Beauty Tips and Tricks I've Learned Over the Past Year

As most of you know, I've been at this blog for a little over a year now and I've really learned a lot! So I listed most of the things that I've really benefited from learning and put them down here for you. I hope they can help and make easier the world of cosmetics for some of you!

• Find your brows are just slightly unruly but not enough to warrant wax or a brow gel? I like to use the remnants of my face primer from my foundation brush.  Not overkill, not crunchy but a little bit more in the lines!

• If you do have crazy brows but don’t want to pluck them down to nothing, I recommend clear mascara from the drugstore. Cheap, comes with a spoolie and you can mix a bit of your brow powder in it to give a really subtle tint for extra coverage.

• I have issues with over-filling my brows. Because I’m not naturally Auburn (shhh! Don’t tell!) I like to use a coloured brow pencil in auburn to make my colour look more natural. However, to tint my brows and create a natural look (while still making them look fuller) I find it best to only do a couple swipes of pencil in the middle of my brows and the with a small brush or a q-tip blend out. I don’t get such a harsh line where my brows are on my pale face.

• Suck at eyeliner pencil application? I do! I also hate wasting pencil products, they give you so little as it is! I don’t want to sharpen it until I absolutely must i.e. it’s flat! My solution is to use an angled liner brush. I can get a sharp, even line across my lashes without wasting the pencil and without major agitation. Plus if you want to tone down the intensity of the liner colour you can blend the liner out more with the brush.

• Need to tone down blush your after you’ve accidently overdone it? This happens to me all the time when I’m a bit overzealous! Use your setting powder (either translucent or coloured!) and lightly buff a little over your blush. This will also make your blush last a bit longer!

• Have an angry red zit, and you’ve got to be in a photo in fifteen minutes? Believe it or not Visine eye drops on a pimple will take some of the redness away. Just like with red eyes! Dropping an extra drop in your eyes will make them whiter too, so with a little cover-up you should be good in a fix and able to draw the attention away from your spot. The redness will come back- the Visine’s effects aren’t permanent but for a shorter period of time this could be exactly what you need!

• You’re daytime moisturizer with SPF will not last you all day! Chemical sunscreens break down overtime on your skin. To keep on top of protection from the sun this summer try a powder or physical sunscreen that you can apply over makeup really easily- this will keep you matte and protect you from skin cancer. (Remember- the sun will damage your skin through the window- not as much, but UVA rays do penetrate glass!)

•  Use a liquid highlighter on your undereye circles before your concealer. It will subtly shine through and make you look much more awake!

• Another trick to looking awake is to use a nude matte eyeliner on the inner rim or water line of your eyes. This will cover the redness naturally there and will make your eyes look bigger and more awake.

• If you have some eyelid discolouration (like me) I recommend using a matte semi-opaque to fully opaque eyeshadow in the same tone as your skin. I personally use Wet n' Wild's Brulee and it's perfect for making my eyes look more youthful as well as providing a highlight shade (as I cover from my lash line to my brows) before adding what ever shadow colours I want to wear for the day. Or if I'm super lazy it looks very natural if I just leave it!

What are some of your beauty secrets?

NOTD: Eyeko Vampira and Halloween Makeup Tips

Vampira is a lovely polish. Most of the time it looks black, thus giving a very gothic feel but when the light hits it-

BAM! Amazing red glitter! I love this polish. The name is perfect for it and I think it gives the perfect elegant dark mistress touch!

This polish went on without a struggle which was much appreciated after both Rain and Indigo caused me issues. This takes two to three coats for an opaque finish and the glitter is apparent when you rotate your nails in the light for the most part, just not from a distance. I also recommend a top coat as this seems to need some extra oomph to make it shiny and glass-like which is how I prefer my darker colours to be.

It also seems to be wearing better than Indigo as well with a couple small chips and minor tip wear after four days which is about average for my polish. (I apologize for my super short nails, they decided to have a breakdown quite literally with peeling and breaking all at once after I removed Indigo and I was forced to give them the cut. *Sigh*)
Anyways I think this is a great polish, though I did notice it seemed to look scuffed up very quickly.

Rating: 8/10 Not quite as much red glitter as I would have liked and seemed to scuff up and thus look cloudy easily.

 As a bonus for this post, since I'm being a Vampire-thing for halloween I decided to include some make-up tips and hints for costumes.

1. Make-up is a great cheap way to really flash up your look, and halloween is the one time of year when more is well more! Don't be afraid to go crazy with your look.
2. Do a Make-up trial run or 'dress rehearsal' before the big night or witches party. Finding out it takes 15 minutes to get the eye look you want or that it takes 30 minutes to get false eyelashes on right before you need to leave is not going to lead to a great start to the night.
3. Hunt through your make-up stash for items that will already work before you hit the drug store. For example, I'm going to be a vampire and thus I want to be even paler than I am. How to do this? Use a matte white eyeshadow (I recommend Annabelle's Snow).
4. To get a darker lip colour of any shade of lipstick you have put on a thin sheer coat of black lipstick (easily available this time of year) and then apply the lipstick over top and smoosh around on your lips. This is a great way to get more bang for your buck!
5. Futuristic looks are easy to pull off if you have any highlighers or illuminators. Just put them on all over, especially if they are silver, gold, bronze or a mix of these. Metallics in other colours make great futuristic contrast. 
6. A ghost is really easy for a last minute costume. Find white pjs, cover your face with white eyeshadow, take a white eyeliner pencil and colour in your brows and line your eyes and inner rims too. Take foundation and cover your lips. If you have a lip safe blue eyeshadow (any shade and finish of blue!) pat it lightly on top of your lips and presto! Instant ghost. (This is also a great base for a zombie look too! All you need after that is some blood and stitches.)
7. If you've got a more complex costume, don't be afraid to bring you're makeup down from just your face. Black liquid liner makes excellent temporary tattoos.
8. Try to avoid halloween face paints if you can. I only say this as they're not up to the standards of regular make-up for the most part, especially if you're sensitive in any way or acne-prone. That being said don't go out and buy a bunch of products you're only going to use once either. Sometimes opting for a mask or a half mask is the way to go.

