Ok...so I finally got the Sephora package I ordered with the free Bare Escentuals. Here are my thoughts on it, I am bracing myself for the hate mail already! hehe
When I first opened it it had a little sticker on this plastic lid that said "remove before using" so I took the little lid off and then proceeded to spill some on my counter AND the two colors kind of spilled into each other a little bit so I uttered some lovely grown-up words and tried to figure out why they would package it that way....I realized maybe they meant just remove the sticker so I dug the little lid out of my trash can (ew!) and washed it and put it back on. Granted I could take the blame for this one for being dumb but I would have appreciated if they said "remove STICKER". Hmmmph!
I popped the lid thing back on and figured out that it has a little parmesan cheese type lid where you turn it to expose the holes and the product comes out that way. I was iffy about this because it was hard for me to get the extra product I didn't need back into the container, much less the right side of the container. So I finally figured out how to work the damn thing, excitedly grabbed the included V shaped face sculpting brush and went to work.
Ummm I looked like a clown hooker drag queen! The color was so pigmented I picked up way more than I needed, and it turned out to be a much brighter bubble gum pink than the mauve hue it was in the container. But this was my first experience with BE so I had no idea how pigmented they would be, I just assumed it would be lighter since their whole theme is natural beauty etc. And the V brush? HOT TRANNY MESS.
Maybe someone out there who has this brush has mastered how to use it but I really didn't like it at all. Also I have no idea how you're supposed to get the product into the middle of the brush to get it onto your cheeks. I got product on both ends of the brush but not in the middle so I had a fabulous reverse blush/racing stripe look going. More adult words were said before I decided to wipe it off and start the whole process over.
I used one of my MAC Hello Kitty mini blush brushes to apply it instead of the crazy grandma lady V brush and it was muuuch better. I purposely used a smaller blush brush than my usual one because the container is pretty small and I was worried I would get color all over my face if I used my full size brush, and me and the V brush definitely broke up. If you have this product I would recommend using a smaller brush to pick up the color and build on it as you go.
Now I finalllllly put it on a little at a time with my smaller brush and I was happy with how it looked on my face once I figured out the best way to apply it....but as I said before it is pigmented so be sure to build up the color slowly one layer at a time. It had pretty decent staying power throughout the day and did look quite natural (which is a strange place for me...where's my glitter eyeliner?!?) so I will continue to use it but if I had paid for it I have to say I would be a little disappointed.
Overall I would give it 2.5 lipsticks out of 5. I hated the packaging and it's pretty messy still even though I got the lid on. The V brush was really hard to use, maybe I just need to watch someone use it or maybe it would have worked better if I was trying to go for a different look. I immediately thought "If I can't use this brush and I do this for a living I can only imagine what beginners think about it." I was pretty shocked by how pigmented it was and I did like the color but as I said before it didn't really seem true to the color it looked like in the container. It did look pretty on me and it went on nicely once I figured out how to actually put it on. Maybe I'm just not smart enough to use this line?!? ;)
Okay readers...thoughts? Anyone use the V brush and love it? Anyone use this product and love it?
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Blizzard!
Hello everyone! I am currently trapped inside my house with the rest of my family due to the crazy snowstorm we're having here in Chicago. It's supposed to possibly be up to 24 inches, luckily I stocked up on wine yesterday at the grocery store, I have my Hello Kitty ear muffs on, I would say I am very well prepared for this blizzard. I decided the best way to spend this newfound time is to make a new tutorial for everyone. Just because a lot of us are snowed in does not mean we still don't want to look fabulous!
I will be doing a retro/pin-up makeup tutorial soon but first I will be posting a tutorial about achieving the cat eye/Marilyn Monroe eyeliner look. That way everyone can practice that a little bit to get the hang of it and you'll be pros by the time the pin-up tutorial gets posted.
I am getting more followers bit by bit every day so I wanted to thank all my readers for sticking it out until I can make this blog bigger and better :) I'll be doing my first giveaway around Valentine's Day so stay tuned for that.
