A Cohesive Feed

Does your feed look appealing to the eye? Does it create an aesthetic? Have a mood? What kind of vibe do you give off as a person?

These are all questions to ask yourself while planning your content for social media!

I think one of the biggest tips I could share with others interested in the influencing market or just wanting to create a "prettier" page for themselves is to apply a theme to your feed. Set the mood so people visiting your profile know what type of personality you have. Is it light and airy, bright and bubbly, or possibly even dark and mysterious?! There's no right answer - it's whatever YOU want it to be, but making it cohesive simply is more attractive to a viewer scrolling and will encourage them to stay on your feed browsing longer. Which in the end that's what we all want, in hopes they enjoy what we're about and possibly even interest them to hit the "follow" button!

One of the easiest ways to do this is by adding a preset.

Not sure what a "preset" is? Don't worry I'll fill you in. Basically it's like a filter that can be applied to any photo. Think about lighting adjustments and color corrections done in a tap. Add the same photo editing corrections to a batch of photos. Yes please! Talk about a time saver!!

Now there's a ton out there in today's market and you want to make sure you're not getting ripped off from buying some creator's presets at an over priced rate. Yes it takes a lot of time for us creators to create and tweak our presets, and yes some have better knowledge within making them... but please don't fall into the trap spending over $20 - $30 for 1 single preset. That is absurd. Think of that extra Starbucks or glass of wine or two you'll be able to get for that amount.

Once you have it on your phone in the Lightroom Mobile app (free in the app store), you'll feel like a professional photo editor. All of your pictures will be easily edited with again 1 tap! They'll all look cohesive and after a week of constantly posting your newly edited pictures you'll see the dramatic difference in you feed's aesthetic. I promise you, it makes a difference.

For those of you who are interested in how I edit my pictures, I have my very own preset, "Blush Baby." Take a peak at my IG feed here to see the vibe. I try to go for the light and airy with a pink glow! I do have "Blush Baby" for sale at $10. If you're interested shoot me a DM on Insta, mention the secret word "Princess" and get it for $8! We'll go over everything from there ;)

Here's some examples with

BLUSH BABY

*added sparkle effect from another app separately

You can get the feel!

Even if you're not wanting or looking to buy a preset today, I hope this tip has given you some ideas on how you want your feed's aesthetic to really appeal to new viewers. You can see a huge difference in these before and afters with how photo editing really makes all the difference and really make your image pop!

LMK if this was helpful! Would you like more insights on influencer tips?

Xo's

L

Which Powder Actually Works

With so many brands out there and a new one popping up on the daily it seems, which setting powders actually do work? Which are wroth the money?

Let's talk the newest on the market I decided to try:

Tatcha

I was so excited purchasing this new talc free powder! That's right it's talc free, which is awesome and the reasoning behind why I bought it. Well, besides that factor the rest of this product was a flop. I felt as it didn't really give me a full coverage finish and packing in my concealer with this just led to tons of creases. This powder also left a yellowish tint wherever it was placed. So for $50, I'd say this one definitely isn't worth it.

Charlotte Tilbury

One of my fan faves! I've been using the CT airbrush flawless finish powder for years now, and it's one I always end up circling back to. It does a great job as for setting and is nice and light weight. Also, the packaging is so sleek and chic! The only downfall is the price for the value.

Coty AirSpun

So this drug store powder was a brand I kept hearing about and wanted to see what it was all about for myself. Now on the plus side it is only like $7! That's a great price especially for the amount in this tub. The worst part about this product is that it seriously smells like grandma's house or something. The scent is so hard to get past for myself, especially while powdering my nose. If you're able to get past the fragrance, it does do a pretty good job of setting and helping to conceal those fine lines. You just may experience some extra dryness after a few days of using, so make sure to moisturize regularly.

Dermablend

Now this is one that I feel should most definitely hold up to it's name, but unfortunately it does not. They rave this brand for tattoo coverage so you would think it would be the best powder out there to hold that said coverage in place, but for me this was not great and did not hold up worth while. It set well, but within an hour it started cracking and I felt as if it accentuated fine lines I was trying to cover.

Too Faced

No this one was a keeper! Finally one of the new ones I tested out seemed to work well. The Born This Way from Too Faced does last all day! It does cover and help minimize those fine lines with minimal cracking! It also has hyaluronic acid that helps to plump and maintain a more youthful appearance.

So after these trials I would highly recommend two of them: Charlotte Tilbury or Too Faced. I feel as if these both worked the best and lasted all day. They are luxury brands so you'll pay a little bit more but it's most definitely worth it.

If you'd like to see the trials for yourself you can check out my YouTube to see how they all lasted throughout the days wear.

xo's

L

Shop them below:

Finding the Foundation that Works

We all know that finding the right foundation can be quite challenging sometimes and gets a little annoying going through the hunt. Well hopefully I can make it somewhat easier on you lovelies with the reviews I'm sharing on the four I recently tested out!

Incase you don't follow me on Instagram (click HERE to follow) I wanted to share my reviews with you here as well. Over the last week I tested out some new and oldies but goodies to see which really worked the best. There's both luxury and drugstore brands to mix it up, so keep reading to get all the details.

