I bet you didn't know you were applying your lipstick wrong!

Well, okay, maybe there's no wrong way to apply lipstick but I didn't realize that there was a technique until I was recently helping my lipstick-novice friend try a dashing new shade of scarlet and she asked "How do I apply it?"

Woah. Lightbulb moment. Bright lips take some serious planning to make application look perfect. After years of experimenting with every lipstick shade under the sun, I took this fact for granted and completely glossed over the fact that there indeed are steps that make the process way easier!


Therefore, my Lipstick 101 tutorial was born. (If you haven't seen the rest of my 101 Basics series, you can check them out on youtube or on the blog here.) Some of you might be like me and usually apply it straight from the tube but then need to amp it up on date night so I shared two different ways to have the perfect (and easy) lipstick application. Check out the video & swatches below!

Ahh, concealer. It's one of those "first baby steps" makeup products that we try out to cover up acne spots in our youth and dark under eye circles from late nights studying or, let's be fair, late weekends out in college.

Over the last several years I've tried my fair share of concealers and feel pretty happy with my arsenal of concealing tools as well as techniques to seamlessly apply them for a flawless, yet natural look. Lets go over some of the best options from all price points as well as my easy application technique!

Hey guys! Today I have another basics video that I wanted to share. Today's topic is on mascara, one of the most elementary steps to putting on makeup. Even girls who rarely wear makeup will venture into the world of mascara since its obvious benefits of framing the eyes is simple to see and frequently has a high instant-gratification rate.

Blessed are those who were born with long, curled, thick lashes naturally but unfortunately I am definitely NOT one of those girls! Instead my short, downward-pointing, stick straight lashes have always taken specific tools and tricks to make them visible enough to greet the world. ;) Thankfully, I have tested plenty of mascaras and I'd love to share everything I've learned with you. If you'd like your lashes to be va-va-voom instead of droop city, read on!

Hey everyone! As Halloween and holiday times start creeping up on us, the advent of many festive parties come to our attention as well. What will we wear? Gold or red sequins? Boots or heels?

One accessory that is fabulous at accenting our look and is perfect for the season is something you may not have thought of: false eyelashes!

Whether you are a novice and want to amp up that lion costume for Halloween, or you are a lash pro and are curious for tips you may not have thought of before, I wanted to share a bit of my knowledge of lashes that I've picked up over the years. I'll admit it, I'm lash obsessed!

Check out the vid below to get the low-down on lashes:

One of my very favorite makeup items in all of existence is blush. Isn't it funny that we try so hard to cover up our rosy red cheeks when we become embarrassed, but then try to mimic that flush with makeup? I think there's something quite charming and attractive about a beautifully applied blush that can't be replaced by anything else in a makeup routine. Even with no other makeup on, it brings a liveliness to the face that I really adore.

There are plenty of techniques used to give us that effervescent, lit-from-within glow that we all seek but I've found one which is easy to master while helping to slim and contour the face at the same time...

As a continuation of my last post about my Favorite Face Brushes, I wanted to also talk about a few of my favorite eye brushes as well. With so many shapes and sizes of eye brushes out there, it can be a little tricky to navigate which shapes, textures, and densities will be most handy in your beauty kit. You can use this as a good basic guideline to figure out what you are missing in your eye brush arsenal!

Here is a recap of some of my favorite eye brushes, starting with the necessary basics and moving onto the more advanced set.
This is your basic flat shading brush which you can use to pack color on the lid, twice even (one color per side)! It's not astounding in any way, but definitely a go-to necessity.
Pencil brushes are an Asian girl's best friend. This little guy can help to define the tiny outer crease area that larger brushes make muddy and in a pinch, I can get away with using only this brush for an entire eye look. When looking at pencil brushes just make sure you get a dense one. Floppy brushes can't pack on color as well, which is an important factor for crease definition.

Hey everyone! I wanted to share another basics tutorial of one of my favorite simple eye looks: the classic winged eyeliner. When done correctly, this look needs no eyeshadow to enhance it and looks really great on those minimal makeup days.

To see how it's done, check out the video below!



