How To Wear Dark Lipstick

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One of Fall's hottest trends right now is dark lipstick. It is an ultra edgy look that if done right can look really beautiful. Today, I am going to share some tips on how to wear this look. Step 1: Exfoliate your lips. Dark lipstick enhances dry or cracked lips so you want to start off with a smooth surface.

Step 2: Apply chapstick. Let it sit for a few minutes, you don’t want to apply the lipstick to a fresh coat of chapstick because the color will run. During this time you could apply your face makeup. Remember to keep the eye makeup minimal. You want the lips to be the main attraction.

Step 3: Line and fill in your lips. Lipliner helps to keep your lipstick from bleeding. If the lipstick does bleed you can take a lip brush and apply some concealer around the lips.

Step 4:  Apply lipstick. You can either use a lip brush or apply directly from the tube.

If you want to gradually work your way up to wearing a bold, dark lip, you can apply your lipstick as a stain. You can easily achieve this look by applying your lipstick with your fingers.

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Will YOU go bold with dark lips this Fall? Let us know in the comments below!

Happy Styling,

Rebekah

* The lipstick pictured above is Revlon's Black Cherry.

How to Bring a Summer Look into a Fall Style

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 The Summer Romper + Tights

This Romper from Anne Taylor Loft is so comfortable and cute that it shouldn't be put away for next spring.  Why not try a pair of tights to give a little bit more warmth for the cooler weather?  With the romper's classic colors and a simple polkadot, try adding an odd but subtly interesting pair of color tights.

Feet Romper

 The Summer Romper + a Leather Jacket

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With this outfit, a pale orange pair of tights was chosen to bring in the color of this unique rust colored leather jacket.

 Pairing your lighter summer outfits with tights, a leather jacket, and EVEN tall boots that are neutral in color - is a great way to pull your summer looks into Fall!

Links to MORE Trends that can be pulled from earlier this year into Fall

 

Photo Credit: Casey Taylor

 

Fashion Cents: Tips for Buying Cheap Clothes

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Written by Alexis Gauthier Good-day Lovely Ladies! Alexis here :D I’m so excited to be part of the new Fashion ¢ents campaign, because a good fashion bargain is fashion that just makes sense. Today I wanted to share with you my heart behind this fashion feature and even give you girls a few tips on how to work the thrift store bargains!

Imagine yourself at a holiday party, fun friend outing, or even just walking the halls of school. No matter where you are, your desire is to look and feel confident, however with the pricy trends that have made their way to the runway and front covers of magazines, it is difficult to afford diverse outfits, let alone one astounding look! I’ve been there. We all have, however I was lucky enough to jump on the thrifting train at a young age.

Once I learned that I could get the same looks at thriftier prices, I never went back. Why? Because my clothing items were original and affordable. Sometimes it takes a little more time and effort, but I also get more for my money, so I have more options to choose from! Here are some of my thrift store secrets.

 

Salvation Army – 50% off Wednesdays

A lot of Salvation Army stores discount all of their shoes, clothing, and accessories 50% off all day on Wednesdays. I love this sale because I get twice for a price that’s already a bargain. Alexis Jean Vest Alexis Purse

A couple of my favorite items found at a recent Salvation Army 50% off sale!

Ask for discounts!

You never know how much money you can really save until you try. One time, I was shopping with a friend who was in an especially particular time financial crunch because her wedding was just weeks away. It was to the point that she couldn’t even afford the thrift shop prices, so I explained her situation to the cashier, and the sales clerk was sweet enough to add an ADDITIONAL 50% off. Another time, I had picked out a shirt with a lot of holes in it, which I didn’t mind because I know how to sew, and I showed the lady the holes and asked if I could have a discount. I ended up scoring the shirt for 50 cents!

Color of the day discount

Goodwill and Salvation Army ALWAYS have a color of the day. If you find clothes tagged with that color, you get a discount. It’s always like a treasure hunt, but definitely worth the search.

College discount

If you’re in college, almost every location honors students with a 10% off discount. I’ve been using this discount since high school by presenting my dual-enrollment ID. If you’re not in college, check your local thrift store for similar discounts like senior discounts etc. and plan a thrifting adventure with a college mentor or grandparent so you can use their discount.

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Okay, so here is one of my BIGGEST thrift secrets. There’s select Goodwill locations that are called Goodwill Headquarters. These locations are usually very large buildings with two sides: there’s the normal store with a very large selection, and then there’s section that is 99 cents a pound. You need to have a lot of time on your hands to sift through the tables and buckets of clothes, but it is so affordable in the end. I’ve been twice, spent $7 both times, and left with about 15 items on both occasions. That averages out to about 50 cents per item. My favorite buy was a sequin pair of Express shorts.

Plato’s Closet grab bag sale

This is one of my absolute favorite discounts, however it only happens once or twice a year, depending on location. Every summer Plato’s Closet draws in crowds of fashionistas with the alluring temptation of gently used name brand clothing combined with extra low prices. How? They have a grab bag sale! The object of the sale is to stuff as much clothing and accessories into the bag as possible so that it can still tie, and then all the contents of the bag are yours for just $20. I’ve lined up for this sale before, in which the line wrapped around the building and girls of all ages ran inside when doors opened. I ended up leaving Plato’s Closet spending $20 and getting 25 items of nearly new clothing, all because I strategically folded and stuffed.

So, there you have it: some of the best discount tips from the bargainer herself! I hope you enjoyed. Leave some feedback so I know what YOU want to hear about in my next Fashion Cents feature.

The possibilities are endless.

