How to Disguise a Deep-set Under Eye Area

If you have deep-set eyes chances are it can start to age you in a way, or maybe you just find it a bit unappealing. Whatever the reason may be having deep-set eyes myself I found what I feel is the best and easiest 2-step way to try and disguise my deep-set under eye area. There is no way to change the natural structure of your face (without perhaps the help of surgery) so you will still have some shadowing from the natural structure of your face and this can not be avoided, but this tutorial helps to reduce a deep-set eye appearance with the help of makeup.

Also, if you find you're not getting enough coverage from these two products try to use a full liquid foundation either before or after you do Step 1. I prefer applying a tinted moisturizer followed by my liquid foundation, and then starting with Step 1 - Concealer and finishing with Step 2 all over my face. If you have oily skin than you may want to try using a matte finish face primer after you moisturize. I also recommend not using a liquid foundation that contains fine shimmer or SPF as these things can reflect light off the face and not help in reducing the appearance of a deep-set under eye area. 

If you're someone that desires a dewy complexion I recommend using a highlight powder. I would suggest not applying any highlight near the top of your cheek bones but rather along the temples. You can still highlight the bridge of your nose, cupids bow, eyes, etc. just avoid the cheek and under eye area.

Here you can see how the light reflected off my deep-set under eye area before and after I did my makeup.

Step 1 - Concealer
Use a full-coverage liquid concealer similar in color to your skin-tone, or a shade lighter. Dab a few drops along the line of your under-eye crease. Using a dry beauty blender (your finger will also work) dab and blend the concealer under the eye up toward the lid and down along the side of your nose blending it on your face to make a triangular shape. Repeat on your other eye.

By expanding the color beyond the crease it helps to even out where natural light tends to hit and reflect off your face. Applying a concealer helps to even out the eye area, as often a deep-set eye can create a shadow-like effect making you appear to have dark circles.

I recommend It Cosmetics, Bye Bye Under Eye which is a full coverage waterproof concealer (I use the color Neutral Medium).

Step 2 - Matte Powder
Using a matte powder and a kabuki brush (your finger will also work) press the powder on top of the concealer you just blended on (you can choose to use this powder all over your face as well once your foundation is done).

The matte powder will help cut down on how the light reflects off of your face, thus reducing the appearance of a deep-set under eye area.

I recommend Rimmel, Stay Matte which is a long lasting matte pressed powder (I use the color 004 Sandstorm).

My Top 4 Eyeliner Picks

#1 Kat Von D, Tattoo and Ink Liners
This is my favorite liquid felt tip eyeliner of all time, the stuff doesn't smudge or budge, and it's pretty well pigmented as well. I recently noticed KVD has came out with some new colored eyeliners (in the Ink collection) which in my opinion makes it more of a contender with the Stila eyeliners in terms of color selection. KVD eyeliner is the best of the best for your buck as it's typically cheaper and contains more product than that of my second favorite eyeliner brand mentioned on here.. Stila.

#2 Stila, Stay All Day Eyeliner
Most of these liners work just as well as the KVD although I found some of the colors to not be as consistently pigmented and such (although I kind of like the color options Stila has a bit more than what KVD currently offers), which can be disappointing if you don't try them out before purchasing. These also tend to be a bit more money and a bit less product compared to KVD which makes these my second favorite felt tip liquid eyeliners.

#3 Rimmel, Glam Eyes Liner
For a long time this was the only drugstore eyeliner that really worked for me in terms of application, and while the tiny tipped applicator can seem a bit daunting it just worked better for me at the time over pens, gels, etc. that I had been trying at the time. It's not the greatest in terms of being smudge proof as the previous two eyeliners mentioned on here but it's worth a try if you're on a budget and wanting something a bit more concentrated to work over your eye makeup.

#4 NYC, High Definition Liner
If you're looking for a natural looking eyeliner to avoid the boldness of these other eyeliners mentioned, or you're someone just getting into wearing and using eyeliner then this inexpensive gem could be for you. Megan Fox loves the stuff and I have to agree, it's pretty great for natural eyeliner looks and it's fairly easy to apply with its felt tip applicator.

