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How to: A Simple Sugar Scrub for Luscious Lips

December 25th, 2009 by Karen 20 Comments

Written by Jessica of Picturesque Makeup

Today Jessica of Picturesque Makeup shares a delicious DIY lip exfoliator that costs next to nothing to do.

Here’s a quick and simple sugar scrub to soften dry/flakey lips:

Load some lip balm (a smooth one, not sticky — I prefer Rosebud Strawberry Lip Balm) onto one of your fingers.
Dip the finger into some plain old granulated white sugar (keep a small jar for beauty purposes in your vanity).
Rub the sugar balm mix all over your lips to exfoliate, wiping clean with a tissue.

It’s a great (and great tasting) alternative to more expensive lip scrubs and takes practically no time at all. 🙂 Do it before bed, and then slap on a little more lip balm for lusciously soft lips the following morning.

Written by Jessica of Picturesque Makeup

This post was written by Jessica of Picturesque Makeup. When not blogging or creating video makeup tutorials, she’s studying hard for her doctorate and working as a freelance makeup artist.

Some of Stef’s Favorite Exfoliators and Cleansers with Kick!

December 22nd, 2009 by Karen 23 Comments

Written by Stef

Today Stef of the fantastical We Heart This (a little bit of everything, a whole lot of love) shares five of her favorite exfoliators.

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When my face flakes
When my skin’s dull
When I’m feeling sad….

Gather ’round, children. I’d like to tell you about a few of my favorite scrubs (and I promise not to make your play clothes out of curtains!). That’s right — a good exfoliator can send me spinning on a mountaintop like a modern day Julie Andrews.

But first, why should you exfoliate? Because your skin is constantly shedding dead cells to make way for new ones. The old cells dull your skin, making it uneven and sometimes even dry. So you want them gone, pronto. Exfoliating moves this process along faster. With a good product, your skin will look fresher, you’ll have a smoother surface for makeup application and you’ll get more out of your other skin care products because they will penetrate the skin’s surface better.

Here are my current top five favorites:

1. Bobbi Brown Buffing Grains ($40)

Multi-taskers, listen up. This little time saver cuts two-product facial cleansing/exfoliating down to a single easy step. Bobbi Brown’s Buffing Grains are made of Japanese Adzuki bean powder, gentle yet powerful little granules that you can mix into your favorite cleanser to make it an exfoliator too.

And for bargain hunters, Angel Face Botanicals makes a version with 4 times as much product at half the price.

TIP: You can buy the bean powder from many health food stores for practically free. DIYers can even buy Adzuki beans whole and grind them at home!

2. Aveeno Skin Brightening Daily Scrub ($7.50)

Want another time saver? Check out Aveeno Skin Brightening Daily Scrub, my drugstore scrub of choice. I really consider this to be more of a cleanser with a kick, as it’s not quite the exfoliating powerhouse as some of my other favorites. But here’s why I like it…
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5 Fantastic Makeup Secrets I Learned from Watching YouTube

December 21st, 2009 by Karen 26 Comments

Written by Audrey

Today Audrey of Makeup by Audrey shares five fantastic makeup secrets she learned from watching YouTube.

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I’m a late bloomer when it comes to makeup. My two essential items had always been foundation and blush — maybe gloss if I wanted to dress it up. Then, just over a year ago, it happened.

I discovered the world of makeup tutorials on YouTube!

At first, I was just amazed by the amazing transformations that these wonderful ladies (and sometimes, men) would do. I mean, who doesn’t love seeing those befores and afters?

But then I started wondering to myself — could I do that??? I started experimenting. I’d watch a tutorial and then try the look on myself. Eventually I got the hang of things, building my makeup collection at the same time.

You can learn just about anything on Youtube… As for makeup, it’s a great place to learn the basics, like how to apply eyeliner, brow shaping, how to create a classic smoky eye, etc.

But what I especially love about YouTube are all of the random little makeup tricks. 🙂

Here are five of my favorites:

1. Without a good base, just don’t bother

Click the picture above to see Loulud81‘s review of different eyeshadow bases and primers.

I never used to wear eyeshadow because it didn’t seem to do much for me. Either the colors wouldn’t show up on my Filipino skin, or they’d fade away before lunch. Then, I learned about eyeshadow primers and how they help prevent shadows from creasing and/or fading. Now, I literally will not apply eyeshadow without a base. Two popular ones are Urban Decay Primer Potion and Too Faced Shadow Insurance.

