Category Archives: products

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Ask Marissa…Prevent Eye Infections

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Jane Doe: I have an eye infection (stye) that keeps recurring. I’ve now washed all my brushes and replaced my mascara (i know it should be replaced or I’ll get eye infections, which is now very obvious). I start a job next Monday, should I replace all my other makeup too (powders, blushes)?

Me: If you keep having infections and you are using your brushes and couble dipping in your eye shadows, then those are most likely infected too. face makeup should be ok to keep. Now some q’s for you:

1. what are you washing your brushes with and how often?
2. how long have you had your makeup you are thinking of replacing?
3. how often do you clean your makeup?
4. how often do you change your mascara?

Jane Doe: ‎
1. Just washed my brushes for the first time in a year with dish soap.
2. About a year. And it’s my face powder – bare minerals.
3. WTF do you mean by “clean your makeup”?
4. Just bought new mascara because of eye infection.

Also, I admittedly do not always wash my face before bed (too tired, meh). So I know I need to change that. And my pillowcases, and my washcloth.

Me: Infections are not caused by not washing your face, pillow cases, etc. Here are some tips on how to prevent eye infections.

1. Your brushes should be washed after every use, but get in the habit of at least once a week for now. Dish soap is ok, but can mess up your brushes. Just be sure it’s a mild formula and anti-bacterial.

2. Your face powder should be ok as long as the brush you are using for it never came in contact with your eyes.

3. especially if you don’t wash your brushes regularly, you should- spray alcohol on, then swipe your lipsticks on a paper towel once a month.
wipe the tops of any dry pressed powders with a dry tissue once a month
spray a paper towel with alcohol, then wipe off the top layer of any cream makeup you have once a week.

4. Mascara should be thrown out after 3months of the first use…and that’s the extreme maximum. When you pull out the wand and don’t hear that kissing sound, then it’s time to get a new one. Also, don’t pump the wand into the tube because you are providing more air for bacteria to breed in there.

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Tokidoki Makeup Review and Tutorial

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I’ve always loved the super kawaii clutter of Tokidoki Designs. Now they have a whole cosmetics line available at Sephora that I couldn’t refuse. I really didn’t expect much from makeup in packaging so cute it made me want to vomit rainbows and unicorns, but I was pleasantly surprised. My video shows what I love about the eyeshadows, brushes, mascara, lip stain and lip glosses. There are also swatches and an application tutorial. Tokidoki!!! SQUEE!!!

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How To Spot Fake MAC Cosmetics On eBay

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My new video shows you what to look for when shopping for MAC Cosmetics on eBay. There are thousands of counterfeit M.A.C. Cosmetics in the world, and the internet makes it that much easier to dupe people into thinking it’s the real thing. In my video, I cover brushes, eye shadow palettes, and the Hello Kitty collection. I’ve learned from my mistakes, and I now know that there’s no better deal than buying MAC from real MAC counters, real MAC stores and the MAC website. They are extremely reasonably priced, and the US sells it for less than any other country in the world. This tutorial is meant for those of you who seek out those discontinued or limited edition products that are no longer available. A tip for brushes: JUST DON’T DO IT. The video explains why…

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Ask Marissa…Balancing Combination Skin

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Jane Doe: I have normal / combo skin and in winter it usually gets a little dry…but this winter it’s behaving very differently. My skin is very dry in the cheeks and around the eyes, enough to where it is tight and uncomfortable most of the day. But my t-zone is just as oily as it would be in the summer and seems to be more prone to breakouts than usual. Any suggestions for how to tackle this? My current system is to cleanse with a normal cleanser, use a mild alcohol-free toner and moisturize with philosophy hope in a jar / eye hope for the eyes. I also exfoliate 4x a week and do an at home peel every other week.

Me: I would say stop using Hope in a Jar. Any oil on your face will make the oily areas worse. I don’t want you to waste your money though, so just use it at night with an oil control lotion on your t-zone. During the day, I would suggest MAC’s Studio Moisture Cream ($32). It’s safe for oily skin, but is very moisturizing. It gives time released moisture throughout the day and has spinach to help circulation. It will also add radiance to dry dull skin. Keep using your cleanser for normal skin, but switch to one with a toner in it. A toner’s main purpose is to pH balance your skin after using a cleanser that is too acidic. All of MAC’s cleansers a pH balanced, so you don’t need a toner. No toner= no irritating dry skin and no under-toning oily skin. Try MAC’s Creamwash ($19.50) or Green Gel cleanser ($19.50). Both are ok for all skin types.

Jane Doe: Perfect thanks! I haven’t tried any of MACs skincare maybe it’s time to give it a go. I think I’ll have to grab something from the Champale collection too.Champale was made for you! All of MAC skincare is made with natural ingredients. No synthetics. No animal testing. All cruelty free.

Jane Doe: I love everything in that collection, I really want the quad though. It reminds me a little of my fav MAC quad Liza eyes which is really really old but just very pretty neutrals. Does the MAC skincare smell good?

Me: Some of it has no fragrance. I don’t remember what Studio Moisture cream smells like, but the Green Gel cleanser is very crisp and clean. It’s got green tea and algae extract. Balancing combination skin can be tricky, but you will eventually get there with the right products.

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Ask Marissa…Acne Scars & Rosacea

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Jane Doe: I have horrible skin and I have tried a lot of cleansers and toners ect for it I look forward to trying a mask I hope it will help, ’cause so far nothing works and it is embarrassing. I have even had women tell me you need to wash your face more. It’s Rosacea and acne scaring I tell them but still get the looks of question .

Me: I can only really tell you how to cover up and soothe rosacea. Only dermatologist prescribed treatment can cure or control it.
As for acne scarring, you might want to try Stri-Vectin. It’s pretty pricey ($135), but it lasts a long time and works wonders. Within 2 weeks of using stri-vectin, my purple stretch marks turned white. Stretch marks are scars too. For something less expensive, start out with Maderma (you can get it at Walgreens, $30) until you notice results are not improving anymore, then move up to stri-vectin. You will need to use a very good moisturizer on top of Maderma and Stri-Vectin, because there is a lot of retinol in it and will make your skin feel dry and uncomfortable.
When you cover up acne scars, always wear a makeup primer underneath your foundation. This will fill in any lines, wrinkles, pores and acne scars so that your skin will have an even texture. Since you have a lot of redness, I suggest using the Sephora brand green corrector primer ($15). The green hue will neutralize any redness. Follow with your foundation, and setting powder.

Jane Doe: Ok I will do when I can find one in my area and TY for the advice. Doctors are way to expensive for me right now to go to for skin care. I used to have a face wash with tea tree oil in it that worked wonders for the Rosacea but it is no longer made I have looked for a new one to try but can’t find anything like it. Never thought of using Maderma on my face I have some and will be using it thank you.
If you can find pure tea tree essential oil, one drop in your cleanser and/or moisturizer should do the trick.