Purple: Great new discussion starter! This should be a good thread once people start to think about it. I know I had to! Nothing came to mind at first so I thought I'd go through my beauty routine for a few days to see what was worth passing along. Here are a few things that I thought might be worthwhile:

• Use conditioner to shave your legs. It lubricates as well as shaving cream and you’ll have one less product in the shower.
• Pull up on the skin above your eyebrow when tweezing and pull in the direction that the hair grows. Also, hairs seem to come out easier for me if I do it after I shower.
• Use a Tweezerman eyelash comb before you apply mascara to minimize clumping and use it again after applying mascara if you still get a clump. It has sharp metal teeth so be really careful.
• DHC olive oil Q-tips work like a charm to take off small makeup mistakes around the eyes. Each Q-tip is individually sealed in plastic and one box will last you forever!

I hope this thread gets really active. It could be a great source for new techniques and ideas!

Yes, exfoliating before shaving works wonderfully! I use those exfoliating gloves; they're great.

Hmm.. beauty tips, ok:

Put a little bit of highlighter across the cupid's bow of your lips and then put on a super shiny gloss; it will make your lips look HUGE.

Exfoliate before plucking your eyebrows; it will make it easier to get the really short hairs.

When doing a mani or pedi yourself, swipe some nail polish remover over your nails before putting on the nail polish. It will get all the lotion and oils off your nails which will help the polish adhere to your nails and it will be less likely to chip off.

Put a fresh coat of clear top coat over your nail polish every few days after your mani/pedi to help it keep from chipping.

When it comes to eye makeup, make your eyes pop by putting a little highlighter on your browbone, in the inner corners of your eyes, and in the center of your eye lid. Remember to blend, blend, blend! You don't want it to stand out and be obvious.

Put highlighter above your blush across the very tops of your cheek bones to make them stand out. Blend! The Nars Multiple works really well as a highlighter.

A dab of hair gel can keep eyebrows in place if you don't have brow gel or clear mascara.

Use an eyeshadow primer before putting on eyeshadow. The one by Urban Decay works so well! It will keep even the creamiest eye shadows from creasing on oily lids. It also makes your shadow show better, better color payoff.


That's all I can think of at the moment.

What can I say? I love makeup and read lots of magazines when I need a break from academic-type stuff. ;D

Yes, I like the multiples because you can use them all over, they are shimmery and not at all sparkle-y, and they have great texture. They are expensive, though. If you have a Sephora nearby, try one out. Tell the makeup artist that you're looking to use it as a highlighter and they'll show you how well it works. The copacabana is a good color to try. The only thing to watch out for is that camera flashes pick them up like crazy. I won't wear a highlighter if I know I'm going to be in pictures because they show up far too much.

Thanks! :bigsmile:

Here are a few makeup tricks I use that have really been helpful:
mist you're finished face with a finisher like D2O or POM mist..if you don't have these products a very light toner or tonic will work. This sets your makeup for the rest of the day.
If you suffer from lipstick bleeding, create a reverse lipliner by brushing a concealer along the outside of your lip line and dabbing with the pressed or loose powder you use on the rest of your face. This creates a wall that keeps the gloss or lipstick from migrating out.
For an illusion of high cheeks, use a dark shade under your cheek bones and a complementary or lighter shade on the apples of the cheeks and upper cheek bone. Then blend them together. This really helps with making a face look less round.
If you have really dry skin a powder or cream bronzer with a little glimmer along the bridge of your nose, cheeks and forehead will give you a dewy look.
For those with under eye circles, keep your concealer as close to your natural shade as possible. Lighter concealers draws attention to the flaw, not hide it.

I can't contribute much to this one...

When I apply any lotion or creme to my face(and makeup when I still wore it) I start from the neck up and apply going upward and inward. As opposed to pulling down and away from the face-especially the eyes. Not only good for not pulling on facial muscles, but for preventing a huge swipe of foundation/blush/eyeshadow into your hair.

pas71, those gloves are faaabulous. :p



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I use a Gillette Mach 3. You've also got to exfoliate, use a good shaving creme and change the blade often.

http://thebeautybrains.com/2007/07/29/how-to-avoid-armpit-irritation/

This deals specifically with shaving the underarm. (Once again, I've forgotten what the tags are for hyperlinks so you'll have to cut and paste)

and this

http://thebeautybrains.com/2007/03/11/bikini-kitty-shaving-system/

is about shaving "down there."

I also recall a link to a site with directions for shaving the pubic area that was definitely NSFW but I can't find it now.

Thanks pas.

I've got a tip of my own that I picked up on Elke Von Freudenberg's blog for using dark shadows: don't brush them on, dab them on. Another tip from Elke that works nicely with this is to use a clean brush to blend your colors. So first you dab on the dark color and then use a clean brush to even it out and blend it. This makes a big difference with highly pigmented shadows like MAC and Shu Uemura.

Thanks, Purple! You just made me feel really smart! Here's why: When I bought all my eye makeup products at the MAC counter last month which included their brushes, I followed the MA's tips exactly....but felt like the darkest eyeshadow color sometimes wasn't blending in like it should. Even though I already owned a really good brush for the shadow that goes in the crease, I still bought the MAC one so I actually had two. A few weeks ago, I decided to take my original brush (which I was careful to clean first) to use as the final step to blend the shadows into each other just a bit. WOW! A PERFECT RESULT!!! Now I use the second brush to blend every day.

Sylvie: Your washcloth tip makes sense because Left Brain claims that just by using a washcloth, you're exfoliating. (Found that out when I researched my review on the Wave) As for using shampoo to shave your legs, it might work but I think it would depend on how gentle the shampoo that you're using is - which might be affected by how much conditioner is in that shampoo. (The Brains tell us that every shampoo has conditioner in it.) What I like about using a conditioner is that it leaves my legs really soft and I have one less product in the shower. I've seen this "secret tip of the stars" around for years. I just saw it again in last month's People StyleWatch magazine. If you try the shampoo, let us know how well it works!