Basic Kylie Jenner Inspired Makeup Look

I wanted to create a quick and basic way to recreate Kylie Jenner's makeup look and this look mainly consists of 3 main things... full medium/dark brows, a full nude-mauve pout, and dolly looking lashes. This was a very successful first date makeup look for myself and I kind of felt it had a natural "dark angel" feel to it.

Brows
For the brows I used Prestige brow shaping studio in Light to Medium (Medium Shade) on a small thin angle brush. Next time I do this look I will probably add a bit of Benefit's Gimme Brow in Light/Medium over top just to keep my blonde brows from peeping through in the light.

Lashes
For the lashes I curled them at the base with the Revlon eyelash curler and used Rimmel London ScandalEyes lycra flex mascara in black (2-3 coats on the top lashes and 1 light coat on the bottom). If you want to have fuller lashes more like Kylie's I'd recommend adding on Red Cherry false lashes in #16, black.

Lips
For the lips I used Revlon ColorStay liner in Natural and topped my lips off with Rimmel lasting finish by Kate Moss lipstick in 101, but if you want something a bit darker I'd recommend 104.

As for any other makeup items used here... 
Aveeno clear complexion bb cream spf 30 in medium, Revlon colorstay liquid foundation in Buff, Maybelline instant age rewind eraser dark spot concealer + treatment in Fair, Rimmel stay matte pressed powder in creamy natural, Physicians Formula shimmer strips custom all-in-1 nude palette for face and eyes in natural (my face and eye highlight shade), Sonia Kashuk blush in Flamingo, Innisfree green tea mineral mist, and Loreal True Match super blendable powder in Honey Beige/N6 (my contour and eye shadow shade).

Comparing Mascara

I wanted to take the time to start comparing mascaras, and in these photos you will see how my blonde natural upper lashes look with each one. There is no additional lash combing, eyeliner, fake lashes, extensions, curling, etc. done to my lashes in these photos, this is just each mascara on its own using the mascara wand it originally came with. I will be applying several coats of mascara (as I see fit) so that you can see the full potential of each product. These images are not enhanced, nor am I being paid to review them, etc. I will probably be adding more mascaras to this post in the future.

Rimmel - ScandalEyes Lycra Flex Mascara

Too Faced - Better Than Sex Mascara

NYC - Big Bold Curl Mascara

Loreal - Manga Mascara

NYC - Big Bold Volume Mascara

Tarte - Gifted Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara

Benefit - They're Real Beyond Mascara

CoverGirl - LashBlast 24hrs

10 Favorited Makeup Items for Under $5 and $10

Under $10

1) Revlon ColorStay Makeup $9.98
This comes in two different formulas for either combination/oily skin or dry/normal skin, and is one of the best in terms of coverage that I've came across for the price.
2) EcoTools brushes $9.98
These brushes are soft, natural, nice for blending, and are honestly some of the best brushes I've ever tried.
3) Flower Blush-Bronzer Duo $9.98
This pressed powder is one of the longest lasting powders I have found, fairly build-able in terms of color, and a total must for those that don't want to fade throughout the day.
4) Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Shadow $9.63
This may be an eyeshadow or blush but I personally love using the lighter shades as a glowing highlighter along the cheekbones.
5) Rimmel Glam Eyes Liner $5.67
This has been my favorite of all liquid eyeliners and even though it is a brush tip I find it easy to use once the right amount of product is on the brush.

Under $5

6) NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil $4.49
These make for a nice base on top of primed eyes and then finished with an eyeshadow, and if there's one color you get I'd choose "Milk" as it will make bright colored eyeshadows pop with vibrancy.
7) NYC Big Bold Curl Mascara $4.47
This is my favorite mascara for under $5 and it has replaced my pricier LashBlast mascara as I find it holds lashes better and doesn't irritate my eyes.
8) Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder $3.97
This is one of the best pressed powders I have came across as it seems to be the longest lasting and definitely provides a matte finish (maybe even too much at times).
9) Wet N Wild MegaLast Lipstick $2.29
These are really pigmented and typically have a matte finish, so if that sounds up your alley than I'm sure you'll want to collect several of these lippies.
10) Wet N Wild Color Icon EyeShadow Single $0.99
These shadows are soft and pigmented, you'll definitely get some bang for your buck with these eyeshadows ("Brulee" is one of my faves).

