Holy Phenomenal Pressed Powder...Batman!

The Luxe Gap between HighEnd pressed powders & their Drugstore counterparts has just gotten a lot smaller!

Recently Maybelline introduced a new pressed powder called Dream Matte and so far it appears to rival that of Estee Lauder's Aeromatte in both quality & performance.

Both products boast and deliver on these same features:

• Jet-milled into ultra-fine particles for an air-soft, ultra-silky texture

• Revolutionary liquid binder ingredients provide cushiony, smooth application

• Formula ensures superior blendability for even application every time

And conversely both fail to deliver on a great selection of shades...with Estee Lauder having 3 less to choose from than Maybelline's line; thus totally alienating their skin of color clientele EEK!

Both are also difficult to track down in stores but when you do, your looking to pay about $6 bucks for Maybelline and $26 for EL. The choice is yours but both products are indeed the best, top quality pressed powders on the market today.

The Top 5 Most Useful Beauty Products Ever!

Now I'm sure most of these products will be familiar to you but if you don't know then your in for a really good treat today! The products I'm about to introduce are considered to be a "holy grail" for some and they can make or break your look...quickly. Here are your beauty products must haves---->
#1 Eyelash Curler
Let me guess....... you weren't born with super long lush lashes but you'd like to have the bright eyed look and your not down with fakes because they are too hard to apply? Cool, problem solved...or at least you in for an upgrade. When used carefully, the eyelash curler will give your lashes a boost within seconds by making them stand up at the base. It pumps your lashes to create volume the same way you tease your hair to make it bigger when it's falling flat. Same idea, same effect. As long as your are sure to apply your mascara after you've pumped them up you don't have to worry about breakage or damage. And yes, there is a method to the madness. Press the curler firmly and gently very close to the lash base and then repeat again once more towards the end. It realy doesn't matter how much you spend on your curler. They make heated ones, plastic ones, and metal ones but even the one you find at the dollar store will do you justice. Look for a brand called Japonesa if you must have something to go by. Enjoy!
#2 Makeup Traincase
Why do so many of us store our precious EXPENSIVE makeup everywhere but the right place? It's on the counter, in drawers, on dressers, in our purses, in the fridge (yes, people do this), at our bf's house, ECT. And like clockwork, everytime we're about to go out we end up searching around like a madman looking for our Nars Orgasm Blush and cursing ourselves for being so careless! So finally you end up settling for the free blush you picked up somewhere but it doesn't give you the same glow, so your nite is screwed. That brings me to the benefit of having a traincase and using it as your primary storage location. Today traincases are more affordable than in the past and they are supercute and chic! The have neat little fold out compartments and enough room to hold lots 'o stuff! It serves as a source of protection and keeps your pressed powders from falling from the counter and rendering itself useless...unless your into mineral powders that is, and even still you've made a mess. Traincases make traveling with your goodies ridiculously easy, nothing gets left behind, and many offer a special place to carry your brushes. There is absolutely no reason NOT to have one unless your not a makeup diva like myself.
#3 Eye Makeup Remover
Whoohoo this has got to be the 8th wonder known to woman! It's all too simple ladies, this baby wipes off eye makeup with just one swipe of a cotton ball across your lids. I'm talking about removing mascara, eyeliner, color, glitter, basically whatever your into. Its super safe so it never irritates your eyes and it doesn't leave residue. But the MAIN reason why I keep this baby fully stocked in my cabinet is because if and when I make an eyeshadow mistake I know I can fix it right away. No matter if I just did a complete smoky eye effect. I just take my cotton ball, dab it with the remover ann I can take the whole shadow mess completely off. 2 seconds later I have a fresh new canvas to work on. You just can't beat that especially when in a pinch. It's doesn't require much product eitherm which means there is no drip mess. Your base, shadow, and whatever else you applied to your face is left in tact. I know many brands carry eye makeup remover and it's not a spendy purchase, so I won't say one particular brand is better than another. However for future reference, I happen to use and rely on Lancome's BIFACIL Double-Action Eye Makeup Remover.
#4 Foundation Brush
This is a beauty tool that not only saves you on product (for liquid foundation wearers) but also gives you a flawless and even finish. The key to making this work for you is purchasing a good brush in the very beginning. There are a lot of crap brushes on the market and you can end up giving up on the project before you even get to see what it can do for you. I would not recommend buying your brushes from the drugstore or even Target. Sonia K may have a nice set for minimal cost but I haven’t evaluated hers just yet nor do I know anyone who has. The packaging is cute thou! Haha no seriously don’t be fooled by packaging because you’ll need a brush made out of specific synthetic materials. The animal hair brushes feel and look nice but they soak up too much makeup and they don’t glide over your skin as it should. I stand by Lancome’s Foundation Brush #2. It’s an excellent high quality brush! It’s not cheap by far but it’ll be the last foundation brush you’ll ever have to purchase. The ends are tapered to a tee and it’s the perfect size for application. Application tips coming soon……
#5Lash Primer
I stumbled upon this miracle years ago when L’Oreal first introduced their double extend mascara. At the time it was the OPPOSITE of what I needed because I had a formal day job and this gave me stripper lashes! I could not believe how long they made my regular lashes look but I’m glad to have made that purchase for all that I have learned. I now know without-a-doubt that there is zero need for me to haggle with false eyelashes when I can just apply this lash primer followed by any mascara I so choose. The primer adds fibers to your lashes to create the length and volume with no glue involved. It also has some conditioning features and it won’t irritate your eyes even if you wear contacts. So basically you can have long lush lashes with minimal effort and cost. Stock up!

