May Favorites

I feel like I'm kind of bad at these favorites posts because I usually only have four or five things, and two of them are blushes.  Maybe I'm just selective.  Anyway:

1.  Peachy blush- I've been really into peachy blushes lately for some reason; I've basically been ignoring all of my other blushes in favor of my two peachy ones.  It's the color that looks best on my skin tone and they're very flattering with all of the eye looks I've been doing lately (mostly neutrals for work).  The two peachy blushes I are both Covergirl from the drugstore.   

Left: Covergirl Instant Cheekbones in Peach Perfection.  Right: Covergirl Cheekers in Pretty Peach.

2.  Revlon Colorstay Mineral Blush in Honey-as you can see from the price sticker on the front, I found this blush at Big Lots for $3.00.  It's a nice neutral color that's not too brown, so you can pair it with colorful or neutral eye looks.  It's also pretty pigmented; one or two swipes with your blush brush will do it. 



3.  NARS eyeshadow duo in Kalahari- when I first bought this duo I used it every day for a week.  Clearly, as you can probably see from the picture, it has been well-loved.  It has two beautiful brown shades in it, one a shimmery bronze color and the other a satin walnut brown shade (I think that's what color walnuts are?).  If these weren't so expensive I would probably buy five more NARS duos; the shadows are soft and very pigmented, and they blend out well.  I bought this from Nordstrom for $34.00, but you can also find these at Sephora, also for $34.00. 

4.  Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in #674 Coralberry- this was an impulse buy for me from Wal-Mart last night, but I'm glad I bought it.  (I've been looking for a good coral lipstick lately, I have no idea why.)  Like the peachy blushes, coral lip colors are very flattering for my skin tone and the second I tried this on after I got home I loved it.  (I know I've only had it for one day and I didn't even get to wear it out yet, but I can tell I'm going to love it!)  I can definitely see myself wearing this to work a lot, especially in the summer, it's so pretty.  I think this was $4.57 at Wal-Mart.  Disclaimer: it looks more pink in the picture than it really is, it's definitely coral; it also says it's a creme color, but clearly you can see shimmers in it in the pictures.  The shimmers don't show up on your lips though; there it does looks like a creme.    

 Next month I'll try to have more than four products! 

--Shine bright

10 essential brushes everybody should own

These 10 brushes are (I feel) an essential part of any make-up lover's collection.  Many of them have multiple purposes and come in handy for many different uses.  Although I do not use every single one of these brushes every day, and some of them not at all (such as the blending, smudger, eyeliner, and lip brushes), you might find them useful.   

1.  Powder brush-this is a big, fluffy brush used (mostly) for applying loose face powder.  You can also use it to apply pressed powder, but I find it works better with loose powder.  I found this one at Rite-Aid for around $8.00.  It's wonderfully soft and picks up the powder well.  

2.  Blush brush-this is a fluffy brush which is smaller than a powder brush and clearly is used for applying blush.  You want to look for a blush brush that has a round shape to the bristles and is not flattened.  This helps in applying the blush in a better, more blended shape, rather than a giant stripe that a flattened brush would give you.  I got this one from Ulta for around $9.00; it's also very soft and is the perfect shape to apply blush.  

3.  Stippling brush-some people call these duo-fiber brushes or skunk brushes because of the two different kinds of bristles in the brush.  It has many different purposes: I use mine to apply my B.B. cream, it can be used to apply highlighter, I've even seen some people use these to apply blush.  I also use mine to sweep away any fall-outs from eyeshadow.  I found this one at Big Lots for probably around $1.00-$2.00.  (As you can see, this one is double-ended, but I don't use the other end for anything.  You can most likely find one that isn't double-ended).  

4.  Concealer brush-this is a flat, stiff brush, used for (surprise!) applying concealer.  I personally don't use mine to apply concealer, rather I use it to apply more B.B. cream under my eyes after I wipe off any boo-boos, and I apply concealer with my fingers.  If needed, I use it to blend my concealer better.  I got this one when I ordered Bare Minerals make-up; it came with the starter kit, but you can find a concealer brush almost anywhere, and they don't all necessarily look exactly like this one.  

