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.
— MARYI 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.
— MEIMEIWater 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.
— ABHIPSANot 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.
— BRENDABest 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…
- Do you have any suggestions for ways to remove your makeup quickly?
- If you’re a busy mom, do you have a streamlined beauty routine?
- For the single ladies, any tried-and-true date-night makeup (hair or fashion) tips?
- Best waterproof products for rain, sleet and snow?
- 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
Guess who stayed up waaay too late last night reading a riveting new novel by the Pulitzer Prize winning writing team, Fluffy & Bonkers, called The Devious Book for Cats?
