Whenever I get to spend my morning with my friend and makeup artist, Aga Rhodes, I know it is going to be a good day, Like many of you, I struggle with wanting to look pulled together while also wanting to make zero effort towards doing so (LOL). SO I invited her over to give me a makeup lesson (PRO TIP: find a makeup artist you love and trust, use them for special events. But have them TEACH you how to do your own makeup so you stay current, and are using what is best for your skin). On the agenda on this day was a great look for every day now that we are (supposedly) in summer and warmer temps. Also, shout out to Tracy Cohen at Gucci for my sick sweatshirt that I am obsessed with! 😆

A few tips from Aga:

Build a foundation, and that has nothing to do with “base” these days. Start with a clean face, and make sure the skin is not dry or oily.  Instead of slopping a foundation right away, use products like skin oil, and diffusing highlighter so that you can give the appearance of bright, healthy skin that you can see through the makeup. For me, now at 40, something else that is important to me is making sure that my eyes don’t actually show the huge circles that I always have (even as a kid) but now are so much more prominent. Literally when I heard the words “face oil” I was a little unconvinced, I have seen this product with Aga multiple times but was always wary of oil. What I love about the Astraea is this (straight from their site), “A deeply hydrating face oil. Prickly pear oil reduces the appearance of fine lines, helps prevent premature wrinkle formation, brightens dark under-eye circles, calms redness, and helps relieve sunburn, squalane hydrates, plumps and softens your skin, jojoba oil helps control acne, controls oily skin, helps with eczema and psoriasis and grapefruit essential oil acts as a natural anti-bacterial…” So, I tried it and was HOOKED!

The diffusing highlighter by the way literally gives me life on a daily basis.

Using a foundation that is water based helps to “mimic” the skin that you are in, giving a fresh look without the cake feel. Instead with Face Atelier, you get a highly pigmented, long-lasting innovative foundation that provides buildable coverage with a natural-looking, dewy finish. Sign me up!

Use highlighter on the eyes and even under the eye – these products are meant to serve many purposes so she says go for it, but maybe start with less than you think so you can get used to it.

Never forget your eyebrows or your eyelashes! Making sure that you brows are shaped and shaded is key to a well balanced face. Also Aga loves the Stila brow color for this because it is something that can mimic the “micro blade” look without the permanancy or commitment.  And, curling your lashes instantly lifts the eye which helps with that tired feeling. While she does not have a favorite go to mascara, she does say that the curling makes most of them pop that much more! For Aga, the best curler is Shu Eumera

Liquid eye shadow, but use a brush! So still makes a liquid shadow that goes on smooth and easy and super light, adding just a touch of color and a hint of shimmer. We were looking for a really well rested easy and bright makeup look that could get me through the day and this was a really fun little product to learn about!

Blush Blush Blush! Rose gold tones are in these days because they can match so many skin tones, and a little dab on the cheeks goes a long way! This stilazzi palette that she used on me is called “Barbados” and I love it for summer!

and of course, always finish with a gloss or a lipstick that you love. Aga likes to encourage me to wear sheer but with color so I have a little extra pop to my day. This entire process took about 20 minutes from start to finish, and is one that I felt really comfortable in and most importantly, confident! That really is the key to looking your best isn’t it? Happy glamming to you, and don’t forget that Aga is not just someone that I use – contact her today and get yourself a makeup lesson! 

All of the products we used are linked below, and the photos are courtesy of Collin!

 

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