 
I thought I'd post this link here since tinted moisturizers are so popular. This seems like a good idea if you've already got a foundation you like or if you need heavier coverage in some places. You could mix the foundation with moisturizer and apply all over and then use the foundation undiluted on those spots that need more coverage. The color would match perfectly so it would be easier to blend.
15minbeauty.blogspot.com/2008/01/tuesday-tip-quick-foundation.html

For a luminous glow, you can try adding in some shimmery moisturizer into your foundation. 
You can do sorta the same thing w/ under eye concealers.  Mix it with a little bit of eye cream to make it blend easier.

Purple: I'm impressed!
If you ever get sick of your day job, I think you could open up your own nail salon! Very nice work!!!

Hey Purple, thanks for the GREAT tip on creating your own tinted moisturizer. 
Thanks to this forum I actually tried a variation on this recently because I still hadn't quite solved my redness problem with my new Revlon Color-Stay foundation. My nose is my biggest problem...red AND flaky.  If I put too much concealer or foundation on it I make it worse.  What I have tried doing is blending my anti-oxidant serum OR my Neutrogena Dry-Touch Sunscreen with my foundation to get better coverage but less drying result on that area.  However YOUR tip sounds even better!
Another tip I would have and it is more of a skin-care tip is this but does involved BLENDING is this;  to extend my Paula Begoun Super Anti-Oxidant Serum I blend it with my less expensive night cream in the evening.  This hint came from a facialist YEARS ago and I did confirm it recently with a Paula Begoun customer service person. 
Thanks too for the tips on lipstick bleeding using concealer!  I have tried that and once you get the hang ot it it really works.
 

Yes, I put the night cream/moisturizer in the palm of my hand and then put a drop or two of the serum into the moisturizer, rub my hands together and then apply. 
And thanks again for the "make your own tinted moisturizer" tip.  I tried it this morning and it looked pretty good.  Since my foundation is in a bottle instead of a pump I didn't have much control when I poured it but I will know next time.

I have a new, great secret for super-amazing lashes. I recently got LORAC's Lotsa Lash mascara in a package buy. It worked fairly well, but it's a fiber mascara (it has little pieces of fuzz in it that plump up your lashes), so it flakes off a bit and you end up with those little fiber pieces under your eyes... not attractive. So, I started using it as a primer and putting a more fluid, plumping mascara over it to lock in all those fibers and fatten up the lashes even more. I use Covergirl's new Lash Blast over the Lotsa Lash. It's amazing! I couldn't believe how long and thick my lashes looked! I recommend it to anyone. Pick up a fiber mascara and put another thickening mascara over it. It works great! Next time I do it (it's more of a night-out look), I'll try to remember to take a pic of my lashes and see if I can post it here.

Thanks to the BBs I also got to try Neutrogena's Healthy Volume Mascara. 
At first I had trouble with the HUMONGOUS wand but with practice I am getting better.  I do have to wipe the excess off the wand so as not to get the flakey stuff going on.  It's OK but I am one of those people who still LIKES Mabelline Great Lash because of its simplicity.  It's nothing I feel compelled to spend MORE money on.

I must say the it seems to be a good collection of products though I think that switching products always seems to result in positive effects for a while. 

Maybe one of the BB's can answer this PLEASE...because now that I think of it it is almost always true with shampoos unless they are REALLY bad products.  Maybe it is your hair reacting to a new combination of ingredients or chemicals...?

^I've heard of that before, and it makes sense.  That's why you use like, extra clarifying shampoos once a week or something.

I scoop it out with the sponge tip and place it on the back of my hand.  Then I use my middle finger to apply it; it's the perfect size for blending.
If your lip brush isn't working, try using your concealer brush.  I find that the bigger the size of the brush, the easier it is to apply and blend gloss.  Of course, wash your concealer brush first.
I also dab gloss to the middle of my bottom lip first, then blend it outwards toward the corners of my mouth.  Then I rub my lips together, and then with a brush, fix whatever gloss I have on the top lip.
My computer my friend is building isn't well, built yet.  But once it gets working, I'll make a video to show you what I do.

I am using a new lipgloss thing-y that I actually like because it isn't too gloppy. 
It is Mabelline Shine Seduction Glossy Lip Color.  It comes in a wand that  you twist  at the bottom to  make the lip gloss  come through  the angled wand tip. The tip does a real good job of smoothing out the gloss product once you have applied it.  You just wipe the tip clean when you put the cap back on.  Very clean operation.
 

Thanks for the link P.R.! I was surprised when she recommended adding toner to your foundation to thin it for dry skin. I would think a moisturizer would be much better.

Thanks for the link, Purple. I saved the pdf to my desktop. These are some interesting tips!

Oily Hair: Powder Your Roots
If your hairline starts to look greasy, dig up a big, fluffy makeup brush, and dip it into a pot of loose powder. Tap it once on the back of your hand to remove the excess, and then dust it over your roots. It mops up oil and blends into your strands.

Smelling Bad: Scent Strands with Perfume
Spray a light shot of fragrance into the bristles. Run it through strands from roots to ends and your hair will smell amazing throughout the day.

Boring Face: Lubricate Your Lashes
An easy way to draw attention to your eyes without putting on a pile of makeup is to comb petroleum jelly lightly through the tips of eyelashes to get a sexy, subtle sparkle.

Dry Hair: Cold Water
To get that extra shine in your hair, rinse your hair with cold water for a few minutes after shampooing.