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eyeliner Tag

Q & A | Smudging Liquid Liner

Q: I have really oily eyelids so anything I use seems to disappear or smudge in only a few hours. Based on your recommendation, I tried using one of L’oreal’s liquid liners, but find that it’s not working for me either. By the end of the day, my eyelids are still oily and the oils (I think) break down the liquid liner, making it smudge. I’ve almost given up on it, but are there any make-up artist tricks you can advise of? Thanks for the help!!

A: Great question! I used to have this issue when first starting to use liquid liner. In the early days, I experimented with using some concealer and powder on the eyelids to help act as a barrier between the natural oils on the lids and the liquid liner.

But once I discovered MAC Paints and MAC Paint Pots, I never turned back. Just choose a neutral colour that matches (or is slightly lighter) than the skin on your own eyelid for a natural effect. From the Paints, try Sublime Nature, Bare Canvas and Paint Pots in Soft Ochre and Bare Study to see which one best suits your own skin tone. Either apply the product all over the lid from lashline up to the eyebrow or focus the application simply atop the eyelid. You may see some slight creasing later the day (especially if your eyelids are oily like mine!), but the liquid liner will definitely remain intact!

ARTIST TIP: MAC Paints and Paint Pots also double as a great base for eyeshadow application.

Related posts:
ARTIST TIP | How to Make Eyeshadow Last
Q & A | Smudging Eyeliner on Asian Lids
PRODUCT REVIEW | L’oreal Lineur Intense

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PRODUCT REVIEW | Cover Girl LineExact Liquid Liner

Being product faithful sometimes makes you miss out on other great products that are on the market. As my go-to liquid liner, I’ve sworn by L’oreal’s Lineur Intense for as long as I can remember – even before I knew how to apply it properly! Fortunately, in my line of work as a blogging make-up artist, I come across clients that introduce me to products they love and make-up companies that also want to get the buzz going on new products they have available.

It’s been out for a couple of years now, but Cover Girl’s LineExact Liquid Liner only recently became a welcome addition to my personal kit. The compact-sized liquid liner makes it simple to get both thin and thick bold lines to frame the eyes; it’s literally like drawing your eye make-up on with a marker! My personal fave is LineExact in Black Brown – it’s a perfect colour to wear for day (not too harsh), and the smudgeproof factor of the liquid liner will easily carry your look through the night!

Great for beginners: For liquid liner virgins, Cover Girl’s LineExact is a great starter liquid liner. The marker-like tip of LineExact will give you greater control over where the product goes, versus a brush-tip liquid liner. (Remember liquid liner just takes practice!)

At under $9CAD per liner (and under $7CAD at well.ca!), Cover Girl’s LineExact Liquid Liner is a definite deal for the ease of application it provides. You can find it at your local drugstores, available in the following colours: Very Black, Brown, Smoke, Black Brown.

(….and you can find it in my make-up bag in Very Black and in Black Brown!)

;)

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ARTIST TIP | Have Make-up. Will Travel.

While on vacation, we all still want to look fab without necessarily being worried about our usual make-up routine. Returning from vacation recently, I realize that I did it again – I had packed way too much make-up and used only half of what I actually brought! There are some definite make-up travel essentials that I’d likely still take to a deserted island with me! Here’s my list of essential make-up items when traveling (and hopefully I’ll be more efficient when packing the next time, but knowing me…probably not).

1. Multi-Purpose Cream: Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentrè (24-Hour Miracle Cream)This multi-purpose cream is aptly named. Embryolisse can be used as a moisturizer, make-up primer and make-up remover. The cream also quadruples as an impromptu shaving cream (your boyfriend will thank you for thinking of him as well!). Items with multiple uses mean less to pack in that bag…and who doesn’t love that?! Embryolisse is also an industry insider favourite – make-up artists and models are known to swear by this cream for its many uses.

2. Tinted Moisturizer: MAC Select Tint SPF 15
Select Tint doubles as a moisturizer and foundation in one handy bottle. The tinted moisturizer formula offers the most minimal amount of coverage in a foundation, while still helping to lightly even out skin tone. Select Tint also has a built-in SPF of 15, which makes it the practical and perfect choice in attaining that polished look. My forehead has a tendency to catch most of the sun, and by the end of the trip, there are two different shades on my face! I apply Select Tint just on the forehead to brighten the skin tone there, and then I dust some bronzer on my cheeks to deepen the skin tone and bring everything in balance.

3. Blotting Tissues: Tea Tree Oil Facial Blotting Tissues
To keep looking fresh in the hot vacation weather, there’s no sense in touching up your shine with more and more powder (which could contribute to clogged pores and break-outs). Instead, scoop up a handy pack of blotting tissues to keep your shine in check. Simply dab a tissue wherever you see an excess of oil build-up, and watch the absorbent tissue do all the work.

4. Bronzing/Highlighting Powder Duo: MAC Mineralize (Dark/Natural & Shimmer)
Use a bronzer and highlighter combo to accentuate your glowing bronzed skin. With the MAC Mineralize Duo, I used the dark matte powder as a contour on the cheeks and as an impromptu eyeshadow to define the crease of the eye. With the shimmery half of the powder, I used a large powder brush to dust it atop the browbone and on the cheekbones. Spotlighted tan? Check!

