I posted in this thread a tip about mascara.
The tip is that all mascara is pretty much the same. The brush makes a small difference but not a lot. It’s worth going cheap on mascara.
Another mascara tip is to dab off the excess with a tissue before applying. I actually smoosh out almost all of the mascara. You should be replacing tubes every three months anyway for sanitary reasons and I find they still last that long.
Anyone else have things to share?
Rather than use eyebrow pencil, which is one of the more artificial-looking makeups you can use, use mascara instead.
I invest in old-fashioned cake mascara, which I have to hunt for online. You wet the brush in water, scrub it around a little on the cake, and remove almost all the wet mascara from the brush with a tissue. Then gently stroke the remaining mascara through just the hairs of your eyebrows. A little will transfer onto your brows, just enough to give them natural color.
You can also touch the little mascara brush onto a charged wand from your tube of mascara and proceed from there, if you don’t want to go the cake mascara route.
It looks a thousand times better than eyebrow pencil. I have faint blond brows and I need a touch of color in them, and this works like a charm.
I do that, too!
Um, yeah, so this is going to sound stupid, but how do you put on eyeliner in a way less ridiculous than how I’m doing it now? I can’t currently reach my lash line with a pencil or liquid wand (eyelashes go straight up), so I hold my eyelashes out of the way in order to apply. This sometimes results in some jazz involving holding my right hand in some awkward inverted position, trying not to hit my left hand which is holding my eyelashes down. It’s completely ridiculous.
My solution to this has been not to wear eyeliner. Hell, I didn’t even own eyeliner until I bought some from Halloween, but I realized it does make my eyes look nice, but putting it on has been a silly process that I’m tired of.
I just work around (and in) my lashes. Close the eye you are working on.
Will that help?
If you can’t do that, gently pull the outside corner of your eye. This will close your eye and should get your lashes out of the way.
I use a bent liner brush like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Bdellium-Tools-Professional-Makeup-Series/dp/B004OEBMBE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372878166&sr=8-1&keywords=eyeliner+brush
I can’t think of anything else offhand that might qualify as a tip, but I like reading makeup threads!
Hmm. Closing my eyes won’t work, as my lashes curl straight up and are still in the way when my eyes are closed. I could try tugging on the sides. That prevents my eyelashes from completely blocking access to the area I’m trying to mark. Will try when armed properly with eyeliner and a mirror. The angled brush could possibly work too. Will try tugging corner of eye before buying fancy bent brush. Thanks!
Pencil or liquid? The two are very different.
MOL, I’d recommend tightlining your eyes, if you haven’t tried it before. It’s THE way to get liner actually on the lash line instead of having a noticeable space between lashes and liner.
For eyebrows, I personally prefer to use brow powder or eyeshadow, applied with an angle brush. I have a great brow shape and arch, but the outer half is a bit sparse. Powder is a much softer look than pencil, but can fill in sparse areas that mascara can’t. Use a brow brush to get them combed, apply powder, then set with either brow wax or clear mascara.
To open up narrow or almond-shaped eyes, put the second layer of mascara onle on the inside of your bottom lashes and the outside of the top ones. This has the effect of stretching the eyes open. To increase the effect use white eyeliner inside the lashline on top and bottom.
Absolute nonsense. I’m sorry, it’s nonsense. I buy $25 Dior mascara and, being a reasonable creature, I’ve been trying to find a drugstore alternative. I’ve tried even using my Dior brush (cleaned off, of course) in the handful of drugstore items I’ve tried and they are absolutely not the same. Heck, even between the Diorshow formulas-- Blackout vs Iconic— there are different formulations (one is powder based, one is not).
Put your eyeliner on without pulling. Then, dip a small angled brush in some black eyeshadow (or whatever color your liner is, I mean) and pat it over the liner, paying special attention to dipping it in between your lashes. Not only will the tight line be cleaner, but your liner will stay longer, too. I’m not a huge fan of the tight lining zweisamkeit on me (although it looks great) because my stupid eyes will catch on fire and burn off. So, this is how I get around that.
My advice is to invest in good tools. Not all expensive makeup is worth the price and not all cheap makeup is bad, but in general you do get what you pay for. While certainly drugstore brands have really upped their game (particular with regard to lip products lately), you’ll be blown away by how much good stuff will make a difference. Seriously, my friends are constantly blown away when they play in my makeup bag, as there really is a world of difference between the pigmentation of an Inglot shadow vs Maybelline.
A friend insisted she hated all liquid foundation, swearing by some mineral powder she found at the drugstore. She told me every drugstore liquid foundation she tried looked awful, so I sent her off to Sephora to try Makeup Forever’s HD foundation. She was an immediate convert-- up until that point, she thought all liquid foundation was cakey, chalky, and unnatural looking.