Oh I almost forgot! I would love ideas for the tutorials my readers would like to see as well as any questions you have, I have some content of my own but I want to make sure a big part of my blog is based on things my followers would like to see, so let me know all those makeup questions you have always had and tell me which kind of looks you would love to know how to do. Stay warm and safe everyone!
xoxo
makeup mistress
I will be doing a retro/pin-up makeup tutorial soon but first I will be posting a tutorial about achieving the cat eye/Marilyn Monroe eyeliner look. That way everyone can practice that a little bit to get the hang of it and you'll be pros by the time the pin-up tutorial gets posted.
I am getting more followers bit by bit every day so I wanted to thank all my readers for sticking it out until I can make this blog bigger and better :) I'll be doing my first giveaway around Valentine's Day so stay tuned for that.
Oh I almost forgot! I would love ideas for the tutorials my readers would like to see as well as any questions you have, I have some content of my own but I want to make sure a big part of my blog is based on things my followers would like to see, so let me know all those makeup questions you have always had and tell me which kind of looks you would love to know how to do. Stay warm and safe everyone!
xoxo
makeup mistress
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Free full size Bare Escentuals foundation and brush with any Sephora purchase....worth $44!!!
I just got a promo code in my inbox for a FREE FULL SIZE BARE ESCENTUALS FOUNDATION AND BRUSH...ladies this is a great deal and no they are not paying me to write this :) It's awesome that it's with any purchase so you could buy something for $5 and still get the foundation which was the selling point for me, I don't feel like a free gift with a $50 purchase is that great of a deal. The promo code for this deal is BELOVED which you can enter at the checkout. The only negative is that you can only use one promo code so there is no free shipping unless you spend over $50. However if you do spend that much it's an even better deal especially if you were going to buy the items eventually anyway. I ordered a new Urban Decay palette I am excited about, I am a superfan of all their products and this palette was on sale for a great price. I have only tried on Bare Escentuals in stores so I'm curious to see if it holds up to my foundation needs. I will review both products for you guys asap!
xoxo
makeup mistress
xoxo
makeup mistress
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
how to shape your eyebrows so you look fabulous
Hello everyone! One of the other lovely traits I inherted from my Mexican side of the family besides my glorious muffin top (who is named Antonio and is pleased to meet you) is my crazy eyebrows. I could rival Frida Kahlo in a unibrow throwdown if I let mine get overgrown enough. Ever since I was about 13 or so they became the bane of my existence and I have done everything short of taking a weed whacker to them to get them in line, although don't think I didn't seriously consider it. So after many years of learning by trial and (lots of) error, this is my method of eyebrow grooming I threw together from personal experience and what I learned in school. I know that my way is not the only way and a lot of it comes down to personal preference but these tips are what have worked best for me in the past. Hopefully it's helpful!
If you have particularly sensitive skin or don't like tweezing because it hurts you can use baby teething gel on your eyebrows before hand to numb them.
The only tools you need are a pair of tweezers/wax strips and a makeup brush or pen. To determine where they should begin, arch, and end, you hold the brush up to your face as a guideline and follow the lines.
The purple line is where you would hold the brush up to your face to see where your eyebrows should begin. You can either mark it with eyeliner or just eyeball it after you take away the pencil. If your eyebrows naturally extend beyond this line, you can pluck or wax those hairs away, but be careful to leave the top edge still slightly rounded as in the photo so it doesn't look unnatural.
The blue line is where you hold the brush to see where the arch should be placed. It does take some practice to shape them naturally especially if you have a lot of stray hairs/thick eyebrows like I do. Eyebrow stencils can be helpful for this so you can follow the shape as a guideline and just adjust the arch to where it needs to be, or you can have them professionally waxed/threaded to shape them and then keep up on the maintenance yourself.
The green line is where they should taper off. If your eyebrows extend past it you can pluck them but again be careful to leave a natural shape at the ends so it doesn't look like you went to town with the tweezers which I have done on accident before several times, whoopsie doodle.
Thickness is a personal choice so there's really no right or wrong answer. Mine are naturally really thick so I thin them out quite a bit but I think I'm in the minority for too thick eyebrows. I get mine professionally threaded because it's way too big of a task for me to try to get rid of my unibrow and crazy hairs above and below my eyebrow all on my own, the amount of eyebrows I have is just ridiculous! But they do grow fast despite me getting them done so in between threading I either pluck them or use at home wax strips which you can cut into very small strips and just grab a whole line of hair which I find better than tweezing since I am impatient, then I usually go back in at the end and get the strays with tweezers.
