Beauty Tips, Beauty Secrets

Once you’ve made the investment in brushes, take care of that investment by regularly washing and cleaning your brushes. Regular maintenance of your brushes will provide you with years of use, but it will also keep your makeup, brushes, and routine more sanitary. It is particularly important to regularly wash face brushes if you are acne-prone — it is best to do so after every use, especially with brushes that have been used in cream or liquids.

You can use any of the following:

• Brush Cleanser (by MAC or any other brand)
• MAC Cleanse-Off Oil (to remove stains)
• Baby Shampoo (by any brand)

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Tutorial for filling in your brows! :)

No matter how hurried I am, I try to take time to fill in my brows. It really helps define and enhance their shape, and I find it always gives me a more polished look–even if I’m not wearing any makeup otherwise. It’s pretty simple — all you need is a thin, angled brush (like the MAC 266) and a brow-colored powder (I use MAC Espresso eyeshadow). Some common shades for brows by MAC are Omega, Wedge, Cork, and Brun, as well.

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There are a plethora of products, ranging from miracle creams to spot treatments and gels to topical prescriptions, that are bought and sold under the premise of reducing the signs of aging. But did you know that there are many habits and things you can do today that will prevent some of those wrinkles (or at least reduce their severity) tomorrow? Here are ten things you should do with products you probably already have, or fine-tuning habits and daily rituals already in your day.

Antioxidants are essential to good health, which also includes helping skin maintain its youthful glow. You’ll notice many anti-aging products market themselves as having antioxidants within them, but you can bolster your regimen by ensuring you consume a few foods that are known to be excellent sources of antioxidants.

• Beta-carotene (e.g. carrots) may neutralize free radicals which effect your skin on a cellular level. Anthocyanidins (e.g. berries) increase your cellular defense system. Flavanones (e.g. citrus) and flavonols (e.g. apples, onions) may increase cellular defense as well as neutralize free radicals. Sulforaphane (e.g. broccoli, cauliflower) may increase your cellular defense system.
• Vitamin A (found in dairy, fish, and liver) and Vitamin C (e.g. citrus fruits) both help to protect cells from free radicals. Vitamin E (e.g. nuts, oils, seeds) can also protect cells from free radicals. Selenium (e.g. meats, tuna) may be preventive in damage to your cells from free radicals. Source

Be conscious of how you touch your face. When you’re washing your face, are you scrubbing vigorously? Harsh, hard, or vigorous movements and touches can stretch and pull at the skin in an adverse way. For instance, you should pat your face dry, rather than rubbing a cloth up and down.

Use brushes rather than your fingers to apply makeup. Brushes apply makeup with a light, easy touch, which means less stress and tugging for your skin. When you use your finger, there is more pressure exerted on the skin, even if it feels minute to you.

Cleanse your face regularly and ensure you remove ALL makeup. It is important to wash your face on a daily basis (twice if you can – e.g. AM and PM), even if you don’t wear makeup, because throughout the day your face does get dirty in some aspect. If you go outside, dust and dirt particles may have settled into your face. Make sure when you cleanse your face, you do a thorough job of removing your makeup, too. Residual makeup can rest in pores and on the skin’s surface, clogging it or preventing daily renewal. It’s good to have a package of makeup removing wipes in the house, just because if you ever get lazy or dead-tired, you can opt for using one of those instead of your regular cleansing regimen (not a substitute, but I recognize that we all have days when we just cannot seem to bring ourselves to do things!).

Wear sunscreen everyday. The best policy is to invest in a light sunscreen (e.g. SPF15) for everyday usage, and just get used to having that as a step in your everyday routine–like brushing teeth or showering. It is also a good idea to have a stronger sunscreen (e.g. SPF30+) to use for days when you know you will have increased exposure to sun. You also want to ensure your sunscreen protects against both UVA and UVB, because both can cause problems later in life! Even cloudy days, driving, etc. can cause you to be exposed to harsh rays, so sunscreen everyday!

Exfoliate once a week. Exfoliation helps to remove dead skin cells, which helps bring younger cells to the skin’s surface. As we get older, the cell renewal process slows down, giving skin an uneven or rough appearance. It is important that you don’t overdo exfoliation, and the frequency may depend on the product you choose. Also, don’t forget about body scrubs, because aging doesn’t just show up on your face!

Moisturize and protect your hands. There is the old addage that you can tell a woman’s age by the state of her hands. The skin on our hands is subjected to a lot of activity, from work and utility, but also substantial washes, so it does go through the ringer, so-to-speak. It’s good to remember to moisturize and treat your hands well when they’re not busy working. Try a heavy hand cream and encasing your hands in a pair of light gloves while you sleep to give them a boost of moisture. Sunscreen for your hands is also a great idea, because we know the sun does a lot of damage!

Drink lots of water. It’s an oldie, but it still remains true. Make sure you get your daily intake of water! If you have trouble, try filling up a large jug or thermos of water and keep it by you at all times — you’re more likely to drink it if it’s staring you in the face!

