealer as a foundation. But I can’t lie, ever since I bought my Make Up For Ever HD Foundation, I rarely use any of my MAC foundations anymore. It’s kind of sad, really. I’ve been so attached to my MAC foundations since I was 18 years old. Granted, I don’t wear foundation on a daily basis, but I do bust it out every now and then.
But there are quite a few other bases that I am curious about. First and foremost, you don’t have to have a ton of different foundations. The HD is all purpose, in my opinion. I’d love to try Mat Velvet, which I’ve heard is the most natural matte foundation on the market. Duo Mat Powder Foundation is apparently better quality than Studio Fix. I’ve heard that it is the ideal powder to have in your possession. After watching this clip on HSN, I absolutely must try Face & Body Foundation. It looks so soft and untraceable!
So, I won’t say that my MAC foundation days are over. But with the insane amount of foundations, concealers, primers and powders that MUFE has so offer, I’m sure they will be my number one pick for quite some time!
As an aspiring beauty editor, I love nothing more than reading what other editors have to say. What I love, even more, is to hear what Brown beauty editors have to say. Aja Mangum of New York Magazine has over 20 pages of archives to her name (via the net), and one particular article was all too familiar. “All I Want Is Foundation That Matches” is an article that really hit home. I went to a makeup store today, and as I jumped from brand to brand, I noticed the lack of foundations that worked for my skin. Granted, I have a pretty common tone that one wouldn’t deem exotic, it’s actually quite common. In reality, do companies think that Beyonce’s skin tone is as dark as it gets??? On another note, if we keep believing that the only brands that will work for us are Fashion Fair, Iman, or MAC, why should these companies feel the need to expand on their foundation range?? And honestly, there is no way that a company can produce every single shade of human skin in a bottle. There are so many factors, it’s crazy.
Aja does undercover work, going to different counters and getting frustrated by the lack of options. Isn’t that the worst?? Definitely be sure to check out the article, find out which counters were satisfying, and which companies left her out in the dark. Which brands have you noticed that don’t carry your brand??
Rated 9.5 by TotalBeauty.com Editor Charli Schuler
It’s easy to see why Marco Color Anti-Frizz Leave-In Conditioner with Collagen Color Guard is hairstylist Marco Pelusi’s signature product. Just one or two pumps miraculously detangle knots and tame frizz on all hair types. …More
