School Appropriate Makeup (Guest Post)

I love wearing makeup to school, it boosts my confidence and it’s a part of my daily routine. Everyone has their own opinion as to how much makeup you should wear. I believe less is more, but do whatever makes you happy! True beauty comes from within.

Firstly, I like to apply my favourite foundation which is the L’Oreal True Match Super Blendable Foundation. I suffer from acne and dark spots throughout my face, and this foundation works perfectly for me. I only wear it once in a while, but you can opt for just concealer if you wish.

Filling in eyebrows is a must for me, and recently I’ve been loving the Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade in Chocolate. I could talk about this product forever! It is very pigmented, waterproof and doesn’t budge. Check out my eyeliner tutorial.

Lastly, add a nude lipstick that compliments your skin tone. This Revlon Lipbutter in Pink Truffle is my favourite!

And there you have it! A simple 15 minute makeup look for every day at school.

How old were you when you started wearing makeup? 

Tell me in the comments!

How-to: Winged Eyeliner Guest Post by Alyssa

Winged eyeliner has been a huge trend since the 1950’s. I personally love to wear winged eyeliner because it opens up my eyes and it also adds more definition.

I love that saying "If a woman's hand is steady enough to put on winged eyeliner, then it's steady enough to stab you in the heart.” It’s true!!!

Here’s how I do my eyeliner:

Step 1: Begin by drawing a thin, diagonal line from the outer corner of the eye going out. This will give an idea of how dramatic you want your eyeliner. The longer the line, the more dramatic.

Step 2: Slightly move your brush down from the top of the line, and connect it going inwards to your lash line. Don’t worry too much about this being perfect.

Step 3: Draw a line from the inner corner all the way to the edge of the line we drew before. Take your time and rest your elbow on a flat surface. If you’re a beginner you can try drawing small dots and then connecting them together.

Step 4: Fill the remaining part of the eyeliner, and go over any sparse areas. It also helps if you look straight into a mirror.

Step 5: Clean up any excess eyeliner with a cotton swab dipped in a little makeup remover.

Step 6: Curl your lashes, add mascara and you’re good to go!

Remember that practice makes perfect! 

It took me a long time to perfect my eyeliner, and I’m still learning!

Do you prefer a dramatic wing or a small wing? 

What eyeliner do you use? 

Let me know in the comments!

My Top 6 Favourite Lip Liners (Guest Post)

Lip liners are great products to own in your makeup collection. They help increase the longevity of your lipstick, as well as prevent it from bleeding or feathering out.

Left to right: MAC Spice, and Essence Honey Bun
Let’s first start out with nude colours. The two that I’ve chosen can go on a wide range of skin tones. All MAC lip liners have very high pigmentation and don’t budge. MAC Spice lip liner is a gorgeous warm brown that can be worn with tons of lip combinations.
Looks best with: MAC Velvet Teddy, Maybelline Nude Lust, Revlon Mauve it Over, or any clear gloss!
Quick tip! Do you find your MAC liners running out too quickly? Try using the MAC sharpener. It’s especially made for their products and doesn’t sharpen as much of the product off.
Essence lip liners are also great. They are really affordable and also have a good collection of nude colours for every skin tone. You can find them for less that $2 at the drugstore. I love this one in Honey Bun. It’s very pigmented and creamy.
Looks best with: Smashbox Chai, Maybelline Truffle Tease, and Revlon Colorburst in Soft Nude.


Left to right: MAC Beet, and NYX Purple Rain
MAC Beet lip liner came out in the Marilyn Monroe collection back in December 2012. It’s a right between a purple and a red, and is my go-to liner for fall. A dupe would be Rimmel Cherry Kiss lip liner.
Looks best with: Nars Scarlet Empress, MAC Rebel, Wet n’ Wild Sugar Plum Fairy or even just clear lip gloss!
NYX Purple Rain is a must have colour for me. It’s a beautiful cool toned purple with a non-drying finish. NYX has a very wide range of lip liners, and are known for their dupes to MAC products. They all last very long and are so creamy!
Looks best with: Covergirl Divine, OCC Hoochie, and Maybelline Hot Plum.

