When to Toss Off your Makeup?

If you are a person like me who is very conservative and possessive about their Makeup, then of-course you don't wish to toss it away any time! But...huhhh..the reality states that there is an expiration date (to everything) and you gotta throw them away when it arrives.

Well makeup doesn't come with an Expiration date (mostly) and hard to know when it has gone bad.

1. Look for any Chemical changes in them, like if its smelling foul, lost its oil (oil floating on the surface), colour change, or getting harder. If any of these changes has happened in any of your makeup, then its time to toss it off. Mainly you will see thease kind of changes in Foundations, Concealers and Mascaras.
2. No matter how pretty the packaging or the actual products looks, if you got that Ishh a reaaalllyyy long time ago, show its way to the trash can my dear.
3. Any Liquid Makeup with a pump lasts longer than the ones without,just because its untouched and bacteria-free. That doesn't mean its not gonna go bad. Throw it away if its been eating dirt for too long.
4. If your lipsticks have developed a mossy or foggy layer around them, then surely you gotta return them to the brand or toss it away.
5. If you see any skin irritations like acne, redness, infections, etc. Try to switch up the products daily one by one. By this you will know what is not working out for you and you can throw that away.
6. If your powders (eyeshadow, blushes, loose powders, bronzers, compacts, etc) have started to develop a thin layer of oil on the surface, its no need to worry as much. But if the oil formation is a lot and starting to smell, then its time to toss it away.
7. Try to avoid wearing makeup and using makeup tools when you are having any kind of infection or so. This will reduce the fungus to transfer on the product and contaminate your valuable makeup. Washing and cleaning your tools regularly (once a week) will help in keeping your makeup long lasting. This applies to Nail Polishes too.
8. Finally Just keep on changing your makeup every 8-12 months for safe reasons and to stay hygienic. If you are doubtful about a particular product or don't remember when you purchased it, just throw it away.

Below is a Art work I created with the maximum duration of a product:

And something that I discovered recently; A website which will tell you exactly when you need to toss the item, with Manufactured date. This was something really awesome! 

Please visit www.checkcosmetic.net and you just need to enter the item code in the space provided along with the brand name, and it will give you full details of your product. I literally sat in front of the computer and checked almost half of my stuffs and tossed so many! You will be surprised by what you discover my friends.

I hope this will help you guys in some way! As always, thanks for tuning in
* Wireless Hugs* :)

How to Choose / Match The Right Foundation

Foundation is a base for your everyday masterpiece, your makeup. If your foundation is not strong/accurate (to the way you like it), your makeup wont have a value against it (you wont be happy). There are so many choices and colors, it can be confusing how to find which foundations works best for your skin and how to find the right shade.

Not everyone has the same Foundation needs; such as full coverage, or oil control, lightweight for working out, or just something to even out skin tone. It is something based on your personal preference.

The below things you should keep in mind while choosing the 'one':

1. Undertone
2. Skin type
3. Finish
4. Coverage

Undertone: Warm / Cool / Neutral

Before you go ahead and pick out your foundation, you need to know what undertone category you fall in. Do you look pink, yellow or a mixture of both? Once you know your undertone, it will be easier to match your foundation falling the same undertone category. For full details on how to determine your undertone, checkout my previous post HERE.

Skin Type: Normal / Dry / Oily / Combination

Now that you know your undertone, you need to figure out what is your skin type. Is it dry, oily, normal or Combination. This is important as well because an oily skin type wouldn't require a dewy finish foundation, instead a matte or semi-matte finish foundation would work better. Similarly for dry skin a matte finish foundation would end up looking cakey, instead a dewy or semi dewy foundation would enhance the appearance of the skin.

Foundation Finish: Matte / Semi-matte / Satin(Dewy) / Natural

Now depending on your skin type, you can check what kind of a foundation finish you want to go for :

• Dry: semi-matte, dewy, or satin finish foundations. This will help put back some oils onto the skin and give a fresh finish.
• Oily: matte or semi-matte finish foundations that are oil free. Matte will help create an even canvas and minimize shine.
• Normal: matte, semi-matte, or slightly dewy foundations. If your skin is normal you can choose pretty much any Foundation and it will work with you.
• Combination: (both dry & oily)- usually those who are combination skin tend to be more on the oily side, but are dry in some areas. Look for matte or semi-matte finish foundations that are oil free. Matte will help create an even canvas and minimize shine.

