Makeup Tips/How To

Makeup Brushes, Brushes Everywhere!

May 4th, 2008 by Karen 56 Comments

Makeup brushes are like the various stray animals that show up at my door. They arrive looking for shelter, and I can’t resist giving them a new home. 🙂 Above are a few recently adopted brushes from Target’s Sonia Kashuk line, brushes known for delivering a lot of bang for your buck.

From top to bottom:

Brushes are like potato chips; I can never have just one. Today I “researched” (i.e. surfed the internet) highly rated brushes and ended up at Makeup Alley. Here are some of the highest rated brushes I found:

MAC

187 Skunk brush, $42 – For applying foundation, powders or pigments
266 Small angle brush, $19 – For applying eyeshadow or brow powder
217 Blending brush, $22.50 – For blending and application of both cream and powder eye products

Side note: I love MAC brushes!

Bare Escentuals

Maximum Coverage Concealer Brush, $20 – For full coverage application of concealer on detailed areas of face (undereye circles, blemishes)
Heavenly Face Brush, $30 – For light application of face powders

Sonia Kashuk

Blusher Brush, $17.99 – For a contouring and application of blushes and bronzers
Foundation Brush, $14.99 – For a foundation application

Prescriptives

Foundation Brush, $30 – For application and blending of liquid foundation
Face Brush, $28 – For application of powder to face

Bobbi Brown

Ultra Fine Eye Liner Brush, $22 – For use with gel eyeliner to create precise eyeliner lines

The Body Shop

Face/Body Brush, $25 – For application of powders, bronzers and blushes

Stila

#5 Eyeshadow Brush, $22 – For eyeshadow application over the entire lid

Sephora

Bronzer Brush, $25 – For application and blending of bronzer to cheeks

Nars

Bronzer Brush, $50 – For application of bronzing powder
Smudge Brush, $24 – To apply eyeshadow to lash line

Even though my brush stash has grown a little out of control, I never regret adding new brushes to it because of how often I use them.

I can’t believe it’s already Sunday night, ya’ll. Drat! It’s back to work for me tomorrow.

This morning I woke up, watched a few episodes of Samatha Brown’s Passport to Europe on the Travel Channel (let’s go to Monaco!), and then went for a run around the neighborhood. I’ve sort of skipped out on my chores today (boo to me, I know), but I needed to just chill out for a spell. Now I may watch a movie on TV.

How was your weekend? What was the most surprising thing that happened to you?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Girlfriend, you know your weekend isn’t over ’til you catch up on your reading! Get ready for the best posts from the ladies of the Beauty Blog Network and Splendicity![Continue reading…]

A Kryolan Makeover, aka Adventures in Theater Makeup

May 3rd, 2008 by Karen 125 Comments

Every girl deserves a makeover from time to time. My last one was ages ago. I’d been itching to try a new look, so yesterday I made the short trip into San Francisco hoping to find inspiration.

I hit my usual haunts — MAC, Dior and Chanel — but I was in the mood for something, well, kinda different, so I kept looking.

I was almost ready to throw in the towel when a sign on a building caught my eye: Kryolan Professional Makeup. Curious as ever and not wanting to head home defeated, I decided to check it out.

Jake, the Kryolan showroom manager, gave me a tour of the place and described their products and services.

The company offers a full line of professional and consumer beauty products but specializes in theater makeup and makeup education. I was immediately drawn to their Aquacolor wet cake makeup — pans of highly pigmented, glycerin-based face and body makeup available in 250 different shades ($6 each).

Once I spotted their beautiful brushes (high quality, and generally more affordable than department store lines), body paints and, um, fake blood, I knew I was in for a different kind of makeover. Sign my booty up!

Dominic, Kryolan’s director of education, got me ready for my makeover, sitting me down beside a counter covered in Aquacolor pans. I told him to go nuts! I didn’t know what to expect, but I got a little suspicious when he glued a prosthetic cat nose to my face.

That’s when it dawned on me: homie was probably not going to do a simple smokey eye.

After all, Kryolan is known for extreme movie and theater makeup. You’ve probably seen their makeup at work in Hollywood films, and their credits include the makeup for The Chronicles of Narnia, Collateral and Pirates of the Caribbean.

With my new prosthetic cat nose in place, Dominic started layering different colors to develop the look. “The painting process is fun,” he said. “This is the most time consuming part of the whole process.”

The entire Karen-into-cat transformation took about 45 minutes, but here’s the condensed version…

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Get Mariah Carey’s Look with MAC Heatherette Beauty Powder

March 26th, 2008 by Karen 48 Comments

Mariah Carey’s makeup always looks fierce, especially when she wears a bronzed cheek like she did in her live Monday night performance on MTV’s The Hills.

Mariah totally works her wardrobes (no matter how questionable her taste in clothing) and flat-out owns that killer five octave voice. She mixes just enough ‘tude with a dash of crazy diva to always stand out in a crowd (and to really stand out in a crowd, try this other MAC look on for size).

Re-create Mimi’s signature look with two products: 1) MAC Heatherette’s Smooth Harmony Beauty Powder ($22) , and 2) your favorite cheek brush!

Shimerless Smooth Harmony, part of the Heatherette collection, is a medium-golden bronze compact powder. If you’d like to draw more attention to your cheeks but don’t want to wear pink, coral or plum blush, give Smooth Harmony a try. I think it would look hot with smokey eyes or paired with neutral shades [Continue reading…]

Accessible Luxury: Shu Uemura Knows Lashes Inside and Out

March 6th, 2008 by Karen 92 Comments

Genetics bestowed upon me wimpy, ho-hum lashes… and then made me so clumsy that I couldn’t apply false ones to save my life. Oh, the sweet eyelash irony!

Enter the Shu Uemura lash bar, aka false eyelash nirvana, where the lashes are affordable and the appointment booking process couldn’t be easier.

Whether you’re looking for a little lash extension, or you’re aching for crazy, over-the-top-lashes to overcompensate for many years of eyelash inadequacy (*ahem*), Shu’s got you covered.

Case in point:

Notice how fabulously non-wimpy these are. I done died and went to eyelash heaven, ladies!

Would you believe a trip to eyelash heaven is actually pretty darn affordable? From a Shu lash bar, all you do is purchase any pair of their false lashes, which run from $16 to about $50 a pair, and a Shu makeup artist will apply your new lashes (and answer any questions you might have about them) for free!

Gratis rules, but I know you work hard for your money, so to stretch those dolla-dolla-bills a wee bit further, here’s a great money saving tip I got from Jeccica, a Shu Uemura makeup artist and manager (and all around rad girl) at the San Francisco Fillmore store: buy a pair like False Eyelashes Luxe ($20) and ask the makeup artist to cut one of the lashes in half.

Ask the artist to apply each of the cut halves to your outer lashes only. It’s a simple way to get a sexy, yet natural-looking eyelash boost. Save that uncut lash for future use. Cut that bad boy in half and you’re good to go with a new pair. It’s like getting two sets of lashes for the price of one, yah?

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Makeup Inspiration: MAC Fafi Fun ‘n’ Sexy Lipstick, Pink Lilies

February 21st, 2008 by Karen 50 Comments

What kinds of things inspire your makeup looks? I get a lot of my ideas for looks from magazines, other beauty blogs and books, but some of my favorite looks are based upon things in nature, especially flowers. I’m a sucker for flowers.

Can you spot the mini calla lilies in my wedding bouquet?

Pretty, yah? I love all flowers, but lilies are my favorite, so whenever El Hub gets me flowers, he always throws in a lily or two for good measure. Last week’s Valentine’s bouquet contained a handful of pink stargazer lilies.

I still have the bouquet in my bedroom. When I awoke and saw them this morning, I decided I wanted to wear a lip color today that reminded me of pink lilies! I grabbed two hot pink cuties from the MAC Fafi collection — Fun ‘n’ Sexy lipstick ($14) and Cult Fave lipgloss ($14) — and went to work building my look for today.

Fun ‘n’ Sexy lipstick reminds me of the bright pink Wet n’ Wild lipsticks I wore as a teenager, ha!

Here’s the pink stargazer inspired result…

To get this look, I first lined my lips with MAC’s Pink Treat Cremestick Liner and then applied two coats of Fun ‘n’ Sexy with a MAC 316 lip brush. I topped it off with a layer of Cult Fave applied directly from the lip gloss applicator.

It’s raining here in San Francisco today, but this pink lip combo puts a little springtime pep in my step. A girl can never have enough pink lip combos, right? What’s your favorite?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

MAC Makeup Fafi Tutorial: A Black and Gold Smokey Eye

February 19th, 2008 by Karen 75 Comments

MAC Makeup Fafi Tutorial: A Black and Gold Smokey Eye

I finally got my paws on MAC Fafi yesterday, and all I have to say is MEOW! Love it. This morning I busted out a few things from the collection — Fafi Eyes 1 Quad, Nice Vice Paint Pot and the Not So Innocent Lipstick — and created this subtle gold and black smokey eye for work.

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A few days ago, after the super-spy MAC Fafi swatch mission, I fell in love with Fafi’s Paint Pots (love Nice Vice!) and lipsticks but wasn’t floored by the eyeshadow quads. I changed my tune after playing with the Fafi Eyes 1 Quad ($36) this mornin’. The colors work with my skin tone (so far the shades “Hey” and “Vanilla” are my faves), and the textures apply like butter. If you love neutral eyeshadows, I think you’ll dig this quad.

Now, on to the look! New to semi-complicated makeup? Don’t despair. If you’ve ever worn at least two eyeshadow colors at a time, then you can certainly handle this. Yes! You! Can!

Products I used to create the look…

Dior Long-Wearing Moisturizing Concealer in shade 430
MAC Fafi Eyes 1 Quad – Vanilla eyeshadow
MAC Paint Pot – Nice Vice
MAC Fafi Eyes 1 Quad – Howzat eyeshadow
MAC Fafi Eyes 1 Quad – Hey
MAC Fluidline Eyeliner – Blacktrack
MAC Eyeshadow – Concrete
MAC Zoom Lash mascara – Zoomblack
MAC Barbie Beauty Powder – Pearl Blossom
MAC Cremestick Lip Liner – Sublime Culture
MAC Glaze Lipstick – Not So Innocent
MAC Lipglass – Clear

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Paint it Pink, Paint it Black: Lancome Stylish Neutrals Eyeshadow Palette

February 13th, 2008 by Karen 31 Comments

No matter how hard I try, I am physically unable to pack light for trips. My main weakness: makeup. I always bring way more than I should.

If I were forced to pick just one eyeshadow palette to bring with me on, say, a three-day trip to Las Vegas, that palette would have to be the new Lancome Stylish Neutrals Color Design Artist Palette.

This Friday morning El Hub and I catch a flight to Las Vegas (4:00 a.m., OUCH!) to hang out with my in laws, who are flying over from where they live in Hawaii to meet us there. We haven’t seen them in a while. It’s just a short three-day trip, so I don’t want to bring my entire makeup collection (actually, I do). Lancome’s Stylish Neutrals Palette has everything I should need.

It would be an understatement to say I’m a lil’ obsessed with this palette. I’ve been rocking the colors for a week. Here’s a super easy tutorial of a pink and light purple eye using four of the shadows.

This map shows where the shadow placement should go:

First, prep your eyelids. Apply a few dots of your favorite concealer and blend it thoroughly with a concealer brush. I used Dior Long-Wearing Moisturizing Concealer and Billy B’s Paintbrush #5.

Next, apply MAC Shadestick in Pink Couture to your lids and barely into your crease.

Use warm fingers to gently smooth out the edges.

Now, grab a fluffy rounded edge brush, like the MAC 252 or Sephora Shader brush, and apply Lancome’s Optic eyeshadow (#1), a cool grey shimmer, to the brow bone.

With the same brush, apply Off the Rack eyeshadow (#2), a metallic light pink, to your lids on top of the MAC Pink Couture Shadestick. Concentrating most of the color on your lid, bring the eyeshadow color up into the crease, fading it as you move upward.

Next, still with the same brush, apply a shimmery mauve like Exhibition eyeshadow (#3) into the outer V. It’s a light but highly pigmented color. Go easy on it if you plan to wear the look to work. Be sure to dilute it first by tapping the brush against the side of the sink, or swipe the brush head against a piece of tissue or the back of your hand. Apply the color slowly, one layer at time. It’s always easier to add color than to take it away.

Now, using a stiff angled brush like the MAC 266 (yay!), apply Backstage Pass eyeshadow (#4), a dark matte burgundy, beneath the lash line. I prefer soft lines, so I applied the shadow dry. If you prefer more intense color and defined lines, wet your brush before using it.

Next, grab a small fluff brush like the MAC 228, and blend a little more Optic eyeshadow (#1) just beneath the line you created with Backstage Pass (#4).

To finish the look, fill in your brows, curl your lashes and add two coats of mascara.

For my brows I used a MAC 266 brush with Concrete Eyeshadow, and on the lashes I used the Shu Uemura curler and Shu’s Precise Volume Waterproof Mascara.

Don’t forget your blush and your gloss! Here, on my cheeks I went with MAC Mocha blush, and on the lips that’s MAC Spice lipliner and Chanel Pink Crystal Glossimer lipgloss.

I like this look’s lil’ color punch. It’s not over-the-top and takes my laziness to new and glorious heights. All six shadows and the Shadestick work so well together and in so many different combinations that I can create any of several different eye looks in 10 minutes from start to finish.

I hope you had a mellow Wednesday. Keep on truckin’, girlfriend!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Shu Uemura Makeup Tutorial: Go Pastel for a Fresh Spring Eye

February 4th, 2008 by Karen 65 Comments

Last week I posted swatches of the eyeshadows from Shu Uemura’s new Spring Rebirth collection. There were five Easter egg-esque pastel colors in the group, each with an oh-so-purty white floral pattern, that promptly disappeared after I swatched ’em!

Pristine Green – light green (iridescent)
Sun Stream – light pastel orange (iridescent)
Earth Brown – warm brown (iridescent)
Spring Breeze – light pastel purple (pearl)
Yellow Elation – light yellow (pearl)

I’m not normally terribly attracted to pastel shades, but these colors are fun, easy to use, and have great color payoff. I combined them with Shu’s Tri-Color Eye Pencils (also from the Rebirth collection) and got in touch with my blossoming inner color diva.

The limited edition Tri-Color pencils, creme shadow pencils that can be used both as liner and eyeshadow base, come in two versions — cool-toned Aqua Flow and warm-toned Energy Flow ($25 each). Each “Flow” has three different colored pencil tips.

I really like these as a shadow base because they glide so easily onto lids and give the accompanying shadows a nice punch of color. The texture is thick without feeling heavy, and, remarkably, the formula lasts all day on my semi-oily eyelids. If you’ve got super oily lids, though, these might crease on ya after a few hours, so you might want to use a neutral colored lid primer beforehand! Utlimately, if you’re a fan of MAC Shadesticks, then you’ll dig these, fo’ sho.

To be honest, I rarely wear pastel colors on my eyes and didn’t really know what the heck to do with these colors! To get inspired I studied the Rebirth beauty shot…

rebirthmain_new_447Ã—452.jpg

And here’s what I came up with!
shu-uemura-cosmetics-rebirth-collection-fotd-0

This was so much easier than I thought it would be!

First, grab the Energy Flow Tri-Color pencil and apply the yellow color directly beneath your brow bone, about 2/3 in from your outer brow. To the remaining 1/3, apply the orange color.

shu-uemura-cosmetics-rebirth-collection-fotd-1

Now, smooth out any edges with a firm, flat brush like the MAC 239.

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Next, apply the green shade from the Aqua Tri-Color pencil into your crease, going barely into the lid.

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Directly beneath the green shade you just applied, add a thin layer of the yellow color from the Energy Flow pencil, and then an even thinner line of white right next to the lash line. Use the same 239 brush to smooth away any hard edges. The end result should look like a little something like this:

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Use a crease brush to apply Pristine Green eyeshadow into your crease with a sweeping motion. For this I used a MAC 275 angled fluff brush with the pointy side facing my lash line.

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Next, grab a thin pencil brush like the MAC 219 and apply a thin line of Yellow Elation eyeshadow onto the lid.[Continue reading…]