How I Do My Makeup: Tips From an Amateur Makeup Artist- Part One

Here are the rules at which I live by, some of them are more of personal rules, and other's are things I've picked up along my way and from friends:

Moisturizer
1. Always buy oil-free lotion specified for facial use. A built in suncreen is also a nice idea to think about.

Primer
1. Before you prime, always moisturize. It will make all your makeup brighter, and help it blend into your skin easier create a flake free environment.
2. Primer is your best friend on a hot summer day. If you prime your makeup, it won't run when you sweat.
3. Buying an eyeshadow primer is a must. It helps prevent creases and fading of your makeup, and it will also add shine.

Concealer
1. Buy a concealer a shade lighter than your skin tone. It's useful for covering dark circles under your eyes as well as brightening up eyes and any other darker spots.
2. Investing in a second shade of darker concealer allows you to mix them if your skin tone changes slightly.
3. Never use a liquid concealer. They go on cakey and require much more blending than a stick concealer.

Foundation
1. Always apply your foundation after your eye shadow to avoid fall out from your eyeshadow caking or smudging into your foundation if there's any on your skin.
2. A liquid foundation is better for your skin if you need heavier coverage to hide blemishes, scars or dark spots.
3. If you have oily skin you would be better off with a powder foundation, because it will help cut down on makeup run off.
4. A finishing powder is a nice addition to set your foundation, but it is not necessarily a must. It's an acceptable idea to reapply if you decide.

Grin And Bare It

For the longest time now I have not had the time, or the will-power to make the time, to do my makeup. So, for the first few months in what has probably been years, I am indeed bearing all my natural, makeup-less, flawed, beautiful skin for the world to see. I must say it has been a weird feeling to suddenly have it all out there for everyone to see my every flaw and scar on my face, but eventually I will overcome it, or overcome my inability to put my makeup on every day. As for which of these will come first, your guess is as good as mine is.

I have plenty of idea of what I could do for makeup, just never enough hours in a day to do it. Send me a message with your go to look or product on a cold winter day and you may find yours posted in my answers page.

Unnatural - The Expected Letdown

I tried out a newer product today with the intention of seeing how it worked and how it looked. The Natural shade of Almay Smart Shade blush was somewhat unsurprisingly a huge letdown. This was such a disappointment in fact that I will be returning to my old blushing ways of using my own palette to mix my color myself. The first time I tried to apply this product I saw no visible indication that it had even been put on my skin. To be thorough, I tested it on my other cheek and this time, after using the same amount as before, it turned my cheek a horridly noticeably, clown-like shade of mahogany. I was skeptical of this product's ability to "transform its shade to go with you skin tone" to begin with, but now I am moreso. I plan on giving this product one more chance to prove to me that it was worth the huge amount of money I paid for it (compared to my usual pressed powder palette that cost me almost half of this cream).

Product Of The Day 2

Devil's Club Salve

From: Tlingit Rx

Made In Alaska

I have fallen in love with this product! It is useful on bruises, irritated skin, and even minor cuts. It helps relieve pain and muscle aches. And, it REALLY does work! I get this product shipped straight from the source in Hoonah, Alaska, from a little one room store on the Inside Passage. My biggest, baddest bruises (and let's face it, I am a dancer so I have a LOT of them) are gone in half the time it takes normally, and the same goes for cuts.

Not many people have heard of this plant, but while I was on a tour in another part of Alaska, our tour guide explained that this plant can be used in many way. You can take the stem and remove the bark, soaking the rest in boiling water and make a tea if you'd like, but I find that the salve works good enough for me. The Tlingit tribe has always used it, and our guide swore by it (he was a Tlingit). For the price you pay to get it shipped, it is most definitely worth it. I have had the smallest jar (1/3 oz.) for five months, and I have barely made a noticeable dent in it.

 I will warn you that this product has not been tested by the FDA, but I use it for almost anything. If you have allergies to certain oils I would suggest e-mailing the store and ask them for the ingredient lists for the products you are buying. They will be more than happy to help you with your concerns. All products are natural and made for this store.

You will not find this product outside of Alaska. If you want to try it you will need to ship them in, but I promise you that you will be shipping them in for yourself and others for a long time once you use your first one.

Here's the link to the site for those of you who want to get this product:
http://www.lisasartstore.com/Botanicals.html

Product of the Day 1

I love this stuff. I have been using it every other day for almost a year now.

I find that it is pretty tingly and somewhat uncomfortable if you use a very abrasive face wash with the exfoliating grit in it right beforehand, but it is able to be gotten past without too much trouble. I recommend using it on problem spots (like cheeks, chins and noses) that get covered in oil and black heads. I might also recommend that you use this product when you have slight irritation due to things like eyebrow plucking (one of  my favorite times to use this product as I frequently get acne and irritation after fixing my brows up), though using it over cuts or severly irritated skin is not recommended, and it will burn upon application.

This may be a drugstore brand, but you can not judge this book by its cover. This product is worth every dollar you pay, and it is a pretty small price to pay as it is.