A Beautiful Weekend

Sunday night already! This weekend has really flown by! And most everybody still has tomorrow off! Yay! I am always off on Mondays so for me, the weekend doesn't feel any longer. 

I have been looking through my favorite beauty books over the past week looking for ideas for my beauty blogs. I chose a part on mascara from one of my favorite beauty books - Allure Confessions of a Beauty Editor.

 I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!! 

If you love makeup & skincare, so would you!

So let's talk mascara!

 Let's start with picking the right mascara!

"Extend", "lengthening" & "fibers" all mean the mascara will make your lashes look longer. One warning! Fibers can fall into the eyes during the day & get stuck under contact lenses. The brush inside is usually conical or cylindrical with tight bristles.

"Maximum", "volumizing" & "building" & "thickening" means your lashes will look fatter. The brush here is slightly rigid with well spaced bristles that deposit most pigment.

When you want it all! Long thick lashes that almost look fake- pick a mascara with some variation of the word "fake" in the name such as "false, fantasy, faux & they have a large full brush that's dense in the middle & has a tapered tip.

For a natural look avoid volumizers, thickeners & fibers & search for words like "basic" or "tint". The brush isn't as important in this case - just be sure to clean it often to prevent clumps!

Now let's talk about application! It's not as simple as you think!
Swipe swipe done right?! Wrong! 

If you want thick lashes without clumps start with a white or translucent primer (sometimes packaged at the other end of a mascara tube). One coat helps mascara go on more smoothly!

You know that gunk that collects around the tip of the mascara wand? It's as messy as bubblegum! Never scrape it against the mouth of the tube! It only causes large dry clumps to form. Squeeze the wand in a paper towel instead.
 
Wedge the brush right near the roots of your lashes & wiggle it back & forth. Not only will this make your lashes appear fuller but it also functions as  eyeliner!

Consider doubling up! Lots of makeup artists work with more than one formula at a time, starting with a wand that has a fat brush then following with a skinny brush. Hold it vertically like a windshield wiper & sweep it back & forth through lashes to catch every last hair! Especially at the corners! 

On lower lashes keep mascara to a minimum. It veers too easily into spider leg  territory & casts  dark shadow underneath your eyes & who needs that?! 
 

***Segment from Allure Confessions of a Beauty Editor book.