Secret Tip for Easy Cat Eye

The cat eye is a beautiful way to add drama to your look. However, it can be very tricky to make each side symmetrical and even. I recently found an awesome video that teaches a super simple trick to get the perfect cat eye every time. The secret ingredient is shockingly scotch tape. I tried it and it really does work. She recommends in the video to put the tape on your clothes first to get rid of some of the stickiness. I would do this a couple of times so you don't mess up the rest of your eye makeup. My scotch tape was still pretty sticky after I stuck it on my clothes just once.
Since the cat eye is pretty dramatic I would recommend going pretty natural with the rest of your makeup. This would be the perfect look for a special event, night out with the girls or a hot date. Check on this link to watch the video. http://vimeo.com/32063586 It's from How to Be a Girl from Jane Marie.

Makeup Idea for a Hot Valentine's Date

If you have a date with your special someone for Valentine's Day, here is a fun look to try. I started by sketching out an idea I had.

Now you want to start with a blank canvas. I used Stila's new Prime Pot in Taffy. This is an amazing product because it is waterproof and really helps cancel out the color of your eyelid. This allows whatever color you are using to truly shine.

Now you are going to take a light champagne color and apply to your whole eyelid. Then take a dark brown and apply all the way up to your crease. Remember blend, blend, blend. When you are doing a dark color eyeshadow, you could also apply your foundation last. This will allow you to take care of any fallout. I used Stila's new Trio in Ethereal.

Once you have gotten your color to where you like it, you are going to line your eyes. For this look you will be using a deep brown liner on the top lid and a purple on the bottom. Line your full eye on both top and bottom. I also lined my bottom rim with the same purple color. Smudge your liner out a little on the bottom to give you a more dramatic look. I used Stila Smudgesticks in Lionfish and Purple Tang. Sorry this picture isn't very good. :)

Now apply a few coats of black mascara, blush and your favorite lip gloss. When you use darker colors on your eyes I would recommend a very neutral gloss. Now you have a look that your loved one will love.

How to Get Amazing Lashes

I am ashamed to say that I have just recently started using an eyelash curler. I feel like I found my long lost best friend. If you have seen any of my work you will know that I LOVE lashes!!!! Using an eyelash curler is a very simple and easy way to give yourself amazing lashes everyday. I personally use the Shu Eumura curler and I love it. It was a little bit pricy but the results are fantastic. I am not saying that the only way you will get great lashes is by using this brand but I have had a really great experience with it.

Now for my tip. Take your blowdryer and blow warm air on your eyelash curler for a few seconds. Just long enough to warm it up. You do not want to get it too warm or you will burn yourself. Once you have it warmed use it like you normally would. This gives you an even greater curl than using it cool. It almost looks like you used a curling iron on your lashes. I also think it makes the curl hold longer. Try it out, I know you will love it!

Mineral Makeup

I know that many women think that mineral makeup such as Bare Minerals is too much of a mess to ever try and use. However, Bare Minerals is the foundation that I use on myself on a daily basis. I personally feel that if you know the proper way to use it, it is not only easy to use but also really fast. It offers a great coverage that looks natural at the same time. In my opinion, it is the perfect foundation. Because I want each of you to see how awesome it truly is I am going to walk you through the steps I take while applying it. All of the brushes I use come in the starter kit that can be purchased at ULTA or Sephora.

1. Make sure your skin is moisturized. This is so important since it is a powder foundation and can have a tendency to stick to dry skin.

2. I take the Handy Buki brush and buff the foundation onto my skin. (Buffing is just applying the foundation in a circular motion.) You will feel like you are rubbing it all off but you aren't don't worry. Continue until you feel like you have pretty good coverage.

3. Take the powder brush that comes in the kit and buff the foundation once again onto your skin. This helps to even out the foundation.

4. Take the concealer brush and cover any areas that you feel are not adequately covered. This is great for the occasional pimple. This foundation is one of my favorite concealers. It covers really well especially when using a concealer brush.

5. Use the powder brush to put a very little bit of the Warmth (bronzer) onto your cheeks, bridge of nose and chin. You apply it anywhere the sun would naturally hit.

6. Go over your whole face with the Mineral Veil using the powder brush.

That's it! I can do this whole process in just a few minutes. If you read the directions that come in the kit it will tell you to do this in a different order. However, I have used this foundation over 2 years now and I truly believe this is the way to get the best application with it. I would think that you could use these same instructions with any mineral foundation, however I have only used Bare Minerals.

