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There’s a Sally’s Beauty Supply where I live now!!  I very nearly passed out as I was driving by, but regained enough composure to pick up a few things (see below).  I’m itching to go back though, because like an idiot I didn’t get a Sally’s card, and I really want to try Palladio products.  Also, the Falsies mascara is finally available here, so expect a review on that soon.

And finally, a word of caution: if you buy cosmetics on Ebay like I sometimes do, be careful of sellers that randomly sell cosmetics.  For example, a seller who sells blush palette in a sea of electronics (as was my situation).  The palette I bought was fine except that it hadn’t been packed securely enough and two of the blushes were shattered when I received them.  Sellers who sell mostly cosmetics usually know how to properly package them.

Luckily I was able to salvage my palette by re-pressing the two shades with alcohol.  For a post on how to press pigments or repair them click here.   These pans are bigger than most so I used the cap of a hairspray can to press them instead of a quarter.

Shown above: 10 Pan Blush Palette (from Ebay), Gel Liner Trio (Ebay), Tweezerman Tweezerettes, Sally Girl Baked Eyeshadows, CG Exact Eyelights Mascara in black gold, Maybelline The Falsies Mascara in blackest black, China Glaze Nail Polish in for audrey, Finger Paints Nail Polish in art you blue?, Mary Kay Medium Coverage Foundation in ivory 100.

This guide is just going to go through the most essential brushes, not all of them, just the very basics.

Face:

Foundation brush – this can be in the form of a traditional synthetic foundation brush, a stippling brush, a small contour brush, or a kabuki brush, it depends on your preference.  But because this is a basic brush guide, I suggest a traditional foundation brush for liquid products and a kabuki brush for mineral foundation.

Blush brush – look for a soft, small to medium sized, dome-shaped brush for blush.  A small stippling brush works really well for very pigmented shades as well.

Concealer brush – this brush should be synthetic (like the foundation brush) so that it doesn’t soak up any liquid products.  Use your judgment when choosing the brush size, if you have a lot of small blemishes, try a small brush.  If you’re trying to cover areas of redness, try a larger one.

Powder brush – this is basically a bigger version of a blush brush.  Look for a large dome-shaped brush that’s soft and dense for applying finishing powder.

Eyes:

Eyeshadow brush – this is a basic eyeshadow brush, what you would use to really deposit color onto your eyelid.  These brushes tend to be rounded at the top, and should be dense enough to pick up a lot of eyeshadow.

Blending brush – the most important eye brush is the blending brush!!  It should be soft, with longer bristles than the eyeshadow brush, and a tapered or dome-shaped tip. Try not to get a brush that’s too soft or long, because if it’s too flimsy, it won’t blend the product properly.

Crease brush – this brush should be a little stiffer than the blending brush with shorter bristles and a tapered tip, perfect for adding contour colors to the crease of your eye.  Crease brushes are useful for adding depth and dimension with eyeshadow.

Eyeliner brush – there are two types of eyeliner brushes: angled and pointed.  This will be a personal preference choice.  I tend to prefer angled brushes because they provide more control and they can also be used to fill in brows!

Lips:

For me, a lip brush is not really essential. You can skip this one for now!

Some brands to try (that I use or have heard amazing things about):

Essence of Beauty, MAC, Sigma (amazing value & professional quality), Posh, Ecotools (affordable and eco-friendly!), Crown Brush (carried by Coastal Scents).

Face powder is commonly used to set liquid or cream products (to make them last longer) or to mattify oily skin.  Too much powder can make your makeup look cakey, and  will really show up in flash photography (as in the case of Nicole Kidman above!).  To learn how to avoid this less-than-pretty look, keep reading:

~ Pick a shade of powder that matches your skin tone.  Try to avoid translucent or white powders, I know they’re supposed to be well, translucent, but in most cases they’re not.  Translucent powders have a tendency to lighten complexions and this can be emphasized in photos.  In fact, because I’m so pale, whenever I know I’m going to get my photo taken, I wear a powder one to two shades darker than my natural skin tone, to make up for the lightening effect of the camera flash.

~ Remember that if you wear mineral foundation, you don’t necessarily have to apply a finishing powder on top.  Mineral foundation is almost a two-in-one product that way.

~ If you have really oily skin, try using oil blotting sheets instead of adding more powder. Blotting sheets soak up any excess oil without ruining your makeup! For a really inexpensive option, try Elf’s Shine Erasers, the little package comes with 50 sheets for $1!!

