If the eyes are the windows to your soul, at least make them look pretty! Eye liner reviews and tips.

Happy Memorial Day! This weekend, many stores are having sales, so I decided to give you a Memorial Day twofer - eye liner product reviews and a tip on how to make eye liner last.

I love eye liner - it is a staple in my everyday makeup routine. I like it because it gives your eye a pop of color and takes seconds to apply. Paired with some mascara, it gives me a look I'm comfortable wearing to work without feeling like I'm all done up with eye shadow.  I reserve eye shadow for the weekends and nights out, but that's only because applying eye shadow takes more time than I'm willing to spend primping in the morning before work (the truth is, I like to sleep until the last possible minute).

There are many different types of eye liner and different techniques to apply it. You can put it on your lower lash line, your upper lash line,  and in your water lines, which is the wet ridge where your eye and eye lid come together. Be careful when lining your water lines. Use pencil only, and do not share a pencil with someone else, as you can get an infection.

See below for my thoughts on the following liquid eye liners. I use them solely for my upper lids, to give a really defined look. This type of liner is not made for the "smudged" look; that is reserved for pencils and eye shadow.

This is Urban Decay's 24/7  Waterproof Liquid Liner. It retails for $19.00 at Sephora. This liquid liner is applied with a brush and went on nice, smooth and dark. It lasted all day long. In fact, when it was time to take it off, even after I washed my face, it was still fully on. I actually had to peel in off of my lid like plastic and it came off in one piece. The one thing that I did not like about it was that, the closer I applied it to my upper lash line, the stickier it made my eyelashes. I had a hard time applying my mascara because my eyelashes were stuck together at the base.

This is Revlon's Color Stay Liquid Eye Pen. Target sells it for $7.79. This pen has a felt tip, like a marker, and also draws on easily. This also lasts all day long, however, once you put it on, you have to let it dry a little bit before you curl your lashes. Each time I curl my lashes, it tends to get on the lash curler, and then it looks faded on my eye lid. I then have to reapply it. This comes in three colors: blackest black, black and blackened brown.

This is Maybelline's Master Duo Thin or Thick Glossy Liquid Liner. This applicator is felt and has a little ball on the end of it. Their brown color is called Bronze Shimmer, and I don't like it. It was too bronze and not enough brown for me. It went on easily,  but like the Urban Decay eye liner, it stuck to the base of my lash line causing my eyelashes to stick together. They were dry and hard when I tried to put on my mascara. This one was my least favorite. It comes in six colors, black, purple, teal, green, navy and bronze and retails for $6.94 at Target.

Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner takes the cake for me. I've never worn gel liner before, but it is my new favorite. I bought it in brown and went back to the store the next day to get it in black. The liner comes in its own little pot,  and the brush is separate, with a cap for the bristles. You simply dip the tip of the brush in the gel and apply to your upper lid. This went on dark and easy and stayed on for hours. I liked this one the best because even though I tried it with dark eyeshadow on, the liner was dark enough to be visible.  This is available in four colors: black, brown, charcoal and eggplant. I bought it at CVS for $10.79.


As far as eye liner pencils go, there are so many to choose from. The following are my go-to eyeliners, and my all-time favorite.

The Wet n Wild brow and eye liner pencils are great because they come in a bunch of colors and the pencils are extremely long, so they last forever. The best part is they are only $0.99! You cannot beat the price. There is one problem with these pencils, they tend to run and smudge around your eyes, especially the bottom lid. But I have a great tip to keep that from happening. I'll get to that in a second.

This is my number one, all-time favorite eye liner in the history of the universe! This prized possession was given to me on that fateful day in Macy's at the MAC counter that I told you about last week. That darling makeup angel, whoever she was, gave me this MAC Kohl eye pencil in the color Blooz. It is a navy pencil, and it is the best navy pencil I have ever tried. I've tried a lot of pencils claiming to be navy, but they were really bright, and just not the deep navy color I was looking for. Navy is great at accentuating brown eyes and this pencil will last all day long. In fact, even after I wash my face, I usually need to get an Almay makeup eraser stick to really get it all off. This kohl pencil is $16.00 and worth every penny.


