Pages

Friday, August 08, 2014

Makeup: Almay's Pretty & Easy Look! + Giveaway!



Almay Beauty Review & Tutorial

A few weeks ago I was invited to an Almay Picnic event and workshop, with several other bloggers, at the beautiful Sky Yard at The Drake Hotel in Toronto. The event was led by Almay Canada's National Product Trainer Jacquie Hutchinson, who introduced us to several of Almay's products and how to incorporate them into and easy and pretty beauty routine. Perfect for those rushed mornings!


Get the look!: Almay Luminous CC Primer, Bronzer, Intense i-colour Liquid Eyeliner, Color + Care Lip Balm, Makeup Remover Towelettes, Smart Shade Anti-aging Skintone Matching, Oil-free Gentle Eye Pads, i-Color Volumizing Mascara, Smoky-i Shadow Palette, Beauty, Review, Tutorial, Almaypicnic, Toronto, Canada, Ontario, Melanie.Ps, The Purple Scarf 
All attendees were given a cute Keep Leaf lunch bag full of personalized makeup and beauty items that will help pull together a polished and pretty look, very quickly. Jacquie instructed us through the different steps to achieve the look, which includes the beloved smoky eye, with great tips and helpful advice. I'm going to share these with you and a chance for you to win all the Almay products I tried, customized for you, so you can try this look at home!

Step One: Start with a clean face. I used Almay Oil Free Makeup Remover Towelettes and Almay Oil Free Eye Makeup Remover Pads. I loved the feeling of these products on my skin, they were both very gentle and did not irritate my skin. I did try the Almay Soothing and De-Puffing Eye Makeup Remover before, but I prefer the oil free formula. Worked better. Tip form Jacquie!: Use one pad per eye to remove all eye makeup.

Get the look!: Almay, Makeup Remover Towelettes, Oil-free Gentle Eye Pads, Beauty, Review, Tutorial, Almaypicnic, Toronto, Canada, Ontario, Melanie.Ps, The Purple Scarf

Get the look!: Almay Smart Shade CC Primer, Bronzer, Intense i-colour Liquid Eyeliner, Color + Care Lip Balm, Makeup Remover Towelettes, Smart Shade Anti-aging Skintone Matching, Oil-free Gentle Eye Pads, i-Color Volumizing Mascara, Smoky-i Shadow Palette, Beauty, Review, Tutorial, Almaypicnic, Toronto, Canada, Ontario, Melanie.Ps, The Purple Scarf
Me sans makeup!
Step Two: Apply Almay Smart Sade CC Luminous Primer. I love this stuff! Right away I noticed my skin looked less dull and my skin tone was more even with less redness. It did moisturize my skin, but not enough for me. I have added the primer to my daily beauty routine and apply it over my regular day moisturizer, which works great and helps my liquid makeup go on smoother. Tip from Jacquie!: Use your fingertips to apply the primer to achieve an even application.

Get the look!: Almay Smart Shade Luminous CC Primer, Beauty, Review, Tutorial, Almaypicnic, Toronto, Canada, Ontario, Melanie.Ps, The Purple Scarf

Get the look!: Almay Smart Shade Luminous CC Primer, Beauty, Review, Tutorial, Almaypicnic, Toronto, Canada, Ontario, Melanie.Ps, The Purple Scarf

Step Three: Squeeze Almay Smart-Shade Skintone Matching Makeup on your fingertips and apply evenly on your face. I used the anti-aging formula in light. What's great about this product is that it feels great on and doesn't dry out my skin and it's buildable, for those areas that need a little more coverage. It's also hypo-allergenic, oil-free, and contains a 20 SPF. Although it did provide decent coverage and evened out my overall skintone, I felt like I still needed an under eye concealer. You'll notice the makeup come outs greyish in colour, but Almay has created a formula that only comes in 3 shades that will adjust to your skintone and create an even natural finish. Tip from Jacquie!: Apply Almay Smart Shade Makeup with your fingertips instead of a brush or sponge. Not only does the makeup last longer (sponges and brushes soak up excess makeup) but your fingertips will help the ToneMimic technology to work. 

