Pair your makeup with your accessories.

DIY LASH CURLING WITH A… SPOON!

Have you ever curled wrapping ribbon by running it against the hard edge of opened scissors? This spoon technique draws from the same action and is one of the oldest tricks in the book.  Some even swear it curls their lashes better than a lash curler. We think it looks a little more natural than the curler but  still prefer the lash curler but only by a little. Anyway, try it and decide for yourself. Here’s how! 
STEPS:

1. Place the spoon (facing outward) with the bottom edge directly on your upper lashline as pictured above.
2. Press your index finger or thumb on the outer section of your lashes against the edge of the spoon.
3. Now for the curling action. In one quick flick of the spoon, press the bottom edge down against the lashes then rotate and pull it upwards until you reach the tips of the lashes. Pull gently of course. That’s it! You can do only the outer corners or repeat steps 1-3 in the center section as well like I did above.

Instant Brow Lift:

 Highlight brows with concealer and blend with a foundation brush. By placing concealer around the brows and blending, you add shape and lift, without an eye-raising bill from the plastic surgeon.

The Matte Factor:

You can turn any lipstick matte by adding a small amount of powder blush on top. Apply lipstick, blot with a tissue, and pat blush on top with your finger until it's fully matte. This is a perfect way to test matte texture to see if you like it while utilizing products you already have.

Thin Eyebrow Tips, Secrets, Ideas and Advices

When dealing with thin eyebrows, you need to follow the below tips, secrets and advices. They are what make a trained makeup artist get amazing results and you do not.

• If you have thin eyebrows because you over plucked them, to immediately correct the problem, you need to apply brow pencil or brow powder to fill them and add volume. It should be a shade lighter than the color of your eyebrows. Eyebrow pencil will give natural looks while eyebrow powder will help in filling and creating the shape you want if you apply it using a stencil. You can then apply eyebrow gel to keep the eyebrows in place.
• If you do not want to remove any hairs from your eyebrows, you can make them thin by combing the upper eyebrow downwards and the lower eyebrow upwards before finally combing them along the arch. You will be using an eyebrow stencil – choose thin one that is placed over your eyebrows as you comb and comb through the stencil. The whole essence of this is trying to shape your eyebrows to take the shape of the stencil before using an eyebrow gel to put them in place. They will look thinner that way without having to pluck them.

If you have over-plucked your eyebrows...

Eyebrows should never be underestimated. A perfectly groomed brow can be a game changer to your appearance. And lately it’s all been about the big, bold and beautiful.
But unfortunately not all of us were born with badass brows like Cara Delevingne and some of us may have overindulged in plucking in the past.
It can be quite disheartening to only be left with pencil thin lines above your eyes and even more so when no amount of eyebrow pencils or quick beauty tricks can undo the damage.

If you have over-plucked your eyebrows...

1. Don’t touch your brows for three months

This may seem incredibly obvious, but for those who can’t stand a messy brow this is a very difficult task. Tie up your hands and throw out your tweezers if you have to because you’ll never know what your brows are capable of until you stop tweezing completely.

2. Gently exfoliate 

If your brows are sparse due to overplucking, gently exfoliating the area can help stimulate hair growth. Use a soft toothbrush a few times a week and when I say gently, I mean it. If your skin turns red you’ve gone too far.

Make up artist to follow on Instagram

thevalgarland
Val Garland is known for her amazing backstage work at Fashion Weeks, and if you’re looking for more avant-garde looks to inspire you, definitely check out her Instagram feed!

Romerojennings
Romero Jennings is a makeup artist and not only is his Instagram feed full of wonderful color, but great inspiration, as well. How perfect is that cat eye above?

Promisetamangphan
Chances are, you’re probably already familiar with Promise Phan’s work — it’s all over Pinterest. But if you haven’t seen her amazing work yet, definitely check out her feed. She uses makeup to transform herself into celebrity lookalikes, and it’s pretty darn amazing.
Beau_nelson
Beau does makeup for red carpet events, as well as editorials… and his Instagram account is a nice mixture of both (with a few selfies thrown in for good measure).
hannah_murray1
Hannah’s feed is a wonderful look into the life of one of makeup’s biggest stars, as well as lots of fun peeks backstage!

