Eye Shape

Your eye shape is very important. If you know your eye shape, you can tailor your makeup to that shape. This helps your makeup look better and enhances your special features. Here is a chart that shows each eye shape. You should look straight into a mirror and see which shape most looks like your eyes.

I, for instance, have hooded eyes. Mine did not happen with age, I was born with them. With every eye shape, comes certain techniques that can enhance your eyes. The key is to remember this: LIGHT brings the eye forward and DARK sets it back. You can use light and dark colors to contour your eyes into any shape you want. I learned about eye shapes and special techniques from Youtube. Find out what eye shape you are and type that into the search engine. Voila! Hundreds of videos to learn from! I have gotten some very good tips from these tutorials. Here are some of my favorite Youtube makeup gurus:

Gossmakeupartist
Pixiewoo
Tanya Burr
Makeupgeek
MakeupbyTiffanyD
NikkieTutorials

Another thing to do is find a celebrity with your eye shape and search for makeup tutorials inspired by them. Those techniques will look great on you! Remember that every eye is different and beautiful. :)

Birthday Haul #1

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New Favorite Website

I have found my new favorite website!

All Cosmetics Wholesale

Not only do they have discounted beauty products but they also have discontinued items! This is great if your favorites have been discontinued. It also means that you can get your hands on some of the palettes that are not produced anymore without having to resort to Ebay. (My Urban Decay loving heart is in heaven right now with this site! My credit card, not so much...) I think it's also a good way to try out some brands that you are not sure about without having to buy an expensive item. They do have quite a few mini or trial sizes of products also. Some items are marked "BLEMS" which just means that they are unboxed or have a tester sticker on them. The site is very good about telling you which ones these are and discounting them. They state that all of their products are unopened and never tested.

Everyone that knows me know that I love a deal so I'm super excited about this find. Now, I just have to narrow down the things in my shopping basket...

Oil Cleansing and Olay ProX Advanced Cleansing System

While researching for my blog and just general reading about skin routines, I kept seeing something called jojoba oil being mentioned. I finally looked it up and wow! This oil is used for everything from moisturizer to hair conditioner. According to this website, jojoba oil is this:

"Jojoba (pronounced ho-HO-ba) is a botanical extract of the seed of the jojoba tree (Simmondsia chinenis). What’s interesting about it is that it isn’t actually an oil, but rather what they call a wax ester. Why do we care? Because out of all of the compounds in nature, this wax ester is the most similar to human skin oil (sebum). It is theorized that applying jojoba to the skin can “trick” the skin into thinking it is producing enough oil, thus balancing oil production. The bottom line for us is that jojoba oil is non-comedogenic so we can use it without fear."

(non-comedogenic means that it will not clog pores or cause acne)

I have been using it for about a week on my face and in my hair. There is no doubt that both my hair and skin are softer. For my face, I just put about two drops in my hand and massage it into my skin for about a minute. Then I wash my face normally with my cleanser. Easy! For my hair, I just add a couple drops to my conditioner.

Now, I have read that your skin may get better before it gets worse when you start using an oil cleansing regimen. That's because the oil is purging all the bad stuff out. I have broken out slightly but nothing serious. I have noticed that my blackheads are already much better and are coming closer to the surface (I have the deep, hard to reach kind). I'm hoping that jojoba oil will also help with my scalp psoriasis but that is yet to be seen.

Bottom line, there are a lot of different oils that can be used for cleansing (coconut, olive, etc). I think it really just comes down to which one you prefer and your specific skin type. I'd do a little research before buying one but I definitely think that it's worth looking into. I got my jojoba oil from Amazon. It's reasonably priced and my 4 oz bottle will last me quite a while at the rate that I'm going.

I also found this video to be helpful and informational:

Another discovery I've made recently is the Olay ProX Advanced Cleansing System ($30). I have had my eye on the Clarisonic for a while but at a $120-$200 price point, I just couldn't afford it. Both are handheld facial cleansers with removeable/replaceable brush heads. The brush head rotates, giving you a much deeper clean. The two devices are much the same. The Clarisonic does have different, more specialized brush heads that you can buy (sensitive skin, acne, etc), while the Olay ProX has one. For the price difference, however, I think I can handle it. The Olay ProX brush is very soft and it doesn't irritate my skin at all, even on the higher speed. It is water resistant, which is great if you clean your face in the shower. All in all, I've enjoyed using this cleanser. I feel like my face is much cleaner than using my hands alone. I picked mine up at Walgreens and I did notice the replacement brush heads were around $8 (while the Clarisonic heads are $25). If you are looking for a deeper everyday clean, I'd give the Olay ProX a try before you spend all that money on the Clarisonic. 