The Top 5 Products That Are A Waste Of Time & Money!

That's right I said it...Foundation primer, Blotting sheets, Makeup remover (for the face), Clear mascara (for your lashes), and Colored mascara are completely un-necessary to your collection and at the top of the worst picks lists for beauty products ever made! Sure you've seen these cutesy items touted by top cosmetic brands and showcased in countless magazines but don't be fooled anymore into parting with your $$ in exchange for poor performance. Here is why these products fail miserably-------->

#1 Foundation Primer

The only time this baby comes in handy is when your dealing with dry skin at a photoshoot and photos are being taken right after. Primer provides a slick base upon which you can apply makeup on. It makes the application a cinch! It sits right on top of the face, filling in pores and crevices....for a brief period of time that is! After about an hour, it naturally begins to run b/c your face has warmed up. Say goodbye to your makeup because it has just slipped right off! Not only that, but how well do you think your skin is breathing under that slick canvas + foundation + blush, ect. Hee Hee say hello to breakouts!

What you really want is some MOISTURIZER people! Gel Moisturizer if you have oily skin or a Creamier Moisturizer for dry skin. You have Combination Skin you say? Well hey, the choice is yours. Also try applying a product with hyaluronic acid + moisturizer at night which will benefit you in the morning when you apply your makeup. You skin will be hydrated, less flaky and smoother. This should eliminate the temptation to provide "primer". There is actually 1 type of primer that will do you some good and it's called "eyeshadow base." Check upcoming posts for the 411 on this beauty benefit!

#2 Facial Makeup Remover

For the $30 bucks you spend on this, you can just as easily use your regular daily facial wash and achieve the same effect. Advertisers and SA's are hell bent on making you think that your foundation won't come off without this real life soapy water which is absolutely ridiculous! They tell you that their"won't clog your pores, hypoallergic, fragrance free"foundation is good for your skin and in the same breath say you can't get all of it off without their $30 miracle potion. OMG get out of here with that nonsense!! Foundation is being made to benefit your skin more and more each year. They are adding moisturizers to it as well as vitamins. They are also making it lighter in content and virtually weightless on the face. As a result, you don't need this pseudo super cleaner to get it off, Cetaphil works just as well for less than half the price.