How to Brighten Your Teeth Without Whitening

I am sure that most of us would love to make our teeth look white and bright. I am going to tell you a few tips on how to do that without having to do any teeth whitening.

First, choose the right lipstick shade. Go for a bright red--it'll make your teeth look whiter in contrast--and avoid magenta hues with pinky-blue undertones. They can make pearly whites look a little yellowish.

Second, wet your teeth before smiling. You can do this by either licking them or taking a drink of water. This will give your teeth more sparkle.

Third, apply a little dab of lip gloss to the centerpart of your lower lip to make lips look plump and teeth look shiny!

Now you know 3 easy ways to brighten up your smile. Hopefully the results will put a smile on your face!

Tip for Eyeliner

I know for me I seem to constantly go for a black or brown eyeliner as I am sure most women do. However, lately I have been mixing it up and using different colors of eyeshadow as a liner. All you have to do is use a eyeliner brush and get it wet. You can use any eyeshadow color that you want. Sometimes it will take a couple of applications to get the color as dark as you want it. I personally have tried purple, navy blue, and green. Try to use a more neutral color as your base color though because too much color can look overdone. The possibilities are endless though. This is a really fun way to spice up your makeup without having to do anything too dramatic. Plus it will save you money because you are using eyeshadow that you already have. Try it! I know you will love the results!

Makeup Brushes

Makeup brushes are something that every woman should own. They make a difference between your makeup just looking OK and looking great. I know many makeup products come with applicators, but I promise you if you try applying with a brush you will get a much better result. So what brushes should you have? I will tell you the ones I cannot live without.

First up a powder brush. I use my powder brush to apply a powder foundation. I personally use MAC Studio Fix foundation and it can tend to look very heavy if you use the sponge applicator. So I take my large powder brush and apply it to my entire face.

Next a blush brush. The difference between a blush and powder brush is that a blush brush has a more fanned appearance. This allows your blush to go on with a more natural look. You don't want to be walking around looking like a clown with big circles of blush. You can also use this brush for bronzer.

A flat eyeshadow brush. This brush can be used to apply your all over color on your eyes.

A rounded blending brush or crease brush. This brush is used for blending your accent color on your eyes. This color is usually applied in the crease of your eye. This brush will give your eyeshadow that professional makeup look that you cannot get from a sponge applicator.

The last brush I recommend is a brow comb. Sometimes eyebrows do not want to do what they are supposed to. Use this comb to get them where they are supposed to be. Most brow combs have two sides. One is more brush like and is used for taming brows. The other is like a small comb, this side can be used for removing clumps from your mascara or also used on your brows as well.

Ok now that you know what brushes you need, where should you buy them. Brushes can vary widely in price. Some high end brushes can run as much as $80-100 a piece. If you have that to spend, then one brand I would recommend is Trish McEvoy. They are great brushes but are definitely an investment. Another brand that I like that are pretty reasonable is Sephora's brand of brushes. I have a few of these that I use my self and I have been very pleased with their quality. If you don't have much to spend you can always go to the drugstore or even Ebay has brush sets for as low as $10. Even if you don't have the very best brushes you will still get a much better result than using the applicators that come with the product.

Summertime Makeup

I can't believe summer is officially here! Summer is a crazy time for makeup! It is extremely hot so you sweat most of it off, but this is also a really good time to make sure you are using the correct colors for your skin. Most of us get darker in the summer due to spending way more time outside. Colors that looked amazing on you in the winter now might need an update. Summer is also a time when you can get away with wearing a lot brighter colors. So be brave and try something new, whether it is a fun new lip gloss or a bright new blush. You will be glad you did!! Another thing to remember about summertime makeup is less is more. Oklahoma's 100 degree summer will put even the very best makeup products to the test. I would definitely recommend wearing as little makeup as you can and still feel great about the way you look. One easy fix is a tinted moisturizer, they give you a little color but yet are light and will not melt off of your face. Also girls make sure you are wearing a moisturizer with a sunscreen, I know that none of us want to look like a dried up piece of leather. Over exposure to the sun is the best way to look exactly like one. Just take care of your skin it is definitely something that we cannot replace. I wish everyone a great summer and if you need any makeup tips feel free to ask!