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…
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
I’ve been posting about products in the order which I apply them – concealers are absolutely necessary. I get too little sleep to get by the days without it and its always in my purse for emergencies.
There’s really no secret to concealers. I lied, there are a few. The basics remain the same, but there are some hidden tips about concealers.
TIP 1: say you have some blemishes, red spots, acne scars and whatnot. Sometimes the foundation will help set it in, but sometimes you need something else. Pick a liquid concealer that is very close (sometimes even the same) tone as that of your foundation. Put a little drop over the blemish and then use your finger to sort of set and blend in with the foundation. Hard to understand? Let me use this video by beauty blogger Blair from one a great beauty website that shows pretty good tips on concealer application on scars AND foundation. I don’t do the foundation bit the same as she does, but honestly, it doesn’t really matter
TIP 2: some people suffer from prominent panda eyes or dark cicrles – that ever-present look of a bad night of sleep. Some people try to stick a LOT of concealer underneath the eyes to make the skin lighter and it just makes it orange. That’s because it takes two tones of concealer to properly salvage the situation: a yellow/lighter concealer and a pink-toned one. Bobbi Brown came up with a solution for that with the Creamy Concealer Kit which costs $32.00. Its really something.
Other brands have their own kit such as Laura Mercier’s Secret Camouflage which is cheaper ($28.00) and just as good.
TIP 3: remember to use the concealer in other areas that are also darker or off-tone in comparison to your foundation. You want the lighter areas of your face to have one color, not 50.
TIP 4: when you’re picking a concealer, its usually a good idea to go with a concealer that is either the same line or the same brand as your foundation, only one or two tones lighter. It has more to do with how well they blend together so you don’t get some offset bizarre contrast
TIP 5: Some people start with the foundation, other people start with the concealer. Either way works, but I prefer to start with the foundation because it does a bit of the concealer’s work and also sets the undertone (in simpler terms it mixes better). This is true unless you’re using cream/powder foundation, in which case start with the concealer.
TIP 6: brush or fingertips: take your pick. If you’re using liquid foundation, using the typical concealer brush usually works. You can find some cheap ones like this one from TheBalm. I like my good ol’ trustworthy MAC 242. You can also use your fingertips, but brushes help concealers set better. If youre using creamy foundation then it’s even more essential to use a brush because your fingertips can get the concealer dirty and it doesn’t set in that well. In the end, however, it really doesn’t matter, but fingertips will be better when you’re blending the concealer and foundation in small spots.
Finally, some good tips on concealers:
- Make Up For Ever HD Invisible Cover Concealer – staying true to my words, I picked a concealer the same brand as my foundation. It’s expensive as far as concealers go ($28.00) but its a good product. I like liquid concealers, but they don’t offer such great coverage in comparison to creamy ones. Still, I trust this. I should probably add TIP 7: if you have puffy under-eyes, concealers usually get concentrated between lines. Liquid concealers make it easier to fix that.
- MAC Pro Longwear Concealer – the main job of the concealer is to stay put so longwear concealers are a must-have for everyday makeup – especially if you don’t have long nights of sleep usually. The price is significantly lower ($16.50) so as long as it has a good shade for you, you should be fine.
- Benefit Erase Paste - I like this one because it’s very concentrated so it lasts a reaaaaaaaally long time. It’s good for everyday makeup because it’s got a light look. Downside: you really need to work to blend it. If you have age lines, you’re gonna have a bit more difficulty because of that whole line filling ordeal. It’s more expensive ($26.00) but if it lasts longer, I suppose it’s a good value
- AmazingCosmetics Amazing Concealer - for the naturalists willing to pay more ($42.00) for natural ingredients with a plus: it’s waterproof. It’s said to have amazing coverage with small amounts of product, lasting longer. It has been said (and I quote) it’s a “magic eraser” for imperfections, so I thought it was worth mentioning it
- Maybelline’s Fit Me Concealer – maybe you don’t suffer with dark circles and concealers are not the main issue for you – in which case you wanna limit the amount of oil you get on your skin. This is more for a natural look, usually good if you’re at the beach and you don’t want others to instantly notice your face melted off after a while. Natural looking is key. You can also find it in pharmacies – practical enough
Concealers don’t do the whole job, but they do quite a lot of it. Combine this with foundation and highlighters (coming soon) and you have your skin done. All you have to worry about is making sure it looks blended in enough to make it look natural – that’s what we’re always going for
Some of the pictures published here are not owned by us. If your picture is published here and you want it to be credited or removed, please contact us at imnotphotoshopped@hotmail.com. Thank you.
(The O Intuitive Color line is wort testing! I’m a huge fan)
Maria Gilka Cunha
Mavi Cunha