#3 Oil Blotting Sheets

The sentiment behind this product is in the right place but these superthin little sheets deliver a lack luster performance and the job itself is nothing you cannot achieve with a simple kleenex or a regular ol' paper towel. It's the art of "patting" and not wiping of which you should practice and master. Now one could argue that these sheets are "sexier" or "cuter" to use in public but then again what's sexy about wiping up gobs of oil off your face? Haha please get over yourself and use that money on some oil free foundation! It takes at least 3 sheets per cheek to get the oil off or 1 nice piece of Brawny. Actually I recommend Kleenex, it's softer, gentler and the boxes usually have cute flowers on the outside. But whatever you so choose, as long as you understand that there is no superpower phenomenon locked into those 2x3 purple sheets, then my job is done.

#4 Clear Mascara

Now here is a product I wanted to love because I truly do not wish to wear mascara everyday but still they need grooming and curling. I know I'm not alone in this sentiment, shout out to all of my natural look fans! The dilemma is that this baby gets dirty or at least looks to be if you use it interchangebly with your regular mascara products, and that quickly renders it useless. I'm saying that in roughly 2 weeks it's grey and following that a nasty black. You can also see loose hairs and particles in there..double yuck! It will actually make you think twice about what's in your regular mascara if you never thought to care before. So save for the cool science experiment, you will soon be grossed out by clear mascara and throw it promptly in the trash. But I'll tell ya what it is good for, defining your eyebrows...unless you paint yours on (which I'm not a fan of) and then your in the same boat. Guess there is another reason to be happy we have have opposable thumbs!! I'd suggest that and some H2O to smooth things out....or clear mascara for a week. Take your pick.

#5 Colored Mascara

Cool in theory but not in practice. The problem I have with this is simple, it doesn’t work. Most times no one will notice, or they will tell you that there are bits of crayon stuck in your lashes. Matter of fact, try googling a picture of someone wearing colored mascara….you’ll be hard pressed to find one and let me know if you do. It’s really the biggest money waster I have listed. I even own a tube of mascara that has sparkles in it. I imagined that it would look like I had diamonds on my eyes…LOL…..not only has that not been the case but the particles have nearly blinded me. But here is what YOU can do and what I think most people hope to achieve by buying this hunk of junk.
Try lining your bottom lashes with your color of choice and be sure to get the inner corners. This technique looks amazing and it will stand out the right way.

Gel Eyeliner....have you discovered it yet?

Let's play a game, what do you get when you mix your traditional Kohl eyeliner pencil that you have been using since middle school with one of those fabulous but yet hard to apply liquid ones that makeup artist absolutely love to rave about? Well, I'll tell you because if your not in the know then your losing out big time! The best new type of eyeliner on the market today is this genuis little gem called Gel Eyeliner. It goes on with the ease of a kohl liner but gives you the look of perfection that you love about the liquid ones. But that's not even all, it comes in an array of bold and bright colors so your not just limited to black and brown. This is great for your red carpet moments and your close-ups! Drugstore brands haven't started putting these on the market yet but they can be found at MAC and BB makeup counters in your local mall. Look to MAC first if your interested in the bold and bright colors.

Your gel eyeliner will last you quite awhile for your money. Costs range from 18-28 bucks a pop. I've had mine for almost a year now with a third still remaining. It's very small, usually comes in a pot similar to lip balm (as seen above) and it's easy to travel with; although you must take your Eyeliner brush with you for application. The brush costs no more than $28 bucks and I usually store it in a plastic ziplock bag when I'm traveling which keeps things from getting messy. The cost of the brush is also pretty minimal considering that it will last you forever! No need to purchase multiple brushes either for different color uses. It wipes off easy and clean in no time. Soap, water, tissue off and done. The brush has a soft tip that is cut in an angle perfect for applying liner to your eyes. After only 2 or 3 sweeping motions you have already lined your eyes to perfection. No drippy mess to worry about, no thick pencil leaving an uneven line, no debris falling into your eyes & no sharpening ever. Seriously ladies, run...don't walk to add this little Gem to your collection if you like a chic, model finish!