To Brush Or Not To Brush (That's the question)

When asked "what type of makeup should I buy?" or "which company make's the best makeup brushes?" I never know what to say. I have a host of product fav's ranging in price, performance and texture! The best advice I can give from my product wonders and blunders is : know what you are looking for your product to do before shopping. If you know exactly what you want your products to do you can eliminate most of the guess work on what to purchase and avoid an impulse buy.

Here is a brief education on foundations.

1. You need to first determine what type of coverage you would like ie full (creme), medium (liquid) or light (tinted moisturizer). Don't forget you can also wear a powder foundation which can go from light to medium coverage.

2. Determine what type of "finish" you would like your skin to have ie satin, matte or dewy.

*I will not be discussing any M.A.C products today in an effort to educate you about other companies that are also good.

(pictured is the Covergirl Queen Collection natural hue compact creme foundation) This product is lightweight and completely buildable for coverage. Great product at an affordable price. The range in colors are perfect for women of color.

Bombshell Tip: For lasting effects set your makeup with a translucent loose powder.

*Note: you should only be using your foundation to even out your skin's appearance. If you look like you are wearing a mask after application you either have on way to much makeup or the wrong color was used.

*Note: Some might require more than one product. I suggest for my ladies with hyper-pigmentation ,like myself, to always have at least 2 foundations on hand. This way you can avoid applying the correct foundation for the darker areas of your face to the lighter areas leaving your face looking unnatural.

For makeup brushes you must remember one important thing.

Your brushes should never be abrasive to the skin. If it hurts when used get rid of them.

Here are a couple brush basics. The stiffer the brush the more concentrated the color application will be. The lighter or flufflier the brush the more diffused the color application will be. With that being said you can find makeup brushes ranging in price. Sonia Kushuk has travel sized brushes for a range of affordable prices. Sigma makeup brushes is a professional brand for brushes but their prices are also affordable. It truly is your preference.

I hope this helps with your makeup shopping! Happy Shopping!

Color breakdown "Fun with Colors"

As promised here is the product breakdown of this look. This could be an everyday look for the everyday diva but I thought it was a bit much to be going to the grocery store.....so I went shopping for clothes instead.lol It was puuuurfect for that! (wink)

I decided to use one of my newer palettes of eyeshadows from Inglot. I absolutely LOVE this company. The colors are highly pigmented and very little goes a long way. For you M.A.Caholics yes this company rivals the best and has quite an extensive color arsenal. This company has been around internationally for 25 years. They've recently opened a store in NYC and are currently getting their web store together. I purchased mine at the Artist Summit Chicago. They have a "freedom system" that allows you to choose the particulars colors you would like to have in your palette. Love this feature!

For my eyes I used 2 colors #446 AMC shine #39 (matte dark purple and shimmer light purple). I used a kiss New york eyeliner pencil under the eye and a loreal liquid eyeliner on the top. What diva would be complete without her diva lashes?

This was all of course after I used an eyeshadow base. To cut the crease I used MAC fluidline pot in dipdown. On my lips "girl about town" by MAC. I actually saw similar colors by mabelline at walgreens that I picked up. I swatched them so you can see. I am not sure of the name or numbers though. I topped the lips off with Victoria Secret gloss in pink berry. For my blush I used my "nameless" palette in a pink/mauve mix.

If you have any question ladies feel free to ask. I am here FOR YOU! If you have any requested looks post them here or my fan page and I will help you out! Thanks for stopping by! Follow my blog -------->