Beauty Quickie: Brush Off Eyeshadow!

Often times when applying eyeshadow, little crushed specks of color fall onto our cheeks and nose.  This is especially annoying if the eyeshadow is black or a well pigmented color that can potentially smudge onto your beautifully foundation-finished face.

The solution to this is easy, however.  Simply grab any clean fluffy brush, I’d suggest a blush brush, and sweep the little specks right off your face with a feather-like stroke.  VOILA!  It’s like nothing ever happened! ;) 

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Manic Panic Lip Gloss and Lipstick Review

[The following is a sponsored review for Manic Panic.]

Today I received a package from Manic Panic and I was stoked!  They kindly sent me two products for review:  The Radioactive Lip Gloss and the Tainted Love Lipstick. I am excited because I knew they’d be sending me shades of red, which is one of my favorites right now!  Without wasting any time, I unwrapped the package and was delighted.

The packaging was very interesting for the gloss.  It has a low-quality mirror on one of the sides of the tube and when you turn the cap open, it lights up!  This makes the application fun!

I decided to try the Radioactive gloss first and, honestly, I was amazed at the pigment.  I only applied it once and it gave me full coverage.  The texture was very smooth and the gloss was indeed very glossy!  I also felt like it made my lips look plumper.  Big plus!  Out of the two products, this gloss is my favorite.

(These photos were taken with the light of a lamp and no flash)

As you can see, both shades are very similar and are a very warm hue (orangy).  I don’t know if it’s the unbearable heat in New York, or if the lipstick is really this soft, but when I painted my lips with “Tainted Love” it felt as if it was melting right onto them.  The claim is that this is a matte lipstick, but I saw a sheen and it did not feel as dry as other matte lipsticks do.  Perhaps the heat again?  I might have to try it on a cooler day.

I was also delighted to find out that this brand is cruelty free and vegan, which always makes a beauty lover feel better.  The lipsticks sell for $8 and the glosses for $12 and I’d say those are not bad price points considering the quality in the pigment of these lippies.

My verdict is: TRY THEM!  I am always happy to find products that deserve a good review.  These are in that bunch!

Here’s a fun photo of me applying Radioactive over my Tainted Love lipstick with the light!  Good idea for those who want to look great even in the darkness of a club or lounge ;)

To check out these and other products by Manic Panic, visit their collection website here.

Ay, Ay, Ay-Brows! Eyebrow Guidelines

Oh, me!  Oh, my!  If you’re human, you can probably say that at some point in your life, you had horrible eyebrows (maybe you still do and don’t even know it!)!  Maybe it was part of an “in” style at the time or perhaps you made a crucial mistake when plucking or waxing them, and ended up paying a bad price!  Whatever the mistake, I’m here to help you avoid it in the future or fix it if it’s a concern now.

First, let’s begin by looking at my own eyebrows as they are currently:

As we can appreciate here, I’ve drawn some lines and points to guide you in what I do to obtain this look.  Let’s begin…

Point A - Grab an eyeliner pencil and place it erect from the side of your nose and up to your brow (inner eye corner), just like the line above.  This is where your eyebrows should begin.  If you have a wide nose, there may be an exception and you may want to pencil it inward.  The more space there is between your eyebrows, the wider your nose will look.  Go ahead and mark the spot lightly to guide yourself later.

Point B - Now, looking straight ahead into your mirror, tilt the eyeliner pencil, still holding it at the main point (your nose) and align it with the outer rim of the iris.  That is the midpoint where your arch should take place.  Pluck carefully, though!  Plucking too high up may have you looking a bit surprised or evil later on, hehe.

Point C - Tilt the pencil a little further now to align with the outer corner of the eye.  This is where your eyebrows should end.  As with Point A, mark it slightly to pencil things in when you start shaping them up and filling them in later.

This should be the basic guideline for your brows, although results and looks vary depending on your face’s shape and how thick or thin your eyebrows are naturally.

I’d like to present to you now a few examples of bad eyebrows (in my opinion) and WHY I think they’re bad.  Let’s have a look!

Meagan Good, Actress
Although she seems to have followed the guidelines, Meagan’s brows look sharpied in and a tad too thin.  A lot of women think they are adding definition to their brows by grabbing a liquid black eyeliner to shape them.  Huuuuge mistake.  This looks offensive and unflattering!

Lily Collins, Actress
Contrary to Meagan, Lily’s eyebrows have zero arch and are way too bushy!  This, in turn, takes focus off of her beautiful eyes and focuses all of the attention on those two big chunks of hair on her face.  Also, she is depriving herself of some brow bone space which can make eyeshadow application much easier and fun.

Pamela Anderson, Actress
Thin ones…we’ve all been there, done that!  Thank God that mistake is behind me!  The same way super thick eyebrows take glory away from your eyes, so can really thin ones.  Further more, it takes away from your face as well.

Angelina Jolie, Actress
Where to start here!  First of all, she filled these in with the wrong shade.  Unless you’re creating a statement in a photoshoot or something, please avoid making your eyebrows so bold they distract others from every other feature on your face. Second, they are way too defined.  When penciling in your brows, you should try to do light and natural strokes, not press the pencil down on your face like you’re angrily signing a paper!  Third, if you look closely, Point A is drawn in past the guideline.  Big no, no!

 

I think the eyebrows are probably one of, if not the most important feature that holds everything else together on a woman’s face.  If you don’t believe me, try googling celebrities without eyebrows and see the difference that it makes! :)

Happy plucking!

BONUS TIP: If you have trouble growing your brows after going pluck-crazy, try buying a serum like the “NuBrow” growth stimulator by Anastasia.  You may need to go through an “ugly” phase of bushiness, but I assure you that is the way to go if you truly want to reconstruct everything!

(Source: eyeshadowcult)

Pink Lipstick (Art)

(Source: beautyblogstock.com)

Super Glossy Lips (Art)

(Source: beautyblogstock.com)