Makeup Tips/How To

Written by Sam

Beauty can be as brutal as the holidays are hectic. Freelance makeup artist and blogger Sam wants you to be ready for anything in today’s guest post.

So you’ve planted the documents in the dictator’s secretary’s desk, throwing suspicion off your rebel group. Now, onto phase two of the revolution. Take these tips to help arm yourself for the coming coup!

1. To achieve the perfect cat-eye: take a note card, and use it to form a line from the outside of the nostril straight through the outer corner of the eye on the same side. Wing your eyeliner out along this line; the note card will “catch” any extraneous liner, and the line it creates will give you the most flattering angle for your face.
2. Don’t like runny and goopy glosses? Grab a shimmery eyeshadow instead (gold, silver, and champagne are relatively safe choices). Apply your lipstick as normal, blot, then tap some of the eyeshadow onto the center of your bottom lip. Reapply another thin layer of lipstick, and blot again. You can continue this pattern as many times as you wish to achieve the desired effect. This method gives your lips a multidimensionality and shimmer without the runny mess that many glosses can produce, and will last all day without reapplication. Try using different shades of eyeshadow in combination with different shades of lipstick for fun effects.
3. Common acne myths: Toothpaste or excessive tanning will dry up pimples. The truth: Although both will initially make acne disappear, fluoride and UV rays actually encourage the growth of P. acnes (the bacteria that causes many forms of acne) and will only lead to larger breakouts later. Non-prescription remedies that do work: Pepto-Bismol, a paste made of crushed uncoated aspirin and water, or Hydrocortisone (only use in a pinch; as a steroid, this can cause thinning of the skin if used too often) applied to acne will dry them up, but not treat the cause permanently.
4. Want to give your hair incredible shine, remove product build up, and protect your color all at once? Look no further than your pantry. If you can stand the smell (it’s an acquired taste…), dilute pure Apple Cider Vinegar with water, 3:1. After using shampoo and rinsing, pour the mixture over your hair, and massage it in. Let it sit for two minutes, and rinse out with cold water. Use about half as much conditioner as you normally would after this. Blot dry with a towel, and let air dry the rest of the way.
   

   There’s a lot more where this came from. See how the beauty revolution began in Viva la Revolución! 20 Makeup and Beauty Tips to Revolutionize Your Routine.

5. Tired of that bright red pimple screaming “look at me!” from the middle of your face? Douse one end of a Q-tip with redness reducing eyedrop solution (make sure it’s not the stuff that’s tinted blue; hello, Smurf-zit!), and hold it firmly against the blemish for thirty seconds to a minute.
6. To get a perfectly straight and even line across your lids, first draw eight or so dots, relatively evenly spaced, across your lashline, as close into the roots of the lashes as possible. Now, just connect each dot, rather than trying to draw a single line across the entire thing. This way, you can also control the thickness as you go along!
7. Stubborn liquid or cream products sticking in your brushes? Fill a small Ziploc bag with corn starch and toss in your brush. Seal the bag, and shake vigorously for 30 seconds or so. Remove the brush, dust off the starch, and run your fingers through the bristles a few times to remove the remainder of the powder, and the product build-up along with it.
8. To prevent your powder from caking, blot over your foundation with a tissue before putting that puff on your skin. This removes excess moisture and product, and allows your powder to cling firmly and evenly.
9. Ditch that expensive eye cream and grab your tub of Vaseline. Apply a thin layer of this under your eyes before going to bed, avoiding other parts of your face, and wake up with plump, hydrated peepers.
10. Really want your lipstick to be bold, graphic, and true to the tube color? Dab a thin layer of concealer over your lips before application.
11. Need some pumped-up moisture for a dry head of hair? Apply a deep conditioning masque as usual, then get out of the shower (I know, I hate this feeling too) without rinsing. Hit you hair with a blowdryer on high for a minute or two, and wrap it up in a warm towel or some plastic wrap, and aim the heat at it again. Let the masque sit in your hair for 15-20 minutes (great time to get some work done! Aren’t you the little multitasker…), and rinse out with cold water. The heat allows the masque to more easily permeate the hair strands, while the cold water shocks the cuticle, forcing it to close, and trapping all of that lovely moisture inside.

This battle is going to be won with maquillage, not subterfuge, so prepare yourself.

Happy holidays!

Written by Sam

Sam is a 17-year-old, oddly tall guy whose love of all things skincare, makeup, and fashion started when he entered the modeling world at 14. Since then, he’s established himself as a freelance makeup artist in the theatre and fashion worlds, and started his own blog to preach the wonders of orange eyeshadow, Asian skincare, and designer fragrances to the masses.

Written by Sam

Freelance makeup artist and blogger Sam wants to arm YOU for beauty battle (A-TEN-HUT!!) in today’s guest post.

Viva la Revolución!

Plug in your curling irons and grab your spoolies; the revolution has begun! Check out this bevy of quick, simple tips and tricks to revolutionize your beauty routine.

1. Line your waterline with a white or fleshtone (for a more natural effect) shade to make your eyes look BIGGER.
2. Use a shadow with blue undertones, or any shade of blue (from navy to electric) liner, to brighten the whites of your eyes.
3. Perk up tired eyes by placing a shimmery gold or champagne shadow near your tear duct with a pencil brush (it’s like a shot of adrenaline for your peepers!).
4. No time to redo your makeup after work before you go out dancing? No problem. Just dab a tiny bit of Vaseline over your lids instead. (BONUS: If you happen to be going to a club with blacklights, the Vaseline will glow neon-blue!) Tap a bit of glitter (cosmetic grade, of course, you silly) over the Vaseline to enhance the effect.
5. Use Chapstick (or lip balms containing alcohol or camphor) no more than twice a day. Contrary to popular belief, the more often you use lip balm, the more chapped your lips can become. After a point, they can actually start to draw the moisture from your lips. To be safe, apply no more than once in the morning, and once before bed. If you’re already hooked on balm, wean yourself off of it slowly.
6. Replace your store-bought exfoliator with DIY microdermabrasion. Take some plain ol’ baking soda (about a dime-size amount), and mix it with enough of your regular facial wash to create a thin paste. Massage the mixture all over your face using small circular motions, avoiding the eye area and paying special attention to the creases around your nose and the edges of your lips. It should sting oh so slightly. Rinse after about a minute. Reduce the amount of baking soda you use, and be more gentle when you apply the mixture, if it stings a little too much.
   

   Never use this method more than once or twice a week, and if you’re on any acne medication that chemically exfoliates your skin (like Retin-A, Duac, Epiduo, or Accutane), don’t use this method at all. You could severely damage your skin, making it red, raw, and sensitive for days (trust me on this…)

7. Do your eyeshadow before your foundation. This way, if you experience any fallout, you won’t have to worry about covering it up or having it wreck the rest of your meticulously applied makeup.
8. Speaking of fallout, the best way to prevent it from smudging on your skin is to keep it from touching it in the first place. Grab any cheap loose powder, and apply liberally under your eyes and onto your cheekbones. Then, after you’ve finished doing your eyes, simply sweep it off (and any fallout along with it)!
9. Eyeshadows just not giving you enough payout? Get a concentrated application of color by patting, instead of sweeping, the color on your lid.
10. Remember, the first place your loaded brush touches is where the most pigment is gonna land, and that’s especially important when contouring and often when applying eyeshadow.
11. Don’t forget the Laws of Layering. For the face: serum, lotion, sunscreen, primer, liquid products, cream products, and powder products. For hair: sprays (except hairspray), lotions, styling products, serums/shine products, and hairspray.
12. For body exfoliation, try taking a cheap, abrasive body brush and scrubbing yourself down before you hop in the shower. WARNING: if it hurts your skin like a keratin treatment hurts your wallet (or your stylish money clip), you may have scrubbed too hard, but the payout will be a smooth, sexy, glowing bod. If you’re up to it, really detox that skin by exchanging the brush for fine sea or Kosher salt.
13. If you color your hair, use a sulphate-free shampoo. Sulfates can really strip dye straight from your cuticle, leading to lackluster locks and overall dullness. Most hair products will blatantly advertise that they do not contain sulphates for this reason. Your stylist may miss seeing you as often for color touch-ups, but your bank account will thank you.
14. However, you can’t necessarily trust a hair product to be color-safe even if it doesn’t contain sulfates. Many volumizing products (mostly mousses) work by actually opening up the cuticle, making it porous and allowing color to easily escape, especially during application of heat. Be wary of this.
15. Whether your hair is color treated or not, always rinse it in the coldest water you can. Heat opens the cuticles, making your hair frizz, look dull, and tangle. By never letting hot water touch your precious locks and turning momentarily to cold, you can seal the cuticles, lock in your color, amp up the shine, and smooth your hair overall to reduce flyaways and frizzies.
16. After styling your hair, are there still some random flyaways bringing down your bombshell look? Take a simple toothbrush and spray some hairspray onto the bristles. Then, use it to sweep those escaped strands into their proper place.
17. When applying nail polish, leave a 2 millimeter gap on either side. This gives a sharper, cleaner look and protects your cuticles, all in one! Now that’s multitasking for ya…
18. Foundation making your red skin look ruddy? You might be using one with pink undertones. My belief is that everyone can use some yellow. Some people believe that pink will liven up their skin and make it look rosy, but I believe pink can be aging and actually make you look dull and pallid. The only time I ever use pink-based foundation is on select people with very fair skin. A bit of yellow livens up the skin and gives it dimension, while still counteracting some of the redness that can naturally appear. And if you still think you need pink, try beige or neutral undertones instead. They should still be able to balance out the multitude of shades in your skin.
19. The purpose of foundation is not to match the skintone of your face; otherwise, what would be the point (you could just use concealer to hit problem areas in this case)? Instead, it’s meant to make your face look in tone with the rest of your exposed skin (for women, often the chest and arms; for men, often just the arms).
20. Want your lips to be voluptuous and kissable? Easy! Before bed, apply some lip balm or a thin layer of Vaseline. Let it sit for about five minutes, and then blot most of it off. Next, take a basic toothbrush, and scrub at your lips in small, circular motions (this will sting). It removes much of the built-up dead skin and rough spots while smoothing out lines and creases. Immediately afterward, wipe away the rest of the balm and reapply. Do this twice a week, and before long your lipstick will apply smoother, and kissing will be much more fun.

Take these 20 tips as you will, and stay tuned for Viva la (Beauty) Revolución: Part 2!

Written by Sam

Sam is a 17-year-old, oddly tall guy whose love of all things skincare, makeup, and fashion started when he entered the modeling world at 14. Since then, he’s established himself as a freelance makeup artist in the theatre and fashion worlds, and started his own blog to preach the wonders of orange eyeshadow, Asian skincare, and designer fragrances to the masses.