Q&A: Defeating mascara smudges

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Question of the Day: "What can I do to stop my mascara from smudging, especially under my eyes?"


There are several techniques you can use to keep your mascara from straying during the day. Hopefully one or more of these will do the trick!

1. Use an oil-free moisturizer/eye cream under your eyes. Oil breaks down even the most tenacious mascaras, so the less chance it has to come in contact with oil, the better chance of it staying put. 
2. Use your eyeshadow primer all over your lids AND underneath on your lower lashline. It's designed to keep your eye makeup from wandering or creasing and will help control oil if your skin is oily.
3. Lightly dust your lashes with translucent powder before applying mascara. This will not only thicken them and give you more lash volume, but will make the mascara clingier and less likely to run.
4. Be sure to set your foundation and concealer well with that same translucent powder. Many foundations and concealers contain moisturizing elements which are a bane to mascara. Setting both will keep any contact between those elements to a minimum. For a great tutorial on how to set your foundation, click here- surprise: it doesn't involve using a powder brush until the very end!
5. Use waterproof mascara. This sounds like a no-brainer, but using a "stronger" mascara will help it stay longer and will make it less likely to budge.

Do you have any other tricks that work for you? Leave them in the comments below!

Looks: Saint Patrick's Day 2012

This year's Saint Patrick's Day metallic green liner. Apologies for crappy photos - all I had handy was my Droid.

Quick Tip: Dealing With Eyeshadow Fallout

Today's Quick Tip: Dealing with eyeshadow fallout! 
Lots of techniques, pick the ones that work best for you:




1) Pile on a LOT of loose face powder under your eyes before doing your eye makeup. Any fallout will be caught on the powder and can be harmlessly dusted away when you're done.

The loose powder technique

2) Hold a tissue or soft paper towel under your eye while you do your eye makeup to catch any falling pigment

The tissue technique

3) Use a primer! Eyeshadows/pigments/glitters need something to stick to and primer really helps. ELF makes good cheap ones. You can also use cream eyeshadow as a base, or even creamy eye pencil or gel liner.


4) Build your color in layers rather than trying to slap on a whole brushful of color in the first swipe.

Wellcrap.

5) Use a product like "eyeshadow shields" under your eyes. Basically a fancier version of #2 above.

Shadow Shields

6) Do your eye makeup FIRST. Then do your foundation and concealer, etc. That way if you do have any fallout, you can just wipe it away with makeup remover and carry on. 


More tips from one of my favorite MUAs: Wayne Goss

Do you have a fallout preventing technique that works great for you, or do you already use any of these? Let me know about it in the comments!

Review: Maybelline Illegal Length Fiber Extensions Mascara

I admit it. I'm a drugstore mascara kind of person. For something that you are supposed to throw away every 3 months, I just can't see spending $20+ on "high end" mascara when basically the best you can expect a mascara to do is darken your lashes. Sometimes you get lucky and get a formula that really does that it says (to some degree) - thickening or lengthening - but it's such a crapshoot that I prefer not to gamble on it.

One of the mascaras I've found that actually does what it claims is Maybelline Illegal Length Fiber Extensions Mascara. I bought in the color "Blackest Black" it at Walgreens, I think it was about $7.

The packaging is pretty standard, but I like that the "tube" is squared off because then it doesn't roll off my vanity table and it's easier to find in my purse since it's distinctive.

You can see the fibers on this closeup of the brush.

It definitely lengthened my lashes and made them very black. The brush was easy to use, not too big, and the formula was pretty smooth for a fiber lash mascara. It wore well over the course of the day, but did leave some fiber fallout.

This is what the Maybelline ads suggest for the product:

Yeah, these are her real lashes. LOL

From the TV commercial

Did I look like the Maybelline ads and commercials? Well no, of course not because they use false lashes in them, but here's what it did look like on me. Quite an improvement, I thought:

Sorry, I didn't think to do "before" photos, but suffice it to say that my natural lashes
are nowhere near this long or this dark without mascara.

You can see some of the fiber schmutz here.

..and here.

I would definitely consider purchasing this mascara again when this tube is ready to be tossed. In this same category, I am also eager to try Avon's new Super Extend mascara.

Do you have a favorite lengthening mascara? Or one you absolutely hate? Feel free to share your opinions in the comments below!

Review: Lancome Tient Idole Fresh Wear

With warmer weather coming up soon, today I want to write up a thorough review on a product I've been using and liking during the summer for awhile now - Lancome Tient Idole Fresh Wear 18 HR Shine-Free Makeup, SPF 15 (amazon or Lancome USA). It's not a new product, but an old favorite.

The official blurb: "Experience 18 hours of coverage, while skin feels completely bare. This fluid foundation leaves skin looking fresh and flawless for 18-hour, shine-free perfection with a beautifully bare sensation. The feather-light formula with Lancôme’s Color Keeper™ Refining Complex instantly minimizes the look of pores and imperfections, while shine-control technology keeps skin comfortably matte for a full 18 hours, even under stress, humidity and perspiration. It simply feels too good to be makeup. SPF 15 offers protection against harmful UV rays. Ideal for normal to oily skin types."


