Beauty School: Essential Brushes

Hi everyone,

You may not think about your makeup brushes as often as you do the type of foundation or color eyeshadow that you use, but that doesn’t mean that your brush collection isn’t every bit as important to your makeup collection as the individual products that you swear by! Your brushes are an essential part of your makeup collection…you can have all the best cosmetics in the world, but without brushes, your application and finished look will suffer.

A lot of times people aren’t sure what kind of brushes they should buy. If you have a relatively small makeup collection, are on a tight budget, or don’t have any makeup brushes to begin with, it can be confusing. So over a few Beauty School posts, I thought we could focus on these necessary tools – from how to maximize your brush budget as a whole to the detailed descriptions of each individual brush!

To start things off, today I’m sharing what I think are the absolute essential makeup brushes that a girl should own. Here are the seven you should make sure you have in your collection:

1. A foundation brush
2. Powder brush
3. Blush brush
4. Eyeshadow brush
5. Fluffy brush
6. Liner brush
7. Small eyeshadow brush

Do you agree with my list? What other brush-related questions do you have? Let me know by leaving a comment below! ;)

How to Prep the Skin For Makeup

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The easiest way to make your makeup look smoother and prettier (and last longer) is to first prepare your skin accordingly. So after you wash your mug and pat it dry, what's next? Find out your go-to guide for getting the skin ready premakeup when you read more.

Exfoliate: Once the face is washed with a cleanser appropriate for your skin tone, exfoliate with either a physical (like a grainy scrub) or chemical (such as a liquid) exfoliator that's gentle enough for daily use. Sloughing off dead skin cells will help create an even surface for makeup to glide onto. Bonus? Your skin will look brighter because of it. Tip: multitask and use an exfoliating cleanser.

Toner (optional): If you have really oily or acne-prone skin, or if you feel like you still have remaining traces of makeup or residue, a toner can help. It's not a necessary step but can provide extra "cleansing" as needed. It's also important to note that today's toners, unlike their ultra-astringent counterparts of the past, are often also formulated with soothing, calming, and hydrating benefits.

Serum (optional): Whether it's for firming, brightening, or minimizing hyperpigmentation, serums work to treat and correct. Think of them as if they were like vitamins for your face.

Facial moisturizer: Choose a moisturizer according to your skin type. You'll know it's too heavy for you (or that you've overapplied) if your face still feels greasy after about five minutes. Tip: multitask and use a moisturizer with an SPF.

Eye cream: Using your ring finger, pat your eye cream gently around the orbital bone area. By gently dabbing the product in, you'll increase circulation to the area to help move the cream deeper into your skin.

Sunscreen: If you haven't already applied sun protection, now's the time. Remember: apply sunscreen right before makeup.

Prime time: Finally, to ensure your makeup doesn't slip and slide all day long, use a primer prefoundation and preconcealer for flawless results. While it might seem like a lot of steps, you'll find that getting your skin in good shape first will give you the perfect palette for which to apply your makeup.

Beauty School: Which Wand?

Hi everyone,

Not all mascaras are created equal, and mascara wands are just as important as the actual formula inside the tube. With so many different shapes and sizes to choose from these days, it’s useful to know what each wand does. From big to small and combed to curved, this Beauty School post will go over a few of the key differences in wand anatomy to help you get the most out of your mascara.

Brush Shapes

- Straight wands: Most mascaras come with a standard straight wand. This is the basic shape and is the most natural to use.

- Curved brushes have the arc of your lashes and eye shape in mind, and are meant to give you an easy, all-over application.

- Heart-shaped brushes are a combination of the different shapes. They start out as standard brush heads, and taper in to form a narrower point at the end. This design is meant to give you precision when you need it, as well as a normal brush when you don’t.

- Round mascara heads are relatively new. The small, spherical shape is supposed to allow you to reach each and every lash easier than if you were using a larger brush.

Bristle Types

- Standard brush hairs are typically made out of synthetic fibers. These bristly hairs are good for voluminous application, especially when there are a lot of bristles in a single wand.

- Plastic, combed brush heads are good for separation and help you avoid those dreaded spidery lashes.

- Rubber-bristled wands have become really popular and are good for clump-free, voluminous lashes. Mascara tends to dry up less on these kinds of bristles since the formula slides on and off much easier, rather than getting trapped on brush hairs.

- Vibrating or oscillating mascaras may sound strange, but these are great for volume; they do a lot of the wiggling work for you, ensuring that your lashes are separated and evenly coated.

What type of mascara wand do you use? Have you tried all the ones on this list?