5.  Flat eyeshadow brush-eyeshadow brushes come in all shapes and sizes, but the ones I find most useful are flat ones.  Clearly, it's used to apply eyeshadow to your eyes and not much else.  You can find fluffier ones, you can find stiffer ones, ones with long bristles, ones with short bristles, anything; you just have to find a shape and size that works for you.  I would recommend having multiple eyeshadow brushes, because if you use bold colors a lot (like I do), they tend to get dirty faster and you don't want to have to be constantly washing your brushes and waiting for them to dry.  Plus different shapes can be used for different looks.  The one pictured is from a Sonia Kashuk brush set I got from Target; I think I got five or six brushes for around $14.99.  (I highly recommend Sonia Kashuk brushes; they're very soft, great quality, and work fantastically.  You can get them at Target for pretty reasonable prices.)  

6.  Fluffy blending brush-this is another eyeshadow brush (also Sonia Kashuk from Target) that is used for blending eyeshadows, either in the crease, on the eyelid, or blending out edges of eyeshadow.  I personally don't use blending brushes; I blend my eyeshadows with my fingers because I'm lazy.  I have used them once or twice to blend color on my eyelid, but that's very rarely.  You might find them more useful than I do.  

7.  Smudger brush-this brush has short, stiff bristles and is typically used for smudging eyeshadow under your lower lashline, another technique I don't use (why I felt I needed this brush, I can't say).  You could also use it to smudge eyeliner on your upper or lower lashline for a softer, smokier look.  Again, you might find this brush more useful than I do.  I got this one from Target (it's the generic Target brand) for around $4-5.00.  

8.  Eyeliner brush-this is used to apply gel eyeliner, one more product and one more brush I never use (nothing against gel eyeliner, I've just never used it and stick to liquid eyeliner).  The bristles are short, stiff, and angled to help apply the gel precisely and cleanly.  This one came in another Sonia Kashuk set from Target for about $14.99 for four or five brushes.  

9.  Lip brush-like eyeshadow brushes, lip brushes come in all shapes and sizes; they are most often used to apply potted lip gloss, but some people also use them to brush on lipstick from the tube for a more precise application.  This one has longer bristles, but you can find any size one that works for you.  I found this one at Big Lots, probably for $1.00.

10.  Kabuki brush-this is a short-handled, poufy (not fluffy), round, dense brush.  I use this brush to apply pressed powder because I feel like it picks up the powder better than a fluffy powder brush, but I've also seen them be used for blush as well.  This one is from Target (the generic Target brand, about $5-6.00), but you can find them in all different brands and all different sizes.

Brushes can be found in almost every store, in every price range, in every color, shape and size.  You just need to experiment and find which ones work for you, which ones you will and won't use, and which ones work the best.  A word of advice: start out buying cheaper brushes until you find some that you use every single day and that you really like; then you can invest some money in nicer, higher-quality brushes if you so choose.  I hope this gave you some idea of what brushes are useful and what they are used for; good luck in building your collection! 



Left to right: powder brush, blush brush, stippling brush, concealer brush, flat eyeshadow brush, fluffy blending brush, smudger brush, eyeliner brush, lip brush.  Top: Kabuki brush. 

  --Shine bright                 

Products I use everyday

Clearly, these are products that I use in my everyday make-up routine, many of which I consistently re-purchase.  Disclaimer: some of the products I use everyday depend on whether I'm at work or play (have the day off).  I use more neutral colors and some different face products on days when I work, as opposed to brighter, more colorful eye and lip products when I have the day off.  But for the most part, here is what I use and what I use to apply it, in the order of usage.

1.  Cetaphil Daily Facial Moisturizer-this is the first thing I put on my face before any actual make-up.  My face is very dry after I shower, so I need some kind of moisturizer before foundation.  It has SPF 15 with UVA and UVB protection, and it's fragrance and paraben-free.  I just smear some in the palm of my hands and rub it all over my face (pro, huh?). 

2.  Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfecter B.B. Cream-since I'm lucky enough to have nice enough skin where I don't need a full-on foundation, I use tinted moisturizers like this B.B. cream and it gives me all the coverage I need.  This also has SPF 15 and UVA and UVB protection and is paraben-free.  Forewarning: it has kind of a medicinal/ointmenty smell, and when I first started using it it broke my skin out in a couple places.  It doesn't break me out anymore, so apparently my skin just got used to it.  After I put a little smear of this on my forehead, each cheek, down my nose, on my chin, and under my jawbone, I use a stippling brush to stipple it on, then swirl it in.  

