Archive | May, 2011

Find your way inside Sephora – Part 2

30 May

And the saga continues…

- Sephora – Oh yeah. The confusing part that has all those brushes you can’t figure out what they do. Like I said in the post about brushes the best place in between quality and price is Sephora – my foundation brush is still alive after a long time (that’s because I wash it, but that’s besides the point)…

This collection is called the Sephora Professionel Platinum and to be honest, its a safe assumption you won’t go wrong. If you prefer brush sets already done for you, my favorite one is the Deluxe Antibacterial Brush Set (costs $60.00 but if you remember the prices of brushes by themselves, let me tell you this, its a GREAT deal). It has all the great brushes including the face ones.

All these gadgets confuse me as well, so let me give you a list of products I think you will enjoy:

  • Sephora Eyebrow Trimmer/Brush  is a great brow trimmer. Sometimes you try using those small scissors and you cant really work it, so this is a great tool – just please be careful not to be too enthusiastic because messing with your brows is not a good idea in general, reason why I love the fact this trimmer comes with a little brush – but dont try using both at the same time!!! Its easier to work it without the brush (its removable)
  • Tweezerman Tweezers - by far the best tweezers I’ve ever had. I have the pink small one and it is soooo good, lasts forever and are super easy to manage. Lovesssssssss it

  • Tweezerman ProCurl Eyelash Curler since we’re at it, I might as well give you this tip. This curler is amazing – so much so it nearly blinded me once and I still use it.

  • Tweezerman 10X magnification light up travel mirror - great for working your brows, eyeliner, little details. Magnification mirrors are a great thing to have, this one is compact and good if you’re traveling all the time (I do, and I have to carry this everywhere). Sephora isn’t the only place you can find these, they pretty much exist in every drugstore, supermarket, and beauty shops you visit.

  •  ghd Classic 1″ Styler - the love of my life. No joke. If you find yourself in dire need of a proper straightening iron. Universal voltage, quick to heat up and cool down (30 seconds), practical, great quality, gives hair AMAZING shine, doesn’t do a lot of damage ( but you know, its always good to use some sort of heat protecting product before). I fell in love with it, and in terms of price well… its a stab, but worth the money.  I never found this anywhere else except for Sephora, but you can always order it online. Apparently it also curls, but I just don’t see how – if someone finds out let me know

  • Sephora In-Cap Sharpener – this is the kind of thing you never think of buying, yet you always have an unused, useless one lying around. This is a great one, good for the average sized pencils, lip/eyes, all work just fine! Pick one up while there so you don’t have to worry about this again.

  • Strivectin SD – ok, this is something rather touchy for a lot of women. I used this product on a scar I had and it is a miracle worker. Yes people, they figured out what to do with skin marks (including stretch marks). I was so shocked this worked I borderline believe TV commercials for these things. No, but in all seriousness, miracles do happen nowadays. Use it twice a day (a little bit is good because its very concentrated), don’t mind the smell, but work it, I promise you in 6 weeks you’ll be so happy. It sounds like hocus pocus, but we don’t advertise bs in this blog!!!!!!!

  • Sunsafety Kit – It’s summer, so its time to put together all those products you don’t think you need but you do. Sephora made a great kit I think you should seriously consider if you just feel you don’t have time to do it yourself
  • Sephora by OPI nail polish – The nail polishes are absolutely amazing and OPI has a great quality, so its easy to go in there and pick any color and be happy with the quality. They have some amazing colors and more often than not they are always on top of the latest trends. So its always good to know. Also great to pick up a good top/base coating transparent nail polish, which is something we always use. Lately they created a new top coating nail polish that leaves the nails with the effect of being cracked. It’s weird and somehow interesting. They call it the Blasted Nail Colour - use it as a top coat to any nail polish (put only one coating at first, it takes a little time to see the effect) and it looks like this:

Well, turns out this little walk around Sephora has been giving me quite a lot to say. Believe it or not – I’m not done. But I have this History of China paper to write for tomorrow, so for now I will leave you with these tips, I hope you all enjoy it.
Oh, also, I have been getting some complaints (friendly complaints) that I haven’t done night makeup, we’ll get there soon people, relax, I’m just awful at multitasking!!!!! But for now, enjoy these tips, I will work harder on getting the videos here. Enjoy =]

Q&A – oily skin

26 May

So as I tweeted you guys recently, we’re starting a new Q&A. I decided I kept getting questions over and over and all I could think about is the fact I hadn’t covered your questions in the posts because there was so much written already.

