Attention Ladies - Its Called a Blending Brush...USE IT!!!

I know I probably judge other people’s makeup more than the average female, but I can’t help it…makeup is my passion and my job. I have a long long list of makeup pet peeves, I could go on forever about things I hate and things I don’t understand but recently one thing has been bugging more than anything else. Harsh eye shadow lines…you know what I mean…when you put your eye shadow on your lid and just above your crease and you just leave it – or you put a lighter colour on your brow bone, but that’s it. They just both sit there touching each other like bordering countries. Well I am here to tell you to STOP! That colour that is on your lid or in your crease should be blended so that it just fades into the other colour – this creates a polished look. I couldn’t even count the number of times have I seen a girl trying to achieve a smoky eye look yet there is nothing smoky about it – it’s just a big blob of black eye shadow that does nothing then make her look harsh and un kept. Now if that girl just took a blending brush and moved it back and forth in her crease instead, she would be able to achieve that smoky eye and look fab smizing the night away. Now I’m not saying that harsh lines are never ok…sure they have their place, like in print and fashion shoots, on runways and drag queens but where they don’t belong is restaurants, bars, nightclubs, house parties, bridal showers, the movies…almost anywhere in our day to day life.

You can find a decent blending brush anywhere makeup is sold, any brand that sells brushes sells a blending brush – my personal favourites are from Sephora and MAC. With Christmas around the corner do us all a favour and ask your mom, dad, sister, brother, boyfriend/husband, friend or even your work secret Santa – anyone really, to get you a blending brush.

For those of you already familiar with the art that is blending – keep up the good work ladies, you look amazing!

You will want to thank me, but you don’t have to – just seeing perfectly polished and applies eye shadow when I am out is all the thanks I need.

XOXO MK

As I get a little older...

As much as I HATE to admit this, I am getting older. If I could help it I would but I can’t. With age comes many good things but it also comes with bad things and the bad thing I speak of today is WRINKLES!!! I am lucky enough to still get asked for ID almost everywhere I go but if you look closely you will see some little lines forming around my under eyes. I use eye cream twice a day and serum but there is only so much you can do. For the most part you can’t see my little fine lines unless you are up close but of course I can see them all the time. I started to notice them more so about two months ago while I was away for a month in Europe. I had minimal skin care products with me, cleanser, eye cream and face cream…but no eye mask no face mask and no serum – not having these products that I normally use on a weekly basis, combined with the difference in their water had my skin feeling very dry, especially my under eye area. You could see my fine lines even more so then before. After about a week of being home I noticed my skin was returning to normal but in my mind the lines could not be erased and as they were so dominant before, I felt like it was all I could see and putting makeup on just made matters worse.

No matter how good a primer is it will never completely fill in the line/wrinkle – I knew I needed something targeted towards filling in fine lines. So when I was in Sephora picking up some staple items I had run out of I noticed that The Sephora Collection had some new products. As I started touching, smelling and testing I came across a cute little silver pot of Sephora Collection “Tricks of the Trade” Immediate Wrinkle Filler. I applied the tester to my knuckle and then applied some of their liquid foundation over top to see if it worked, which it did – so of course it went into my little basket of products to purchase. It took a few different techniques before I found the best way to use it…which is to first apply your eye and face cream and let it soak in completely, apply your usual face primer – then apply the wrinkly filler to any area you have fine lines, around the eyes, mouth, forehead, etc. Make sure to only use a small amount as a little goes a long way. Using your finger lightly and gently apply a small even amount to the area desired…let it sit for a few minutes then apply your foundation, corrector and concealer over top. When using it under your eyes you can also powder it before applying corrector/concealer – but I would only recommend this if you are using a good quality loose powder and corrector/concealer.

You will be amazed at how much this smooth’s your face out, it can literally take years off of your face if used correctly. One downfall it will not last a full work day (8 hours or more), by the end of the day you will see little creases but that is the case with most products. It has staying power for a few good hours so its great for special occasions or a night out with the girls. For mature skin you can use this all over your face as a primer to smooth out the entire face but I would make sure to use a liquid foundation or a tinted moisturizer over top, a cream foundation might cake up as this product is a little thicker then a usual primer. This product is a staple for any makeup artists, especially those who do bridal – and it’s defiantly now a staple in my personal makeup bag and should be for anyone else who feels insecure about their fine lines and wrinkles no matter how small or big.

XO MK