Certified, unabashed lipstick addict here. If I am out of the house– ok, if I’m awake– then I am wearing something on my lips. I’ve been a lipstick addict since I was a young teen. Back in the day, I was a fan of this really amazing frosted bronze-nude Beauticontrol shade called “Nude Icing”. It made me feel sophisticated and grown up and perfectly polished. I, never having been one to stick with just one thing, counted the color “Diva” as my other favorite.
Diva was all that the name implied and more– the vampy, deep wine color brought the same drama to my lips that being a teenager brought to my life.
It’s practically my life’s work, you know, the collecting and documenting lipsticks that look incredible on brown-skinned beauties. In a world where darker skinned women don’t see themselves reflected NEARLY enough in the beauty world, it is a mantle that I wear with pride. After all, someone has to do it!
In the video below, I swatch and try on 5 of the best lipsticks for brown skin. Ranging from nude to purple to red, there is nothing but moisturizing, brilliant colorful goodness here. All of the lipsticks are from Beauticontrol’s Hydra Brilliance line so you know that you can grab your favorites from me here or by popping by the TRS shop and clicking on “Beauticontrol”.
It’s officially wintertime round these parts. December was incredibly warm, seriously, it was ridiculous. Beautiful. Fantastic. But it was ridiculous. And now that we’re headfirst into the month of February, we have been hit with real winter weather and with it, comes real winter skin woes. Masks are an increasingly popular skin care solution and it is not difficult to understand why. Using a mask is a convenient and direct way of infusing ingredients topically on the skin. Beauticontrol’s Oxygen Infusion Radiance Masque and Exuviance’s Pigment Lifting Masque both deliver promises to enhance and even tone so can using these masks be the key to brighter winter skin?
Bubble masks and sheet masks also just happen to be two of the trendiest masks on the market. Sheet masks are just what you think they would be: all you need to do is unwrap your mask and place it on your face. There are holes for the eyes and nose and mouth so that the mask is easily moldable to the shape of your individual face. The masks are drenched in a serum that can be rubbed into your skin afterward for long-lasting benefits. Bubble masks are delivered in a form that when exposed to the air, oxygenate and bubble on the skin. The infusion of oxygen perks up dull skin and is designed to leave you with a rejuvenated complexion.
The Beauticontrol Oxygen Infusion Radiance Masque is a bubble mask and part of the BC Spa Bright line of products and is designed to be used as a complement to the Spa Bright Illuminating Serum, both pictured below.
The Oxygen Infusion Radiance Masque is without a doubt, a “you can feel it working” product. The masque is dispensed from an airtight pump (remember, it begins to bubble when exposed to the air!) and you apply a thin, even layer onto clean, damp skin. Within a minute, you’ll begin to feel the mask activating on your skin…literally. All of the sudden you will feel 1000 teeny explosions dancing across your skin’s surface, it feels a bit like a little festival. But on your face. Yeah. Ok, ok… that’s not a thing.
After the bubbles die down and you’ve rinsed the remaining mask off of your face, you’ll be surprised at how smooth and well, bright, your skin looks. The mask is recommended for weekly use or any time that your skin needs a pick-me-up, the results are instant and transformative. When used with the twice-daily Illuminating Skin Serum, you will notice dark spots from acne and/or hyperpigmentation fading and a smoother skin texture overall. You can get both of these products here.
The Exuviance Pigment Lifting Masque is a sheet mask that promises to do its part in the fight against skin discoloration. The mask feels slightly cool and refreshing once you’ve laid it out on your face so I took more than the prescribed 10 minutes and kept the treatment on my face and laid down. This, unlike the shower-friendly bubble mask, is definitely a “relax and take your time” type of treatment. I wish I could recommend a glass of wine to go with your mask induced chill time but since you really can’t move your face, I will only suggest that you stick with a nice white. #StainsForDays
The mask gives you an instant moisture boost thanks to the rich, concentrated serum. Once you’ve rubbed the remaining serum in, you are left with undeniable supple skin. The Exuviance’s masks are sold in a set of 6, which mean 6 weeks of this treatment. I was sent this product for review purposes and I am halfway through the box. I’ve been pleased by the results so far and have been able to incorporate it into my existing home spa routine. Man, I am going to be too beautiful to handle soon.
The Verdict
I’ve been using both the SpaBright set and the Pigment Lifting mask in tandem for the past three weeks and I’m going to give the brightening claim a go. I had a particularly horrible acne battle a couple of months ago. (It was nuts. I was able to tamp them all down before they became full blown explosions but seriously, they WOULD NOT STOP.) In the almost-acne aftermath, thanks to my aggressive pimple murdering techniques, I had some dark marks. Now, nearly a month later, the lighter marks are gone and the deeper ones are making their way out of the door as well.
Do you have a masque du jour? What is your secret for combating winter dullness?
If you’re a regular here at The Right Style, than this woman is probably a familiar face. If you’re a newbie, meet my mom, Kyle. She’s a character, that’s for sure and she’s my very first beauty inspiration. Never one to let time pass her by, she showcases the way she does beauty over 50.
I took these photos of my mum when we were having our casual Saturday selfie session. ( I’m joking. That’s not a thing.) She had just gotten the new Lovely Eyes palette (on sale RIGHT NOW!) and was pretty much 100% on her diva schtick.
Honestly, it wasn’t hard to see why.
My mother is a woman “of a certain age.” (Hint: I’m 30 and she was 27 when I was born. You do the very simple math.) She is a Beauticontrol consultant so anti-aging is a big part of her business, but she uses a few makeup techniques to keep up her youthful appearance.
Summertime and the living is easy! And hot. And a bit melty. Wearing makeup in the summertime is a balancing act– you want to look bright and vibrant but you don’t want to be overly made up; if you’re anything like me, you want to be as naked as possible when it’s hot outside. I created this super simple makeup routine to help you beat the heat but still look chic! (I made a rhyme, y’all!)
My phone rang. I was being invited to an important, potentially life changing meeting. I tried to hide the shock induced stammer in my voice and, of course, said “I’ll be there.”
I hung up the phone, holding it a little too loosely between my fingers. My mouth was left so wide open, I am still shocked it didn’t develop a rug burn. Then, I felt the side of my lip slowly curl into the biggest “I’m so proud of myself! I can’t believe this is happening!” smile and let out a squeal reminiscent of my 13-year-old self at a Backstreet Boys concert. (Funny how our goals and priorities shift as we age, isn’t it?)