Reduce or remove bad habits from your life, like excessive drinking, smoking, and tanning. Both drinking and smoking can ravage the skin over the time, and reducing both or quitting will serve you well both bodily and skin-wise. Tanning, whether it is in a booth or from the sun, is not at all advisable, especially if you don’t use sunscreen to do it. There are so many self-tanners and sprays these days that you can get your glow without harming your skin in the process.

Make sure you are using your skincare products properly. Some products can multi-task, but some can’t. Don’t use a body scrub on your face because the abrasives in it are too strong for the more delicate skin on your face. Just like a cream for your body may not be good to use on your face. When in doubt, use as intended, because if you aren’t sure, the results may be bad news.

Share your easy and inexpensive anti-aging tips with us!

I have received a few questions lately about what parts of the eye are which, and I thought it would be a good time to re-post this diagram I made last year that I hope is helpful. I always call out where I put each product for every look (because unfortunately, I don’t have time to do a tutorial every time), and when I do, I use the same names for each part of the eye that it is applied to.

Brow Bone/Highlight: Generally, a lighter color will be applied to this area; it may be something that has undertones of bolder colors used on the lid, or it may simply be similar to your skintone. For example, say I do a predominantly green look, I might turn to MAC’s Gorgeous Gold eyeshadow as a highlight color because it will bring out the greens and still allow the color to taper off. Some of my favorite highlight colors are Ricepaper and Shroom.

Above Crease: This is my “blend out” area. There is strong color on the lid and the crease many times, and that strong color needs to be diffused as it moves it way upwards towards the brow. The best way to think about it is as a gradient, going from dark to light, starting on the lid moving towards the brow. Sometimes I use a lighter color than the one I used on my lid to help fade the color upwards, other times I may use the same color I chose for a highlight.

Outer Crease: Luckily my eye was lookin’ a bit tired, because you can really make out the “crease,” which is that fold of skin/wrinkle-like detail you can see. It extends from the beginning of your eye (inside) to the end of your eye (the outside). Most often I deposit color in the outer crease, but sometimes I do bring it inward a touch, more to the “middle” of the crease. I rarely go for darkening the entire length of my crease. A great universal crease color is Carbon, if used lightly, it can darken any look instantly. Soft Brown is also a nice, subtler shade.

Inner Lid: I mentally slice my eyelid into three parts–basically into thirds. There is the inner, middle, and outer thirds. In many looks you will see, a lighter color is put on the inner lid relative to the rest of the colors found on the lid.

Middle of Lid: This is the middle third of the eyelid, and since I typically do similar styles in my looks, this is where a “medium” color in terms of darkness would go. Light, medium, dark is a good way to think of how I deposit and choose what colors go where on the lid. On occasion, I might go medium, light, dark, but not nearly as frequently as I do the former.

Outer Lid: This is the outer third of the eyelid, and this is usually where I put the darkest lid color. Sometimes I will darken the very outermost portion of it (say you split the outer lid third into half, so then it’d be the outer half or the outer sixth of the entire lid) with the same color I would put in my crease.

Upper Lash Line: It is not explicitly labeled in this diagram, but it is where your upper lashes (generally the longest ones, the ones that come from your eyelid) meet your eyelid. This is the actual upper lash line. When lining the upper lash line, many create thicker lines than the natural upper lash line, but the concept is still there.

Upper Waterline: The upper waterline is also not explicitly labeled, but it can be found directly underneath your upper lashes. If you looked up, you would see a tiny bit of space, much like your lower line, and some people line this as well. It is called tightlining, for your reference.

Lower Waterline: The lower waterline is sometimes called the lower rim, because it is essentially the bottom rim of your eye. There are dozens of people who cannot put product on their waterline due to sensitivity, and many others who struggle to find a product that does not fade or dissolve because of the waterline (and the fact that it is…watery!). For those looking for longer lasting products, I know many use gel liners, fluidliners, and some even use liquidlast liners.

Inner Lower Lash Line: Not everyone likes to put color on the lower lash line, which is space directly below the lower waterline. Some prefer just a thin line of eyeliner that expands across both the inner and outer lower lash lines. I often use the 219 brush to apply pops of color; usually, a lighter color that is similar to the colors used on the lids is applied to the inner lower lash line.

Outer Lower Lash Line: Similarly to the inner lower lash line, I again apply a thin line of color using the 219 to the outer lower lash line. There are times where I might even split the lower lash line into thirds, and it just means that there is a middle part of the lower lash line for application. When it comes to smoky eyes, to “smoke out” the look, one applies a darker color to the outer lower lash line or goes for thicker eyeliner and smudges it out around the outer lower lash line.

Upper Lashes: They are not labeled, but I do hope that the majority know where to find these (though explained earlier!). Most makeup users will apply at least one coat of mascara in either brown or black. Brown mascara is more natural and less dramatic, while black can still be natural, but too many coats or using an amplifing mascara will give you dramatic lashes (but hey, I always want these, so there’s no shame in never going au natural on the lashes!). I look up and bring the wand closest to the roots of the lashes and comb it upwards. Sometimes I wiggle, sometimes I turn the brush as I move upwards – it just depends on the mascara.