Turns out we’re blessed to have followers who are simply smart creatures (you make us proud). From this question I managed to get together this little guide.

Q: I have naturally oily skin and I change foundation every couple of months. I’m using the MAC Studio Fix and it gives great coverage but my skin looks oilier than before. I have just started using the MAC primer and I thought it would help but it didn’t. Should I just change it?

Oily skins need a little more effort in terms of make up and daily treatments. Here are some products and tips that I think will help:

- A daily cleansing treatment helps a lot! There are so many products that do the trick, such as the Clean & Clear Continuous Control Acne Cleanser which you can find in any CVS/Walgreens/Duane Reade. Also great: Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash Pink Grapefruit Foaming Scrub which has such a delicious smell or the basic Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash (I mentioned this on the skin tutorial). Wash your face before putting on makeup (especially heavy makeup) and after removing it. This is long-lasting solution that you won’t regret.

- Oil control primers: we talked about this already, but its worth mentioning it again. Bare Escentuals Prime Time Foundation Primer Oil Control, and for older skin the Korres Quercetin & Oak Antiaging & Antiwrinkle Oil-Control Treatment is a really good option, though its exclusive for Sephora so you might have to buy it online. These are the best primers, although most primers shouldn’t be too oily because they’re meant to be very light – but its that little extra help we won’t say no to.

- Foundations: the trouble here is that people with oily skin tend to have acne scars that need covering up; except the foundation for your skin has to be as light as possible and that means the coverage won’t be the best. So what’s the way around this? First, consider that taking care of your skin is something that cannot be overlooked. Just because some foundations have “better quality” it doesn’t mean they suit you best – its all about your skin. People change foundations often, but there is one thing that cannot change and that is the type of product you have. If your skin is oily, pick a lighter foundation for the day, something more fluid. Apply more layers if you must until you cover the parts you wanna cover. Don’t toss out that $30.00 foundation either – you just use it less often, say, every other night or some special occasion.

As far as tips for foundations, the best product in terms of quality is the Estee Lauder Double Matte Oil-Control Makeup SPF 15 - combine that with the Double Matte Oil-Control Pressed Powder and I can guarantee you’ll fall in love. Just make sure you pick a foundation that is light to oil-free. Different people will work with different types of foundations, but keep your skin in mind when you pick it – don’t just go for big names!

Also great: Clinique Stay-True Makeup Oil-Free Formula and the Stay-Matte Sheer Pressed Powder make a good combo.

As far as foundations go, pressed powders really help. If you just have oily skin, then what better way to control oil then by using powders? Cover FX Oil Absorbing Powder  has the color and the coverage. If, however, you just want something to control oil naturally under or on top of your foundation you can try out the Urban Decay De-Slick Mattifying Powder which is an invisible pressed powder just for oil control. You can also find something similar by our beloved Laura Mercier


Other prep/finishing products: before putting on makeup, try using blotting papers! Clean & Clear has one, as well as many other brands such as Shiseido and Boscia.

And for finishing, my tip is: Urban Decay De-Slick Oil Control Makeup Setting Spray. I use the All-Nighter Setting Spray and I mentioned this before, but it’s worth emphasizing how much I love this.

And final tip: after using makeup remover wash your face thoroughly because leftover makeup won’t do your skin any favors! Even if it’s 6am and all you wanna do is crash, you will wake up feeling better and fresher if you just wait 2 extra minutes!

So this is it my lovely ladies. I hope you find this useful!! If you have any other tips send it to me and we’ll keep adding it! Send us your question either by twitter (@NotPhotoshopped) or email (imnotphotoshopped@hotmail.com), your questions may help a lot of girls like you!!

