L'Oreal Visible Lift Foundation | A New Favorite

Okay so here's the thing...

I've tried out a bajillion foundations in my short time as an active makeup enthusiast and I have found only a handful that take the cake. This foundation is one of them.

I am talking about L'Oreal's newest foundation, the Visible Lift Blur Foundation. I am so in love that words cannot even do it justice. I love the coverage, the plethora of shades that are available, the texture, the longevity, the price, and just the overall existence of this product. Let my latest video speak for itself. I cannot say enough good things! Once again, amazing job, L'Oreal!

Oh, and by the way, I have grown to love this even more when applying it with my beauty blender! ;)

xoxoxoxo

How To...Get the PERFECT Red Lip

I LOVE a bold lip color, and red is usually my go-to for a dramatic look. Watch the video below to see how I achieve the perfect red lip or keep reading for step-by-step instructions and products I recommend :)

Contour & Highlight Tutorial

Contouring and highlighting have become staples in my makeup routine -- hands down one of my favorite things to do when I apply my makeup for the day. I absolutely love the look of contouring and highlighting and the way it can accentuate or hide certain features of the face. You can keep it simple, or use more product to achieve a more dramatic, defined contour. Watch my tutorial on how I highlight and contour, and continue reading for a full list of products and information :)

The BEST Foundation for Acne-Prone Skin!

Like many other women I have searched for the perfect foundation for far too long. 

It wasn't until a few months ago I finally found my holy grail. 

I have always had issues with acne -- a never ending battle that is appearing to subside but leaving unsightly scars and dark spots behind.

This foundation that I share with you in the video below covers it all. Every scar, every blemish, every ounce of redness, every imperfection. My skin looks flawless when I slap this on. I get so many compliments on my complexion when I wear this foundation; no one knows what lurks underneath. 

Watch the video or read on to find out who makes this must-have foundation.

Brunette to Blonde At Home

This post has been a long time coming.
I've always been pretty brave when it comes to changing up my hair color. Back in October I shared this post with you after I had dyed my hair brown. A couple months after I colored my hair I was ready to go back to blonde. As someone who is a fan of instant gratification, I wanted my old hair color back and I wanted it back right away. However, going from a dark brown to blonde is not exactly an easy process.  I explain everything in the video below, but to learn more about what I did click the 'read more' button at the bottom of this post! Hope you enjoy :)

Nude Glam | Get Ready With Me

The most recent video I posted on my channel featured an every-day nude glam look. I kept both the eyes and lips nude and used velcro rollers to achieve the bouncy, casual curls you see in the picture above. This is usually my go-to look for daytime and can be easily altered to be more or less dramatic. I used my two FAVORITE shadow palettes of the moment -- the Lorac Pro Palettes (both the original and the newest one), my Anastasia brow products, and my Clinique Acne Solutions foundation, just to name a few.

>> I started this look by prepping my face with the L'Oreal Revitalift Miracle Blur (amazing), then went ahead and put my hair into velcro rollers. I always do the rollers first so they have time to set and cool while I do my makeup.

>> Moving onto my eyes, I primed them with Maybelline's Instant Age Rewind concealer in the shade neutralizer. Next I used a few different nude shades from each of the Lorac Pro Palettes, then lined my eyes with my favorite L'Oreal liquid liner. Once my eyes were complete I applied my foundation using my Sigma F80 brush and concealed my under eye area with my Maybelline concealer, blending in with my beauty blender.

>> To set my makeup I used an NYC pressed powder under the eyes and MAC's Pressed Blot Powder all over the face. Then I went in with my contour and blush, finished the wings of my liner and filled in and set my brows. I topped off my lashes with mascara then moved onto lips.

>> For lips I used a nude liner from Clinique and MAC's Myth all over. I used my Urban Decay All Nighter setting spray to lock in my makeup, let my hair down and my look was complete!

You can see a complete list of products that I used by clicking the 'read more' button below. To see how I got this look sit back, relax, and enjoy the video! :)

Coconut-y

I have a deep love for coconut oil. I am obsessed with it.

Months ago I read an article about oil pulling and I was hooked. For anyone who is not familiar with the technique, oil pulling is done by taking a spoonful of solid coconut oil and swishing it around in your mouth for approximately 20 minutes. Done first thing in the morning -- before eating or brushing teeth -- oil pulling pulls out the bad bacteria that lives in our mouths that gives us bad breath and causes other issues. This practice can also help those of us with jaw pain due to clenching the teeth, and it can actually whiten your teeth as well. 

Coconut oil also has healing benefits -- it can help scrapes and burns heal up faster. It is also an excellent moisturizer. I love using it on my lips as well as on the heels of my feet to soothe and hydrate dry, cracked skin. 