Lower Lashes: These are the shorter lashes found beneath your eyeball. I always like to give them a quick coat of mascara after I finish doing my upper lashes, because then they’re blacker and stand out a touch. The best way I’ve found to apply mascara to the lower lashes is to use a mascara wand that is not huge and burly – it is a small space, and why do you want to get mascara all over your face? Since I do not even need a super duper mascara, I may use a lesser, but still black, mascara to coat them. Look up and lightly tap the mascara wand to the lashes. I usually just move the wand from side to side, rather than up and down like my upper lashes because I find it coats them to deepen color, slightly lengthen, and that’s all I need.

Halloween is a little under two weeks away, which means it is definitely getting to be crunch time to have your fabulous costume in order, right? Well, what about your makeup? Halloween makeup is all sorts of fun because you can be over the top and crazy, without anyone thinking you’ve lost your mind. You really get a chance to be creative and let your inner artist come out and play.

False lashes are an amazing way to make your eyes pop and finish off flawless makeup. During the haunting season, all kinds of crazy lashes come out – you can find a good variety at your local drugstore for $4-10 a pop. Make Up Forever also makes an incredible selection of false lashes for all times of the year (pictured above), and you can find them at Sephora (www.sephora.com); they’re really quite reasonably priced for their quality and how different their lashes can be.

Face makeup can totally transform your look–what about a blue face? Green face? t’s actually quite easy to achieve a good level of pigmentation without doing much. Any loose eyeshadow or pigment added to a few dollops of your normal face moisturizer will alter your skin color dramatically. It’s such a quick remedy and substitution for body or face paint if you don’t have it on hand. You could even crush up an old or unused eyeshadow to use the pigment from that instead!

Stickers are an affordable way to accentuate your makeup or add drawings when you lack the steady hands (like me) to do them freehand with liquid liner. Check out a local craft store for a huge selection of available stickers! Add some small star stickers for “stardust” on cheeks while creating the dust by applying body glitter afterwards.  Speaking of the local craft store, take a peek at fake feathers (glue onto wrists or face), sequins (great to use at the outer corner of your eye or on the side of your eyes), buttons (put these in your hair using rubber bands or bobby pins), and more.

Blood, gore, and guts can be accomplished by picking up a liquid latex kit from the Halloween store. Practice a few times on an arm wound before you need to have it perfected, but many have little trouble getting it to look to their satisfaction. While you can purchase fake blood from Halloween stores, you can also use heavy corn syrup mixed with red food coloring as another method.

Go cheap when it comes to buying makeup that you only intend to use for Halloween, or if you intend to use a lot of it. Honestly, I find it more practical to buy an inexpensive, drugstore brand of black liquid liner for building face masks or designing on the face, rather than using an expensive high-end brand. For the purposes of Halloween, I have found drugstore liner to be quite sufficient in getting the job done. Similarly, you can find a decent variety of crazy colored liner at the drugstore as well. Good makeup is not always the result of higher prices, but one-time use makeup should take price into consideration to maximize your creativity without maxing out your credit cards!

Halloween can be such a fun time, so I hope everybody finds a way to get some excitement out of the holiday!

Last week I asked readers to give their three best makeup tips to beginners when it came to makeup. Now, I’m going to share my top ten make up tips I think are important for anyone at any level or skill. These are in no particular order!

Accentuate your favorite features, and remember that focusing on one feature per look tends to achieve a better overall look. Doing dramatic eyes, cheeks, and lips can sometimes take away from beauty because it comes out overdone and perhaps even “clownish.” This is not to say you shouldn’t or you can’t do bold eyes and lips; it is more a word of caution when it comes to doing multiple focal points.

Confidence is the most essential piece to what you wear out. Anybody can rock any color eyeshadow, blush, or lipstick/gloss as long as they have the confidence to back it up. Being comfortable in your makeup is vital, because the awkwardness or self-consciousness will definitely be picked up by others. So, honey, take that bright blue shadow you’ve been lusting over, but haven’t dared to wear, and pull it off by just realizing how amazingly beautiful you are and how much fun can be had with experimentation and trying colors that aren’t your norm.

Looking polished is easily achieved by complimenting your makeup and not forgetting the parts of your face. Those with naturally fabulous skin can do well simply by moisturizing (and if you feel the need, a light powder or concealer), and others who have less-than-perfect skin have so many variations and formulas of foundation available to them to turn that skin into even, smooth, flawless-looking skin. Perfecting the skin can do wonders on your confidence, because so many of us fret over those teenage acne scars or the slight rosacea some of us have, and other various skin “flaws.” Sparse eyebrows are easily turned into glamorous sisters by gently filling them in. Lips are defined by lip liner and/or lipstick, or even a light gloss with only a hint of color to give off an image of lush puckers. Eyes can be enhanced with nothing but natural brown mascara, to lengthen and thicken lashes just slightly.

Finding your natural or preferred brow shape is something that can brighten up your face without even putting on a single swipe of makeup. It’s important to maintain your eye brows once you’ve found the right shape to compliment your eyes as well as your face. I really do suggest having them shaped professional for the first time or two, and then you can do upkeep and maintenance of that particular shape. I personally made the mistake of having a friend do mine years ago, and it has taken me a good two to three years to get them to a decent shape!

