Daily Makeup Routine on a Single Mom Budget

Just so we're clear, I feel absolutely ridiculous taking pictures of myself and acting like I'm some sort of expert. I learned all these tricks from articles in magazines, things I've found online, Pinterest pins, and YouTube videos over the years. I have no formal training (although I will someday) in makeup artistry, and I have done a LOT of trial and error up to this point. Over time my makeup habits change, so a few months from now I will probably look back at this and laugh at it.

The only reason I made this video is because I have had so many people ask me to show them how I do my makeup. I will never get a chance to actually sit down with these people and show them, so I am settling for this video. I wasn't brave enough this time to make actual video of myself, so it's just a bunch of pictures with captions to give you the general idea. Maybe some day I will get the guts to do the whole thing on video. I'm brand new at this YouTube stuff!

Enough explaining! For whatever it's worth, here it is. Hope you pick up a few things you didn't know before! And, as always, please leave a comment so I know who's actually looking at this nonsense, and share if you feel so inclined. :)




Loves!
Aubrey Anne

Smokey pallet by NYX - an $8 alternative to the $53 Naked pallet

I want to show you the way I do a smokey eye, and a few extra tips along the way about eyebrows and mascara. Try to bear with me, as this post required a lot of pictures. 

Oh, and I'm not sponsored, even though it sounds like it. I just really love eyeslipsface products, so I use a lot of them. :)

These are the four makeup brushes I use to do my eye makeup every day. 

The far left is a Sonia Kashuk brush I've had forever, which is good for applying mass amounts of color. The second to the left is e.l.f. essential defining eye brush, my all-time favorite brush. The third is the e.l.f. Studio line small angled brush, and the fourth is the e.l.f. Studio line contour brush. 

No, I'm not exaggerating. I use four makeup brushes just for my eyelids. There is no other way to achieve these precise looks, so if you've been attempting it with just one brush (or God forbid, that little spongey applicator that came with the pallet), you've found your first problem.

I'm going to show you Smokey by NYX and Sex Bomb by NYX. I got them for about $8 each and you can find them pretty much anywhere. 

I use these two pallets together, because I like two or three of the colors from each. You don't need both, you can do this look with either one of these pallets, but I use both, so that's what I show here.

STEP 1: Start with your absolute lightest color (for this I used the one that's almost white). Your lightest color always goes first, and it's always under your eyebrow (to create a highlight) and around the inner corners of your eyes. Pull the light color down under your eye, by your bottom lashes, to make them stand out a little too.

STEP 2: Next is your second-lightest color. Cover the lid with this color. 

STEP 3: The next darkest color makes a vague triangle around the outer edge and crease. (I prefer purple to blue, but if I had blue eyes, I'd probably choose blue.) If you have small eyelids, skip this step and move straight to step 4. 

STEP 4: This is the part where you start to feel like the Goth from high school. Trust me (and yourself). You have to apply too much to start with, but I promise it will be OK. We'll be blending soon. 

I use the Sex Bomb pallet for this, as I prefer the matte black color to the sparkly black in the Smokey pallet, but it's really whatever you like best. (Any pallet can follow this process, just go from lightest to darkest!)

Your darkest color goes in the crease and makes a triangle at the outer corner. Absolutely none of this color goes in the inner corner! Keep this color away from the light inner corner you already created, or you will look sunken in and dead. Anywhere you put the white, back in Step 1, this color does not go there.

STEP 5: Blend like crazy. You will lose a lot of the color during this process, which is why we put on too much to start with. You are going for smokey, not Cat Woman. 

(OK, maybe a little bit of Cat Woman.) 

After you blend, add a little of the cream color wherever your dark color ended up and you didn't want it. (Tip: by now my tissue is filthy... this process is messy. I usually don't do my foundation until after my eye makeup, but I didn't want to scare you guys!)

STEP 6: Eyeliner - I use e.l.f. eye brightening eyeliner ($1) for the bottom lid and e.l.f. liquid eyeliner ($1) for the top. 

STEP 7: Eyebrows and mascara

The picture below was taken to show you why I fill in my eyebrows. I have a lot of "how do you do your eyebrows?" comments, and I have to say, I don't do anything special. I pluck them every single day before I do my makeup, and I fill them in with e.l.f. eyebrow kit in Dark. My eyebrows are naturally black, but as I get older they are less full, and I find it makes a big difference to fill them in. (Try to ignore the eyebrow hair on the left which is currently on strike.)

