Essential Items For Your Make Up Bag

When putting together your make up collection, it’s easy to lose yourself in a world of sparkling lip glosses and shimmering eyeshadows – and completely forget the essentials of any home make up kit. Here’s a quick list of those boring, but essential, items:

- Cotton pads.

Inevitably, at some stage you’re going to apply make up and it’s going to go wrong. Keep a set of cotton pads handy in the same bag as your make up products to help make those unfortunate slips clean up easily.

- Eyelash curlers.

A mascara is only as good as the lashes it is going on to, so keep a set of eyelash curlers handy. Remember to apply a thin layer of mascara before using the curlers so you don’t damage your eyelashes.

- Vaseline

This small and affordable product can do anything, from smoothing out eyebrows to making lips appear glossy and healthy. Keep Vaseline in your make up bag so you have a go-to for any make up malfunctions, or just in case you want some extra shine.

- A pencil sharpener.

Eyebrow pencils and eyeliner always seem to run out at the least opportune moments, so get into the habit of keeping a size applicable sharpener with the products themselves. For total convenience, you can now buy liners and pencils that come fitted with a sharpener on the other end of the product.

- A pocket sized mirror.

It may seem obvious, but many women apply their make up in front of a bathroom mirror so don’t remember to keep a close up pocket mirror in their make up bags.

The Basics of Bridal Make Up

The day a woman gets married is one of the most anticipated days of her life, and most brides want everything to be just perfect. To that precise end, there is a long product line of bridal make up, all promising to turn a normal woman into a radiant princess bride for their special day.

Although bridal make up changes like any cosmetics do to reflect fashion trends, by and large the overall ‘look’ remains the same. Most brides want to look young, fresh and naturally pretty on their wedding day, which the makers of bridal make up design their products to reflect.

This means any range of bridal make up will have a large contingent of natural shades, such as subtle but rosy pinks and gentle pastels for eye make up. Lipstick is usually kept muted, sometimes with just a gloss or perhaps a classic red colour for a splash of something vibrant.

That is not to say you must buy bridal specific make up for your wedding day. If you have brands and products that you know, love and trust, there is little point deviating from what you know works just because there is a bridal product line.

The perfect bridal make up look tends to be as follows: healthily glowing cheeks with just a hint of blusher, subtle but enhancing eye make up including shadow, eyeliner and mascara, and a nude or glossy shade of lipstick. False eyelashes can create a starlet look with little hassle, and a berry red stain on the lips can finish off the look of youthful vibrancy perfectly.

How To Avoid The Pitfalls of Buying Make Up Online

There is no doubt that buying cosmetics online is easy and convenient, and the variety of online discount make up stores can also help you save money. However, for all its perks, there is one big drawback to online shopping: you cannot physically see the product.

Initially, that might not sound like too much of an issue – after all, we’re all well used to buying items like books and music online, and you cannot physically touch the product with those items either. Yet there is a difference; with make up, you need to be able to see the product so you can see a true representation of the colour. Photographs and online colour palettes can only go so far when it comes to show the shade of an eyeshadow or lipstick, and unless you have seen the product in store and know it suits you, you may experience problems.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t buy make up online, just that you need to be selective on how you go about it. Ideally, you should only buy make up online when you are familiar with the product and its colouring, so you can be sure that it matches your skin tone or complexion.

Unfortunately, that isn’t always possible, especially if you’re looking to buy make up online that isn’t available in your home country. In this instance, the best you can do is scrutinise the photograph in detail, and check the returns policy for the store you are buying from. All reputable retailers will allow you to return the item for whatever reason within seven days, so check this is the case and buy make up online with confidence.

Where To Find Discontinued Cosmetics

Every girl has a product in their make up bag that they simply couldn’t live without. Maybe it’s the mascara that curls your eyelashes better than any lash curlers have ever managed, or the shade of lipstick that is the perfect match for your complexion; whatever it is, we all have our favourite, essential products. But what would you do if that product was suddenly discontinued?

The misfortune of discontinued cosmetics is something that hits thousands of women and girls each year, and it’s no exagerration to say it can be somewhat distressing. Make up and cosmetic brands have a high turnover of products, and unless something is consistently wildly successful, they could discontinue the product at any time. It’s a nightmare, especially if your favourite product is expensive and stocking up isn’t an option.

If your favourite product is discontinued and no longer available, don’t panic just yet – you do have options. First and foremost, call the manufacturer or distributor; they may have excess stock available for you to purchase. This won’t last forever of course, but it should give you the chance to stock up.

Your second stop for discontinued cosmetics should be an online auction site, such as eBay. Smaller sellers often have a lot of stock left to sell, and there are also specialists in discontinued cosmetics who have their own methods of obtaining the product.

Thirdly, contact any stores (online or physical) that you know sold the product when it was available. If they have unsold stock, they may sell it to you for cost price.

Beware The Make Up Review

It is only natural to seek the opinions of others before spending money on a product you have never tried before, and an entire wealth of websites and magazines have been set up to allow users to consult others and garner opinions. In few industries does this apply as strongly as it does in the beauty industry, with literally thousands of magazine inches and hundreds of blogs covering the very subject of make up reviews.

While it may only be natural, and usually beneficial, to seek user and professional reviews before buying a make up product, there is a word of warning. Where make up differs from other reviewed products (such as appliances, books or movies) is in the subjective nature of each product.