Eyeshadow Update/Review/New Finds

I finally got a chance to try Wet and Wild Eyeshadow and I have to say that I was seriously impressed! It is surprisingly creamy to the touch and wow, is it pigmented! I only got a single eyeshadow in the color Stagedive (which is kind of a shiny medium blue) to try it out. I will be buying more WnW eyeshadows in the future. I think they will be great for colors that I don't wear often. There's no point in spending a lot of money on colors you will rarely wear in my opinion! These are a great alternative to pricier brands.

Wet and Wild has some hits and misses on quality and this site tells you the 9 Best WnW Products. 

I picked up the Milani Brow Fix Kit as well. It's adorable! You open up the package and one side flips up with two little brow brushes and a mini tweezers with a mirror underneath. I love it and for $7, you can't beat it.

I also got a chance to go by Sephora and I got a few good deals there. Here's what I saw:

They had a couple of the Tokidoki Travel Palettes that I mentioned in my last post for $5. (at my local store they had the Lion Pappa and Sandy in the City.)

They had Sephora Lipsticks on sale for $3. Too many colors to mention but they go on really smoothly and I really like them.

They had the Sephora Collection Silk Shadow Quad for $7. It is a huge quad with enough color to last you forever. They had two choices, Brazilian Sea and Last Dance.

These were the products that stood out to me. They are mostly sold out online so I was glad to find them. I also picked up the mini LORAC TANalizer Baked Bronzer for $6 and I'm super excited about it. This little bronzer will last me forever and it's great even on my pale, pasty skin. :)

Also, I heard a rumor that some Big Lots stores are getting Too Faced makeup in. I checked out my local store and they didn't have any but I'll be stalking....i mean...checking them the next couple weeks to see if we get any here. Check your local store! Too Faced is one of my favorite brands!

 

Clearance and My new favorite find!

I would just like to mention that Sephora has some really great clearance right now. It looks like they are getting rid of their Tokidoki line and preparing for new things from their Buxom and Philosophy lines. Here are some of the things on my wish list:

1. Buxom Samantha's Smokey Eye (reg. $32, clearance $20)-This looks like a good little set with gloss, eyeliner, an eye brush and mascara.


2. Sephora Tricks of the Trade Anti-Shine Primer (reg. $18, clearance $5)-This is my primer! I said in an earlier post that they were out of stock but it looks like they've gotten it back! I highly recommend this primer.

3. Tokidoki Travel Palettes (reg. $10, clearance $6)-These are adorable. They have four eyeshadows and a blush in a tiny little travel size palette. I have one on order and I'm excited about it!

4. Makeup Forever La Boheme Baked Shadow Palette-(reg $39, clearance $25) AHH! I'm having mini-makeup fits over this one. I love the colors and I love baked shadows. You can wear them dry for a nice, soft look or wet them for something more dramatic. Makeup Forever is an amazing brand so this really is a steal. By the way, it's almost my birthday. (HINT HINT)

They have lots of other nice things, these are just my favorite. :)

Also, I got in my E.L.F order today that I was so excited about. I have been dying to try their High Definition Powder! Makeup Forever makes an AMAZING one but I was looking for a cheaper alternative and I think I've found it! It doesn't make my face quite as soft as the MUF brand but other than that, there is very little difference except for the price. $6 vs. $32! Now, my gripes...it is very messy, as with all loose powders. I'm a little more apt to not care about wasting the E.L.F. kind. :) Also, it took a full two weeks to get my order! I was not very pleased with E.L.F. and their service. I think I'm going to check my local Target to see if I can get my E.L.F. products there from now on. Overall, I'm super pleased though.

Blush

Admittedly, I do not have a great interest in blush. I've always thought my face was too red for blush so I never really wore it. I've come to find that, when applied right, blush is amazing. :) I still do not have many recs for you but I've learned a couple things.

Now, the makeup world seems to be blowing up about one particular blush-NARS in Orgasm.

It is a pretty pinky/peach shade that is said to work and look beautiful on everyone. I have not tried this blush and probably never will because of the price....$28. I'm sure it's lovely and if blush is your thing, then it is definitely worth looking into. I've heard nothing but good things about it.

However, I have also been hearing a lot about a good replica of it that they sell in local drug stores. It is Miliani Baked Blush in Luminoso.

