Before cleanup so they’re a little messy!
How to Clean Your Makeup Brushes
It is so so so so so important to clean your makeup brushes often. They touch your face and eyes everyday and contain lots of oils, dead skin and bacteria. I deep clean all my brushes once every week. Makeup brushes are an investment because good ones do not come cheap and you want to take care of them and increase their longevity. When washing your brushes you first want to eliminate any bacteria, which is why I use Dawn Antibacterial soap. Then to maintain the softness of the brushes I will use any kind of olive oil. I see a lot of people spending money on expensive brush cleaners and its so not necessary! Just because it says MAC or Bobbi Brown on it doesnt mean its the best option and people go through them like crazy!! I also see a lot of people use baby shampoo to clean their makeup brushes but theres no antibacterial agents in baby shampoo! So that is not a good option either. Lastly, just drowning your brushes in alcohol wont do the trick because alcohol can be so drying and over time it will wear out the bristles of your brushes.
Heres what you’ll need:
A small bowl of water
Dawn Antibacterial Soap
Olive oil
Plate
Small Towel
Directions: First you need to fill up half the plate with soap and the other half with the olive oil. Dip one of your brushes into the bowl of water, then twirl the brush into the soap and oil mixture. Swirl the brush into the palm of your hand, making sure the mixture really gets into all the bristles and repeat to all your brushes. Then, run warm NOT hot water from your sink and again swirl the brushes into your palm but this time under the water. Then you want to squeeze the bristles to remove an excess water. Swirl and squeeze until your brushes rinse out clean of soap and makeup. Repeat on all brushes.
Lay them FLAT to dry overnight on a small towel. Do not stand them upright because any excess water will drip into the ferrule of the brush and it will loosen the glue, leading to your bristles falling out. If you have brush guards, go ahead and use them.
This is an easy and relatively cheap way to really clean your brushes and prolong their lives. It will leave your brushes super soft and free of any products or bacteria.
All About Brows
I wanted to share with you guys three of my favorite brow products. Most people who dont already fill in their eye brows on a daily basis probably dont see the reason for it but to me it definitely adds dimension to your face and makes you look more put together. Its hard to get yours eyebrows perfectly symmetrical no matter how much plucking, tweezing and threading you do but you can fake it by filling them in. And besides, I think we have all had the problem of not walking away from the mirror and putting that tweezer down once we started and before we know it we look worse than we started! Over plucking your brows is the worst!! You don’t need to go crazy buying expensive eyebrow stencils, gels, waxes, pencils (etc.)… because most of the stuff you need can be found in the drugstore and its probably stuff you walk right past all the time. So here are my favorite products that might be able to help.
Option 1: This ELF Eyebrow Kit retails for only $3.00 and it is probably my favorite one. This kit contains a dark colored wax and a lighter powder. From the picture you can see I only use the colored wax. When I use this product I can achieve the perfect brows in under 1 minute. It provides color and sets them all in one step. I wear the color medium and its really universal.
Option 2: This Urban Decay Brow Box retails for $29.00. It contains two brow colors, wax a pair of tweezers and an angled brush. One thing I love about this set is that it contains 2 colors so you can really add drama to your brows. I like to use the lighter color all over my brows and then go back with the darker color right on my arch to emphasize it just a little more. It gives your eyes a lifted look. You can use the powder, then set it with the wax or vice versa.. either way works just fine. This item was a bit of a splurge, something I can live without especially because the other two options are much cheaper.
Option 3: you can use a matte brown eyeshadow of your choice and some clear mascara. I use NYX in Dark Brown and Maybelline Great Lash Clear mascara. I use a stiff angled brush and dip it into the eyeshadow and begin it fill in my brows in short upward strokes. Once you’ve completed that your going to want to set that so I will go over that with the clear mascara to make sure my brows stay in place all day and prevent any smudging. Using these two products, you can complete this look for just under $10.
NOTW
L’OREAL 24 Hr Infallible Eyeshadow
So last night I was searching around Ulta looking for new eyeshadows and I came across these. I have heard some good things about this product so I thought I would give it a try. I purchased them for $7.99 each with a BOGO 50% off. They come in 18 different shades.
This is a weird feeling product. It feels like wet powder, unlike any other eyeshadow I have. But because of its texture it is super smooth and easy to apply even with just your finger. The colors are really intense!! When I got home I swatched them all right away and I barely touched the product and so much color appeared on my finger! Color intensity is not an issue here, definitely a highly pigmented product. It has a sheen finish and they look like they have a lot of glitter in the pot, but it disappears on your hand into more of a shiny sheen.
They claim to be waterproof, crease and fade resistant and wear for 24 hrs. Well I definitely dont think they are waterproof because after I swatched them I washed my hands about 20 mins later and they all came right off except for the green, Golden Emerald.
I think this is L’oreal’s version of the Maybelline Color Tatoo, which I happen to really like. This is just a first impression review so after I try them out I will let you guys know if they really last, if they crease or dont crease, if you need a primer or not… all that good stuff! But right off the bat I can tell these are high quality pigments and really surprised me. Sometimes drugstore products can lack in the pigmentation department as we know.
Let me know if you’ve tried these, what yours thoughts are about them and what other colors you recommend!
xo Paige
My Favorite Lashes and Lash Products!!
Hey Ladies!! I just wanted to show you some of my favorite lashes right now (Ardell 105, 116, 120). My eyelashes are pretty long with just mascara on and I always get compliments on them asking if they are already fake :] gotta love it! But for days when I feel like amp-ing it up I will use these lashes. I got a pair of cheap ELF lashes in a kit that I ordered and I decided to cut them in half and just wear them (single or doubled) on the outside corner of my eyes to make them appear bigger. It doesn’t look dramatic and flashy but it definitely gives you more volume which may suit you better for day time use.
Yes you can re-use lashes and they will last pretty long if you take care of them. I usually store all my used lashes in little contact holder cases. To prolong their life span, after you remove them, take your lash removers and run it along the band of the lashes to remove any excess glue. Then take any eye make up remover and dip a Q tip into it, and then gently brush the wet Q tip over the lashes to remove the mascara (if you applied any onto your lashes)
I included a picture of my favorite lash glue and lash remover as well!
I will upload a picture of me wearing each pair of lashes as well and let me know what your favorite lashes are!!!
xo Paige
Revlon Lip Butters
When these lip butters first came out it was so hard to get my hands on them and even now it can be difficult to find certain colors. But I love them and I am sure most of you already own these. Its a mix between a lip balm and a lipstick, a perfect combination for those who think balms need more color pay off and for those who dont like the drying effect of some lipsticks.
These retail from anywhere around $5.50- $7.99. And I must say the packaging it adorable with the quilted pattern!
The colors I own (from left to right) are Peach Parfait, Creme Brulee, Berry Smoothie and Cremesicle.
Peach Parfait was hard to get my hands on… its such a pretty “my lips but better” color with a little sparkle.
Creme Brulee is a really pretty nude. If your lips are fairly opaque with nothing on them, this color might not even show up on you. I like it because its not a nude that will wash you out and make you look dead.
Berry Smoothie is the darkest one I own. Its a pinky red. I love this for the fall
Cremesicle is a tangerine light orange and my least favorite. I feel like this one does the opposite and makes my lips feel dry and this color wears off the easiest.
Personally I like the ease of this no hassle product. They dont run or bleed, nor do they sink into the fine lines of your lips. They give a little shine and most colors offer great opacity. I also like to layer them.. sometimes I will wear Peach Parfait and dab a little bit of Creme Brulee in the center of my lips to give them a more full effect.
xo Paige