There are also other eyeshadow bases you can use on top of your primer that will really help intensify colors and make them “pop”. Some examples are MAC Paint Pots and Shadesticks, NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils, and Make Up For Ever Flash Colors.

I also typically use a primer for my face. It helps to smooth out my skin and make the foundation last. I love the silky feel of the Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer, but I haven’t been too thrilled with the $36 price for one ounce.

Here’s a secret — try the Monistat Soothing Care Chafing Relief Powder-Gel. I think it works just as well as it has similar ingredients (i.e. dimethicone). I know that some of you may be scared by the brand (NOTE: This is not the yeast infection version), but just trust me on this and give it a try. 🙂 You can find it at any drugstore (or even Target), and it’s much cheaper, around $8 for 1.5 oz.

Click the picture above for kitcat627‘s review of the Monistat Soothing Care Chafing Relief Powder-Gel.

2. Paintbrushes are not just for paint!

Click above to watch EnKoreMakeup‘s comparison of MAC brushes and paintbrushes.

Personally, I love my MAC brushes. I do believe the quality justifies the price. But not everyone can afford a single eyeshadow brush that costs over $20. One alternative – head over to Michaels or a similar craft store and check out their paintbrushes. Specifically, the Loew Cornell line has a variety of brushes that are very comparable to MAC brushes at a fraction of the cost. As an example, the Loew-Cornell 270 3/8″ Maxine’s Mop artist brush ($4) is almost identical to the MAC 239 eye shader brush ($25), as shown in the video below. And my favorite go-to brush for lining my eyes with gel eyeliner is the Loew-Cornell 485 large tear drop brush ($7).
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Urban Decay’s Big Holiday Bang: The Apocalyptic Nail Kit

December 12th, 2009 by Karen 8 Comments

Written by Jen, aka Raging Rouge

Today Jen of Raging Rouge reveals her hidden edgy side with Urban Decay’s latest *BIG BANG* — the Apocalyptic Nail Kit.

Urban Decay Apocalyptic Nail Kit

My personal style is total “suburban Mom.” My everyday look is classic, maybe even a bit boring: caramel balyage, neutral eyeshadow, jeans, flats… sometimes I even wear pearls! My point is, I generally don’t stray from what most would consider “ordinary.”

But in spirit, I’m part rock star and part punk, sporting goth-black hair, tattoos — and perhaps some sort of weapon concealed in my cleavage.

It’s that hidden inner edge that has me heralding Urban Decay’s latest big bang. Their nail enamel is back on the market, and just in time for the holidays. The Apocalyptic Nail Kit, an adorable mini nail enamel kit, looks great for gifting OR for keeping!

Think you can’t pull off these in-your-face shades? Do what I do. You can still look the part of suburban Mom by using these nail lacquers for your pedicure. It’ll be our little secret. 😉

Retail price is $26 for the seven small bottles of nail color, and all are DBP, Toluene and Formaldehyde-free.

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Meltdown: This electric shade of purple has a shimmer that dances in the sunlight.

Big Bang: Love pink? Love glitter? You’re in the right place! From Urban Decay’s original collection, this polish is a sizzling hot pink packed with tons of sparkle.

Apocalypse: A dark, inky, almost black purple. Piss off an octopus, and this is the color of his defense.

F-Bomb: This shade (my personal fave) is a smokin’ sex siren red with a shiny patent-leather finish. The only thing sexier would be a pair of stilettos in this exact shade!

Grunge: Generation-Xers are rejoicing over this hopelessly hip evergreen shade. It appeals to the Kurt Cobain-loving Seattle-dweller within us all.

Gunmetal: This polish is a super-dark titanium with brown undertones. Urban-Chic fashionistas will die over this way-better-than-black shade.

White Widow: This snowy, frosty pale white with a cool gray cast should be perfect for wearing on the slopes!

Written by Jen, aka Raging Rouge

This post was written by Jen of Raging Rouge blog. A part-time beauty blogger and full-time mom to two completely fearless boys, Jen got hooked on makeup at seven years old when her parents let her have her first little lip balm.

Maybelline SuperStay 24HR Makeup: Staying Where It’s Put

November 28th, 2009 by Karen 16 Comments

Written by Khalia Bentson

Today Khalia Bentson of Glamour and Love shares why she hearts Maybelline SuperStay 24HR Foundation.

I’m always on the market for makeup with real deal, all day long, no muss/fuss/budging staying power.

Why? Because my skin seems to absorb everything that touches it. No matter what I use, it doesn’t hang around for long.

Even skin tone is at the top of my makeup agenda, so naturally, it’s extremely frustrating to get home at the end of the day with uneven skin.

