Crazy Week!

What an insane past week! I feel like I've gotten nothing done, but have had several things break and had to get them fixed!

My camera died. Very sad. I can salvage the photos from the SD card no problem, but the camera is no longer able to take pictures. :(

The water heater blew up and damaged personal items. Thank God that's over! And our awesome apartment has helped us with expenses!

The air conditioning died in our apartment for 2 days and we slept in the 100 degrees. Thank God that's fixed!

Now I feel like I can get back on track with things. Sorry for you followers out there who were missing their "Fresh Friday" this past week. I have some sweet posts coming out that you wont want to miss! My good friend Whitney told me I should do a special on Foundation for the girls who are afraid of it. HAHA! That gave me a sweet idea, to go through all the steps of makeup application and explain who what where why when, etc. So stay tuned for that!

Meanwhile, in skin care land, my face was getting SO dry, that my tried and true friend Mr. Neutrogena Oil Free Moisture Sensitive Skin lotion hasn't been able to keep up. I don't want to throw him away because he is wonderful, so I bought something new to boost the moisture in my face and it is AMAZING!!

May I introduce to you the new Neutrogena Naturals collection! Clean, smooth, beautiful skin with no harsh chemical sulfates, parabens, petrochemicals, dyes or phthalates.

I bought the night cream, featured in the front round jar on the left. Let me tell you!! I added it to my night regime and YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAWWWWWW!!!! My face was like....YES!!!!!!!!!!! FINALLY THANKYOU!!! It's super soft, moisturized, clean, clear, and happy!!

So stay tuned for new posts on your favorite subject! YOU + YOUR FACE + MAKEUP!

Happy Hump Day!

Lenea <3

My Makeup School Notes!

So yesterday, I was doing a little organizing of my makeup, tools, and books and I found my old notes from makeup school! I think I sat and read them for about an hour. In this industry, it's always important to go back and revisit the basics!

I was reading and reading and I thought to myself, it would be cool to do a little bloggy post on the top 10 biggest mistakes we all make when doing makeup! I've done it, my friends have done it, and I'm sure your favorite makeup artist has blooper-ed once or twice!!!

So here's my list of what I think are some of the 10 biggest mistakes in makeup land:

1) No confidence! - the fear of what other people think makes you produce that bad energy while you're either applying makeup as an artist or a consumer.

2) Not waxing or plucking facial hair and brows. - Your hair will NOT grow back thicker. Actually, the more you pluck, tweeze, and wax, your hair is least likely to grow back.

3) Not blending! - My amazing teacher beat the art of blending into our heads!! MANY THANKS TO HER!!!! <3 <3 ****If you don't blend one color into another, it looks streaky or like a paint by numbers painting! HA HA HA

4) Misusing bright colors - There is some pretty RAD makeup work out there with some pretty KAARRAAAZZZZAAAYYYY colors!!! But if not applied correctly, the colors can highlight or draw attention to features in a negative way or just sit on top of the face without looking like a part of it.

Here's a photo of some crazy colors applied by yours truly! VERY blendy. VERY careful to place color in good places. I had a blast doing this one.

5) Not thinking about the person's age and style - People can look great at any age!! The same makeup cannot be worn at 65 as at 18.

6) Wrong foundation choice - Most people have yellow undertones, not pink as many think. When you choose a foundation, it's always safer to stay on the yellow or golden side. If you're at Sephora, MAC, Dillards or any cosmetic counter trying foundation, you want to test the foundation on your neck. Not your cheek, not your arm or hand. Why? Because you're ultimately trying to blend your foundation down your jawline and neck and you don't want that unsightly color line where the makeup ends and the color of your skin begins.

7) Not curling your lashes!! - It is necessary!! If you apply mascara without curling first, it actually closes the eye rather than opening it.

*******TIP O' THE DAY*******
~Take the curler and place it at the base of your lashes. Squeeze and hold for a good 5 seconds. Then slowly start walking the curler out towards the edge of the lashes, squeezing as you go. This will help prevent the ugly right angled look.

8) Applying powder eyeshadow or powder blush without any makeup or just foundation - Your skin has many natural oils that will grab the product and hold on tight!!! It will darken and look super splotchy. After foundation, you should apply face powder to look your foundation and create a perfect canvas for blush and shadow.

9) wrong tones - When you're applying makeup on a dark goddess, makeup with blue tones in it can make them look very ashy. I hate that!! They have such beautiful skin, why not maximize it?!!?! Use golden-orange colors instead. These brighten and warm the face.

10) Last but certainly NOT LEAST!! Smoking. - This isn't my political stand, but let's be honest here.... Smoking is bad for you. We all know the long term effects, but did you know that smoking constricts blood vessels in your face, deprives the skin of oxygen, and also dries the top layers of your skin like the sun can!! YIKES!!


If anyone has questions, comments, or ideas for the blog feel free to comment below!! Would love to do what you guys want!! Hope everyone has a fantastic day!!!


To color matching and curled eyelashes!!

Lenea <3

Proverbs 31:30, "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."

Makeover Time!

This past Saturday, I had the privilege of spending some girl time with a very deserving young woman: Cara, a wife, mother of two, and full time worker.



About a month ago, I nominated Cara for a hair makeover with my good friend and hair stylist Ariana Thiem (Visit her site here).

Ariana changed Cara to a platinum blonde with splashes of chestnut low lights. WOW! What an amazing change! Cara loved it. Then the cogs in my head started turning... what if we took this a step further?!!??

So what did I do? I brought Cara to my house for a day of pampering and fun. The ULTIMATE GOAL: to deposit seeds that demonstrate higher value. (thanks VH1's The Pick Up Artist!) I want Cara to feel good about herself on the inside and out!

First, I introduced her to facial products that will fit her face perfectly and that wouldn't bust the budget! Hey, sometimes I can't afford Oil of Olay prices! A great simple cleaner for her was Neutrogena Extra Gentle skin cleanser. Easy, oil free, and helps keep her sensitive and dry skin moisturized. Next, my absolute favorite light weight facial moisturizer is Neutrogena Sensitive Skin lotion. It's oil free, easy, and gets the job done. Apply this after you wash your face in the morning, and after you wash your face at night.

Step 2 was going through all her makeup. Cara loves blues, blacks, silvers and grays. It's only natural to find these eyeshadows and colors in her little bag. I made a deal with her. I told her she could keep those colors if she would let me teach her the more advanced smokey eye techniques in the future after she's nailed applying her new look on herself. She agreed. I don't know about any of you, but I love Walgreens' Drug store. They have a gigantic cosmetic section and we're having a L'Oreal sale while we were there! Score! I helped her pick out some eyeshadow palettes that were complimenary to her skin tone and eyes.

This quad: "Subtle Berries"

And then a quad similar to this one:

Next, was foundation. Cara needed a medium coverage foundation to help with the redness in her face. One of absolute favorite drug store foundations worked perfectly for her!! L'Oreal's Visible Life with Serum and SPF 17. Everything her face was screaming for!!

We also purchased Maybelline Define-a-lash mascara, and I gave her a bottle of Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion that I had lying around.

We ventured back to my house and then I plucked, shaped and groomed her eyebrows. Then the makeup began! I did one half of her face and showed her every technique she needed to achieve the desired look. Then, she had to do the other half!! With me standing next to her of course! Hands on training is the best!!

After finishing that, I made her sit down, and I gave her a glam look with fancy glittery lip gloss and false eyelashes to make her feel extra special!!

DRUMROLL PLEASE!!!!! Introducing the new Cara!!!! YAY!!!

Doesn't she look great??!? It's been two days now and she's told me, "Thank you for believing in me! It feels good to have people supporting me in bettering myself." And that's what being friends is about. Using what you have to bless others.

Do something unexpected for someone today.

Pay it forward,

Lenea <3

Luke 10:27b - "Love your neighbor as yourself."