#BreastCancerAwareness #Makeup Monday -- And now a word from our sponsors...

Hi y'all! I'm so happy to welcome Kelly back for Makeup Monday. I couldn't agree more: Fuck you, breast cancer, Kelly's going to kick your bitch ass!

Cheers,
Cindy
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And now, a word from our sponsors…

 

This week’s Makeup Monday is being brought to you by the following:

 The letters F and U,

 The color pink,

 Whatever material they make those breast cancer ribbons with,

(and last but likely the biggest…)

 My boobs.

 

Confused? It’s ok, I’m feeling a little “WTF????” myself these days, too. Let me explain. Ya know how every now and then life has to come along and kick you in the ass? Well, let’s just say my rear must’ve had a big target on it! On Friday, I found out I have invasive breast cancer. The real deal. Like, the kind that will require a bunch of breast surgery, radiation, and probably chemo. And I’m only 41. And I have a husband and a 9-year-old. And a job. And a to-do list a mile long. I really don’t have the time or patience to play host to little space invaders in my size D tits. Unfortunately, I really wasn’t given a choice.

 

After receiving the diagnosis on Friday afternoon, I spent the rest of the day crying, freaking out, and pacing around the house. Saturday was not much better except that I added some wine to my day. When I woke up Sunday morning and looked in the mirror, I realized that it was time to woman up, find my usual humor and positive attitude that I use to deal with any situation, and put some damn makeup on so I could step outside my home without frightening small children. So that’s what I did… except that I put some Visine in my red and puffy eyeballs first.

 

(disclaimer: I had to use this random picture I found on the internet because the real picture of me was so scary that it made my computer crash when I tried to upload it)

 

I’ve always loved how beautiful the right color pink makeup can be. That said, I’ve always hated how difficult it is to wear pink eye makeup without looking like a lab rat with a contagious eye disease. That is, until I learned a trick… It’s called ‘the barrier method’. Please note that despite the name, I’m still talking about makeup, not birth control. The idea is this: if you love a certain color, but the color doesn’t really suit you, find a color that does and use it as a barrier. For example, I have a yellow shirt that I adore, but it looks awful against my skin. However, when I add a black scarf the whole look is fantastic! The yellow looks great with the black; the black looks great with my skin tone. Same concept for eye makeup. The trick is to not put pink tones right up to the upper or lower lash line. You’ll see how I used this technique by applying black liner to the inner rims of my eyes so I could sport some beautiful breast-cancer-beating pink on my eyes. This way, I can look spunky, determined and ready to do battle instead of like the poster child for Insomniacs Anonymous.

 

As usual, I created this look using Younique cosmetics- namely Moodstruck Minerals Pigment Powders (eyeshadow) and Moodstruck Minerals Blusher, which are 100% natural, chemical-free, mineral-based pigment powders, free of talc, oils, preservatives, perfumes, synthetic dyes, and parabens. All of their products are naturally based, most are gluten free, and many are vegan. I first applied “Vulnerable” over entire lid, “Curious” below brow bone and in inner eye corners, and the outer "v" of my eyelid was a mix of Heartbroken and Stunning (blusher). For lips and pink part of ribbon, I mixed “Stunning” with some regular chapstick and applied to lips/drew ribbon on eyes with a lip brush. The white(ish) part of the ribbon was done using “Innocent” applied with a damp liner brush. For my inner eye rim and upper lash line, I used “Devious” applied with a damp liner brush (a damp q-tip will work just as well, by the way). Also “Devious” to accent the ribbon. On my cheeks, I just used a tiny bit of Stunning blusher to pull the whole look together. It looks like a lot, but it really didn't take a ton of time. The pigments are so vibrant that it's pretty easy to get creative and create any look you want! (Note: I am NOT an artistic person at all, which goes to show that ANYONE can be successfully creative with makeup!)

 

So there you have it. I’m armed and ready to do battle with breast cancer and WIN! The boob gods don’t know who they’re f-ing with! In fact, I might just use this opportunity as a way to replace my D-cups with cute, perky B’s that won’t look like grapefruits fell into my armpits when I lay on my back . Gotta find the good in things, right? And I’m counting on all you ladies to help me! Here’s how:

 Feel your boobies. A lot. Better yet, have someone else feel your boobies. Check for lumps and bumps while you’re at it.

 Get your yearly mammograms when you hit old age like me, lol.

 Go like my Facebook page “Younique by Kelly Duckworth” so we can stay in touch and share fun and silly things, makeup-related or not! Whatever goes!

 Come check out my products at www.youniqueproducts.com/youniquebykellyduckworth . If you see something you like, please place an order! The biggest customer favs are 3D Fiber Lash mascara and Moodstruck Minerals Pigment Powders (eye shadow). For the entire rest of this month (April), I will donate 15% of my profits to BreastCancer.org!