Experiment, experiment, experiment. I cannot say it enough. You will learn what kinds of techniques work for you, what shapes and colors you like the most on yourself, and how to have fun with being creative when it comes to makeup. When makeup is a chore, that is the first sign that you are not experimenting enough! Try things that are out of your comfort-zone; it isn’t as if you have to leave the house with whatever look you attempt. That’s one of the best aspects of makeup: it washes off. It’s not permanent. Try blue and orange and green together, try Russian Red lipstick. Just don’t be afraid to test the waters, because makeup can be an amazing outlet for all of your artistic inclinations.

Take good care of your skin, because as mentioned earlier, skin is a piece of beauty that will always be a feature you want to accentuate regardless of where you are in life. Make sure to moisturize regularly, be religious when it comes to sunscreen usage, and take the time to thoroughly cleanse the skin at least once daily to remove the day’s dirt and grime (and makeup!). Also, one of the easiest ways to improve and maintain your skin is by drinking at least eight glasses of water a day.

Tools and the quality of them can really make a difference in the application process. Quality tools do not necessarily mean high priced, high-end. There are reasonably priced alternatives, and it is a matter of looking around and being creative. Craft stores often carry brushes made for painting, and the kind of brushes you would use for makeup application will often be cheaper, but still good quality, than a high-end line’s similar brush. Also, Sonia Kashuk is a line found at Target that makes decent brushes for a price worth noting. Of course, high end brushes are often going to be better in quality, they are not necessary to have the skill and talent to do flawless makeup. Skills far outweigh brush quality in the end. It is important to wash your tools periodically, and more often for ones used for skin products or cream products to minimize bacteria growth and transference. Even using baby shampoo on brushes is an easy and cost-effective way to clean them.

If you are just entering the world of beauty and makeup, don’t feel compelled to buy every product you see if your pocketbook does not allow it. Not everybody has a lot of disposable income to spend on makeup, and it is important to discover inexpensive products to supplement more expensive ones. Think of products like mascara, eyeliner, lip liner, etc. as accessories to good makeup, and think of a well pigmented eyeshadow or blush as a classic piece. Dress up those few classic pieces by using inexpensive accessories. Neutral eye shadows do not need as much pigmentation as does a bright pink eyeshadow, so going drugstore means you won’t necessarily sacrifice quality. Drugstore lines have come a long way, and there are comparable products to be found. Many drugstores also offer a return policy, even if you’ve used/open the product, which allows you to test and see what works (and what doesn’t).

Beauty holds a different meaning for each person. Don’t be afraid to do your makeup the way you want to, the way you feel best accentuates your features and enhances your beauty. Think of all beauty “rules” more like guidelines as to what often works but doesn’t always work. Just like the tip that states that bold lips, cheeks, and eyes can be overwhelming is more of a guideline than an absolute “do not do this.” Breaking so-called beauty rules takes confidence — can you see how some of these tips really tie together?

Criticism comes in many forms, some of them quite hurtful, and others with good intentions. Try to be receptive to criticism that means well, and try to let hurtful criticism roll off your back. We never stop learning in our lives, and the same can be said when it comes to beauty and makeup. Listen to what someone has to say, and try to see whether you agree, can see where they’re coming from, or if they’re crazy. For a long time, I focused on my eyes and forgot the rest of my face, and it took me awhile to see that people who told me to think about using blusher or lipgloss had good intentions, and now I love to use both.

With prom season dawning on us, thousands of anxious teenage girls are gearing up for the big night, and I’m sure some of them are at a loss as to what to do with their makeup! Some ladies will go to professional artists and salons to get the perfect look, but a good amount of girls will be prepping and primping on their own. To help you figure out what look you might want to consider with what color dress you’re wearing, I went through and picked out some random prom dresses in an assortment of colors and then matched them up to past looks I’ve done that might work with them.

Remember, it’s your big night, so there’s nothing wrong with doing a few dry runs or practices before the real thing!

Also, these are some looks that could go with just about any dress you choose: Neutral (10 Minute Look), Neutral Eye, Gray Smokey Eye, Dramatic Black Smokey Eye, Smokey Eye, Black Smokey Eye

For lighter colored dressees: Light Neutral, Darker Neutral

For darker colored dresses: Dark Neutral, Cool Neutral, Dark Gold

Soft yellow to brighter yellow dresses can be played up or down, depending on how dramatic you want to go. Use soft pastel yellows for a feminine, withdrawn look, or use brighter colors like warm corals and oranges to brighten up your eyes. Golds are an excellent way to play with dark/warmth. Soft Yellow, Gold Tones, Light Gold, Sunset Eyes

Darker dresses, like this teal number with black overlay, can always go with an extremely natural, neutral eye, or it can have a coordinating, dark, dramatic teal eye. You can also play with different color combinations, but putting the focus on whichever teal shadow you choose. Minty Teal, Bright Teal, Dark Teal, Dark Greens

