• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To MakeupMakeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup

A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict

  • Home
  • About
    • About
    • Contact
    • FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
    • Advertising & Media
  • Categories
    • Product Reviews
    • Makeup
    • Skincare & Fragrance
    • Style & Fashion
    • Hair
    • Nails
    • Tips & Tutorials
    • Just for Fun
  • Brands
  • Store

Makeup Tips/How To

Red Carpet Beauty Inspired by Claire Danes and Jessica Alba: Get a Glam Look for Less Using Drugstore Beauty Products

February 27th, 2013 by Karen 33 Comments

Claire Danes Golden Globes 2013 Makeup Inspiration
Get red carpet looks for less with COVERGIRL, Olay and Aussie

Chances are the bustling beauty teams that style Claire Danes and Jessica Alba for regal red carpet events won’t be showing up at my doorstep any time soon, because unlike the stars, we mere mortals must fend for ourselves when it comes to getting ready for parties and nights on the town (or nights on the couch with your cat, if you’re also into that). 🙂

No problem. Getting glam doesn’t have to involve a small army of beauty professionals (although, not gonna lie, if a pro prep team suddenly appeared — POOF! — I would NOT turn them away).

Recreating red carpet looks at home can be easy and fun, and with drugstore beauty products, it doesn’t have to break the bank.

I recently gave two of my favorite red carpet looks a try from this year’s Golden Globes — a look Claire Danes wore with smokey eyes and nude lips, and Jessica Alba’s look with brown eyes and tangerine lips — both of which seemed simple and elegant, which I liked.

Gearing up for a big night? If you are, you can get red carpet ready like Claire and Jessica using makeup, hair, body and skincare products from COVERGIRL, Olay, Aussie and Secret.

Who says that going glam is reserved for the stars?

Inspired by: Claire Danes

Claire Danes Golden Globes 2013 Makeup Look

Oh, Angela Chase. You’ve come so far since Jordan Catalano wrote that song about you about his car…

I absolutely loved the wavy hair, smokey eyes and nude lips Claire recently wore. Hello, stunning!

1. Let the glamification begin: skin and hair

Start by prepping in the shower with a hydrating body wash like Olay Ultra Moisture Body Wash ($5.99), and washing and conditioning your hair with Aussie Aussome Volume Shampoo and Conditioner ($3.99 each).

Even if the paparazzi aren’t currently stalking you, there’s no reason to let ’em see you sweat, so swipe some Secret Clinical Strength Stress Response ($7.99) under those ‘pits, girl!

Okay, time to tame the mane. Apply Aussie Aussome Volume Styling Mousse ($4.99) to wet hair for hold and volume, and either air or blow dry.

When your hair is dry, recreate Claire’s waves by curling the ends with a large barrel curling iron. Then, mist your mane all over with Aussie You Can Shine Spray Gloss ($3) for red carpet shine.

2. Gotta prep

Ready to play with makeup? Me too, but let’s get our skin ready first with face products from the Olay Professional Even Skin Tone Line, and disguise any uneven areas or imperfections by applying a liquid foundation like COVERGIRL Outlast 3-in-1 Foundation ($12.99).

If your skin tone’s similar to Claire’s, try the shade called Classic Ivory. I have a little — okay, a lot! — more of a tan, so something like Classic Tan works for me.

3. Sights set on smokey eyes

Now for my favorite part — the eyes!

Start by applying your favorite eye primer to your lids, curling your lashes and filling in your brows.

Next, for your smokey eyes, line both upper and lower water lines with COVERGIRL Perfect Point Plus Eyeliner in Black Onyx ($5).

With the same pencil, line your upper and lower lash lines; soften the lines by smudging the edges with a flat eye shadow brush.

Now, it’s time to add the smoke!

Load your flat brush with a combination of black and blue shadows, like COVERGIRL Eye Enhancers 1-Kit Shadows in Shimmering Onyx and Sapphire Sparkle ($4.50 each). Combining the shades here adds depth to the smokey effect.

Pat the mix on your lids and barely into the creases. Then, using a domed blending brush, blend away any harsh edges.

