I have that brush or pretty close to it, and used that company’s gel liner. What consistency should gel liner be? I expected gel and got a very thick, hard paste - like drying spackle when I opened the container.
I’ve tried every brush, small angled like yours, one that comes to a point, you name it. The pointed one works great for using powder at the lash line, but that doesn’t last through a work day and I’m klutzy when it comes to the gel. At first it’s too wet to smudge, and then suddenly it’s set and I have a line that looks too hard.
When the girl at the makeup counter tried it on me she used a very small stiff brush, but she lifted my lid a bit and placed the liner under my upper lash line (does that make sense?) rather than above as I usually do it. It looked really subtle and pretty but not a technique I’ve managed to master on my own.
That’s an excellent point. I just bought some last week and I’m right in the middle of their spectrum, which is notable because I’m half brown and typically 3/4 through the spectrum of various other foundations. So it’s not a good line for the pale.
I’ve been using Bobbi Brown’s Luminous Moisturizing Foundation. It’s pretty sheer and evens out my skin tone without feeling too heavy on my face. I like their cream blush sticks as well - they blend very nicely. I also stick to BB for my eye shadow - they have a nice selection of neutral shades.
That’s the one I use, too–I would basically have called it “white” but there is a pinkish tone to it now that I look. It doesn’t seem to transfer any color to the skin, though.
Update - I have found a decent sized Boots nearby which I’m going to tomorrow. It says they have a L’Oreal counter.
If I go to the counter, what is actually going to happen? Is the girl going to want to put the foundation on my face or will she give me a bottle to try myself?
I was taught (years ago) to try and match the foundation to the skin on the inside of your wrist, is this still good advice?
Will I be able to get a small bottle to try it out? I know the lighting inside chemists is very bright and skin looks different when in natural light. I also have quite sensitive skin and am a bit worried about dropping a chunk of money on a big bottle of useless.
Argh, it is ridiculous how nervous I am about doing this. 
I stick with Clinique lipsticks, but I will try other brands for foundation, etc., as long as they are fragrance-free. I am allergic to some “botanicals” so I have to check labels carefully. I’m pretty cheap so I mostly use drugstore brands, but there’s finally a Sephora fairly close to me so I will be checking them out more frequently. I recently bought a Clarins mascara that I like very much.
I got a Sephora gift card for Christmas year before last, and bought a lip gloss, and the fragrance in it made me so sick I had to throw it away. And the color was divine, too.
The wrist thing never worked for me. (My skin there is almost translucent and very blue with veins.)
They should try to match to your skin tone and apply it for you (which is a handy time to pick up techniques). You can then either buy the product (if it worked well) or, if you are like me, wear it for the day and then decide if you still like it.
If you don’t like it, feel it is too light/dark/thick/thin or whatever, tell the girl on the spot. They should look for something that you would like better.
In terms of the sensitive skin thing, I have the same problem (and since I am allergic to all things coming out of nature, no amount of hypo-allergenic is a guarantee). Usually, if you have worn it all day, and then wait a couple of days to see if there is any fallout, you should be fine.
(As I side note, I only wear foundation on special occasions now and when I do I use Smashbox Tinted Moisturizer. Light coverage with lots of moisture. I finish up with and undereye concealer, loose powder, a bronzer and blush.)
Have you tried having your foundation custom mixed? It’s what I used to do before I switched to mineral. Now I blend two mineral shades on my own.
Only if your face is on the inside of your wrist. Sephora will apply a product for you and also give you a free sample that you can use for a couple of days on your own to see if you like it.
I used to go crazy for Mac-- I had a Pro Card and everything (which entitled me to 40% off). In fact, it was probably that Pro Card that made me so dedicated to Mac, because- I mean- who in their right mind can pass up 40% off?!
But Mac’s quality dwindled, their prices went up, and I let my Pro Card expire. Don’t get me wrong, I still buy the odd Mac item-- I like their Studio Fix powder (the best match for my skin of any powder I’ve ever tried) and I just bought the pretty pants Nicki Minaj lipstick. So, despite the fact that the majority of my makeup desk is Mac, I can honestly say that I’ve spent less than $50 there in the last year.
Now, I’ve opened myself up to way more makeup brands. My go-to brands, I suppose, are Inglot, Nars, and Makeup Forever. Inglot is the cheapest of the three, but they are all a bit pricey but have great great great payoff. In fact, my favorite eyeliner pencil is from Makeup Forever and it is waterproof- that thing doesn’t come off until makeup remover touches it.
What else? Oh, my favorite mascaras at the moment (I alternate them and sometimes layer them) are Yes, They’re Real by Benefit and DiorShow (I can’t find a good before and after of that one— but I call this one my drag queen mascara, as it makes my eyelashes get crazy thick, long, and black-- none of the google image pictures do it justice).
My foundation is HD Foundation from Makeup Forever. My bronzer is some noname brand from Ross :).