They do not look similar in the package but they give you the same kind of pink/peach glow. I bought this blush today and it's lovely. I picked it up at Walgreens for $7.99. My coworkers and I all tried it on and, even with our three different skin colors, it looked great on all of us. It just gives you a kind of healthy glow without being BAM! Now saying that, the packaging is a bit flimsy and the brush that comes with it is trash but it can all be overlooked for the $20 price difference.

Some other blushes that I've heard good things about are:

NYX Cream Blushes ($6.75)

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush ($25)

LORAC Blush ($20) I have this one and it's fantastic also!

I'm sure they are many more but these are just some that I've heard about from other blogs and forums. Feel free to send me suggestions!

Brushes

Brushes are essential to good makeup application! Again, this is something that I learned quite recently. The best part of this is that you can get some really great brushes for not a lot of money!

My absolute favorite brand is Real Techniques. Real Techniques is a line of brushes designed by Samantha Chapman. Most of the brushes retail for around $10. They are literally the softest, most wonderful face brushes I've ever owned. I use the Stippling Brush for my foundation, the Powder Brush for my loose powder and the Blush Brush for blush. They are definitely worth the $10 and honestly, I would pay more now that I've used them. One thing though...the face brushes are excellent but there isn't really a big selection of eye brushes and what they have is just okay.

My next favorite set of brushes is by Posh. I have the Dual Ended Set which I picked up at K-Mart for around $12-$14. It's an awesome little set that I use every day. It has all my go to brushes for applying eye makeup. It also comes with a cute little case that protects your brushes, which I find really handy. They tend to get all messed up just thrown in your makeup bag.

I also have a few E.L.F. brushes. These are so cheap and they have quite a few really good brushes. I specifically use the blending eye brush every day. It's soft and nice and does the job. I hear tons of good things about E.L.F. brushes and for $1-$5 each, you can get one for everything! I know they sell them at Target and Dollar General, as well as on the website.

I've also used some Ecotools brushes. They are very popular and you can pick them up at Target, Walmart, Walgreens...very accessible. They are nice and soft and are Earth friendly. They donate 1% of sales to green charities every year. They retail from around $5 for a single brush to $15 or so for a set.

The last line of brushes that I'm familiar with are from Avon. I sold Avon for a while and picked up some brushes there. They have some good eye brushes, mostly in their Mark line. These brushes are reasonably priced from about $5-10, sometimes less if you can catch them on sale. You can order online from Avon now, which I love, because you don't need to go through a rep and you can get your things directly to your house.

There are, of course, higher end brushes that I could mention but I'm happy with my "cheap" set. You can check out Sephora for the higher end brushes and Ulta for brushes of all prices.

Eye Shadow Addiction

Okay, let's talk about my favorite thing...eyeshadow!

This is where I spend the bulk of my money. With some things there isn't a lot of difference between drug store brands and higher end brands but eyeshadow is one of them.

As I have said before, I'm a total Urban Decay girl. Their eyeshadows are smooth and creamy and look so pretty on your eyes. Have you ever gotten an eyeshadow that is pretty in the package but you put it on and it's so light that you can't even see it? That means it's not very pigmented. Urban Decay eyeshadows are very pigmented. They go on nice and bold and pretty true to the color they look in the pan(depending on your skin tone, they look slightly different on everyone). They are also the makers of the Naked Palette, which is a wildly popular palette. The colors are all neutral and go with many different tones. They have two versions, Naked #1 is for more warmer skin tones while Naked #2 is more for those with cooler tones. Both would work for anyone though and most people use this in their daily makeup routine (like me!). Both palettes are $50 each but I have not regretted spending the money on mine for a second.

Naked #1

Naked #2

I also have the Mariposa Palette ($39), which I use when I need some color.

I pretty much exclusively use these two palettes and I've never wished for more. The only negative thing I could say about Urban Decay eyeshadows are that some of them are overly sparkly and have some glitter fallout under your eyes. Most of their colors have a little bit of a sheen to them so if you want more matte colors this might not be your eyeshadow holy grail. :)

Here are a few more brands that make awesome eyeshadows:

LORAC-These are nice, creamy eyeshadows that look great wet or dry. LORAC is one of my favorite lines of makeup, period!

Too Faced-Another great, creamy collection of shadows.

Sephora-The Sephora Collection has some really great palettes. The eyeshadows are excellent wet or dry. They don't last quite as long as UD in my experience but they are less expensive so it evens out.

Physicians Formula-Pretty decent drug store brand! I love the brush that comes with the shimmer strip collection. They have tons of choices and colors for a great price.