I hope these product reviews were helpful. Before I go, I'll leave you with a great tip that I found on Pinterest about how to keep your eye liner from running and smudging under your eyes. After applying your eye liner, you take a small, flat concealer brush and some pressed powder. I use Cover Girl's Oil Control Pressed Powder which is $5.94 at Target.

I run the tip of the brush against the powder and dust it under the eye liner, like I'm drawing a line of powder under the liner, but you cannot see the powder. This works wonders. For years, I came home from work at 6:00 p.m. with eye liner all around my eyes, looking like I slept twelve hours in my makeup, especially with the $0.99 eye liner. This little trick restored my confidence in throwing down those Wet n Wild eye liners at the drug store check out. I now have them in every color.

Thank you for tuning in this week. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think. If you have any questions or ideas for me to try, post them. I look forward to testing out new makeup.

Inspiration, Tips and Advice

Welcome!  If you are reading this, I thank you for visiting my blog. It has been a rough week for me, but I've been putting together some ideas for this blog and I'm excited to start actually researching some products. This week, I thought I'd share with you where I get my inspiration, the things I can't live without, and some tips on how to get started learning on your own.

A few years ago, I became really interested in learning more about makeup, specifically eye shadow, and how to apply it. Until that time I was buying drug store eye shadows, the ones that come four to a case and following the instructions on the back.  But I wanted to expand my horizons. One day on a trip to Macy's, a light was beckoning me toward it. It looked like this:

Hesitant and intimidated, I let it draw me closer. There were pretty colors everywhere. There were lipsticks and lip glosses and blushes! The eye shadow displays were color coordinated, but each color was sold separately. Wait, what? How do I know which colors to wear? How do I know where to put them on my eyelid? I longed for inspiration, knowledge, and assistance. Then an angel in beautiful, colorful makeup appeared. She didn't know it yet, but like many sales people I encounter, she would be sorry she approached me. I talked her ear off for an hour and a half, trying to suck her dry of her makeup knowledge. It was silly of me to think that I would learn everything in 90 minutes. But she was wonderful and she assisted me in how to pick out eye shadow colors, the proper tools to use and as she applied it on me, she talked me through it, step by step. I bought everything she suggested and I walked away anticipating my next trip.

That's how it started for me. When Sephora opened in my area, I was thrilled. MORE MAKEUP! Sephora sells over 200 different brands of beauty products and the sales people are knowledgable. The possibilities are endless. The best part about MAC and Sephora and department store makeup counters is, unlike drug stores, you get to test out the products before you purchase them. Of course the pricing is substantially different, but in some cases, the product quality is better.

Then came Pinterest. Pinterest has ruined my life. I pin everyday.  Their Hair and Beauty board has only made it harder for me to stay away from MAC, Sephora and drug stores. Through Pinterest, I discovered two makeup blogs, Makeup Geek and The Beauty Bybel. These blogs have how-to videos that have since encouraged my makeup obsession. Please check them out, I've included their links below.

Click here for Makeup Geek

Click here for The Beauty Bybel

These stores and sites have taught me some tried and true lessons. I'd like to share some of my basic, general makeup must-haves with you.

There are a few products that I cannot live without when it comes to makeup. Each will be discussed in further detail in upcoming posts, but I want to mention them today because I think they are important. They are:

Primer - for the face and for the eyes. Primer is a cream that goes on your face or eyelids before you put on any foundation or eye shadow. This helps your foundation and eye shadow last longer, no matter the quality of the makeup. I wear face primer every day and I wear eye primer whenever I'm wearing eye shadow.

Makeup brushes - these are essential if you want your makeup to look smooth and natural. There are many different types of brushes for the face and eyes. I have quite a few, but not every type. Brushes help blend your makeup. It is all about blending! Please throw away those eyeshadow sticks that come with the drug store eye shadow and invest in some brushes. MAC and Sephora sell professional brushes, but you can also get them at any drugstore for a reasonable price and they will last if you keep them clean. I will talk about this, also. Stay tuned!