Brushes, too, are important. It’s WAY easier to blend with a good brush than one of those god forsaken sponge tipped applicators. You don’t have to spend $50 on a brush either, but a $10 one will seriously change your life.
Eyebrows are one of the single biggest reasons your face looks the way it does. If you want nice brows all the time, have them waxed once (by a good waxer, or threader, or whatever) and then invest in a $25 pair of Tweezerman tweezers, and just keep up. Don’t go crazy with it! And then FILL IN your brows! I use an angled eyeliner brush and some Anastasia brow powder to just fill them in a bit, and it makes a HUGE, HUGE difference. Your face will look more polished and the brows will give more of a frame to your eyes and really set them off.
Also, figure out what you want your “best feature” to be and invest in it. Want to have everyone admire your gorgeous dewy skin? Invest in a good-quality moisturizer, primer, concealer/foundation/BB cream, highlighter, and blush. Want to have knockout eyes? Invest in a high-quality eyeshadow set (lots of companies make palettes now, which are an easy way to get a few blendable shadows), an eyeliner you like and find easy to apply, and some good mascara. Your gorgeous Jolie-like lips? Get some Clinique Black Honey lip stuff and a nice red and go to town.
Your makeup has an expiration date. Don’t keep using ancient, gross, caked-up stuff. Purge old makeup every few months or so–it’s not going to suitable for use and it’s not like it’s going to get better. And if you have good brushes, wash them regularly! I just use a little bit of shampoo and it’s horrifying, the amount of crap that washes out of them.
Link to a really great thread started by Diosa Bellisima on this topic.
Duh. Hadn’t seen that she actually posted in the thread!
I agree with Diosa on mascara. I’m still a Lancome mascara girl - and about every five years I baulk at $25 for a tube of mascara and go to Target. Then I throw away my $6 mascara and head off to Nordstrom for their 3 for 2 mascara deal and spend $17 a tube.
For eyeliner, I use a powder and a brush and I use the same sort of technique if I were “cutting in” on paint. I don’t try to draw a line. I pull the brush away, move it, and overlap slightly. I haven’t ever figured out liquid liner. Pencil I do pull my eye and draw.
Don’t be afraid to try different types of makeup for different events. Back before I “retired” I wore a mineral powder to work every day - it looked nice under florescent lights, felt light on my face. For a night out, I use a fuller coverage liquid.
I love the effect of a bone shaded eyelid with a darker crease at the corner. It makes my eyes pop.
And treat the skin underneath well. A good moisturizer (plus whatever other products you feel like you need for your age and skin type) makes all the difference.
Anyone have good suggestions for makeup, especially eye makeup, removers?
I personally haven’t found that all mascara is the same (I can definitely tell which brand/type I’ve put on) - but I haven’t seen any correlation between the amount of money that I pay for mascara and how well it works for me.
I just use the makeup remover towelettes from Target-- whatever their generic brand is. I use waterproof eyeliner and mascara, but those things get the job done quite well.
I use baby shampoo. But you can’t go wrong using cold cream or baby wipes.
I also strongly recommend to know thy skin type. By that know if you have sensitive, dry, oily skin and know that there are some products you should avoid. I have sensitive skin so I have to read and make sure that there that the ingredients of the make up do not irritate my skin. here is a helpful website EWG Skin Deep® Cosmetics Database
If the make up irradiate the skin, THROW IT AWAY or return it.
Also know if you are a warm/cool skin tone to help pick which color will work for your skin tone http://www.threecustom.com/home.php?cat=318
If you are really pale, I strongly recommended to avoid strong heavy colors since it will make you washed out or a raccoon.
This is my favorite tip, how to apply eyeliner with tape! Also do check out her videos since they are awesome!
I think mascara might be one of those cases where everyone is a special snowflake. I can only wear two types of mascara – tube mascara (I use L’Oreal’s Double Extend) and Dior’s Diorshow – because every single other mascara I have ever tried in my life gives me raccoon eyes within a couple hours. I have tried dozens, high end/low end, prep eyelids with primer and powder or don’t, it doesn’t matter…it gathers under my eyes. Thankfully, those two products (especially the L’Oreal – I only use the black side) work like a dream for me.
My makeup tip is: only buy makeup from places that allow you to return used products (like Sephora and Ulta) and/or will give you sizable samples. Not only is this a good policy in general, but knowing you can always return something if it doesn’t work for you will encourage you to step outside your comfort zone and try new products or shades you might not want to risk otherwise.
The only sunblock facial moisturizer I found that doesn’t irritate my skin is Clinique, well that was a great discovery until I noticed it stained my white shirts yellow. Don’t put it on my neck? My job is out there in the hot sun in a white shirt in the tropics at 8:00 AM.
Any sensitive skinners out there with better recommendations?
I learned about Lisa Eldridge from the Dope and developed a serious girl-crush on her. Her videos make everything look easy.