5. Lip Balm: Burt’s Bees Radiance Lip Shimmer
The hot weather was a welcome climatic change for my lips. My lips had seen more than their share of dry and cracked days, courtesy of our Canadian winter season. I usually throw my Kiehl’s Lip Balm No. 1 into my purse for its reliable moisturizing and SPF properties, but found that the balm tended to liquify in the extreme heat. Fortunately, I had Burt’s Bees Radiance Lip Shimmer as a back-up. The waxy stick withstood the heat better while adding a moisturizing shine to my lips.

6. Liquid Eyeliner: L’oreal Lineur Intense
My failsafe way to beat the heat while keeping my eyeliner in check is to use liquid liner. I’ve worn liquid liner in extreme heat, and found that nothing beats its lasting power. To help prolong its longevity, I apply a neutral-coloured cream eyeshadow base to tone down my oil-pone eyelids.

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RHIA ON MAKE-UP JUNKIE | Final Post and Review of American Beauty

Check out my final write-up for Make-up Junkie!!Fabulous Feel Liquid Colour glides on smoothly to give opaque colour with high shine. The formula is non-sticky and just like the name – feels quite fabulous on the lips! I test ran Amaretto, a pretty neutral pink-brown colour that works well on different skin tones. The colour stayed true for the most part, but I found a touch-up was required after about 3 hours. The one thing that took me a bit to get used to was the strong fragrance of the gloss. I like subtle scents to my glosses, but found this one initially overpowering. A minor setback, but the look and feel of this gloss is still a steal for $12 USD (approximately)!

Double Lush Mascara Plus Primer I’m not a usual fan of 2-step primer and mascara products, but I was pleasantly surprised by American Beauty’s version. I found the formula gave my lashes much needed volume, versus other 2-step mascaras I’ve tried in the past. I tried out the mascara in Black, but Double Lush is also available in Brown and Midnight, which is a first that I’ve seen for primer plus mascara products (usually they’re only available in Black). I love what Double Lush does for my lashes, and I’d definitely be willing to shell out the $12 US that this mascara retails for.

Ultra-Easy Automatic Eyeliner (Auburn) The simple twist-up and no-sharpen action of this eyeliner definitely makes it ultra-easy. I had the chance to try out Auburn, a gorgeous maroon brown with faint shimmer that looks particularly lovely on blue-eyed ladies. The creamy eyeliner glided on smoothly and lasted well throughout the day to keep my eyes defined (minor midday touch-up was required though!). This eyeliner is perfect for the no-fuss make-up junkie – no need for sharpening – just roll up and apply as desired!

Pretty Bronze Bronzing Powder (High Summer) Get that coveted bronze goddess look with American Beauty’s Bronzer months ahead of the summer season! The sheer tan brown powder accentuated with flecks of gold sparkle. With just a couple of swipes, you can instantly revive that glow and say goodbye to blah winter-skin (all my Canadians are saying amen right now!). The sheer consistency of the powder makes it very user-friendly to work with – it builds and blends well for a more of a natural appearing non-streaky glow. Dust some of the powder along the collarbones or atop the décolletage for the piece de resistance!

Be sure to check out Make-up Junkie for all the latest, greatest (and not so great) in beauty products!

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RHIA ON MAKE-UP JUNKIE | Eyes by Design Ultimate Set (Blue Eyes)

Check out the original post on Make-up Junkie!I love the all-encompassing 360-degree approach that Eyes by Design takes towards getting your best eyes yet! The Eyes by Design Ultimate Set aims to simplify the beauty process by including both the eye make-up and treatment products you need – all in one package. The user-friendly set also includes a manual that details how to use each of the set’s components and achieve different eye make-up looks with the palette. Check out our review of the Ultimate Set!

Transforming Eye Cream
A light moisturizer that aims to diminish the look of dark undereye circles and fine lines. The eye cream has a light serum consistency, and I only needed two pea-sized drops to cover each eye area. I have to admit I was quite surprised by the size of the 15 mL Eye Cream; it’s quite a generous sized jar to be part of a package like this (no complaints, here!). Yet, two weeks later after using it twice per day, there wasn’t a noticeable difference in the darkness of my undereye circles. But it did help my trusty concealer to glide on smoothly and give better coverage!

Retouching Cream (Eye Primer)
The eye primer is also formulated to eliminate the look of fine lines and dark circles. It has more of a gummy texture than the Transforming Eye Cream, but really smoothes out the surface of the skin it is applied to. I used it on the undereye area, but also on the eyelid to smoothe out the surface for eyeshadow application. It definitely kept my oily eyelids in check!

Transforming Eye Palette (Blue Eyes – Peach Shimmer, Taupe, Plum Brown, Bronze)
The four pan eyeshadow palette comes in shades that are designed to flatter each colour of the eye. I test ran the Blue Eyes set, and found it worked just as well for brown-eyed beauties! The overall pigment of the eyeshadows was good, but I would have preferred if the three of four shadows weren’t shimmer based. The peach shimmer makes for a beautiful highlighter, but may be a bit dark for fair-skinned blue-eyed beauties.

Lining Brush & Blending Brush
The kit also includes two soft-bristled and ergonomically friendly brushes. The brushes are fashioned with a “Design Grip”, which allows for easier control of the brush and aids in precise application. The Lining Brush can be used to define the eyebrows or as a subtle eyeliner tool when paired with one of the eyeshadows. The Blending Brush is great for building colour into the crease. I love that the brushes are full-sized and the fact that you can actually use them! How many times do we all buy products where we find the included brush useless?!

Eyes by Design also offers mascaras, brow and eyeliner pencils. You can purchase the sets online through the Home Shopping Network (www.hsn.com). The products are available individually, but scoop up one of the well-priced sets for a better deal! Enjoy!

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