Makeup remover towelettes and eraser sticks - these are great. One rule I have always upheld is to never, ever go to bed without washing off my makeup. The towelettes are wonderful for helping remove heavy makeup and you can use them all over your face. I love Target's brand, they are only $3.64 and I use them everyday. Almay's makeup eraser sticks retail for $4.89 and they are my number one favorite thing. They look like cotton swabs, but they have makeup remover in the stick part of it. You snap off the one end and the liquid drains into the end with the remaining swab. I used these to help erase mistakes with eye shadow, mascara and eye liner, or I use them to take off the tough eyeliner that soap just doesn't get.

Bronzer - what can I say? I'm a Jersey girl. Bronzer gives you a sun-kissed glow and I wear it all year long. If you look like this

then you've used it incorrectly. Bronzer is applied to the places that the sun would naturally hit, your forehead, cheeks, nose and chin.

My advice for anyone interested in upping their makeup routine is to check out the links I posted, there are so many great tips and product recommendations on them. I have purchased some of the products they recommend and I am working on some product reviews for you. So be sure to check back here each week. I also recommend visiting MAC and Sephora and the department stores where there are people there to help answer your questions. Also, know that if you decide to purchase drug store makeup and you don't like it, you can return it. I have done this at Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid and Target and I have never had a problem.

If you visit the stores and links I provided and are interested in experimenting with new eye shadow colors, but do not want to spend mucho dinero on a few shades, I have the perfect product for you.

 

This 144 piece palette by e.l.f. comes in bold and neutral colors, is $15.00 and is perfect for experimenting! Target and Walgreens sold it over the holiday season but it is available on their website. I actually got it for $7.00 at Walgreens on their Christmas clearance shelf. SCORE!  Makeup Geek has a review on it, also. I suggest using eye primer, it will last longer.

That's it for this week! Did I talk your ear off?  I encourage you to comment, ask questions or give me ideas. Have a great week!

Put Some Lipstick On

Hello! Welcome to my first official blog post. I thought I would introduce myself and give you a little background into why I chose to blog about makeup.

Growing up, I was introduced to beauty products at an early age.  My mother was my biggest influence because she always took care of herself - her hair was always done, her nails were always painted and she always wore makeup. To this day, she looks fabulous and she's in her fifties. Here she is:

 

So, growing up with this goddess, you might imagine that beauty routines were a staple. I can remember being dragged to salons while she got her hair and nails done. Eventually, I think it was fourth grade, I was allowed to get my first perm. Ah, yes, the good old perms from the 80's. They ruined my hair, but I digress.

I've heard a lot of women say they weren't allowed to wear makeup until they were 16 years old. I think I was around 13 when one day I came downstairs and my mother said, "You're going out like that? Go put some lipstick on!" I was the lipstick queen from 8th grade on. I remember one day in the locker room after gym class, one of the girls asked me how my lipstick stayed on all day. I stood in front of  the mirror and gave my rigorous application instructions to about 12 girls.

Here's me, at 14. Not the greatest picture, but the red lipstick is noticeable.

I eventually graduated to eyeliner and mascara and as the years passed, my girlfriends would ask me to do their makeup for proms and weddings. I was not a makeup artist, I was just the only one out of my friends that wore makeup daily. I was also the only one of my friends who would get their makeup done professionally for weddings and not rub it off in the car on the way to the church. (Yes, my one girlfriend did that.) Once I was asked by my friend, whose idea of bridesmaid makeup was Bonne Belle lip balm, "Why would you get all that makeup put on your face?" My response was, "I want to look pretty in the pictures, don't you?" I mean, come on, even supermodels look different without makeup.  Victoria's Secret supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio is gorgeous without makeup, but it definitely helps enhance her beauty. Don't you think?

 

Listen, I'm not a makeup maven. I just take the time to put makeup on everyday and learn more about it as much as I can. This blog is for the novice. I'll talk about basic tips and tricks, try out different looks and review drugstore makeup, as well as some higher end brands from MAC and Sephora. Maybe I'll teach you something, maybe you'll give me some suggestions of things to try, and I'll learn as much as I can. The idea is to share what I know and what I learn, so you can enhance your own faccia bella.