DIY Makeup Recipes

Although I am not ready to leap into making my own makeup, it is an interesting concept for those who are concerned about what they put on their skin.

If you are interested in making your own makeup, click here.

DIY Blush

Who wouldn't want to at least try to make

 blush that ends up costing a penny or two?

What a wonderfully frugal idea!!

This project comes from one of my newest

 blog discoveries, My American Confessions.

Click here for the tutorial!

Dramatic eye makeup

Wow I love the dramatic eye look!

My favorite is the high contrast of silver and black.

One of the things I love to do is experiment with makeup when I'm home alone and have nowhere to go.  Great makeup application takes practice practice practice.  Don't be afraid of bold colors, black eyeliner or false lashes . . . go for it, but by all means, practice.

Here are some past blog posts that include tutorials on makeup techniques:

How To Make Your Eyes Beautiful

Put Your Best Face Forward

Put your best face forward

Happy day before Christmas Eve!


We've reached Christmas week . . . plans are finalized, we're checking items off  our lists of last minute stuff to do , it is the time to get really serious about cooking and baking . . . oh, the gift wrapping . . . many of us put our Christmas trees up this week . . . are there enough hours in the day?


On my agenda for today . . . make massive amounts of fudge and decorate the Christmas tree while listening to Christmas music.


What about you?  What is on your last minute agenda?


Have you taken time to pamper yourself?  It is time!!


Searching for a new makeup look or need some tips?  I've put together some videos, articles and blogs to help you put it all together . . . look fabulous and glamourous for the holiday parties!




Videos

Smashbox ~ New Videos


Eye Makeup "Winging It" 


Get Kim Kardashian's Smokey Eye Look


Blogs

Beauty Booty 411


Pretty Holiday Makeup Tips from Allure


Celebrity Makeup Looks


Makeup Guides

Tips for Beautiful Eyelashes

Long, luscious, thick eyelashes are always in style. Most of us, however, were not fortunate enough to be born with such beautiful eyelashes. Thankfully, the cosmetic industry is here to help! Whatever your need, there is a mascara out there for you. Short lashes? Try a lengthening mascara. Thin lashes? Try a thickening mascara. Straight lashes? Try a curling mascara. All three? Try a volumizing mascara. Which one is the best choice for you? Here are a few tips to help you decide.

Decide between normal wear, water resistant, and waterproof

Mascaras are formulated from wax, pigments and resins which are then dissolved in either water, petroleum jelly, or a combination of both. As the water or petroleum evaporates, it leaves behind the wax to help make your lashes look thicker, longer, or both. Formulas made from water are, by their nature, not waterproof, so they smear and run easier. Mascaras made of petroleum are waterproof, but can be clumpy-looking and difficult to remove. Water resistant, which combines both water and petroleum, offers a nice balance between the two. However, if you're a crier at weddings, you may want to go ahead and wear waterproof for such an occasion!

Don't buy more help than you need

If you have long lashes, but they're thin, don't buy mascara with a lengthening agent. When lashes clump or get that weird spider-looking effect, it's usually because there are more agents in the mascara than the lashes need. Volumizing mascara is tempting, but avoid it unless your lashes truly are short and thin. This will also save you a little money at the register. A general rule is the more things a mascara can cure, the more expensive it is.

Learn how to curl or thicken your lashes without the extra agents

To get great curl on your lashes, take your eyelash curler and place it at the root of your lashes. Hold firmly for ten seconds and release. If your lashes are stick straight, you can move up slightly away from the roots, repeating the curl. Do this until the ends of your lashes. With a curved mascara wand, hold the wand so the brush looks like a rainbow. Brush the roots of your lashes back and forth a couple of times (a similar motion to brushing your teeth), before sweeping through to the tips. Not only will this help curl your lashes, it will also help thicken them. Want those thick, Red Carpet lashes? Quickly apply ten thin coats of mascara (yes, ten!). If you let it dry between coats, you'll ruin the effect and have clumps. Quick strokes are the key.

Choose the right color

Basic rule of thumb: black lengthens, brown thickens. A fun look that will both thicken and lengthen your lashes is a process called minking. To mink your lashes, apply a coat of brown mascara. After that layer has dried, apply black mascara just to the tips of your lashes. Your lashes will look thick at the roots and phenomenally long at the tips.