TARTE

Good old Tarte coming in hot for the first trial! I have been a fan of Tarte's "Shape Tape" concealer for years now, and when they released their foundation "Face Tape" I thought I would be blown away! Well this has been out for a few years now, when it first released to be honest I was not a fan. The color oxidized so horribly and there was two different formulas: matte or creamy ( I believe is what is was). So trying to find the correct color and formula for your skin was like impossible.

I had heard they changed the formula up so I figured I'd give it another shot now, and I will say it is much better! I had purchased this in two different shades: 16N Fair - Light Neutral and 18B Fair - Light Beige. Going for color match first I'd say the 18B was a better fit for myself. I have a very light complexion with rosie neutral undertones. It's a tad on the tan side, but for summer it'll be just fine. The 16N was just a tad too light, but when adding bronzer I was able to make it work. I will say I like to get the contoured look though just from using my foundation and concealer, so this lighter shade wasn't able to make that happen. It was pretty much all one shade.

As for the the coverage, this gives you a full coverage look in 1 pump, which is amazing. The coverage also seemed to last through a day of work, which for me is performing on stage. So another plus there! I had slight smile lines at the end of the day, but that's one of those things I don't think you can really completely avoid all together.

More of the formula details is that it is vegan, and hypoallergenic. It's transfer, water, and sweatproof. Also contains hyaluronic acid to help firm and plump, apple fruit extract which is rich in antioxidants, and snow mushroom extract which helps to hydrate and brighten your skin.

Rating: Tarte Face Tape, 8/10

---

TOO FACED

I've always loved me some Too Faced products because their packaging is always so pretty and girly! But to be honest their products can be hit or miss. I have heard good things about the "Born this Way" foundation so I wanted to test it out for myself. There's two formulas: the regular or the new offer of matte 24hr. I tested out the matte because that's what I prefer mostly and also you ten to get a more full coverage look with a matte foundation.

This particular foundation has a medium to full coverage buildable. I will say I loved the way this wore and made my face look! To get the desired full coverage look using the Born this Way I need to use a pump and a half. I went with the shade: Snow... how fitting! It's a very fare with neutral to rosie undertones. This foundation was a perfect color match with no oxidization.

Again it lasted all day with a beautiful unaltered canvas. Even my smile lines weren't as visible with this foundation! It's infused with coconut water to help your skin stay hydrated, alpine rose to help with your skin's health and resilience, and hyaluronic acid to help give your skin that youthful appearance. This Too Faced product is non-comedogenic, cruelty free, and vegan friendly. Also, it's transfer resistant and waterproof while keeping your skin looking flawless all day.

Rating: Too Faced Born this Way Matte, 10/10

---

L'ORÉAL

Now to try on a more budget friendly product with the L'ORÉAL Infallible 24hr Fresh Wear foundation. This particular product has been one I've worn in the past and have good results with. I wanted to compare it to these other luxury brand names though to see if it could hold up against them. Let's just say you pay for what you get!

This foundation isn't bad by any means, but in comparison to the others and for the coverage I am looking for... it's not gonna cut it.

I had tested out two different shades: Warm Ivory and Rose Ivory. The rose ivory was better for myself giving off that rosie undertone, where as the warm ivory would be better for someone with a fair complexion and yellow undertones. I do love that this formula contains 25SPF to help protect your skin against the sun's rays along with your daily use of sunscreen. Although after applying it, it seems as if you're wearing filter, this product doesn't stay true to it's 24hr longwear statement. If you're looking for a more natural foundation I would recommend this product. It's definitely more on the lightweight side, but can be buildable for more coverage. It doesn't hold up to it's non transferable or waterproof statements either. At the end of my work day it was still on, and didn't look bad, but it's like it had absorbed into my skin. You could see my freckles coming through and also in certain areas it was completely worn off. As for price point this is around the $17 range compared to the other luxury brands that are closer to the $35-$40 bracket.

Rating: L'ORÉAL Infallible Fresh Wear, 6/10

---

CHARLOTTE TILBURY

A tried and true foundation that seems to never fail, Charlotte Tilbury's Airbrush Flawless foundation. First, how glam is this packaging?!! Can we just appreciate for that first, ok then! CT is a brand that I love, but I will say her stuff is on the pricey side. I have used the CT Airbrush Flawless ever since it's released, I think it's that good.

I go between two shades that work best for me: 2N or 3N for those summery months where I have a little extra glow going on. This foundation is called airbrush flawless and to be honest it does just that. With 1 pump it gives you full coverage look and last all day as well. The only down fall I've noticed is that I do see my smile lines more distinctly with this one. I love the coverage and how it looks, but those fine lines do show in that area. This foundation contains Replexium which is to help with those fine lines and smooth out the appearance. It also is hydrating and light weight at the same time.

Here's the kicker though, I love this product but it's like my skin goes in stages of liking things. I can use a bottle of this and its great results, but as soon as I start the 2nd round my skin say no I don't like it anymore and revolts. Is this even a thing that can happen, lol?! During this testing phase it wore perfectly again. So I guess I just need to just keep switching it up to fool my face.

Rating: CT Airbrush Flawless, 10/10

---

Now if you're interested in seeing these results and reviews for yourself you can watch my trials here!

Shop them all for yourself below and stay tuned for another beauty review because I also am on the hunt for setting powders too!

Stay Lovely💖

XO's

L