Get the look!: Almay Smart Shade Anti-aging Skintone Matching Makeup, Beauty, Review, Tutorial, Almaypicnic, Toronto, Canada, Ontario, Melanie.Ps, The Purple Scarf

Get the look!: Almay Smart Shade Anti-aging Skintone Matching Makeup, Beauty, Review, Tutorial, Almaypicnic, Toronto, Canada, Ontario, Melanie.Ps, The Purple Scarf

Step Four: Most of us love the smoky eye look and Almay has created an eyeshadow palette that is tailored to your eye colour, with easy to follow steps to help create that look with ease. Just start with the bottom shade and work your way up. I applied Almay Intense i-Color in Smoky-i for hazels. I simply applied the darkest shade on my lid, medium shade in the crease, and the lightest colour on my brow bone. The base colour is darker than what I'm used to wearing, but I like it. I also didn't seem to get that 'smoky eye' look but practice makes perfect and with Almay's easy to follow eyeshadow palette, I'm confident I will nail it soon! Tips from Jacquie!: For those who have hooded eyelids, apply the medium shade above your crease, on your brow bone, so the colour doesn't disappear when your eyes are open. And for those of us that have flatter lids, try applying the medium shade below the crease line, for the same reason. Another tip is to dab your eyeshadow brush or wand on the back of your hand to shake off excess shadow and use a small circular motion, without the wand leaving your skin, to create an even application.

Get the look!: Almay Intense i-Colour Smoky-i Shadow Palette, Hazels, Beauty, Review, Tutorial, Almaypicnic, Toronto, Canada, Ontario, Melanie.Ps, The Purple Scarf, Makeup

Get the look!: Almay Intense i-Color Smoky-i Shadow Palette, Beauty, Review, Tutorial, Almaypicnic, Toronto, Canada, Ontario, Melanie.Ps, The Purple Scarf, Makeup 

Get the look!: Almay Intense i-Color Smoky-i Shadow Palette, Beauty, Review, Tutorial, Almaypicnic, Toronto, Canada, Ontario, Melanie.Ps, The Purple Scarf, Makeup, Hazels
 
Step Five: Liquid eyeliner. I tried Almay Intense i-Color Liquid Eyeliner in Black Pearl. I normally don't use eyeliner, especially liquid, and I am not very good at applying it. My eyes are really sensitive and tear up when I try. Almay's liquid eyeliner was extremely gentle and easy to use, I will definitely be using this product next time I want a more dramatic look. Granted I am not an artist at applying liquid eyeliner (please don't laugh at my application pictures:) but with tips from Jacquie and some practice, I'm sure I will get better! Tips from Jacquie!: Pull your eyelid taught, like a straight ruler, to create a consistent even line, and glide product on using the side of the brush. Apply eyeliner to lower lashline, right after the top line and before dipping the brush back into the liquid eyeliner pot.

Get the look!: Almay Intense i-colour Liquid Eyeliner, Beauty, Review, Tutorial, Almaypicnic, Toronto, Canada, Ontario, Melanie.Ps, The Purple Scarf, Makeup

Get the look!: Almay Intense i-colour Liquid Eyeliner, Beauty, Review, Tutorial, Almaypicnic, Toronto, Canada, Ontario, Melanie.Ps, The Purple Scarf, Makeup

Step Six: Apply Almay i-Color Volumizing Mascara. I used the Midnight Shade. I've reviewed this mascara before (and some other Almay products), and still like it the same. Great colour and volume, but there is some clumping and not much lengthening. Tips from Jacquie!: Apply mascara using and exaggerated zig-zag motion. This will ensure all the lashes will be coated. Also look down for at least 10 seconds after application, to let lashes dry, and to prevent mascara transferring to skin.

Get the look!: Almay Intense i-Color Volumizing Mascara, Beauty, Review, Tutorial, Almaypicnic, Toronto, Canada, Ontario, Melanie.Ps, The Purple Scarf, Makeup 

Get the look!: Almay Luminous CC Primer, Intense i-colour Liquid Eyeliner, Smart Shade Anti-aging Skintone Matching Makeup, i-Color Volumizing Mascara, Smoky-i Shadow Palette, Beauty, Review, Tutorial, Almaypicnic, Toronto, Canada, Ontario, Melanie.Ps, The Purple Scarf

Get the look!: Almay Luminous CC Primer, Bronzer, Intense i-colour Liquid Eyeliner, Color + Care Lip Balm, Makeup Remover Towelettes, Smart Shade Anti-aging Skintone Matching, Oil-free Gentle Eye Pads, i-Color Volumizing Mascara, Smoky-i Shadow Palette, Beauty, Review, Tutorial, Almaypicnic, Toronto, Canada, Ontario, Melanie.Ps, The Purple Scarf

Step Seven: Sweep on some Almay Smart Shade Bronzer in Sunkissed along your cheekbones. I have to admit I don't use bronzer, the ones I've tried in the past always gave me an unnatural look. But I love this bronzer shade. I was a little apprehensive when I saw the dark shade in the package, but it looked great on. Gave me a little 'sunkissed' glow. Tip from Jacquie!: Brush bronzer lightly on your ears, forehead, and neck, as well as your cheeks, to get a more natural look (especially for heavily bronzed looks).