Bronze/brown dresses go well with so many different looks, but I particularly love them with bronzy, autumny looks that give depth and add drama to your eyes. Red and Brown, Chocolate Brown, Bronzy Gold, Light Gold, Gold/Orange, , Gold/Purple

Neutral/beige dresses allow wearers to be very versatile with their eye makeup, but it is a good idea to decide whether you want to be soft or bold! Then you can play with different looks from there. Soft Mattes, Soft Pinks, Bronzy Gold, Light Gold, Bold Fuchsia, Purples

Pink prom dresses, depending on the shade of pink, can go well with deeper or lighter pinks, but it is a good idea to do the opposite of whatever color your dress is to throw in some contrast. Even having a light pink dress as shown above, using a light pink as part of the inner lid but a darker pink or purple on the outer lid and really open up those eyes. Deep Purples, Soft Purples, Soft Pink, Bright Pinks, Gray/Pink

Green dresses, like pink ones, also depend on the shade of green. Olive greens go better with looks that are darker in their warmth compared to pastel greens, which will find a better match with more minty pastel eyeshadow colors than a camouflage green. Light/Dark Green, Spring Green, Green/Pink, Golden Green, Golden Olive, Light Green/Teal, Warm Greens

Bold dresses, like this teal one, are best subdued by natural/neutral make-up with a light lip to keep the focus on the dress. However, if you want to go all out, by all means, pick a coordinating teal look – nothing wrong with that choice! Minty Teal, Bright Teal, Dark Teal, Light/Dark Green, Smokey Gray

Darker, color-rich dresses work lovely with similar dark, dramatic make-up, but can also be lightened and brightened by using a soft wash of a shimmery beige/cream shadow with black mascara and liner. Dark Teal, Gray Blue, Bright Blue, Deeper Blue, Smokey Gray

White dresses can be versatile, but sometimes the style of the dress can force you into a corner where softer is better than a darker, smokey eye. You want to take note of your dress and play with what works with it best. Soft Purples, Soft Pinks, Dark Browns/Mauve, Warm Multi-color, Creamy Neutral, Neutral

Black dresses are classic, aren’t they? And they allow you to wear any color you want on your eyes or lips or both. There really aren’t any constraints when it comes to the classic black number. Soft Purples, Soft Pinks, Warm Pink/Purple, Green/Pink, Rich Gold, Warm True Green, Deep Olive Green

Red and burgundy dresses go the way of the dark, color-rich gowns do: you can lighten by going extremely soft or neutral, but you can continue to add drama and flair by pairing it with a rich eye, whether it be a deep red shadow or more autumny hues. Dark Purple/Pink, Subdued Bright Pink, Autumn #1, Autumn #2, Autumn #3, Coral Pink/Purple, Red #1, Red #2

Eyeliner is often considered essential in finishing eye makeup or accenting the bare eye. You would be surprised at how much of a difference adding a touch of black eyelilner on the lower rim of your eye can be. There are many different types of liner–from gel to kohl to liquid to pencil–and nearly infinite shades and colors. Even textures vary from brand to brand and certain types of liner have a specific texture.

Gel liners are similar to both kohl and pencil liners, but they might seem a bit “wetter” and more movable (kind of like fluidliners, which come in a pot-form). Liquid liner is just what it says; liquid color that is applied using either a separate brush or with an included applicator. The biggest differences between liquid and other forms of liner are that liquid liners can allow for stronger color, often have longer staying power, and more precision.

When applied correctly (with a great deal of accuracy!), liquid liner allows for a distinct and precise line of color. Gel liners like fluidliners also allow for similar precision when used with thin angle brushes (like MAC’s 266). Fluidlines in particular also provide the same staying power and usually similar in color boldness as liquid liners. Kohl and pencil liners have a higher chance of the liner migrating to the corners of the eyes throughout the day, but they are easily handled by even makeup beginners because they give the user more precision and forgive more easily than a liquid liner’s applicator. However, kohl pencils are frequently used along the lower lash line, and especially for smokey eyes. It is easy to smudge black kohl liners with brushes, q-tips, or sponge-tip applicators (pick your poison!). Liquid liner is really great for lining the upper lash line because of the sensitivity of the eyelids, the softness and lightness in pressure of the liquid liner work very well. Sometimes pencil liners take several strokes to get the color strength desired, and lining the upper lash line is hard enough without taking this into account.

Black is often known as a staple eyeliner color, and it is a good idea to have one in your make-up bag, but there are many other shades to choose from and shouldn’t be ignored. Of course there are liners in every color imaginable, but other good staples for a collection would be brown, dark gray, and gray. Even if you cannot find a particular eyeliner in the color you want, eyeshadows can be used dry or wet to line eyes, as well. Some people find that putting a touch of dry shadow on their lower lash line helps accent the colors they used on their lid.

In terms of application of liner, users with small eyes may find lining both the upper and lower lash line to be counterproductive and actually make their eyes appear even smaller. Someone with naturally big, open eyes may find the opposite is true: lining both can further open and enhance their eyes. To apply liner on the upper lash line, one method to do this is by using one of your fingers to lightly pull your eyelid slightly upwards and to the side. To apply liner to the lower lash line, look up if you can and apply liner against lower lash line. To get deeper color, it may be necessary to go over the same area with the kohl pencil several times. The lower lash line is definitely easier to apply liner to than the upper lash line–at least for most people!