PRODUCTS MENTIONED:

Wet N Wild Mega Eyes Creme Eyeliner in Black
L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Continuous Cocoa
Shiseido Eyelash Curler
Urban Decay Cannonball mascara
Urban Decay Instaflare Lashes

ON ME:

Chambray Shirtdress is from H&M
Nailpolish is OPI gel polish in Princess Rule!

Here is my final look. For monolidders, skipping the eyeshadow really allows the lashes to stand out which I think is a nice elegant touch. You can especially see on the eye to the right that the half lashes on the ends also blends in nicely and makes the eyes more framed without looking tacky.


With my eyes pointed downward you can see the straight winged line and how far it extends. I've mentioned this in tutorials before, but both my brows and the wing end in the same invisible point at my temples. This gives the look balance and is pleasing to the eyes.


Here's a close up. I kept the rest of my face very minimal with a light touch of BB Cream (application tutorial here), natural blush, and lip balm.


One last thing I wanted to note is that if you have any mistakes, keep a q-tip soaked in eye makeup remover handy to fix any little bobbles you make along the way. With practice, you can create the perfect line that is even on both eyes in just a couple strokes each morning! As you can see, a simple winged line can really carry an entire look so it's handy to keep in any woman's arsenal.

I hope you guys enjoyed the tutorial and let me know in the comments what basics video you'd like to see next. :)

Hello everyone! I said I would start doing more "basics" videos this year and I wanted to kick-start that trend with one of the most highly requested videos, a "how to apply BB Cream" tutorial.

I was actually surprised to see that so many of you wanted to see this, but like with foundation, the texture of the product has a lot of impact on how best to apply it. My technique is actually a bit different than how I apply foundation so here's a step-by-step look at how I prefer applying BB Cream.


PRODUCTS MENTIONED:

Skin 79 VIP Gold Triple Functions BB Cream (use code FRMHEADTOTOE for 5% off!)
NARS Concealer in Custard
Tarte Smooth Operator Powder
Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed

ON ME:

Lipstick is Urban Decay Naked
J. Crew bateau tee (similar/similar)
Nailpolish is Urban Outfitters polish in Hangover (similar/similar)

So for those of you new to "bb cream", they are Asia's answer to an all-in-one tinted moisturizer.

They give a natural coverage while giving additional benefits like sun protection, anti-aging properties, evening skin discoloration, and help to heal blemishes and unbalanced skin. I do have an overview review and post of several different kinds which you can check out here.

I show you the entire process in the video, but I'll break down my process into a few easy steps:

One of the most frequently asked questions I get is, "How do you clean your makeup brushes?" It seems like it would be a really simple task, but with all of the levels of cleaning and various methods you can do, it can easily become a daunting endeavor.

Here, I show you the methods I use most frequently broken down into 3 levels: spot cleaning, basic cleaning, and deep cleaning.


Products mentioned:
Wet Ones
Parian Spirit (Japonesque version here)
Sigma Dry & Shape (use code 0112XJML for 10% off through 1-31-11)

American Apparel turtleneck dress
Hollister ponchor (similar / similar)
Headband is from Forever 21 (similar / similar)
Nailpolish is Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Tyin' The Knot with Sephora for OPI Traffic Stopper Copper on top




For spot cleaning I actually learned the Wet Ones trick from another makeup artist and I've found it to be a really great tool not just around the house but absolutely in my makeup kit as well. It can clean up little mistakes on the face as well as wipe down and disinfect makeup tools and brushes. When I need to apply makeup to many faces in a short period of time, I always do a quick disinfecting of my brushes between clients using these wipes as well as a spray of rubbing alcohol if needed.



Parian Spirit is a liquid cleansing system that I bought at IMATS last year. It's great for cleaning & disinfecting brushes in most situations as long as you don't have a million brushes to clean at once. Just pour the citrus-scented liquid into the small glass jar, swirl your brush on the plastic mesh, and wipe down on a paper towel! I like this method the most because brushes dry quickly and it removes even the toughest gel liners and residue of brushes. You can even use this to remove eyelash glue off of lashes!



For deep cleaning I use several methods. Since I have my bad habit of going through a million brushes before I finally deep clean them (as evidenced in the video) I showed you the method that I use most often since I don't want to waste my MAC brush cleanser. With a simple mixture of olive oil, dish soap, and water, you can get through a large batch of brushes while disinfecting and conditioning them at the same time.