How To Choose The Right Foundation Formula

Hi, everyone!

We're excited to bring you another great article from BellaSugar, a fantastic source for beauty news, how-to's, celebrity beauty trends, and giveaways galore. Today, BellaSugar is sharing "How To Choose The Right Foundation"…

When it comes to cosmetics, foundation is, uh, the foundation of your makeup routine. But choosing the formulation for your skin type, coverage preferences, and desired finish can be tricky. We've already explored how to choose the right shade, so let's get right down to the next step: the basics of selecting a foundation formulation. Find out more when you keep reading.

1. Tinted Moisturizer
- Coverage: Sheer, with a lightweight formulation.
- Who it's for: People with normal to dry skin.

2. Liquid
- Coverage: The most versatile, provides anywhere from sheer-to-full coverage, depending on formulation.
- Who it's for: All skin types. Just read the label for the one that's perfect for you.

3. Cream and Sticks
- Coverage: Medium to full. Gives a natural-looking finish that's easy to build upon or tone down.
- Who it's for: Normal-to-dry skin.

4. Mousse
- Coverage: Lightweight with medium to full coverage.
- Who it's for: Normal-to-dry types, specifically great for aging skin, as it's less likely to cake.

5. Cream-to-Powder
- Coverage: More than tinted moisturizer and liquid formulations, but less than regular creams and sticks. For sheer-to-medium coverage that's less creamy, try a similar, yet drier, dual-finish powder.
- Who it's for: Those with normal-to-slightly oily skin.

6. Mineral Powder
- Coverage: Can build easily from medium to full.
- Who it's for: Medium-to-oily skin types.

What's your foundation formula? ;)

Do Mascara Commercials Need to Get Real?

source: farm4.static.flickr.com

Hi everyone,

Mascara commercials have always been a pet peeve of mine... It’s just hard for me to watch these mascara commercials where they talk about how the mascara can create longer and fuller lashes, but then it's as obvious as the sky is blue, and water is wet, that the models are wearing FAKE lashes!!!


source: http://2.bp.blogspot.com

I mean, if they're going to do these commercials, they should at least use more natural looking fake lashes, but they always seem to choose these CRAZY Gaga fake lashes...

source: www.blogcdn.com

Would you prefer that they didn't use fake lashes at all and just showed the real effect the mascara has on the model’s lashes instead? Would you still buy the product seeing a less dramatic looking lash effect? Or do you like seeing the fake lash look in the commercials and ads, and feel like it’s common knowledge that fake lashes are required to re-create the look in the advertisement?

I’m so curious to know what you guys think about all of this! Let me know your thoughts on this tricky topic in the comment section below.

Bonjour! ;)

Beauty School: Slimy Products

Hi everyone,

It might sound gross, but snail slime has actually become a popular ingredient in a variety of beauty products around the world.

Wait… what?

Apparently, the active ingredients found in snail extract have been known to slow premature aging by protecting the skin from harmful elements in the environment. Aside from allowing them to slither along surfaces, a snail's slime is rich in glycolic acid and elastin, which also protects their bodies from bacteria, cuts, and other damaging factors. Creams and products containing snail leftovers are also marketed to smooth skin, treat acne and heal burns because proteins in this sticky substance remove dead cells and helps to restore skin.

Most of the slime hype has popped up in South America and South Korea, and can be found in a variety of products from BB creams to body butters. As with other beauty trends, I have a feeling this one will slowly make its way across waters, too.

I hope you enjoyed it ;) Bonjour!

Beauty Tip: Foundation Application

Hi everyone,

I love using a brush to apply my foundation. Fingers and beauty sponges just don’t cut it for a variety of reasons. I’m going to show you the difference between these application methods using a lemon because the skin of a lemon is similar to that on our face. Here’s my breakdown:

Fingers – Using your fingers to apply foundation will exaggerate your pores and leave you with an uneven finish, because foundation doesn’t blend well with our fingers – no matter how soft our hands may be.

Sponge – A sponge will absorb most of your foundation, thus wasting your product and leaving you with less coverage than you’d like.

Brush – Like an artist blending paint colors, a brush will provide you with the most even application because you’ll have more control over the product. Using a brush will decrease the likelihood of exaggerated pores and leave your skin with a very natural finish.

So, what will you applied with? Fingers, sponge, or brush? haha.

Do you have any quick beauty tips you’d like to see? Let me know in the comments!

I hope you love to read this thread;) Bonjour!

This beauty tips is all from http://www.michellephan.com/