rimmin'

one of my favorite eye popping tricks is to inner rim my eyes. it's something that i just fell into doing when i used to wear makeup behind my mother's back. it just seemed like eyeliner was meant to live on that line!

now a days, i realize that i didn't have some great epiphany, but instead found the trick to accenting most eye shapes. inner rimming your eyes is easy! you just pull down the bottom of your eye, gently, rest the eyeliner on your water line and apply. you can even take it a step further and rim the top eyelid as well, my personal fav. now of course you can pick what color eyeliner you want based on your eye color, skin tone, hair color, blah blah blah. or you could just pick up black and watch you eyes go from dull to sexy without even trying!

in my opinion, the best type of liner for the inner rim is a waterproof eye liner. some people will tell you that a khol liner will do you right and then you go to try to find one and all you find are kajahl! khol liners were originally used by the egyptians and, well it may have worked well for them back then, its wearability is over shadowed by the waterproof liner. 

now it doesn't have to be a pencil. it can be a cream of a gel and as long as it's meant for the inner rim, most are, you will be fine. if you have sensitive skin and you are trying to get fancy, be aware that some dyes are really irritating to the skin around the eyes, i.e. red dyes. also, a glittery eyeliner in the inner rim may not be the best bet, but a shimmery one may not be too bad.

here are a few liners that i really like to use in the inner rim. 

Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes - 0L [zero L]

*if you have ever used MUFE before you know how well their products work

*what you probably don't know is that they have a higher grade of waterproofing than most brands

*the color is a very dark black

* the product will be smudgeable for at least 30 seconds  but after that its not coming off with out a waterproof make up remover.

Smashbox Jet Set - Midnight Back

*this literally won't come off all day no matter what you do!

*there ar a variety of colors

*teeny tiny pot lasts forever!

*Waterproof eye make up remover, a must!

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on pencil - Zero

*24/7 is no understatement, its a fact

*nice dark color and a smooth application

*a little goes a long way

just remember to keep the tops/lids on these bad boys! they'll dry out if you don't!

mineral foundation station

the quest for the best foundation is something i spend probably 30% of my work day trying to find for someone. they want a mineral, paraben free, liquid foundation with spf 30 thats also hd. basically, people want a miracle and honey...that just can't happen!

the most popular request is to find a mineral foundation. technically all pigments are mineral derived. so you can pretty much go anywhere. thanks to bare escentuals and insomniacs, bless their hearts, people associate mineral foundation with being the most gentle product with less harmful ingredients, spf & of course paraben free....maybe. 

but in actuality there are a lot of problems with finding mineral make up. make up is constantly going through technology improvements and at the time of bare escentual's release there wasn't much out there. these days you see mineral foundations that are loose, pressed, liquid, cream, aerosol the works. but lets talk brass tax a moment, there aren't any mandates on what is and isn't considered 'mineral based.' its simply a word used on products to boost interest. yes, a company could have taken out a few dyes and increase their amount of iron oxides but its nothing to scream and shout about. 

if you are truly looking for a mineral based foundation ask yourself this question first: why?

are you doing it because you have sensitive skin?

*because i have news for you simple ingredients are raw, meaning they aren't as processed as much as synthetic ingredients, leaving a greater opportunity for irritation. unless that product is actually proven to be better sited for sensitive skin, don't go running to the first product that has the word 'mineral' in it's title.  

going natural?

*great congratulations! these days it isn't as hard as it used to be. but i hope you are an excellent ingredient reader! things are not always what they seem. not only will you be interested in the ingredients but possibly the origin too. let me make a suggestion, obsessing over individual ingredients will drive you insane, save yourself the headache and settle for the brand that doesn't test on animals and has a majority of its products from natural origin. 

your friend, sister, mother, cousin, brother, co worker, boss or dentist use mineral make up and now you think you should too?

*this is always the wrong reason to check something out. 99.9% of the time, whoever recommended the product to you does not have the same skin as you. you need to find out what is best for you, period. referencing others, is not necessary. everyone's skin is different, whether it be the color, texture or type. be willing to make some compromises to get the best product for you, but if your ideals are more important than the actual coverage and quality of the product then stand your ground! 

help i'm oily and i can't get up!

oily skin is one of the hardest things to deal with. most people that have it  struggle to keep themselves as matte as possible. but here's the thing, being oily is great! you get less wrinkles , your skin consistently looks healthy, but you are more blemish prone and shiny and you probably hate it. 

here is a little known trick to help with your oily production...USE A MOISTURIZER!!!

your skin is trying to hydrate its self. in order to do that it produces more oil for hydration. this excess oil will sit on the skin until it is able to be absorbed. using a moisturizer will help alleviate this. if the skin is already hydrated it is less likely to be excessively oily. that doesn't mean that you will magically no longer have oily skin it just won't be as oily. over time this could cause the skin gain some normalcy. a balanced skin is a happy skin and you will find that it will have less problems if it is happy. now it is still necessary to get the appropriate moisturizer. let me list a few options

Boscia Oil Free Daily Hydration with SPF 15

* a lightweight natural option

* plant based skincare with lots of results

* more suited for the oily skin client that is still pretty sensitive

Cosmedicine Medi-Matte SPF 20

* deeply hydrating using a higher grade of dimethicone

* strong mattifiers that absorb oil for 24 hours

* best for the oiliest of clients

Dior Hydraction Defense Fluid SPF 15

* ultra light texture

* aquaporin technology allows water to flow from cell to cell, increasing hydration

* have combination skin? oily t-zone? hate putting things on your face? this one's for you.