But one of my favorite things to do with coconut oil is to use it as a hair mask. If you are a regular on the beauty blog/YouTube circuit I am sure you have heard of other women using coconut oil in their hair. 

In my opinion, it works best when it is applied to damp hair, after the oil is microwaved for about 10-15 seconds to allow it to liquefy slightly. I apply it all over, leave it on for an hour or two, then shampoo and condition as normal. It's also great to use overnight -- just be sure to wrap your hair in a towel or an old t-shirt to prevent this miracle oil from getting all over your pillow.

My hair always comes out silky smooth, shiny, and just healthier looking every time I do a coconut oil treatment. I filmed a video the other day of how I go about this process -- I hope you check it out and enjoy!

Oh, and you can find coconut oil at nearly any grocery store. Opting for organic, extra-virgin, unrefined coconut oil seems to be best for hair masks, oil-pulling, and the other various uses it has!

Back At It...

Life sometimes gets in the way of the things we enjoy most. The past several months have brought some unimaginable ups and downs. It wasn't until a few weeks ago I got back into filming YouTube videos, and I think I am ready to jump back into blogging again. With that said, I want to share my most recent video with you!

In February I decided to ditch my dark locks for my usual blonde. I loved having dark hair but I'm so used to being blonde that I actually missed it. Now I feel like me again. In the video I explain exactly what I did, how I did it, and what products I used. Going from such a dark color to a much, much lighter color is no joke. If you're about to make the move, do your research! If you're a first time hair dye-er I'd recommend just heading to a professional. It took me hours of research, several trips to Sally's, and a TON of patience to get back to my usual blonde -- but is absolutely do-able. If you have any questions please feel free to leave them below or holla at me on twitter @glamcandyxo 

Hope you enjoy the video :)

PS -- It feels great to be back!

8 Steps to Looking Better When You're Sick

Ok I promise after today I will be off my sick soap box and on to something better -- this cold has just been consuming my life lately so it's putting all these ideas in my head and been the topic of conversation the past few days. My apologies. 

If you haven't visited my channel lately and seen my latest video, I uploaded a tutorial yesterday for how I attempt to make myself look somewhat normal when I'm under the weather (if you haven't seen the tutorial you can watch it below).

When I'm not feeling well I don't want to take an hour to get ready and I certainly don't want to pack on the makeup. I sure as hell won't be doing a smokey eye or a winged liner. I'm lucky that I can even lift a makeup brush to my face. Here are the 8 simple steps I take to look like myself again:

1. Moisturize. My nose (and for some reason) my eyelids get super dry. I like using Cetaphil's Ultra Hydrating Lotion for Sensitive Skin all over my face, concentrating around my nose.

2. Conceal. I don't even bother with foundation when I'm sick. I use Dermablend's Smooth Indulgence Concealer in nude because it covers up EVERYTHING. You can also use a concealer with a green tint to help hide redness, but make sure to apply a regular concealer over top as well. Don't forget to do the under-eye area! Concealing is absolutely necessary if you're applying makeup when you're sick.

3. Set. Depending on where I'm going I will set my concealer with a loose powder (I feel like loose powders provide more coverage than a pressed powder), that has a tint to it so my face doesn't look so pale. I love Bare Minerals for this step (I used a Maybelline loose powder in this tutorial because my Bare Minerals powder is a couple shades too dark for me right now).

4. Contour & Blush. Call me crazy but I hardly ever skip this step. I think applying a contour and a blush just helps to warm up your complexion, bring color to your face, and makes you look much better than you feel. In this tutorial I used a matte brown shadow for my contour and a pink baked powder from Milani for my blush. You can definitely skip contouring, but at least add a little blush to bring some color back into your face.

5. Eyes. I always like to have a little something on my eyes besides mascara. I use a matte shadow (either grey, brown, or whatever you prefer), and apply it to my upper lash line using an angled brush. To finish, I apply a couple coats of mascara. I used my favorite, the Maybelline Rocket Volume Express.

6. Eyebrows. No matter what I will always take at least 30 seconds to do my brows. For this look I skipped the Brow Wiz and used a powder from Lorac to just lightly fill in my brows. I set them using Anastasia's Brow Gel in Brunette.

7. Lips. You can totally skip a lipstick and just apply any chapstick or lip balm and be good to go. I love Burts Bees chapstick because the kind I use has a minty/tingly feeling that makes me feel like I put Vicks Vapo Rub all over my lips (despite the description it is actually a pleasant feeling). Sometimes I'll apply a nude lipstick over top just to give me a hint of color.

