Thursday, July 11, 2013

How To Highlight Like Kim Kardashian

No matter what your opinion is of Kim K. you can't deny that this girl's makeup is flawless! One of the hallmarks of her bombshell makeup looks is a face sculpting, lit from within glow curtoursy of a genius concealer highting technique her makeup artists use.

The concealer highlighting technique places a lighter-than-skintone shade of concealer on the areas you would typically highlight: cheekbones, nose forehead and chin.


I've been playing around with this technique for a couple of months now, trying tons of different products in an attempt to achieve the perfect replication of this iconic Kim K look. After LOTS of trial and error I've finally found the products that work best for me from where else but my favorite brand, MAC!



MAC's Pro Longwear Concealer is the perfect concealer for this look. It is densely pigmented while still being extremely blendable; it takes no time to seamlessly blend this product into your foundation. You can place and blend this product with your fingers but I've found that using a brush really helps make this heavy conceler look it's best. I like to place and blend this product with a foundation brush like MAC's 190 or with the pointy end of my beautyblender.

For this look you should pick a concealer that's a couple shades lighter than your skintone, so while it's perfect for under eyes you'll still need another concealer to conceal any other redness or blemishes!



To set the concealer and intensify the highlight I LOVE using MAC's iconic Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Light. In addition to setting the concealer this product has a gorgeous, subtle sheen that makes your face glow and keeps the look fresh instead of heavy. I use MAC's 188 Small Duo Fibre Face Brush to place this powder over the concealer, it picks up just the right amount of product and it's the perfect size for precise application.


























With so much matte highlighting it's easy to get washed out by this look. It's essential to warm up the rest of your face with a powder that matches your skin tone (I use MAC's Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium) or for a more dramatic look, you can warm up even more by applying your favorite bronzer.

Swatches left to right: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Light, MAC Pro Longwear Concealer in NC20


























This crazy pic is a quick breakdown of where you should place the concealer and powder highlight to achieve Kim K's look. The lighter-than-skintone concealer and powder should be applied to the areas that are circled in black while all remaining areas of your face should be warmed up with a skin-tone matching powder or darkened with a bronzer.

Here's a quick breakdown of the products mentioned in this post:
MAC Pro Longwear Concealer, $18, can be found here.
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural, $30, can be found here.
MAC 190 Foundation Brush, $33, can be found here.
MAC 188 Small Duo Fibre Face Brush, $35, can be found here.
(can you tell I've been lovin' on MAC recently? ;)

I hope you liked this post! Have you tried out this dramatic highlighting technique? Let me know in the comments below and don't forget to follow Katie's Beautique on bloglovin!
Monday, July 8, 2013

MAC Mineralize Charged Water Moisture Eye Cream Review


I've finally, FINALLY found it! My HG eye cream! MAC Mineralize eye cream, I pledge my undying love to you.

Unlike all of the eye creams I tried to love before, you don't sting my super-sensitive skin. You never make me wait; you sink right into my skin. Best of all, you're such a smooth operator, making my under eye concealer look better, brighter and more even than ever!



This product really is the perfect daytime eye cream. With it's gel-like consistency this product provides exceptional moisture payoff and still doesn't demand any of the typical trade-offs we've come to expect from a daytime eye cream: you spend absolutely no time waiting for the product to set, and most importantly you don't sacrifice the look or staying power of your under eye concealer at all.
 


If you don't have particularly dry skin, this eye cream would be great for both day and nighttime use. I personally love to slather on super-rich moisturizing products right before bed, but until I find the perfect thick, non-irritating nighttime cream I will be religiously slathering this baby on for both day and night.


The product costs $35 and can be found at MAC Cosmetics here.

I hope you enjoyed this review! What eye cream do you use? Let me know in the comments below and don't forget to follow me on bloglovin!

xoxo - Katie
Friday, July 5, 2013

Inspired Fashion: Gelato

The summer is heating up, and the hotter it gets the more I crave...gelato! No other sweet treat delights the senses like the fresh flavors and bright colors of gelato. Of course, nobody does gelato like Italy does gelato.





Unfortunately, a $2,000 plane ticket stands between me and my favorite frozen treat, but that won't stop me from translating the refreshing, colorful fun of gelato into a playful summer outfit!


Gelato Look

Gelato Look by katiesbeautique

What inspired me to create this outfit was the giddy, child-like excitement you get when you walk into an italian Gelateria! Simple stripes and high wasted shorts are made playful by bright, candy colored jewelry, nail polish and a big bow for your hair! To keep it from going too girly I added a menswear style saddle bag and a simple pair of cut out flats.

I hope you enjoyed this post! How are you doing beating the heat this summer? While real Italian gelato is a little out of my reach I have been relying of lots of fro-yo to keep me cool ;) What's your favorite summer treat? Let me know in the comments below and don't forget to follow me on bloglovin!