Prime it

To put it simply, if you want it to stay in place, prime it. Primers are made for all types of makeup applications. If you want long lasting lipstick, foundation, eye makeup, or even nail polish than you will want to use a base coat of primer. 

Primers are usually made with wax, collagen, silicone, or other products that will help in holding your makeup to your skin. For this reason, people tend to think using a base coat is only for people of older age or with facial scaring. Though true, I believe base coats are for anyone wearing makeup in general.

The type of base coat you will love and that will work best for you, will depend on what you want to achieve in your makeup application. If you know me personally, you know I wear a lot of eye makeup, so to me eye primer is an everyday thing. If you are someone who wants to attract attention to your smile you might get more out of a good lip primer than your usual lip liner and lipstick combo. Of course, the same thing goes for someone looking to even out their complexion with foundation primer.

  I personally use three different primers. I have two different primers for my foundation and I have a separate primer for my shadow.

   The first one I use is  LuminessAir Primer.($40 HSN.com) Which is meant for my airbrush foundation and doubles as a moisturizer. This one goes on so smooth you can't really feel it on your skin. When used it can help keep my makeup on for 24 hrs or more. (if I weren't gonna wash my face.) The added moisturizer makes my skin even softer and more smooth, perfect for airbrushing.

   Since I do not use airbrush makeup daily, I also use Smashbox Photo Finish Primer ($16 Sephora) before applying my regular foundation. I would recommend the Smashbox primer for pretty much everyone. It is said to replenish natural collagen in your skin, which means it will help over time to smooth out wrinkles or scaring. There are a lot of similar products to this one but I really enjoy the texture and lasting ability.    

            ~If you are looking for another similar item to this one, I would also suggest trying L'Oreal Studio Secrets Primer. ($9, drugstore) I received a sample in the mail and I was impressed by the results. It has a very creamy texture but surprisingly goes on completely smooth. I have heard of people using this primer for face, lips, and eyes.

   There are a lot of really good eye primers out there. My favorite would have to be Ulta's Base Coat. ($7 Ulta)  It might seem like a cheap choice but I just love it. It is a cream base but it is so light weight that it glides right on. A lot of the primers I have tried cause my shadow to clump up in the crease, which is also why I do not recommend using an all over primer. 

            ~If you are going to use primer under a dramatic shadow look, I would also recommend using NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Milk instead. ($4 Ulta) If you use your finger to lightly apply the white color from your eye lid to your brow bone, you can use this as a primer and brow highlight in one step. Simply apply your shadow as you normally would or just apply a simple color along your crease and you will have a beautiful longer lasting look. 

 
 I personally prefer to use lip staining products that I can wipe off and still hold a little color. I have a hard time keeping lipstick off my teeth and chin so I gave up wearing it regularly. That is not to say that I don't have a preference on lip primers, it's just I don't bother purchasing it myself. There are times when I get dressed up and will wear lipstick out. When I do, I use any colorless lip balm under my lipstick.  Most lip balms are made with wax so if you put a thin layer under your lipstick it should hold the color to your lips better. This will also help prevent the lipstick from settling into any cracks in your lips, that can cause your lips to look chapped.  




I hope that helps answer some questions about how and when to use your primers.

Please feel free to leave comments and opinions on your favorite products.

Eyelashes and Mascara

 I think every woman would love to have fuller thicker lashes. There are a few ways to accomplish this. You can spend lots of extra money on eyelash extentions or lash activating mascaras.  You can use fake eye lashes and of course you can use different tricks to boost the lashes you already have.

Eyelash extensions can make a huge difference on the way your eyes look. Thing is most average people can not afford the $300 it costs to get them. The process of getting the extensions is basically the same as buying and gluing on your own lashes.  The difference of course is in the glue that is used. Eye lash extensions are meant to last anywhere from 4-8 weeks. Store bought lashes will last you 24 hours, if you are lucky. If you can stand wearing these lashes, you should know there are new kits for do it yourself extentions that run about $75 and houldn't be too difficult to apply.

For those of you, who are like me, and don't want to deal with the trouble of fakes, there are some tips that might help you out.

1. Primer - Always apply lash primer to both sides of lashes and of course that goes for top and bottom. I use Estee Lauder, Lash Primer Plus ($18.50 Macy's)

2. Apply lengthing Mascara - Again you will want to apply to top and bottom and both sides of each lash. Any type will do, everyone has their own favorites. I like Bobbi Brown Lengthening Mascara (about $15 online)

3. Apply Volume Mascara - Wait until the other mascara is mostly dry and then apply. Remember this application is to thicken your lashes not to clump. If you are getting clumps than practice on wiggling the mascara on better or your mascara may even be drying out. For this you can try Lancome Hypnose Custome Volume Mascara ($24.50 Dillards)

After this I use my finger to push the lashes up, holding for about 3-4 seconds. My eyelashes have a bit of a curl to them so I do not use lash curlers. If you need to use them, you will want to do so before applying the mascara or it will destroy your lashes.