8. Hair. All I can say is: Keep. It. Simple. If your hair isn't a messy grease ball, go ahead and leave it down. For me, I think pulling it up just gives you a more polished look. My go-to is the sock bun and you can see how I achieve this look in the video.

 

What do you do to look better when you're sick and have to leave the comfort of your bed? I'd love to hear your tips!

xoxo

Dramatic Smokey Eye

Hello beauties! This tutorial is WAY longer than intended, but it gives you a super in-depth, step-by-step tutorial for how I get this dramatic, go-to smokey eye look. I love doing my eyes like this, and it's definitely a versatile look that you can switch out with other shadow colors, lips, and hair styles. Watch the video below or read on for a list of products I used. Also, check out my new page on beautylish, too for detailed product information, photos, videos and more! Hope you enjoy!

Samy Fat Foam Hair Color Demo/Review & Hair Update

After making the bold change from blonde to brunette back in October I've been tempted to try other dyes and brands while maintaining my dark locks. I've always wanted to go burgundy/cherry brown so when I saw the perfect color from Samy I knew I had to try it. The color I purchased was Dark Cherry Brown (in the video I keep calling it dark cherry red...my bad). Watch the video below or read on to find out my thoughts on this product!

Get Ready With Me | Full Face & Hair

Hello lovlies & Happy New Year! Today's video is a typical get ready with me -- how I get ready for work, a night out, etc. It's super easy to do and is totally versatile. It would look great with a bold lip or bolder eye shadows. If you don't want to watch the video but want to know what products I used, read below. Hope you enjoy! 

xoxo

It's Judy Time Palette Look | Update

Hello lovelies! It has been a hot minute since I blogged or filmed a video -- I started a new job, which I love, but it's consumed most of my life as of late. I also was unfortunately in a really bad car accident a little over a week ago and was injured so I've been laying super low trying to recover. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! I'm anxious to get back into the swing of blogging and filming makeup tutorials so stay on the look out for all that!

For Christmas one of my favorite gifts was my It's Judy Time eyeshadow palette. If you don't know who Judy is, you MUST check out her YouTube channels -- she is amazing! She has a vlog channel with her husband Benji and sweet little cutie bear daughter Julianna. She uploads daily vlogs and I have to say I'm completely addicted. She also has a mommy channel and a beauty channel. Recently she worked with BH cosmetics to create her own eyeshadow palette and it is BEAUTIFUL! Watch the video below or read on to see the look I created using her palette.

xoxo

2-in-1 | Holiday Hair & Gold Glammed Up Eyes Tutorial

I've been loving this gold eye look lately that I created using the original Urban Decay Naked Palette. It is so incredibly easy and versatile -- definitely one of my favorite looks for the holidays. I also included a holiday hair/retro wave tutorial in the video. Watch below or read on to see how I did it :)

Glam Holiday Makeup Look

I'm loving bold lips for the holiday season so I decided to film a makeup tutorial using Urban Decay's Vice 2 Palette and two bold lip options. Watch the video from my channel below and read on for more information about the products I used! :)

Oh and by the way, I linked-up with Kristin over at Your Beauty Fix for her new link up Tell All Tuesdays! Check it out :)

Holiday Hairstyles | 3 Tutorials for This Season

I was just thinking about how I wanted to wear my hair for Thanksgiving and decided to sit down to play around with some ideas, so of naturally I decided to film them. They are relatively easy and quick to do. Watch the video below to see how I got these three looks! :)

xoxo

How I Wash My Hair Extensions

Most days I rock my fake hair. I just clip it right in and I instantly have long, beautiful locks that I miss so much. Since I wear my extensions so frequently, I like to wash them every one to two weeks just to keep them looking semi-normal and not so much like a rats' nest that they can sometimes resemble. Watch the video below to see how I wash my extensions or read on for more information! 

Neutral Eye Look | Day to Night

I filmed these two eye looks using Urban Decay's Vice 2 palette. Although both are neutral looks, I added a couple things to take the first look up a notch for a more night-time smokey effect. Watch the video below or read on for more information!

Update & Wavy Hair Tutorial

First, let me address the elephant in the...blog? I decided to change the name and design of my blog. I simply liked the sound of Glam Candy much better than The Queen Life and I found this amazing design at Mlekoshi Playground. I love it! I switched my Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube accounts over to Glam Candy as well, and links for those are in the side bar in case you were wondering! :)

.....

Now for the hair tutorial:

Blonde to Brunette!

I've been wanting to change up my hair lately so I made the bold, brave move to go brunette! I haven't had my hair dark in over 6 years so this was a huge change but I'm absolutely loving it! To see my transformation using L'Oreal Paris Excellence Creme Hair Dye in 5AR Medium Maple Brown, watch the video on my channel or read on for more information and to see my before and after picture! :)