I also wanted to mention my new best friend for brush bath sessions, the Sigma Dry & Shape! Oh man was I so happy that this thing actually works. You guys know how much I love my F84 brush for foundation but those buggers (and most synthetic brushes) take a lot longer to dry than their natural bristle counterparts. With the Dry & Shape it takes brushes that would still be damp in the morning to being totally dry in 4 hours. The only downfall is that with hardcore use, some of the elastic bands on mine have started to become unstitched so I'm going to need to buy a replacement soon.


I finally went through nearly all of my brushes and deep cleaned them on the day I recorded the video and let me tell you, it took hours. Ridiculous, but necessary for a fresh start! For the first step of my New Years resolution to pare down my brushes to my favorites, I'm putting most of these into storage to try my first grouping of just my favorite brushes. Wish me luck!

Disclaimer: Sigma Dry & Shape was kindly gifted by the company. All other items were purchased myself. This post and video are not sponsored in any way. :)

Happy Sunday everybody! As we all prepare our homes for annual Spring cleaning, the requests for cleaning up brows has been high on my list as well! I think it's only appropriate as the appeal for a fresh-faced look is more and more alluring as the weather warms up.

So how do you get those perfect brows? Here's my tutorial:



Products mentioned:
Sephora angled eyeliner brush
Lioele Automatic Eyebrow pencil
The Body Shop brow brush/comb
Slanted tweezers (I don't use a specific brand but Tweezerman is excellent)
Cuticle scissors
Anastasia Brows in Bloom palette in Brunette
(discontinued packaging but this is the same thing, or just powder duo here)

As I mentioned near the beginning of the video, the perfect brows depends on the shape of your own face. The key is to look at proportions as show in this example (image credit Anastasia):


What is the Golden Ratio? If you want the full-on mathematical explanation you can see the Wikipedia here, but basically it has been used in both art and nature as an aesthetically pleasing proportion.

And here is some sweet gif action of the golden ratio for brows on my face:


1. The beginning of the brows goes from a straight line from the side of your nose
2. The arch should be from the tip of your nose through your pupil
3. The end is a line from your outer nose through the outer eye corner

Generally, following these key points will help to guide a basic shape into your brows, especially if you have vaguely shaped brows as I do.

If you are just starting out on your brow journey, an easy first step is to simply clean up the stray hairs under your natural brow shape only. I especially recommend this if you are in high school or younger because over-plucking can be the worst at this stage in life, in my opinion! I am a strong believer that one's natural brow shape is usually almost always the most flattering and just plucking beneath the brows can brighten the face but also help to retain this youthful look. This brings me to my next list.

Here are some really, really important tips for brows:

1. Don't Overpluck! Nobody likes sperm-brows, nobody! (Okay, probably untrue but nobody should.)
2. Pluck both brows, back and forth, at the same time and check the whole face as you go.
3. Don't fill in brows too dark because it will look harsh on your face. Dark-haired ladies can go 1 to 2 shades lighter than their hair color and blondes should go 1 to 2 shades darker.

I hope this video tutorial was helpful and, as I said in my video, this is not necessarily how everyone everywhere should do their brows but this is a system that I believe in and has worked for creating clean, natural-looking brows that are flattering and compliment the eyes.

Let me know if it worked for you, or if you have any extra brow tips to share in the comments!

Also, for time travel super fun check out my older blog post on how to shape brows.

Hey guys! I made this tutorial nearly a year ago and in the midst of switching computers around, I forgot to upload it! I've still gotten many requests for how I depot my NYX eyeshadows so here's a really quick tutorial.


Products used:
NYX Single eyeshadow in Beanie (this shade is discontinued btw)
Rubbing Alcohol + Plastic Cup
Dropper
Paper Towel
Butter Knife
Unii Palette + adhesive magnets

Here's the final result depotted into my UNII palettes which you can see my review of here.


Currently, my white palette is filled with a mixture of "everyday" neutral eyeshadows and depotted products that I can take with me while I travel. I'll have to take a nice pic of what I put in it the next time I'm going somewhere. I just love how easy it is to move around products you want when you depot things! So space-efficient. ^_^

I also bought a pressing kit and some freestyle palettes from TKB Trading but have yet to set a time to press my loose pigments. I honestly don't even buy loose shadows anymore since it's so messy to work with, so hopefully I can press some of my MAC pigments and mineral eyeshadows so I can free up some space in my drawers. If anyone has tips on good mixing mediums for pressing or tips in general to make it easier, please let me know! I'm a pressing novice!

