DIY Brush Cleanser

     Cleaning your brushes is a must! Deep cleaning your brushes should be on your planner every week and spot cleaning them is every time after you use it. Although, I gotta admit, I'm lazy about cleaning my brushes. It's such a chore!!!!! But cleaning your brushes will prevent break outs and help your brushes last longer. Spot cleaning your brushes will show your products' true color, not a mix of the eyeshadow you used yesterday and the one you want to use today. The recipe that I'm going to share to you is fairly simple. I actually got it from Enkore, but I doubled the recipe so I don't  have to keep on making it. You might even have all the ingredients in your house already!

Recipe:

Spray bottle

2 cups of purified water

1 tbsp of antibacterial soap (choose a color you prefer)

1 tbsp of a gentle shampoo

1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil or a liquid leave in conditioner

1/2 cup of alcohol (I prefer 90% or more)

     The spray bottle could be bought anywhere such as Target, Walmart, Dollar Tree or any beauty store. Just pour all the liquids in the bottle and shake! Make sure you shake the mixture every time before you spray it onto your brushes. You don't want to get your brushes too wet when spot cleaning it, just enough to get the product out and onto a paper towel. But, if you prefer dipping the brush in a bowl of the cleaner, go ahead. The drying process will just take longer. There is no need to rinse the brush after spraying the cleanser. I also like spraying this on my brushes after deep cleaning it to let the olive oil moisturize the brush bristles and the alcohol fight any remaining bacteria. Remember to dry your brushes flat or upside down! I hope this helped! I'll try to post a video on my YouTube channel: agapesbeautyarmour and attach it to this post. Have a wonderful day!!!!!

DIY: Lip Exfoliator

    It's time of the year again when bright lipsticks are a must! They are just so fun to wear, it makes me happy just looking at them! What is bit disappointing is seeing them all feathered out. Bright lipsticks tend to make them stand out more and it just doesn't look good -- at all!!!!!!!! If you're lips are dry that they're peeling, those dead skin are what causes the nasty feathery look. When this happens, I exfoliate my lips then tada! My lips are soft and most important of all SMOOTH! Lip products glide on easier and your lips are healthier! The recipe? It's super easy that you might already have them in your pantry!!!!!!

Recipe:

A small jar or bowl

1- 11/2 tbsp of brown sugar

1-2 tsp of honey

      Mix the sugar and honey in a bowl or jar. If you want to add more sugar, go ahead! Rub this on your lips GENTLY! Rubbing it too hard will cause your lips to feel sore. Wipe away the exfoliant with a wet towel. Now, grab that bright lipstick, then glide it on to your soft and smooth brand new lips! Mwah! I hope this helped!

How to Apply a Blush/Blusher without Looking Like a Clown

          I've seen too many girls or ladies, whatever you prefer, apply blush too heavily. They kind of look like clowns! That was mean but I can't help it, it annoys me too much. The only time I have to wear that much of a blusher is when I'm on a play because the lights really wash out people. Sometimes I feel like coming up to them and tell them that they look ridiculous with that much blusher on! I'm guessing they've never heard of the phrase: a little bit goes a long way. Anyway, enough with the ranting. Let's get down to business on how to apply a blusher.

          There are several ways to apply this, of course, but I want to share to you the two ways I do. I'm not saying you have to do it this way. I'm just saying don't apply too much.

1. The most common way to apply a blusher is on the apple of your cheeks. The easiest way to find this is by smiling. The area on your cheeks that is most "plump" would be the apple. This technique is great for younger people but for someone who has seen more years, not so much. What happens when a more mature woman smiles places her finger on the apple of her cheeks and goes back to her normal expression? The apple of her cheeks actually appears lower compare to when she was smiling. So if she or whoever is applying a blusher, I've seen several guys put on makeup for a play, applies it on the apple of their cheeks; then their cheeks would look saggier. Not so attractive. In theatre makeup, if we wanted to look older we apply the lines for wrinkles and the blusher lower than it should be because it draws the illusion of gravity being your bff.

2. What do I think is the best way to apply a blusher? I think the best way to apply your blusher is like applying a contour. By starting near the hair line of your cheeks, without smiling, and working your way towards the center of your face. This creates the illusion of a more defined cheek bone. Most of the product will be where your natural shadow would be. Because if we actually look at the shadows of our face, near the hair line would be the darkest. Again, a little bit goes a long way. There's no need to apply more of your blusher to make the cheek even because we want that gradient effect -- darker by the hair line and lighter near your nose. This trick would look great on anyone whether your immature or mature! Lol!

        I hope this helped!!! I can't stress enough how unattractive too much blusher look like. So remember, a little bit goes a long way!