My favorite wax strips are the Sally Hansen face wax strips and the Veet wax strips. I tried the Sally beauty supply brand and I didn't really like it and it only came with about half the strips that the other two did for almost the same price, not cool. So that's it for my eyebrow tutorial I hope you guys found it helpful! I can make a video showing how to fill in your eyebrows if anyone would like to see that also, just let me know!
Thanks for reading guys, I will be doing some giveaways in the next week or two so stay tuned. Also I will be giving my 100th follower a little something too so be sure to follow me so you don't miss it! Talk to you guys soon :)
xoxo
makeup mistress
If you have particularly sensitive skin or don't like tweezing because it hurts you can use baby teething gel on your eyebrows before hand to numb them.
The only tools you need are a pair of tweezers/wax strips and a makeup brush or pen. To determine where they should begin, arch, and end, you hold the brush up to your face as a guideline and follow the lines.
The purple line is where you would hold the brush up to your face to see where your eyebrows should begin. You can either mark it with eyeliner or just eyeball it after you take away the pencil. If your eyebrows naturally extend beyond this line, you can pluck or wax those hairs away, but be careful to leave the top edge still slightly rounded as in the photo so it doesn't look unnatural.
The blue line is where you hold the brush to see where the arch should be placed. It does take some practice to shape them naturally especially if you have a lot of stray hairs/thick eyebrows like I do. Eyebrow stencils can be helpful for this so you can follow the shape as a guideline and just adjust the arch to where it needs to be, or you can have them professionally waxed/threaded to shape them and then keep up on the maintenance yourself.
The green line is where they should taper off. If your eyebrows extend past it you can pluck them but again be careful to leave a natural shape at the ends so it doesn't look like you went to town with the tweezers which I have done on accident before several times, whoopsie doodle.
Thickness is a personal choice so there's really no right or wrong answer. Mine are naturally really thick so I thin them out quite a bit but I think I'm in the minority for too thick eyebrows. I get mine professionally threaded because it's way too big of a task for me to try to get rid of my unibrow and crazy hairs above and below my eyebrow all on my own, the amount of eyebrows I have is just ridiculous! But they do grow fast despite me getting them done so in between threading I either pluck them or use at home wax strips which you can cut into very small strips and just grab a whole line of hair which I find better than tweezing since I am impatient, then I usually go back in at the end and get the strays with tweezers.
My favorite wax strips are the Sally Hansen face wax strips and the Veet wax strips. I tried the Sally beauty supply brand and I didn't really like it and it only came with about half the strips that the other two did for almost the same price, not cool. So that's it for my eyebrow tutorial I hope you guys found it helpful! I can make a video showing how to fill in your eyebrows if anyone would like to see that also, just let me know!
Thanks for reading guys, I will be doing some giveaways in the next week or two so stay tuned. Also I will be giving my 100th follower a little something too so be sure to follow me so you don't miss it! Talk to you guys soon :)
xoxo
makeup mistress
Monday, January 17, 2011
MAC Studio Fix Review
Oh MAC Studio Fix, where have you been all my life?! If I had discovered this sooner it would have saved me from countless hours of spilling liquid foundation everywhere and caking on several products to achieve the amount of coverage I wanted; this product has totally saved me.
It is marketed by MAC as a "powder foundation" - meaning it gives the same coverage as a liquid in a powder form. This is a perfect item for someone who likes the look of liquid foundation but doesn't want to deal with the mess it can create. It also rocks because you can adjust the amount of coverage you get from the product by applying it with different brushes or using it wet. The packaging is fabulous because it includes a separate compartment to store your sponge. (Never store your sponges on top of the powder in a compact because it transfers the oils from your skin to the makeup and it doesn't work as well, there's a little pro tip for you girls!) I was able to wash the sponge it came with to keep re-using it so I didn't have to keep buying a new one, another awesome feature of this product.
So, how exactly do you apply this sucker to get the maximum benefits? I have had a lot of women say it's kind of daunting since they are only familiar with liquid foundations, so I will hold your hand and we will get through this together!
