Using a deep cleansing mask at least once a week is important for acne prone skin like mine. Luckily, Origins has their Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask ($21). Activated charcoal is a great skincare ingredient used to detoxify and clarify. It works as a filter, trapping impurities in the skin (kind of like how a water filter works) therefore leaving your face squeaky clean. The added benefits of White China (Kaolin) clay stimulates circulation, heals acne and removes dead skin cells for a clear and bright complexion.
Fix + by M.A.C. Cosmetics ($18) is a must have in every makeup artist box! I also recommend this product for the Party Girl or someone with a 14 hour or more work day. You can use it alone to re-freshen your skin, or on top of makeup to set everything in place. With ingredients like green tea, chamomile, and cucumber, even sensitive skin would enjoy this thirst quenching cocktail. I have used Fix + on every client I freelanced for. Such events include weddings, parties, and funerals. When I followed up with my clients they all said their makeup stayed in place until they washed it off. I did makeup for a party at 11 AM, and they said their makeup was still fresh at 2 AM. As strong of a sealer as it is, it feels just like water. It’s not sticky or heavy, so you won’t even realize you sprayed it on after it dries. It’s like glue for your face, or as a friend of a friend said, “It’s like Aqua Net for your face!”
My favorite summer look is a monochromatic bronze face. Your complexion is flawless and tanned. You shimmer in the sunlight. You glow in the moonlight. It looks like the sun just melted on you. To give a natural sun-kissed look, I didn’t use any pencils. I wanted everything to blend together without any hard lines. All the makeup and brushes in this tutorial is Lancome.
I really loathe plucking my eyebrows, but since waxing regularly doesn’t fit in my budget, I might as well get some good tweezers to make the process easier on me. Tweezermanmakes excellent quality grooming products to fit the needs of everyone. My favorite product is thePointed Slant Tweezer($30) recently released byBenefit cosmetics.These are super sharp, therefore precise. You can pluck out super short hair and thin hair with these. If you want save $5, you can get the simple stainless steel ones on theTweezerman site.
The Tapered Eye Shadow Brush is my favorite eye shadow brush ever! In fact, I love it so much, I have 4 of them- 2 for me, and 2 for my artist box. I only own Lancome’s Blending Brush #17 ($27.50), but other lines carry similar brushes. This brush gives the perfect shape on your outer corner and crease everytime. I also use it to apply shadow all over, and to flawlessly blend colors together. Another great use for this brush is settling your under eye concealer with a loose powder. Holding the brush vertically, roll it across under your eyes with just a little bit of powder. To see the use of this brush in action, view my last video tutorial.