To refine your smokey look even more, take your domed brush, and load it with your favorite blush. Something like COVERGIRL Instant Cheekbones Contouring Blush in Sophisticated Sable ($6) should work great for Claire’s look.

Sweep your loaded domed brush into your creases and along your lower lash lines to soften the edges. This helps everything look a little more polished.

Finish up your eyes by applying a few coats of COVERGIRL Clump Crusher Mascara ($6.99).

4. Wrapping it up

From here on out, the rest is cake!

Sweep that same blush, Sophisticated Sable, on your cheeks, apply a nude lip color, like COVERGIRL Lip Perfection Jumbo Gloss Balm in Toffee Twist ($8.99) on your lips, and wrap up with a coat or two of COVERGIRL Outlast Nail Gloss in Forever Frosted ($5.99) on your nails.

Claire Danes Golden Globes 2013 Makeup Look Products COVERGIRL
Products Clockwise from the blue pan in the upper left: COVERGIRL Eye Enhancers 1-Kit Shadows in Sapphire Sparkle, COVERGIRL Eye Enhancers 1-Kit Shadows in Shimmering Onyx, COVERGIRL Jumbo Gloss Balm in Toffee Twist, COVERGIRL Outlast Nail Gloss in Forever Frosted, COVERGIRL Perfect Point Plus Eyeliner in Black Onyx and COVERGIRL Clump Crusher Mascara

Claire Danes Golden Globes 2013 Makeup Look
[Continue reading…]

There are 33 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: COVERGIRL, Makeup, Makeup Tips/How To, Olay, Sponsored Post

A Makeup Artist’s Secret Squirrel Under-Eye Concealer Trick Using Laura Mercier’s Repair Eye Serum

January 8th, 2013 by Karen 34 Comments

Laura Mercier Repair Eye Serum…a secret to crease-free under-eye concealer!

Ooh! I picked up a great makeup trick last week from Courtney, a makeup artist/MBB reader/self-professed crazy cat lady at the Laura Mercier counter inside Saks in San Francisco’s Union Square. 🙂

Here’s the deal: I asked Court if she could recommend any secret weapons from Laura Mercier’s line — awesome products that maybe a lot of people didn’t know about — and she pulled out Laura’s Flawless Skin Repair Eye Serum.

This stuff is bright and tight. It contains green and white tea, arnica extract, caffeine and geranium to tighten skin and has a brightening pearlescent pink color.

Courtney’s trick? She uses it on herself and her clients as something of a primer for under-eye concealer.

Pat a minuscule amount — just a smidgen — beneath your eyes before concealer, let that sink in for a minute or two, and then apply your regular concealer on top.

BAM! It’s like P90X for concealer. You should see fewer concealer creases, all-day wear time and a lighter look from your concealer overall.

BEAUTY FUN FACT: according to Courtney, Laura Mercier uses Shu Uemura technology in all of their skin care.

Courtney said that a bunch of the makeup artists at Saks use the serum this way as a primer for concealers, and it doesn’t just work with Laura’s line. They also do it with concealers from other brands.
[Continue reading…]

There are 34 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, Laura Mercier, Makeup, Makeup Tips/How To

New Year’s Eve Looks in 5, 10 and 15 Minutes

December 29th, 2012 by Karen 56 Comments

Ahh… Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas — done, done and done. We’re almost through another holiday season, babe, and from here on out, as Tabs loves to say, it’s all gravy.

Next up, New Year’s. Do you have any plans yet? More specifically, do you have any New Year’s makeup plans? 🙂

None yet for me. I mean, none that I know of, but El Hub might be planning something special behind the scenes, and I hope that he is (hint, hint!), because I’m in the mood to get gussied up.

I like taking my sweet time with my makeup on New Year’s Eve, just buffing and blending for hours. That’s my idea of a perfect start to a perfect New Year’s night, but sometimes, like when your demanding, diva kitty employer sends you on a last-minute Petco run for feather toys and catnip at 9 p.m. on Monday, December 31, things don’t always work out. You see, diva kitties can throw even the best laid beauty plans completely out the window.

Luckily for us, there are lots of ways to pull together a last-minute New Year’s Eve look when you don’t have all night to get ready.

Whether you’ll be chilling at home, watching the ball drop on TV, or braving the elements and the rowdy crowds with your crew, you can still look pretty and primped with these 5-minute, 10-minute and 15-minute New Year’s Eve looks.

A casual 5-minute makeup look

Plan to ring in the new year with a comfy, cozy group at home? Expect impromptu camera phone pics, and be ready for them with this easy, natural-looking 5-minute makeup look.

  1. For this look, I started by using my fingers to work a sheer tinted moisturizer, Olay Total Effects Tone Correcting CC Cream ($22.99), all over my face to even out my skin tone. Then, on the areas where I needed a bit more coverage, I dotted and blended concealer.
  2. Next, for a natural-looking matte finish, I dusted powder lightly on my oily areas to cut down on shine. Here, I used COVERGIRL + Olay Pressed powder in Medium ($11.99) on my forehead and nose.
  3. Then, for a healthy hint of a glow, I blended a pink blush (COVERGIRL Cheekers Blush in Golden Pink, $3.99), on the apples of my cheeks.
  4. To open up my eyes, I filled in my brows, curled my lashes and coated them with a tinted mascara. COVERGIRL LashBlast 24HR Mascara in Blue Black ($7.99) adds a little color without going over the top.
  5. To complete the look, I slicked a moisturizing, peachy pink lip balm on my lips.
From the left: Olay Total Effects Tone Correcting CC Cream, COVERGIRL LashBlast 24HR Mascara in Blue Black, COVERGIRL + Olay Pressed Powder in Medium and COVERGIRL Cheekers Blush in Golden Pink

A casual 10-minute makeup look

Got a few more minutes to get ready? If you have 10, then you can spend one or two on your skin, incorporate a little more color, and do a quick hairstyle to embrace 2013 in more polished, yet casual style.

  1. The winter winds strip every ounce of moisture from my skin and leave me with dry patches, so I started this look by prepping my face first with moisturizer, which also makes blending my foundation easier. One to try: Olay Age Defying Instant Hydration Day Cream ($12.99). It absorbs quickly and doesn’t feel like a heavy wool blanket on my face.
  2. A medium-coverage foundation like COVERGIRL + Olay Tone Rehab 2-in-1 Foundation Base ($16.99) helps even out my skin tone. I applied the Golden Tan shade all over my face with my fingers and, so that the finish didn’t look too “done,” gently blended everything together by going over it all with a skunk brush. Then, to set the foundation and bring down the shine, I dusted powder on my oily areas.
  3. To kick up the color content a little more, I applied a shimmery golden bronze eyeshadow on my lids (COVERGIRL Eye Enhancers in Golden Sunrise, $2.99), a nude blush (COVERGIRL Cheekers Blush in Soft Sable, $3.99) on my cheeks and a nude lipstick (COVERGIRL Outlast All Day Lipcolor in Forever Fawn, $8.49) on my lips.
  4. To finish the look, I filled in my brows, curled my lashes and added three coats of COVERGIRL LashBlast 24HR Mascara in Very Black ($7.99).
  5. With the couple extra minutes I had left, I ended with a quick hairstyle. I gathered my mop into a low ponytail, sprayed a small amount of hairspray (in this case, Pantene Pro-V Stylers Shaping Extra Hold Hairspray, $5.99) on my fingers, and then used them to guide my bangs and tame flyaway and stray hairs on the top and sides of my head.
Clockwise from the bottle of hairspray: Pantene Stylers Anti-Humidity Hairspray Maximum Hold, COVERGIRL Outlast All Day Lipcolor in Forever Fawn, COVERGIRL Eye Enhancers in Golden Sunrise, COVERGIRL Cheekers Blush in Soft Sable, COVERGIRL LashBlast 24HR Mascara in Very Black, COVERGIRL + Olay Tone Rehab 2-in-1 Foundation Base in Golden Tan, Olay Age Defying Instant Hydration Day Cream

A casual 15-minute makeup look

Got a few more minutes to play? If you do, you could start with the 10-minute look above, and incorporate a few extra touches in step 3 to take casual to the next level.
[Continue reading…]

There are 56 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Makeup, Makeup Tips/How To, Sponsored Post Keywords: spon

A Holiday Party Eye Makeup Look With Purple, Bronze and Gold

December 10th, 2012 by Karen 18 Comments

holiday makeup tutorial bronze purple

I received a few requests to see a tutorial after a look last week with pink cheeks and bronze, gold and purple eyes, so here it is!