Greetings

25 May

I would like to say hello to all ImNotPhotoshopped readers and introduce myself as a new author here. I’m very glad to contribute to this growingly amazing beauty site created by my sister Mavi who has always said I inspired her to love makeup . What she didn’t say is that it was out of fear and in order to be self sufficient after I almost blinded her at a Sephora store when I was 14 trying out a lash curler on her.

After this episode, and my newly found passion for buying all makeup I could set eyes on, I have been through a bit of a rocky path until finding the balance between enjoying myself to bits experimenting with colours, textures and excess and looking fresh, natural and practicing more sophisticated techniques in order to look like myself . I obviously tried stuff on Mavi too and I have to say I have come a long way since I was 13 and she would almost cry because I had a bit of a heavy hand with the brushes and when applying mascara. Oh my little real life Barbie, Mavi. hahaha How you’ve suffered….

But as for now I feel like the concept of the blog is just right since we have access to amazing technologically advanced products that aim at detail and natural perfection for there is nothing more elegant, admirable and EASY in beauty than looking like yourself and being yourself. This means we are here helping you skip the part when you almost poke your eyes out with a curler and just enjoying the path of accepting and loving your natural colours and shades; skin, hair, eyes, and working to improve and enhance your glow and the features that make you, your fabulous you!

Maria

Tutorial – Eye Shadow Basic Principle

24 May

I’ve finally done it. To view it in HD click on the full screen button!

Good news: it’s pretty useful. Bad news: I’m still camera-awkward. Enjoy =]

Find your way inside Sephora – Part 1

23 May

I’ll be honest here. Once upon a time, when Sephora was only a quick stop in a long line of store-visiting during trips to Disney World it used to drive me crazy. I would go in, stare, say “I have no idea what to do with any of this” and leave. However, after my freshman 15 I had to focus on maintaining the rest of me and so I found my way around that place – and it’s my new FAO Schwartz. In the hopes you won’t feel lost in a maze of people, perfumes and eyeshadows I have devised a safe and comfortable way to get around to the good stuff without losing your mind.

I know we’re all used to one brand because it makes things soooo much easier when you just walk up to any counter and get one of each “thingy”. But there are so many different brands and so many different products, it’s worth knowing more or less what they have that’s good.

  • Bobbi Brown – must have: the concealer kit. We talked about it before, so between that and the skin products (foundations and whatnot), Bobbi Brown has some amazing deals. I also enjoy the eyeshadows, though I try not to buy shadows by themselves, its usually too much and not used too often – not gonna lie, I prefer palettes. But I digress. Also, if you’re into gel liners try out the Longwear Gel Liner ($21.00) – don’t forget the liner brushes
  • Make Up For Ever - I love so many things about this brand, its gonna sound like I’m selling it (hey, Make Up For Ever people, if you’re reading this by any chance, I’m totally available for the job – seriously, count me in). First, skin products; the whole HD line I talked about (concealer, foundation, finishing powder) and my new discovery: the HD highlighter. Now that I think about it, I guess I am kind of photoshopped after all…
That’s not all!! I’m gonna show you some other favorites of mine. The eye pencil is really good (try the dark silver liner instead of normal black and see how it gives a lighter look).
The pigments are also really beautiful. If you have hazel or brown eyes try some of the golden, brown or pink colors. They are extremely flattering, and pigments don’t need too much effect since they already have a way of capturing the light that does the trick of a good look
(so my photographic skills fail me sometimes…)
Fake eyelashes. Yes, I go there sometimes, I’m damn proud of it. Because my eyes are round, the 156 Genevieve gives them extra shading in the outer corner. The quality of these lashes is amazing, it comes with a good glue and you can use it up to 5 times (if you don’t put too much makeup on it). Oh and if anyone tries out the feathered and crazy ones, send me a picture I’m dying to see it but I don’t have the guts myself =]
  • Urban Decay – Eye shadows are beautiful…. I recently bought the Naked Palette (lucky day, they never have it), amazing colors and quality. Too bad they only had a teaser photo
The good news: in today’s world you can just buy it yourself in approximately 2 minutes here
The must-haves are the eye potions and the setting sprays (first and last steps of makeup)
  • Laura Mercier - Shadows. Bronzer. Concealer. Primer. Tinted moisturizer (for people who can…)
  • Smashbox - like I said in the skin tutorial the O-Glow blush is a great product. I also noticed they have a new HD collection for beginners, it comes with instructions and everything – practical right?
(The O Intuitive Color line is wort testing! I’m a huge fan)
 
