Where can I get cheap makeup brushes?

Hi Vanessa,

I read your makeup blog and I have a question regarding brushes. Where can I find good brushes that won't cost me a fortune? Thanks!

A: I absolutely LOVE Sonia Kushuk's makeup brushes (I currently own the roll away bag set). You can find them at Target and she sells sets of brushes for only $20...and that's how much ONE MAC brush costs! I also like the brushes they have at Wal-Mart, they have an awesome, long-lasting FOUNDATION BRUSH (see profile photo with it in my mouth hehe). Or I also like these Elf brushes which are SUPER cheap, like each brush is only $1.00! And don't forget to clean your brushes!

Here are some links and pics:



Here is the link for that one on the target website: CLICK HERE

Foundation brush from Wal-Mart (brand new still in the case haha), ($2.99)



ELF Brushes:

http://www.eyeslipsface.com/depts.asp?dept_id=1079

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"Your eyes are the windows to your soul..."

I think the most show stopping part of the face is the eyes. It's what everyone looks at. When you have great shading and "eye-catching" eyeshadows (get it? haha), the more people have a tendency to look at your eyes. When I go out and someone compliments me on my eye makeup they want to know 2 things: What colors do I have on? And how did I do it?



Like I mentioned before, I MIX ALL my eyeshadows, not because you have to, that's just how I am. I love all sorts of colors and I love experimenting with the mixing of colors to achieve one really awesome color that just 'pops' on my lids. The trick is to really know how to blend and shade correctly and evenly. Trust me, it's not that easy.

And believe me, you DO NOT have to spend a lot on make-up to get the look you want. I know there are girls out there who live on MAC Cosmetics, and that's fine (because I love MAC myself), but $14.50/eyeshadow can be a bit steep for some. You can find (or make) similar colors to that of MAC at your local drugstore. I love NYX Cosmetics because they have tons of colors and their eyeshadows are only $2.99 a pop, so you can get a lot if you have $20; and that's how much ONE MAC eyeshadow is including tax and they work just the same!

I do what I call, an eyeshadow test, I place layers of different colors on my hand and BLEND them together to see how they compliment one another. Of course it's different on your hand than your eye, but you wanna see how they look overall blended.

Here are simple steps to applying eyeshadow:

1. It is very important to use an eye primer, or eyeshadow base because that holds your eyeshadow in place and prevents creasing. (see below, Laura Geller's Spackle Trio)

2. Use an overall highlighting eyeshadow to widen and brighten up the eye (try Revlon's Colorstay eyeshadow in "White Whisper", $6), apply this ALL over the lid all the way up to the brow bone.

3. Then apply the LIGHTEST color of eyeshadow on the inner corner of your eye. What I mean by lightest color, is when you are trying to achieve the "gradient effect" (see picture above), if you look closely, I actually have 3 different colors. You want, light, medium, and dark shades (in that order) on your lid.

4. Apple the MEDIUM shade from almost your inner corner of you eye, all the way to the end of the lid.

5. Take your darkest shade using an ANGLED eyeshadow brush and BLEND that shade with the medium until it looks almost one color from the outer to the inner part of the lid, but can still see the medium and dark shade separately.

For the pic above, I used Revlon's "White Whisper" as my highlighting base, Flirt Cosmetics "Limelight" as inner corner and medium shade, and an unknown brand black sparkly eyeshadow as my dark shade and blended it together. And voila!

I really like these 2 eyeshadows, they are both Sephora brand, I don't know the names of the colors, but it's a gold shimmer, sparkly color, the one that is open, is a CREAMY eyeshadow which I recommend to wear UNDER another eyeshadow if you plan on wearing eyeliner because it's super hard to put eyeliner on a cream eyeshadow as it is just gliding everywhere. (Sephora, $10)





Another thing I love, is this cream eyeliner palette from Sephora ($15), it's a 4-in-1, and has 4 different eyeliner colors to match a majority of outfits. Has silver, black, goldish-brown, and army green. It's also perfect for your purse or traveling.



Once you are done with eyeshadows and eyeliner, the next step is MASCARA. I love L'oreal's Telescopic Mascara ($6-9), it lengthens your eyelashes a lot so it looks like you ARE wearing fake eyelashes, or Sonia Kushuk's "Lashify Waterproof Mascara" ($7.99, see below), it even comes with a handy eyelash comb! To "lengthen" your eyelashes, first comb out all your eyelashes (I like Sonia Kushuk's eyelash comb/eyebrow comb combo), and then use a CLEAR mascara (gel-like almost), this is a great primer for eyelashes and helps your mascara glide on easily avoiding the annoying CLUMPS. Apply a couple coats of your mascara, and then from the very TOP of the eyelashes only, apply several coats, making your eyelashes look "longer".





And what completes the whole eye than a pair of false eyelashes to really widen your eye and get everyone talking about how beautiful your eyes are!

As you can see, I got these from Sally's Beauty Supply ($4 a pop). It's best to get them here because they have quite a selection from normal lashes, to runway, to high fashion, what ever look you are going for, you can find it at Sally's. Target and other drugstores have a very LIMITED selection of eyelashes simply because that's not a specialty store and only carry certain items.

Get the "invisibands" eyelashes because they have invisible bands so it looks flawless as if you are not wearing any fake eyelashes. Be sure that once you have applied your lashes, that you put black eyeliner along the band to finish the look!