Wet and Wild-I was amazed to hear so many good things about Wet and Wild eyeshadows. I remember Wet and Wild being the $1 brand that I bought as a teenager. Apparently now they have started making some really good, pigmented eyeshadows. I have not tried the new ones for myself but it was worth mentioning because I hear about them so much. I'll have to pick up one and check it out for you guys. :D

Whew, I knew this was going to be a long post. I get excited about eyeshadow...as you can tell. :)

Egg White Mask

This is something that I tried out of desperation and found out that it really works! My pores are the bane of my existence most days. They are huge and ugly and I am convinced that you can see them from five feet away (although I've been assured that is not the case). Before I could shrink those pores, I had to get my blackheads under control. I was scouring the internet for remedies and I found this DIY face mask.

Egg White Mask

1. Crack an egg and separate the white into a small bowl.
2. Take a fork and whisk the egg white until it becomes foamy.
3. Make sure your face is nice and clean and spread the egg white all over.
4. When the egg is still wet, take pieces of toliet paper and put it over the egg.
5. Wait about 10 minutes (or until the paper is dry and stiff) and peel off.
6. Wash any excess egg off with water and ta-da!


Basically, it works like a big pore strip for your face! I found that it brings blackheads and whiteheads to the surface much quicker and leaves my face soft. I've done this treatment a few times now and I'm very pleased with it.

If you need a more visual tutorial, you can watch this video:



He does it a bit more fancy than I do, but it works the same no matter how you do it. :)

Primer

What is primer? The dictionary defines primer as this:

Primer (prim-er) verb: To prepare or make ready for a particular purpose or operation.

Six months ago I could not have told you what makeup primer was. I had never heard of it in my life. Now that I know what it's for and I've used it, I can see how beneficial it is to achieving a perfect makeup complexion.

Makeup primer basically sits on top of your moisturizer and creates a nice, smooth palette for your foundation. Think of it like this...your face is full of wrinkles and pores and other such things. The primer kind of fills those in and makes a clean slate for your makeup. That way your foundation or concealer doesn't sink into those places, which is never a good thing. It can help do everything from add moisture to control oil, depending on the kind you choose. It also holds onto your foundation and makes it last longer. For us Louisiana girls who are dying in the heat right now, it can also keep your makeup from literally melting off your face. Eye primer is the same kind of thing. It keeps your eyeshadow nice and crease free and lasting all day (or night).

I have tried many kinds of face primer so far...everywhere from Revlon to MakeUp Forever. I use a mid-priced ($18) one from Sephora brand and I am happy with it. In my experience so far, it's all about trial and error with primers. You have to find one that fits specific skin needs (dry, oily, redness, etc).

Check out this link for more information about face primers and a few suggestions of some of the best ones to consider:

Best Makeup Primers

This is also a really good video with a review of both drugstore and higher end primers:







I hope that helped you all understand primers a little better!

Where'd you get them pretty eyes?

This was my eye makeup today. I really liked the blue color that I used so I thought that I would share. Ignore my red, tired eyes. It was the end of the day (but 8 hours after application, the colors were still going strong!). :)

(I am an Urban Decay girl all the way so that's where most of my eyeshadows are going to come from. There are many less expensive eyeshadows that do just as well...these just happen to be my favorite.)

I am wearing, in this order:

1. Urban Decay Primer Potion in the color Sin.
2. Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Virgin (from the Naked Palette) as a base/highlight color.
3. Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Haight (from the Mariposa Palette) on my eyelid.
4. Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Mushroom (from the Mariposa Palette) on the outer edge.
5. Urban Decay 24 Hour Eye Pencil in Gunmetal as liner.
6. Lorac Multiplex 3D Mascara in Black.

My Face Routine

As someone who grew up wearing very little makeup, imagine my confusion when I watched my first makeup tutorial on YouTube. Primer?! Moisturizer?! I was lucky if my face got washed with anything other than soap and water! I barely managed to remember to remove my makeup before bed every night! How was I supposed to remember all this?! Believe me folks, it gets easier. :) Here is my face routine from start to finish:

Morning:

1. Wash face. I use Aveeno Active Naturals Smart Essentials Face Wash ($5-$6) right now. I haven't found a face wash that I'm in love with yet. I do like this one though because it leaves my face very soft and clean feeling.

2. Toner. I use Neutrogena Pore Refining Toner. ($5-$6) Pores are one of my main concerns so I picked this up. I have been using it for about a month with no visible reduction of my pores that I can see. It works just as a general, nice toner though.