I guess that's about it. Hopefully this tutorial was helpful for some of you out there who don't have a lot of time and have a lot of NYX shadows to depot. It's really simple! If you tried out my technique please let me know how it went for you in the comments~

Ahhh, it's such a beautiful Saturday! Sometimes I wish the weather would always stay this for the Fall: 74 with a high of 80, sunshine, blue skies, and mild enough for lightweight cardigans and flip flops. It really seems like it went from BLAZING HOT summer to Fall in a matter of one week where I live! But hey, that's midwest weather for you. ;)

I'm not complaining, but I do want to soak it up while it lasts. As soon as October hits, I'll be grasping my legwarmers and wool jackets for dear life! I much prefer the heat to the cold because I'm a weenster like that.

So getting back on topic, I've had an interesting time with my nails lately. This last 2 months I've gone polish-less (GASP!) for more than I have in the last whole year. Really bizarre, but I just haven't always found the time on my weekends to reapply something fun. Hopefully that will change as the weather cools since I'll want to be inside and warm up all day. ^.^

For those of you who are used to having naked nails and wanted a tutorial for a good polish application technique -- base, polish, and topcoat included -- here is how I apply nail polish.


Products mentioned in this video:

* Seche Natural - this is a nail treatment but it works well as a basecoat. I also have and love Seche Clear. (similar here and here)
* OPI Who Needs A Prince? - sheer-ish cute, red-flash pearly pale pink. needs 3 or 4 coats to be opaque, but is SO PRETTY when opaque. (other pale pinks I love here and here)
* Seche Vite - my HG top coat. Basically, this is the magic product that keeps polish on way longer, dries faster, and makes it super shiny. LOVE!

Here is a pic of the final look I did right after the basic polish application. The tutorial for this purple gradient nail art will be coming up very shortly.


Hope you are all having a wonderful, relaxing weekend in these short weeks before the weather changes once again (unless you live in Cali or FL, or a mild-weather country in which case, I shake my fist at you!)

Don't forget to join the giveaway for a free TLBC bra & panty set and I'll talk to you guys soon. ^_^

Disclaimer: All items mention in this video were purchased by me and were not sponsored in any way. Some affiliate links are included in this post.

I made a Konad tutorial tonight with the infamous Hello Kitty fauxnad (GCOCL A02) plate that I won from Polish Pixie. After going back and forth with the lovely Inge through e-mail, I have also commissioned her to buy me some L'Oreal Star Magnet polishes.

I don't know if you guys have heard of this before but it is the same concept as the Lancome Le Magnetique polishes that create a star-pattern using a magnet that reacts with the polish while wet. One of my favorite nail blogs, The Nailphile, has a couple awesome swatches of these and they are just gorgeous!

Anyway, getting back to the task at hand (literally), here is the youtube video uploaded and embedded for your pleasure.


For the tutorial I used my Zoya polish in Stephanie with Sally Hansen Chrome "nail makeup" polish in Pink Pearl. Did I mention that Inge snuck that polish in with my plates sent all the way from Denmark? It is a beautiful pink metallic that looks SO GOOD konaded. I keep staring at my nails, not just because adorable Helly Kitty is on them but because the contrast of the cream polish and metallic design is beautiful. It makes me so dang happy.

Anyway, here are my photos:


My cute new plates. The non-kitty plates have mirror-image designs which should be awesome for my anal-design tendencies.


With all new plates, you MUST peel the plastic layer off. This killed me the first time I tried Konading and failed miserably. I didn't take the plastic off!


I won't lie. The formula for Stephanie sucks. I needed 5 thin coats for opacity! But gosh, isn't it beautiful? I need a good recommendation for a truly opaque pale pink/off white cream. Anyone? Bueller?


And finally, my Hello Kittycure.


I love how the light hits that metallic pink.



Oh, I almost forgot to mention, I absolutely love Seche Vite top coat. Seche clear base + big 3 free polish + Seche Vite top coat = no chipping. Super shiny, hard nails that dry quickly. I'm amazed.