Use eye make-up remover

Even if your mascara is not waterproof, using regular soap or facial cleaners can wreak havoc on your eyelashes. If it requires a lot of scrubbing to get the mascara off, you run the risk of pulling out lashes. Losing eyelashes at every washing is not something a thickening mascara can help you with. Fight the problem at its source. The best eye make-up remover will be oil-free, using a saline or silicone base, preferably both, that will gently wash away even waterproof mascara. Never scrub at your lashes. Gently rub away the mascara with a soft cloth or cotton balls.

Toss your mascara every three months

Even if you've only used the tube once, throw out your mascara every three months. Mascara tubes are breeding grounds for lots of microbial infections and eye mites. Three months is the longest shelf life any tube of mascara has. If you notice that your mascara is clumpy in the tube or smells odd, throw it out. Never, ever let someone else use your mascara. It's the quickest way to spread an eye infection.

Source: K. Pantinas

GreatestLook.com

AWESOME WEBSITE!
 

Shimmery eye makeup

I admit it . . . I'm makeup obsessed! Furthermore, I LOVE shimmery eye makeup and found this blog post fascinating. Hope you find it enlightening . . . experiment with shimmery eye makeup . . . try it, you'll love the results!


Can we wear shimmer in our makeup after 40?

September 17, 2008 by Deborah Boland and JoJami Tyler - The Glam Gals

Came across an interesting blog post the other day at Raising Angls.com. The writer told the story how of how she was at the makeup counter recently and was asking the woman behind the counter , ” Is it Ok for women over 40 to have those “shimmer things” in the eyeshadow. The woman’s reply was “Why YES!, you can shimmer all you want after 40 you just don't want to sparkle!”

We were curious what our favorite expert Christopher Hopkins (The Makeover Guy) thoughts were on the difference between shimmer and sparkle.

Here is what he said:

“I agree. A little shimmer in the right places can be very effective. (Key: right place). The brow bone, a touch in the eye lid, a soft shimmer in lip color. It’s the size of the particles, really. It’s like eggshell vs. matte vs. gloss. But it is pretty difficult to tell how much shimmer something has until you’ve worn it for a few hours and it has settled into ‘areas’ we’d rather not accentuate with shimmer or shine.”

If in doubt, save the shimmer for evening, and eliminate highly frosted or seriously shiny makeup altogether.

Christopher Hopkins is the author of Staging Your Comeback: A Complete Beauty Revival for Women Over 45

Makeup tips for the boomer babe

Here are some tips from the Glam Girls . . .

GO EASY ON THE MAKE-UP!

As our hair lightens and begins to go grey, our eyebrows also lighten, our skin pales and we start to look washed out.

Many of us try to compensate by piling on the make up. We think that bright lipstick, lots of blush, tons of eye shadow, and dark eyeliner will restore our youth. Bright make-up after 40 will make you look like a clown or female impersonator! So here's what you do:

1. Avoid Heavy Foundation

Since your skin dries and dulls as it ages, it's best to switch to a dewier look. Trade in your heavy matte foundation, which gives you that mask look, for a tinted moisturizer (We love the one by Laura Mercier).
If you want more coverage try, mixing your foundation with some moisturizer to thin it out, or mix your foundation with a tinted moisturizer. You may also want to check out 'light reflecting foundations' especially created for mature skin because they reflect light off those little wrinkles.

2. Put away the Powder

Too much powder can make you dry and cakey. If you must use powder because you have oily skin, use loose powder in the T-zone, only.

3. Switch Your Blush

Powder Blush is heavy looking on mature lined skin. Instead try a cream blush. It's more natural looking and will make you look vibrant.

4. Examine your Eye Shadows

Be careful with shimmering shadows. Too much sparkle accentuates creepy eyelids. Also avoid too much bright color on your eyes. Neutral colored eye shadows- beiges, browns, creams, gays, taupes, will show off your eyes instead of your eyelids.

5. Don't let Eyeliner Overpower

Don't use black...too harsh. Instead, try dark brown and then blend well with a brown powder. Best way to apply it is as close to the eyelash as possible, dotting between lashes and then smoothing out the line, or even better just under your upper lashes. Your eyes will appear much bigger.