I keep this one in my back pocket for date nights and parties because it’s a little bit dressy, but not full-on formal. Could be a nice look to wear to a work holiday party.

Last week I used a couple of limited edition products from BECCA that are out of circulation now (the Halcyon Days Palette and Cabrera Liner Duo), so this time around, to make things a little easier to duplicate, I replaced those pieces with similar colors from MAC’s permanent line (the other BECCA products here are still available).

The products

holiday makeup tutorial bronze purple swatches
Swatches from the left: BECCA Eye Tint in Gilt, MAC Soba Eyeshadow, MAC Woodwinked Eyeshadow, MAC Prunella Eye Kohl, MAC Teddy Eye Kohl, BECCA Marcella Eyeshadow, BECCA Lychee Beach Tint, Becca Damselfly Blush, BECCA Flowerchild Blush, MAC Sublime Culture Cremestick Liner and Illamasqua Intimacy Lipgloss
  • A shimmery golden bronze cream shadow like BECCA Eye Tint in Gilt
  • A satiny golden brown eyeshadow like MAC Soba
  • A shimmery, warm peachy gold like MAC Woodwinked
  • A dark plum liner like MAC Prunella
  • A reddish golden bronze liner like MAC Teddy and https://www.makeupandbeautyblog.com/mac-makeup/mac-unsung-hero-powersurge-eye-kohl/MAC Powersurge layered together
  • A shimmery golden purple eyeshadow like BECCA Marcella (from the Balearic Love Palette)
  • A pink cream blush like BECCA Lychee Beach Tint
  • A peach and pink powder blush like BECCA Damselfly and Flowerchild
  • A pinky nude lip liner like MAC Sublime Culture
  • A pinky nude gloss like Illamasqua Intimacy

Step by step

holiday makeup tutorial bronze purple

  1. Start by patting the shimmery bronze eyeshadow all over your lids.
  2. Next, sweep your satiny golden brown eyeshadow directly on top of the bronze eyeshadow you just used.
  3. Then, pat a warm peachy gold from your lashes down into the crease.
  4. Line your upper water line and upper lash line with your plum liner, and then smudge out the edges with your golden purple eyeshadow.
  5. Line your lower lash and water lines with your reddish golden bronze liner.
  6. Fill in your brows, and apply mascara.
  7. Now, blend the pink blush on your cheeks, and layer the peach and pink powder blushes on top.
  8. Lastly, line and fill in your lips with your pinky nude liner topped with a layer of nude gloss.

holiday makeup tutorial bronze purple
Additional makeup worn in this look: MAC Concrete (brows), BECCA Radiant Skin Satin Foundation in Bamboo (all over face), BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector in Moonstone (around the center of your face) MAC Select Moisturecover Concealer in NW25 (under your eyes), Chanel Natural Finish Loose Powder (all over your face) and Le Volume de Chanel Mascara (lashes)

[Continue reading…]

There are 18 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Becca, MAC Makeup, Makeup, Makeup Tips/How To

Share a Tip Tuesdays: Lost Your Gel or Cream Liner Brush? No Problem. Pencil in This Tip to Try

November 20th, 2012 by Karen 34 Comments

Share your best makeup or beauty tips in the comments!
The new YSL Creme D’Eyeliner in No. 7 Gold Star ($25), and MAC Powersurge Eye Kohl ($15)

My house is like the Bermuda Triangle for makeup brushes.

In other words, lots of unexplained disappearances. Especially for brushes I use to apply gel and cream eyeliners. It’s like they get sucked into that same alternate universe where all the missing socks and earrings go…

But now I have a trick that’s been saving my booty when I want to wear a potted gel or cream liner but can’t find the perfect brush. I just use a pencil liner as a brush.

Dip the pencil into the cream or gel liner you want to use, and run it along your lash or water lines, as if it’s a brush! 🙂

You can either use a pencil in a color similar to the cream or gel liner you’d like to wear, or use a pencil in a different shade to spice things up.

The color of the pencil in the pic up top, MAC Powersurge, is similar to the shimmery, bronzy gold YSL Creme D’Eyeliner in No. 7 Gold Star (available now at YSL counters and bloomingdales.com) behind it.

That’s an example of the matchy-matchy approach…

But to take a varsity-level dive into the world of eye-lining improvisation instead, use a pencil liner in a completely different shade. I’ve tried that same YSL gold liner above with pencils in black, plum and green and created some really neat duochrome effects. Every one puts its own unique twist on the gel or cream.

Be careful not to overload the pencil if you use it this way (took me a few tries to figure that out), and don’t forget to clean the tip when your done to keep it from getting all icky. I wipe mine down with a clean paper towel or a Wet Ones Wipe.

Oh, and sometimes, when my water lines feel extra sensitive — too sensitive for brush bristles — I find that a pencil feels a little gentler against my skin.

Welcome to another exciting installment of Share a Tip Tuesdays! 🙂 Thanks to you, this series is really turning into a great beauty resource. Last week’s edition received more than three dozen tips! Here are a few…

I have mild rosacea, and so I find it really hard to create the flawless base I like to start with, because no matter what, the red always shows through. I think I’ve actually figured it out now, though. I’ve got a killer combo that ALWAYS gives me perfect ivory flawless skin that I can then layer blush or bronzer on top of. I start with MUFE’s green primer on just the areas of rosacea, and use a different non-colored primer for the rest of my face and an oil-control primer for my nose. I picked up Physician’s Formula green concealer, and I spread that in a thin layer over my rosacea areas. Prior to putting on my foundation, I look pretty weird, but once I use MAC NC 15 (which has a yellow base that helps counteract the red) on top of the primer/concealer combo, it’s perfectly even and gorgeous. Great tip for anyone with extra redness.
— MARY

I have hooded eyes, so I usually favor smudgy eyeliner on my lids and top lash line. It also helps to wear a lipstick that brings out the best in my skin tone. Blue reds and peachy pinks tend to work well for me.
— MEIMEI

Water lining is quicker than trying to do a neat eyeliner. I water line my eyes, quickly smudge a little cream or gel eye liner on my lids and have a killer smoky eye in very little time. Also, tinted lip balms or sheer lipsticks are more forgiving when you only have time for a quick swipe. And grab a pretty berry-colored one to add brightness.
— ABHIPSA

Not using white on the water line. I watched Lisa Eldridge’s video about the makeup for Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and she mentions that they sometimes used a light blue on both George Peppard and Audrey. I picked up a few different very light blues to try it out, and I love the effect! You don’t see blue waterlines. It’s more that it cancels out the pink, but isn’t stark like white. My favourites are Gosh’s light blue liners.
— BRENDA

Best thing ever? Primer + BB Cream + Blush. If you have an extra minute, curl and apply mascara. And extra two minutes? Creamy concealer (for the eyes) + Highlight for the inner corners + cupids bow of your lip. Wakes the face right up! I already have glosses in my purse so I slap those on in a pinch. Gorgeous for little effort!
— MAI

Pagyamanan! 🙂

So, let’s get to it. As usual, any and all of your makeup/beauty/hair/skin tips are welcome, but here are a few conversation starters…

  1. Do you have any suggestions for ways to remove your makeup quickly?
  2. If you’re a busy mom, do you have a streamlined beauty routine?
  3. For the single ladies, any tried-and-true date-night makeup (hair or fashion) tips?
  4. Best waterproof products for rain, sleet and snow?
  5. What’s your routine (if you have one) for flawless red lips?

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

There are 34 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun, Makeup Tips/How To

Big Bang Theory! Pump Up Your Volume With This Hair Tutorial for Big Bangs

November 15th, 2012 by Karen 31 Comments

Yet another hairstyle to try if your mane ever starts looking like this…

LOL! (Note to self: call the salon first thing tomorrow morning. For realz!!)

I wore this big bang hairstyle last week for the Xenia Onatopp Bond Girls look, and it’s quickly becoming a favorite of mine to keep my shaggy mop in line. It’s a little bit Joan Cusack in Working Girl, with some Marge Simpson and a dash of rock ‘n roll, and best of all, it’s pretty easy to do — 10 minutes, tops.

Maybe you’re growing out your bangs. Maybe you’re neglecting your long layers. Or maybe you’re just in the mood for something kind of casual and messy to wear to a concert or a club. Whichever the case, try big bangs. 🙂

For this style, I start by sectioning off my bangs and spraying my roots with a lightweight hairspray. Right now I’m loving Suave Touchable Finish because it doesn’t flake or leave my hair uber-crunchy. Plus, it’s only $3.

Next, I aim a hairdryer at my roots to get things moving along. It usually only takes about 10-20 seconds for the hairspray to fully stiffen.

Then, I start building some volume at the roots…

I couldn’t find my teasing comb today, so I improvised with a boar’s hair brush. The stiff, dense bristles tease the heck out of hair, and they’re great for adding lots of lift.

Now it’s construction time. I start shaping the bangs, BIG, gathering them and kinda pushing them up in the back.

Then I secure them in place using several bobby pins.


[Continue reading…]

There are 31 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Beauty Tips, Hair, Makeup Tips/How To

Easily Corral Crazy Hair and Long Layers Into Place With This Step-By-Step Faux Bob Hair Tutorial

November 13th, 2012 by Karen 27 Comments

No matter how many mystical chants and dances I do, no matter hard I will it to happen, there are some things I just cannot seem to control…

Like the weather, or Tabs (why do lurvies and lap time always have to be on his terms and never mine?), or the relentless drive to consume large quantities of Nutella, or the passing of time, or the mop of hair currently partying on my head like it’s 1999.

Yeah, my hair’s extra cray at the moment because I’m waaaaay overdue for a salon visit. My layers refuse to layer correctly, my roots are like, “OH, HAI, LADY!!” and the situation with my bangs? — let’s not even go there.

I’ve had to resort to hair trickery and disguise to get my mane looking semi-presentable, and one trick I’ve been loving lately is a little something I like to call, “The Faux Bob.”

I got the idea from a similar hairdo Taylor Swift wore a while back. I can’t remember exactly where or when, but I recall that her hair was long at the time, and it looked like she’d tucked it underneath, almost like a shoulder-length bob.

I’ve been wearing mine this way on the weekends because it’s just so easy to corral my hair into place.

If you have long, chin-length layers or side-swept bangs that frame your face, or if you just want the look of a shorter ‘do but don’t want to chop off all your hair, it’s easy and might be worth a try.

First, I start by gathering my hair into a loose, low pony and securing it with an elastic.


[Continue reading…]

There are 27 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Beauty Tips, Hair, Makeup Tips/How To

Share a Tip Tuesdays: Beauty Shortcuts for Busy Girls

November 13th, 2012 by Karen 74 Comments

Share a Tip Tuesdays: 5 Minute Makeup
I’m smiling in this pic because it only took me five minutes to do my makeup.

Sometimes it seems like no matter what I do to manage my time better — keeping to-do lists with action items, reminding Siri to remind me to pay the PG&E bill tomorrow, using stopwatches and timers to stay on task, organizing and reorganizing my files (and reorganizing them again), avoiding Twitter and my email for a few hours, waking up at the butt crack of dawn to get a head start on the day — there’s never enough time.

I don’t know about you, but this whole 24-hour day thing just isn’t working for me. 🙂 How do I go about getting a longer day…?

There are some things that help, though. Definitely. Time-saving tips do make it easier to get more done in the day, and when I’m really feeling the crunch, like when I only have five minutes to get ready, I fall back to my most reliable makeup tricks like…

  • Using a (kick-arse) tinted moisturizer. In my opinion, the best one out there now is NARS Pure Radiant. It’s lightweight, applies quick as a bunny (I just use my fingers), covers almost everything and doesn’t give me breakouts. My fussy dry/oily/acne-prone skin adores it.
  • A bronzy blush. Bronzy blushes can also double as bronzers, and there’s always a few in my makeup bag, like right now, I’m carrying NARS Madly, Benefit Dallas, MAC Harmony, MAC Format and Sisly L’Orchidee.
  • A superhero, one-coat mascara capable of doing it all. My new fave is Le Volume de Chanel in Noir. It’s a little expensive, but it lengthens, separates and thickens my nap-worthy lashes in a single swoop.

