Photo by Corey Ann

I would like to introduce you to a new monthly guest poster over at Courageous Homekeeping.  Her name is Kelsey.  She is Andrea’s sister in law and a make-up artist.  She is going to do guest posts full of make-up and beauty tips for all of us.  I believe that beauty is an issue that is often put on the back burner of our lives because there are so many things that come first.  But I also believe that beauty is a Biblical issue and one that we need to not overlook as it is an important part of being a woman and believe it or not, it’s important to our husbands… which should make it important to us as well.  Enjoy Kelsey’s tips!  ~Kristi

Hey there Courageous Homekeeping readers! My name is Kelsey and I was so excited when I was asked to be a guest poster on the topic of Beauty. Beauty is something that I think all of us, no matter how much time we have, want to achieve. I know how hard that can be! I am a stay at home Mom to two children. A two year old boy and an almost 6 month old girl. Life is busy and chaotic EVERYDAY and sometimes the very last thing on my mind is mascara or even a shower!

That being said, there are A LOT of things that us busy Mom’s can do to not only make ourselves look better but to make us FEEL better. Lets face it, if Mom’s not happy, no one’s happy. For my first post on this topic (and it’s a BROAD topic) I’m gonna fill everyone in on my favorite products for quick beauty. These are the saving grace products that I use on the days when my baby is crying and my toddler is drawing on the couch with marker! Aren’t those always the days that you have to run errands and need to look half way presentable? Here are my go-to products to get me out the door looking like LESS of a hot-mess!

Dry Shampoo-

This product is a LIFE SAVER for busy Mom’s that don’t have time to wash their hair everyday. (It’s also not always good, especially for color treated hair, to wash it every day) I personally like “second day hair”. If I’ve styled my hair the day before (flat ironed, curled, etc.), then all I have to do to get the greasies out is to spray some dry shampoo on my roots and at my temples. Spray a little in, rub it in real well till its dry, and go! Its that easy! Its great for you ladies that have bangs too because those are always more greasy on the second day. This stuff is really hard to find for a cheap price. I buy one from Ulta. Its called Rub out and its by the brand Ojon. Its about $20 for a large can and it’ll last you a LOOOONG time. A little goes a long way so, although its an investment, its worth it!

Concealer-

This is probably my most important beauty product. I have dark circles under my eyes which are made worse by stress, lack of sleep, not enough water, etc…which, lets face it ALL happen on a daily basis. If I put on under eye concealer then I immediately feel more confident and more awake. Concealer is not so much about the brand you use but how you apply it. I prefer a concealer in a pot because you have more control with the amount you put on. Here’s a tip for you ladies, whenever you apply anything with your finger to your eye you want to use your ring finger. You use a much lighter amount of pressure and you won’t tug the delicate skin under your eye. Once you have the concealer on your ring finger you want to tap it under your eye. DO NOT RUB…not only does rubbing irritate the skin but it rubs away the make up that you are trying to apply. Tap it on under your eye…this also works great on blemishes. You can work in layers. I usually apply two layers. Do one eye, then do the other eye, then back to the first eye and so on. After you are done applying the concealer under your eyes, put some on any blemishes or redness on your face, cheeks, or nose. Then take a clean eye shadow brush and brush a little translucent (i.e. clear) powder (Physician’s Formula makes a good one, or any of the drug store brands will work) on over the concealer to set it. That last step is a MUST. You know how annoying it is when you apply under eye concealer and within an hour it starts melting into the creases and lines under the eyes (not like you ladies have any of those ) Well this will put a stop to the creases and make the concealer last all day! I usually follow this step up with a light dusting of powder all over my face and a little bronzer or blush on my cheeks.

Eye Brow Pencil or Powder-

Ok now this step is MAJORLY important to me, but might be optional to any of you lucky full-browed ladies out there. I have to fill in my eyebrows. They are very light and hard to see and I just feel like a gigantic blob with no definition if I don’t fill them in! You can use two different things to fill them in…a pencil, or a brow powder with an angle brush. I have used both but prefer the powder because it is WAY more natural. The pencil is great if you are in a major hurry and would be great to keep in your purse for putting it on in the car if you’re rushing to the store or soccer practice. At home though I use the powder. The key here is getting a brow powder that matches your hair color closely but is more ash based. If you are a blonde then you want the powder to be a dark blondish gray. If you are a brunette you want a dark brownish gray. Most brow powders have the ash undertone so you shouldn’t have anything to worry about as long as you buy the one that coordinates with your hair color and skin tone. There are quite a few drug store brands out there that offer brow powders but my favorite one is by Sonia Kashuk at Target. It should come with a small angle brush in the kit, but I find that you get a lot more control using one with a long handle. The way to apply brow powder is to use a hand mirror…or climb up onto your bathroom counter to get as close as possible…tilt your head down and then look into the mirror (You get a much more realistic view of your arch) then lightly brush some powder into your brow. Start from the point closest to the bridge of your nose and work your way out to the tip making sure to stay within the natural arch of your brow. This is EASY…I promise. It’ll take some practice to get your brows to look symmetrical and natural but you will totally get it. Now if you’re thinking to yourself, “cmon I don’t need to fill my brows in…that’s an extra step I don’t need to take” then I will ask you a question…Would you hang a gorgeous painting on the wall without a frame???? Of course NOT! The eyebrows are the frame to your face. They give your face definition and expression and life! Ok that’s my rant on the importance of eyebrows. Do with it what you will!

Eye Lash Curler-

Vital…absolutely vital! I could not apply mascara and have it look decent at all without my lash curler. I have fairly long eyelashes, but they are stick straight! No curve at all! I use my lash curler and I look more awake and more polished instantly. I don’t even have to apply mascara on top as long as they are curled. Mascara rocks though and is a very important step in looking polished! My fave lash curler at the drug store is the Covergirl one….but my FAVORITE favorite one is by Shu Uemura and is available at Sephora, or Ulta.

Mascara-

This is my last step and is honestly usually done in the car at red lights. Yes I’m THAT woman…don’t judge! I have TONS of mascara brands that I like so I can’t tell you just one and have it work for absolutely everyone…so I’ll tell you several and hopefully one of them will work for you….

Lash Blast by Covergirl-It rocks. It volumizes, lengthens, darkens, and does your laundry. jk…but I totally wish it did. This is by far my fave mascara.

Voluminous by Loreal-Makes super lush, dark, full lashes. Super popular in magazines and works for A LOT of people.

Great Lash by Covergirl-The one in the hot pink tube. You’ve all seen it before. Its been around since we were in diapers and its still a number one seller! Great basic mascara…it does what it says and it stays put with no flaking.

Lash Stiletto by Maybelline-I love love love this mascara!! I usually use Lash blast first and then brush this on over the top. You get amazing length from this mascara. This is my fave mascara if I only have time for one coat…plus it has a super skinny brush that gets the bottom lashes really well too!

That’s it ladies. You are now ready to brave the aisles of Target NOT looking like you just rolled out of bed! Thanks for reading and I look forward to posting next month!

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