Quick TIP: Run out of Brush Cleaner? TRY THIS!

I've been looking for the perfect, most efficient and effective way to wash my brushes for a while now.  I've used actual brush cleaner (which was fine but a bit expensive compared to other options), olive oil (took me a long time to get all the oil out of the brushes, and baby shampoo (I know a lot of people like this method but it never fully cleaned my brushes).  Finally, yesterday while digging around in my stuff I noticed an old bar of Dove Soap I had but never used.  There's a strange phenomenon in my house where we always have bars of soap stocked even though no one in my house actually uses bars of soap (we're liquid soap people).

Anyway I decided to try using this to wash my brushes and I got the best results I've ever seen.  All I did was wet the brush, swipe the brush on the bar a few times to create a lather, and then scrub it on the palm of my hand under the faucet until it was clean.  I was able to give my brushes a real thorough cleaning without having to buy more brush cleaner or baby shampoo.  Since for whatever reason I always have bars of soap around my house I don't foresee having to repurchase anytime soon :)

How do you like to wash your brushes?

Beauty School for the Blind: Drama Class

Anybody who knows me knows that I'm blind as a bat.  Seriously, the eye doctors can't even get me to see 20/20 anymore.  I can't tell you how many times I've gone to optometrists and heard the surprise in their voice when they give me that initial vision test and I can only see the big "E" on the top.  I'm not even sure if I can actually see it anymore or if I've just memorized it at this point.  And it's complete hell trying to put on makeup without contacts in.  And by "trying to put makeup on", I mean poking myself in the eye with whatever brush or pencil I have in my hand.  And you don't want to know what kind of liner monstrosity I end up with on my lash line.  But I like wearing my glasses and don't want to be restricted from wearing makeup just because of that.  This is why I decided to do a glasses look for you guys.  Not one of those "what makeup looks good with glasses" type of post but instead a "how to avoid stabbing yourself in the eye 50 times and not look like a 3-year old scribbled on your lid" type of post.  Read on for info on how I got this look, list of products, and tips for applying makeup with glasses if you can't see more than 3 inches in front of you!

Quick TIP: Not really feeling your contour color? TRY THIS!

As with the average person, most of the time that I contour I choose to use my bronzer.  Not because I necessarily prefer to use my bronzer, it just always happens to be a bit more handy than other products at the time.  However, most bronzers tend to have a golden, red, or orange undertone since, after all, bronze is typically a warm color.  So when I use the usual bronzer, (say NYC Sunny for example that I find to lean a bit red on my skin), as a contour I find that it doesn't really accomplish the shadow look that I'm going for.  Remember, contouring  is pretty much enhancing the different features of your face by creating shadows on the parts that you want to recede.  And if you look at your face, the natural shadows that form on you do not have a strong warm undertone to them:  they're shadows, so they're pretty neutral.  Therefore, if you're looking for a more accurate color to apply in the contour, try going for bronzers/contour products that have more neutral tones to them.  This is no easy feat, as I find that even some products made specifically for contouring lean warm.  But I do love E.L.F.'s Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder in Matte Bronze for contouring since it's a lot more neutral than the average bronzer.  Benefit Hoola is also a bit more neutral than normal, although it's a bit light for me, but it is buildable so I can get a contour out of it if I work a little.  


Do you know of any other neutral bronzers/contour products?  They're kind of like needles in a haystack.

Easy on the Eyes: Last Minute Party Makeup

FACT:  this post was supposed to be up early New Year's Eve Day, but I ended up running a lot of errands and making dinner for my family last night so I just didn't get around to it.  However, I think this can apply to many different occasions.  This is my go-to look whenever I originally have no plans for the night but change my mind or get asked out at the last minute.  Typically, I spend a larger amount of time on "going out, dance my ass off makeup" than I do for daytime looks because 1) it has to be built to last since I party like a rockstar lol and 2) I prefer to go all out on the drama since I can't do it during the day.  But when I'm going out at the last minute, I don't necessarily have the time.  This eye look gives me the ease and quickness I need to get out the door while still packing heat with shimmery/smoky drama.  And as an added plus, it's neutral enough to pair with any bright lip you want to do (or natural/nude lip if you prefer).  Read on for more pics, tips, and list of products!

Quick TIP: Having Trouble Blending Your Concealer? Try This!

I'm not a fan of traditional concealer brushes.  I feel like they just plop the product on but don't actually blend very well.  They also can feel a little abrasive on my delicate undereye area.  That's why I switched over to using fluffy eye blending brushes to blend in my concealer.  However I found with those that, while they blended beautifully, I'd lose some of the concealer's coverage on account of the brush swiping the product back and forth.  Then of course there's using your good old finger to pat in the concealer, which provides the best coverage and does a pretty sufficient job at blending as well.  My problem with the finger though is, besides being a little unsanitary, it's not as precise as I'd like it to be.  


Enter the answer to all those concerns:  the new brushes surfacing that happen to mimic the shape of the finger. Sigma recently came out with an entire brush collection called the Precision Eyes Kit that is meant to replace your fingertips in your makeup application and I just reviewed an excellent Concealer Kabuki from Ecotools that you can read about here.  The brush I use the most however was not necessarily engineered specifically as a fingertip replicate but the idea is the same none the less.  It's the E.L.F. Angled Contour Brush.  Technically it's an eye brush, and I do use it for the eye as well, but my favorite use for it is undereye concealing.  After applying concealer to the undereye area, I use the flat angled top of the brush to pat in the product where I need coverage, and then I swirl the brush in small, circular motions around the edges of where the concealer is applied to blend it in.  The result is a perfectly blended undetectable application with top notch coverage!


What's your favorite method of concealer application?

Quick TIP: Hate White Liner on Your Waterline? Try This!

Personally, I'm a fan of white liner for some looks, but I realize it can look harsh and completely understand why it's not for some people.  And yes, there's the alternative trick of using a flesh-toned liner that a lot of you love, but they usually don't work for me.  Most of them have a pinky-ness to them that doesn't flatter me, especially since my water line can get really red sometimes and pink undertones will only enhance that.

So I've found translucent liners to be a good compromise for me to get that wide-eyed look.  Liners like E.L.F.'s Eyeliner & Shadow Stick in Pearl/Glow give a very good brightening effect without being stark.  It will give your eyes a subtle glow and absolutely dazzle when it hits the light.  Does it look completely natural? No, but nothing you put on your waterline is going to achieve that.

So are you a white liner waterline gal or does your vote go for the flesh-toned liner to brighten up the eyes?