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Six Steps to the Perfect Summer Look + Glitter Eyeliner

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by  Make-up Artist Ashley Carrel 

Step one: Use skin type appropriate toner and moisturizer. It's great for oil control, and helps makeup go on smooth and evens texture. A good skin care routine helps enhance and create a great canvas for your everyday makeover. Used on this lovely model, Danielle: BC Spa Facial PHA Regenerating Tonic and BC Spa Facial Moisture Lotion with SPF link

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Step two: Choose correct formula of concealer and primer.  Usually for teens an oil free non-comedogenic formula is best. I used a very light and smooth formula in yellow to cover up dark circles under the eyes. I used a bit thicker formula for coverage of breakouts. There are three basic color primers choices:  1) yellow for dark and sallow skin, 2) green to cover pink and red, 3) and mauve (pink) to cover yellow tones common in Asian skin types. Used on Danielle: Secret Agent yellow primer for dark circles and Extra Help concealer in light for breakouts

Step three: Choose skin appropriate foundation. For FL summers I always recommend BC Wet/Dry Perfecting Foundation. It has a perfect balance of powder to the formula, and it blends and soaks up your natural oils throughout the day. Also it has great natural coverage for all skin types and is available in a huge variety of shades. Used on Danielle: Y-2 BC Perfecting Wet/Dry Finish

Step four: Use a good matte bronzer for contouring blush application and a good “pop” color for apple of cheeks. Bronzer is for areas you want to shadow and for the apple of your cheeks. Color may vary for skin types. Used on Danielle: Tuscan Sun Bronzer for mid cheekbone and out to ear applied in circular motions/ Pink Mineral blush for apple of cheek to create that sun kissed, fresh face look.

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Step five: Eye primer, eye shadow, eyeliner and mascara. It is especially important for summer to use a good eye primer.  With oils of the day, your shadow can crease and smear. A good primer will keep that from happening. I recommend urban decays primer potion and for a more affordable option, BC control crème.  A good shadow should come with a full palette to work with like BC Color Shadow Trio’s. It provides three colors to accent the different parts of the eye. For a summer fun flare and a fun pop of color I chose a hot pink glitter eye liner! Used on Danielle: BC Control Crème in Taupe /BC color eye shadow trio in Au Natural /Perfecting Eye liner in black /Glitz Hot Pink Glitter /and Glitz Eye Glue to adhere glitter (water based, it's a one of a kind formula)/ for Glitter Eye Liner use angle tip duo shadow brush to apply (press on, not rub on)

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Step six: Finish with a nice natural Lip Liner, Lip-gloss and Hydrating spray to set foundation. You can't go wrong with a nude lip for everyday wear! Bright lips are all the rage this summer, but may work best with a softer eye look. Used on Danielle: Nude Lip Perfecting Pencil /Bare BC Color Lip Gloss / and BC Herbal Hydrating Mist to set foundation.  It's also great for a cool down mist for a Hot Summer day. Keep it in your purse and on hand; it’s a hot day life saver!

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Article and Makeup by: Ashley Carrel

Photo credit: Elizabeth Garrard

Images Edited by: Jen Duarte

Get This Look: Jenna's Bold Eye Makeup

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The colors of this season are soo exciting for a makeup artist like myself.  Bright and bold, just like me! LOL!  Pops of color have always been a great way to play up your makeup. However, pairing a bold lip and bold eye without looking like a clown, can be tricky.  To recreate Jenna’s fun Bold Eye Look, follow these easy steps: When using bright and pigmented colors, it essential that you prime your skin properly to ensure the makeup stays put!  On Jenna we used the Glo Conditioning cream to hydrate, then immediately primed her skin with the Glo Face Primer, and more importantly, the Glo Lid Primer.  The lid primer ensures that eye shadow stays put.  It also removes any discoloration and mattifies the eye area.  Other popular brands for priming the eye before shadow include  Urban Decay’s Primer Potion and Two Faced Cosmetic’s Shadow Insurance  which can be picked up from Sephora.

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I wanted Jenna’s skin to have that “airbrushed” look so I applied Glo Minerals Satin II Liquid Foundation with a dampened foundation brush and lightly dusted her face with Glo Minerals Perfecting Powder to set.

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To give her a soft glow I applied Glo Liquid Highlighter to her cheek bones and down the center of her nose with a taklon fiber fan brush, such a pretty sheen!  I then applied a soft rose pink blush to the apples of her cheeks.

On to the star of the show..the eyes!  Any bright richly pigmented color will work for this look.  I chose a jeweled green.  Apply a pale highlight color (white or cream works best) to the brow bone and inner corner of the eye.  Next apply the color of your choice to the eyelid and just above the crease.  Pat on a little extra color to make sure the color is deep!  Use a clean crease brush to blend the crease and soften edges.  Use this same color and a smudge (or pencil) brush to smudge just underneath the lower lash line.

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Next, line the upper and lower lash line. I used Stilla’s smudge pot in black and dragged the upper lash line out a bit to create a little wing.  Then smudge a little black shimmering eyeshadow directly onto the upper and lower lash lines directly over the cream, gel eyeliner.  And finally, add lots of black mascara!

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For her lips I tried two different Lip Colors and both looked great with her bold eye.  First I tried Glo Minerals Lip Stick in Socialite, a pale soft pastel pink.  Second, my favorite, I applied Glo Minerals Lip Color in Treasure, a bright intense hot pink - loved it!!

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Jenna said she loved her look so much she was going to have to plan something to do that night!!!

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Article and Makeup by: Melissa Kinsey

Photo Credit: Elizabeth Garrard

Images Edited by:  Jen Duarte