~ Try to find a powder that really works for you.  Two that I really love are: Maybelline Dream Matte Powder and Rimmel Stay Matte Powder.  Both these powders tend not to look cakey, even when applied in excessive amounts.

~ Lastly, try not to blindly follow all the hype about silica powders.  I recently tried the Coastal Scents silica powder (supposedly a more affordable version of the Makeup Forever HD Powder), and it was awful.  The product is super silky and very finely milled, so I had high hopes.  But when I applied some, I found that it lightened my skin tone, just like every other translucent powder I’ve tried.  And things just got worse when I tried to snap a picture… I looked just like Nicole Kidman in the photo above, ghastly white patches everywhere… So, my point is to really shop around for a powder you love and that works for you, and of course don’t forget to take a photo to see how it really looks!

Do you like getting those extra few minutes of sleep? Find yourself hitting the snooze button two, three, five times before rolling out of bed? Or do you just have very little time in the morning? If this sounds like you and you worry about looking like a total slob when you finally crawl out to face the world – this guide is for you!

The Lazy Girl’s Guide to Makeup:

Eyebrows: An often forgotten part of a beauty routine, the eyebrows are arguably the most important part because they frame your face. Don’t waste time trying to change their shape, just pluck the really obvious strays.  Natural, fuller brows are the way to go.  If your brows are on the unruly side, comb brow gel or clear mascara through the hairs to keep them in place.

Face: Unless your skin is extremely broken out, try a tinted moisturizer instead of foundation, it’s lighter, easier to blend, and you won’t have to apply a separate moisturizer – two steps in one! Dot concealer on any blemishes, and add a light dusting of blush to your cheeks.  Blush is a high impact product that adds a healthy glow and that’s what we’re going for – high impact with the least amount of steps.

Eyes: At the very least, apply mascara. Mascara can really open your eyes and draw attention to them.  If you have more time, try applying a shimmery light shade of eyeshadow to your lid and curling your lashes before mascara.  Shimmery shades are easier to blend than matte, so mistakes will be less noticeable; and curled lashes will make your eyes stand out even more.

Lips: Opt for a tinted lip balm.  Just slick it on and you’re good to go! No need for lip liner or lipstick, keep it simple.  A tinted lip balm will give you subtle color, pretty shine, and keep your lips moisturized.

Skincare: Keep your skincare routine simple with just two steps: (1) No matter how tired you are, wash your face at night!! Leaving your makeup on while you sleep will clog your pores and cause breakouts.  Make your job easier in the morning by washing your face at night – you won’t have to pile on more foundation to cover blemishes.  (2) Moisturize! Slather on some moisturizer twice a day and it will help keep your skin looking fresh. Again, keeping your skin moisturized will keep it looking better – so the less makeup you have to apply in the morning.

Quick Tips:

~ Try multipurpose products like Benefit’s Benetint.  This stain is made for cheeks and lips! Simplifying the products you use will simplify your routine.

~ If you don’t have time to wash your hair, try a dry shampoo. These products are usually sprayed (there are some in powder form) in your hair and make it look like you had time to shampoo!

~ Try accessorizing with face-framing items, like pretty earrings or a patterned scarf. Adding accessories will instantly make you look more put together!

Just like pretty much everything else, makeup only lasts for so long.  It’s very important to toss products that are past their expiration date, smell funky, or have changed their color or texture to avoid breakouts and other risks involved with using expired cosmetics.  For some simple guidelines on how long your makeup should last, keep reading!

Foundation (liquid & cream) ~ 2 years

Concealer ~ 2 years

Powder ~ 2 years

Mascara ~ 6 months

Lipstick ~ 12 – 18 months

Lip & Eye Pencils ~ 12 – 18 months

Eyeshadow ~ 2 years

Powder Blush ~ 2 years

Cream Blush ~ 2 years

Moisturizer ~ 2 years

Eye Cream ~ 6 months

Sunscreen ~ 2 years

Face Cream ~ 2 years

Source: Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual

These palettes are super popular in the makeup world because they’re inexpensive, pigmented, and come with a ton of shades.  The palettes are mass produced in China and are relatively easy to get.  They were also popularized by the online wholesaler Coastal Scents (but I don’t recommend buying from them, I’ll explain that in a post later).  Anyway, I’ve collected a few of these palettes over the last few months and I thought I would review them all at once, give you my honest opinion, and give my recommendations for where to buy them.

