Makeup and Beauty Blog: Makeup Reviews, Beauty Tips and Drugstore Beauty Finds

Remember that song from the 90s by En Vogue, “Never Gonna Get It”? That’s how I feel about my current Barbie Loves MAC T-Shirt situation. I was really hoping to snag one of these cute tees – it’s so cute, so pink and so my style! So when I went to the site a month ago and saw that they still had them available online I jumped on it and purchased one. A few hours later I got an e-mail from MAC saying that the shirts were on backorder, and that they’d ship me one once they had enough stock. (And ironically, the e-mail was signed by a service rep named Barbie, ha ha ha.)

This past Friday (and one month later) I got another e-mail from MAC saying they still can’t ship the shirt, and if after 30 days they can’t fulfill the order, they’ll have to cancel the order unless I write them and tell them to keep the item beyond 30 days. ARGH! I’m never gonna get this shirt!

This weekend I headed over the MAC counter to try the new Mineralize Satinfinish foundation and the artist who worked on me showed me how to use the Mineralize products to get a glowy, J. Lo look. I like having the added dimension of some shimmer in comparison to a flat, matte, look, but I have pretty oily skin so I’m really picky about what shimmer products I use – otherwise, I end up looking like a greasy disco ball if there’s too much glitter. If you like the foundation and the powder consider taking these extra steps because the finished look is really pretty. It gives just enough glow without being too over the top.

Here’s a step-by-step tutorial on what she did and the products she used:

1. First she spritzed Fix+ over my entire face.

2. She then used the 190 Foundation Brush to apply Strobe Cream over my entire face. You don’t have to use the brush to apply this cream – if you don’t have one just use your fingers.

3. She then mixed Fast Response Eye Cream with Select Moisturecover concealer, and then applied the mixture with the 252 Large Shader Brush. (Although I liked the texture of concealer mixed with eye cream, I didn’t think it gave me enough under eye coverage, so if I were to repeat this look again I’d leave out dilution of the concealer.)

4. She then pumped some Mineralize Satinfinish SPF 15 Foundation onto a Petri dish. (MAC artists sometimes use Petri dishes because the glass doesn’t transfer bacteria. You can pump the foundation onto the back of your hand, just make sure you either wash them really well or use Purell before putting products like foundation – or any other product - on the back of your hands to avoid transferring bacteria onto your face.) She then used the 190 Foundation Brush to apply Mineralize Satinfinish with a stippling motion onto my face. To stipple, you take the brush (hold it towards the end, like a chopstick) and bounce it gently on your skin and give it the slightest pull. Whatever you do, don’t paint your foundation on in long stripes.

5. She then grabbed three shades of Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Powder: Medium, Light and Dark. She applied Medium over my entire face with the 182 Buffer Brush. She then applied Light with the 168 Large Contour Brush to highlight underneath my eyes, across the forehead, down the nose, on the chin and then across the tops of my cheeks. With the same brush, she then contoured my cheeks by applying the Dark shade underneath the apples of my cheeks and up into the hairline.

Voila! You’ve got the glowy look! Watch out, J. Lo…

Here’s the last of the tips and tricks from my technique binder.

When tweezing your own eyebrows, it is helpful to map out the hairs to be tweezed by covering them with a light application of concealer or light colored pencil.

When applying color to the brows, try focusing the application in the arch rather than the inner portion near the nose for a more natural looking brow. A well-balanced eyebrow tends to be more dense in the arch.

Don’t underestimate the effect of brushing the brows. First brush against the hair growth to separate, then up and back towards the ear to shape.

For the look of bleached eyebrows, use Brow Set in a shade one or two shades lighter than your own brows. First brush the want against the hair growth to cover the brow then dip the want back into the tube and brush with the growth of hair.

If using both a brow pencil and brow set, try using a darker pencil and lighter brow set for more dimension.

Fluid Line in an appropriate shade, like Dipdown with the 208 brush, is great to cover any scars or open areas in the eyebrow.

A light powder eye shadow color like Shroom, Rice Paper or Arena placed under the arch of the brow highlights and defines the brows.

After applying a powder or pencil color o the brow, brush through with the 206 brush to soften. Set with an application of clear or tinted Brow Set.

Clean up any stray brush or pencil strokes with a little concealer and a 194 brush. This helps to sharpen edges needed.

In a pinch, Tinted Brow Set can be used to touch up the roots of the scalp as well.

Guys can use tinted brow set in the side burns to make them look thicker.

Mix clear brow set with any desired shade of MAC Pigment for a streak of color in the hair.

More handy dandy tips from the Barbie Loves MAC Seminar!

Tips and Tricks – Lashes

When curling the lashes, squeeze twice: once closer to the lid and the next a little further toward the tip to give a longer lasting, more natural looking curl.

To thicken the lashes, apply two coats of Prep + Prime Lash. Let dry between coats for maximum effect.

For maximum deposit of mascara, “wiggle” the brush from root to tip during the application or apply from side-to-side rather than up and out.

To open and “lift” the eye, apply mascara to the top lashes only.

For a light coating of mascara, transfer some mascara to a 204 brush and apply.

To help make the eye appear rounder, focus mascara application on the center lashes both top and bottom.

To elongate the eye, focus mascara application on the outer corners of the eye. Be sure to get the little lashes that tend to hide in the outer corner.

To separate the lashes and assist in achieving a soft, “feathery,” appearance, brush through the lashes with the 206 brush while still wet with mascara.

For the appearance of thicker, richer lashes try a technique called “backing the lashes.” Line the eye from under the top lashes with a 259 brush or 266 brush dipped into Fluid Line.

Experiment with layering formulas to achieve a desired effect. Try Fiber Rich lash over Zoom Lash for thick, rich lass without the “Spider” effect.

For quick eye lining, run the tips of a 266 brush along the mascara wand and apply when needed.

Try color on lashes. Navy blue mascara is great for brightening the eye without looking like major color. Violet mascara adds interest and enhances the appearance of green eyes.