Okay, we all know about cotton swabs and their many magical cosmetics uses. Wet, dry, straight, angled…there are about a million ways you can use those little babies. I love that such a simple, inexpensive item you have hanging around your house can be so useful and versatile, so I thought I would share with you my second favorite household beauty tool, a plain old 3×5 card. (more…)

I am re-publishing this post today, both because I am feeling lazy, and because I just went over this technique with a friend this morning.  Actually, the REAL reason is to “ick” out Tracy because this picture looks like I am jabbing out my eye with a liner brush!  Enjoy.

Earlier this year, I mentioned one of my favorite eyeliner techniques using a flat eyeliner brush with a gel or liquid liner to create a very thin or tight line on your lashline.   The “tightline” is a fabulous technique for individuals who want to naturally enhance their lashes.

I use Laura Mercier’s flat liner brush with Bleu Marine and it stays on great and looks fabulous. If you have thin or sparse lashes this is an awesome way to define your eyes and make your lashes look thicker!

“with my Laura Mercier’s Flat Liner Brush I dot Bleu Marine eye liner above and below the lashes, to thicken my lash line and add some Oomph!  I think it turned out pretty cool, imho!  The brush in this position probably makes you cringe, and you need to be careful with it.  This liner technique just needs a steady hand and some practice.”

An excellent video to help demonstrate how to apply the tight eyeliner or “tightliner” technique in detail is found at:  http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=487834.

Kate from Megsmakeup.com mentioned that a thin eyeliner, like Tarte’s emphasEYES (that comes in chocolate, plum, green or black) is another way to create the tightline look.

No matter which eyeliner you choose, the tightliner technique is something you must try!

Elke Von Freudenberg is considered to be a Top 5 Eyebrow Specialist, and created her own specialty line, The MODEL BROW! 

Models are born gorgeous but even they need help from beauty pros to look picture perfect. We got the scoop on the key products their makeup artists and hair stylists can’t work without. Make sure these secret weapons are in your beauty stash.

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Raging Rouge recently wrote a post about many beautiful purples being featured in cosmetics as a trend this season.   The six spectacular nail shades shown at her post are worth your time alone, and I have to add my blessing to the purple trend! 

Here’s a fact, I love purple.  My birthstone, amethyst.  My favorite flower, lilac.  Favorite Tootsie Roll Pop flavor, grape.  My passion for things purple could go on and on, and Urban Decay must have sensed this because they created the most decadent purple shades this season.

Urban Decay’s Matte Eyeshadow in Heist ($16):  a dusty purple that adds a subtle gorgeous matte purple to your lids.  And if you wanted a more bold purple color, you could always opt for Purple Haze or Eggplant.

Urban Decay’s Lipstick in Vinyl ($22):  How on earth did I miss hearing about this shade?   An incredibly multi-dimensional dark purply-plum lipstick.  This is on my must get list. (more…)

Prompted by a Bionic Beauty post last week called, “What makeup are you wearing today?”  I was also inspired by DecoDiva’s great going out post and pics last week on her blogsite.  I wanted to ask MBB readers a similar question.  When you go out for the evening, how do you “kick it up a notch?”

Evening makeup deserves a more intense lip color, a richly pigmented black mascara, and some fabulous glow.   On a recent evening out with my hubby, I went with a bolder berry look, inspired by two of Urban Decay’s new lip products, their 24/7 Lip Pencil and Lipstick. 

• Hair:  Jessicurl’s Aloeba Daily Conditioner, Rockin’ Ringlets Styling Potion, and Confident Coils Styling Solution, set with hair clips, scrunched with a microfiber towel and allowed to air dry.
• Skin prep:  SK1N Probiotics Daily Moisturizing Cream
• Anastasia’s All About Brows Kit:  Defines and tames my brows
• Prescriptives Flawless Skin Foundation in Rose, applied with a foundation brush and fingers
• Laura Mercier Eyeliner in Bleu Marine, appliled with flat eyeliner brush
• Profaces mineral eyeshadow in a rosy gold glimmer
• Sugar’s Bronzer/Blush Duo, blush on apples of cheeks and bronzer around face and jawline
• Alison Raffaele’s True Concealer
• Urban Decay’s 24/7 Glide-on Lip Pencil in Wicked, creamy and lasts, truly lives up to its glide on name.
• Urban Decay’s Lipstick in Hotpants, luxuriously creamy and beautiful medium pink shade.
• Napoleon Perdis, Long Black Mascara, one coat
• Light dusting of Aromaleigh’s Illuminator Finishing Powder, a translucent, sheer loose mineral cosmetic powder, that contains reflective minerals to give your skin a radiant appearance.  Apply on brow bones, above cheeks and lightly around forehead, chin, and decollete.
• Finish by lightly tapping around face with soft clean towel to set in makeup (tip from Alyson Hoag, makeup artist at Authentic Beauty).

