Smoked Salmon Look

 

For this simple yet elegant smoky eye, I used the Too Faced Sweet Peach Palette. If you don’t have this palette, a great alternative would be the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette.

This look is great for green and blue eyed individuals.

Steps are as follows

1. With a fluffy blending brush, buff the shade Georgia all over the eye to brow bone.
2. Using an angled blending brush, lightly blend Charmed, I’m Sure in the crease area. Be sure to hug the eye lid area.
3. With a small loose blending brush, lightly blend Tempting into the crease below Charmed, I’m Sure. From the outer corner going 1/2 into the lid.
4. With concealer of your choice and a small detailer brush, lightly cover the 1/2 of the lid starting from the inner corner.
5. Using a small brush, pat on the shade Bellini onto the concealer. With the brush used in step 3, blend until you have a seamless transition.
6. With a concealer brush, highlight the brow bone and inner corner of the eye with the shade White Peach.

There you have this simple Smoke Salmon Look.

What are your thoughts on this look? Let me know in the comments and don’t be afraid to give this look a like!

You can also follow Lidsnadtricks on Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Bloglovin’.

 

The Flamingo Look

For this avant-garde look, I clearly got my inspiration from an elephant. Haha, no just kidding.

I drew my inspiration from a flamingo with the thick black eyeliner to vibrant pink for this editorial look.

I used the Too Faced Chocolate Bon Bons palette for this look. A great alternative would be the Coastal Scents Think Pink Palette.

Steps are as follows….

1. Take the shade Totally Fetch with a sturdy pencil brush. Sculpt out the curvature of the cut crease from eyebrow tho inner corner.
2. Take a clean stiff blending brush and buff Totally Fetch upwards to the brow bone. Use the same brush and smudge Totally Fetch onto the waterline.
3. With a small detailer brush, lightly blending onto the lid area and cut a clean line from the inner corner of the eye to the brow bone or as desired.
4. Using a flat top blending brush, Sprinkle on top on the conceal area. Try not to tap or smear Totally Fetch.
5. With a concealer brush, highlight the brow bone with Satin Sheets.
6. Take a black eyeliner and outline the look, intentionally having a thick line. Try to go below the cut crease.
7. Take the brush from Step 2. and blend below the eyeliner with the excess on the brush and into the waterline.

There you go, you have this very avant-garde editorial Flamingo Look.

If you like this look, go ahead and give it a like.

You can also follow Lidsandtricks on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest,  Facebookand Bloglovin’.

Product Review: Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer

I’m not going to lie. I’ve had a stockpile of these in travel sized tubes just hiding in my makeup vanity. I don’t know why I never tried this product but boy am I glad I did!

Like most new sample products I receive with my purchases, I was sceptical that they weren’t going to work or they would annoy my sensitive skin.

This didn’t.

The Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer can be purchased at select Shopper’s Drug Mart and Sephora for $44 CAD.

It comes in 1 Fl.oz. and applies as a transparent silicone primer.

Application

I have tested this primer on everything from 4 hour days to 13 hours days. Under cool conditions and under muggy and humid conditions–and I was impressed.

As someone who has combination skin silicone primer tend to have a “melting point” where it simply can not keep up with the oil break through and pools into pores.

Under humid and muggy conditions this primer held up. There was still some oil breakthrough however it did not disturb the overall aesthetic of the foundation and there wasn’t any exaggerated pooling.

Why I would actually recommend this primer is for its smoothing properties. Yes, it’s silicone and silicone is meant to smooth the surface of the skin. However, this performed well on dry patches on an extended work day.

I find with other primer dry patches are generally emphasised in the later work day from the movement of the face. Although, I was aware I had dry patches on my face. You could not tell as the skin remained smoothed down.

Overall

There is a reason this has been the “best selling primer for 15 years!”

I will be purchasing the full size of this primer. Compared to other primers in the same price range I feel like the $44 CAD price tag is worthy of the product.

This primer is great for all skin type from those who have combination skin to those who have dry skin.

It blurs pores and fine lines but especially smoothes out dry patches. Which is my favourite characteristic of this primer!

Did you enjoy this post? Let me know in the comments below and don’t be afraid to give this post a like.

You can also follow Lidsandtricks on Pinterest, Bloglovin’, Twitter, Facebook, and  Instagram,

 

 

Blogger Besties of June

It’s that time of the month again where I share with you blogs and social media accounts I’ve been enjoying this month.

Because let’s face it we all deserve a little praise for our hard work!

WordPress: A Brash Attitude

This month I have been really enjoying A Brash Attitude a make and lifestyle blog that focuses on cruelty-free brands.

Bloglovin’: Craft Gossip

Craft Gossip is a great place for when you are lacking inspiration and you need to motivate yourself.  You can find everything from recipes to craft and home decor ideas here.

Instagram: Blondie+the Boys

Blondie + the Boys is by far one of my favourite fashion profiles to lurk on Instagram. The photos are flawless and the outfits are realistic to everyday wear.

Pinterest: Natural Life

I’ve stumbled across this on Pinterest. The Natural Life offers an array of positive thinking items for every day, car, and your household. ‘Cause lets face it we can all use a little more positiveness in our lives.

Youtube: Jen Heward

Jen Heward is a fitness entrepreneur who loves life! If you enjoy watching workout/nutrition videos that are positive and upbeat then you will love this!

As always, here are your monthly favourites as voted by you guys!