  •  Temptu - I am not the biggest advocate for spray makeup, its no secret. However, one of these days I was speaking to a girl who told me she had acne and this product was amazing at covering it up. I was curious about the summer products they have as well! If anyone knows about it let me know!
Wanna know the second part for great tips? Stay tuned…

Eye Brushes

20 May

First things first – 2,000 views in 2 weeks!! Wow. Just… wow. Thank you!!!

Let’s not get carried away. One of the biggest hazy areas happens when you decide you’re gonna get your makeup kit updated, then you go into some store, spend a lot on a bunch of different brushes and all you can think after is: buyer’s guilt. So you pick one brush and decide you’re gonna make it work, then its annoying how you can’t get the makeup on properly, and why the hell not, and you’re sure there must be some sort of trick no one filled you in to make this thing work.

There are a bunch of tricks, and here I am. Let’s figure out what these thingies do.

Eye brushes:

  • Fluffy shadow brush – the basic, essential eyeshadow brush. It’s a given you have one of those, but if you try to apply anything with it you’ll find its not very good at getting the right amount of eyeshadow (especially if you’re using powder eyeshadow). That’s because this brush doesn’t do a good job at setting in powder, its supposed to be used in areas where you only want that slight shimmer – under your brows, for example. There is, however, something you can do if you already bought it and you feel like fighting till the end: if you get it a bit wet you can use to set colors in. Most good quality eyeshadows can be used that way, and colors set in so much better. Just remember to tap into the eyelid so the color stays. 

Options: MAC 213 Fluff Brush ($22.50), Sephora Collection ($13.00), Coastal Scents Synthetic Shadow Brush ($2.95 – true story)

(The rule of thumb with brushes: MAC has the ones with the best quality and highest prices – the others you find in Sephora and other stores vary, but the really good quality brushes need to be taken care of and cleansed every couple of months (tops). I’ll do a tutorial on that for sure)

  • Shader brush – the most useful ones are the medium and large sizes. This is a good brush when you want to apply heavier amounts of shadow onto the lids. Don’t brush it: tap it. It sets the color in, and like the fluffy brush it can be used wet for more vibrant effects. Don’t worry if you see that after using this you have that finishing line where the shadow stops – thats what the blending brush is for. 

MAC has the large 249 Shader Brush ($28.50) and my favorite shader brush the 239 Eye Shader ($24.50), Bare Escentuals Tapered Shadow Brush ($14.00), Coastal Scents Deluxe Sable Shader ($4.95 – tell me you’re not starting to love this)

  • Pencil brush – let me tell you this: its becoming more and more popular to use the pencil brush. It does what it promises – use this brush to turn any eyeshadow into a liner. Personally, I prefer to wet the brush before so that I see the color, but for a natural smoky effect you can just use the shadow naturally. I use this to smudge eyeliner in the smoky eye effect, but there are many brushes that can be used for that.

MAC 219 ($24.50), Coastal Scents Large Pencil Crease ($3.95)

Other brushes that do the liner’s/pencil job:

  • Flat liner brush – great to apply liner if you’re not used to doing it with a brush. This is a brush I strongly recommend using wet, it can be complicated when you start using it, but afterwards you get the hang of it

MAC 212 Flat Definer Brush ($22.50), Sephora Professional Flat Liner ($13.00), Laura Mercier Flat Eye Liner Brush ($25.00)

  • Angled brush – great to use in the eyebrows. Personally, this is my favorite brush for eyeliner (especially creamy liner), but it takes some getting used to, I’m not gonna lie it wasn’t that easy to master it, but now I can’t switch back.

