The Makeup Box

Anonymous:

Sorry if you’ve been asked this before, but how do you keep your brushes so clean? or do you use different brushes for different colours? Thanks!

I definitely keep spares around because I like to clean them between uses, especially if they were used for a very colorful look. Colorful shadows tend to clash and muddy each other up more than neutrals. (You can’t use a brush with blue shadow on it to apply red shadow the next day, but when it comes to neutrals, you can usually just rub the brush briskly against some dry tissue to remove most of the residual color, and use it for a couple more times.)

For face powders and blushes, I just use them for a few days between each wash.

For synthetic lip/concealer/foundation brushes, I wash them after each use! They usually dry quite fast, but even if they are still damp when I need to use them again, that’s fine. They don’t need to be totally dry!

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Anonymous:

My cupid’s bow is uneven, but I have a neutral skin tone and I love to wear all different shades of lipsticks! What can I do to fix this minor thing so that it looks less noticeable when I wear bold colours on my lips? Thank you! ♥

Anonymous:

how do I make my lips look fuller?

First, take a picture of your lips (full-frontal shot), both smiling and unsmiling and then note which side and where you’d like to correct because it’s too thin, too thick, a wrong shape, etc.

Then get a good lip concealer and a soft grey-brown pencil. The lip concealer should be like Spackle and have a beige skin-tone color. If you can’t find anything like this, just rub a concealer around the edges of your lips and blend inwards slightly.

Then use the brown pencil (a taupe pencil like MAC Stone or NYX 1000 Years) and very lightly draw in a lip shape. I don’t recommend going too far in our out as it’s better it to be less than perfect rather than obviously fake. You should still graze your natural lip line right on the outside or inside, depending on your needs.

Then go over with your preferred lip shade! The brown shouldn’t look like an obvious line but will give you more of a pout.

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Anonymous:

how can I make my eyes look bigger without false eye lashes?x

Eye liner! Drawing a slightly thicker line along your upper lash line can really emphasize your lash line and make your eyes more prominent. Also, curl your lashes and apply mascara if you’re able. This opens up your eyes as well, and gives you a more wide-eyed appearance.

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Anonymous:

what make-up suits hazel eyes best? thankyou!x

You can go for something with slight red-tones as these will make the green in your eyes stand out more. This can be browns with a red base (MAC Twinks, MAC Sable, MAC Antiqued) or plums (MAC Shale, Star Violet). 

I’m using MAC shadows for reference because they are available in pretty much every country, but do explore whatever brands you have available.

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Anonymous:

Hey girl. Your so pretty and I love you blog so much. maybe you should put your whole face on you blog when your doing make-up. Just want to see how beautiful it is. although it is already pretty in a half face pic. but pls. post sometimes a whole face :) thank you, more power :*

Thanks! I do take full-face pictures from time-to-time (click archive to find some). ;) I just want to do close-ups to show texture of products clearly for tutorials, and it’s really quite hard getting a good full face shot up-close without going cross-eyed. So for tutorials, I’ll do half-shots still, but for casual FOTD or  Weekend-Face posts, I’ll do more full-face shots.

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Anonymous:

what shade in mac msf natural do you use for contouring?

I use Medium Dark, because my regular color is Medium, and that is 2 shades deeper, and I found this shade difference (2 shades) gives the most subtle contouring! 

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Anonymous:

best cat eyeliner? not the thin ones, it has like the triangle at the end kinda thing. any tips/tricks/tutorialss? thanks! x

Hmm, I’m not certain if you are asking about the applicator being triangular or the eye liner being triangular, but if it’s a thick, dramatic liner look you want, here is a great one by Pixiwoo!

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Anonymous:

is there something people are suppose to put on their lips so that their lipstick doesnt look chapped when applying it? I bought purple lipstick (with matching lip liner) today but when i applied it, it looked very see through (even though its a dark color) and it made my lips look chapped. any suggestions pls?

It definitely helps to get rid of flakes and chapped skin on the lips before applying lipstick, but if you have problems and need to fix it fast, then the easiest fix is to apply a sticky gloss over it. This hides texture problems, but you’ll need to touch up often.