When lining the upper lid or using liquid liner, be cautioned that liquid liner is much less forgiving for errors in application than pencil. Keep this in mind, because practice, practice, practice is essential to master the artistry of liquid liner (and liner, in general, too!). Just don’t get caught up in frustration when it doesn’t work. One way to practice without ruining your makeup for the day is to make liner attempts shortly before you are ready to remove your makeup for the day/night. This way you can see how it works for you without worrying about a jagged line or smudges over your eyeshadow. Another trick is to start off make-up application by lining the lid (upper, lower, or both) and using make-up remover (usually with a q-tip) to clean up any mistakes and keep the line defined and precise.

It is truly practice that is going to give you the results you want, so stick with it and let it come as you experiment and try it out.

Product Suggestions: I suggest the following specific products as my preferences in lining: MAC technakohl in Graphblack for a strong black; L’Oreal Automatic liner in Ebony for a good drugstore black; MAC’s fluidline in Blacktrack for a good gel liner black; MAC’s Boot Black liquid liner; MAC liquidlasts make for great colored liquid liners, as well.

Not everyone can afford the prices of high-end cosmetic lines like Chanel, Dior, Estee Lauder, Lancome, MAC, etc. And there are many who do not want to spend a lot of money on cosmetics, either. This is a guide, of sorts, to help direct price-conscious consumers to cost effective products that actually work. Many more drugstore cosmetic lines are coming out with products that are made to rival higher-end items.

There are several brands that offer great, more inexpensive alternatives for your cosmetic hauls. One of my favorites is called NYX, and I would consider it one of the best cosmetic lines I have tried–and the price is right. Their eyeshadows are extremely pigmented, and several colors are perfect dupes compared to MAC’s! Shadow textures are lovely, and apply evenly and smoothly with little fuss. NYX offers single shadows as well as shadows in sets of three, blush, and various lipglosses and eye/lip liners. Prices generally range from $3-7 for most items they offer. I would say that the only serious drawback from buying NYX is that it is not often readily available at your nearest drugstore. However, several sites offer it online, so that is always a good option for those who cannot find it in our local store.

Most drugstores seem to carry two very low-budget lines: NYC and Wet ‘n Wild. When I am looking to try out a new product, I often see if I can purchase something from either of these companies because sometimes you can score items for a dollar! Both offer full lines of cosmetics, including foundation, eyeshadows, bronzers, and travel-sized brushes. They also make decent false eyelashes, which are perfect for anyone who wants a pair to try–or those of us who often wear them once and throw them out. Far cheaper to buy these for one-time wear than MAC ones! While both of these lines are incredibly affordable, I do have to say that the quality is not near high-end brands. You get a little more than what you pay for, but neither of these are my favorite in drugstore brand cosmetics. Although, NYC does make lovely lipgloss!

Many high-end users supplement their collection with finds from Milani, which offers several identical dupes to MAC existing shadows. These shadows are well-pigmented and apply smoothly, and again, these are perfect for anyone with a small budget. Milani has a full line, so there are many products for customers to select from. Sometimes Milani is so sought after that your local drugstore may have sold out of many options! Similarly, Rimmel offers some quality products, though I would say their shadows do not work quite as well as Milani or NYX.

On the more expensive side of drugstore cosmetics lines is L’Oreal’s HIP product line. This line was meant to give you high-end cosmetic quality with drugstore prices. They did not quite deliver, but they did give you a result worth checking out. The prices for HIP range from $7-15, with many of their eyeshadows running around $10. When I think about saving money, it seems odd to pay $10 for an eyeshadow from L’Oreal when I can a higher-end product from MAC for the same price (for pans) or pay a few dollars more (for pots). They do offer gorgeous color choices, and even have loose color like MAC’s pigments. Some shadow colors are harder to work with than others, but many can be used with great success. The selling point of this line is that the colors are supposed to be highly pigmented, and this is usually true. Although, their foundation has much left to be desired; too much yellow/orange in the color selection.

There are numerous brands of cosmetic lines constantly being inventoried in your local drugstore, and it is overwhelming. Many products offered through these lines are worth buying; companies like CoverGirl and Maybelline would not have stayed in business if their products were worthless! Instead of continuing by listing brand names and thoughts on them, here are some tried and true products available at your local drugstore:

CoverGirl LastExact Mascara — One of the more recent mascaras to be launched, and it is definitely a great one! I hear so many rave reviews about LastExact, and I am no exception. I will admit that sometimes it does not quite work as well as I want to, but usually it works just fine. I find have no need to pursue a better high-end mascara, and I get along fine switching between my drugstore versions.

Maybelline Full ‘n Soft — I adore this mascara. I have used it for several years, and even though I have tried other mascaras, this is still my favorite one for lengthening, thickening, and building up my lashes to make them full ‘n soft!