MAC 208 Angled Brow Brush ($19.50), Sephora Professional Liner/Eyeliner Brush ($14.00), Coastal Scents Divine Taklon Liner ($1.95 – ha)

  • Blending Brush – I can’t emphasize enough how much this brush is important. Really, I could never get any of my looks without it, I don’t know how I’ve ever lived without this. Perfect for creamy makeup, essential for blending shadows, the one you will always use for the finishing. When you’re done tapping the shadow use it to blend the edges so it looks natural or use it to blend two different shadows.

MAC 217 Blending Brush ($22.50), Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Shadow Blending Brush ($16.00), Coastal Scents Blending Brush ($2.99 – no excuses)

  • You can also go with the angled shadow brush for the outer contour of the eye. It’s really useful if you have the kind of eyes that will always need a little shading on the outside corners

MAC 275 Medium Angled Shading Brush ($24.50), Sephora Professional Angled Shadow Brush($16.00), Coastal Scents Chisel Angle Fluff Shadow Brush ($2.00)

And last but not least…

  • Short shader brushes do the job of the smokey eyeliner effect. I love it, but I can only show you how it works on a video, but basically you apply liner (pencil, please, no liquid liners!!!) and smudge it. Apply more, smudge. Again. Again. Now put the liner and leave it there. Congrats, you just did the smoky eye (the first step anyway). Or use it if you don’t like the defined eyeliner look (great for the day)

MAC 214 Short Shader Brush ($24.50), Sephora I.T. Smudge Shadow Brush ($24.00), Coastal Scents Chisel Shader Brush ($3.95)

So this is it people. You don’t need to have every single specific shadow brush I talked about. For example, if you have the shader brush in medium size you don’t need the bigger one. If you can work the blender brush you don’t really need the angled brush. If you prefer the angled liner brush, don’t have the flat liner brush (unless you wanna use it to smudge eye liners – but then again you can have the short shader smudge brushes). To get small amounts of makeup change the fluffy brush for your fingers (smudge it well!)

What you do need: a brush to apply shadow, one to smudge, a liner brush (if you are going to use liquid liners that don’t come in those pens) and a brow brush (if you need it). I put up all the options because different people work better with different kinds of brushes. Also, if you already have the brushes, you might as well know what they’re for!

Eyes – how to work what you have

18 May

First, I’d like to thank everyone for not bullying me after the video. Now that my face is on youtube, I’ve pretty much lost my shyness, expect more videos soon.

I’m not gonna lie, I was kind of worried getting to this part. Eyeshadows are the most extensive subject, I’m gonna have to kind of come and go. True to form, we’re starting with the basics, then we’ll move on to more sophisticated stuff. But I have the feeling there will always be something extra to learn

I won’t be able to make another video tutorial until the weekend, but before then I hope we can cover the brushes for the eyelid.

For now let me say this: with eyeshadows you need to know very few things to pretty much go off on your own and create (what? you? yes, indeed!) anything you want. Techniques are only a matter of how the shape of your eyes can be used to your advantage. As for skin tone, colors are there for a reason. Anything (a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g) you want to pop up or conceal can be done with eyeshadows. Eyes are obviously the soul of any makeup, but once you understand what you want out of your makeup, you won’t need to worry.

Let’s first find out where you fit. (WARNING: yes, I know I keep saying we’re not celebrities or Victoria Secret’s angels, but for illustrative purposes I’m gonna use a few celebrity examples – why? Try to search “almond eyes” on google and tell me what you see…)

Eye shapes 

  • Almond/Uplifted – some eyes have a natural lift on the corner. I envy them a little (a lot) – you are free to work with liners under the eye and concentrate on the corners of the eyes. Why I envy them: any kind of makeup looks flattering. Stupid perfect eyes.