The other thing is the texture of the lipstick itself. It sounds like the lipstick you bought is a little too sheer, which is why the dark pigments are grabbing in dry/chapped areas and showing up. The thin you can do is to apply the lip liner in a thick, opaque layer over your entire lip, then go over it with the lipstick, kiss a sheet of tissue, then apply lipstick again, until you build up to a more opaque layer.

Then, again, top with some sticky gloss.

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Anonymous:

does blemish balm work okay on everyone or just asians? no racism intended.

Hi, of course! In fact, if the records are right, Blemish Balms originated from Germany but only became popular in East Asia as a mass market product. There isn’t really anything that different in our skins; just that in East Asia, women tend to hold pale skin in high regard, so they wear BB creams as a foundation. In the west, where many women like a warmer, more tanned appearance, BB creams (which are very pale) work better as a base for your regular powder foundations. 

If you can find one that matches your skin tone, apply it in light patting motion (don’t rub) all over your face and it will sheer out into the most beautiful finish.

If you’re more tan or you want heavier coverage, here’s a good tutorial on how to get it to work as a base/primer for powder foundation!

Anonymous:

so, I LOVE the red Lancôme lipstick called smoky rouge but it’s a little pricy so I was wondering if you knew any drugstore lipsticks that would match or at least be close to this color? :D thaaanks! btw I am just fascinated by your makeup art, pretty awesome ;)

I’m not able to find a reliable swatch online (and I haven’t had time to run out to look at it in the stores), but this looks like a rich true crimson. Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in Red Revival might be close if you want something that looks like the shade in Kate Winslet’s campaign image.

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teira451

Hello, what blush/bronzer would you recommend for someone with dark skin?

I don’t recommend bronzing but if you want to contour, you can juts find a powder 2-3 shades darker than your current one and it would work great.

For blush/color, if your skin is deep MAC NC/NW40-50, I’d suggest intense reds, corals and fuchsias. Just apply with a light hand and it should look absolutely fab as a flush on the skin.

If your skin is even deeper than that, then it’s probably better to go with colors that are not matte, as those can go on a little ashy sometimes. If you want to try a matte, I would suggest you try out pure reds like NARS Exibit A or NYX Red.

One more beautiful product to check out for all women of color is MAC Pink Bronze pigment. This is GORGEOUS on darker skins. Just be careful to apply a little at a time and to not overdo it right from the start.

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Anonymous:

What is a simple way to remove blackheads from your nose? Do you know of any cleansers or anything?

Ah, the dreaded blackheads. If you can, resist picking at them and trying to squeeze the out. The better way is to use a chemical exfoliator nightly (e.g. BHA, salicylic acid, etc). These won’t remove the entire oil plugs but they remove the surface layers so you don’t see the black tip easily.

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Anonymous:

hi, I have really pigmented red lips but I really like nudey-pink lip colours. aside from using concealer/foundation first, are there any pigmented lipsticks/stains/glosses where I won’t need to do that to get the pink to show properly?

Lip stains won’t work as they are transparent and will just make your lip color more intense. The other way is to get opaque textured lipsticks and lip products. The ones I know of which can cover up most of your natural lip color are:

• MAC Satin/Matte Lipsticks (Please Me, Snob, Pink Plaid are quite opaque and can be built up)
• Lime Crime Opaque Lipsticks (not quite nude-pink, but they have a pink and a nude I love individually and together!)
• OCC Lip tars

In general, nude-pink glosses won’t hold up to pigmented lips very well, so if you want some sheen, it’s better to get your preferred opaque lipstick first and dab a bit of sticky gloss on top. (Sticky glosses are better because they won’t dissolve and thin out your opaque lipstick easily.)

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Anonymous:

How do you feel about the I’m Getting Sunburned trio by WnW?

It’s really fun but I find I don’t use it that much! The pigmentation is great and the colors are gorgeous but I just don’t reach for it too often. My favorite shade out of the trio is the dark burgundy-brown one, as it can be used with a lot of other colors.

The pink is quite standard and dupe-able so I don’t love it, but the copper-bronze is lovely. Only thing is you’ll need to be careful about fallout and apply a good primer so it will stick and stay intense-looking over a few hours.

