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5 Fantastic Concealers for Dark Circles

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5 Fantastic Concealers for Dark Circles

Oh, the scourge of dark circles… They plague me! No matter how much sleep I get, I just can’t seem to get rid of ’em.

And it turns out I’m not the only one (who knew?). Last week I put out a call for your favorite concealers to hide dark circles, and almost a hundred of you answered! Tabs tallied the votes, and here are the top five.

1. The Balm Time Balm

This creamy concealer has been my absolute personal favorite for a while, and the votes showed it’s one of your favorites, too. Able to (almost) completely cover my dark circles, it’s also able to work that magic without looking heavy or obvious, and it lasts throughout the day with nary a crease. $18, available in six shades. [Grab it…]

2. Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat

A friend of mine over at YSL once told me they sell a tube of this cult classic highlighter every six seconds. SIX SECONDS! That’s 14,400 per day… Not surprisingly, the product’s earned beauty awards up the wazoo. $40, available in four shades. [Grab it…]

3. Bobbi Brown Corrector

Bobbi Brown Corrector is actually supposed to be layered beneath other concealers for a little extra oomph. It’s a helper product designed to treat uber-dark circles by adding extra coverage. $22, available in 12 colors. [Grab it…]

4. Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage

This concealer duo comes with two shades you can custom blend for best results. Fans love how well it blends, how smooth it feels and that it doesn’t settle into fine lines. $28, available in five shades. [Grab it…]

5. Benefit Erase Paste

A creamy, all-in-one concealer AND brightener, Benefit Erase Paste is a peachy pink-toned concealer with a touch of shimmer. I’ve tried it before and didn’t feel like it had enough coverage for me, but die-hards absolutely swear by it. $26, available in three shades. [Grab it…]

Have you tried any or many of these top five? If you have a favorite that didn’t make the list, let me know in the comments.

Now it’s time to cast a vote for the best of the best. Which will take the dark circle-eliminating crown?

What's the best concealer for dark circles?

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

10 Wedding Makeup Tips from a Wedding Makeup Artist

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makeup artist allison barbera

Written by Allison Barbera

Today New England-based wedding makeup artist Allison of Allison Barbera Makeup Artistry reveals 10 things brides can do to smokin’ hot on their wedding day.

Wedding season is here! Every bride wants to look her best on her wedding day, so here are some tips to help get that glowing bride look.

1. Avoid using products that contain SPF

I wouldn’t normally advocate this, but products that contain SPF can photograph weird because of the zinc oxide found in many moisturizers and foundations. It causes that paled out face look that shows up in photographs, but not in person. So your best bet is to avoid products with SPF on your wedding day (but don’t forget to wear SPF on your honeymoon!). I like using MAC Face And Body Foundations ($32).

2. Go light on the shimmer

A highlight on cheekbones or browbones is flattering, but too much shimmer doesn’t photograph well. Shimmer has light reflecting particles that the camera picks up as white streaks or shine. Try doing a complete run-through of your makeup before the wedding, and take pictures. If you see shiny or white streaks where you’ve applied a shimmer product, you know where to tone down.

3. Wax three days before the wedding

Redness can be tough to cover, and some people stay slightly swollen for a couple days post-wax.

4. Skip lip gloss if you’re wearing a veil that comes down over your face

It’s a magnet for the fabric and will make the veil stick to your lips the second you put it on. The gloss and any lipstick you’re wearing will transfer to the veil, making for a messy situation.

5. Don’t stray too far from your usual look

I’ve had minimalist makeup girls request a red lip vintage look for their trials and had brides who normally wore a lot of eyeliner ask for a natural look, but they usually don’t feel right when it’s done. I’m all for playing around with makeup, but this isn’t the day to do it. If you want to try a smokey eye for the first time, save it for your bachelorette party!

6. Bring oil blotting sheets with you

I always include these in my bridal touchup kits. It’s a long day and most people get a little shine, but these papers keep it at bay. I prefer them to powder because powder tends to cake up after multiple applications. I use CVS Oil Absorbing Sheets (about $5). They’re cheap, and they work great!

7. Use a foundation and eye primer

The number one question brides ask me is “Will my makeup stay on all day?” With good primers, it will! I prefer Smashbox Photofinish Primer ($36) for skin and Too Faced Shadow Insurance ($17) or MAC Paint Pots ($16.50) for eyes.

8. Consider using false lashes

For weddings, I prefer flares (individual bunches of 6-8 lashes) to full strip lashes. Because you can put on as few or as many as you want, you’re able to control how natural or dramatic your look is. I use the Ardell flare lashes (about $4).

9. Use waterproof mascara

This may seem like a no-brainer, but brides have a million and one details to worry about, so this can get overlooked. It’s a big day, and if you get emotional, you want to make sure your mascara doesn’t show it. My favorite is Dior Diorshow Waterproof Mascara ($24).

10. Set your foundation with loose powder

Not only does the powder give the foundation a soft finish, but it takes shine out of the skin. Cameras pick up shine, but starting with powder and touching up with oil blotting sheets will keep you shine-free. Makeup Forever HD Powder ($30) is my number one pick.

makeup artist allison barbera

Written by Allison Barbera

This post was written by Allison of Allison Barbera Makeup Artistry, a freelance makeup artist and licensed esthetician. Allison’s loved makeup as long as she can remember. In elementary school, she got in trouble for doing all of her friends’ makeup. A fan of NARS, MAC and Make Up For Ever, Allison also loves soft serve ice cream and Notorious B.I.G. 🙂

5 Hot Tips for Bright, Glossy Lips

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I swear there’s a magic dial behind makeup counters that associates can use to crank up the brightness of their lipglosses because shiny shades of red, coral, fuchsia, neon orange and hot pink are blossoming right before my eyes!

Bright, glossy lips are among my favorite things about summer. Here are five hot tips to get your pretty kisser primed and ready to glow!

1. Prevent pigmented glosses from drifting past your natural lip line

Once I spent an entire day sightseeing in San Francisco without realizing I had bright red lipgloss smeared all over my chin… I’d assumed folks were staring because they wanted to be friends, but when a highly pigmented gloss creeps past your natural lip line, it’s like wearing a big sign on your forehead that reads, “WHEE! LOOK AT ME! I LOOK LIKE A CRAZY!” 🙂

To halt the migration, start by lining the outer edges of your lips with a clear lip liner like Benefit D’finer D’liner ($20). Because it’s clear, it won’t alter the shade of the gloss you’re wearing and won’t lead you down the path to pigment overkill.

2. Exfoliate for an even, smooth surface and maximum shine

Smooth lips love gloss and look downright dazzling in bright sunlight. Pump up the volume of your favorite glosses with some gentle exfoliation.

I like to mix MAC Naked Honey Salve (Rosebud Salve works well, too) with a pinch of granulated sugar and rub the concoction against my lips with a finger for a minute or two. Presto! — a soft and smooth pucker, no flakes included.
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Makeup Organization Ideas: MAC Paint Pots, Pigments or Fluidlines

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Another makeup organizational treasure from the craft store, babes!

I found this clear ArtBin box with 18 compartments at Joanne for about $7. Each cubby is big enough to fit a MAC Paint Pot, Pigment or Fluidline (Benefit Creaseless Creams and Make Up For Ever Aqua Creams also fit nicely, too).

I used to keep ’em jumbled up in a single drawer, but it took forever to find the color I wanted, and whenever I’d move one pot, all the others would move too. With the pots separated like this, I can always find exactly what I need quickly.

Added bonus: the containers are see-through, stackable and portable, too.

I know there’s a lot of cream shadows in one space in these pics, and most women probably don’t hoard as much as I do, LOL! Things just start to add up after one avidly collects for a few years…

MBBTV #13: Key Brushes for Your Makeup Arsenal and What They Can Do for You

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Ever had a brush with makeup brush confusion? If you’re not sure which brushes to begin your collection with or want to pare down your current makeup brush stash into a subset of useful essentials, here’s a video that might help. 🙂

Products mentioned in the video…

Enjoy the rest of your night. I’m just about about ready to hop into bed, where I plan to read the June issue of Real Simple, ahh…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. If you’re looking for more makeup and beauty to watch, please visit my channels on Vimeo and YouTube.

A Pale Girl’s Guide to Getting Bronzed

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Written by Christy Gaeta

Today Christy of XT blog shares some of the benefits of bronzers for pale beauties.

It’s May, and the sun is coming out of hiding. Many of our friends are getting a nice bronzed glow naturally from the sun. But, if you’re fair like me, your skin stays white — that is, if it’s not turning red and itchy. How do we avoid this faux-pas? We could visit a tanning salon and face premature wrinkles and an increased risk of developing skin cancer (no look is worth that!), but I personally prefer to reach into my makeup stash of bronzing products for help.

What are some of the benefits of bronzers?

Versus tanning, it’s easier to control how much bronzing product you apply. You can use a little or a lot, however much it takes to reach a look you like. Once applied, bronzers makes your skin look healthier, and many powder varieties also double as a blush.

I think bronzers makes warmer colors look better on lighter skin tones, and you get all of these benefits without the risks of fake and bake!

Finding a good bronzing product

Many bronzers have warm/orange tones that just don’t work on fair skin. Look for bronzers with grey/cool tones, which should look more natural. When purchasing a bronzer, don’t focus on how pretty the color is in the package, but think about how it will look on you.

Here are a few of my pale girl favorites!

1. Benefit Hoola

benefit-hoola-bronzing-powder

Benefit Hoola is a great bronzer that works well on many skin tones. It’s a great place to start if you’re not sure what you’re doing. You can apply with a very light hand and build up the color as needed.

2. Giorgio Armani Sheer Bronzer #1

Giorgio Armani Sheer Bronzer #1 works particularly well on very light skin tones. The product looks almost entirely gray in the pan, but it provides a nice touch of bronze to very light skin.

3. Cargo Matte Bronzer in Medium

Cargo Matte Bronzer in Medium is another great bronzer for light skin tones and looks quite natural as well.

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What’s the Best Office Makeup for Brown Girls?

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Earlier this week MBB reader Jessimae asked what I thought was a great question in the comments on Fiona’s guest post titled Office Makeup: How to Look Polished and Professional at Work.

“Hey Karen,

Could you do one of these for browner girls? Many of the shades… would contrast with my skin tone.”

Hi, Jessimae. Let’s see… Ultimately, it depends on what’s considered appropriate for your workplace and what you feel comfortable wearing, but here’s an idea for a conservative look based on neutral colors I’ll sometimes wear (for reference, I’m an NC35).

A neutral look

For the eyes, I might combine two or three neutral MAC eyeshadows like Arena, Shroom, Soft Brown, Woodwinked, Saddle, Sable, Cork, Brown Script or Soba. I think all of them look fab on darker skin and work well together, which means not having to think too hard or work too fast in the morning.

Then, I’d line the eyes with either a brown or black liner (I’m a fan of the MAC Technakohls in Graphblack and Brownborder) followed by two coats of mascara.

For the lips and cheeks, I see NARS Highlighting/Bronzing Blush Duo in Orgasm/Laguna working well. I’d sweep Orgasm Blush on the cheeks and then contour with Laguna Bronzer.

To complete the look, I’d go with NARS Dolce Vita Lipstick, a sheer dusty rose.

Do you have any ideas for Jessimae? I bet you do. 🙂 To share, just copy the following list, and paste it with your ideas in the comments.

What’s a good office makeup look for brown girls?

Your skin color:
Skin type:
Hair color:
Eye color:
Age (optional):
Recommended eye color(s) and why:
Recommended cheek color(s) and why:
Recommended lip color(s):

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Office Makeup: How to Look Polished and Professional at Work

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Written by Fiona

Today Fiona of Jolie Laide Girl shares a few tips to look made up and marvelous at the office.

One challenge many young women face is choosing the right makeup for a corporate environment. Looking competent and professional is incredibly important. Although that might mean putting down the glittery eyeliner, it doesn’t have to mean bare-faced beauty. Studies have shown that women who wear make-up to work are more likely to get promoted. The trick is finding a look that enhances your natural beauty.

For most people, a striking look isn’t usually the way to go, but please don’t take that to mean that standing out in the workplace is always a bad strategy. Some of the most succesful women I know made an effort to stand out with their appearance, whether that be with bright lips or their choice of dress. However, smoky eyes in the workplace are generally considered a no-no. They either look too sultry or like you didn’t remove last night’s make-up. Either way, it doesn’t spell promote me!

Here are a couple of ground rules for a workplace safe look:

  1. It has to stand the test of time; you don’t want to have to keep retouching your look when you have to dash from meeting to meeting.
  2. It has to be low-maintenance and easy enough for you to be able to complete in a rush. Some people might be prepared to spend 30 minutes doing their face in the mornings, but I’d rather spend an extra 20 minutes in bed and 10 minutes doing my face.
  3. It should enhance, and not hide who you are.
  4. It shouldn’t be distracting; remember, you want people to be listening to what you’re saying without being mesmerized by your hot pink lipgloss.
  5. It should make you feel both comfortable and amazing. If you’re busy stressing about your eyeliner, how can you hope to concentrate on that spreadsheet?!

So, what are some products you can use to look gorgeous at the office?
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