6. Baby your Brows

Your eyebrows create a beautiful frame to showcase your eyes so don't neglect them as you age. Be sure to keep them in good shape so they don't get scraggly. After 40 Many women tend to let the brow go pale and darken the lips at this stage, when in fact you should darken the brows so they frame your eyes (but don't get as carried away as Liz), and lighten up the lips.

7. Lighten Your Lips

Soften lips with pinks, corals, light browns, nothing too dark or too bright or there will be too much contrast between your lips, skin and hair. Too much contrast makes you look hard.

8. Use a Light Hand with Lip Liner

Good idea to use a liner to prevent lip bleed, but keep it soft in color and application. You should not be able to tell you have it on.

9. Banish Pasty Face

The older we get the paler we get and that old lady look starts to kick in. To avoid this try using a very light bronzer to finish off your look and give your skin a youthful sun kissed glow. To apply: Hold your bronzing brush at your temple and round it down in a sweeping motion to your cheekbone (creating a backwards c motion). From your cheekbone, round it down in a sweeping motion to just below the jaw line (creating another backwards c). Repeat on the other side.


Source: http://www.tvimagelive.com/fabulousafter40/9_Makeup_Musts

Celebrities without makeup

We all know the pros and cons of makeup . . . the biggest pro is that it makes us look more attractive and covers a multitude of imperfections.

I don't know about you, but it shocks me when I see "the beautiful people" without makeup on . . . it is the illusion that these people are perfection that we strive for when most of them look like ordinary people when they have no makeup on.

Click here for an article with lots of photos on this subject.

The Battle of the Best Drugstore Mineral Makeup

As I was researching an article I am writing that considers the pros and cons of the new trendy "must have" beauty product, minerals makeup, I came across this excellent article comparing the value and quality of the drugstore brands as an alternative to the more expensive cosmetic lines.

Although I have not jumped on the minerals makeup bandwagon, since I am usually up in the middle of the night, I have been tempted by the lure of the intense hype surrounding minerals makeup that has found me with the phone in my hand ready to place an order. Me, my credit card, infomercials or the home shopping networks on television can be very dangerous.

Then I remember my budget and the stockpile of my beloved Adrien Arpel makeup foundation that I have used for as long as I remember . . . I'll do a blog about her in the future . . . she is one of the ladies I most admire in this world.

If you have tried minerals makeup, but found it a bit too expensive for your budget, check out this article for some bargain values that may work for you. I've said it before, it is not always how much you pay for a product, it is the value of what you pay for . . . sometimes you are just paying for the expensive packaging, marketing costs associated with the brand name and not the quality of the product at all . . . apparently, that applies for minerals makeup too!

Get those kabuki brushes back out . . . minerals makeup can be affordable!

Are you makeup obsessed?

You should be if you are not since I don't care who you are . . . none of us was born perfect and we should always try to look the best we can. It is the one single thing in life that can make me feel better instantly . . . pampering myself and putting on the makeup even if it is just for me. Your mirror should reflect back the most outwardly beautiful person you can be, it will just make you feel better if you do that for yourself.

I'm one of those women who has little stashes of make up bags here and there . . . you can never have too much makeup. My belief is that you don't have to buy expensive makeup . . . drug store makeup is just as good . . . REALLY, with the exception of foundation. In my opinion, good skin care is what is important.

I made my own glittery lip gloss that is just as good as my glittery Lancome lip gloss that cost $20+ . . . the base was clear lip gloss from the drug store that cost me maybe $1.50 for the entire tube and I added my own loose makeup glitter to it. The best deal at the drug store makeup counter of no name makeup are the eyeliner and lipliner pencils . . . they are awesome and so cheap.

As a young adult, one of my ambitions was to be a famous makeup artist to the stars . . . I so wanted to do that. However, when I went to beauty school I discovered that touching strangers grossed me out . . . but beauty school was a blast anyway. I'm still an awesome makeup artist though . . . and I'm always going through the internet looking for new looks, techniques and makeup products.


Some of my favorite makeup blogs . . .

NecessaryMakeup.com

The Makeup Bag

The Makeup Girl

Click here for an awesome tutorial on how to achieve that cat-eye look from Temptalia.


I have lots of favorite make up blogs and websites . . . will be sharing them with you . . .