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Anonymous

Hi! I’ve recently started reading your blog and absolutely loving the looks you put together, and was wondering if maybe you could give me some advice. I’m a voice major at my college and have a performance coming up where I’m wearing a red dress, and I can’t think of what to wear with it. The most common choice for something like this would be nude lips and a winged liner,but that just seems soooooo boring to me! I have auburn hair and fairly pale skin. Any advice on more exciting makeup?

Sorry I took so long to get down to this question!

Try a red stain on the lips and a soft champagne-gold wash on the lids instead then! You can also go with a scarlet lip to match your dress, but just be careful that you don’t get lipstick on your teeth with all the singing. That wouldn’t look nice on photos!

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Anonymous:

Hey i love your blog:) Id like to ask for some advice. I am currently using mac’s mineral powder. The problem is it makes my face super oily at the end of the day. I was wondering if you could recommend some good powders for women with acne & acne scars? I want a powder that will leave my face looking perfect all day. I love your skin it looks flawless wish i could have your skin:)

Hi the first thing I’d suggest is not to try and strip your face of all its moisture by harsh toners and oil-absorbing lotions. A lot of times this makes things worse in the long run. 

I do use MAC’s Mineralize Skinfinish (the baked one, not the loose), but it doesn’t actually have much coverage. If you’re looking for a good mineral powder, I suggest you try out Everyday Minerals. This brand is a lot more affordable, comes in a fantastic range of undertones for different skin colors, and is also TRULY a pure mineral powder.

MAC and a lot of other brands add a lot of synthetic compounds into their “mineral” range, which can make acne-prone skins react sometimes.

Other than this, keep blotting sheets with you so you can get rid of shine through the day without having to cake on more powder!

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Anonymous:

haii! what’s a good gel liner you would recommend to use on someone who would have oily lids? expensive brands and inexpensive brands (: please.

Expensive: Bobbi Brown, Clinique, MAC

Inexpensive: Maybelline Lasting Drama! (Actually I recommend getting a pot of this just because you also get a fantastic little brush, beside a good liner.)

But no gel liner (or any makeup product) can stand up to oil, so it’s best to use a little primer on the lid and lightly blotting at mid-day, so that you can remove any excess grease.

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Anonymous

I have super oily skin in my t-zone. After about 1 hour i have to blot because i am sooo oily. Do you know of anything that i can apply under my makeup or anything that will help control this

Actually, I get oily in my T-zone too and I haven’t found any product that is able to really control oily skin for hours. They all look fine for about 15-30 minutes and then the oil starts to break through again. Some people spray their faces with anti-perspirant but I really don’t recommend that in case you get any sensitive reactions. (Oily rashes are not fun.)

I recommend getting the blotting papers that have a bit of mineral powder on them, as this not only removes grease when you blot, but also deposits a light layer of oil-absorbing powder to help control oil for just a little while longer.

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Anonymous:

What drugstore brand face primer do you recommend? I have large pores from a teenage bout with acne and combination-oily skin with the occasional dry skin patch, and am tan skinned with neutral undertones. I’m also on a college kid budget, so I’d like to spend less than $10, if possible. Thanks.

I don’t actually like any of the primers on the market currently because they are either ineffective on oily skin (Revlon Beyond Natural) or cost a fair bit (L’oreal Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base).

In the end, none of them work for more than an hour or two. Once you start sweating, greasing up or as your makeup wears off, you’re right back where you started. If you would still like to try something, look for a product with “silica” as an ingredient. This gives a silky feel and helps your makeup to “float” over pores, so they aren’t as obvious.

NYX Pore Filler and L’oreal Studio Secrets are two good options but they both cost about US$12++.

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Anonymous

Hello, not sure if you will have time to read/respond to this, but thought I’d try. I’m only 25, but i find that my already naturally fine hair is starting to thin, particularly in the front. I was wondering if you have any tips for thickening my hair or preventing/reversing thinning. I really don’t want to use Rogaine, but it freaks me out that my hair is starting to thin already. Thanks for your time and PS just started following you and you’re super informative, well-spoken, and beautiful! :)

I’m not certain if I’ve replied to this already, but if I haven’t, I apologize! There are so many questions to get through and I’ve been a bit busy lately.

There are multiple reasons this could be happening, and for women, a lot of times it’s to do with your hormones because of stress, or dietary changes. If you are very underweight, this WILL happen, and your hair is not going to start getting full until you manage to get adequate nutrition for it. You can try things like Rogaine, etc but these don’t make a permanent difference to your hair and can cause sensitive reactions for some (like me!)

If you’re eating healthy, getting balanced nutrition, and not unduly stressed, then you might want to check with a trichologist to solve the mystery rather than try to diagnose it yourself and spending a lot of money on fixes that don’t work!

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Anonymous:

Whats the best liquid foundation for combination skin? Thanks by the way! I learn alot form you :3

There is no perfect foundation that moisturizers AND controls oil perfectly, so I’m only suggesting products that LOOK and perform well on both slightly oily and slightly dry skins. 

• Make Up For Ever HD Foundation: big splurge but it looks beautiful on the skin and works for both my dry and oily spots.
• Revlon Colorstay Foundation for Normal/Dry skin: Even if you have slightly oily patches, remember that this foundation is meant to stay on really well, so it should be able to cope with your oily patches better than the Oily skin version can cope with your dry spots.
• Skin79 Super+ BB Cream (hot pink version): This is for normal/combi-oily skins but the skin humectants and antioxidants it containts can deal quite well with dryer spots as well.

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Anonymous:

Hi, what lipstick color would you recommend for someone who works with children and professionals? I love pinks, but sometimes it seems too much for work. ~PH

Get something that’s a soft beige-pink! This evens out your lip color, looks real soft and pretty, and is never too much for work.

Try MAC Please Me or Pink Plaid.

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Anonymous:

have you ever thought about making makeup videos?

Yes I have! But I don’t have the equipment, the lighting or the set-up for it, and I don’t have the schedule right now that would permit me to do lots of editing and uploading. 

So rather than doing one or two vids a month, I’d much rather be able to do 2-3 blog tutorials a week as that gives everyone more looks and ideas to try out.

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Anonymous:

Hi i have asian lips with the dark lines and im trying to find a lip base, im trying to wear nude and baby pink lipstick and it doesnt look very flattering on my lips, i live in australia could you please recommend me what product you use or what should i do to make my lips look great as yours?

I use a Japanese lip concealer called Heavy Rotation, but you can actually just use any silicone-based concealer around the lip line (don’t bring it in all the way to the center of the lips; just around the edges) and then rub off any excess, before applying your lipstick.

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Anonymous:

tips for dark turquoise eyes? (lol weird colour i know)

Bronze-copper shades would look gorgeous on the lids and bring out the turquoise tones in your eyes. You can also get a copper-bronze pencil like Sephora Flashy Liner in Flashy Copper, and just run that along your upper lash line!

To bring out the brightness, don’t forget black liner and mascara as well.

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Anonymous:

I really like the look of all around eyeliner (in the water line and thinly line on the lid). The problem is, my eyes change color everyday. They are bright green, dark brown, and hazel. Could you recommend a daily collection of colors and products to use? ( including eyeliner, eyeshadows for lid and highlight, no crease, some form of foundation to cover redness, and a really good mascara?)

Your eyes seem to be on the olive spectrum, and you can actually play around with olive/gold/brown shadows to bring out the different tones there, or go the opposite direction and get a grey/purple-blue quad. I suggest Maybelline Emerald Smokes or Amethyst Smokes eye shadows. These would both bring out your eyes and you get crease, lid, highligh colors all built in.

A good foundation is L’oreal True Match, and Maybelline Falsies mascara is great as well!

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Anonymous:

Hey! So, I have dark skin with olive undertones, and I am starting to develop some severe dark circles under my eyes. Are there any concealers/cover-ups you would recommend?

Orange concealer! Or anything that has a bit more warmth or pink in it than your skin color. This helps to correct the blue/purple in dark circles, and when you apply powder over, it just looks like even-toned skin.