If you follow those steps it will help you to achieve the look of fake lashes without having to deal with them.

For those of you who do not like a mascara overdose but want to give your lashes a real boost you can try Cargo's Lash activator Mascara.($20 online) It has primer in it already to give you an all in one effect. This is an amazing product because it has been proven to boost the appearance of your lashes in 30 days and you know how I love Cargo's products.

Airbrush

As you may know I have only been using my airbrush makeup for a few months. Shortly after I purchased my own machine, I began selling them online.  I realize there are quite a few of questions out there about this amazing new product. Most of the people who purchased these from me were concerned about hiding their age or other difficult blemishes. Which, I think is something most woman out there are worried about. Probably the reason most of us are wearing makeup right now. 

 

First of all I truly love the look of airbrush makeup. It gives a flawless coverage you will not see when you are sponging or brushing on your foundation. You can also purchase specialty airbrush foundation that will not smudge and is water proof. This is the type of foundation used in most of the entertainment industry. Which I also believe is the future of all makeup.

Now, let’s talk about money… A professional airbrush makeup kit can cost anywhere from $250 -$2500. The makeup itself can be quite expensive as well. There are not that many companies that specialize in making airbrush kits for makeup, so they can charge what ever they want. The thing they don’t want you to know is that you can use ANY airbrush and oil-less compressor to do makeup with. They sell airbrushes online for as little as $10 and oil-less compressors of all kinds.

Same thing goes for the foundation.  You can use any type of water-based foundation (even Covergirl’s clean makeup, $5) and add water or mixing medium to it until you get your desired consistency. If you do this you will get the special coverage of the airbrush but you will not have smudge proof or water proof makeup on. I found a little secret that people in the Theater business have been using for years. Face paint! It works for all types of airbrush makeup… blush, foundation, and especially eyeshadow. Almost every time I use paint for shadow I get a lot of compliments on how it looks.  The reason is most water-based face paint is highly pigmented, which gives the color more depth and shine. A good one to try is Ben Nye’s liquid Magicolor. It comes in many different colors and they are about $6/oz. If you are specifically looking for airbrush makeup, you might want to try Kryolan Aqua proof, which runs about $27/oz.  Kryolan makes a number of airbrush products that work extremely well.

 

Now that you know that using an airbrush for your makeup can be affordable, you might be wondering about how it would work for you. Like I said before, most of the people I had sold kits to were looking to hide age lines or blemishes. The truth is, an airbrush will NOT help hide your age. In fact if you do not do it correctly you will manage to add a few years on your face. The key is to learn to contour and highlight the right areas of your face if you want to look a little younger. Another little secret is to always use a sponge or your finger around your eyes after you do a layer of airbrush, then follow up with another layer over it. This will help the makeup to settle into the line/wrinkle first and then to cover again will give a smoother appearance.  If you are one of many who have dark spots, freckles, discoloration, or blemishes than an airbrush will fix all of that and more.

The biggest benefit to having an airbrush has to be the time it saves you getting ready. With foundation, blush, highlighting and contouring I could easily take half an hour to hour to get ready without it. When I am using it I could do most of my makeup in ten to fifteen min easily. All in all Airbrush makeup is more beneficial than regular make up and I have no doubt in the next 10 years most women will be doing their makeup with a machine in home.

 

 

 

120 Palette

Well I was sitting here thinking where should I even begin with this blog… and then I thought I should start with one of my favorites.  The 120 palette has been a god send to me. 

First of all, this amazing palette comes three different ways, shimmer (sparkling)  palette, matte (flat) palette, and in a combination of the two. I prefer the combination palette myself. With that many color choices you can mix them up to determine how much shimmer you want. For some people, this item might have enough of a color selection to never have to buy another shadow.


When talking about the value of an item it really differs from person to person. This is a great buy no matter who you are and how much you want to spend, because it is made by multiple companies. The two different 120 palettes I have worked with are made by different companies.
The first one is a MAC professional 120 palette. Now a lot of people hear the name MAC and get excited and scared. The price of MAC Cosmetics can be rather high. So the question then becomes is the makeup worth the price. ($100+) Personally, I would have to say yes. MAC makes some of the smoothest shadows out there and the color always looks pigmented. The color stays on for long periods of time even without a primer.
The second one is a Manly 120 palette. This is a name that does not get much credit. Manly makes a number of products that could be called knock offs. When you are looking at potential knock offs your sense of value does change a little. Although, you can buy this palette significantly cheaper (around $20)  you have got to be wondering whether or not it is worth it. The only real difference I have seen in the two is when not using a primer or base. When you use the Manly palette without first priming your eyes, the color won’t stick for very long.  If you put down a good base first, you couldn’t tell the difference.

So my suggestion, to all of you who have been considering buying this item, is do it. It is well worth the money, even if you decide to splurge on the MAC palette. However, if you decide to save yourself the extra money and go for the Manly palette, then you will want to pick out a good base first.