3.  Powder-anytime you put a liquid or a cream product on your face, you always want to set it with a powder.  Depending on whether I'm going to work or play that day: I use Maybelline Dream Matte Powder for work and I apply it with a kabuki brush, just swirl it all over my face, and for play I have a couple different loose powders that I use; the one pictured is The Body Shop Loose Face Powder, and I apply that using a fluffy powder brush, not pictured (oops, I forgot that one!), again, just swirl it all over my face.  I always apply two layers of powder because my skin is so oily and it just keeps my face a little more matte for longer, and for work I use a pressed powder (again, a little more matte for longer) and for play I use a loose powder, because I guess I just don't care if my skin gets oily sooner on my days off.  (?)

4.  Eye primer-I always use an eye primer for work and play, because it keeps your eyeshadow from creasing longer and helps your eyeshadows look brighter.  For work I use the one pictured, Urban Decay Primer Potion, because it lasts and keeps your eyeshadows crease-free ALL day, and on my days off I use a MAC Paint Pot or NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencils; these ones don't last as long as the Urban Decay one, but on my days off I don't need them to, and Urban Decay is expensive so I save that stuff for when I need it (like when i have four flights a day).  I just use my ring finger to apply this stuff.  

5.  Eyeshadow-again, whether I'm at work or play dictates what kind of eyeshadow I use.  The ones pictured are a NARS duo in Kalahari (one of my favorites-two beautiful neutral shades for work) and a Maybelline eyeshadow quad in Velvet Crush (darker and more dramatic shades for play).  I use an eyeshadow brush to apply any eyeshadow.     

6.  Eyeliner-when I go to work I always do winged eyeliner, just because I think it makes my eyes look a little bigger and prettier, and for that I use Incolor FabuLiner liquid eyeliner in black ($1.99 at Walgreens!) and for days off I use L'Oreal Carbon Black Lineur Intense liquid eyeliner to just line my eyes with no wing.  I rarely use pencil eyeliner because I think liquid eyeliner stands out better and is more dramatic, which is more my style. 

7.  Curl eyelashes- I use my Chanel eyelash curler; I never used to curl my lashes, and honestly I think mine look the same whether I curl them or not, but since I paid enough dang money for this Chanel eyelash curler, I figured I had better use it every single day.  Don't ask how much I paid for this; I realize it's a ridiculous amount for an eyelash curler, but it says Chanel on it!  And it's limited edition!  That's a legit excuse, right?

8.  Mascara-every day, whether work or play, I use Covergirl Lash Blast mascara in Very Black.  It's the best mascara I've ever used, it's drugstore, and people always ask me if I'm wearing fake lashes when I use it.  I'm keeping it.

9.  Nivea Gentle Eye Make-Up Remover-I use this to clean up any boo-boos I might have made with eyeshadow, mascara, or eyeliner; I just squeeze some onto one end of a q-tip, wipe away the boo-boo, and use the dry end of the q-tip to wipe off any excess liquid.  

10.  Re-apply-I use a concealer brush (again, not pictured-oops!) to re-apply a small dab of the B.B. cream to my under-eyes and anywhere else I might have wiped it off using the make-up remover.  

11.  Concealer-  I dab and blend some Revlon PhotoReady concealer under my eyes and anywhere else I have blemishes or uneven-ness on my face, just using my ring finger.  

12.  Re-apply-again, anytime you put a cream or liquid on your face, you should set it with powder, so I use the little green-handled powder brush to brush the same powder I used to set my B.B. cream with under my eyes and anywhere else I dabbed concealer.  

13.  Blush-depending on what eye makeup I'm wearing that day, I choose a blush I think would look good with it and apply it with a blush brush, which I also forgot to include in the picture.  Rage face.  

The pink double-ended brush in the picture is what I use to sweep away any fall-outs from the eyeshadow I used; I use the stippling (white) end to brush them off.  I don't use it every day, it just depends on if I have fall-outs or not.  

Believe it or not, this whole process takes me about 25-30 minutes, depending on whether or not my winged eyeliner is cooperating.  That's the general idea of what I use and how I use it every day, so....yeah.  Here's a picture: 

  

--Shine bright