Olivia Wilde

  • Downturned/Round – yours truly. My outer corner of the eye slides a bit down, makes me have Bambi eyes. To those with downturned eyes, you concentrate the color and shading on the outer corner and use the kitten eye makeup to lift it the angle of your lower eye lid (whaat? I’ll get there eventually). A lot of makeup under the eyes tends to be unflattering and causes the eyes to look droopy – unless you’re Anne Hathaway:

  • Asian – straight uplifted small eyes. You should probably know by now if you have that kind of eye shape. I kid, it’s one of the most beautiful eye shapes – you can shade underneath and makeup for this type of eye is eyeliner and you’re ready. Take for example, Nikita star Maggie Q:

Eye Position  - it has more to do with your eyelids. Open your eyes, stare at the mirror and see how much of your eyelids can be seen when you’re looking straight. Want a better test? Put a strong color of eyeshadow on and look straight – can you see a lot of the color?
  • Average/Medium lids – people with naturally defined eyelids meaning you can see more of the eyeshadow. Lucky you, you won’t have to work so hard with eyeshadows to get any effect. You’re the creature that wakes up, puts on one eyeshadow and walks around happily. Your job is easy. Warning: as you grow older eyelids tend to show up more, so you really have to take care of your eyelids. If you don’t you’ll see the age lines whenever you put on eyeshadow. But I guess lifting is always an option, so let’s not freak out

  • Thin lids – between average and the monolid. When it comes to putting on eyeshadow you want to create depth. That’s the case for multiple layers of eyeshadows, you can get some amazing effects and maybe date Justin Bieber

  • Monolids – eyelids without a fold. This is where putting layers of eyeshadow really makes a difference. There’s so much you can do with it, but the rule of thumb is to let the lightest eyeshadow closer to the inside of the eye and go layering until the darkest layer is just on the outer corner of the eye. The great example is Lucy Liu

  • Hooded lids – happens to many women after a certain age. This is when your eyelids droop over the crease, so you don’t see that much makeup and its hard to get any sort of effect without having it covered up. The good news is that you can create depth by applying a darker color above the hooded lid and use a lighter tone underneath your brows to really highlight your eyes. It’s all about working it like Taylor Swift

  • Deep-set eyes – eyes that have natural depth, they are set farther back in the ocular bone. This causes the eyes to have more natural shadowing and sometimes they look larger and more round, so when you apply darker shadows it looks heavy. But worry not – you can still apply darker eyeshadows closer to the lash line, and lighter colors to your lids. Kim K worKs it (sorry I couldn’t resist the stupid joke)

  • Large eyes – large lid space, large eyes, large space for colors and effects. The more the merrier. Just remember to stop before you get to your brows (no clown looks, s’il vous plait). Ever wonder why Mila Kunis always has the most amazing makeup effects? Psh.

  • Close-set eyes – when the space between the eyes is smaller than the width of one eye – easy enough to solve. The best technique is to apply darker eyeshadow to the outside of the eye, it gives an impression that the eyes are wider and farther apart. A good example? Soo-ké (Anna Paquin)

So, how do you figure out what is your case? If you can’t tell, give it some thought… do you look better with darker eyeshadow on the outer eye? How much of the eyeshadow do you see? It’s all a matter of understanding your features, then we can get to work – soon.

Skin Tutorial

18 May

Yes, I did as promised. This tutorial covers all the topics we covered so far on the blog, so I wanted to give you an idea of a practical skin routine. I’m extremely camera shy, but I’m getting better at it. The tips are what matters: hope you all enjoy

Bronzer – professional tips

15 May

Obviously not by me. One of my favorite makeup artists is Lisa Elridge, who is very famous for her work in magazines. The best thing is she does these amazing covers and then puts up videos of how to do it yourself. I learned a lot from her, so I decided to share with you her video on bronzers, since we were already touching that subject. Enjoy

For more on Lisa Elridge you can visit her website

Bronzer – how to not look like a carrot

14 May

Technically everything related to the skin prep is covered – the basics at least. I’m still working on the video, so I wanted to share with you some tips on bronzers. Worth noting this step is supposed to be part of the last steps after you’ve done your eyes, etc.

There is this weird misconception (that thank God isn’t that fashionable anymore), that the bronzer is supposed to be applied to a point of uniform carrot “glow”. No, it’s not glowing its just scary. TIP 1: DON’T

Honestly, anyone has made that mistake. It’s not that bronzers are not good, but you really have to look at your face and think “are people really gonna believe I’m this tanned when they look at my arms, legs, ears, and basically all other exposed skin?”. Would you? NO.