Separating my makeup into three different bags also helps me stay organized when I have to get out the door quickly.

I stash my makeup essentials in the first one (tinted moisturizer, concealer, powder, brow filler, blush and mascara), and my brushes in the second. In the third bag, I store cleansers and cleanup products — makeup wipes, Almay Oil-Free Makeup Eraser Sticks and packets of Wet Ones Antibacterial Wipes (for cleaning my fingers and removing gunk from dirty brushes) — just in case I have to fix a mistake while I’m out and about.

Welcome to another edition of Share a Tip Tuesdays! 🙂 Okay…you were awesome last week. You left so many fantastic tips in last week’s installment. I couldn’t possibly pick a favorite, but here were some of the ones that perked up my tired eyes…

Use a peachy highlight in the inner corners of the eyes and brow bone to perk up tired eyes. Since I know that peach correctors work well for under-eye dark circles, I don’t know why it was such a huge surprise to me when I tried it with MAC Arena, but whoa! A shimmery peach works so much better than champagne, which used to be my go-to highlight shade.
–ARIANNE

If you mix a brown eyeshadow with the more dramatic colors in your eye look, you’ll get a softened version that usually translates into a more comfortable look. This tip is especially good for people who are just starting to add brighter/deeper colors to their eye looks. ie: If you’re worried about blue eyeshadow being too BLUE!, then throw some brown in there. Just make sure the brown you’re using complements the overall tone/darkness of the eyeshadow that you’re adding it to.
–MONIKA

I use the ELF Lip Lock pencil to keep my lipstick from feathering — it’s a $3 wonder!
–NINA

The absolute best way to make tired eyes look perky is to skip liner on the lower lashes (even if it’s not black), and apply a flesh toned or white pencil to your waterline. Then apply a satin or shimmer eyeshadow to your eye’s inner corner. If you have large eyes, use a satin or matte eyeshadow, a shade lighter than your skin color.
–CHRIS25

Liquid liner has been MY JAM since sophomore year in high school! My ultimate savior when it comes to cat eyes: the pointed q-tip. Take either a sharpened pencil or some dark shadow on an eyeliner brush and lightly sculpt out the shape you want. Getting the eyes symmetrical is as easy as just removing any mistakes with the pointed q-tip (I like to go by the angle my lower lash line makes — just run the q-tip up from that angle to get a perfectly sharp line). Then go over with liquid liner. A bit more time-consuming, but it beats having to mess around with smeary liquid liner in order to correct a mistake.
–MAI

Hvala! 🙂

So, let’s get to it. As usual, any and all of your makeup/beauty/hair/skin tips are welcome, but here are a few conversation starters…

  1. What are your top quickie beauty tricks for mornings when you don’t have a lot of time?
  2. You’re taking a one-week trip to the Bahamas. What’s in your travel makeup bag?
  3. What are your top three blushes, and why do you love them?
  4. What’s your 5-minute makeup routine?
  5. What’s been the most helpful makeup or beauty technique or tip you learned this year?

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

There are 74 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun, Makeup Tips/How To

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Go to page 1
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 49
  • Go to page 50
  • Go to page 51
  • Go to page 52
  • Go to page 53
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 93
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Welcome to Makeup and Beauty Blog

Welcome to Makeup and Beauty Blog! My name is Karen, and I’m a freelance writer obsessed with makeup.

Makeup and Beauty Blog features daily product reviews, makeup tips and beauty news — like an interactive version of a monthly print magazine, except with occasional pictures of my cat.

Recent Posts

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 878

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 894

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 893

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 892

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 891

/* real people should not fill this in and expect good things – do not remove this or risk form bot signups */

Social

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Featured Posts

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 771

Lady Unicorn

Weird Things I Like to Do

brows fill out beforehand

Before You Pluck or Wax Your Brows, You Must Do This

current bare skin status

What’s One Thing That Drastically Changed Your Skin for the Better?

Copyright © 2025 Makeup and Beauty Blog. Get in touch.