My latest wow product absolutely HAS to be brush protectors. I am honestly floored at how useful and simple these are.

If you haven’t seen them then just imagine a Chinese finger trap like the one you used to torment siblings when you were younger.  Unlike the brightly colored, one size, finger trap versions that you can still find at the dollar store on occasion, these clear plastic covers come in several sizes. I am beyond thrilled with these covers. They are perfect for travel, for shoving your brushes in your bag, or for keeping your brushes in shape when you have a 2 year old with curiosity to spare. You know that perfectly shaped contour brush that you spent entirely too much money on which ends up squishing into an unrecognizable shape every time you throw it in the bottom of your bag? (more…)

It’s how you know I’m all grown up and stuff.

So if you use this basic layout and just swap colors around you can run through your entire shadow collection without getting bored OR having to think too hard. And colors that you wouldn’t normally put together can be quite fetching once you start toying with them. For instance, this is green and pink and I have some blue right at the lash line.  A couple key points for something like this are: (more…)

We are half way through March and things are looking up!  The promise of spring brings warmer temperatures, the appearance of flowers and leaves starting to bud.  Spring is all about renewal.

One nice way to celebrate spring is to enter for a chance to win a fabulous Erno Laszlo Value Set at Mythbuster Beauty!!!

The EL Complexion Value Set contains:

• Multi-pHase Complexion Highlighter -  Your skin will look more even and more polished, as if softly bathed in a veil of light.  Flatters every skin tone.  Who doesn’t need a more even, glowing, flawless complexion?
• TranspHuse Lip Plumper - Plumper, sexy, kissable lips?   Sounds pretty nice!
• Retractable Powder Brush - this high quality brush and perfect to use with the EL highlighter.

And this set has a total value of over $90.00!

Rules:  To enter this giveaway enter your name, email address, and what you love about Spring in the contest machine box below.  One entry per person and the deadline is at midnight (EST) Tuesday, March 31st, 2009.  One winner will be chosen and will be announced on Mythbuster Beauty, PRIZEY.Fetch, and contacted via email.  MBB will not share your email address with anyone, and only uses your email address to contact you if you are a winner.  This giveaway is open to residents of the USA and Canada only.  The winner will receive one Erno Laszlo complexion value set (highlighter, lip plumper and brush), this complexion set has the retail value of $90.

One of the reasons that I love Make Up For Ever’s HD Invisible Cover Foundation so much is how easily and naturally my foundation looks when applying it with the beautyblender sponge.  It was like these two products were made for eachother!  Mo and I both listed the beautyblender sponge and cleanser kit as one of our favorite beauty finds for 2008.  

Mo’s review of the beautyblender:

I have never really liked makeup sponges, even back in the day when I got paid to use them. This latex free, odor free, non allergenic sponge changes all that. Thoroughly wet the sponge and then squeeze as much of the moisture from it as you can. The egg shaped applicator will have doubled in size to a super soft, super smooth sponge. A simple stippling motion leaves even the heaviest of foundations with a smooth, even finish every time and does wonders with my under eye concealer. I bought the double kit and use one for foundation/concealer and one for cream or gel blushes/highlighters. Throw in the lavender and soy cleanser that gently removes dirt and oil from the sponge and I am hopelessly hooked.

‘Nuf said, the  Blender Sponge & Cleanser Kit  sells for $39.95 at Beauty.com.

DecoDiva created a stunning Green and Silver Eye that you could create this New Years Eve, or any evening where to really want to “knock their socks off!”  This is her step-by-step tutorial to walk you through this look.  And if you are on a budget – no worries, Aromaleigh and Meow Cosmetics offer generous sample baggies of many of their products for just $1.  Now we can all afford to get a wonderful selection of cosmetics and get a chance to try this look  for ourselves!

Start with a clean, moisturized face.

1. Put on Eye Shadow Primer.  (Eyeshadow Primer and Base from Aromaleigh in Light)

2. Put some black shadow on the outer vee area and a little in the crease. I used MAC Paint Pot in Blackground.

3. Apply some silver eye shadow all over the eye area, from lash line to eyebrows. I used Aromaleigh Fume (25% off, now $6). (more…)

I was fairly content with my foundation choice this year (Prescriptives Flawless Skin with SPF 15), however, after reading several five star reviews about Make Up For Ever’s HD Foundation, I had to try this one for myself.

HD Invisible Cover Foundation ($40):  An oil-free medium-to-full-coverage liquid foundation that covers skin imperfections flawlessly while remaining invisible on-screen and in real life.  This Sephora-exclusive foundation comes in 25 different shades to suit all skin tones.  

You will particularly love this foundation if you have oily or combination type skin, this is an oil-free formula that absorbs into the skin easily and blends beautifully.  No breakouts or irritation while using this foundation!   Because of the large selection of shades, you will also be sure to find your exact skin color match.  The light diffusers are very subtle and give your skin a natural glow.  The build-able coverage is very impressive, and a little bit goes a long way.  The $40 price tag may scare you, but if you are looking for a lovely foundation, HD Invisible Cover Foundation is a must try.  This foundation has become one of my top beauty finds for 2008.  

One perfect way to apply this foundation is by using the BeautyBlender (Blender Sponge & Cleanser Kit, $39.95 at Beauty.com) .  Mo reviewed this amazingly versatile and wondeful sponge applicator, and we cannot say enough great things about it!  Seriously, it is like these two items were custom made for each other.

This episode starts with not just a product, but the great little boutique that introduced me to it.

I had the pleasure of visiting Milwaukee with my husband for a few days and we stayed in the historic Third Ward District. On our last day in town we wandered down the street from an incredible pub we’d eaten at the night before (seriously, Milwaukee has great food) and happened across Blush.

Blush is a beauty boutique with an open, welcoming atmosphere. It is well lit and airy, with thoughtfully placed decorative touches and plenty of shelves and tables packed with products just begging to be explored. They have a few major anchor lines, most notably Laura Mercier, and several other lines that are slightly less known but clearly well chosen. A Laura Mercier event was starting the day we were scheduled to leave town, of course, and an artist was teaching the staff how to apply LM’s holiday looks, but everyone was still very kind and attentive. I was assisted by a lovely and helpful woman, and I asked if she was the store’s owner. She informed me with a justified glow of pride that it is her daughter’s store and she just “helps out”. It really is a family affair, with mom Jodi supporting her daughters, Sarah (owner) and Nikki (Skin care specialist). I am dying for the chance to return and try out their brow bar! If you find yourself in Milwaukee, stop in to say hi, see what they have to show you, and tell them Mythbuster Beauty sent ya! Since I can buy the major lines here at home, I asked Jodi to show me the best kept secret in their store. She didn’t disappoint, and this is what I found:

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It’s taken me many years to figure out that the right tools really do make applying makeup a snap. For the longest time I thought that any sort of brush will do to apply liquid or gel eyeliner. So I’d use the brush that came with the product, and it would be very difficult to apply eyeliner so that it looked flattering. In fact, I’d often give up on the product and write it off, when it wasn’t really the product that was bad, it was my application method and tools.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, one day, I found the Sonia Kashuk bent eyeliner brush. This thing is my HOLY GRAIL of eyeliner brushes. It makes applying an eyeliner easy! It doesn’t matter if it’s gel eyeliner, wet or dry eye shadows or minerals, liquid eyeliner, etc. it will help you apply a nice thin line that you can keep thin and subtle or thicken for a more dramatic look.

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I idolize Ginger Rogers.  So this year I am attempting a Starlet look for Halloween.  I think I still need to kick it up a notch and possibly run to the store for some false eyelashes and a feather boa! 

Classic Starlet Features:  Precisely defined eye brows, flawless skin, dark matte lipstick, black mascara with dark top eyeliner, and beautiful cheekbones.  Its all about Glamour!

My Starlet Look:  Laura Mercier’s Bleu Marine Eye liner applied with a flat eyeliner brush, L’Oreal’s Telescopic Mascara in Black, Cargo’s blu-ray Pressed Powder (all over face and on eyelids), ECO Nvey Lipstick in Dark Ruby,  Anastasia’s All About Brows Kit, Sugar’s Blush and Bronzer duo (used extra bronzer in hollows of cheeks to emphasize cheekbones). (more…)

Meli recently asked a question at the Bare Escentuals VS. Drug Store brand Mineral Makeup post:

I would be happy to get your thoughts on Bare’s Get Started kit. Quality vs price? Which one of the following would the best pick?  Bare, Maybelline or Everyday Minerals? What about L’Oreal?

Sincerely, thank you for your precious answers,  Meli

Hi Meli, so great to hear from you!  There are so many mineral makeup lines and so many factors to take into consideration.  Hope this information will help you make an informed decision!

Here are a few things to consider in choosing the best mineral foundation for you:

• Skin type.  Finding the right match of formula for your skin type, oily, dry, combination…
• Skin color. Is your skin tone difficult to match, or do you tend to find a compatible shade easily?  Some complain that certain mineral makeups can look ashy or orange on their skin.
• Convenience. Do you prefer to purchase this at your local drug store or do you mind ordering on-line, or going to a department store counter?
• Price. A large range of prices when it comes to mineral makeup.

Here are my feelings on the specific mineral makeup brands you listed:

1.  L’Oreal’s mineral makeup is formulated with talc, so if you have sensitive or breakout prone skin, watch out!  Not recommended.
2.  Maybelline’s mineral makeup is best for those with normal or dry skin.  This is based upon many comments from a review at the Makeup Moxie website.  Another comment was that while they love this mineral foundation, but do not like the brush that is included.  I would suggest purchasing your own kabuki brush for optimum application.  If you have oily skin it will not work well for you, but it is a great value and you can purchase it at your local drug store.
3.  Bare Minerals is the most popular of all the mineral makeup lines, and many people love it.  I think it is best suited for those with oily skin.  For individuals with drier skin, it can accentuate fine lines and look flaky.  This line is more expensive, but their starter kits offer a better value ($30), and can be purchased online, department stores, and at Target.
4.  Everyday Minerals is a wonderful line and offers different formulas for different skin types (Original Glo, Semi-Matte, Matte, and Intensive) and at very reasonable price ($12 for a large container).  Their samples are generous and allow deciding which formulas are best for your skin.  Highly recommended for both quality and value.

My personal experience with mineral makeup is mixed.  My best results have been with the Everyday Mineral line, and that could be due to my specific skin type (combination skin and sensitive to breakouts) and I have liked their Original Glo and Semi-Matte formulas.  Ideally, I still prefer a liquid foundation or a tinted moisturizer. 

My biggest complaints with SOME mineral makeup foundations are:

• The “itch” factor, my skin feels coated and slightly irritated by the mineral makeup
• Some mineral powders can accentuate fine lines on my skin, and deposit in my laugh lines
• My skin ends up looking too matte and chalky
• The powder can emphasize flaking and dry patches on my face

But I realize that with the right formula and the right skin type, your skin can look amazing while using a mineral makeup foundation.  Here are some other MBB posts on the subject of mineral makeup:

• Mineral Makeup + Prime Time = LOVE
• Drug Store Mineral Makeup: Maybe Not So Good
• Attack of the Orange Foundation
• Follow Up: Mineral Makeup Mania

Best wishes Meli, and hope to hear what you end up using and how you feel about it.  JEN