Coverage: Sheer(Light) / Medium / Full

Image from www.painted-ladies.com

Your foundation coverage totally depends on what occasion you want it for; daily use, party, bridal, etc. Or maybe just your choice!

There are foundations available in different forms in the market with different coverage, holding, lasting, etc. powers. Foundation are available in Liquid, Mousse, powder, cream, spray, mineral, etc. Its you who has to decide what you're comfortable in working with on your skin.

• SHEER/TINTED: very subtle(barely there), illuminating, so natural features like freckles can still show through.
• MEDIUM: quite natural, but at the same time can cover up any blemishes, redness or imperfections that you want to cover up.
• FULL: will completely cover anything you want to cover and conceal.

Know your Skin Tone

Now that you are clear with all the steps before buying your foundation, you need to know what skin tone (remember, Skin tone is different from Undertone) you have. Every brand foundation ranges from Very Light to Very Dark. I'm a light-medium.

How and Where to match your Foundation?

You should always match your foundation in a natural light. Now you may ask, how can I get natural light in the store?! Well my ladies, I always recommend taking a sample of the foundation (or Foundations) home from the store, they always keep samples/containers for handling out few pumps. If they don't, then you can carry your own little container to ask for the same. This will be really helpful to check the foundation with a couple of applications and uses. You can see if is suiting your skin type/tone well, etc. and also you can check in natural lighting how its complimenting your skin.

If you are shy to ask for a sample (which you shouldn't be), then in the store itself find a spot with maximum lighting and hold a mirror in your hands. Make sure no shadow is formed on your face due to any object interference. Then choose a couple of foundation shades which match closely to your skin and apply it on the side of your face creating a straight line starting from your cheek till below your jaws. (As shown in picture). Blend away each line seamlessly, don't mix up the shades. Now you can check which shade looks more flattering on you and you're done with the 'one'!

I Hope this helped you understand how to choose the right foundation for yourself, if you have any questions or suggestions please leave a comment or contact me via any of my social media :)

DISCLAIMER - NONE OF THE PICS IN THIS POST IS MY PROPERTY, ALL TAKEN FROM GOOGLE. NO COPY RIGHTS INTENDED.

How to determine your Undertone? Cool / Warm / Neutral

The most battling topic with each and everyone of us, choosing the right Foundation and Concealer! It can get frustrating and out of the head if not understood the basics of it. Well I didn't get pro at it in 2 days, it takes some time of-course.

Types of Undertones (Warm/Cool/Neutral)

Warm, cool or Neutral? Its not Rocket Science guys, just as simple as ABC.

COOL:Skin Colour:  blue, pink skin undertones Eye Colour: blue, violet, grey Hair Colour: blonde, brunette

NEUTRAL:Skin Colour:  fair or light pink, olive, yellow skin undertones Eye Colour: all Hair Colour: all

WARM:Skin Colour:  yellow, orange skin undertones Eye Colour: brown, green, hazel Hair Colour: brunette, red, blonde

How to Determine your Undertone?

Vein test - in a natural light, look at the inside of your wrist; if the veins appear greenish this indicates you have yellow undertones and thus would have a warm skin tone. Veins that appear to be more bluish indicate a cool skin tone. And if its a mixture of both like turquoise/aqua then you're a Neutral my lady.

The white fabric test - You need to tie a ponytail, freshly wash your face and pat dry, stand in front of the mirror in good lighting ( Natural sun lighting recommended) and tie the white fabric around your neck. If your face appears to have red/pink tones, you have a cool undertone. If your face appears to have yellow/golden tones, you have a warm undertone. If your face appears to have both pink and yellow tones or it doesn't appear to have any tones, you have a neutral undertone.

Silver/Gold test - If you think you look better in gold than silver, this indicates a warm skin tone. People with cool skin tones usually look better in silver. Try the same with silver/gold fabric, what do you see?

Colours you can Rock with your Undertone

Some colours you can rock in your Make-up, Outfits, etc. to enhance your look

I hope you found this post helpful and I shall be doing a foundation and Concealer post very soon! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask away!