As you know, my favorite mascara changes by the minute. (You already know I LOVE the 3D fiber lashes, but I don't use them every day.) For every day mascara I use Maybelline The Colossal Volum' Express: Cat Eyes.

I have two tubes of this because when I buy a new one, I hold onto the old one as long as I can stand it (and extend its life with this trick). The new one gives me the dramatic affect I'm ultimately going for, but the older one gives me the volume to build on. If the first coat of mascara is too new, it's too wet, and will just clump all ugly-like. First coat: older tube of mascara, second coat: new tube of mascara. Don't forget to curl your eyelashes before the mascara! If you do it after it makes the clumping much worse.

(If you find this look doesn't work well on you, try the alternate smokey eye, 

which you can find here.)

That's all I have for you. Thanks for reading!

Leave a comment, pretty please! 

And if you can share this post, that would be pretty sweet of you as well. :)

Younique Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes - my new(est) favorite thing!

I posted my first impressions about this mascara on facebook after my first application. My sister came along and said, "You should probably let people know you aren't being paid to promote this brand." It hadn't occurred to me that it sounded like an advertisement; I was just raving about it because I loved it!

Here are the original pictures from my first use: 

This was one application, without my usual mascara under the Younique mascara.

These pictures were taken with my phone, so the quality wasn't very good, and I wanted to try them a couple more times before I went telling y'all to buy it. I love you too much to recommend a product that only worked out on a fluke! 

After 1 coat Palladio 4D Boost mascara

2 coats Palladio 4D Boost mascara - my regular mascara

I have heard a million mixed reviews on the Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes mascara. I've heard people say they LOVE them because they look like false lashes without having to apply false lashes. I've also heard people say they are messy, clumpy, and an overall disappointment. Here's my advice:

Bear in mind that mascara is like a new haircut - you are going to feel differently about it than someone else would! The product you use every day on your delicate lashes is an incredibly personal choice. Not everyone's lashes are the same (just like the hair on your head), and not everyone will want the same effect. I, personally, love a dramatic effect. I like my eyes to pop; I like the dramatic eye shadows, etc. If you are in the market for natural-looking eyelashes, this probably isn't the product for you. Having said that, however, my favorite part about this mascara is how many different ways you can wear it. It can be barely noticeable or give the effect of falsies, depending on how you apply it. I don't really see why you would be buying this if you were looking for a dramatic effect.

Step 1: Apply one coat Transplanting Gel
This gives the fibers something to hold onto,
so obviously you can't skip this step.
It feels/looks like regular mascara.

Step 2: Apply one coat Fiber Lashes. These are literal fibers,
like tiny feathers or bits of fabric. That's why they don't look smooth.

This picture shows the feather-like fibers a little better.
I imagine this part is why some users are calling it "messy".
As you can see in the next picture,
the extra fibers can simply be brushed off your face.

That one part of my left eye got a little clumpy,
but an eyelash comb took care of that.

Um, yeah. These are awesome.  

The lashes are literally longer because the fibers
 attach themselves to the end of your eyelashes and stick there.

Step 3: Add another coat of Transplanting Gel
on top of the loose fibers, to seal them on.
(If you aren't doing this step, you are probably hating this stuff!
I can see how it would get in your eyes if you didn't seal it properly.)

They look like my false lashes do, but no glue and no stiff feeling!

From now on I will be using them without the layer of my own mascara under the fiber lashes. I think the extra layer of my usual mascara made them more clumpy than I would like. The first day, when I used only the 3D fiber lash mascara, I did not have a clumping/spider-lash problem at all.

So there you have it! Now the important part: Where can you buy it? It IS a little pricey, but I promise you it's worth the price, and it lasts a really long time! Especially if you save it for special occasions. :) 

Morgan Hardman Younique Products

Morgan's family

This is Morgan's adorable little girl. 

Stole this from her Instagram to show you guys:

"Moms with dancers, pageant girls, or just a girl who loves to play dress up, these are perfect!
Super easy to apply, gives great length for any dance recital, pageant day, or pictures!"

I'm not going to lie and say your only option to get this mascara is through this link. But I AM going to say I would greatly appreciate if you were to buy through my link, so we can support my long-time friend Morgan, who brought this product to me and let me share it with all of you! 

Let me know what you think, in the comments. I'd love to hear about your experience.