Ask Temptalia - Question & Answer Session #9

Thanks for all the questions! Keep sending them in to temptalia@gmail.com. If you have a time-sensitive question, please let me know so I can try and answer it on time. If you didn’t see your question, check for it in the next Ask Temptalia post. Keep on sending them in!Q: I’ve heard makeup artists talk about undertones. Usually, they are knowledgeable enough that they can look at someone and immediately know their undertones. Is this an innate talent or is this something that I can learn? I’ve searched online but cannot find what I’m looking for. I want to be good at matching skin tones, complementing colors and their combinations. Is there anything you recommend?A: You can figure out your undertones by looking at the underside of your forearm (the paler part that doesn’t see the sun so often, ha!). If you have cool undertones, your skin will be slightly rosy or darker olive/brown. If you have warm undertones, your skin will be yellower or more golden. If you have a yellow cast to your skin, this means you have warmer skin than cool. If you have a blue cast to your skin, this means you have cooler skin than warm.Q: Here are all the eyeliners I have used that still smear after an hour or so: Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner, Makeup Forever Eyeliner, NYC Waterproof eyeliner, Maybelilne Waterproof Eyeliner, & Urban Decay 24/7. MAC fluidline -works the best out of all but still smears a little. I am trying to find something in pencil form since I do my make up in the car. I was thinking about the MAC Feline kohl liner but are those really waterproof?A: Wow, that’s a long list of trial and error! I don’t know anything in pencil form that’s really going to do that for you right now. The longest lasting formulas tend to be liquid, unfortunately. Point Black liquidlast will be your best bet, because the liquidlast formula has the most amazing staying power (I swatched some on my hand 2 days ago, still 100% there despite lots of handwashing). MAC’s kohl powers are not waterproof or smudgeproof, so while I love ’em, they’re not going to fit your needs.<–adsense#3–>Q: I have purchase some Mac brushes but I need help in how to best use each one. Please, I’m desperate to learn and how to learn from an expert … you! The brushes I have purchased are: 129, 187, 194, 219, 222, 224, 239, 242, 252, 266, 275, and 316. Can you please help me determine how I should be using each brush?A: The 129 is a blush brush or power brush, so you can use it with your blushes, loose powders, etc. The 187 is a stippling brush and can be used to apply foundation or mineralize skinfinishes; you may also use it for heavy blushes so you can have a lighter hand when applying darker blush colors. You’ll use the 194 for concealing, because of its size it allows you to pick up concealer or foundation to apply directly to areas that need extra coverage. The 219 is excellent for touch ups (like say you get mascara on your lid after you’ve finished your shadow) as well as applying color along the lash lines. Both the 222 and 224 are very similar, and they can both be used to gently blend colors together or to apply the crease color. The 239 will be your be-all-shadow brush, because it will most likely be the brush you use to apply your shadows with. With the 242’s flat, stiff bristles, it’s a great brush to apply pigments (when they’re wet), paints, cream colour bases, paint pots, etc. – basically creamy products. The 252 is just a large version of the 242. Everybody loves the 266 because it’s the perfect brush to fill in brows with, but more important is makes an excellent liner brush. Putting liquid or fluidline on your lash lines is a breeze with the 266. I would use the 275 to contour your crease, so another crease brush. You could also turn it into a face brush and contour smaller areas like the nose. The 316 s a lip brush, so you would use it to apply lipstick (I suppose lipglass would work too, but I’d probably pick one or the other or get two 316s).Q: I’m going to a Halloween party and I am going dressed as an element with my friends (we’ve all picked an element out of earth, air, fire and water) and I was wondering if you had any suggestions for make up that we could do with a sort of elemental theme… we were thinking of using colours that would go with our elements (reds, yellows and oranges for fire, greens and browns for earth, blues and teals for water and silver and greys for air)… we were wondering if you could help us by making a step by step tutorial for each or even suggesting current tutorials if that is not too much trouble.A: What a great Halloween costume idea! I’m not sure if I will have the time to do the tutorials you want, but I did go through the tutorials section to find some possibilities for you. You may also want to browse through the looks organized by color and take a look at a tutorial – I really do use the same technique in nearly every application, and the colors simply change. This is one you could use for fire, maybe adding some more orange/gold to the inner lid for a better fit as in this one. For earth, I think this one fits your description.  Here is a blue and teal one for water, and this is a even bluer one. I did a tutorial for a classic silver-black smokey eye that might work for air here. It seems like I might actually already have a tutorial for the looks you’ve asked for 😉Q: I have terrible lashes! Aside from them not curly well with a lash curler, they also go in every direction. Mascaras work well, but not when some of the lashes cooperate and others don’t. What do you suggest? Do you think lash extensions would work?A: You might want to try investing in a lash comb and running that throw your lashes before you apply any products. I would also suggest checking into a lash primer, perhaps to reduce the “every direction” problem you’re having. I’d vote against lash extensions, just because they make me nervous personally!Q: I’m having a big party for my Sweet Sixteen and wonder what look would look best with a teal and black dress. I’m planning to go to a M.A.C. counter at a department store to get it done, but a lot of people are saying you’ll end up looking like a drag queen and I definitely would not want that. Lol. Do you have any suggestions?A: AI would think about doing a teal and black smokey look! You could do teal all over your lid and then add Carbon eyeshadow to the outer lid and crease. If you have any teal glitter liner, that would make a great upper lash liner, too! If you go to MAC with an idea of what you want, tell them (pictures are also good, too), you shouldn’t have a problem. Sometimes people tell them “do whatever” or “go crazy” and they really WILL go crazy!Q: I was wondering if you need a separate brush for every eyeshadow color you use, or do you clean them between each color, and if so, how do you clean the color off them without washing?  I don’t see the need to buy a brush for every color, but I don’ want the colors to mix. Thanks!A: I generally use one brush for the entire application. Really, really dark colors like Carbon e/s I’ll use a separate brush for, but I find in general, most colors don’t end up mixing much. I usually swirl the excess off the brush on a tissue or the palm of my hand when I move to another color. If you’re working with a white, I would use a separate brush, so you can keep it the whitest.