Archives for October 2012

Hey, baby, need a lift?

Heavens to Murgatroyd, sometimes I do, especially after a late night of reality television. (Or, like last night, Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations. It was the episode in Croatia! He was drunk almost the entire time!)

One little trick I do to look more awake is what I call, “checking my lift,” and depending on my sleeping patterns on any given week, I may or may not employ it every single day. 🙂

First things first: it’s easy. Which is good when you’re already tired.

First, I apply my eye makeup, and then dot a few dots of concealer beneath my eyes.

Then, I take my concealer brush (here I’m using the MAC 224), and use it like a straightedge or ruler, placing one end at the corer of my lip and the other at the corner of the eye on the same side of my face.

Make a mental note of the brush’s position because we’re going to use it as a guide…

Next, I buff those dots of concealer into my skin, and then run the brush along the invisible line from the previous step.

The slightly angled edge at the corner of your shadow creates the illusion of a slightly lifted, elevated (and wider awake) eye!

There’s also a turbo boost for this tip… To enhance the effect, I’ll powder the concealer into place right then and there. To diminish the effect, like when I don’t want the line to look quite as harsh, I’ll add some bronzer and blush to tone it down a little.

It really depends on 1) how tired I look (and consequently how much help I need) and 2) how lazy I feel.

It’s good to see you back for another session of Share a Tip Tuesdays! 🙂 My pout proffers a million thanks for the lip product recommendations you left in the comments on last week’s installment. Here are/were just a few of the fab finds and tips you offered…

If you curl your lashes often (& curl them after mascara application) take a paper towel to clean up the black goo, so you have a clean go for next time. If you have a lip color that you love but fear it’s too bold you can always sheer it out with balm. I use Mac’s lip conditioner on lips first, and an example is Mac hang up lipstick on top, really sheer. I love the color but I can’t possibly wear that to work, so in the end I get a strawberry stain. It’s autumnal and quite pretty-
–SAVANNAH

I don’t usually buy drugstore lip products, but I repeatedly go back to my favourite pinkish-purpley-mauve lipstick from Rimmel called “Vintage Pink”. I absolutely love it. It’s got a creamy, opaque finish, none of that annoying drugstore shimmer, and it’s a unique color without screaming “look at me!” love it.
–RAVEN

Best high performance drugstore lippie in my bathroom is Cover Girl Lip Perfection in Delish. It’s a great warm peachy nude shade and if you prime and line your lips, it looks just as good as my $60 Cle de Peau lipstick. Add a little nude gloss and it will stay put for 3-4 hours before you need to touch up.
–MKDALLAS

It’s not a secret, but not very many people seem to do it: when you have a very bright color you’re afraid to wear or want to tone down, apply it with your finger. It’s gonna look like a sheer stain on you lips, a lot more natural than the full version, so you can experiment with bold colors. Just rub the lipstick on your finger, and then gently tap your lips. Even out the color by swiping your finger a few times.
–LULLE

Those Wet n Wild matte lipsticks are gorgeous, feel luxurious on the lips and have color that cant be beat.
–NINA

Hmm…not sure if this is a tip exactly, but as someone with acne prone skin and thus needing a fair bit of coverage, a MAC artist once told me to ditch all the concealers, etc.. and just carefully layer my foundation to get the coverage I needed. She said that cakey, too-much-make-up look came from laying products that had different formulas and thus didn’t mesh well, where as layering one product over and over would look smoother in the end. So far, so good!
–SANI

Serdecznie dziÄ™kujÄ™! 🙂

This week, the floor is yours. Any makeup/beauty tips are welcome, but here are a few broad brushstrokes to get the conversation started…

1. What are the best budget hair products?
2. Fair-skinned felines, what are your go-to colors for eyes, lips and cheeks?
3. Darker damsels, what are some products and colors you can’t live without?
4. What’s one high-end product every makeup fanatic needs to try at least once?
5. What’s your secret to lush lashes?

Leave your tips/tricks/suggestions here in the comments, or tweet ’em to me on Twitter @karenmbb using the hashtag #shareatiptuesday. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen