Spring has finally Sprung!!

It's finally here!! Time to put away those chunky

winter sweaters, dark lipsticks, nail polishes & time to bring out the bright fun hues that scream spring time!! Now we can all polish our pretty toes in mood brightening funky colors that we can show off in a great pair of open toe heels or your favorite pair of flip flops. Not to mention, for us fair skinned girls it's time to get our tan on to compliment those colors & really make them POP!! Whether you choose to tan the traditional way by laying out by the pool, layer up with a great SPF lotion (Nuetrogena SPF lotions are great), or by the tanning bed (which I don't recommend unless you want to start your base tan, I would still recommend a great SPF lotion to avoid a bad burn & to help prevent skin cancer) or the all around less harsh & non skin damaging way I prefer, which is sunless tanning. Some great sunless tanners can be found in stores such as Ulta, which carry the St. Tropez brand (this one I highly recommend), also the Kardashian line of sunless tanners, I personally have not tried this line, but have read really good reviews on it. I have tried the SunLabs line, but my personal favorite is by far the St. Tropez line. They have different color ranges & are olive based (or green color based) which is what you want to look for when choosing a sunless tanner vs an orange based one which will leave you with a orange un-natural color. The olive based tanners will leave you with  a beautiful bronzed, natural glow. However, sunless tanners can be a bit tricky to master. First things first, be sure to shave & exfoliate really well, then moisturize well. Be sure areas that tend to stay more dry are extra moisturized, these are the areas where the color will cling to more such as elbows, heels, hands, palms, fingers etc. Apply tanner very sparingly to these areas also because they will be darker than the rest of your body. For the face I use a tanner especially formulated for the face. Make sure that you choose one that us hypoallergenic. Keep in mind that the best way to apply sunless tanners is with a mitt, which you can also find at Ulta. These are washable & reusable, I wash mine with baby shampoo (any mild soap will work) after every use & store it on top of my self tanner to dry so it's all ready for use the next time. I can usually get 7-10 days of wear out one application & when it starts to wear off, I just exfoliate really well & start over. The smell is really not offensive either & it's safe to sleep in & won't rub off on your sheets. Just remember to shower the next morning to wash off any excess.
 Here's to being bronzed & beautiful this spring & on into summer!!

10 Things No One Ever Tells You About Nail Polish

Happy Monday lovelies! Thought I'd share something I came across that sparked my interest, I am an avid polish lover, like many of you are as well. Turns out there's so much more to polish than we knew or even thought!

1. It's not just for your nails. Yes, you read that right, not just for your nails. You can use clear polish for everything from running tights to coating  inexpensive jewelry to prevent rusting & it turning your skin green. Who likes that look, right? Lol.

2. You can be allergic to nail polish: one of its main ingredients is formaldehyde, which happens to be an irritant. Don't worry though, because there are companies, like Clinique that have formulated formaldehyde free formulas for all you gals that have skin allergies.

3. You can DIY polish: you can & all it takes is inexpensive clear nail polish & loose eye shadow pigment of your choice. Mix into clear polish & now you have custom colored polish for your piggies. Fyi Younique has a wide array of colors at a great affordable price point that you can mix together for even more custom colors. The options are virtually endless. Check them out on my site:
youniqueproducts.com/wlperez

4. Your nail polish color isn't just a random choice: We often think we choose our polish colors at random , when in reality color & human emotion are linked. Chances are next time you pick a color it means a lot more than you think.

5. It's not just about color: Have you considered that your polish could do more than make you nails look pretty? Brands like Dermalect make polishes that contain protein peptides & vitamins, which not only moisturize your nails, but keep them from aging as well.

6. Store your polish in the fridge: Move over milk & butter. Storing your polish in the fridge increases its shelf life. Make sure it's stored upright to avoid spilling.

7. A smudge free manicure is possible: There's nothing more frustrating than smudging freshly manicured nails. Many products on the market claim to speed up the drying process, but the most effective one might be right in your kitchen. Yes, your kitchen! Cooking spray contains a propellant, which evaporates quickly & helps nails dry faster.

8. You ALWAYS need a base & top coat: I know, I know, sometimes we get lazy & skip these steps. If you are PLEASEEEE, stop

immediately. It not only increases the wear of your polish, but prevents staining of your natural nail beds when you decide to go sans polish.

9. Darker polish chips faster: We're suckers for dark polish, but due to it's high pigmentation, it chips faster. For a long lasting look, try lighter strokes when applying your darker colors.

10. Take a breather: Even though you may feel naked without your nail polish on, as we all do, you should take a break (at least 3 days every 3 weeks) to keep your nails healthy.

Simple Trick to Make Your Lashes Appear Thicker & Fuller

Good afternoon beauties. Hope you have have all had a fabulous weekend. This week's post is about a little trick known as tightlining. Basically what this is is putting gel or pencil liner between your lashes without looking like you're wearing thick liner (this can also be done with the thick liner if you prefer to achieve the same results with your lashes. Totally your preference.)

Without further adieu, here is my version of how tightline with gel or pencil eyeliners.

1. Using CLEAN fingers, gently lift your lashes upward (only do this if you find it easier to tight line). You'll easily see the tiny gaps in between your lashes which you will be filling in.

2. Using either gel or pencil liner, lightly dab the eye liner in between each individual lash, as close to the lash as possible, to make them look appear fuller. Work from the inside corner to outter.

3. To intensify the look, tight line the bottom lash line as well. It's the exact same concept as the top, but filling in the gap on you lower lashes.

Hope you ladies give this trick a try & enjoy the results. Be sure to share your results with me on here it the Makeup Mafia Facebook fan page. Also follow me on Instagram @makeupmafia14

As always please let me know if you have any questions & thank you for taking time to be a part of the Makeup Mafia family!! :)

Business inquiries & questions email me at:
wendiloryn6@yahoo.com

Let's Talk Skin Care: Younique's Brilliant Daily Moisturizing Gel

Happy Sunday fun day dolls! Hope you are all doing lovely. I really wanted to get this post about skin care up because it's something I personally am very OCD about, so when I find a product I love I like to share what it is & why I like it. That being said let me tell you about my skin. First of all it's very sensitive & dry, so when I find basically a miracle product that has good stuff in it, it basically becomes HG (holy grail) status for me. Like this Brilliant moisturizer. Some of you may or may not know I am a presenter for Younique, meaning I sell their products. I am not being paid or getting free product to write this post. Let me just put that out there. This one speaks for itself once you have used it. Let's start off by talking about the amazing ingredients it's infused with that will leave your skin restored, hydrated, toned, healthy & nourished; natural silver, ginseng, & pearl powder from freshwater pearls. Impressive right? The thing is, all these have great skin benefits! Not only is this moisturizer good for sensitive skin, but acne prone skin, combo, basically all types. It doesn't stop there this stuff can improve the look.of stretch marks, eczema & many other aggravating skin conditions. My advice give it a try. If you would like more information as always you cab contact me via email: wendiloryn6@yahoo.com or visit my business page: youniqueproducts.com/wlperez

Thanks for reading. Hope you all enjoy the remainder of your day!! Xoxo.

Pantone's 2014 Color of the Year, Radiant Orchid

Radiant Orchid- a captivating, magical, enigmatic purple- is Pantone Color Institute's color of the year for 2014. It's an enchanting mixture of fuschia, purple & pink undertones.
We can expect to see this color everywhere. Literally, from interior paint to the runways. Everything from furniture, fashion, to makeup. Pantone has teamed up with beauty power house Sephora in the past and done a makeup line based solely on the color of the year. Like years past, 2014 is no exception. Pantone & Sephora will bring Radiant Orchid to life in the form of a full fledged makeup line, so we can expect everything from eyeshadows, to blushes, to lipsticks and much more.
It's finally time to start putting away those deep wine & berry lip colors we all adore that fall & winter tend to bring out and spring forward with beautiful, bright, bold colors like this fun, flirty fuschia!

Love It or Leave It: Brush Egg

Happy Friday eve dolls!! Hope you all are doing fabulously. Today's love it or leave it post is going to be over this neat little invention called the Brush Egg. What is it you ask? Well, it is a silicone egg shaped device that you slip over two fingers that is composed of ridges and small silicone bristles for deep cleaning your brushes. Amazing!! Not only do I get a much more thorough brush cleansing, it's not harsh- you don't have to apply a lot of pressure and I get finished in half, yes I said half the time. Plus it's only $8 (plus shipping) and both mine shipped to me extremely fast!! Also, it's so easy to use, wet the Brush Egg, apply your

brush cleanser to it (I use Johnson's Head to Toe Baby Wash) swirl your brush around until it's clean and done! Squeeze out the excess water, shape and lie flat to dry. If you are interested in the LOVE IT product you can find them on Instagram @brushegg or their direct website:

brushegg.bigcartel.com

If you happen to get one let me know what your thoughts on it are. :)  I've also included pictures of mine so you get an idea of what it looks like and how it works.

Countouring & Highlighting

Good morning dolls!! Let's start today off by talking about the basics of contouring & highlighting, something I get quite a few questions about. We'll just start with contouring. It's what I do before I highlight anyway. What is contouring you ask? What can it do for you? Well, a lot. Contouring is basically a form of shading & can transform your face completely. For example, you could create a more defined jaw line, slim your nose down, make it appear straighter if maybe you had broken it in the past. It is an amazing trick of the trade. All the celebrities do it. You can create or define cheek bones. The next time you pick up a magazine, pay attention to the makeup, what's not photoshopped is makeup. So moving on let me give you some starter tips on contouring.

1.Tools- having the right brush to contour is key. If you are just starting out, the E.L.F. brand has a great angled blush brush (which works great for blush, countouring & highlighting whoop!) $3 at Walmart or Target. Also a large powder brush to blend out anything you need to like the work of a heavy hand. (Lol)  E.L.F. also makes these for $3.

2. Bronzer is amazing for contouring as long as it is a matte shade- NO SHIMMER. Use a shade a couple shades darker than your skin tone. Be careful not to get bronzer that has orange or red undertones, because they tend to make the skin look "muddy". Nobody wants that. Don't be scared if you want to experiment and not spend a ton of money to go to the powder foundations of the brand of your choice and look at the darkest colors and match one  to your skin tone. These also tend to have that true chocolate color we want when contouring. I must warn you, use a light hand until you get used to it. It's always easier to build up color than take away once it's on. In case you are wanting high end picks I will gladly give them to you. Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer (my personal favorite, smells like chocolate- enough said), Benefit Hoola Bronzer, & for all you darker complected ladies NARS Laguna & NARS Casino (which have micro fine shimmer to them, really not noticeable).

Now let's talk highlighters. What do they do? They bring light to the face & give a luminous flow if worn properly. If worn wrong it can leave u looking looking like the ice queen. Highlighters come in both powder & liquid form. Warm & cool tones, but we're starting with basics. Some tips to applying highlighters are:

1.Apply to the Cupid's Bow- the small "v" shaped area above the middle of your top lip. This will make the lip appear fuller.

2. Apply down the bridge of the nose. If you have any kind of bump on the nose this will help hide it and reflect light away from it. Kim K and Jessica Simpson are especially known for this little trick of the trade.

3. Apply to brow bones to give a lifted appearance.

4. Apply to inner corner of eyes. This will open the eyes up and make you appear more awake.

5. Apply to cheek bones above blush to make them stand out more.

There are so many highlighters on the market, if you are a beginner I recommend a drugstore brand brightenening concealer that will do the same thing. If you would like specific brand recommendations, comment or pm me on Facebook, because I know some.of you have had trouble leaving comments on here for some reason. Sorry.

I am inserting a photo to help show where to contour/highlight. I hope you all enjoyed this post please. Let me know if you have questions. XoXo

Love it or Leave it: Younique 3D Fiber Lash System

Hello beauties! Hope you have all had a fabulous day. I'm sure most of you have been hearing a lot about the Younique brand of makeup & their 3D Fiber Lash Mascara System. Let me just say first of all, I had a sweet friend of mine introduce me to the line & let me play with a few things. I ended up getting one of the 3D fiber lash systems & the results I get are amazing. I mean we're talking sky scraper lashes that are virtually weightless, no flaking & gorgeous. I highly recommend you give it a try of you are looking for full glamorous lashes or maybe even a few new shadows or skin care routine. Let me know of you have any questions on the products, I'm always here to help. This is for sure a LOVE IT product! :)

Good morning lovelies!! Hope everyone's day is off to a fabulous start. I wanted to make a quick post about Sephora's sale on sale. Yes, you read that right; sale on sale! An extra 20% off sale items! Great time to save a little extra on some high end items. Enter code extra20 at checkout & you get free shipping on orders of $50 or more. Today's the last day for the sale on sale so go check it out! Happy shopping beauties!! 

WELCOME!!

Welcome ladies! First order of business; I want to thank each & every one of you for taking time out to check out Makeup Mafia. I'm so excited to start this journey & to have you all along with me on this journey. What a way to kick off 2014! I ended 2013 very busy freelancing & started instructing some makeup classes (which was an absolute blast) & look forward to what this new year has in store.
My goal for this blog is to not only do makeup reviews & comparisons, but all kinds of beauty related reviews & include looks for y'all. In addition to this I want this to be a place where you can openly ask questions, give opinions, leave feedback & book appointments with me for classes or events. This all being said here's to a GREAT, beautiful year ahead! Enjoy!

~Wendi
Contact me at: wendiloryn6@yahoo.com