Sound complicated? It isn’t, really, it’s just something you need to be aware of. For example, a piece of make up may not work for a reviewer or blogger, but that doesn’t mean it won’t work for you. As make up is applied to skin, and everyone’s skin is different, that means that every single person who uses a particular product is going to get different results with it. Most conscientious bloggers and reviewers will state this discrepancy in their reviews.

Does this mean that reviews are a totally meaningless waste of time? Of course not. If, for example, numerous reviews done by many different people all say that a product is useless, you can probably trust in the wisdom of crowds and dismiss it as poor. You can also looks at comments about consistency, price, packaging – basically, anything to do with the product prior to and after it is used on skin.

Why Not Give Budget Make Up Brands A Try?

Make up can be expensive; that’s an unfortunate fact. The most premium brands, offering products that promise to work near miracles in return for your hard earned cash, can be eye wateringly expensive – the kind of money you’d usually spend on rent. Thankfully, many budget brands of make up also exist, particularly those that are sold in grocery stores and supermarkets.

Unfortunately, the budget make up brands rarely get a decent write up from the premium obsessed beauty media. While you do get what you pay for, and the quality of budget make up may not be the quality of premium and designer brands, that doesn’t necessarily mean the brands are terrible either. By and large, the main difference in what the product claims to do.

For example, a premium mascara may be marketed with claims that not only does it apply colour to your lashes, but it also helps to extend and lengthen each individual lash. Whether it does or not depends on the product, but that’s the claim. However, budget make up brands will mostly be advertised on the strength of the colour they provide, rather than outlandish claims of lengthening, curling or even nourishing. That means you can steal buy mascara for an affordable price, that will still look good on if all you wish to do is darken your lashes.

Don’t dismiss budget beauty brands and make up. While some may not be for you, there are plenty of decent brands out there that don’t cost the earth, and genuinely do compete on efficiency with their premium cousins.

All About Mineral Make Up

Make up is, like most fashion and beauty products, a constantly changing world where new trends come in every few months. One of the biggest hits of recent years, and darling of beauty editors and make up artists the world over, is mineral make up.

Mineral make up is exactly what it says on the tin; make up that is produced from minerals, thus making it more ‘natural’. The benefits of such make up are said to be wide ranging, including (but not limited to) better coverage, better colour of the product and a longer staying power. The first mineral products to hit the market were foundations or other face coverage products, though this has since extended in to eyeshadows, blushers and beyond.

Perhaps the biggest claim of mineral make up is that it is good for your skin. Where traditional make up can sometimes cause break outs and skin dryness, mineral make up is said to not just be devoid of those unfortunate characteristics, but it can also help make your skin better. Benefits of such a claim vary depending on the person and their skin type, but most users report positive (if not miraculous) experiences.

The one down side to mineral make up is the price. Like anything new and innovative, it is more expensive than make up made from traditional composites. For that reason, if you’re on a budget but want to give make up a try, sample a foundation first, as this is undoubtedly the most beneficial product in any make up line.

Three Essential Make Up Tips: Blusher

Blusher is the make up product that allows you to recreate a healthy, natural glow all-year round, and is the perfect finishing touch to any well made up face. Here, we give three helpful hints that will allow you to create a perfectly well done face using blusher:

Tip One: Smile and Apply

Knowing where to apply blusher on the face is an essential, and incorrectly applied blusher is one of the most common mistakes. This is all the more surprising when one considers that getting it right is so very easy. To apply blusher correctly, smile as hard as you can so your cheeks inflate over your skin. You should apply blusher on these extended ‘apples’ of your cheeks, and literally nowhere else. Apply in a circular motion using a large round brush, and when you relax your face from its extreme smile, the blusher will be perfectly placed.

Tip Two: Be Subtle

One of the worst make up sins is when women use too much blusher, giving themselves the impression of being constantly flushed. When applying blusher, it’s important to use the product sparingly; a light dusting of powder, applied as directed in Tip One, is all you need to create a natural, rosy glow.

Tip Three: Colour Match

A bright red blusher is flattering on absolutely no one, so try and choose a more subtle shade with pink overtones. When buying blusher, keep in mind the colour of your skin; as a general rule, the darker your skin is, the darker your blusher can be. If you are very pale, a simple light pink is all you – anything more will look overdone.

Three Essential Make Up Tips: Mascara

Mascara allows you to darken and extend your eyelashes to true movie starlet glamour, and forms the central piece of many women’s make up bags. Get the most from this essential bit of make up kit with these three essential mascara tips.

Tip One: Apply Mascara In A ‘Zig Zag’ Movement

Rather than simply sweeping your mascara brush from the roots of your eyelashes to the tip in one downward (or upward) motion, agitate the brush back and forth in a ‘zig zag’ motion. This motion helps reduce the likelihood of mascara clumps, as only the necessary amount of product is applied thanks to the short time the brush spends on the lashes. It may take a couple of goes to get this right, so practice before doing it for real.

Tip Two: Always Use A Clean Mascara Brush To Finish

If you want to avoid panda eyes – and let’s face it, who doesn’t? – then it’s important you remove all excess mascara from your lashes once the application is complete. One method of ensuring the amount used is appropriate is mentioned above, but it’s best to check after the application also. The best way to do this is to use a clean mascara brush, perhaps one previously used in a mascara that has been washed clean, to sweep over the eyelashes and collect any unnecessary product.

Tip Three: Emphasize The Corners of Your Eyes

For truly glamourous lashes without looking like you’re caked in mascara, just apply the product to the corners of your eyes. This opens your eyes out without making your lashes look thick with mascara.