A Quick Lesson on Washing Makeup Brushes!

If you don't already know, you should be washing your makeup brushes/applicators once a week.  Not only does it protect you from bacteria and germs that can harbor on brushes, but keeping them clean also ensures they perform well.  I am not saying I am the best about cleaning my own personal brushes every week, but I have to keep my freelance kit very clean and sanitary as part of my job.

My freelance kit brushes, all dirty and grimy from my last gig.

Here are some of my favorite products and tips for cleaning makeup brushes:

You can probably get by with using baby shampoo or a gentle cleanser, but they don't disinfect very well.  Especially with cream/liquid products, it is better to use a brush purifier as well.  I love Sephora's Purifying Brush Shampoo, since it is antibacterial and is only $15 for a bottle (they also offer a smaller sized bottle for $7).  This is a thin gel product, which almost looks like liquid soap.  You use this shampoo by squirting the product onto the palm of your hand, then swirl your dampened makeup brush in it.  Once you swirl, you will being to see the makeup gunk washing out.  Rinse the brushes in warm water until the water runs clear.

Another product I love is London Brush Company's Brush Shampoo, which is actually a solid soap in a jar.  This brush shampoo is available in lemon and lavender scents, and is made out of goat's milk.  It is amazing at removing all traces of makeup residue from brushes without drying out the bristles.
This shampoo is used by dampening a makeup brush then swirling it in the container.  After you get the shampoo on the damp brush, roll and swirl the bristles of the brush in your hand under running water.  All of the residual makeup should almost clump up in the shampoo, then rinse out.  Rinse in warm water until the brush is clean and the water runs clear.

When washing makeup brushes, you should be careful to keep the handle and metal piece (called a ferrule) pointed downward. If water gets into the ferrule, it is much more likely to create damage to the brush (NOT a good thing if you own nice brushes!).  You also want to gently shape the brush bristles back into shape after all the swirling you did to clean them.  Lay brushes out on a clean towel or paper towel(s) to allow them to dry (always dry in a clean, dry place).

Inspiration of the Week: Bold Brows

If you have yet to notice, bolder brows are big (literally) this season.  Over are the days of over plucked arches, and in place you will find clean-yet-full brows.  There is something about a full set of brows that gives off a youthful, fresh vibe.  This look is fairly low maintenance; just pluck stray hairs between and underneath the eyebrows.  If your brows could use a little inflating, try filling them with a powdery brow pencil (try Hourglass's Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil or NYX Cosmetics Automatic Eyebrow Pencil), or one of the new enhancing gel-mousses (like Benefit's Gimme Brow).
Another great tool to achieve this look is a spoolie brush  (the Hourglass pencil actually has one on the opposite end of the wand).  A clean toothbrush will work in a pinch.

From the top: Cara Delevingne (aka Eyebrow Queen), Unknown model, Lily Collins, and Camilla Belle.  All photos from Pinterest.  Collage made with PicCollage.

How to look healthy (when you are not)

The last few days, I have been battling a brutal cold.  My nose is red and raw, my lips chapped, my eyes watery.  I have been resting at my house, but if you find yourself in a similar situation and need to be out in public, here are a couple tips to help you look healthy when you feel like death.

1.  Make sure to moisturize- Moisturizing your face will help your skin look plump, hydrated and healthier; dry skin NEVER looks healthy.  My personal favorite is Mario Badescu AHA and Ceramide Moisturizer.

2.  Un-chap those lips (and noses)- Apply a thick layer of Aquaphor or Vaseline to your lips and nose to prevent flaking and dryness.

3.  Depuff eyes-  Apply a cooling eye gel (love Mario Badescu, Aveeno, and Oil of Olay's eye gels/creams) to the under eye area. If you have a little more time, you can always apply some cucumber slices, frozen spoons, or a cold mask for a few minutes too.  I tend to stick with the eye cream only.  Then, slick on some brightening under eye concealer to camouflage dark or puffy under eyes.  Try Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer or Yves St Laurent Touché Eclat.

4. Conceal redness-  A dead giveaway to appearing under the weather is redness around the nose. Make sure to apply a moisturizing concealer to those red spots!

5. Brighten eyes-  There is not a lot that can be done to reduce watery eyes, but you can make them appear healthier with a coat or two of mascara (waterproof to combat the wateriness!) and a little dab of highlighter on the inner corners.  Any light, slightly iridescent eyeshadow or highlighter will work.

6.  Reduce pallor-  If the color has drained from your face, swipe on a peachy blush on the apples of your cheeks to give a radiant look.  A cream blush, like Stila Convertible Color, will work even better if your skin is dry.

I am not including photos of myself in this post, as I look and feel like death:)

Give it a try and let me know if you think these tips help!  Please share your comments, suggestions, etc in the comments sections below!

A quick discussion about the importance of eyebrows...

I have been wanting to write a post for a long time about how important eyebrows are to a person's total appearance.  The shape of your brows can made you look older, younger, meaner, nicer, more surprised, etc.  Depending on how far or close your eyebrows are to the bridge of your nose, it may look larger or smaller in comparison to your other features.  Brows should never look like commas, sperm, triangles or other crazy shapes (see chart below).  Please only tweeze stray hairs as needed and if you over plucked when you were young, fill in those brows!  Once you see how big a difference your brows can make, you will understand my rant.  I promise I will add a brow tutorial here sometime soon. That is all:)

Photo obtained from Instagram user @beebee_xoxoxo