The 26 eyeshadow/blush palette is amazing, some of these shades go on so smooth it’s like liquid, I can’t explain it any other way.  The colors are on the neutral side, but not completely.  There are a mixture of plums, corals, taupes, and browns.  The only drawback to this palette is there are no good highlight colors (at least for my extremely pale skin, the lightest blush may work for people with darker skin tones).

The 28 neutral palette is often referred to as the bridal palette because it has such a range of neutral shades.   This one contains a number of highlight colors  as well as crease and lid shades.  And a matte black, which is a necessity.  The pigmentation on the palette is slightly less (very slightly) than the others, but still amazing.   This palette is perfect if you love neutral looks or need work-appropriate shadows, and of course this is perfect for bridal work!

As you can see from the photo above, my 88 ultra shimmer palette is very well loved.  I really like shimmery eyeshadow, so if that’s you’re thing too, I definitely recommend this palette.  This palette only contains very shimmery shades, no matte or satin finishes.  With the 88 palettes, each shadow is about the size of a dime, so they are quite small.  But the shadows are so pigmented that you only need to use a little, so these palettes will last a very long time.

If I had to choose between the two 88 palettes, I would probably choose the 88 Shimmer, but I love shimmery eyeshadows.  If you don’t, the 88 matte palette might be for you.  Like all the other palettes, this one also has awesome pigmentation.  This palette has matte and satin shades, and a few of the matte shadows have glitter but none of the shades are shimmery.  This 88 matte/satin is a very good starter palette.

If you’re going to get just one eyeshadow palette, I recommend the 120 palette.  This one comes with the most shades (120 eyeshadows, obviously haha) and has a mixture of all four finishes – matte, satin, glitter, and shimmer. And the individual shadows are a little larger than the 88 palettes.  One bad thing about the 120 is how fragile it is, the shadows in this palette are a little softer than in the others and they’re contained in two stackable trays which makes the 120 a little more clumsy to work with.  It isn’t available on Coastal Scents or Stars Makeup Haven, but is is available from sites like bhcosmetics.com and bf-beauty.com.  I still recommend purchasing it from a reputable Ebay seller because you will get a better deal.

Although I do like the blush and contour shades in the contour palette, the other three pans (white, yellow, and light pink) are not very useful.  The white (highlight?) shade is very chalky.  This palette is nice, but certainly not a must-have.  You’d be better off buying a few blush shades and a bronzer at your local drugstore.

~As I’ve said before, these palettes are mass produced in China.  So why not buy them from the source and save a buck?

Here are my favorite Hong Kong based Ebay sellers:
jolieeeee and 3act* beauty

As promised, this is the second part of my Introduction to Eyeliner Series.  This part will hopefully be helpful to those who are having trouble with the application of eyeliner and want to get it right.

Tips and Tricks:

~ Remember pencil liner is easiest to apply, so perhaps it is best to leave gel and liquid liners until you have become more well-practiced.

~ When applying liner, be sure to use a steady hand.  If you find this difficult, try resting your elbow on a table or your hand on your cheek while lining your eyes.

~ Resist the urge to pull you eyelid taut while applying liner, this can lead to wrinkles.  Instead, gently place your finger on the eyelid and hold it to prevent the lid from moving while you draw the line.

~ Apply the product as close to the lash line as possible, you don’t want visible gaps between your lashes and the liner.  If you do see these gaps, try to fill them in.

~ If you’re using a gel or cream liner be sure to use a good brush to apply it.  Liner brushes can be flat topped, angled, or come to a very fine point, it’s important to find one that works for you (I much prefer angled liner brushes).  Also, synthetic brushes work best to apply liner, so look for one made of Taklon.

~ Experiment with colored or glitter liner! Depending on what shade your use you can bring out your eye color or just really complete your makeup look.

~ Experiment with shapes.  My eyes are quite small so I tend to “wing out” my liner at the outer corner (extend it just a bit and end it at a very fine point) to make them appear longer.  You can make your eyes look rounder by making the line a little thicker at the middle part of your lash line, or try making the outer corner thicker to elongate your eye.

~ While lining the waterline with a dark color can make for a more dramatic intense look, keep in mind it can also close up the eye, making it appear smaller.  Adding a white or flesh colored liner to the waterline can make the eye appear larger.

~ As with most things, practice does make perfect so keep at it and pretty soon you’ll be lining your eyes with ease!~

Products I Recommend Trying:

NYC Liquid Liner

Rimmel Eye pencils

Gel Liner (available on Ebay or CoastalScents)

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils

Urban Decay Glitter Liner

Beauty Rush Glitter Liner