 

#Makeup Monday -- Winter is a Whore

Happy Monday! First, I’d like to give a big shout out to my friend, Spring! Hello? Ummm, hello?? Wait, you’re still nowhere to be found? Well, that’s because your nemesis Winter is being quite the over-dramatic, attention-seeking whore of a season and is trying to ruin the lives of humankind. Ok, maybe it’s just trying to ruin my life, not yours. My bad.

 

Anyway, last week I was tricked into thinking it was finally Spring. This lasted approximately 3 hours, but it was a darn productive 3 hours for me! I went into Spring cleaning mode and dumped the contents of my makeup drawer in the middle of the bed so that I could begin the task of organizing. After about 30 seconds of staring at it, I had a moment of clarity and dumped it all back in the drawer and closed the drawer. Let’s face it: no matter how well you organize your makeup drawer, you’re just going to have to do it again in a few weeks. Or maybe, just maybe, I’m somewhat disorganized. Again- my bad.

 

After treating myself to a glass of wine (hey, that drawer organizing stuff was exhausting!), I moved on to my second Spring ritual… Shaving my legs. Confession: I’m a little lazy about my leg hair during the winter. I mean, I’m wearing long pants all winter so what does it matter? Besides, it helps add an extra layer of warmth and I save money on knee socks. Unfortunately, my hubby doesn’t really find my Winter “Chewbacca legs” very sexy. His term, not mine. And my son, who was sharing the covers with me while watching Saturday morning cartoons, accidentally brushed his leg against my leg and proceeded to ask me if I was wearing “Velcro pajamas”. His term, not mine. Fine, I got the hint and started the arduous task of razor-wrangling for the warm weather. That’s what took up the rest of the 3 hours.

 

When I got out of the shower and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror, I cried. I’m totally kidding. I didn’t cry. But I did realize that I had that pale, washed-out, end-of-winter appearance. So, I once again dumped my makeup drawer in the middle of my bed and said aloud “Screw you, Winter!” and decided to play with some Spring-y makeup looks. It was way better than Spring cleaning, by the way! Here is the first pic:

That picture always cracks me up!

 

Anyhoooo…I tried a few looks- The first using some pretty pinks to help bring about that warm-weather glow. It’s a look you can wear anytime, whether going to the grocery store or going out for a nice dinner. Although, I usually look more like the first picture (above) when I go to the grocery store! In this picture, all makeup was by Younique and is 100% natural, chemical-free, mineral-based pigment powders, free of talc, oils, preservatives, perfumes, synthetic dyes, and parabens… ‘Sassy’ Moodstruck Mineral Pigment for my eyes, ‘Stunning’ Moodstruck Mineral Blusher for my cheeks and my lips. To turn the powder blusher into a lipgloss, I just mixed a small amount into some petroleum jelly. Two birds, one stone.

 

Don’t get me wrong. I love the way the right color pinks can really bring out a woman’s features, when worn correctly. (By the way, more to come in a future Makeup Monday about how to select/wear pink tones in makeup without looking like a stoned lab rat with conjunctivitis.) It just didn’t scream “SPRING” as loudly as I wanted.

 

So, you know me- I had to kick it up a notch and get a little creative. It’s funny because I swear I can’t even draw a stick figure that would be recognizable in a game of Pictionary, so the only way I seem to be able to express my artistic side is by drawing silly things on my face. Seems about right, huh?

 

My favorite thing about Spring is when the trees first start to bloom. In case you are wondering- my second favorite thing is when I remember to take my allergy medicine and then I can actually see the trees starting to bloom without my eyes being swollen shut from tree pollen.

 

I started by taking a damp eye shadow brush with a fine tip and applying the branches of my ‘tree’ using a dark color (try Younique’s Moodstruck Minerals Pigment Powder in ‘Corrupted’ or ‘Infatuated’- again, all the pigments are100% natural, chemical-free, mineral-based pigment powders, free of talc, oils, preservatives, perfumes, synthetic dyes, and parabens.) The cool thing about nature is that it is not perfect, so don’t panic if your lines aren’t perfect and, in fact, appear as though they were drawn on by someone with a severe case of Parkinson’s. You are going to be able to distract from those imperfections once you add your blooms.

For your blooms, you can choose whatever strikes your fancy! I chose pinks, greens, and a dab of yellow (‘Sassy’, ‘Crushed’ and ‘Gorgeous’ respectively- all by Younique) and applied my blooms to the ends of my branches using a damp q-tip. Crazy easy! I also had a drugstore brand white eyeliner pen that I never have reason use that I added to the center of a few of the flower blooms, just for dimension. Add a few flowers to the hair, and… viola!

 

So, ladies, welcome to spring! It had better stick around for a few weeks, or else I will channel my inner Chewbacca and Velcro myself to Mother Nature herself until she gives in 

 

All products can be seen and purchased at www.youniqueproducts.com/youniquebykellyduckworth and I’d love, love, love it if you’d drop by and “like” my Facebook page at Younique by Kelly Duckworth.

 

Let me know what else you’d like to see!

 

Xoxo,

Kelly