Tag Archives: natural makeup

Beauty, Makeup

Staying true to myself: Why I quit the makeup biz

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I got into the professional makeup business because I felt it was another way of expressing my creative side. I also enjoy using my hands to create things but over the years, my love for makeup dwindled. I think my early loss of interest began when more and more women became obsessed with contouring and creating makeup looks that made them look other than themselves. So the more requests, the gutted I became.

In my bid to maintain my identity which is purely naturalistic as well as keep my business, I started by ridding what I considered artificial out of my lifestyle like permed hair or weaves. I practically skinned my hair and started to grow my natural hair from scratch. I embraced organic living but yet, I felt as though I was betraying myself because in reality, am not obsessed with makeup. To make the task of balancing my personality with my makeup career even more challenging, my husband who fell in love with my natural beauty never liked the idea of women relying on contouring or makeup that altered their natural beauty. After years of struggle and with me developing my organic skincare brand – Ene Naturals, I quit my career as a professional makeup artist.

Looking back the years now, I am reminded of how I had always wanted to stay true to my natural self and living organically. For my wedding nine years ago, I wore cornrows on my hair against the wishes of my relatives; only my mum understood my desire to stay natural. She’d always tell me how uniquely different I was, which was true because I have always been averse to modern trends and society norms or society ‘madness’.

I wore cornrows at my wedding 9 yrs ago

Looking back to my blogging history, I had always written more about quick and easy makeup and makeup that accentuates one’s natural beauty.

These two makeup look still some of my favorites 


 I do love makeup; I particularly adore lipsticks but I don’t want a makeup look that makes me look other than myself – I am not ashamed of my natural beauty. So, I like Alicia Keys, is embracing my natural beauty.

So from this moment on, I remain a beauty and makeup blogger of a different kind – the organic, naturalistic beauty and makeup blogger.

I think it’s important one stays true to oneself. 

Love yourself; be good to yourself. 

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Beauty, Makeup, Product review: products am loving right now!

Cover girl foundation & powder review

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Hi guys,

So after I tried Cover girl Ready set gorgeous BB cream and foundation powder, I decided to try Cover girl Ready set gorgeous oil free foundation and matte clean pressed powder. If you have oily skin,please do not buy makeup for all skin types no matter how tempting because they can never truly control your shine. Always buy makeup specifically made for your skin type except if you’ve got normal skin.

According to Cover Girl Ready Set Gorgeous foundation, the makeup can last all day. So I gave it a go. I used Cover girl Ready set gorgeous concealer, ready set gorgeous oil free foundation and matte clean pressed powder. Here is how it looked:

My observation:

The Cover girl Ready set gorgeous oil free foundation is exactly like the concealer: the same size, same light weight and soft texture, same light to medium coverage but with ability to have a build able coverage. The matte clean pressed powder is soft and easy to apply. These are hassle free makeup products.

My verdict:

My skin did not feel like it had makeup on which is great for a natural girl like me. I got a lot of positive comments from strangers 😊.

Secondly, I had the makeup on for six hours before shine or oil started appearing on my face.

My score:

I will give this product 4 out of 5 because my heart is still with Maybelline dream matte mouse foundation which is smoother, softer and has better coverage.

Go give either a try!

Cheers!

Beauty, Online Magazine

Makeup guide to natural beauty Part 2

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Hi guys,

I am still blogging about natural beauty and I am still very much inspired by the French makeup, which is natural, laid-back and chic. I love the fact that French girls dedicate an awful amount of time to nurturing their beautiful skin, as against using lots of makeup to mask imperfection, which is what a lot of people do. Within the past few weeks, I have been comparing Makeup on French girls with counterparts in the U.S. and elsewhere, and I must confess that I adore French makeup for its effortless chic and the casual way French girls wear it. I think we wear way too much makeup!

While makeup is meant to accentuate our natural beauty, we have turned it into flaws perfecting tools that mask aspects we would rather not see. This tend to scare girls who love simple, all natural makeup, believing that too much makeup is the only way. Well, no it is not!