If you are new to putting on eyelashes, try Sonia Kushuk's "Leading Lady Eye Set", $12.99 at Target.

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To wash or not to wash?

I get people asking me how do I maintain such great skin?

A: To be honest, some people are just more acne prone than others, sebaceous glands (the glands that also make you sweat), are larger in some parts of the body (like the back or chest) rather than other parts, like your face, or vice versa. I am not acne prone, but I do get a pimple here or there if I am not careful. My skin is mostly dry, especially after I hop outta the shower.

But for the most part, WASHING YOUR FACE EVERYDAY IS BAD!!!!! I know, I know, it sounds gross to NOT wash your face, and I know what you're thinking,but doesn't that cause MORE pimples?

The answer is yes and no. When you wash your face everyday, you are OVER-CLEANING your pores allowing more space for dirt and bacteria to get in, causing MORE pimples. Every time you wash your face, you are removing your skin's natural oils. Instead of washing your face, use a facial wipe that cleans your face AND removes make-up(I highly recommend Neutrogena's Make-up Remove Cleansing Towelettes). There are so many acne products out there that simply just don't work. However, if you are prone to breakouts on the face and/or have severe acne, then wash your face with mild cleanser (try Aveeno's foaming face wash) it's gently on your face and doesn't dry out your skin.

These wipes are excellent for any skin type, and it's so soft! I tried Pond's facial wipes and it was okay for awhile, but the textured cloth hurt my sensitive face and I believe it irritated my skin. With these Neutrogena wipes, they smell heavenly, smooth on the skin, and most importantly, are GREAT at removing dirt and make-up.

Price: Between $7-10



For my moisturizer, I use Aveeno's Ultra Calming Daily Moisturizer with SPF15. I love everything about it! It smells great,and it soothes irritated or sensitive skin (me), as well as reducing redness in the skin.

I have allergies in the morning which causes my face to be a bit flushed with pink or red, and this moisturizer definitely gets rid of that. It may be a bit thick for some people, so don't put so much.

Price: $13 at Target.

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Clean your brushes!

I bought this brush cleaner at CVS months ago for $5 and it's really great for cleaning all your makeup brushes, as well as also being affordable.



I walk into MAC and Sephora and they have brush cleaner that is just wayyyyy too pricey especially since it's only to clean your brushes, you shouldn't have to spend a grip, even of you are on a really tight budget, mild soap and water will do.

Anyways, back to this brush cleaner I bought, a few sprays on your brushes should do the trick, then just use a paper towel to dry them, or leave them out overnight so its ready to use in the morning!

The only CON I have about this product is the smell. It smells like alcohol of course, which is gross to me.

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Basic Essentials - Laura Geller 'Spackle Trio'

I absolutely LOVE Laura Geller's Spackle Trio makeup, eye, and lip primer!!

It's 3-in-1 set that is good for people who are on the go, it comes in a cute size perfect for your purse!. Some gals just put foundation directly on the face, but I suggest using a makeup primer for several reasons:

1. A makeup primer prepares your face for the foundation by giving it a smooth canvas to start with. It is usually applied right after your moisturizer, and I use a foundation brush to apply it to my face.

2. It PREVENTS zits because it SEALS your pores, not allowing any foundation to enter your pores and voila! A fresh face!

3. It also makes your foundation/powder to last longer because it's a creamy base that "holds" your makeup in place, so you look freshly applied for the whole day!

The eye and lip primer combo is pure genius! The "eye primer" (the lighter shade), is designed to keep your eyeshadow to stay put and to keep it from creasing on your lids, and the "lip primer" (the darker shade) prevents feathering of your lipstick/lipgloss, and keeps lipliner and lipstick on your lips longer!

You can get it only at www.sephora.com. You CANNOT get it at all Sephora stores because some stores do not carry Laura Geller, so you must order it online. If you order anything from www.sephora.com, you get 3 FREE SAMPLES of your choice of fragrances, other makeup primer brands, lipgloss, etc. The bottle itself is about $30, and they give you a good amount.



See me in the reflection? haha



Hence the name, "SPACKLE TRIO", it comes with a little baby spackle spatula!



I also use Sephora brand makeup base before the spackle because I love the pink pearlescent cream! It brightens my face so I look more awake and enhances the natural skin tone.

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Welcome to my MAKEUP BLOG!

My friend, who has a blog where he writes restaurant reviews recommended that I make a blog about makeup and write reviews, (as well as other things), and I thought it was a great idea! He said he gets restaurant owners to actually invite him to their restaurant so that he can review 'em, and who knows, maybe some makeup mogul will stumble upon this blog and will send me some products to test out!

So this blog is basically going to reflect makeup reviews on products I have already tried myself, DO's and DONT's, etc. I have always loved makeup (since my mom let me start wearing it haha), and I get a lot of people asking me what stuff I use, where did I get a certain color of eyeshadow, etc., and what better way to let people know!!!

First of all, any suggestions I make here are purely from my OWN experience and my own skin, so there might be stuff that may work for you, and not me, and vice versa. Also, I MIX and blend all my eyeshadows, basically that means if you happen to like the color of the eyeshadow, it mostly like has 2 or more colors blended together.

Lastly, if there are any products, brands, etc that you would like to know, please feel free to leave me a comment with your email and I will get back to you. :)

Remember, have fun with makeup, it's all about being creative!

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