I must admit at times…I can be a make up snob. I have to remind myself before using all these higher end brands I use now, I used the cheaper brands at drugstores in my earlier years. I was in Target the other night cruising by the make up aisle because I wanted to check and see if my Target had the new Target brand brushes that Yummy411 blogged about. Of course they didn’t! I didn’t want to leave the store empty handed, so I checked out the NYC Color section. I needed new eyeliners to tie me over til my shipment of Artistry liners came in, so I decided to buy a white pencil and a eyeliner duet that had purple on one side and black on the other side. I was skeptical that these pencils would have a good color pay off for only being $ .94. As soon as I came home, I had to play with these eyeliners. I applied the white eyeliner to my lower waterline and to my surprise, the white showed up. A lot of drugstore brand white eyeliners I’ve tried before had such bad color pay offs, but not this eyeliner. The eyeliner went on so smoothly too. I tried the the duet and both the black and purple had great color pay off as well. They both seemed like they could smudge easily though, so it’s best to apply a powder eyeshadow that best matches the color of the eyeliner on top to set the pencil eyeliner. Needless to say, I’m now a fan of NYC eyeliners and expect me to buy more of their liners!
Archive for April, 2008
Spotlight Product ; NYC Color Eyeliners
April 15, 2008
Avoiding Make Up Meltdowns During The Spring-Summer Season
April 13, 2008
Avoid the dreaded make up meltdowns during this Spring/Summer with these tips and product suggestions.
- Foundation Primers - Foundation and eyeshadow primers are the key for no smudge make up. Even during the extreme heat, you can avoid any type of make up meltdown with just a touch of a primer. Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer is one of the best foundation primers I’ve tried. I’ve worn this primer to outdoor events during the Summer and my foundation looked as fresh as it did when I first did my make up. Not to mention it fights off shine even on the oily-est of skins.
- Eyeshadow Primer/Base - You can get even the poorest of quality eyeshadows to have a good color pay off/lasting power with an eyeshadow base. Urban Decay Primer Potion is the most popular pick when it comes to eyeshadow bases. If you want smudge/budge proof eyeshadow, this product is for you. Eyeshadows will stay in place even in the most hottest weather. People have told me they have had a hard time trying to get their eyeshadows to blend when using UDPP. When I do use UDPP, sometimes I like to apply a cream eyeshadow after applying the UDPP on my eye lids. It helps blend my eyeshadow perfectly. This primer potion can be pricey for some, so L’oreal De-Crease Eyeshadow Base is a cheaper alternative for those who want to stay within their budget.
- Waterproof Mascaras - When it comes to sweat, tears, or rain..waterproof mascaras can be your best friend. Artistry Waterproof Mascara is my favorite mascara (or at least one of my favorites. I love my Artistry Essentials Mascara too!). Talk about a mascara that stays put. Sometimes, it takes me awhile to take this mascara off! What I also love about this mascara is that it doesn’t flake like other mascaras I use.
- Liquid & Gel Eyeliner - Pencil eyeliners can be a pain to stay on because of their smudge factors especially during the warmer weather. Try using a liquid liner like Artistry Control Eyeliner. This liner is water resistant, smudge proof, and very long lasting which is great for the humid and sticky weather. New to liquid eyeliner? First, line your eyes with a regular pencil eyeliner and then, trace over the pencil liner with a liquid liner. One of my other favorite liners is MAC’s Fluidline Gel Liners. These eyeliners are so easy to put on and very long lasting. Don’t be intimidated by the little pot they come in, just apply the liner with a liner brush or an angled brush. Comes in a variety of colors from black to a baby blue, they have a color for everyone.
My How To’s - Purple Eyeshadow Tutorial
April 8, 2008
I always get so excited when Artistry comes out with new collections for the seasons. All tailor made for what’s hot during the seasons. Artistry Rare Beauty Trend Collection has to be by far my favorite collection that they came out with. I guess the only reason why I say that is because they have a purple eyeshadow palette and if you know me, I love purple eyeshadows! I do a lot of make up looks with a lot of different colors, but purple looks always remain my favorites. I decided to do a tutorial for the Indulge (purple eyeshadows) palette that I’ve been wearing a lot lately.
1 ) I always start out by doing my foundation and brows first. Before I even attempt to do my eyes, I like to apply NAO’s Highlighter in Dark underneath my eyes and gently pat it into my skin to blend in. This highlighter really helps my eyes look more awake and just freshens up my whole appearance.
2 ) Next, I apply an eyeshadow base to my eyelids up to my browbone. I like to use NAO’s concealer/eyeshadow base (discontinued).
3 ) Apply a lilac/light purple eyeshadow on just the lid up to the crease with a small/medium eyeshadow brush.
4 ) Use a dark purple eyeshadow and apply it to the crease up to the browbone. For this step, I like to use a larger eyeshadow brush. Make sure to blend well.
5 ) You can omit the following steps involving the black eyeshadow on just the outer crease. Since, I love smokey eyes, I like to use a smudge brush to apply Artistry’s Black Tie eyeshadow on the outer inner crease.
6 ) I added a little more black to outer crease and I also added a little black eyeshadow on just the outer lid. I used a pale shimmery eyeshadow on my browbrow to highlight.
7 ) Line the top lashline with a black eyeliner or apply black eyeshadow with either a smudge brush or a dampen thin eyeliner brush.
8 ) Line the bottom of your lower lashline with a regular pencil eyeliner 1/3 of the way. I used a dark blue.
9 ) Apply a dark purple eyeshadow on top of the liner to set the pencil liner.
10 ) Use a smudge brush to apply an eyeshadow base to the inner lashline.
11 ) Apply a pale shimmery eyeshadow on top of the eyeshadow base.
12 ) Lastly, apply black mascara to the top and bottom lashes. I used Artistry Essentials’ mascara.
Spotlight Product ; Artistry Essentials Mineral Foundations
April 6, 2008
There seems to be a high demand for anything mineral (cosmetics) now a days. I was excited to find out Artistry finally jumped onto the mineral make up bandwagon with their Artistry Essentials line. I wanted to try their mineral foundation since I haven’t even tried any brand of mineral foundation since the whole craze started. I ordered the medium shade and at first, I thought it wouldn’t look good on my skintone because I figured it would be too light. As soon as I put it on my face, it adjusted to my skintone instantly. It feels light on the skin, it doesn’t make your skin look cake-y, and it’s fragrance free. On some days, my skin isn’t always ‘up to par’ so to speak so, I like to use this mineral foundation to set my liquid foundation. It works wonderful as a setting powder for liquid foundations. Artistry Essentials mineral foundations is perfect for the Spring/Summer season. Who wants to be bogged down with heavy foundations during the warmer months? Try this light and good-for-your-skin foundation instead. For only $19.50, it’s a small price to pay (cheaper than the widely known brand for mineral foundations) for a natural and breathable foundation.
Keep checking in for more of my Artistry Essentials reviews!
My How To’s - Eyebrow Tutorial
April 1, 2008
People always ask me (on good eyebrow days) how on earth do I do my eyebrows and if they are drawn in. Yes, they are mostly drawn in and took a lot of trial and error trying to get my eyebrows the way they are now for years. I decided to do a tutorial to show you how I do my eyebrows and the products I use on my brows.
1) I do my foundation before doing my eyebrows. Yes, I’m an admitted OVER TWEEZER! To comb my brows in place, I like to use a disposable mascara wand. I always have bags of them laying around, they come in handy for brow grooming.
2) I like to fill in my brows with a brown pencil in light soft strokes. I use Beautique eyeliner on my brows. You can find Beautique at your local Sally Beauty Supply store for only $1.99. Inexpensive and works great for an eyebrow pencil.
3) To set my brows (to prevent smudging), I use a smudge brush (or you can use an angled brush) and dip it in a brown matte powder eyeshadow. I just fill in the thicker part of my brows with the smudge brush. I use Espresso in the Artistry Essentials Colour Quad in Medium. Such a versatile quad that I can’t stop talking about!
4) For the tail end of my brows, I like to use a dampened thin eyeliner brush dipped in the Espresso eyeshadow.
Voila! That’s how I do my eyebrows. Short, sweet, and simple!