Prevent Eyeliner and Mascara Smudging

          Raccoon eyes are so unattractive and annoying. Eyeshadow underneath the eyes for a smoky eye effect is wonderful, but when it starts looking like you've got the worst eye bags ever, not so much. Smudging underneath the eyes tends to happen much more during the summer or whenever you sweat. I have several tips I want to share to you. Keep in mind that we have different skin and some of these might not work for you, but just try them and see what happens.

Prevent mascara smudging
Curl your eyelashes for 20-30 seconds each. Also, if you have long eyelashes curl it in two areas: close to the root and near the tips to give it a more natural effect.
Wear waterproof mascara. Waterproof or new mascara tends to be wet and that makes it easier to smudge on your skin. I advise taking off the excess product by scraping it on the tip of the bottle. Some like to put in on their hands but I don't want to waste my product so I just put it in my bottle. Apply on your eyes. You don't have to dip it in again since you just want a little bit of product anyway. This also prevents clumping. If you really like a lot of mascara on your lashes, let it the first coat of mascara dry first, then repeat the whole process.

Prevent eyeliner smudging
Wear waterproof eyeliner.
Wear a primer.
After applying the eyeliner, dab on a matching eyeshadow on top of the liner to extend it wear time.

      I hope these tips help! If you have any you want to share, just let me know and I would greatly appreciate it!

Sculpting Your Eyebrows!

        If you want a more polished look, sculpting your eyebrows would definitely help! This would also help if your eyebrows are not exactly at their best state such as being too thin, uneven, of have unwanted hairs. After I sculpted my eyebrows for the first time, I decided that it is worth the extra time! The process is really simple and fast. The trick: when you apply your gel or shadow or pencil, try to write lines on your eyebrows that would blend in with your natural eyebrows! I bought the e.l.f eyebrow kit from Target and fell in love with it! It really gave my eyebrows more definition without looking too dark or unnatural.

Instructions:

1. Prep your eyebrows by brushing it. if you want your eyes to appear bigger or just look more awake, brush you’re your eyebrows upwards.

2. Take your brush, dip it on the gel of the kit, and coat it well.

3. I section my eyebrows into 3 parts: the section by the inner corner of my eyes, the center, and the tail. I always go to the first section then "write" my eyebrows in. Now, you don't want a long continuous line all the way to your eyebrow, especially if you want it to look natural. try to draw in "hairs" in places you wish there would be more!

4. Take your powder shadow and apple it to your eyebrows using a brush similar to an eyeshadow brush. Do the same trick as if your writing hairs. Keep in mind that you don't want to go past your eyebrows since it might just look like your face is dirty.

5. If you want to brush your eyebrows again, you may.

6. Enjoy your much more polished eyebrows!

            I posted a video down below. Check it out to see how I do mine!

How to Contour Your Nose

            If you don't want your face to look as flat, shadowing your cheekbones, nose and temples would be a good trick. Especially for people with flat face, like I do, shadowing my nose is a must, if I want to look more 3 dimensional. Also for people who are about to take pictures of themselves, if you don't want to look as flat, shadowing you r face would be a good idea. Many of you know how to shadow your cheekbones, but how about your nose? This tutorial will show you how! I have also posted a video on YouTube pertaining to this topic.

            The materials I used are the e.l.f. Eyebrow Kit and C.Q. eyeshadow in Burnt Gold. Now you can use any product you want, and you can easily adapt those products to this tutorial!

Instructions:

1. After applying your foundation and face powder, dip your middle finger in the shadow you want to put on your face. In my case, the light brown powder in the e.l.f. eyebrow kit. After dipping your finger in and making sure that you have enough, spread the powder into your opposite hand's middle finger.

2. When you have equally spread it, apply both fingers with the shadow on the middle of the SIDE of your bridge. Starting at the middle will make it easier to spread the shadow.

3. Rub the shadow up and down on the SIDE of your bridge. Make sure that you go all the way to your eyebrows to make the shadow look more natural.

4. After applying the shadow, highlight the TOP/CENTER of your bridge with a small brush, you could use an eyeshadow brush. I used the CQ eyeshadow in Burnt Gold.

5. Enjoy your much more defined nose!

My Face Cleaning Routine!

             I can't insist enough how important it is to clean you face after your day, especially when you have perspired and worn makeup. When your face gets dirty, the dirt gets embedded in your pores and if you don't wash it off, the dirt will stay there creating blackheads, pimples or other blemishes. Every cleanser is different, it also depends on your face. Some people may have dry face, oily skin, or even combination! If your face is also sensitive, you should take more precaution. For me, I have a combination skin and prone to blackheads.

