• Beauty

    Glowy Makeup and a GIVEAWAY!

    mom beauty style makeup skincare fashion hourglass ambient light palette

    I adore a glowy makeup look, especially in the summer. Today I’m giving the step by step on how I achieved this look using the Hourglass Ambient Light Palette.

    Primer – First I primed my skin with the YSL Touche Eclat Blur Primer. It has a subtle shimmer to it that blurs everything and gives you a major glow!

    Corrector – As always I correct my under eyes with the Becca Corrector and a concealer brush

    Concealer – I conceal my under eyes with It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye using a Beauty Blender

    Foundation – For foundation I used Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk with a Beauty Blender

    Brows – I lightly filled in my brows with Glossier Boy Brow in Blonde. Sometimes I fill in my brows more but for this look I wanted to keep it light.

    Powder – After my liquids set in I dusted all over using the Hourglass Ambient Light Brush with the Dim Light color for the palette. This powder gives you some major glow, honey!

    Bronzer – Using the Ambient Light Brush again I used the Radiant Light color from the palette anywhere the sun would naturally hit, under my cheekbones, and my jaw line.

    Highlight – Again I used the Ambient Light Brush and highlighted along the tops of my cheekbones, the tops of my brow bones, and down my nose using the Incandescent Light color.

    Blush – I applied Marc Jacobs blush in Kink and Kisses on the apples of my cheeks.

    Eyes – I used the Naked Basics Palette in the color Venus all over my lids, Faint in the crease, and Crave along my lash lines.

    Mascara – I applied Covergirl Clump Crusher Waterproof to my lower lashes (I have extensions on top).

    Lips – I used Charlotte Tillbury lip liner and lipstick in Pillow Talk.

    And this is your lucky week because I’m giving away an Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette and brush to one lucky follower! Head over to my Instagram to enter! Good luck!

  • Beauty

    New Skincare Favs

    Skincare Beauty Perfect Flawless Mom Style Fashion Blogger Milwaukee Wisconsin

    I am a total skincare junky and I can’t resist trying new things! I always come back to some iteration of my 5 Steps for Great Skin but here are some items I’ve recently been testing and loving:

    Omorovicza Thermal Cleansing Balm – I first tried this as a sample and loved it enough to try a full size. I use this as my oil cleansing step to take off my makeup at the end of the day. The charcoal helps to pull impurities out of the pores and legit makes me look like I have no pores. It’s ah-may-zing!

    Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask – I’d been seeing this all over and hearing great things so of course I had to try it. I use this as the last step in my skincare routine at night as a final hydrating step to seal in all of my other products. I’ve been waking up with hydrated, glowing skin, and who doesn’t want that?!

    Drunk Elephant Protini Peptide Cream – I am new to the Drunk Elephant brand but love their philosophy of clean ingredients that are proven to work. I read a review of this where the girl said after a few weeks of using this product it looked like she’d has Botox. I was instantly sold with those kinds of claims! I wouldn’t go that far yet, and let’s be honest that girl was probably in her 20s. But it’s a great moisturizer and I can definitely see some firming effects when using it. I’ll report back if it is truly life changing.

    Drunk Elephant Babyfacial – Another DE product – I got this one as a mini in part of a set. This is an alpha hydroxy based chemical peel you leave on for 20 minutes a few times a week and then wash off. In love! It makes my skin as smooth as a baby’s bottom! Following this up with the Summer Fridays mask is a winner.

  • What I'm Luvving

    What I’m Luvving This Week

    TGIF! This was the first week I had a full 5 days in the office in a while and it felt looong. Ready for the weekend for sure! My parents are coming up on Saturday and I go to NYC for work next week so I will be packing and getting ready for that.

    Here are a few things I’m Luvving this week…

    A Rose All Day Hat? Count me in! // This cleansing balm makes me look like I have no pores // I would wear this necklace non-stop // Still loving the straw bag trend // This mask is super hydrating // I’m going to live in these cute little lace espadrilles all summer // Picked up this easy breezy maxi last weekend

    I hope you all have a fabulous weekend! Any fun plans? I’d love to hear!

  • Beauty,  Style

    5 Minute Face

    5 Minute Makeup

    During the week I’m rushing around in the morning – getting myself ready, getting Margot ready, and rushing out the door. I usually try to throw a load of laundry in and get something started in the slow cooker so we have dinner when we get home, too. So obviously I don’t have a ton of time to do my makeup in the morning. This is my every day makeup and only takes me about 5 minutes and then I’m out the door!

    5 Minute Makeup Routine

    Of course I always start with a clean, moisturized face and make sure I have on my sunscreen, and my go-to Olehenriksen Banana Bright eye cream.

    First I apply my Becca Undereye Brightening Corrector with a concealer brush and tap it in.

    While that sets in I apply Benefit High Beam to my cheek bones, above my brow bones, down the bridge of my nose, the cupid’s bow of my top lip, and the center of my chin. I like a glowy, natural look for work and this gives me a lit-from-within glow.

    I conceal my under eyes with It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under-Eye in shade light with a damp Beauty Blender. This hides my dark circles without drying, creasing, or caking my under eye area. A little goes a long way! Only use a dot on the tip of your Beauty Blender!