One night, perusing the makeup aisle at Walgreens while I waited for a prescription to be filled, I noticed Maybelline SuperStay 24HR Makeup (foundation).

Twenty-four hours?! Doubtful, I thought, but for less than $10, I had to give it a try.

How long does it really last?

I compared my results to the claims on the label: does it withstand heat, sweat and humidity? Yes, yes and yes. How about non-transferable? I think so, another yes.

Even though it doesn’t last a full 24 hours (didn’t expect it to), I have to say, SuperStay 24HR passed my test.

And I’m amazed! This stuff did not budge at all. My biggest pet peeve is makeup that rubs off on anything and everything I touch. To see how well it would fare, I purposefully skipped primer OR setting powder (which I usually use), and it fared well.

As you’ll notice in these comparison pix, the foundation didn’t hold up quite as well in my oily t-zone as it did on the rest of my face, but this was without a setting powder. All things considered, I’d say SuperStay 24HR Makeup performed rather impressively.

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This pic was taken around 10 a.m. First, I washed and moisturized, then waited about 8 minutes before applying the foundation.
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Got2B Fat-Tastic Mousse: Big Volume, Small Price

November 26th, 2009 by Karen 5 Comments

MBB guest post! Today my Bay Area blogging buddy Marisol of A Dirty Martini Kind of Girl shares her new favorite budget beauty treasure, got2b Fat-Tastic Mousse.

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Why do we always want what we can’t have?Â

Even though I’ve gotten compliments on my curly hair, I’ve spent a lot of time and money on products to make it straight. Typically, I’ll use a ceramic flat iron, but I’m never completely happy with the volume I get.

It was on one of my random walks through the beauty aisles at Walgreens that something yellow and pretty caught my eye.

Got2b Fat-Tastic ($5), a thickening, plumping mousse infused with collagen, promises to make your hair feel thicker, denser, and full of body and life.Â Got2b claims their collagen also adds elasticity for overall stronger, luscious hair that holds styles all day long. Now tell me, what girl doesn’t want that? Â

Because I have thin hair, the flat iron works well, but then I spend a lot of time teasing and using hair spray to also give it volume.
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Lip Lessons: What Can Brown Do for You?

November 22nd, 2009 by Karen 26 Comments

Rae rules! We’ve been put on notice today — theNotice, that is. The faboo Rae of theNotice blog shares one of her favorite lip tricks with brown liner.

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Brown lip liners… What can I say about them other than “Hello, ’90s”? Here’s the thing: I think they’re ugly, and not normal ugly, but, like, horrendous.

We’re not talking about sheer browns or reddish-browns either. We’re talking about true brown lip colours — opaque browns — like Paula Dorf’s Voodoo pencil ($20).

It would make a stunning eyeliner. In fact, I’d call it perfect, with its gorgeous chocolate brown base and the most wonderful gold flecks.

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But it’s not an eyeliner. Oh, no. It’s not.

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I wanted to see what kind of lip Voodoo I could do with Voodoo, so I started by layering it underneath a coral gloss.

The experiment failed…

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Luckily, a true beauty addict never gives up! When a product calls to you, you make that baby work.

Next, I figured I’d try layering it with a red lipstick — something from my stash that people rave about, something like MAC’s infamous Dubonnet lipstick.

As much as I like Dubonnet, I can’t wear it without layering the heck out of it — sometimes over a burgundy liner, other times topped with black gloss.

On it went overtop Voodoo…
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NYC Pencil and Pout Lipgloss Makes Matching Fun

November 8th, 2009 by Karen 25 Comments

MBB guest post! We’ve been put on notice today — theNotice, that is. The charming Rae of theNotice blog shares one of her all-time drugstore makeup faves, NYC’s Pencil and Pout.

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Posing for the camera

So you know those mornings when you just don’t want to get out of bed? Yah, those ones — the ones where you sit in front of the mirror after taking caffeine into your bloodstream and realize that you’re too tired to tell your mascara from your brow gel, much less match your lipliner to your gloss?

Well, if you can track it down (can be hard to find online), NYC may have a solution. It’s their cute little Pencil and Pout lipgloss in Parfait Duet (about $5), with its hidden liner in the stem of the applicator.

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Swatches: gloss on right

The gloss

I think it’s pretty great. Medium wear for a drugstore gloss — nothing totally amazing — but the shade’s like strawberry pie, and nothing reminiscent of strawberry pie could possibly be bad, because, well, it’s strawberry pie.

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