              The products I'm going to talk about are the products that work for me. These products may also work for you and they are also affordable!

Equate Microdermabrasion Wipes

       - I already made a product review of this from a previous posting, but as a reminder the wipes are amazing! I love love love these wipes so much that I keep on buying them! One pack comes with 60 wipes. You can buy it in 2 packs (120 wipes) for only $7 at Wal-mart!

Up&Up Exfoliating for Blackheads and Blemishes Or St. Ives Exfoliating Scrub for Blackheads

        - These products work wonders for me! They really clean my face and remove dead skin cells. I usually use the Up&Up scrub for an everyday use and the St. Ives if I want an extra boost.

Clean & Clear Blackhead Mask

         - Another product that I really love, even my brother borrows this from me! When I apply this on my face, I can feel it working. It doesn't hurt, it just feels a little cool. You need to apply it on your face just enough that you can't see your skin. It takes a while for it to dry, but when it is, it turns white, then you just rinse it off and pat dry with a soft towel. You can see a big difference after using this product, I just love it!!!

Clean & Clear Astringent

         - This astringent prevents me from getting pimples, especially around the time near my period. The downside is it does dry your skin and the smell is really strong. This happens in every astringent, so you can't really escape it. Just be careful when you put the astringent, since the smell is extremely strong even if it does not touch your eye, it could still hurt just from the fumes. I would still buy this product because, like I said, it prevents pimples and other nasty blemishes!

Clean & Clear Morning Glow Moisturizer

         - This moisturizer is really cool. When I put this on my face, it gives my skin a boost and it creates a glow due to the shimmer that’s in the lotion -- like glitter. It smells fresh and has spf 15. The downside, the moisturizer has a thin consistency than I have to put a lot and on the really dry parts of my face it doesn't work well. But I really like putting this on my face before I put on my make up because of the glowing effect and skin boost!

Petroleum jelly

         - Petroleum Jelly has many uses, one of it is as a moisturizer. On the parts that my face gets extremely dry that it starts flaking, I put this on lightly. My face comes out smooth and soft!

             Just as a reminder, every product works differently on various people. Also, I do not get paid to make any of these reviews.

              I also posted a video on how I do my routine down below.

How to Make Your Very Own Hair Mask!

A girl's hair can make a difference on how she presents herself. Some style their hair by curling, straightening, crimping, dying, perming, relaxing, and I can go on and on about this. Some use a lot of product such as hair spray, hair gel, mousse, anti-frizz, gel, wax, and again I can go on and on about this! But some, all they do is wash their hair and comb it but their hair is still dry or unmanageable! This could be because they don't take in enough vitamins in their body, hence their hair also lacks the vitamins it needs to give the hair its luster. In this issue, I will show you an easy and extremely reliable way to gain your hair's softness and shine!

Materials:

• Deep conditioning cream or your regular conditioner
• Coconut milk
• Something to mix with (spoon, teaspoon, blunt knife, etc.)
• Shower cap
• Hair clip or hair tie
• Blow dryer (optional)

Instructions:

1. Gather all the ingredients needed. For the deep conditioner, you can use a product that you already have that doesn't work for you or your favorite conditioner. If you just bought and new conditioner, you may need a separate bottle since we're going to add on to that. The coconut milk can be bought in any grocery store, especially if they have an Asian section. The milk may come in a box or a can, and is really cheap!
2. If your using a new conditioner, pour it in a separate bottle about half way; if not, then just open up your conditioner.
3. Shake the can or bottle of your coconut milk really well before opening it, but if you already did just stir it with a spoon.
4. Now, combine your  ingredients! Pour the coconut milk into the bottle with your conditioner a little at a time. You want a consistency that is similar to a cake batter or a runny regular conditioner.
5. Mix your batter or shake it, making sure that the conditioner on the bottom of the bottle is also mixed in with the rest.

6. Apply the mixture into a clean, damp hair just the way you would your regular conditioner. Remember to focus on the tips of your hair since this is the part that gets the least vitamins.

7. Comb your hair out to ensure that every part of your hair is covered with your brand new hair mask!
8. Gather your hair in a bun with a clip or a hair tie and cover it with a shower cap.
9. If you want the best result, blow dry your hair that's in the shower cap for 15 minutes. If you don’t want to blow dry, leave it in for about 30 minutes. If you just want a quick pick me up, you can leave it for 5 minutes, it really depends on how soft you want your hair to be.
10. Keep the mixture in the fridge if you have any left overs and use it again when needed
11. Rinse your hair thoroughly and style as usual!
12. Enjoy your soft and silky hair!

I posted a video of this on YouTube and I'm going to try to add it in here as well. I hope how-to instruction helped you out!