Ask Temptalia - Question & Answer Session #6

Q: I can’t afford every Mac brush you have for all the looks, can you list a set of eye brushes that I can use with everything ranging from smokey to natural looks?
A: I recommend the 239 for applying shadow for the most part – it is very much like my Philosophy shadow brush that I use for nearly everything. It is a good idea to get at least one firmer, flat brush like the 249 or 252 to apply cream products like paints, paint pots, your base, etc. You can always purchase less expensive brushes like Sonia Kashuk brushes (available at Target) or paint brushes from a craft store.

Q: I was wondering if you could tell me how to depot a mac eye shadow? I swear I saw it on your site before but I may be mistaken. I can’t seem to find it now. Someone said its possible to do with a flat iron and its easier? Would you be so kind as to send me the link to the page of the depot tutorial or let me know how to do it?
A: I don’t have any tutorials or detailed info about depotting on my website, but these are some excellent resources to check out: MartyGreen’s Depotting FAQ and Sara(m)’s Depotting Tutorials.

Q: How can you tell the fake MAC from the real thing?
A: A lot obviously fake MAC products are eyeshadows that open up like a compact and have a sponge-tip applicator and/or mirror – those are totally fake! In terms of fake MAC pigments, they tend to be extremely fine milled and almost chalky in texture, rather than shimmery or simply matte. Be wary of unusual looking labels at the bottom of products, sometimes the font/text will be abnormally large or in a different type.

Q: I’ve been in love with MAC products, but I’ve yet to purchase a single MAC brush, and I’ve been wanting to buy some, but I really don’t know where I should start! I want to start off with the essentials first and steadily build up my collection, so I was wondering if you have any brushes you would recommend as essentials for eyes, lips, face and those that can be served for multipurpose uses.
A: As I answered in the previous question, for eyes, I definitely recommend the 239 as well as the 249. In addition, some great eye brushes are the 219 (great for precision and lower lash lining), 266 (great for brows and lining with fluidline), and 275 (great for blending and crease work). I don’t particularly like the 217 or 222 brushes – I find they’re just too fluffy and only work with crease application. I prefer brushes with multiple purposes! For lips, I would recommend 318, because it’s a retractable lip brush with a good amount of size so you can apply lipstick easily. As for face brushes, my favorite brush is the 182, which is pricey, but absolutely worth it. It is an amazing buffer brush and so soft. I also love the 150 for applying brush, the 168/169 for contour the face, and if you’re into mineralize skinfinishes, most people love to use the 187 for them.

Q: HJw do you coordinate the colors together. Is there a guide you use or what? I need the most help in coordinating the colors together so that they look well and I don’t look like bozo the clown.
A: I don’t use any guide, but I like to coordinate my colors simply by matching them together. I might use varied shades in order to give my face definition without washing it out, but I like to stay within a similar color family. I also don’t like to do bold everything – I prefer to pick either eyes, cheeks, or lips to concentrate color on and then the other two aspects will be subtle. For blue eye shadow, I’ll often opt for cool pink or coral cheeks along with a pale pink or coral lip. With green eye makeup, I generally stick to corals on the face. With red lips, I go for bronzy cheeks and a very neutral eye. Pink eyes can have cooler or warmer pink cheeks with either plum or darker/lighter pink lips.

Q: How do you determine the shade you are using on your browbone, so many of the colors are so similar to me. I don’t know what color to use on my browbone. What color shadows allow you to use what browbone color?
A: The rule of thumb is that the shade you use on your browbone should always be very light, so it is almost always a neutral. You do not really need to have ten different shades to use! You can really get away with having one or two shades. I recommend choosing something that is more matte in texture like Grain eyeshadow and then something with more shimmer like like Phloof!. Usually the browbone color is very subtle, in the neutral family, and often a white-ish tone.

Q: I still have difficulty with my outer lid. The MAC staff say its making a “V” with the outer lid and the crease but I just cant catch on no matter what they say. Can you tell me exactly how to do the outer lid and crease without it looking a mess? I think I am not using my outer lid. I think I am starting out too far. it seems like I am not even using my lid at all and I seem to be placing it at the area right wear my eyebrow ends. can you help me with that.
A: This is the best way to show you: Eye Diagram.

Q: Do you always wet the brush for your pigments? How do you coordinate the pigments with the shadows, and why do you cover the pigments with shadow? What would happen if you didn’t cover the pigments?
A: I always do, because I use pigments as a base. If you used something else as a base, you could apply the pigment dry. I coordinate pigments with the shadows usually based on color – so if I’m doing a green look, I will pick a green pigment to use. If I’m doing a pink look, I’ll choose something with pinkish hues to it. I layer shadows over it to set the pigment since I use it primarily as a base, and this helps everything adhere and stay on all day long. If you didn’t cover the wet pigment, not much would happen, but wet pigments can be sheer and clump up if you don’t help set it with powder shadows.

Q: From the MAC Barbie collection, I got myself the lipstick – Sweet & Single (Lustre). I am in love with this colour and feel like kicking myself in the butt for not getting more of these. Now that its almost near finish, what is a closest match to this colour and texture?
A: You might want to check out Politely Pink or Sweetie lipsticks, as they have the same lustre finish, and similar in color. Those are the only ones I can recommend in the permanent line.

Q: How do you get those postcards that everyone seems to have from MAC promos? I never see them at the freestanding stores or counters.
A: Postcards are often given to certain stores/counters, and it does not happen with every collection. MAC has definitely cut back on the amount of postcards or whether or not they issue a mass number of postcards for a collection in the recent months. Many people receive mailers, which are postcards or media sent directly to their home addresses because they have purchased MAC before. You might try asking next time you go to your counter/store if they have any leftover postcards.

Q: I have dark circles under my eyes so I’m not confident to take of my glasses to wear pretty eyeshadow. So how do I pick the right concealer for dark shadows?
A: I recommend checking out Benefit’s Lyin’ Eyes as a great undereye concealer. The concealer you choose for underneath your eye should be lighter than your actual foundation and generally yellow-based to help take more light in to cancel out the dark shadows you have underneath. Benefit also has a great pencil that helps to coutneract those dark circles, so you might want to look into their line of Fake Its!

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!