Earlier This Month

Hi Loves!

Here's a look that I did earlier this month:

Quick 411: Steph's concerns were mainly her oily-skin and monolids.  We took care of that with Murad's Skin Brightening Primer (face) and Too-Faced Shadow Insurance (eyes).  I gave her a flawless complexion using Chanel Perfection Lumiere foundation (LOVE this for anyone who wants their makeup to last all night!) and contoured with Sleek Makeup Contour Powder in "Light".  I created a gradient smokey eye using my trusty LORAC PRO Palette and a pair of beautiful lashes from Red Cherry. 

Steph was extremely happy with her enhanced look!  What do you think? :)

Winged Eyeliner

Anyone who knows me, knows that my everyday go-to eyeliner style of choice is a "classic" wing. I feel like it opens up my eyes because it extends up past my eyelid. 


via Pinterest



Total Wing Envy!!! via Beautybox

I know I should probably expand out of my comfort zone to try different eyeliner styles - What about you?  What are your favorite eyeliner styles?

MAC Lipstick Dupes

I know we all love us some MAC lipsticks, but for those who just don't feel quite right spending $15 on every lipstick they own, here are some MAC lipstick dupes from the drugstore.  *Note: some of them are not exact dupes, but are similar and worth a try.






via Pinterest

How-to 411: Amazing Eyebrows

I never could figure out why my eye makeup always looked off -- that is, until I realized that while our eyes may be the window to the soul, eyebrows are the screws that hold that window together.

via Beautylish
 

Here is a simple 11-step tutorial to get you on your way to those beautifully groomed brows that we all lust after.  It looks like Kelley Baker (brow artist in Venice) products were used here, but here are the basics to get you started:

• Brow Pencil and/or brow powder (to fill in your brows)
• Spoolie (to brush out the powder/pencil to avoid harsh lines)
• Angled Brush (if you decide to use powder)
• Concealer Brush (to "clean up" your brows & shape them the way you like after applying powder/pencil)
• Concealer (a little lighter than your skin tone, use this to clean up your brows/highlight them)
• Blending Brush (to blend out the concealer)
• Eyebrow Gel/Wax (to set your hairs and keep them tidy)

For those of you who would like some product recs:

• I LOVE using MAC "Spiked" Retractable Brow Pencil
• Whenever I feel adventurous and want to use powders, I just use the browns in my LORAC Pro Eyeshadow Palette - LOVE this product - I must do a review soon!
• Concealer - I always stick with my trusty Sheer Cover Concealer in "Light"
• Spoolies - can be purchased on Ebay, Amazon.. but honestly, I just usually take a couple from makeup counters/Sephora when I purchase my other beauty items

I can honestly say that these eyebrow tips will change your life - I know it sure did for me!

Wayne Goss Brush Alert

Unless you've been living under a rock, I am sure that you are well aware that Wayne Goss, one of my favorite Youtube beauty gurus, will be releasing his line of makeup brushes soon via Beautylish in September.  If you're interested, I suggest you sign up for his brush updates on Beautylish ASAP - they are exclusive to Beautylish and once they're gone, it may be a while until they restock.

Wayne Goss

Sneak Preview - Wayne Goss Makeup Brushes

There's something about Wayne Goss that I can't get enough of - whether it's his delightful English accent, his enthusiasm, or his great advice for all things related to cosmetics - there's something so sincere about him that just makes me want to go out and buy all the products that he recommends.  Needless to say, I have already registered with Beautylish to ensure that I will snag a set of Goss's brushes when they come out.  Here are the basics about the brushes that you need to know:

• He will be releasing a range of 8 brushes.
• They are all made from soft, natural, cruelty-free hair.
• They are hand-made in Japan.
• There are 4 eyeshadow brushes, all of which are tapered with soft tips (to avoid harsh lines).
• They are rumored to run from 13-33 euros.

No confirmation on exact prices yet, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they won't cost a fortune!  I can't wait to get my hands on these -- Will you be pre-ordering these as well?

Quality vs. Quantity - The Ultimate Eyeshadow Dilemma

I was SO happy to see that someone finally put their two cents in regarding the mass-produced 88-color eyeshadow palettes (and everything else in between).  This article from Kevin James Bennett calls out the differences between the 88-Eyeshadow Palettes from BH Cosmetics, Coastal Scents, etc. and other eyeshadows from L'Oreal, Make Up For Ever, Ben Nye, and the like. 



*Click the link above to read the full article!

To make a long story short - I, too, was once swayed by the promise of 88-100 pigmented eyeshadows for roughly $15.  They are easy to find, cheap to ship, and also mass produced in China.  They are the exact same palettes marketed under different brands.  Is there anything wrong with them? Not necessarily - but if you're looking for quality vs. quantity, you're much better off doing your own research and figuring out which brand offers eyeshadows at a lower price/gram.  If you read Kevin James Bennett's full article, he breaks down the cost/gram of several popular eyeshadow brands and you might be shocked to see the results!





Coastal Scents 88-Color Palette

True, it might seem excessive to be paying $10+ for one or two eyeshadows when you can buy 100 colors, but I've always believed that it's better to pay more for a product that's good quality & long-lasting, versus pay less for more variety/more colors at a cheaper price at the expense of lower performance.



Sleek Makeup Blushes

I am so in love with these new Sleek Makeup blush palettes!   I was on the hunt for some affordable, matte blushes and came across these beauties from http://www.sleekmakeup.com/. 

Sleek Blush-by-3 Palettes

The best part?  Each blush palette includes 3 blushes and costs $12.49.  I have been using them on my clients & myself for the past couple weeks and I must say, I am thoroughly impressed by them.  For those of you who are not familiar with Sleek Makeup, they are sold at SuperDrug and other drug stores (surprisingly!) in the UK.  For the rest of us who are not able to access them so easily, Sleek Makeup products are available online.  Shipping is not bad at all  -  I only paid $6.50 or $7 shipping for 5 items.  I also bought their contour kit, which is AMAZING and only $8 for a bronzer and highlighter. 

More on the blushes:  Extremely pigmented and long-wearing (I daresay, even longer-wearing than my Tarte Amazonian Clay blushes).  Several colors are exact dupes of NARS blushes (Orgasm, eat your heart out!).  To be fair, not all of them are matte - there is, I believe, one non-matte blush (but trust me, they are not glittery or gaudy in any way) in each blush palette.  Extremely wearable and long-lasting.  Don't let the colors fool you -The colors look crazy bright, but a light hand will give you the pretty flushed look that you want.