L’Oreal Automatic Pencil Eyeliner — This used to be my black eyeliner of choice. It was a great automatic-sharpening kohl that gave my lower lash line the perfect smoldering look. Although I have replaced this with a high-end product, I still recommend this as an amazing alternative. When I used it, so many people commented, asking what liner I was using, and they were shocked it was just L’Oreal.

L’Oreal Colour Juice — Gorgeous lipglosses that are fairly sheer and in different fruit flavors. They give lips that lovely glossy look, making them seem plump and… juicy.

OPI & Sally Hansen nailpolishes — I have always been a huge fan of both lines of nail polishes. They come in a variety of colors and finishes, and I love that Sally Hansen adds strengthening to many of their products. I find that either of these brands are often better than many high-end nail polishes.

Ardell lashes — Ardell makes a huge assortment of false eyelashes for a variety of needs. You can find bold lashes or singles to add fullness to your own natural lashes. These are quite affordable and can be reused.

L’Oreal True Match — This foundation gives decent coverage and comes in a variety of colors. I have already found my holy grail in foundation in a high-end brand, so I cannot say I am too willing to experiment — trust me, lovelies, once you find your dream foundation, you will find a way to earn the money to buy it!

Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse — So many good reviews about this product makes it a definite foundation option to check out next time you are browsing the cosmetics aisle.

The best way to purchase and try drugstore cosmetics is to find a retailer that does allow you to return opened and tested makeup. I know Rite Aid has this policy, and it is a great way to give a drugstore brand a chance without losing your money. This is one of the reasons many people prefer high-end brands, because they have the luxury of testing and trying a product before they buy it. Many beauty websites offer reviews by real customers, like makeupalley.com, which also lets you swap makeup you no longer need/want. And if you cannot seem to find the brand or color you want, there is always drugstore.com, which offers thousands of products, and most of the time, shipping is free when you spend more than $25!

Just because you cannot afford or do not want to spend a lot of money on your makeup does not mean you will not be able to find quality products that fit within your budget, whatever it may be.

Blending

What is it?
Blending is the art of mixing different colors (whether still similar in hue or on completely opposite sides of the color wheel) to create a gradient of color, not a muddying mess that obliterates the vibrancy and trueness of the individual colors used to create a particular look.

Why bother?
Using a single wash of color can be perfect or even ideal for some situations, like running out the door to make a few errands or for a simple workday, but in general, people who utilize makeup want to use more than one color, and of course, there are several good reasons behind this. Using multiple colors creates a sense of depth and dimension to the eyes, especially when used correctly. A darker color in the crease gives the appearance of a deeper, more pronounced crease; just as darkening the outer portion of the lid often defines the natural eye shape. By contrasting this dark shadow with a lighter color, the artist will open up their eyes while still allowing for an emphasis on accenting the shape of their eyes.

What do I need?
I always find that telling makeup beginners that the easiest place to begin learning how to blend and understanding what exactly you are attempting to accomplish is to use similar colors. Using two drastically different colors is not nearly as easy as taking a dark brown and a medium brown or even a dark olive green and a lighter green. I also recommend choosing browns to start with, because you simply cannot muddy up browns, as they are already brown! The texture of the shadows and the type of base you choose can also simplify or complicate the process. Smoother textures will be easier to blend compared to chalky or matte ones. By MAC, some of the easiest shadows to work with are the ones with the best color payoff, and include many of the veluxe and veluxe pearl shadows. Lustre finishes are less color payoff as a whole and tend to be more prone to flake because of the chunkier texture of the shadow itself. Shadows like Antiqued or Woodwinked are definitely recommended. A way you can tell if a particular shadow will work is to swatch both on the back of your hand and test-run it. Fingers are great to blend with, but we will get into why you should not use them for your eyes shortly. Putting the shadow on the back of your hand and seeing how easily the two colors blend together will be a good indicator of how well they will blend on your eyes with a brush.

Brushes are absolutely essential to applying eye makeup, and I cannot stress the importance of using brushes over fingers or sponge-tip applicators. Wrinkles are caused by pulling and stressing the skin out excessively, including merely pressure applied to the skin. As we get older, our skin loses elasticity, and in order to help you reduce your costs of wrinkle creams in the next ten, twenty, thirty years… brushes help correct some of the mistakes finger usage can make. Brushes will put less pressure on your eyelids allowing for less pulling or stretching of the sensitive skin there. Sponge-tip applicators are better than fingers, but not nearly as beneficial as brushes can be. One of the worst parts of sponge applicators is that they waste a lot of product, even for face makeup. They complicate the blending process because of how much excess shadow is left on the sponge, so you generally have to go through several in order to use a cleaner slate each time. Brushes pick up less color during each swipe, and this allows for better precision to determine color strength and vibrancy, but also allow you to easily switch between a light pink color and a dark blue color. Sponge-tip applicators also are much less forgiving of any mistakes you might make, because of that high color amount they pick up. Blending is best accomplished by a brush because the bristles allow colors to be subtly entwined and meshed together. I will admit that sponge-tip applicators may be able to blend shadows together, but ultimately do not find that they are the best method to go about blending successfully, especially over the long-haul.