I didn't realize how late it got. Off to bed I go but please let me know what you thought of my vid! Love you guys. :)


XOXO

One of the attributes that I wish I was a little more blessed with are my eyelashes. I know a lot of you feel the same way. Maybe your mascara just doesn't get the volume you want, or maybe you curl and curl and you still feel like your lashes are invisible. If you have wimpy, short, sparse, thin lashes, or even if you just want your eyes to really stand out, there is an alternative to just mascara: false lashes.

I know falsies can seem very intimidating at first but when done properly, it can actually take less time than applying mascara. Plus, it is something that has a lot of instant gratification because it can make such a big difference.

Just as an overview of false lashes, they come in many styles and lengths. My personal favorites are Asian-brand lashes like Shisem or Echo. They often look more natural because they are shorter to accommodate the sparse lashes that many Asians have. They also come in real hair or synthetic hairs, and prices vary from a couple dollars to really fancy designer Shu Uemura lashes up to $100 per pair. I personally believe you can get great results from cheap lashes at $2-5 per pair. If you take good care of your lashes (cleaning, removing previous glue, repositioning the curve of the band, etc), you can wear them basically until it starts falling apart or losing its shape. I chuck mine after an average of 5 uses.

Just to show you a few varieties, here is my collection of falsies.


I put a heart next to my two favorite pairs. The right one is my newest, style XOG특 (a bit thicker than regular XOG) from Shisem. They are criss-cross style with thicker lash groupings and are one of the shortest I have, making them great for "ordinary day" use.
The lashes on the left are really lush and long, which pairs nicely with a dark smokey eye for photoshoots. I used them for this previous look. The brand is Smashbox and I'm not sure of the style # but it has nicer fibers than drugstore lashes and the band is clear which makes it more seamless on your lid.

You can try many different kinds for different looks but I find criss-cross lashes to usually look good. For first timers, I recommend looking for shorter lashes as you want to get used to how it looks with your face first.

Another important thing to know about is false eyelash glue. Many lashes come with glue but I have MUCH MORE success using glue bought separately. I personally have two kinds, and I prefer the dark-colored LashGrip adhesive. It dries dark and blends in with your eyeliner. White glues must be colored over with eyeliner.



One thing to note is that lash glue isn't crazy sticky. Don't worry though, it will stick! I always hear people saying to wait a while until it gets tacky and honestly that doesn't work for me. I wait maybe 5 seconds and just go for it while it is still wet. :D

Now, on with the tutorial!

Ok, so the first step you need to do is curl your natural lashes. This will help to keep the falsies in place and blend with your natural lashes.



Next you want to measure the length of the false lashes compared to your eye. Many are too long for me so I place the glueless lash on my lashline and see how much I want to cut off. I know it's a blurry picture but you can see at the end where it would look nicer a bit shorter.



Take some small scissors and cut the amount you want off from the outer edge. Many lashes taper in length and you want to keep the short, inner lashes because it looks more natural. Notice I am cutting right outside of a large grouping. This is to help hide the band at the end.



Next, apply the glue in a thin line on the band of the lashes. I try to make sure it is covering the outer and bottom edges because that is what will hit your lid and stick.



Since de-sticking usually happens at either corner, I add a little extra glue there to make sure it will stick well. I wait 5 or 10 seconds, then apply while the glue is still wet.



Here comes the hard part! Take the lashes and apply them as close as possible to your lash line. You can either apply the lashes to your lid (which is what I prefer) or you can glue on top of your lashes as long as it is very close to the roots. I place one corner first, holding it down for a few seconds, then do the same for the other corner and middle. Try to adjust while the glue is still wet because it dries quickly. If you mess up, don't give up! Just try again. It takes practice and is much easier the more you try.



Successful attachment! By the way, these are lashes from the 2nd row, 1st column. Now, you can stop here but these are looking a little sparse for my taste so I will go to the optional next step...



Mascara! I don't use mascara with all my falsies (more to clean, yuck) but it is great for blending in your real lashes with the false ones and gives a nice boost and final touch.



Here's the final look, a photo with a toothy smile because you asked for it. ;)



Hope that clears up the mystery of falsies for a lot of you. Leave me a comment if you have any other questions!