The reason I chose to review this product is because I am pleasantly surprised how well it works for me and want to share my findings in case you may have ruled it out based on your skin type. 


FOR SKIN TYPE
According to Lancome, this foundation is designed for Normal to Oily Skin types, but I have Dry to Very Dry skin and this foundation works very well for me as long as I apply moisturizer first, but who doesn't already do that? Usually long-lasting, matte foundations make my face feel tight and look cakey, but not Tient Idole Freshwear.


PACKAGING
This foundation comes in a squeezy tube with a twist on lid. The tube is 0.8 Fl. Oz.


PRICE
From $18.50 on Amazon for certain shades to $34 at Lancome.com and Sephora.


FINISH
Tient Idole Fresh Wear dries down to a matte, powdery finish. I find that if I use my normal (fairly rich) day cream underneath this foundation, it feels comfortable, looks good, and lasts all day. I don't mind the matte finish, since I can always add a shimmering primer or illuminator or highlighter if I really want to. It's kind of nice to have options and not be shimmery by default like so many products are anymore. I hate to complain, but shimmery is not the same as "dewy", and some products just make people look shiny and gross. But I digress...


WEAR
Lancome claims this foundation wears for 18 hours, and I admittedly have not put that claim to the test scientifically, but I can say that it lasts all day (8-10 hours) for me with no problem. It wears a bit harder when it's very humid and I'm a bit sweaty, but that's going to be true of any foundation. In spring and fall, this is flawless all day for me.


SHADES
I think the shade range is pretty good for this foundation, it has lots of very light to medium options and even a few darker caramel tones. For the very dark , though, there aren't really any options. *sadface* I do wish more lines had a better selection at the extreme ends of the scale, for the very light and the very dark. 


Shades for Tient Idole Freshwear are broken up into three "intensities", and quite honestly, you'd have to ask the counter help at Lancome to explain them because they don't immediately make sense to me looking at them online. In Intensity I, for example, there are 3 shades: Ivoire 1C, Ivoire 2C, and Ivoire 4N. 


I'm assuming "C" means "cool/pinkish", "W" means "warm/yellowish" and "N" means "neutral/neither yellow nor pink" with regard to the undertones. For those of you familiar with MAC, this is the *opposite* of how MAC labels their foundations, so just be aware of that.


Intensity II has 4 shades, ranging from Buff 2W to Buff 6W with two cool Buff shades in the middle.


Intensity III is the largest group with seven shades total. The shades range from Bisque 9 (W) as the darkest, to Bisque 0 (W), which is the shade I am currently using. It's a teensy bit too dark and too warm for me, but thinned out with a bit of moisturizer, it looks pretty good on my winter-pasty coloring right now and perks it up a little bit. I think if I wanted a perfect match, I would need something more like Ivoire 4N or maybe Buff 4C? Maybe it's just my computer, but the swatches on the website seem really terrible and nonintuitive - for example Buff 6W in Intensity II appears much darker than Bisque 6W in Intensity III. Like I mentioned earlier, it could just be that I don't understand what the intensity levels indicate, also. I'll look into that next time I'm near a counter and post an update on what I learn.


Intensity IV has 3 shades, all for darker skin tones in the caramel range: Suede 0N, Suede 1N, and Suede 2W.


None of the shades seemed terribly pink with the exception of perhaps Buff 5C and Bisque 2C. Most seemed more yellow based in the lighter tones and more orange as they got darker. KarlaSugar has some great swatches in this post.


COVERAGE
Light to medium. I've read elsewhere that it's buildable, but i haven't personally really had the need to build it up since it covers so well the first time. A lot of the time, I don't even use concealer with this foundation because it's unnecessary. I know that sounds like a lot of coverage, but I swear it looks like I've got nothing on!


TEXTURE
The texture is very lightweight and thin, almost watery, and the product needs a good shake before you use it each time. I really like how concentrated it is. It is $34 for 0.8 Fl Oz on the Lancome site, but a little bit goes a looong way. To do my entire face, I use about 3-4 drops. Seriously.


APPLICATION
I usually apply this foundation with my fingers. You could also use a damp sponge to sheer it out a bit, or even stippling brush, though I am concerned that using a brush would cause you to use a whole lot more product to get the same effect.


SPF
This foundation has SPF 15, which is a good start, but most dermatologists recommend wearing SPF 30 daily if you are concerned about sun exposure. But really, you shouldn't be relying on your foundation to provide all your sunscreen anyhow.


SUMMARY
I think this is a really good choice for hot/humid summer weather, especially if you have Normal to Oily skin. It may also work for you if you have Dry skin if you moisturize before application. It is not necessary to powder this foundation to set it, and you probably want to use blotting papers with it if you get oily breakthrough during the day rather than add powder to an already powdery finish. A little bit goes a long way, so don't let the price scare you. No special tools needed to apply well. Probably not the best choice for flash photography due to the SPF 15. Not a great choice if you have really dark skin.


Have questions or want to share your experience with this foundation or your favorites for summer wear? Please leave your comments below!