Deep Blue Sea Eye Look

This look was your favourite of the month, using blues in a smokey eye.

 

How Acne, A Concussion, and A Blog Changed My Life

I opened up to you about my life struggles and turned my flaws into a passion.

 

Swatch: Smashbox Be Legendary Lipstick in Primrose

An elegant lip shade for any occasion.

 

Finding Inspiration When You Have the Blogging Lulls

I shared with you ways to stay inspired when you blogging seems like the last thing on your mind.

If you enjoyed this post then go ahead and give it a big ol’ like.

Remember you also follow Lidsandtricks on Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook,  Bloglovin’, and Instagram.

Product Review: Black Head Pore Strip

Here we go again, another Korean beauty product from Amazon. Lately, I’ve had really good luck with charcoal masks from Amazon. So I was on the fence if I was going to be wowed by yet another charcoal mask or if the nostalgia had finally worn off.

The Black Head Pore Strip isn’t actually a pore strip like the product title says (perhaps pores strips are different in Asia?)

It is, however, a charcoal based peel off product when dried. It has similar properties to the Mask of the Month: Black Mask.

For a whopping $5 CAD you get 12 packets, but honestly, it looks like more when received. Shipping was prompt (less than 5 business days) and the items came together and sealed in a clear plastic bag in addition to being individually wrapped.

The Application

I found for best results to place this on your face after steaming or a shower to pull out blackheads (it does remove them just not a large amount like Biore Strips).

Cut a corner off the packet and squeeze onto the fingertips, place on areas of concern or all over (obviously, avoid hair unless you want to give yourself a cheap wax).

Be sure to spread in sheer even layers. Too much WILL cause dripping. IF this does happen don’t panic, wash your clothes right away with water and soap (I’m a very messy person).

When the product is dried completely lift from the bottom up.  This product doesn’t hurt when peeling up you will just feel the pulling of the skin.

Overall, the mask takes about 15-20 to dry and you can tell by the touch or if it has a sheen.

Overall

I love how these are packaged individually and are great to travel with (especially after being in an airplane with dirty recycled air).

That being said, the packets make them easier to store over a tube or jar like similar products on the market.

The Black Head Pore Strip has a great price at approximately $5 CAD for 12 packets.

**Here’s a secret you can actually seal this back up with a food saver because of the packaging!!

If you enjoyed this product review then don’t be afraid to give it a big ol’ like. You can also follow Lidsandtricks on Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin’, Facebook, and Instagram.

 

 

How to Improve Blog Traffic for Newbies

So you read Blog Advice for Newbies and have started a blog. Your numbers are whimsical and you’re scratching your head at your next steps.

Below are some pointers that I have learned over time that will improve your site stats in a week.

Link your Content.

As a reader, I am more inclined to look at other posts if it’s easy to find them (and quite frankly right in front of me). Look at the example above for Blog Advice for Newbies; it’s relative but older content that might be of some use to you.

Whatever you do, don’t link up unrelated content that won’t  be of any use to your readers. There’s really nothing more that will come to readers mind like “sellout”.

It is also a great idea to link to other content related to your post or products for your readers. This simply makes it easier for them to understand your content and comes as added value.

For instance, if you are looking for more in-depth information on blogging advice for newbies check out 11 Mistakes New Bloggers Make.

Lastly, promote your social media accounts. I’m not going to in depth about this as this will be a post: Social Media and Blogging for Newbies. But you can’t connect to fans if they don’t subscribe!

Use Headers and Format.

Unless you’re writing a college essay, you have free range to write in any style or format you want. What I’m trying to get at is: you don’t have to write in long lagging paragraphs. It doesn’t look pleasing to the eye.

Here’s what works.

Space out your content it’s easy to read and viewers are more inclined to stay on the page. Look at the Link your Content section it doesn’t go past 3 lines.

But there’s one more thing.

Implement bucket phrases when you have a lull in your content. See how I placed here’s what works and but there’s one more thing. These are bucket phrases also known as catchy little phrases to keep you tuned into dry and boring content.

Last but most importantly, use headers. Guess what?! Your headers can even be bucket phrases if you want them to be. This is something I personally do with either dry content or I want to get a cheeky point across.

Headers are the best way to break up paragraphs. No duh! Going back to high school on this one. But it applies the same in the blogging world. The difference is your readers aren’t going to deduct marks for using too many of them.

Access to Content.

As I stated in the first section your readers want easy access to your content. Perhaps the post I clicked on isn’t what I thought it would be? How are you going to keep me on your page? By having your post past strategically placed right in front of me.

This can be done numerous ways to do this from having a list of popular posts and pages on the side of your content or at the end of your posts. Heck, even archives are great once you have blogged for several months.

Did you find this content helpful? If so don’t be afraid to give it a like and add your feedback in the comments below.

You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Bloglovin’.

 

 

Peachy Outing Work Look

This look is simple and great for green and blue eyed individuals. The palette of choice for this is the  Too Faced Sweet Peach palette. However, any peach palette will do.

Steps are as follows.

1. Take Peaches and Creams and dust the lid entirely up to the brow bone.
2. Take Luscious with light dabbing motions and coat half the lid to the inner corner.
3. Take Just Peachy and blend from the crease to the lid halfway.
4. Dust White Peach on the brow bone and highlight the inner corner of the eye with Nectar.

There you have it, a very work appropriate look.

If you found this tutorial helpful then go ahead and give it a like!

You can also follow Lidsandtricks on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Bloglovin’.