Get the look!: Almay Smart Shade Bronzer, Beauty, Review, Tutorial, Almaypicnic, Toronto, Canada, Ontario, Melanie.Ps, The Purple Scarf, Sunkissed, Makeup

Get the look!: Almay Smart Shade Bronzer, Beauty, Review, Tutorial, Almaypicnic, Toronto, Canada, Ontario, Melanie.Ps, The Purple Scarf, Makeup, Sunkissd

Get the look!: Almay Luminous CC Primer, Bronzer, Intense i-colour Liquid Eyeliner, Smart Shade Anti-aging Skintone Matching Makeup,  i-Color Volumizing Mascara, Smoky-i Shadow Palette, Beauty, Review, Tutorial, Almaypicnic, Toronto, Canada, Ontario, Melanie.Ps, The Purple Scarf, Sunkissed

Step Eight: And to finish off this look, apply Color + Care Liquid Lip Balm (I used Pink Pout). I love this lip balm and it is one of my favourite Almay products! I don't normally wear pink shades, but it gave my lips a subtle, glossy, colour, and felt great on. It also smells and tastes like cake! Tip from Jacquie!: Try lip shades you don't normally wear, you might be surprised at the outcome!

Get the look!: Almay Color + Care Lip Balm, Beauty, Review, Tutorial, Almaypicnic, Toronto, Canada, Ontario, Melanie.Ps, The Purple Scarf, Pink Pout, Makeup

Get the look!: Almay Luminous CC Primer, Bronzer, Intense i-colour Liquid Eyeliner, Color + Care Lip Balm, Makeup Remover Towelettes, Smart Shade Anti-aging Skintone Matching, Oil-free Gentle Eye Pads, i-Color Volumizing Mascara, Smoky-i Shadow Palette, Beauty, Review, Tutorial, Almaypicnic, Toronto, Canada, Ontario, Melanie.Ps, The Purple Scarf, Pink Pout, Sunkissed

Although there are some steps I need to practice, this is a great and quick look and Almay has made it so easy to achieve. This whole look took me less than 10 minutes to finish! I did add some of my own steps like, filling in my eyebrows and dusting on some pressed powder before the bronzer, to cut down the shine. But nevertheless, this is a perfect look that anyone can do (some us just need to practice more:)

Get the look!: Almay Luminous CC Primer, Bronzer, Intense i-colour Liquid Eyeliner, Color + Care Lip Balm, Makeup Remover Towelettes, Smart Shade Anti-aging Skintone Matching, Oil-free Gentle Eye Pads, i-Color Volumizing Mascara, Smoky-i Shadow Palette, Beauty, Review, Tutorial, Almaypicnic, Toronto, Canada, Ontario, Melanie.Ps, The Purple Scarf, After, Sunkissed, Pink Pout, Hazels
My After Picture!
P.s!: I've partnered up with Almay Canada to give one of you a chance to win your very own customized Almay prize pack, featuring all the products I just talked about, valued at $115!!! The prize pack will feature:
Almay Smart Shade Skintone Matching Makeup / Smart Shade Anti-Aging Skintone Matching Makeup 
Smart Shade CC Luminous Primer
Smart Shade Powder Blush Bronzer in Sunkissed
Intense i-Color Volumizing Mascara
Intense i-Color Liquid Liner
Intense i-Color Smoky Shadow Kit
Oil-Free Makeup Remover Pads
Makeup Remover Towelettes
Color + Care Liquid Lip Balm
Shadow Softies by Intense i-Color
Almay is also offering these fabulous deals:
$3 off any Almay product at drug and mass retailers nationwide and an Almay FREEBATE in stores until October on Almay Smart Shade Skintone Matching Makeup or Almay Smart Shade Anti-Aging Skintone Matching Makeup!

To enter the Almay Prize Pack giveaway, please fill out the Rafflecopter form below beginning with a blog comment on your own beauty or makeup tips and earn more entries through social media! Open to Canadian residents only. Good Luck!


P.s,
Melanie!

***Disclosure: Even though I was gifted with these products, all my opinions and statements are true and reflect my actual viewpoint.***
 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

39 comments:

  1. nicoleroannef8/09/2014 11:01 am

    I usually put my eyeshadow on first before my foundation. If any of it falls I an easily remove it without smudges. I also find that I use a little less foundation this way.