How to NOT look like a carrot:

TIP 2: with makeup whatever you highlight comes forward and whatever you shade gets depth. Depending on the shape of your face, you can use a bronzer on a daily basis by putting a little bit of bronzer underneath your cheekbones, on your jawline – this is so common and it gives that skinny look to your face. Apply a bit to the sides of your forehead and nose to give that glow. You can look tanned without having bronzer all over and it looks healthier and less exaggerated. Just make sure that you blend the blush and the bronzer (granted the blush will be on the cheekbone and you want to look like everything is put together properly).

Tip 3: If you really really really really must have bronzer all over: pick a foundation that is one tone lighter than your skin and apply a thin layer to your whole face. This is the great secret that no makeup artist will tell you – when you let the bronzer be your tone it looks so much more natural. Make sure you also get a bit on your neck, and other areas exposed such as chest, etc. Some people even go as far as tanning their whole body the same tone (legs, arms), and you can do that with products like the Laura Mercier Body Bronzing Makeup. Just be careful not to stain clothes and all that. It costs $38.00 and it’s good to have around on special occasions, but in all honesty, too much hassle in my opinion.

TIP 4: Why not use both tips together? It works for some skin tones. Do the lighter foundation, pick a lighter tone of bronzer and apply to the whole face and then get a darker bronzer to do the jawline. Some products such as the Guerlain Terracotta 4 Seasons Tailor-Made Bronzing Powder have more than one tone of bronzer so you don’t even need to worry about it. It’s Guerlain, the motherland of all bronzers, so it’s pretty much the best you can get but it’s a limited edition stab in the heart price: $74.00 (ouch).

There are cheaper options such as the Laura Mercier Shimmer Bloc in the Golden Mosaic color ($38.00) which focuses more on giving glow than color and Too Faced Caribbean In A Compact – Sun Bunny (gotta love that name) that’s even cheaper ($28.00).

Other ideas for good bronzers:

- MAC Bronzing Powder - most compressed/powder bronzers have really good effect on oily skin. If you really use bronzers you can consider having two shades, one lighter (winter) and one darker (summer, when you’re tanned). It costs $23.00 and lasts a really long time.

TIP 5: remember when I talked about the Skinfinish MAC powder? Well, I bought some shades darker than my own and that’s what I use as a bronzer. It’s part of the mineralize product line, so it’s actually not that bad for your skin.

- NARS Highlighting/Bronzing Blush Duo – Oh how I love this. I have always been a fan of the NARS Orgasm blush (giggles on the inside) and one of the options includes that blush. Interestingly enough, this blush has an orange undertone, which is perfect because when you use the bronzer they really blend well together. It gives an amazing and natural look and for the cost of $39.00/$40.00 you better hope it’s that good. Although I will say this: I don’t think it lasts that long, and there are alternatives. As far as satisfaction goes, however, I know you’ll love it

- Urban Decay Baked Bronzer - Get ready for this. Remember we talked about body makeup? Well, this is the ideal bronzer for that. How, you may ask? This baby can be mixed with moisturizer or foundation. That’s right. Also, if you get it wet you can use it on your eyelids, lips and face. It’s somewhat cheap ($24.00) and the quality is amazing. Tell me I shouldn’t get a percentage of sales profit with this propaganda

I’d like to add some knowledge to this. Girls, your whole color palette, from your eyes to your hair color to your skin, are perfect as they are. When you’re picking your bronzer tone (something that can only be achieved with success by trial and error. Get those testers on you – chances are, you’re not gonna get the plague from them), think about how your color palette is set up: if you’re fair skinned and you’re just going with the overall hysteria brought about by the summer to look tanned (OMG), think about the fact that it’s not really something that will necessarily make you look prettier. Work what you’ve got and you’ll always be pretty – if you’re fair skinned, forget about the bronzer and use a natural peachy blush to give you the summer look. You don’t have to look like you just got off a plane from the Maldives to look amazing.

← Older Entries

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 391 other followers

%d bloggers like this: