Makeup Tips/How To

While makeup shopping at Nordstrom the other day I happened upon a beautyblender training class for the makeup artists on the floor and, um…of course you know I had to sneak my way into the group. 🙂 I even asked a whole bunch of obnoxious questions (yes, I was *that* student back in the day).

Like, did you know that you can apply eyeshadow with a beautyblender?

Yeah! Who knew, right?

Using a wet beautyblender Micro Mini (the smallest-sized sponge; a pack of two sells for $18), swirl the larger rounded bottom end of the beautyblender into your powder eyeshadow pan to mix the powder up into something of a temporary cream shadow and to load the sponge. (Applying shadows wet like this will also intensify the colors.) Then, tap that directly on your lids to apply.

Now do the same thing with the smaller pointed end of the beautyblender to apply color in your outer V.

It’s a great way to do simple, single-eyeshadow looks without any fallout so you can get out the door quickly.

Kind of cool, right?

This works with face powder, too! But instead of the mini beautyblender, take a damp regular-sized one, swirl the rounded base into your favorite pressed powder pan, and then tap that on your face wherever you want powder. It’ll apply evenly, without any fallout, and give you full coverage.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

I’m pretty happy with my current under-eye concealer routine of moisturizing first with an eye cream, then usually using a blend of NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer and another concealer like Maybelline Fit Me Concealer or YSL Touche Éclat Radiant Touch, and then setting with powder, but I’m always looking for ways to improve it, i.e. “make my under-eye sitch look more natural.”

At Nordstrom the other day, I got to chatting with a 10th-level makeup magician/Trish McEvoy makeup artist/sorceress about this seemingly never-ending makeup quest, and she had some great ideas that I actually tried right there in the store, and they worked! Now I’m starting to incorporate them into my regular routine.

Things like…

Look for emollient (smoothing) formulas

“Moisturizing” in a concealer’s description is usually a good sign. Specifically, look for concealers with smoothing or hydrating ingredients like sodium hyaluronate (or hyaluronic acid), because plump, moisturized skin has a smoother, more skin-like appearance that looks more natural…and less like a glob of concealer right under your eyes — something like Trish McEvoy’s Instant Eye Lift, which is $38 and available in two shades.

Grab a flat concealer brush

If you’re interested in getting the fullest of full coverages (which I totally am), try patting your concealer on and around your dark circles using a flat concealer brush, instead of swiping with something else like a different brush, a sponge or your fingers, to keep more of the product where you want it (as opposed to swiping it away).
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Just imagine… What if every day was Caturday, and your cat eye flicks were always perfect?

Wouldn’t that be grand? 🙂

Some days it does work out that way. I’ll flick my wrist and tada! — a perfect cat eye flick.

Admittedly, those days are rare… Most of the time, the edges of my flicks start out blurry and muddy.

When this happens, don’t panic! It’s easy to fix.

Just grab your current concealer love, put a little on the back of your hand, and pick some up with a small, flat concealer brush. (Side note: if you don’t have a flat concealer brush available, an angled or pointed eye brush works, too.)

Next, run the edge of the brush along the bottom of your flick to sharpen the line.

You can stop there if you want, or keep going. At this point I’ll usually soften the concealer a little by gently running a pointed cotton bud along the edge. It helps to ever-so-slightly soften the edge and prevent an overly sharp, harsh line (that looks like I obviously applied concealer along the edge of my flick).

If you don’t have a pointed cotton bud on hand, you can also load a flat eyeshadow brush with face powder, and then gently run the tip of the brush along the edge of your flick. It’s another way to soften the appearance of the concealer.

Here’s how my flicks usually look before doing this trick — kinda muddy and undefined…

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And by “gunk,” I mean all of that nasty stuff that builds up between the teeth of your lash comb — the mascara, eye liner, eyeshadow, cat hair (don’t judge)…

I used to clean my lash comb with makeup wipes. I’d run them up and down the teeth of the comb to whisk away any gunky leftover makeup, and it worked well enough, I guess…because it got out most of the gunk, but I’d still see bits and bobs way down in there between the teeth.

I don’t do that anymore, though, because I’ve found a better solution.

A toothbrush!

It hit me (the idea, not the toothbrush) after this post about kitchen tools. I was wondering how the heck I was going to clean the tiny little teeth on my new julienne tool, and Sandra, one of the gals who comments on MBB (hi, Sandra!), mentioned that toothbrushes are great for getting in between tiny spaces.

Hmm…

If they’re good enough to clean julienne tools, why not lash combs?
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