3 special Valentine's looks...

Hi Loves 

Valentine's Day is almost upon us, so I figured it'd be fun to give a few quick makeup ideas for your night out. 

Whether you're going to dinner, seeing a show, spending time with a special loved one, or friends, these 3 looks are quick, simple, pretty and very valentine's inspired! 

Photos c/o the talented, Stephanie Bassos Photography. 

Let's get started!

The base for all looks begin the same with moisturizer, primer, MUFE HD foundation, concealer where needed, and eye shadow primer (and eyebrows!)

Pretty in Pink

I wanted to keep this look really fresh faced and pretty. It's perfect for those who are a little makeup shy, to do something a little more special for the occasion.

   

Key words for this look: 

Sweet, Pretty, and Soft.

Eyes:

I used MAC's Girlie all over my lid, up to the natural crease. I then took MAC's Naked Lunch and placed it on the inner corner of the eyes and just under the brows. 

From there, I used MAC's Cork (really soft brown), and placed it in the crease with my pointy crease brush. I followed that by buffing with a blender brush gently to get rid of any harsh edges. 

I then took Urban Decay's Pencil in Bourbon (a sparkly brown tone), and drew it along the top lash line. For the bottom lash line, I used a purple pencil. I liked the romance of the purple- keeping with the softness around the eyes, it added another dimension and an extra pop of color.

To finish them off, I curled the lashes and put one coat of black mascara. 

Cheeks:

To keep with this ethereal look, I wanted pretty pink cheeks with a bit of a glow, so I used The Balm's blush in Hot Mama. 

Lips: 

Sealing the deal with Makeup Forever (MUFE) Aqua Lip in 1C all over my lips, followed by MAC's Plink. To add an extra oomph, I topped this lip with POP Aqua Lacquer in Flowering Fuchsia. 

Products/Tools Used
(with links)

The Balm's Hot Mama, POP aqua Lacquer in Fuchsia, Maybelline's Full 'N' Soft, MAC lipstick in Plink, MAC shadows in Naked Lunch, Girlie and Cork, Shu Umera Eyelash Curler, MUFE Aqua Lip in 1C, Covergirl Vivid Liner in Cabernet, Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Bourbon. 
Brushes: Tight bristle crease brush, a flat shadow brush and a fluffy blender.  

Smokey and sultry

This is a pretty variation on a smokey eye. I wanted to show how to do a quick and easy, foolproof smokey eye look- with only two shadows, I think this is something everyone can do!

Key words for this look: 

Daring, Sexy, and Mysterious. 

Eyes: 

To start this off, I took MAC's Deep Damsen (a beautiful deep maroon tone), and swept it over the lid, into the crease with a flat brush. Then take a fluffy blender and buff the crease to soften. 

From there, I used Urban Decay's Maui Wowie on the inner corner's of the eyes and softly blended them inward. If you want, you can swipe a soft iridescent shade under the brow- I used MAC's Shroom. 

Then, I took MUFE's Aqua Eyes in 0L on the waterline and tight lined the top lash line. 

*Tightlining is when you fill in the gaps between the lashes to create a fuller lash line. HERE is a great article from Beautylish with a detailed description!

Using the same pencil liner, I drew it along the bottom and outer upper corners of the eyes-- take a Q-tip and softly smudge. 

Curl those lashes and put two coats of Cover Girl's Flamed Up Mascara on the top and bottom lashes. 

Cheeks: 

I wanted to keep with the sexyness of the look, so I contoured the cheekbones with a little bronzer on a fan brush. Sweeping the product into the hollows of the cheeks and around the temples. 

Lips: 

I kept the lips simple, using Tarte's Lip Surgence Lip Tint in Grateful. 

 

Products/Tools Used
(and links)

CoverGirl Flamed Up Mega Curl Mascara, Tarte lip tint in Grateful, Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler, CoverGirl Queen collection bronzer in Brown/bronze, MUFE Aqua Eyes 0L, MAC shadows in Deep Damsen, Shroom, and Urban Decay's Maui Wowie. 
Brushes: Flat shadow Brush, Fluffy blender, Q-tip, Fan brush.  

Romantic in Red

This is for my bold lip babes. I am a big lipstick person, so I had to include a look where lips were the focus! And what a better color than the classic red. 

Key words for this look: 

Romance, Bold, and Flirty.

Eyes: 

Since lips are the focus, I wanted to keep the eyes super easy and subtle. I started by taking MUFE Aqua Cream #14 (chocolate brown with soft shimmer), and placed it across my lid, blending it across my eye with my fingers.

From there, I took a blending brush with MAC's Mulch eyeshadow and worked it into the crease. 

I then took MUFE's Aqua Eyes in 0L (very black), and lined the inner rims of my eyes (both top and bottom). 

For lashes I used Maybelline's Full 'N' Soft mascara on both the top and bottom. 

If you were really feeling saucy, you could throw on a few lashes :) 

Cheeks: 

I wanted to add a soft color on the cheeks, but nothing too bright. I settled on MAC's Tenderling. Dust it right on the apples of the cheeks and blend up and out towards the hair line. I then topped the cheekbones with a highlighter for some extra oomph!

Lips: 

Our statement piece of the night!
Take a waterproof liner that matches the red you choose- Outline your natural lip shape and continue to fill in with the liner. Lip liner helps prevent the lipstick from bleeding, but also helps your lip color to last longer.
Next, apply your red lip color of choice with a brush for a flawless finish.

Voila! 

Products/Tools used
(and links)

MUFE Aqua Cream #14, MAC Pro Longwear Lipcreme in Prolong, Maybelline's Full 'N' Soft black mascara, NARS Orgasm Illuminator, Shu Uemura eyelash curler, MAC blush in Tenderling, MUFE Aqua Lip in 8C, MUFE Aqua Eyes in 0L, MAC's eyeshadow in Mulch. 
Brushes: Fluffy Blender, Lip brush, Fluffy blush brush. 

Hope you enjoyed these! I had a lot of fun playing with these three different looks. What will you be doing for Valentine's Day?! Which look is most like you?! 

Brush Basics

I know that some of you are confused when it comes to makeup brushes. After all, there are SO many of them! While all of them have their purpose, you obviously don't need 100 different types of brushes to accomplish your look.

This post will highlight brush basics, i.e.; types of bristles, uses, etc. I will also compose a list of my bare minimum basic brushes that I think you need to accomplish different looks!

First thing's first, let's start with the basics...

Synthetic VS Natural Hair

Both types of brushes have their purpose and it's important to know so you can get the best results!

Synthetic Bristles:

Synthetic Brush bristles are made of a blend of nylon, acrylic or polyester filaments. These brushes are generally best used for Creams and liquids because they don't absorb too much of the product and they are so easy to clean!

Think...

Foundations

Concealers

Cream shadows

Cream Blush

Lipsticks/glosses

Gel/Liquid liners

Natural Bristles:

Natural Hair brushes are made up of squirrel, pony, and/or badger hair. Each have different textures-- Squirrel is very soft while badger is more firm-- These are great for powder products as they pick up and hold the fine powders very well, making it easy to transfer.

Think...

Eye shadows

Blushes
Bronzers

Setting powders

Creating a brush set

I will tell you, MAC cosmetics has 36 different brushes! So I understand the dilemma of trying to pick out the brushes you need. Here is a quick low maintenance guide of brushes...
*For the sake of ease-- I just plucked photo samples of the brushes from MAC's website here. There are LOTS of great companies that make brushes, this was just easiest for me to grab photos :)*

Shadow brush: Having a flat shadow brush is great for packing on shadows.

Having one tightly bound brush is great to pack on color beneath the brow, or on the lid.

*TIP* Natural hair brushes that are tightly bound, hold pigment really well-making it ideal for packing on product, while natural hair brushes that are loosely bound, don't hold as much color and are better for blending.

Blending brush: You need a blending brush! This one is really important-- As Peg from Edward Scissorhands would say, "You must blend and blend and blend!" Blending is key! To create a fluid, more natural look, blending colors and shadows together is so important!

Angle Hair Brush: This brush is SO useful! I use it to apply eye liner, create a smokey look, fill in my brows-- It's so good!

Big Powder Brush: To set your makeup with a powder, you'll need a fluffy brush! This is great for applying a light dusting of powder, or if you apply setting powder with a sponge/puff, using a fluffy brush to tap away excess is perfect for preventing a super cakey look.

Blush Brush: If you have a decent sized powder brush-- not monstrous- you can probably use that also as a blush brush--see rounded blush brush below--But, if you have a few extra $$$ I suggest buying an actual blush brush. I prefer a fluffy domed shape brush.

*TIP* Layering blush in soft light layers is better than packing it on. It's always easier to add than to take away!

Foundation Brush: There are a lot of ways to apply foundation-- hands, sponge, kabuki brush, dome foundation brush.. the list goes on! So this brush is only necessary if you prefer to apply your foundation with a brush.
Foundation brushes are typically synthetic so they don't absorb too much of the product. I often use a standard flat foundation brush to apply the foundation, and then buff it in with a damp sponge.

Concealer Brush: A smaller version of the foundation brush. Another synthetic brush that is often small enough to get in tight places-- under the eyes, around the nose-- If I'm not using my fingers, I use this brush.

Lip Brush: A lip brush is essential for creating flawless, show stopping lips! I think a lip brush is especially important if you are playing with bold lip colors, because if you are, you really need to make sure they are drawn on perfectly.

Here are a few brush sets that I think are pretty close to ideal in a range of prices :) 

Most Expensive to Least expensive

Too Faced Sephora $65

Sephora Brush Set for $39

Essence of Beauty sold at CVS for $10

Eco Tools 6 piece brush set for $12.99

EcoTools 6 piece Eye set for $7.99

**Combine the two Eco Tools sets for a full face 12 piece set at $20!**

I think cleaning brushes is EXTREMELY important!
I will create a full separate post on how to properly clean your brushes.

In the meantime, I do have an older post that lightly touches on how to clean your brushes and how to make your own spray cleaner for between uses.
Check it out HERE.

I hope this guide was helpful and that it gives you a good understanding of what these basic brushes do!

XOXO JEN