    Instead of foundation I just use a little concealer where I need it. I apply Bareminerals Bareskin Concealer in fair to the corners of my nose, the corners of my mouth, down the bridge of my nose, and in a little star shape between my brows. I use the fair shade so that it brightens up these areas. Blend with the damp Beauty Blender.

    For my brows I love Glossier Boy Brow in blonde. It lightly fills in and holds my brows in place.

    Next I set with Honest Beauty Invisible Blurring Powder with a Bobbi Brown face brush. I swirl the brush in the powder, tap off the excess, and lightly stipple the powder over my face, and then blend.

    For my shadow I use the Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette and apply with an Ecotools double ended brush. I use the blender brush with the shade Primal on my lid and crease and then use the liner side of the brush with the shade Undone to line my upper and lower lash lines.

    For blush I like to use a cream blush for this look. It’s quick and easy and looks dewy and natural. I am currently using RMS Lip2Cheek in Demure.

    Next I do mascara. I have lash extensions (worth every penny!) so I don’t need anything on top, but I do use Covergirl Clump Crusher Waterproof on my bottom lashes.

    Lastly I finish off with a swipe of lipstick. Currently loving Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk – a perfect pinky nude!

    I hope this helps you get ready quickly in the morning! Leave me your questions and comments below! Or if you have any product recommendations you think I’d like – I always love that!

  • Beauty,  Style,  What I'm Luvving

    What I’m Luvving This Week

    Happy Friday! I’m super excited about this Friday because I’m going to Chicago to see Taylor Swift tonight! If you’re not following me on Instagram you definitely should – I will be posting lots of snaps from the concert on my stories.

    Here is a peek at what I have in my cart this week…

    An easy smocked cami // Love the little tie detail on these shorts // This sweater would be perfect for chilly evenings // These tassel earrings would complete the look // A chic pair of simple flat sandals // Yet another moisturizer I’m trying out

    Have a great weekend! Any fun plans? I’d love to hear!

  • Beauty,  Style,  What I'm Luvving

    What I’m Luvving This Week

    Happy Friday! Memorial Day Weekend is upon us! What I’m Luvving this week…

    A super cute boho top // Gotta have a good pair of jorts to kick off the summer // Red tassel earrings to add a pop to any outfit // Just might have to get this adorable bikini // I’ve been living in these affordable flat sandals // In love with this dress and the cute tassel hem // Trying out this new self tanner since I am far from having a real tan

    Anyone have any exciting plans for the long weekend? I’d love to hear!

  • Beauty

    The Five Steps You Need For Great Skin

     

    Today on Lauren Luvs I want to talk about skincare. I am obsessed with skincare as self-care and love trying new products. With that said, sometimes I go a little overboard with trying new things or my skin is freaking out for whatever reason and I always go back to this simple, 5 step basic routine:

    Step 1 – Oil Cleanse I know what you’re thinking – Why would I want to put more oil on my face? Using an oil cleanser is a great way to remove makeup, sunscreen, and build up from the day. The oil helps to draw dirt and impurities out of your pores. I like to use a dedicated oil cleanser that emulsifies with water and rinses clean. My current favorite is Banila Clean It Zero Purity. This is a gentle, non-comedogenic cleansing balm that is suitable for most skin types. Put directly onto your skin dry and massage for about a minute, rinse off with warm water.

     

    Step 2 – Neutral PH Facial Cleanser Growing up I always thought that a cleanser needed to be somewhat harsh to really clean my skin – the opposite is true in fact! Harsh, stripping facial cleansers can damage your delicate moisture barrier and invite more bacteria into your skin, causing breakouts. Our skin’s natural PH is neutral and we need to use a neutral cleanser to keep that balance. My current favorite is Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser.

     

    Step 3 – Moisturize After cleansing we need to moisturize to keep it from feeling dry and tight. I like to try out a lot of different types of moisturizers based on what my skin needs that day but the one I consistently come back to is Cerave Baby Moisturizing Lotion. Don’t worry it doesn’t smell like baby. I like to use this one because it has all the great ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide of the classic Cerave lotion but since it’s suitable for babies it’s also formulated without parabens. I use it on Margot, too!

     

    Step 4 – Don’t Wash Too Much! Often I feel like we are told if we want clear skin we need to wash our skin night and day. This may not necessarily be true! You may be over-washing your skin and causing it to over-produce oil. As long as I did my skincare routine the night before, my face should be relatively clean when I wake up. First thing in the morning I like to rinse my face with warm water and pat dry with a towel. That’s it!

     

    Step 5 – Sunscreen The last step may be the most important. The number one thing recommended for anti-aging? Sunscreen! Oh and it lowers your risk for cancer, I mean that’s good too. But seriously I am all about aging gracefully and I do not want wrinkles and sun spots for as long as I can help it. To get true, age defying, cancer preventing coverage, you need to wear SPF 50. Every. Day. I tend to be a fan of Japanese sunscreens. They’re lightweight, non-greasy, and go great under makeup. One of my favorites is Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence.

     

    Obviously skincare is very personal and what works for me might not work for you, but hopefully this post is helpful. If you try out this routine I’d love to know how it works for you! Hit me up in the comments!