    ReplyDelete
  2. My tip is one that I got from watching Wayne Goss on YouTube. It is to put your setting powder on before your foundation. I was sceptical at first, but it works great. My foundation went on nicer, my pores looked smaller, and it lasted all day.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Start with a fresh clean face and a non-shiny primer. Always curl my lashes before applying mascara, makes a huge difference.

    ReplyDelete
  4. My tip is to save your old mascara wands, wash them and then use them to comb through your lashes after applying mascara. I find they help to remove excess product and separate the lashes giving a more natural look.

    ReplyDelete
  5. My tip is to remove makeup every night before going to sleep. Sounds simple but when you are a tired working mom its important to do...and add moisturizer before bed!

    ReplyDelete
  6. To get longer lasting makeup and a fresher face to put the makeup on, exfoliate your face first or use a mask.

    ReplyDelete
  7. My tip is to use a primer before doing makeup - I noticed a significant decrease of white heads after adding this to my routine!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I don`t have many good makeup or beauty tips,,but I love reading all of these,,great!! My best tip would be to always wash your makeup off before bed!

    ReplyDelete
  9. My tip is to wash your face before going to bed to avoid clogging pores and looking not so great the next few days!

    ReplyDelete
  10. cleanse your skin every day

    ReplyDelete
  11. A good moisturizer will go a long way.

    ReplyDelete
  12. i love using primer before applying makeup

    ReplyDelete
  13. My tip is to wash your face twice a day and moisturize.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Alwys wear a primer! It really helps in prolonging your foundation

    ReplyDelete
  15. Always use a moisturizer with sunscreen to prep skin.

    billiondollarprincesss@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  16. I always make sure my face is cleansed and moisturized and then the makeup has a fantastic foundation.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Use suncreen all year round

    ReplyDelete
  18. For us on the go MOMS, for a quick make-up tip, wash your face, apply the Almay primer to face, apply Almay skin-toned matching make-up ONLY where needed, a little Almay Bronzer on nose, cheeks and forehead, Almay mascara (if desired or wear dark shades) and some Almay lip balm. You are ready to go!!

    ReplyDelete
  19. My beauty tip is to do stay well hydrated (drink lots of water!) and use suncreen when you go out. For makeup, moisturise and prime your skin before you wear your foundation. It will help your makeup last longer.

    ReplyDelete
  20. My tip is for when us busy Moms are on the run but need to apply a little make up in 5 mins. Wash face, start with Almay primer, apply Almay foundation only where needed, Apply bronzer to cheeks, forehead and frame face, a little Almay mascara and lip balm and you're done! Because you can't go out naked!!

    ReplyDelete
  21. My beauty tip is to always wear sunscreen - have to take care of your skin!

    ReplyDelete
  22. My tip is to always cleanse your face in the morning and at night. Clean skin is beautiful skin!

    ReplyDelete
  23. My beauty tip is simple, stay hydrated to keep your skin and hair healthy!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Always use a tinted moisturizer with SPF.

    ReplyDelete
  25. My tip is to use a angled brush to apply the same color eyeshadow to lower lash line

    ReplyDelete
  26. I never go to bed with even a trace of make-up left on and I always moisturize twice a day!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Wash your face before bed and when you wake up with a gentle cleanser!

    ReplyDelete
  28. My only tip is to start with a clean face, I don't use make-up on a regular basis but would really like to start wearing a bit more when we go out. So I have lots to learn! (Judy Cowan)

    ReplyDelete
  29. My tip is keep hydrated summer & winter for beautiful skin

    ReplyDelete
  30. I always moisturize before I put on my make up, and I find a little goes a long way. I don't wear much make up, but I try to stick to light shades, with pink tones because that is what looks most natural on me.

    ReplyDelete
  31. My tip is to moisturize daily

    ReplyDelete
  32. remove you makeup every night before bed

    ReplyDelete
  33. Get enough sleep and drink plenty of water.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Start off with great skincare. I always wear moisturizer and an eye cream with spf...I like to do an at home facial occassionally too.
    via Rhonda W G.

    ReplyDelete
  35. the only tip I have is never sleep with makeup on

    ReplyDelete
  36. i always use primer lots of moisturizer and take off my make up at night

    ReplyDelete
  37. Apply vitamin E lotion to the corner of your eyes day and night to stop crows feet.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Bailey Dexter My tip for me is, I am older and I want to look good for my age, so I don't try to go for the younger look but a look I feel comfortable with!

    ReplyDelete
  39. always moisturize and drink lots of water!!

    ReplyDelete