I hate using pencils and liquid eyeliner. I have just recently discovered that using powdered liner is much easier. Sephora http://www.sephora.com/ has great products.
Spend the money and get higher quality stuff, the colors are better and last longer. Cheaper brands use more filler and less color, so you use more of them and they don’t last all day.
Yeah, I’m going to buy a new pencil. A fellow student at taijitsu sells Mary Kay, so I may have her help me out at some point to fill out the rest of my makeup wants (keeping in mind the line ‘I’m sorry, I can’t afford all that right now.’ Nice lady, but, y’know, salesperson.)
How about the opposite? What’s a good eye make up remover? I’ve been wearing a lot more lately, and especially with the liquid eyeliner…hard to get it off!
I find that The Body Shop’s Camomille waterproof eye makeup remover works well. I will warn you, though, that I have a friend who’s had an adverse reaction to it, so check the ingredients list if you’re sensitive to certain ingredients.
I wear Trish McEvoy’s “eye definer.” You can use it as powder liner or shadow, or wet it to use as cake liner. It’s much darker than any regular shadow, but it’s easy to vary the intensity. (I think it’s similar to Laura Mercier’s) Very very handy stuff, and lasts forever. Great colors too.
In which of those pictures do you think she’s not wearing makeup? In the first two, her makeup is much more understated and natural-looking, but she’s definitely wearing a good bit of it.
Those are fantastic examples of makeup vs. no makeup. My before-and-afters would look pretty much the same. (I also have light hair and invisible eyelashes.) Sometimes I want a more dramatic look for evening, so I just pump up the eyeliner and mascara and wear a bolder lipstick. It probably doesn’t make much of a difference in my overall look.
There are more colors on earth than black and brown, grasshopper! I’m a redhead with brown eyes. Black is much too harsh, and brown just looks muddy on me. My favorite color liner is Trish McEvoy’s “deep aubergine,” which is a taupe-y brown-y plum. I also just bought “arabian nights,” which is a dark blue. You can’t actually see the “colors” per se, but they both highlight my eyes without that harshness or that gloopy brown look.
I don’t personally use any MAC stuff (I’m totally devoted to Trish McEvoy*), but nobody should shop anywhere that doesn’t do this. The sales people should guide you towards the things that are flattering to you, but they should listen to what you want and deliver that, if possible. I had a consultation with one of the official Trish makeup artists this past Saturday, and she totally rocked. I like to keep a minimalist palette, and she used my bronzer as shadow, thus eliminating one thing. Cool! When she suggested certain things, like using an eyeshadow primer, I told her that I just wouldn’t end up using it, so she didn’t pressure me.
Buying makeup should be fun and relaxing. You shouldn’t feel pressured or like you’re being made to look like a clown. If you’re getting that experience, move on.
Silver Tyger Girl–buying drugstore brands (including Avon) can be a false economy. How much time and money are you going to waste doing the trial-and-error thing?
Why don’t you try going to a makeup counter at a department store, telling them what you want, and seeing what they suggest. They can show you a few products that will give you the most bang for your buck, help you pick the best colors, and show you how to apply it. You’ll walk away with a lot more confidence. If you don’t like what they show you, you can walk away. And if you time it right, you can get a “free gift with purchase,” which can be a good way to acquire random lipsticks and things.
Even though I dislike Clinique makeup, their remover (in the blue bottle) is the best that I’ve found. It doesn’t leave any greasy residue and gets everything off and lasts a long time. What’s not to love?
Except for mascara. You’ll get my Maybelline mascara when you pry it out of my cold dead hands. Well, and I’ll wear any old lipstick. But otherwise, my face belongs to Trish.
My favourite is 100% jojoba oil from Trader Joe’s (although I believe the brand is Desert Rose or something like that). This stuff is amazing, gentle and all natural. I will wash my face with cetaphil afterwards.
My fave place for tips is Makeupalley, which is where I discovered the jojoba oil/aspirin mask etc…