No matter what your skintone, you can rev up your summer with color from Urban Decay.  Here are four great color combinations that will compliment your specific complexion type.  Get creative!

Light:  Glow.  Gilded Baked Bronzer on apples of cheeks and lids, and Big Fatty Mascara in Indigo

Medium:  Contrast.  Covet (teal) eyeliner and Flash (deep purple) eyeshadow

Olive:  Metallics.  Smog Liquid Liner on entire lid and lower lash line, smudge loose eye pigment in Baked on inner corners of eyes

Dark:  Pinks/Purples.  Fetish Afterglow Blush on cheeks, Asphyxia Loose Eye Pigment on lids.  Complete this look by using Purple Haze Big Fatty Mascara.

You can use any color combination regardless of your skintone, and other brands to create these looks.   I also highly recommend using UD’s Eye Primer Potion before applyling any eye makeup because it enhances your eye shadow color and its staying power.   It also keeps my eye shadow from creasing on my lids, a big bonus!

I have written several posts about how women often wear the wrong type of foundation for their skin. The wrong shade, the wrong finish, and too much of it.

“No Orange Chalky Face Please” is my motto.

This rule is often broken. It is not easy to admit to ourselves that as we get older, we have more things we would like to cover. I look at myself in the mirror and see the attack of pigmentation, the fine lines, and the tired eyes. Then I see all the cosmetic ads around me, the youth, the flawless skin and my mind wants to desperately believe their claims. Although, I am convinced that as we get older, less is really much more beautiful when it comes to makeup.

I just came across an article called, “Is Your Makeup Aging You?” that really backs my story.

“Baby-beauty-pageant contestants and novice models are among those rare birds who intentionally age themselves with heavy foundation, smoky eyes, and clumpy mascara. “We had to look older,” recalls the iconic model/actress Lauren Hutton. “We were wearing very expensive clothing that only older women could afford.” But if you’ve reached the age — and mileage — when you’re already taken seriously? Go for the tinted moisturizer.”

Lauren is playing my song here, I love tinted moisturizers! They strike just the perfect balance of sheer coverage and give your skin a glowing, natural look. Tinted moisturizers compliment your skin and do not emphasize or accentuate fine lines. A concealer does a great job covering any small imperfections, under eye darkness, or blemishes. Now let’s address the finish of your foundation. All you “matte” women who love the powder foundations need to pay attention.

“looking younger means ditching the makeup you used when you were actually young. “Now it’s about choosing sheer textures and applying with a light touch.” “Too much powder can make a person look older, too,” observes party photographer and Glamour Girls author Patrick McMullan, who has watched the world’s most famous women grow up in front of his lens. “It’s particularly hideous at the end of the night. Heroin chic [heavy black liner and powdery white skin] might have looked very cool on a 19- or 16-year-old model, but on a 30-year-old woman, it just looked worn out.”

Are you getting the message? No wonder we are all confused! Young gals want to look older, and older women want to look young. The young women wear the powdery matte foundation look to look older, and the older women who are accustomed to the powdery foundation continue to use it because they still want to look young. Unfortunately, the result is that their old matte foundation and powder really makes them look old. I just want to scream at how crazy this all is!

So, if you are like me, 30+ and have been unhappy with how your foundations look, let me give you a few great options for a natural, great feeling coverage that won’t make you look older than you are! Here are 5 great tinted moisturizers that you can try. They are all tried and tested, and most of them include an SPF!

The Balm, BalmShelter:
Weightless and super silky smooth, The Balm’s BalmShelter leaves your complexion polished and protected with SPF 18.

Suki’s Tinted Active Moisturizer: My newly found favorite Tinted Moisturizer.
The foundation your skin has been craving. not just a tinted moisturizer, but the purest, most luxurious, light hydrating makeup you’ll ever use. made solely with completely natural pigments and a world of organic wonders, this gorgeously sheer, customizable tint enhances your complexion, evens tone and minimizes pores. you look perfectly radiant, never cakey or made-up. fabulous for the whole face, for a healthy flush, or for touch-ups.

Tarte’s Smooth Operator SPF 20:
This is my absolute favorite… lightweight, protective foundation smoothes and perfects the skin with potent a SPF 20 sunscreen, vitamins and natural extracts. Skin looks natural – never cakey – always gorgeous.

 Caudalie’s Fresh Complexion Tinted Moisturizer:
This silky fluid enhances, evens, and brightens the complexion for a natural healthy glow. Rich in active plant ingredients, it moisturizes and protects the youth of the skin.

 Model Co 3-in-1 Fluidsplash Foundation:
This 3-in-1, revolutionary, oil-free foundation comes with a built-in concealer and eye base conveniently hidden in the lid. It goes on feather-light, leaves your skin looking naturally radiant, and can be layered for extra coverage.

Take that you evil Matte Foundation! Wonder Woman is buying some Tinted Moisturizer pronto!

I just read an excellent how-to article on Makeup Moxie’s website today on how to get the ultimate lashes with your mascara. The method that she uses is supposedly a “cosmetic trade secret” and is worth paying attention to.

First and foremost, you don’t need to buy an expensive mascara to accomplish this. The Makeup Moxie recommends affordable Maybelline brand mascaras. That’s right, mascaras plural. She suggests 2 mascara formulas: one to coat and lay a foundation on your lashes, and the other to ramp up the volume and length of your lashes. She also recommends the use of an Eyelash Comb to use promptly after applying your mascara, to ensure clump-free lashes. This is a somewhat tedious three step process, but seems to offer a very promising outcome.

The Makeup Moxie article recommends:

• Maybelline Lash Discovery Mascara (Waterproof Formula): For your initial first foundation coat
• Maybelline Lash Stylist Mascara (Waterproof Formula): For your second coat to add volume and Length
• Tweezerman Folding Eyelash Comb: Used promptly after mascara applications to ensure clump free lashes.

Personally, I am lucky to have time to apply mascara at all on at all most days.  Although, I suffer from lashes that are both very light and sparse. At times I am tempted to try more expensive mascaras promising thicker, longer lashes. But the price really bothers me. Mascaras have a relatively short shelf life. I cannot bear to spend a lot of money on a product that is going in the garbage in a few months anyway.

Do the more expensive cosmetic brands offer anything that you cannot find in a Drug Store Brand mascara? I would generally say no, unless you love a fancy container. I have tried a variety of brands: Dior, Lancome, Clinique, and just about every Drug Store Brand available. At one point I read that the formula used by Maybelline’s Full ‘N Soft Mascara is almost exactly the same consistency and quality of a very expensive department store brand. I wouldn’t be surprised if they all came from the same mascara processing plant, and they just pour the black goop into different cosmetic brand containers.

My almost 14 year old daughter’s favorite mascara is Cover Girl’s Volume Exact Mascara; she really loves the applicator brush. She did not like the E.L.F.’s brand mascara. Well, you can’t expect too much for a buck.

I personally use and like, Maybelline’s Full N’ Soft after hearing its praises from various reviewers. I have also heard extremely high praises for Dior’s DiorShow and Black Out (a little thick for me), Tarte Lights Camera Lashes, and Lola’s Ultimate Mascara. I have also heard that you can use some cosmetic primer to thin out a mascara that is too thick.

My advice, try the Maybelline brand mascaras, and then try Makeup Moxie’s Mascara technique, and see what happens.

Today, I will be off to Wal Mart to purchase these mascaras and follow my advice. If you wish to join me, let us know how things go! Not that I will apply this specific mascara technique daily, or on the days I need to chop onions (reference to Cecily’s Sunday makeup disaster).

However, I will use this, for that special night out. Just when I am wanting my eyes to have some lash attitude. Watch out Evan.

Blink-Blink!

Mascara Update:  After trying both Maybelline Mascaras with this technique, I did note great lashes, however, I did not like the stiff feel or distress a waterproof mascara has on my poor eye lashes!  I probably will not use this technique with a waterproof mascara again… Sorry Moxie:)