Pam Anderson inspired makeup look

This week I wanted to take it back to this Pamela Anderson inspired makeup look. I don't find this look too different than some makeup looks today aside from the fact she has the thin "porno brows" as I call them (and jeez my brows came out wonky here). Today I find more people are about having fuller brows and you could of course do yours either way you like (I personally think fuller/normal brows look more flattering and youthful as it would make for a softer appearance AKA "girl next door"). I look nothing like Pam but I did like how the look turned out for the most part.

Face Moisturizer: Olay CC cream

Liquid Foundation: Revlon liquid foundation combination/oily, sand beige

Concealer: Maybelline dark spot corrector, fair

Face Powder: Rimmel stay matte pressed powder, creamy natural

Face Contour: Nars bronzer, Laguna 

Eye Primer: Too Faced shadow insurance

EyeShadow Highlight: Rimmel stay matte pressed powder, creamy natural

EyeShadow Upper Crease: Nars bronzer, Laguna 

EyeShadow Outer Crease and Outer Lid: Urban Decay 2 palette, tease

EyeLiner (3/4 outer top lid cat-eye): Rimmel London professional liquid eyeliner, black

Mascara (1 coat on top lashes): Better than Sex Mascara, black

Brows: Prestige brow duo light to medium, medium

Makeup Finishing Spray: Boots No 7 hydrating mineral water spray

Lip Gloss: OCC stained gloss, dune

Things I would fix: Next time I did this look I would probably use some black pencil liner on the outer lower lash-line to make my eyes look more straight across at the bottom. Also, I should have contoured my nose a bit further in to make it slimmer like Pam's. A pencil liner instead of brow powder would have helped make my brows thinner like hers. Some nude lip liner would have helped define my lips a little more as well.

Everyday Makeup Items of 2013

This past year I stopped buying so much makeup just because it either looked good on someone else or perhaps I just wanted to become something I wasn't (that's partially why you may have noticed a lack of beauty posts on here). I started buying makeup items that I felt flattered myself best rather than becoming a makeup hoarder or burning a hole in my pocket on items I probably won't even use that often if at all. You may see some items I've mentioned on here before (oldies but goodies) but it's what I feel works for me. I always enjoy seeing how my makeup routine changes over the years so, without further ado here's my 2013 everyday makeup items...

Flower Glow Baby Glow Blush-Bronzer Duo, Gloriously Golden
Flower Shine On Lip Gloss, Baby's Breath
NYC Big Bold Curl Mascara, Extreme Black
Olay Total Effects 7-in-1 Anti-Aging UV Moisturizer plus Touch of Foundation
Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips, Warm Nude Eyes
Prestige Brow Perfection Brow Shaping Studio, Light to Medium
Revlon ColorStay Concealer Makeup, Light 002

Revlon ColorStay for Combo/Oily Skin Makeup, Buff 150
Rimmel Glam Eyes Liner, Black
Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder, Creamy Natural
Wet-n-Wild Fergie Photo Focus EyeShadow Palette, Maldives Sky

June's Beauty Buys

I have bought quite a few new products recently and I just wanted to share some of my favorites this month so, if you like this type of post I'll try to do them every month or so :)

China Glaze polish in Yellow Polka Dot Bikini, I know this isn't a new item but I got this as a dupe for the Sinful Polish in Neon Green because I honestly hate the formula of the Sinful polish as it took 7 coats to accomplish what the China Glaze polish could do in 2-3 coats and thus it was a much better formula. These are very similar colors to one another and I would consider them a close dupe. I've been favoring this shade lately since seeing a very similar shade on the Ring My Bell blog which was my reason for getting this polish.

I have been seeing sooo many people wearing red lipsticks lately that I ended up finding one with a pink undertone to it and it was a new product by Wet N Wild called Red Velvet. The formula is really nice, it has a matte finish and these lipsticks are sooo pigmented and totally worth the purchase (I did grab a few other shades, heh). I also line my lips before applying this using my Apple colored Nabi lip pencil.

Another polish that I got complimented on numerous times from complete strangers and family is Sally Hansen's magnetic polish in Electric Emerald however, I'm sure you'd get just as many comments on it from any of there magnetic polish shades. So while sporting this be prepared to tell people how the polish works, heh.

Also Maybelline has some super cute Porcelain Limited Edition lipsticks out right now and OMG if you like pastel shades then you'll be grabbing them up in a heart beat like I did, haha. I ended up buying Porcelain Pink and Pink Fuschia (although Porcelain Pink looks better on my skin tone). I have a feeling these could be dupes for some of the Barry M lipsticks I have but I haven't done a comparison yet. The only downfall for me is that these taste horrible but I guess you could add some fruity lip gloss over top to mask the taste :P

I also picked up a new liquid eye liner which is the Milani eyeliner Eye Tech Extreme. It is pretty good stuff as it doesn't flake, it's long lasting with staying power, and it isn't that hard to apply since it is a felt tip liner. I found out about this liner from another beauty blogger but I can't remember her blog, fail. The only downfall for me is that I feel with felt tip liners when you're putting it on over top eyeshadow the felt tip doesn't seem to flow that well after a few times of use so I think I'm still preferring my normal Rimmel pro liquid eyeliner since it's a brush applicator.

The last product I'll post about here is Milani's multitasker face powder which I got in the color Tan. Obviously the tan shade is wayyy dark for me to put all over my face but I've been using this as a contour/bronzer and an eyeshadow. The product is super pretty looking in the packaging, the powder is soft to the touch and applys evenly while being a bit blendable. I do recommend giving it a try if you're looking for a matte type of product like this because it does stay on nicely so, I may try another shade which I can use all over my face later on.

Bronzed Face for Fair Skin

I noticed that a lot of people have questions about bronzer and application so this post is just to give you my advice on applying it to the face and creating a nice natural tan appearance for fair skinned individuals.

For some reason I've noticed a lot of people say to apply bronzer where the sun would naturally hit your face. I find that to be horrible advice, especially for fair skinned individuals like myself that naturally sunburn and possibly freckle. However, if you want to add a light highlight shade to your face than you would want to apply that where the light would naturally hit your face. I find that applying bronzer to the contours of your face is much more appealing and doesn't give you that dirty appearance if it had been applied to where the light naturally hits. You also want to blend your contours expanding it out a bit on the areas where light doesn't naturally hit your face but focus most of it around the sides of the forehead, under the neck, along the jaw line and the sides of your nose.

Applying a blush will look more natural than just adding a tan shade to a fair complexion and it can also make for a more youthful appearance. Being fair skinned and knowing that when you get sun you probably turn a pinkish shade I like to use a very light pink blush on the apples of my cheeks and sometimes the bridge of the nose (avoid the tip of the nose so you don't look like Rudolf!) during warmer months. During winter months I'd go with a bit more intense blush shade since you will be exposed to the cooler climate and you probably won't get sunburn (unless you happen to be skiing!).

I'd also advise using a tinted moisturizer (or mix some of your liquid foundation with your face moisturizer) all over your face and neck if you're fair skinned and want to look a bit tanner or add more color to your complexion, this will help give you an all around tan appearance when followed with my bronzing advice above.

You probably don't want to neglect your eyes when going for a naturally tan look so apply an off-white matte shade (or skin tone shade) all over the lid (or a gold shade) along with an off-white shimmer shade under the brows, you can then either use the bronzer you applied to your face or a similar colored eyeshadow blended into your crease. You may also want to darken your brows slightly with an eyebrow shadow if they are blonde in color. Add some brown or black-brown mascara to your lashes and your eyes are complete (you can also line your eyes or add a bit more depth to the eye with a dark brown eyeshadow if you want to be a bit bolder).

With a nude tan face on fair complexions almost any lipstick shade will work but I'd probably avoid the pale pastel shades which can make you look too washed out, especially during summer months. For a more natural tan approach try a bronze lip color (like Rimmel's lipstick in Summer Angel).

Makeup MatchUp

Upon purchasing a new liquid foundation this week since I had ran out of my fave stuff (Maybelline 24hr Stay in Sand Beige) and the store hadn’t stocked up on any I ended up purchasing CoverGirl, TruBlend Liquid Makeup, in Warm Beige 4/445. The foundation definitely wasn’t a dupe for my fave stuff as it was a bit brighter/lighter and more on the pink side. Thus, I decided to make the best of it and experiment with colors that I felt went best with this CG foundation color. Sooo… if you’re perhaps a warm beige skin tone or use this same foundation shade then maybe these other makeup items I picked out will work for you to re-create the below look (sorry it looks overly pink, cell cam and lighting were a bit yuckster).

Click to Enlarge

Foundation

-CoverGirl, TruBlend Liquid Makeup, in Warm Beige 4/445
-Maybelline, Mineral Power Natural Prefecting Finishing Veil Translucent Loose Powder

Lips

-Wet n Wild, Megalast Lip Color, in Pink Suga’ 900b
-Neutrogena, Moisture Shine Lip Gloss, in Fruity Pink

Brows

-Wet n Wild, Color Icon Eye Shadow Palette, in Vanity (2nd row, left column)
-Boots no7, Lash and Brow Perfector, in Clear

Blush & Contour

-Barry M, Blusher, in Strawberry Whip/BL8
-Neutrogena, Healthy Skin Blends Natural Radiance Bronzer, in Sunkissed 30

Eye Shadow

-L.A. Colors, Mineral EyeShadow, in Beige/BME489
-Wet n Wild, Color Icon Eye Shadow Palette, in Vanity (3rd row, right column)

Mascara

-Rimmel, Glam Eyes (Non-Waterproof) Mascara, in Extreme Black

-CoverGirl, LashBlast Volume Blasting (Non-Waterproof) Mascara, in Very Black

Overall I thought this look came out nice, feminine, and natural (better looking in person I think) since the colors seem to work harmoniously together (art history class may be paying off after all, LOL).

Create Fuller Lips

For the past month or so now I've been on a mission...to create fuller looking lips! Sure I've looked at nearly every lip plumping tutorial there is, but the fact of the matter is...nothing has really ever worked for me. Lip plumpers make my lips peel as an end result, and light colored lip glosses disguise them instead of making them look fuller and existent. So now that I've recently been receiving compliments on my lips (for once in my life!) I decided to share my below lippy look.

Step 1 Exfoliate: Lightly brush your lips using a wet toothbrush to exfoliate them (you can do this while you're brushing your teeth). I'd recommend using a cool mint whitening tooth 'paste' (not 'gel' based) as the cool mint can have a plumping effect on your lips in itself, the whitening to bring out those pearly whites to better showcase your lips, and a paste because it's actually gritty enough to gently exfoliate your lips.
Step 2 Moisturize: Use a hydrating chap-stick/ointment like Aquaphor and allow your lips to absorb the moisturizer for several minutes (I do this before applying my makeup and then continue on to the next step after my makeup is done).
Step 3 Line: Apply a natural shade of pencil lip liner like Prestige waterproof lipliner/contour in Nude. Line the bottom lip slightly outside the lip line. To line the top lip round it outward from the peaks to the outer crease and fill in any gaps from the actual lip for a slightly rounder/fuller pouty shape. Line the "V" a little below or on the lip line. Press your lips together to blend on the lip liner and use your finger to even it out (it'll look like a lipstick basically).
Step 4 Lipstick: Apply a matte nude lipstick all over the lips and liner, I used Revlon matte lipstick in Nude Attitude.
Step 5 Blend: Pucker out your lips (like a kissy face) and even out the color using your finger and you're done!
Step 6 Touch Ups *Optional*: Throughout the day I'll do touch-ups to my lips using Rimmel's lipstick in Airy Fairy (although this extra step won't really create fuller looking lips).