Review: Pixi Flawless Beauty Stick

I finally broke down and bought a couple of the Pixi products I've been drooling over at Target for ages now. Since they are pretty pricey, I only bought two items, one of which was the Flawless Beauty Stick.


The Pixi Flawless Beauty Stick is a creamy stick foundation. It only comes in three shades, so if you are darker than about a medium tan, you wouldn't be able to use this product at all. The lightest shade is called No. 1 Cream, which is the one I purchased. The other two shades are No. 2 Nude and No. 3 Warm. Not a whole lot of range there unfortunately.


The Pixi website says "Cream to powder finish, from sheer to full coverage, is achieved in a few fuss-free seconds with a simple dab and blend application. With an SPF 28, this rescue stick quickly evens out skin tone, makes skin look rested and flawless and perfects the complexion by counterbalancing redness. Using light to its advantage, prismatic pigments create a radiant, luminous look, while nourishing ingredients protect and comfort skin. Hypoallergenic, fragrance free, suitable for all skin types including very sensitive skin."


I did not find that it had a "cream to powder" finish at all. It was very creamy and did not set at all. I don't mind this in principle because I can always set with powder or a setting spray.


I loved the color. I am very pale and quite pink, so most foundations are very yellow for me. No. 1 Cream is a very pale neutral shade that was very flattering on me. The product had no detectable fragrance, and the packaging seemed sturdy and not like the cap would come off in your purse accidentally and ruin the stick. I also liked the coverage level, which varied from sheer to about medium depending on your application technique. This product could also be used as a concealer or highlighting shade if you were doing contouring.


I also liked that it is cruelty free, makes an effort at green packaging, contains no parabens, and has SPF 28.


My big complaint about this product is that it went *directly* into my pores and stayed there looking cakey, despite me trying a couple of different application techniques (fingers, damp sponge, buffing brush) and a couple different primers (including the Pixi Flawless Beauty Primer, which will be in another review soon), to no avail.


I paid $28 for this foundation, which is A LOT for what is basically a drugstore foundation (sorry Target), and I'm afraid I am going to have to take it back because I just can't stand foundation that sits in the pores and looks cakey. *sadface*


Maybe it will work better for someone with a different skin type (or smaller pores? lol). If you've tried it, leave your comments and opinions below!

Makeup Quick Tip: Concealer

I cannot get over how educational this video tutorial from one of my favorite gurus on YouTube is:


5 ways to apply concealer - Wayne Goss


As Wayne says, when done correctly, concealer is a wonderful thing. When done wrong, it's worse than not having done anything at all. The video above should help make sure that we're all good examples and not dire warnings :)

Makeup Quick Tip: Foundation

Best thing I learned this week from the Pixiwoos: Apparently the more you work MAC Face and Body Foundation (this is a pro product only, sorry), the more coverage it provides and the texture changes. 


I tested this out with my bottle (shade N2) using both my fingers and a buffing brush, and I see now what they mean! I think fingers actually worked better than the brush, but what happens is the foundation gets creamier and thicker and somehow covers better and gets less dewy. I swear it becomes totally invisible when fully worked into your skin. I also like the moist feel of it, even though it's water-based. 


I was feeling all stupid using Face and Body with a flat foundation brush or dabbing it on with a sponge and not getting much coverage out of it until I learned this trick. Now I see why pretty much every makeup pro has this in their kit!


*Disclaimer: I bought my own bottle and the link above is not an affiliate link.

Mini Review: China Glaze Hunger Games “Colours From The Capitol” Collection

So I ran down my local Sally Beauty in great anticipation of these colors and, unlike a lot of bloggers, was kind of "meh" about them once I actually laid eyes on them. I ended up picking up 4 of them to try, but two of the top 3 I wanted were already sold out (Smoke and Ashes and Dress Me Up). I did however get Luxe and Lush, Agro, Fast Track, and Riveting. Other blogs do a great job with swatches and discussions of all the colors and application tips, so this is just my opinion.


I ended up returning all four.


Why?


Either they were not unique enough colors or crappy formula. The only one I wavered about was Fast Track (Dist 6), which is a slightly interesting twist on a nude with gold microflecks. Reminded me of a lighter, beige-r version of "Ingrid" from the 2010 Vintage Vixen collection. Unfortunately it just didn't have the opacity I'd like after even three coats.


The huge disappointment was "Luxe and Lush" (Dist 1), which is a flakie top coat. I'm in the middle of a flakie addiction just like everybody else at the moment, but this one was really a miss. The base just didn't have enough body to it to suspend the flakes and when I put them over any other color, they just sat there sort of pasted on looking and sparse and forlorn. :(


Agro is a nice, but fairly standard metallic olive that I would have liked better as a creme, and Riveting is an orange jelly with gold flecks - pretty but I guess maybe too bright/young for me?


I really just wish the other two colors hadn't been sold out. Now after being disappointed in person, I'm afraid to order them online. le sigh


On a happier note, I did just order some Nfu Oh polishes. Can't *wait* to get those!


Update 03/06/2012: Broke down and ordered "Smoke and Ashes" online. Fingers crossed.