Combating Shine

I don't know about you, but it's getting a lot warmer where I live. That means that first of all, I don't need as much foundation as I do in the fall and winter months (this applies to you, too!). It's been so warm lately that I've been able to get away with light cover-up/concealer and tinted moisturizer, which I love. But on the downside, with the warmer weather comes the dreaded perspiration, which I can tell you all about since I bike to and from work now that it's not 27 degrees outside anymore. By the time I get to work, my face is as shiny as a disco ball. And, since I don't want to clog up my pores by putting powder on top of all of that, I've been using oil blotting sheets a lot lately. You can find them at any drugstore (I just use the CVS brand and they work just fine), but if you want to go high end, most makeup counters sell their own brand, like Clinique and Shiseido. Some of them even promise "pore minimizing" effects, but seriously, unless that is a huge concern for you, it's probably not worth the money. The sheets are pretty small, but just blot one on your nose, forehead and cheeks to absorb some of those oils and give you a more matte look. Trust me, putting powder on top of makeup and sweat is a recipe for bad skin. I know this. I am old.

Quest for the Best

I used to have this unbreakable habit of buying a new lip gloss every time I was in the drugstore. And, considering the amount of times per week I run into CVS, you can imagine what my makeup case looked like after years of doing this. I have managed to chill out (a little) on the lipgloss, but they say when you kick one habit, you pick up another, so I've really just replaced the gloss with mascara. First of all, there is a commerical for a new mascara pretty much every 3 minutes. I know. I watch a lot of TV. And, since I believe just about anything advertisers tell me to, this means that in the last 6 months I have purchased quite a lot of drugstore mascara in my quest to find the best (under $10) tube out there. Last night I picked up Rimmel's The Max Volume Flash (really, I love the names they come up with just to get me to buy a tube of black goop to put on my eyelashes), and although I wasn't totally astounded, I was impressed. My lashes were pretty full following 2 coats, and the applicator was easy to use. AND, the tube it comes in is hot pink. I've also recently picked up Revlon's Double Twist Mascara which sadly was a BIG dissappointment. The applicator is SO BIG (it's a combo of the traditional bristle wand plus the "new" rubber wand that separates lashes) it's hard to get in and out of the tube, not to mention it's almost too big to put anywhere near your eye. Maybelline's Great Lash is a big seller and favorite of many makeup artists, and they recently came out with Great Lash BIG, which (surprise) I got suckered into purchasing because the picture showed the brush was half green and half pink. Sadly, the brush is covered in mascara (duh!), so there was no sign of the pink and green I was promised, but the mascara did its job well enough and I'd probably buy it again.

I haven't tried the new L'Oreal Telescopic Explosion Mascara(again, what an AMAZING name, because I totally DO want my eyelashes to be telescopic!!!), but I have seen the wand and it looks like this is next on my list. It's small and spherical (that is round for those of you not paying attention in geometry) and I MUST know how that equals telescopic lashes.

And so. The quest continues!

De-mystifying the Fan Brush

As I've mentioned earlier, it's holiday time. That means you'll probably get lots of gifts you don't want or like or know what to do with. As a teenage girl, I always loved getting makeup sets or kits as a gift, and they never failed to have this one crazy looking brush that I had no CLUE what to do with: the fan brush. For a while, I just had like 3 or 4 of these brushes sitting in my bathroom, collecting dust, because, surely, if they came in this makeup kit, they must serve some purpose related to makeup...right? Now I'm down to just one, since it's not one of the brushes I use every time I put my face on, but there are a few good uses for this mystical brush that I thought I would share with you.

1. Use a fan brush to lightly apply loose powder to your eyelashes before putting on your mascara. This fattens up your lashes a bit and acts as a base for your mascara, which also helps your lashes look longer and fuller. You don't need or want much powder on the brush, though, so just dust the brush in loose powder (pressed compacts really don't work here, in case you don't have loose powder already), close the eye you're applying the powder to (duh) and give the lashes one good swipe with the brush flat against the lashes. Voila! Mascara primer. Who knew?

2. Often when I apply my shadows, some of the pigments fall from the brush to below my eye and end up just above my cheek. I have tried to swipe this shadow snow away with my hand and it only leads to a big smear of color across my face, and unless it's Halloween or you're auditioning to be a backup dancer for Lady Gaga, that is probably not the look you want to achieve. Use your fan brush to gently brush off the excess powder without making a mess.

3. I am a girl. Therefore, I love glitter. I want to put glitter all over myself, at all times. This is not always appropriate. The fan brush comes in handy when I want to stealthily add some shimmer to my hair without looking like I fell in a vat of glitter (omg, how amazing would THAT be??). Use a shimmer shadow or loose glitter and very lightly dust your fan brush in it - then apply to the hair around your face (this is NOT the time to wear your heavy hands, though...chances are your mom will just make you get in the shower and wash it off if you go overboard. I speak from experience!). Proof that subtle CAN = pretty!!

Taking It All Off

I know I already posted something about the importance of keeping your skin clean, especially before going to bed at night, but there are a lot - A LOT - of options out there for this nightly ritual. And I'm certainly not here to tell you what's best, because it's going to be different for everyone. But I did just happen to buy a new product yesterday and I'm loving it enough to share it with you. As far as makeup removers go, I have started favoring lotion removers over the liquid kinds - I feel like there's less rubbing involved to get the makeup off, and my skin feels more moisturized afterwards. If your face hurts after you've removed your makeup, you may need a new remover - and a new method! I just picked up Physician's Formula Organic Wear Facial Makeup Remover Lotion - one because I liked the bottle it came in (I am such a sucker!) and two because it's free of chemicals (which, when you think about it, you probably don't want on your face, anyway). I was a bit skeptical of how an organic product would work at removing makeup, but I was very pleasantly surprised at how well it removed my makeup - mascara included - without me having to work too hard. One thing to remember is to always be gentle with the skin around your eyes. It's very thin, for one thing, and (again I'm thinking long term here!) years and years of pulling on that skin will eventually show. I like to get some remover lotion on a cotton pad and hold it on my eye for a few seconds and give it a chance to break down some of the makeup first. If you're a fan of the liquid eye removers, I prefer the oil-free kind, just because I usually feel like I need to wash my face all over again after using remover with oil , but pick something that will work with your skin type and don't feel like you have to buy the same one every time! Physician's Formula is available at drugstores - I snagged it for around $6. Oil of Olay also makes a nice lotion remover...the makeup remover pads are fine and all, but I think you can get the same effect with baby wipes, which are generally a lot cheaper. Plus you smell so good afterwards. ;)

Share and share alike??

I think a lot of people think it's ok to share makeup. What's the harm in letting your sister use your mascara when she can't find hers or letting your best friend use the awesome new concealer you just bought, right? You'd be surprised. While some products are ok (but still not ideal) for sharing - like shadows or loose powders, here is a short list of things you should never share, not even with your BFF:

- MASCARA. Please, please, please do not share your mascara, no matter how much your friend begs to borrow it. Most people do not like to think about this little tid bit, but there are actually micro-organisms living in your eyelashes (yes, i know it's gross, but they are harmless and there's nothing you can do about them - EVERYONE has them, even sweet beautiful Emma Watson), so as much as you love your friends, I'm going to assume you do not love their micro-organisms enough to let them live on your mascara wand.
- Concealer. Especially if it's something you apply directly to your face, from a wand that goes back into the tube of concealer. A lot of this is common sense...oils and bacteria from your skin go back into that tube when you close it, and while it's fine when it's your own, it's best to steer clear of letting a friend use it on a blemish and then let that marinate in the tube for your next use. Ewwwww, huh?
- Eyeliners. This one is iffy...if you do let a friend use your liner, have her sharpen it before and after using it, which will remove that "layer" of the pencil from her use. You certainly don't want to make your friends feel like a leper, but things like pink eye spread quickly and easily from sharing products that you apply directly to your eyes.

Basically, keep in mind that you don't want anyone using a product of yours that you would apply directly to your skin. Things like loose powders, lipsticks, shadows - those are safer to share because you don't necessarily store the applicator within the actual product (like a mascara wand or concealer wand). Just use your best judgement, and if a friend asks, just say, I'm sorry, I don't share mascara/eyeliner/whatever.

Ever been to a MAC store and watched one of the artists apply makeup? They use about a zillion applicators and they do not ever put a mascara wand back into the tube once it's been on someone's eyes. It may seem wasteful and kinda silly, but think about how many people use those sample products - that is a pink eye extravaganza waiting to happen. But, MAC artists (and most other makeup artists, too!) are well aware of the germ/bacteria issue and do their best to make the process as sanitary as possible. I'm not saying you have to be that anal about it, but do remember that while sharing is always a nice gesture, it's not always the best idea.

Starting with the Right Tools

Also CRUCIAL to figuring the whole makeup thing out is having a good set of brushes. See those little foamy brushes your eyeshadows come with? THROW THEM AWAY, IMMEDIATELY!!! They are useless. When it comes to makeup, the tools you use to apply it with are just as important as the actual makeup itself. I'll get more specific later on, but for starters, make sure you have a decent powder brush, blush brush, an all over shadow brush and an angled brush - and you don't need to drop your life savings on those, either. Target and CVS are perfectly good places to get your beauty supplies and both sell really quality brushes at a fraction of what they cost at high end places like Sephora or MAC. (I have nothing against these places - I just can't always afford the products there!) Pay attention to how you're applying your makeup - are you quickly swiping color on with your fingers? (I used to do this all the time and now I frown upon it - yes, your fingers make excellent blending tools, but you are also putting the oils from your body into that shadow pallate every time you touch it) Are you using the same brush for your lid color and the color you apply to the outside corner of your eye? There are specific brushes for all types of application. Angled brushes will obviously give you more control over where you're putting your shadows - so it makes sense to use these for your darker, outside corner colors, or for something like applying shadow under your bottom lashes or along your lash line. Bigger, fluffier brushes should be used for application on larger surfaces, like all over your face, or the neck/chest area (for things like bronzing or adding shimmer). Please, please, please, just remember to wash your brushes at least a couple of times a month. You don't need a fancy brush cleaner, baby shampoo will work just fine. Letting color build up in your brushes over time will not only lead to the brush becoming clumpy and full of your body's oils, but it will also mean that the colors you're trying to apply won't be as true, since they are competing with a month's worth of other colors loaded up on your brush. Plus, taking good care of them will mean they last longer. Most drug store brushes are made out of synthetic hairs - the more expensive brushes you'll see in places like Sephore are made from real hair - much, much softer to the touch and divine to use, but if you can't afford it, synthetic is just fine! Just take care of your brushes and your brushes will take care of you!