Left to right: NYX Dark Red, and Milani Fuchsia
NYX retractable lip liner in Dark Red is my go-to red liner. It goes with almost all my red lipsticks! Unlike many lip liners, this does not have much of a matte finish; it’s a bit more glossy. I like to outline the outer part of my lip with this colour and go in with a lighter red to create and ombre effect.
Looks best with: MAC Russian Red, Revlon Cherries in the Snow, and Revlon Colorburst Red Velvet.

And lastly, Milani Fuchsia is a cotton candy pink with purple undertones. Depending on how many layers you apply, the colour gets richer and richer. This also looks great with so many different lipsticks! I love it for summer.
Looks best with: MAC Candy Yum Yum, MAC Flat Out Fabulous, or Maybelline Vivid Rose.

What lip liners have you been loving? 

Let me know in the comments!

Top 3 Favourite Skin Primers Guest post by Alyssa

Whether you have oily, normal, dry or combination skin, a primer is a must! 

They can help even out the skin and make your foundation last all day.

Here are my 3 favourite skin primers of all time:
Annabelle Instant Perfecting Base
I was recently sent this primer from Annabelle and I’ve been loving it so far. It reduces redness and makes my skin feel so smooth! Sometimes I will wear this right over my moisturizer for the no-makeup days. It gives your skin a healthy glow and I will definitely be purchasing it in the future. Not to mention, this product has a pump which is not common in most primers, but can be very handy!

Maybelline Baby Skin
This is one of those products where you either grab it or pass on it. On my dry skin it glides on easily, gives a natural finish and doesn’t dry me out!

If you have oily skin, I recommend using a very small amount because your face can tend to get greasy throughout the day if you apply too much. You can find it for around $8 at the drugstore.

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer
This is my all-time favourite primer. If you really want to invest in a good one, go for this one. One little pea size can do your whole face! I got two sample sized ones weeks ago and I’m still on my first one.

It’s not greasy, and it smooth’s out your pores, fine lines, and blemishes. Your skin will feel as soft as butter! It feels great and it’s totally worth it.

Tell me what your favourite primers are in the comments! 

I would love to hear them!

How To Get The Perfect Brows (Guest Post)

Eyebrows are what frame our face and can completely transform a look. Here’s how you can achieve the perfect brow.

Step 1: First groom your eyebrows using a spoolie. I like to use an old mascara brush that I’ve cleaned and then bend the tip.

Step 2: Then you want to lightly outline the brow following its natural shape. If you want to extend it, do it slowly and try to keep your line consistent.
You want to make sure you stay 1-3 shades within your hair colour. So if you have black hair; go for a dark brown. And if you have blonde hair; go for a light brown.
I’m using the Wet N’ Wild brow & eye liner in dark brown. The great thing about this product is that you can get it for around $1, it’s highly pigmented, and lasts a long time.

Step 3: After outlining the eyebrow, very lightly feather in small strokes (using the same pencil) following the direction your natural hair grows. Bring out your spoolie again and blend to avoid harsh lines. The more often you blend; the better.

Step 4: Then I take a Real Techniques brow brush with the Revlon eyeshadow in Rich Sable and lightly feather in any gaps. If you want to fill in the beginning part of the eyebrow; use an even lighter colour.
If you’re using an eyeshadow, make sure that it’s matte and has no frost –unless you want some shimmery brows!

Step 5: This step is optional. Use a concealer that matches your skin tone (please no concealer that is lighter than you) and take a small synthetic brush and outline the outside of your brow. This covers up any excess hair and gives a very clean, sharp look. I recommend MAC's studio finish concealer because of its creaminess and longevity.
Make sure you blend in that concealer!

Step 6: Lastly, use a clear brow gel to set your brows. This step is also optional, but it allows your eyebrow to stay put throughout the day.

Top 3 Favourite Pink Lipsticks from MAC (Guest Post)

With summer just around the corner, pink lips will definitely be trendy. I think MAC makes amazing lipsticks. For the most part they last long and have high pigmentation; however it all depends on the finish of the lipstick.

The following are my favourite pink lipsticks from MAC, ones that I go to all the time in the summer!