On the Outside Looking In

Yesterday I managed to replicate this look perfectly, here's what I used to acheive this eye look...

Eye Makeup

Step 1: Loreal DeCrease - Prime Entire Eye Area
Step 2: MAC Eye Shadow in Sharp - Lid
Step 3: Coastal Scents 88 Matte Palette Eye Shadow(4 across and 6 down, dark green shade) - Line Upper LashLine
Step 4: NYX Jumbo Pencil in Pacific - Lower WaterLine
Step 5: MAC Eye Shadow in Tempting - Lower LashLine
Step 6: Palladio Eye Shadow in Champagne - Under Brow HighLight
Step 7: Rimmel Liquid Eye Liner in Ebony Black - Upper LashLiner
Step 8: Covergirl LashBlastVolume in Very Black - Top and Bottom Lashes

Rimmel Sexy Curves Mascara - Review

I've practically finished a tube of the non-waterproof Rimmel Sexy Curves Mascara, so I decided to post a review on it.

1. Tube Design:
-Cute, sexy design in a mettalic purple color.
-Rimmel crown emblem engraved in the top of cap is a nice touch.
-Round tube can roll away when laid down but will stand up-right.
-Retail Cost: $7.19

2. Brush Design:
-Allows you to get close to the lash base but doesn't seem to improve the fullness of the lashes.
-Didn't notive any clumping on the brush really, unless you just take big globs at a times from over pumping it into the tube.
-Decent length of brush and I do seem to prefer the rubber bristles.

3. Marscara Product Quality:
-Removes easily
-Flakey
-Normal color

4. Label Expectations:
-"70% Fuller Lashes", this didn't make my lashes look any fuller then usual.
-"Curls Lashes", this didn't make them stick straight but it didn't curl them either so I can't say that it had "16hr Curl Hold" as stated.
-"Triple Plump Brush" ("curves in for volume and curves out for maximum curl"), this doesn't seem to do any of that to the lashes.
-"Suitable for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers", this formula flakes a bit and actually bothers my eyes when it gets into them.

5. My Review:
What I liked most about this product was its brush design because it allowed you to get close to the base of your lashes. All the label expectations seemed totally false from my experience with this product. This does contain parabens (Methylparaben and Propylparaben). You really can't do more then two coats without the mascara starting to flake all over your face. I wouldn't purchase this again, nor would I recommend this to others.

"On the Scene" Eye Makeup Tutorial

This eye makeup look is by MAC "In the Groove" series and this one is called "On the Scene". Since I really don't like their makeup tuts on how to acheive these looks I've created a similar how-to tutorial on how I think this exact look can be more easily acheived and without using MAC products, enjoy ;)

Step 1: Prime entire eye area using Loreal De-Crease.

Step 2: Line entire upper lashline using Styli-Style Waterproof Liquid Liner pen in Blackest Black.

Step 3: Apply an under brow highlight color in cream (or similar skin tone) colored eyeshadow, I used Maybelline eyeshadow single in Linen.

Step 4: Using Coastal Scents 88 Shimmer Pallete I applied a Medium/Light shade of blue (5 across and 1 down). Apply this to inner top half and blending up past crease of lid and entire lower lash line.

Step 5: Using the Maybelline quad in Hushed Tints I applied the orange shade to the outer top lid insuring to blend the color up toward the brows and also applying it to the middle of the lower lash line.

Step 6: Using the same Maybelline quad in Hushed Tints I applied the dark brown shade to the lower outer top lid lightly just to add some subtle dimension to the eye and also applied it over the middle of the lower lash line of the orange I just applied. I also used this color to fill in my brows.

Step 7: Apply several quick coats of Rimmel Sexy Curves Mascara in Extreme Black to entire top lashes and middle of bottom lashes.

Rimmel LipStick Colors

(NO FLASH)

(FLASH)

(FROM LEFT TO RIGHT)

 Vintage 026, Airy Fairy 070, Summer Angel 640, Pink Chic 220