They say that everything happens for a reason and for the most part, I believe that. When it came to meeting my good friend Isabel Lima, I knew that it was definitely true. If you love talking about makeup, skin care and friendships, read on!
Isabel and I technically met a few years ago at a restaurant I used to work at. Fast forward a few years later and she happened to be my makeup artist at a fashion show I was modelling in. It took us a couple of hours, but we finally pieced together how and where we knew each other from! I had met quite a few makeup artists through my various modelling gigs but meeting Isabel changed my life. Not only did I get a long lasting friendship but I was also taught the importance of taking care of your skin. As a Mary Kay consultant, the first thing she told me was that I had incredibly dehydrated skin. This was a bit of a shock to me if I’m being honest. I knew I didn’t have great skin but I didn’t think it was THAT bad. Well, it was! After applying foundation to my face, she showed me how my dehydrated skin made the makeup look “flaky”, even though she prepped my skin by moisturizing it. With my wedding day right around the corner at that point, I knew I needed to do something because I did NOT want flaky skin on my big day.
Isabel introduced me to the Timewise collection from Mary Kay to help with all of this. This collection includes a 3-in-1 cleanser, a moisturizer as well as a day and night solution. What I loved about the day solution was the it had SPF in it, so I also felt great knowing I was blocking out the sun’s rays throughout the day! I never thought I would have time to dedicate to my skin in the morning and at night, but it goes super quick. I started developing a habit and before I knew it, my skin was SO much better. How I knew it was actually working? I would go to other photo shoots with other makeup artists and they would say (this has literally happened 3 times already), “wow, you have such nice skin! The makeup is going on so nicely!”. They didn’t mean my skin was blemish-free (lord knows I’ve popped enough pimples to unfortunately leave forever scars on my face), what they meant was that my skin was moisturized and healthy! And that was definitely an amazing feeling.
The other face-care product Isabel introduced me to is the ClearProof charcoal mask. It’s an era of trending face masks and peels, but I really didn’t like the idea of having something sticky on my face that I needed to (painfully) tear off. No thanks. This mask though is truly amazing. It only takes about 15-20 minutes from start to finish (make sure to wash your face first). Once it’s dry, you can notice just how much oil and gross stuff it collects from your face! I made the hubby try it (it took some convincing) and he agreed that it made his skin feel amazing! And to remove it, I just used a damp cloth to softly and painlessly remove it from my face! Easy peasy!
Apart from their amazing face cleansing products, Mary Kay also has a great makeup line. Isabel ONLY uses Mary Kay products on me when she’s prepping me for any event or photo shoot. Now you’re probably thinking “well duh, she works for MK so she’s going to want to promote her products”. True, but I’ve actually seen her pull out different brand-named products to try them and every single time she swears out loud because she doesn’t like the result and goes back to using her Mary Kay stuff. It’s pretty hilarious to watch her work actually! One of my favourite makeup products is their CC cream. It’s like a super light-weight foundation. I hate feeling “cakey” with heavy foundation so this is the perfect solution for a lightweight product that I put on every morning. Most people can’t even tell that I have makeup on! It just evens everything out and I really don’t feel like I’m wearing much.
So I know I’ve been fan-girling about Isabel throughout this post but she really is awesome. Not only is she a car lover and Starbucks enthusiast (like me!), but she’s also an amazing makeup artist. What completely sealed the deal for me was seeing her work on my wedding day. While doing my makeup, she would ask the photographers to snap some pictures so that she could see how I looked specifically on camera and then she would adjust accordingly; highlighting and contouring according to what the camera would catch. I have never seen a makeup artist with that much attention to detail! So, if ever you’re in need of a kick-ass makeup artist (or any amazing MK products), let me know and I would be MORE than happy to pass on her contact details.
For photo credit, all photos that aren’t mine can be found here: https://www.pinterest.ca/dianafoglia/positividee/