Left to right: Flat Out Fabulous, Girl About Town, Please Me

First is Flat Out Fabulous, and it’s my favourite lipstick that I own. It’s exactly what the name says it is. It’s a plummy blue pink with a matte finish so you’re definitely going to need to wear some sort of moisturizer underneath. Women of colour: you’re going to love this because of the blue undertones.

Next is one that I also can’t get enough of. It’s called Girl About Town and I think every girl should have this in their collection. It also as a little bit of a blue undertone and is an amplified finish so it’s going to have your lips moisturized and gorgeous.

The last one is Please Me. This may look scary for some people as it’s more on the paler side, however with a brown lip liner and lightly dabbing it on, I think it looks beautiful. Sometimes I’ll even add a clear gloss over it.

What are your favourite pink lipsticks for summer?

New Spiced Beauty Contributor: Alyssa

I love switching it up and giving other beauty lovers a platform to share what they love. I approached Alyssa a while back to contribute to Spiced Beauty. She's a young- future MUA who definitely knows her stuff. Check out what she has to say about beauty!

Why did you want to contribute to Spiced Beauty?
About a year ago I was on twitter and I was searching for makeup artists in the Toronto area. I came across @JennMUA also known as the founder of spicedbeauty.com and started reading her blog often. I loved her positive reviews and the products she shared with her readers.
Months later, we started messaging each other and I told her I want to be a makeup artist and in the business field. She then offered me to be a guest contributor to her blog. I was honoured, and of course I had to take the offer. I knew this was a great opportunity for me to take, and I was praying for something like this to happen for a very long time. I definitely look forward to working with Spiced Beauty and providing her readers with reviews and swatches.

Favourite Canadian Beauty Brand?
I’d have to say Lise Watier and Annabelle.

Liquid, pencil or gel eye liners?
Liquid eyeliners for sure. No doubt about it.

Tip to get the perfect eyeliner?
Looking down into a mirror and resting your elbow on a flat surface can help keep your hand from shaking. You can also do the tape trick; just make sure to put the tape on the front of your hand so that it removes the majority of the stickiness because the skin around the eye is very sensitive.

Lipsticks or Gloss?
Lipsticks for sure. They last a lot longer, have more pigmentation and are not as sticky.

My ideal mascara is...
I like something that gives me volume and length, preferably in waterproof. My current favourite is the Maybelline The Rocket Volum’ Mascara. For days when I want longer, eye-widening lashes; I use Lancome’s Hypnose Doll Lashes Mascara.


My favourite make up remover ...
I use both solutions and wipes to remove my makeup. For days when I’m wearing a full face makeup, I like to use the MAC Cleanse Off Oil. It makes it a lot easier to break up mascara on my lashes. To my oily ladies out there; don’t be afraid of this product! The particles in oil are too big to clog your pores.
When I only have makeup on my eyes and lips, I use Neutrogena’s Hydrating Towelettes. It works great with my dry skin and it can even handle waterproof mascara! Both removers are tough on my makeup, but gentle on the skin and do not leave my face feeling oily or soapy.

My skin care routine ...
I have finally found a skin care routine that actually works for my dry skin. In the morning, I splash my face with cold water and cleanse my face with Purity by Philosophy. Then I apply a very small amount of my favourite product ever; coconut oil. It’s popular in the West Indian culture and my whole family uses it every day. It nourishes the skin, hydrates, and fades away dark spots. It’s amazing. I don’t like having that oily feeling to my skin when I put on my foundation, so I apply my favourite moisturizer which is currently the Cetaphil Ultra Hydrating Lotion.
In the nighttime I do the same routine, but I first remove my makeup with the same Neutrogena wipes I mentioned before, and I don’t put on the Cetaphil lotion. Once a week I use my St. Ives Apricot scrub to exfoliate my skin at night.

Curly or straight hair?
I prefer straight hair; however curly hair is really nice for those days when you want to feel more dolled up.

How many lip products do you have in your purse/makeup bag?
I have 4 in my makeup bag and I just found 1 more at the bottom of my purse. So 5 in total. They are: Vaseline Lip Therapy, Revlon lip butter in Pink Truffle, MAC Spirit lipstick & Whirl lipliner and a Buxom lipgloss in Mwah.