Wet n' Wild Sleep Walker over WnW Black Fog.
Pretty Orange Shimmer in Black :D
Left with top coat, right without top coat (it obviously really needs one don't you think?)

Wet n' Wild's Sleep Walker
Awesome Haunted Halloween colour!

No Buys: How to Resist in 16 Tips

(Image from Google Images)

No money. The horrible situation that plagues every addict or hobbiest on the face of the planet. And with all the new makeup and beauty items avaliable every day, it can be very hard to resist making 'just one small purchase'. So, here are my tips and tricks to keeping your money in your pocket and not giving in to the overwhelming need to get that new blush, eyeshadow, mascara, or other sparkly attractive product.

1) Make a concrete start date and end date, covering at least a month of time. Having an end in sight really helps. Only 4783 days to go! Well, maybe not that long, but knowing that eventually you will be able to indulge again does help.

2) Keep in mind that beauty products are a luxury. Yes, you may look like a member of the undead without them but so did millions of others throughout history and in less wealthy parts of the world. Also, having a reason to be saving the money is important- even if it's just for retirement and it's going into an account for that, you need to have a goal or point to keep on track.

3) Stores containing beauty items should be avoided as much as humanly possible. If you have to go into the drug store for whatever reason see the next point.

4) If you must go into a store for an essential (i.e. foundation) do not make eye contact with anything else, and if you do, DO NOT TOUCH IT! I find if I touch the item I'm much closer to actually buying it (somehow once it's in my possession I don't want to let it go!)

5) No matter how tempting, (or how good the deal is!) don't click on websites or links to where you can purchase cosmetics. 

6) If you've failed number five, hopefully you'll have obeyed this one. Credit cards should be a minimum of ten meters away from your computer. If you actually have to get up and rifle through your underwear drawer to find your credit card, you are less likely to use it.

7) Sticky notes are everyones friend. In large and/or colourful lettering stick them on the edge of your computer, on your credit cards, on your wallet and on the edge of your bathroom mirror with similar messages: "I can resist, and saving money for ______, is more important than the luxury of makeup."

8) I've found that can either help or hinder a no buy. Figure out which type of person you are and read accordingly- I find that blogs (especially with swatches) satisfy part of my MU craving so I quite happily read. If it drives you to run out and buy, buy, buy, stop reading blogs for a while.

9) Items that catch your eye and you find yourself craving, should be added to a "Lemming List". The list should include all the information about it (even pictures if you want) but MUST include the price in one of the first columns-- the list items should once weekly be compared to everything else you already own (i.e. by comparing swatches, pics etc.) so you can visually see that some of the items are useless as you own something similar (and trust me, most of us will as we'll be attracted to the same colours again and again.)

10) If you are feeling the urge to try something new, distract yourself. Go on a long walk with the dog, go to the library and bring home and read a stack of books that rival your height, or watch a favourite movie with the hubby or a close friend. Changing your focus will help you stay in line with your goal.

11) Sephora samples. Oh the joy of these two sweet words for beauty junkies, craving a fix everywhere. Leave all forms of money (this includes, cheques, cash, change, credit cards, debit cards, and your significant others wallet) at home (or with someone who will with hold them and not cave to your groveling) and happily go in the store. My reccommendation is to bring a little booklet and a pen where you can swatch things on the paper with the names and prices so you can look at them later too. Also items that really grab your attention you can ask for a sample from one of the SA. They are usually fairly generous with samples so this should hold you over your period of weakness. Just try to keep in mind camping outside the doors of Sephora is not considered cool.

12) Make a clear cut and dry list of products you live off of at the beginning of the no buy. This should include your essentials that you would have a complete and utter meltdown without. This list should be no more than ten items and you need to only replace the items there if you completely run out. Don't try another brand or colour, don't buy a back-up only replace the item as needed. This is only likely to happen once in a blue moon and the list should not be added to or modified once past the first two days of the no buy.

13) Make a point to use your stash everyday. Also remember to change it up, try different or new looks or products that don't get much use. This will help you remember that you can look great with what you already have, feed your makeup fix, and show you that you can live without more.

14) Tell others close to you what you're doing, why you're doing it and ask for their support. Having someone to depend on and will help keep you in line helps a large amount.

15) Find a website where you can add reviews of your products to it. This will help you realize what you really appreciate of your stash; things that are mediocre and you shouldn't purchase again; and colours that don't suit you. It will also help other people make smart purchases (which always makes me feel like I've accomplished something) as well as distracting you from looking up new makeup. 

16) And lastly, don't be too hard on yourself if you fail. There is a possibility to return the item if you feel guilty, but know that even if you can't it's not the end of the world. Put the makeup item in view everyday with a note near it saying "I lapsed a bit here, but I can resist for the rest of my no buy." We're human, we all fail every once in a while. So forgive yourself and tighten your resolve to try again.

So I hope this is helpful for everyone! I'm posting this because I know how difficult it can be to resist something really pretty! I also am currently on a no buy, so I wanted to make my avoidance tips available for others going through it too. If you're interested below is my No Buy rules.

- Nothing until the October release of the Mac: A Tartan Tale collection.

- The only items I'm allowed to replace are: Estee Lauder Double Wear Light Foundation in Intensity 1.0, and Clinique Lash Power Mascara in Black.

- And my lemming list is in a table on word :D