As far as folks having issues matching foundations: mix, mix, MIX! It’s what I do. Look, I’m not even about to buy a foundation every two months as my skin changes colors throughout the year (and there is a HUGE variance for me-- if you know Mac colors, I go from an NC 30 to an NC 42)-- so I just keep one bottle that matches me at my lightest of light and a bottle that matches me at my darkest of dark . . .then I mix. Oh and because I’m not hip on spending a bunch of money on foundations that will probably go bad before I use them, I buy a nice dark one (the expensive HD stuff-- and that’s because I’m more dark than light), then I get a cheapie drugstore light one to mix in.
Browbown highlighter packaged as browbone highlighter is hard to find because most folks just use eyeshadow. This is the same reason I’ve never understood the powder eyebrow kits they sell. . . why wouldn’t you just use brown eyeshadow and an angle brush?
What kinds did you try? IMHO, Inglot and Mac are the two best. . . though, surprisingly, I’ve heard REALLY good things about the Wet and Wild kind. I’m not a fan of the Coastal Scents gel liner, it’s very dry and scratchy.
What kind of brush are you using? Even though everyone says to use those thin little sparse eyeliner brushes, I have far better luck using a medium sized angle brush and focusing almost entirely on the tippy point of the brush, if that makes sense. This Youtube video does a decent job of explaining how to do a winged look with gel liner— starting at 5:23. Obviously, you don’t have to do anything that thick or dramatic, but she goes pretty in depth about how to hold the brush and such.
I lightly drag the brush through the liner, then wipe the sides of my angle brush along the rim of the container, so as to make sure there’s only liner on the flat, bottom part of the brush. If I don’t do that, I’ll have a big hot mess on my hands.
Try silica powder. Coastal Scents sells you pounds of the stuff for a fraction of the price that Makeup Forever charges for the exact same thing. Seriously. It is literally the exact. same. thing. Don’t spend $40 when you can spend $5, please.
And be really light with it-- I get it on my fluffy brush, pat pat pat the excess, then dust it lightly on. A little goes a long long way.
Usually, it’s going to be a little like acrylic paint that’s halfway dried-- soft, but still a paste/gel. If the stuff is dried out, it’ll feel rough/hard during application. For applying eyeliner, I use a MAC 266. It’s the only reason I can make a somewhat smooth line every time.
I do the same thing. Minimize mess by having just the right amount. The lip on the jar is helpful for a reason. 
So far, Coastal Scents and elf for the gel liners. Coastal Scents even sent me a free replacement after I sent them a “is this what it’s supposed to be like?” e-mail - apparently the answer is “yes.”
I did buy a thin little brush but didn’t bother trying after the fail with my other attempts. I used an angled brush, either this elf brush or something very similar, maybe from Sephora.
Ferret Herder, that brush is probably too small-- I imagine that’s what causing you so much grief. Don’t get me wrong, I have one that size I use for gel liner sometimes, but it’s FAR more difficult and I only use it for certain more advanced looks.
The Mac 266 nashiitashii posted is more the style you need-- the bristles are longer and a different texture than the brush you posted. I realize that it’s counter intuitive to say that a longer bristle is going to make it easier on you, as that sounds like you’d have less control, but trust me on this one. And you don’t have to get the Mac, there are cheaper versions of that brush all around (though I’m fond of my Mac, as it lasts forever). Also, get one with synthetic bristles, as that’s much better for creamy gel stuff.
Foundation: I like MAC for “occasions” since it covers more and photographs nicely (I wore it for my wedding), Maybelline FIT me for lighter coverage daily wear, and a brand I stumbled on DHC. They offer free samples and have several “can’t live without it” products - my personal fav being their Deep Cleansing Oil.
Mascaras: my favorite is L’Oreal Voluminous although the MAC is a close second.
Eyeshadow: I have some of everything in this category. From Avon to Bare Minerals to Wet N Wild and everything in between.
Eyeliner: I used to swear by Cover Girl, the pencil kind with the blender sponge on the other end, but I recently tried Maybelline long wearing, the twist up, self-sharpening kind and I’m hooked.
Lipstick: I don’t use this a lot, I’m more of a gloss person. Best I’ve found is Suresh Beauty Gloss LUXE
Experiment, Have fun and check out DHC for the free samples 
Thanks, I’ll look for one of those, and a new liner. I’d watched a couple gel liner videos before and the application looked so clean and smooth, so when I actually got my first container of it, I couldn’t believe the texture could be of the same product.
I have a very limited number of brands I can choose from because I have a really really yellow undertone. I have tried everything from $90 foundations to drugstore but the sole company that makes foundation that is an exact match for my skin colour is NARS (my shade is Stromboli). And that shade is a “one and only”-basically the only one they make for a truly olive/sallow/yellow-brown skin-tone. I have tried multiple famous “yellow” brands from Shisheido to Bobbi Brown to Armani (and mixed them)…and they all turned orange on me. NARS is the only one that basically stays yellow on my skin and I will cry if they ever discontinue Stromboli.
Basically I am limited to NARS, MUFE and Vasanti (the CEOs are actually Indian women and make the line specifically for yellow skinned East and South Asians) for a lot of makeup because of my coloring but I buy more random stuff for my lips.
Oh sure, now I see the mention of Inglot. The only place in Chicago (or the state, for that matter) that sells it is Macy’s Water Tower - I was there a few times the last couple weeks. :smack: