The Makeup Box

"Beauty Q&A: 26 March 2013 (Liquid Liners, highlighters, brushes, my camera, and peeling skin!)"

What is a good, fairly cheap highlighter? Liquid, cream or powder I dont mind. I just want to find something that will give a nice glow to my cheekbones but isnt too expensive. Is the benefit highbeam good? I was looking for something slightly cheaper.. thanks

There is always MAC’s Strobe cream! I find you get so little product with highbeam, though it’s a very good product, and for women of color, you need something a little less silvery for highlights.

The other cheap trick is to find a loose powder shadow in a soft peachy-pink or champagne shade and just add that to a lotion to make your own! As long as you don’t choose a shadow that is glitter or sparkly, it should look great.

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do you have a youtube channel?

No, I’m afraid not! But I’ll definitely do it if time and situation allows in future!

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hello there. just wanna ask what are the essential brushes (and where to use them) and sponges we need to invest in? how to clean them and when to change them? i saw in your recent post u used concealer brush on your lip, i have the same brush which i used to apply eye shadow. i use to apply concealer and make up base using fingertips. well i really wanna learn about these brushes. thank you so much!

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"Beauty FAQs (12 March 2013): Eyeshadow for your eye color, working with pale shadow, blush tips, skincare, and what makeup I wear in daily life!"

How do (or do you) use all of the very light colors in something like the 88 warm palette? Aside from regular brow and highlight colors, I wasn’t sure if you had some more creative uses :) thanks! Your blog is absolutely the best.

Thank you! That’s a problem I have with the palette as well! There are just too many of them and they’re all so similar.

I’m sure you already know to use them on your brow-bone, the inner corner of your eyes and down the center of your eyes for looks. 

The other way you can try to use them up (if you are quite light-skinned) is to use a big brush, pick up a mixture of a few shades, and then use that as a cheek highlight. The less shimmery shades would also work around the edge of your the cupid’s bow to make your lips fuller looking.

But other than this, I really don’t have that much use for them either LOL!

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how do you get such clear skin?

I have normal/combination skin that tends to be oilier around the nose, inner cheeks, and chin, and here’s a current routine. But then I think a lot of it also has to do with the fact that I’m 31 and my skin’s started to calm down a lot (in the oil department) compared to my younger years.

Some ground-rules I established over the years:

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"Requested: Current Skincare Routine"

Some of you have been asking about my skincare routine, so I thought I’d do a quick listing of what I do and use, and see if it might be useful information for anyone. 

I always feel the general rule of thumb is: If you can get away with less, use less. (Except when it comes to sun protection.)

Disclaimer: everyone’s skin is different, and what works for me might not work for you, so do always be your best judge and consult with a licensed dermatologist if you have severe or recurring skin issues that over-the-counter products can’t treat!

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"Hey. Do you have any advice on good primers for dry skin?"

Asked by laugh-love-eat-travel-shop

What most primers do is form a barrier that stays in place but because of this, they aren’t extremely effective moisturizers for very dry skins because any oil or heavier moisturizing ingredients can dissolve makeup and cause it to slip right off. The best thing to do is to use a 2-step process to condition your skin for makeup.

1. Add the moisture in. Use a good moisturizing serum or cream first (look for things that contain plenty of hyaluronic acid or even straight 100% argan oil, etc) and then let it sit and absorb.

If you used an oil based product, after about 5 minutes, you can massage gently to remove any flakes and then press a sheet of tissue over your face to suck up any excess oil.

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"Announcement: Mario Badescu Set for the 300,000 Follower Contest goes to…
Rachel D!"

From her entry: “ I would like to win this skincare set because I’ve already reached my 25 year mark and have only recently realized that flaunting great makeup is not enough to reveal true beauty, but it’s much more important to have a clean, healthy and flawless canvas beneath it all, especially since I ain’t getting any younger and would love to treat my skin more like an investment for my more “womanly” years to come. I would love to be able to be confident even without the fancy foundations and concealing products that I can’t seem to leave the house without anymore. I’ve heard that Mario Badescu products really work wonders and it’s been on my wishlist for a couple years now, but it’s so expensive where I’m at that I just stick to a very basic skincare regimen with drugstore products that don’t really clear up my acne. I would love to be able to use these Mario Badescu products and have beautiful and radiant skin to have more confidence in myself just as I am.”

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For those of you who didn’t win, don’t be disappointed!

There’s still the makeup segment of the 300,000 follower giveaway coming right up!

(I’m finalizing details with the company right now to sort out what goes into it, and I’m trying to get not 1, but a few different sets so we can have multiple winners!) ;P

Check back regularly for updates!