How To Fix A Smudged Nail

We’ve all had that happen before — you walk out of the nail salon with a perfect mani/pedi, only to find out that you smudged the top of your pinky nail on the way out! Definitely not the best feeling. And unfortunately, I’m one of those lucky women who smudge their nails all the time. Great. Luckily there’s a way to fix a smudged nail, and it’s a whole lot easier than you may think.
All you really need are three things: nail polish remover, the nail polish you used for your mani/pedi and a topcoat. If you can’t get the original polish you used at the salon, try to find something similar to avoid having to re-do your entire manicure.

1. First, dip your finger or a q-tip into an acetone-based nail polish remover and smooth it lightly over the smudged area of your nail to create an even surface. If you don’t want to dip your entire finger, gently dab it directly on the ruined part of your nail.
2. Next, either find the same polish color you used or a similar hue and paint back over the smudged area. You want this layer to be thick enough that you can’t see through it, but not so thick that it stands out from your other nails.
3. Finish with a topcoat to smooth everything out. (we usually put two layers of polish over  before we use the topcoat, but it’s completely your preference!)

And there you go! Your nails are just as gorgeous as when you walked out of the salon twenty minutes ago. Pure and simple. Somehow I always manage to smudge my nails every single time I do them…they also end up chipping off within a couple of days! (So annoying.) It’s a wonder they even manage to stay completely on for even a single day.

How to rock it if you have pale skin

Use shimmer sparingly. You can even out skin with light-coverage foundation, but avoid ones that contain luminizers. Too much shimmer can make your skin look android-ish. Try a highlighter that will blend well, like the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector. Dab it onto the tops of the cheekbones and along your jawline.
•  Brighten up. Bronzer can look too brown or gray on pale complexions. Instead, bring a burst of color to the cheeks. Fair complexions are a blank canvas, so don't fear bright colors like fuchsia or hot apricot. Just use a small blush brush, tap off the excess, and lightly dust it on the apples of the cheeks.
•  Go easy on the eyes. Avoid dark eye shadows, which can make you look even paler, and instead blend a pastel cream shadow up to the brow bone. Choose one with a subtle shimmer—it reflects light and draws attention to the color of your eyes.

Ow. Ow. Ow. Your blisters demand swift attention.

As much your blister may hurt, resist the urge to pierce it, says Rock Positano, a foot specialist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, because it will increase the risk of infection. To speed healing, wash your feet in mild soap and water, then cover the blister with a bandage. If the blister breaks on its own, cleanse the area with an iodine solution, dab on Neosporin, and cover it up again. Next time, place a soft, gel-like blister guard (such as Band-Aid Blister Block) or a blob of Chapstick on the part of your foot where the shoes rub to prevent blisters.

When home tanning goes wrong

Squeeze fresh lemon juice onto a loofah and start scrubbing away dark splotches in a warm shower. If you have a few days before the area is revealed, smooth on a layer of body lotion containing alpha hydroxy acid both morning and night. It increases the natural turnover of the skin cells, which will speed the fading process.

The deal with ingrown hairs?

You waxed to get smooth, not to get red bumps.
Immediately after waxing,  we swab the area with an astringent containing salicylic acid  to dissolve the dead skin that can trap hairs. Then we layer on a hydrocortisone cream or aloe gel to reduce redness and swelling. If the red dots don't go away after a week, you may be looking at an all-too-common case of folliculitis—an inflammation of the hair follicle frequently caused by bacteria. Washing with salicylic acid cleansers daily can help.

What to do when your make-up has melted

First, hide out  for a few minutes until you cool down, then use blotting paper to absorb the excess perspiration and oils. Don't reapply foundation; just redistribute it with a damp sponge, using bouncy, tapping motions. Wipe off any rogue eyeliner, mascara, or shadow with a cotton swab. And if you need more lip color or blush, choose creams, which blend evenly; for durability, go with waxy eyeliner or eye-shadow sticks.