When choosing a brush to apply eyeshadow and blend the colors together, there is definitely a wide, and most overwhelming, variety of brushes to choose from. Some users prefer to have separate brushes for the initial shadow application and the actual blending process. Either is acceptable, but it is not impossible to have an all-in-one eye brush. It is important not to use a brush that is firm or stiff, because you want the bristles to have a bit of fluffiness to allow you to sweep easily horizontally, vertically, and angularly. For instance, I find that MAC’s 252 brush is too flat and firm to do much more than apply shadow. You want a brush more like MAC’s 239, which has a bit of fluffiness, but not excessively so like the 222. The shape of the brush should be dome-like or slightly angular, but I would suggest the dome shape as being the most versatile. It is also important to choose a brush with soft bristles, and softness is not something solely reserved for high-end or more expensive makeup brushes. Sonia Kashuk makes more affordable brushes and can be found at Target stores, and their softness is not compromised by their price. Even some craftstore paintbrushes work wonderfully in the absence of cosmetic brushes! You can see what brushes I have purchased and pictures of what a good blending brush would look like by referring to my brush post.

How can I do it?
Many believe that blending is one of the more difficult techniques to master, but it is merely something that takes a degree of precision and the willingness to practice if it does not just come naturally or easily to the person. I admit that it is not always easily accomplished when working with certain colors or textures. Each makeup application allows me to practice my blending or fine-tune it, because blending is really an on-going technique. Tutorials are an excellent way to understand the basics and mechanisms behind blending, but practice truly makes perfect in this case.

You begin blending by first applying two colors or more on your eyelid. There are two methods to go about doing this: 1) you can apply each color and blend afterwards, or 2) you can apply one and then blend as you apply the second one. I would suggest following the first if you really do not know where to start, because it is a lot easier to understand the process with this method. With method one, after you have applied the two colors to your lid, you will want to take your brush and hold it just at the end of the lightest color so that your bristles are vertical to your eyelid. Generally speaking, it is easiest to blend by pulling the lightest color into the darker one. With your brush positioned correctly, you want to pull the brush gently from the edge of the lightest that meets the darker color and pull towards the darker one. You are taking the lighter color and lightening the darker color faintly, which will create a sort of gradient effect so colors gradually fade into other colors, instead of splotches or blocks of color where it is clear where each one begins/ends. You do not have to drag the lightest color all the way to the end of the darker one; the point is merely to soften the edge between them so that the color on your lid appears fluid, while still maintaining distinct colors. The second method still follows the same technique as the first one; the only difference is perhaps the application follows darkest to lightest, allowing the lightest always to be overlaid on the darkest.

The art of blending is based on a very simple technique, but it just takes familiarity with it in order to be comfortable practicing it. One trick to aid in application is to use an intermediary color between two colors. For example, if you were to blend red and yellow together, you would likely get, at the very least, a tinge of orange; if you have an orange shadow, you can place a touch of it between the two and it will make blending even easier. Colors that are drastically different need to be handled very carefully, and it is a good idea not to rush through. Blending light green and a dark, hot pink requires a bit of finesse. The blending has to be incredibly subtle because these two colors do not naturally fade into each other, and infact, may be one of the tougher combinations to blend together without muddying them up. To deal with this, it is best to bring just a hint of the green into the pink, and repeat the motions as necessary. It will be problematic if you assume you will get a perfect gradient with just these two colors; it is best to merely soften the edge between the two colors, but you are unlikely to find it looks as blended as a look that merely consists of light green and dark green. Also realize that between green and pink, there are several colors inbetween, and your lid does not have the space to bring out all of them easily, either.

If you decide to use a second brush for blending purposes, the technique is still the same, but the brush you use will most likely be fairly fluffy in nature. You will still place your brush similarly and be gently pulling the colors together, meshing them to create a form of a gradient. Fluffier brushes tend to pick up less color so they are more forgiving; one wrong tap or stroke will not necessarily ruin your makeup. For this reason, it might be helpful for those struggling to successfully blend.

What else?
Blending is merely pulling one color into and over another, almost like a venn diagram has two individual circles that share an overlapping section in the middle. You can facilitate blending by choosing a good eyeshadow base, like Urban Decay Primer Potion, MAC’s Prep ‘n Prime Eye, or L’Oreal Decrease; these not only allow your eyeshadow to have staying power and prevent the color from fading, falling off, or creasing, but they will help make blending all that easier. It is important to note that expensive brushes, eyeshadows, or other tools are not essential or even necessary to blend well. It is more about the quality of the product than the price; if the drugstore variety works well, it is not worse than an equivalent higher-end brand. I must stress the significance of taking your time and not rushing through the process if you are not comfortable with it. Use what makes you comfortable, and do not be afraid to spend an hour in front of the mirror ensuring you are doing a good job in perfecting your look. Not everyone can do perfect makeup in twenty minutes, and even those who are able, were not so when they first began, either. Have fun with it; spend one night mixing your two favorite colors together and see what you come up with. Experiment, test out new ideas, and be creative as you learn what works, what does not, and how you can improve upon your skills as a makeup artist.

Please feel free to ask questions or for clarification, make any comments you’d like, and do not hesitate to ask me for help!