First you have to determine what kind of coverage you want: regular, medium, or heavy. For regular coverage all you have to do is use the included sponge to apply it or use a fluffy powder/blush brush. For medium coverage use a foundation brush, and for the heaviest amount you can wet the foundation brush and then dip it into the product and apply it the way you would with liquid foundation. (The color often ends up darker after you wet it, so take the into consideration when choosing which shade you are buying.)
Now that you have gotten beautified, you're going to throw your Studio Fix in your bag, put on your sassiest outfit and walk out the door, right? Wrong! Studio Fix is a foundation so you don't want to use it throughout the day to touch up your face as it will become more and more caked on. The best thing to do is to carry a regular powder or oil blotting powder with you and use that for touch ups. It will go over the Studio Fix beautifully and no one will ever know the difference. Also, Studio Fix tends to oxidize throughout the day and get darker as it mixes with the oils in your skin so when you are choosing a shade at the store you might want to consider going one or two shades lighter than normal.
Ok ladies I have to go rinse out this hair dye I've had in my hair for entirely too long...but you should all stay on top of my posts because I will be doing a giveway very soon...yes that means FREE MAKEUP! I'll keep you guys posted on all the details.
xoxo
makeup mistress
It is marketed by MAC as a "powder foundation" - meaning it gives the same coverage as a liquid in a powder form. This is a perfect item for someone who likes the look of liquid foundation but doesn't want to deal with the mess it can create. It also rocks because you can adjust the amount of coverage you get from the product by applying it with different brushes or using it wet. The packaging is fabulous because it includes a separate compartment to store your sponge. (Never store your sponges on top of the powder in a compact because it transfers the oils from your skin to the makeup and it doesn't work as well, there's a little pro tip for you girls!) I was able to wash the sponge it came with to keep re-using it so I didn't have to keep buying a new one, another awesome feature of this product.
So, how exactly do you apply this sucker to get the maximum benefits? I have had a lot of women say it's kind of daunting since they are only familiar with liquid foundations, so I will hold your hand and we will get through this together!
First you have to determine what kind of coverage you want: regular, medium, or heavy. For regular coverage all you have to do is use the included sponge to apply it or use a fluffy powder/blush brush. For medium coverage use a foundation brush, and for the heaviest amount you can wet the foundation brush and then dip it into the product and apply it the way you would with liquid foundation. (The color often ends up darker after you wet it, so take the into consideration when choosing which shade you are buying.)
Now that you have gotten beautified, you're going to throw your Studio Fix in your bag, put on your sassiest outfit and walk out the door, right? Wrong! Studio Fix is a foundation so you don't want to use it throughout the day to touch up your face as it will become more and more caked on. The best thing to do is to carry a regular powder or oil blotting powder with you and use that for touch ups. It will go over the Studio Fix beautifully and no one will ever know the difference. Also, Studio Fix tends to oxidize throughout the day and get darker as it mixes with the oils in your skin so when you are choosing a shade at the store you might want to consider going one or two shades lighter than normal.
Ok ladies I have to go rinse out this hair dye I've had in my hair for entirely too long...but you should all stay on top of my posts because I will be doing a giveway very soon...yes that means FREE MAKEUP! I'll keep you guys posted on all the details.
xoxo
makeup mistress
Thursday, January 13, 2011
First post and false eyelash tutorial!
Hello everyone! Welcome to my blog about all things beauty related and the occasional cupcake photo :) I have been wanting to start a blog for a very long time and finally told myself it was now or never so here it is. I am a tattooed, cupcake eating, pole dancing makeup artist and I started this blog to share my beauty knowledge with all you lovely readers. I hope everyone finds the reviews and tutorials I post here helpful and I am always open for suggestions on tutorials, makeup questions, or anything else you want to throw at me. I'm gonna keep this entry short and sweet but I did want to kick off my blog with a tutorial, I had a lot of requests for a false eyelash application video so here it is! I used strip and individual to show the difference between the two, I used cheap ones from the drugstore so you definitely don't need to break the bank to look fabulous. I hope you guys like it!
I've been trying to embed the video so everyone can just watch it here but it the code youtube is giving me won't work so I'll just have to post the link here until I can figure out what's going on...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIhS9LceghY
xoxo
makeup mistress
I've been trying to embed the video so everyone can just watch it here but it the code youtube is giving me won't work so I'll just have to post the link here until I can figure out what's going on...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIhS9LceghY
xoxo
makeup mistress
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