3. Astringent. I use Avon Blackhead Clearing Astringent. ($4- $5) As with most Avon products, I do like this one. It makes my face feel clean and doesn't dry out my skin. I haven't noticed any new blackhead since I've been using it but the ones I did have didn't go away without a little more prompting.

4. Moisturizer. This is a tough one for me. I have not found a moisturizer that I like yet. I have combination skin, with my T-zone being very oily. The ones I have tried have felt too heavy on my skin. I just ordered DHC's Water Based Moisturizer. It's a bit pricier than I'd usually go ($16.50) but DHC has some amazing products and it will surely be worth it.

*Now, all this stuff I do at home as part of my normal getting dressed routine. It looks like a lot but when you get a pattern down, you will breeze through it without blinking an eye. On to makeup!*

5. Face Primer. I use Sephora's Tricks of the Trade Anti-Shine Primer. That being said, I picked up this primer for $5 on clearance a couple months ago. I just checked and it looks like they are sold out now. I do like this primer as much as some of the higher end ones that I've tried (Smashbox, Makeup Forever). None of them seem to keep my nose from getting oily however. I usually have to do a couple powder touchups during the day. If you are looking for a lower price one to try, I'd give the one from Hard Candy ($8) a try. I hear a lot of good things about this line although I've never tried this particular primer for myself.

6. Concealer. I use Maybelline's Instant Age Rewind Concealer ($7-$10). I use the color Fair or the Brightening. This has hands down been the best concealer I've ever had. I love the applicator (a little spongy on the end) and how light it is. It covers well and does not cake up under my foundation. The Brightening version is a light pink color. I use it under my eyes to bring in a little lightness there since I'm a glasses wearer and our glasses tend to cast shadows under our eyes. A great heavy duty concealer is Hard Candy's Glamoflauge ($6). This stuff is amazing! I use it if I have a particularly bad spot that I need to cover. You do need to be careful with this product though. A tiny bit goes a VERY long way and it can cake up if you use too much. It does also tend to set into wrinkles though so in my opinion, it's best as a spot corrector.

7. Foundation. I use Clinique's Even Better Foundation ($27).  I love love love this product. It goes on lightly, covers well and has even helped correct the redness on my face. I live in Louisiana where it is very hot and humid and it has held up well. It does get a bit too dewy if I spend a while outside but who wouldn't in 105 degree/100% humidity weather? I have very fair skin and I wear the color Linen. Now, I know $27 is a bit pricey for a lot of you so I have a great alternative. It is Cover Girl and Olay Tone Rehab Foundation ($12-$13). I use the color Ivory in this one. This is a really great foundation! I only switched to Clinique to try and combat some of my redness or I'd still be using it. In fact, that whole Cover Girl and Olay line is really nice. Catch a buy one, get one sale and you're set!

 8. Powder. Right now I use Covergirl Clean Pressed Powder ($6). I have no issues with it except that naturally, the puff gets oily and dirty after a while. I have on order E.L.F.'s High Definition Powder ($6). I got the opportunity to try Makeup Forever's HD Finishing Powder and it was amaaaaaaazing. However, I did not like the $32 price tag. I read that this E.L.F version is supposed to be just as good so I'll get back to you on that!

9. Obviously, at night you wash it all away and do numbers 1-4 again. I haven't tried many night creams so I can't recommend one for you right now.

Ask me anything you want and give me some good cleanser/night cream suggestions! I'd love to hear them.

Next.....(my favorite!) EYES!

Introduction

Hi guys! My name is Pam and I'm here to help all those women like me....the completely clueless when it comes to beauty routines. We will unravel the great makeup mystery together....and try to do it without breaking the bank!

Here's my story: when i turned 30, I started to notice my skin more. Those little wrinkles forming under my eyes, my enormous pores, my stupid teenage acne....just to name a few! I saw an article on Yahoo! one day about a cute british lady named Tanya Burr. They were featuring her for causing a stir with her makeup tutorials on YouTube. I watched a few and loved them. I kept watching...and watching....and then taking notes of what techniques she was using and also what products. I did a lot of research on these products (and many others) and decided to get with the program.

I started washing my face religiously. I moisturize and tone and all of those other things I should have been doing for years. Amazingly, my acne cleared up and my face looks better than ever! Imagine that!

There is a still a lot of mystery to me in a lot of the facets of makeup and hair care. I'll share what I learn and I hope that it helps someone else too! Please share with me your favorite products and tips as well!