If you love natural, simple and casual makeup, welcome to my world. Natural makeup makes one look way younger and for the mere fact that it is easier to put on, I recommend it for busy professionals or busy women.

Here is my guide to natural beauty – Pt II

Skin first! Nurture your skin above all things. If you have beautiful skin and nothing to mask, then it would be easier, faster and convenient to wear simple and casual makeup. I exfoliate day and night with sugar and turmeric. I have an oily skin that is prone to acne and breakout, so turmeric acts as my astringent and defense against free radicals.

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I scrub my face and neck daily with sugar + turmeric scrub and on weekends, add body oil to polish my body. It is also essential that you eat well. For more on nutrients that nourish our skin, go to

Tone and moisturize!
I can not do without my Flori Roberts Enlighten perfect tone toner and moisturizer for oily skin as it gives me perfect complexion free of discolorations and acne. It is a natural skin lightening product range that provides even skin tone, which women of colors need.

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Tame your brows
Well groomed eye brows frame our face so go to a specialist to have your brows trimmed and shaped monthly. This way, your brows are neat and easy to manage.

Brightening concealer
Concealers don’t just hide imperfections but brighten our complexion, especially dull eyes. You can do without foundation but you must not go without concealer, which you must apply under your eyes. Because I hardly use foundation, I always apply a little concealer under my eyes to keep my eyes fresh, bright and “awake” all day; I also apply concealer on my forehead and chin, which makes a simple but effective highlighting for me.

Tinted Moisturizer
Tinted moisturizers are great if you do not wear foundation at all. They are moisturizers which are tinted to suit different skin shades but provide the much needed subtle sheer and coverage for natural, casual beauties. Mary Kay tinted moisturizers come in shades of Bronze 1 and Bronze 2 for women of color.

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Choose a simple makeup regime

For a simple, all natural makeup, you can choose to use only foundation or pressed powder alone.

MAKEUP COMBINATIONS TO CHOOSE FROM:

1. You can choose to use tinted moisturizer with pressed powder and you are just good to go.
2. You can choose to use only cream to powder foundation formulations as the foundation turns to powder once it dries.
3. You can choose to use only liquid foundation as in Mary Kay medium coverage or Timewise foundation, which once dry, stays perfectly well without powder.
4. You can choose to use only luminous foundation as they give you a sheer, luminous glow that our skin needs. For example, Mary Kay luminous foundation

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5. You can choose to use only pressed powder.

Why bronzer is a must
Bronzers are perfect for highlighting because they give a sheer highlight that slims our faces and make us look brighter. Always go for soft, light bronzing powders that do not shine too much because sheer is what we are going for. You use the bronzer by sweeping it lightly on your forehead, cheeks, the tip of your nose and chin.

Do not let blushes scare you
Blushes add to defining and slimming our face. I know hot pink and rosy cheeks scare people away; you need not go strong on blush either. Rather, go for natural looking shades that are accents of your complexion. Check out my guide on selecting shades of blush and how to use bronzers for highlighting.

BLUSH AND HIGHLIGHTING FOR DARK SKIN

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BLUSH AND HIGHLIGHTING FOR MEDIUM SKIN

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BLUSH AND HIGHLIGHTING FOR LIGHT SKIN

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And on the eyes… Because my eyes are nude, I always rely on color eye pencils to line my eyes for a pop of color.
And my lips, I am still loving my red lipsticks – I have Mary Kay true dimensions Fire Crack, Flori Roberts Tomato and Revlon true color shades of red. I also have orange lipsticks and a variety of colours. It is totally up to you how you want your lips to be.

I hope this post helps. Please do share if this has helped you.

Cheers!
ene

Makeup

Makeup collage from the Bisquit cognac product launch

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Hi guys,

How you doing? Looking and feeling beautiful, I bet. This month has been quiet busy for me; I am currently working on an ambitious project and in the midst of this, I was contracted to makeup four hostesses at the Bisquit cognac product launch which took place more than a week ago in Lagos, Nigeria here. Being a French company, the makeup started simple and natural but as the days went on, I was allowed to add a bit of drama to the eye makeup. I honestly love French makeup because it is natural and how I love the signature red lips. I had a fun time at the product launch so am happy to share the picture collage with you. But you can view individual pictures by visiting the makeup gallery gallery.

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Cheers!
Ene

Makeup

Makeup collage from the Bisquit cognac product launch

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Hi guys,

How you doing? Looking and feeling beautiful, I bet. This month has been quiet busy for me; I am currently working on an ambitious project and in the midst of this, I was contracted to makeup four hostesses at the Bisquit cognac product launch which took place more than a week ago in Lagos, Nigeria here. Being a French company, the makeup started simple and natural but as the days went on, I was allowed to add a bit of drama to the eye makeup. I honestly love French makeup because it is natural and how I love the signature red lips. I had a fun time at the product launch so am happy to share the picture collage with you. But you can view individual pictures by visiting the makeup gallery gallery.

20131117-113619.jpg

Cheers!
Ene

Beauty, Online Magazine

Makeup guide to natural beauty

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Wanting natural beauty presents its own kind of responsibility because if you desire bare face all natural beauty, you must take care of your skin.

 

1. Eat right. Nutrition affects our skin so please eat a well balanced diet. Eat foods rich in vitamins A,C and E. Eat a lot of fruits, vegetables and drink lots of water.

2. Take care of your skin by using the right beauty products. Buy the right kind of moisturizer for your skin type and don’t keep experimenting with just about any beauty product. Stick with what works for you.

3. Always use sunscreen as it shields your skin from harmful sun rays. Always buy skincare and makeup products with SPF. Zaron makeup powders and foundation contain SPF 15.

4. Live a healthy lifestyle. By exercising and staying away from smoking and alcohol this will help your skin a lot.

5. When it comes to makeup, light is better. So always buy light weight oil-free mineral or water based makeup.

6. Keep your makeup simple, quick, easy but elegant.

 

Follow up post to concluding part here

Cheers!

Beauty, Online Magazine

No fuss makeup tip

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Hi guys,

I am still blogging about natural makeup, as part of this month’s online magazine – ‘Love me, naturally!’

Nov. online magazine
Nov. online magazine

 

For this post, I will be providing all natural makeup lovers with tips and products that they can use to enhance their natural beauty.

So, first tip:

The Perfect Eyebrows

Keep eyebrows groomed always
Keep eyebrows groomed always

Eyebrows frame the face and the eye is the window to the world, as such, your eye area must look “put together” at all times. And grooming your eyebrows is the first step. Get a beauty expert in your area to groom your eyebrows monthly. Once your brows are perfectly carved, you need not worry about filling. Just make sure you do not shave off the brow hair as finely groomed full eyebrows are way easier to maintain.

 

2. Buy the right makeup

Like I mentioned in my earlier post, you do not need foundation. Buy a good concealer and then pressed powder. If not, Use the concealer and Mary kay foundation, which does not need pressed powder.

Pressed powder
Pressed powder
Mary Kay medium coverage foundation
Mary Kay medium coverage foundation

OR

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Mary Kay Timewise

You do not need pressed with either Mary Kay products.

Concealer:

Mary Kay concealer
Mary Kay concealer

 

BLush:

Here are shades of blush Africans can wear:

Blush for dark skin
Blush for dark skin

If you are dark or black, this is the right foundation shade with dark people.

 

Blush shade for medium colour
Blush shade for medium colour
Blush shade for light skin
Blush shade for light skin

 

Lip colour:

creamy lip pencil and lip lip glosses are great for the skin.

And lastly, go easy on the makeup while applying.

 

cheers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beauty, Makeup, Online Magazine

Bare face makeup

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If you are one of those people who love natural makeup, then welcome to the club. I have met quiet a number of ladies who are intimidated by loud, bold makeup and as such, do stay away from makeup completely. I tell ladies, that makeup should enhance your natural beauty and not make you look false, masked or “made-up”. The natural, the better as light weight makeup gives a flawless, youthful look that excessive, caked-up makeup cannot give.

Do not go around wearing a naked, dull, plain face that exposes all the shine on your face all in the name of natural beauty when you can achieve natural beauty with the right makeup. This is what we all refer to as the “no-makeup makeup”. Bottom line, you must look bright at all times, and not be another forgettable and uninteresting face that no one wants to give a second look.  The makeup tip I am providing here is simple, quick and easy.

 

Rule no. 1:

Be true to yourself. Do not try to change to please any one. The fact that you want hassle free natural makeup does not mean that is not good enough, when in fact, you are perfect!

So here are some very simple steps:

For this look, you do not need both foundation and powder but just one of it.

TOOLS:

 

If you have dry or normal skin, Any cream to powder foundation is perfect Or Mary Kay medium coverage foundation.

If you have oily skin, pressed powder is just perfect.

Secondly, you will need a concealer of your shade

3, Creamy lip pencil

4, Lip gloss

5, Eye pencil (optional)

6, Blush (optional)

7, Mascara

8, Natural (nude) eye shadow.

 

Here I am before makeup:

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Before makeup

 

After cleaning your face, apply moisturizer and makeup base to create the perfect canvass and to keep shine away, if you have oily skin.

Next, apply concealer under the eyes, around your mouth area and forehead And your chin. This helps hide any discoloration or acne you might have as well as brighten your eyes and face in general.

How to apply concealer
How to apply concealer

Next, apply pressed powder all over the face.

Get a natural shade of eye shadow and apply on the eye lids. For most Africans, any shade of brown eyeshadow will do.

Line your eyes thin and soft with eye pencil or liner. Apply mascara.

Apply blush. For a lot of ladies who love natural makeup, blush seems like a no-no to them but I must say that blush mustn’t be another dash of color on the face – don’t be terrified by hot pink blushes or loud hues of wine blushes that put you off immediately. These days, blush does more than put color on our cheeks, they define our face by narrowing it and creating the perfect accent on our cheeks. So, if you are to buy a blush, buy a natural tanned version of your complexion, which instantly slims your face and creates a soft, natural blend.

for the lips, use a creamy lip pencil in your favourite colour, preferably soft brown and apply all over your lips for perfect coverage and long lasting colour. Top it with a natural or nude lip gloss.

Finished look
Finished look

This look is simple, no fuss and easy to do.

Give it a trial and tell me how you felt.

 

cheers!

 

Online Magazine

November blog magazine: Love me naturally!

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November blog magazine

 

 

Hi guys,

 

how are you doing? Looking and feeling beautiful, I bet! Am happy to be back to blogging as I have been experiencing writer’s block; hence my late submission. I have been very busy conducting training sessions that it sapped my brain out. Well, I am taking it easy this month and treating concerns of natural beauty and natural makeup. While I adore makeup, I believe in natural looking makeup that is flawless and light weight. Over the course of my career, I have met countless women, who loved the simple ness of the natural look so much that they have had to avoid wearing makeup completely. Well, I can say to you that you can still wear makeup while looking natural.

 

in this month’s issue as well, I am writing some home truths about how our style affects our relationship, especially with the significant other and why some of us might be afraid of the truth, hence; the topic ‘When plain Jane loses her man to the material girl’ It makes fun reading.

 

so, please, do follow me this month on this posts and tell me exactly how you feel about them.

 

Posts worth reading:

Bare face makeup

 
http://enenaturals.wordpress.com/2013/11/06/bare-face-makeup/

No – fuss makeup tip

 
http://enenaturals.wordpress.com/2013/11/06/no-fuss-makeup-tip/

Makeup guide on natural beauty

 
http://enenaturals.wordpress.com/2013/11/06/makeup-guide-to-natural-beauty/

When plain Jane loses her man to material girl

 

 
http://enenaturals.wordpress.com/2013/11/09/when-plain-jane-loses-her-man-to-the-material-girl/

cheers,

Ene