How To Organize Your Makeup Collection on the Cheap!

Building a collection of your favorite makeup is the easy part, but keeping it organized is where things start getting complicated.

If you're like me, you never throw anything away and still have makeup from high school (I know, I'm a pack-rat). If you have that problem, there are several solutions out there which don't require you breaking the bank or throwing out your old favorites or limited edition pieces.

Solution:

Purchase a cheap, yet high-quality train case. I really like the ones that Caboodles makes. I used to have the little plastic ones when I was a kid, but they actually make professional cases that look similar to those from MAC. You can get them as low as $19.99, but the large one above is $39.79 at Target.

How To Create an Easy, Natural Bronze Eyeshadow Look

I think that bronzes are some of the most versatile and fabulous eyeshadow colors. Also, they are among the easiest to apply because they blend together so well!

Today, I decided to put in a little effort and do a full eye look. Surprisingly, my entire face took about 10 minutes to do, but the results lasted all day! This look is a great option when you want to look really nice on the go, without overdoing it. Here's what you need, along with instructions on how to achieve this look.

Products
Face: MAC Select Moisturecover Concealer in NW30 & NARS Blush in Orgasm

Brows: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brows in Bloom, in Brunette

Eyes: Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion, MAC Eyeshadow in Romp, NARS The Multiple in South Beach, NARS Eyeshadow Duo in Isolde, Diorshow Blackout Mascara & MAC Eye Khol in Smolder

Get the Look

1. The first thing you need to do is create a base for your look. Start with your face and dot concealer lightly, where you need it. Blend it in well so you need minimal foundation. I used the concealer under my eyes to make me look more awake.


2. Prime your eyelids by using a small amount of Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion or whichever primer you have. Blend this by dabbing it with your ring finger. A good primer makes a huge difference and keeps your eyes looking fresh all day - literally.


3. Fill in your brows with Anastasia Brows in Bloom or another brow powder/pencil. Everyone has different preferences. However, your brows frame your face and it's extremely important that they look decent. I'm growing my brows out to get them waxed again, so you can see how much difference a good brow kit makes because my brows look decent for the grown out stage (mine get extra unruly).


4. Dab on NARS The Multiple on your lids and browbone.
   
5. Take a small eyeshadow brush and use the NARS Eyeshadow Duo in Isolde. First, take the lighter color (light gold-ish bronze) and carefully place the shadow in the shape of a little oval, tracing the shape of your lid and leaving a space in the center. Make sure to get the light color into the inner corner of the eye as a highlight.



6. Next, use the darker color (classic bronze) of the duo to fill in the little "hole" on your eyelid. The shadow should be placed in the center of the lid.


7. Almost done! Now, you need to grab a brown shade for your crease. I used MAC Eyeshadow in Romp because it has a nice, satiny finish that complements the NARS shadows. Take a crease brush and carefully place the shadow in the outer edge of the crease. Be careful not to go to close to the center of the crease. This effect elongates the eye and helps to give you an almond, cat-eye look.


8. Blend! Be careful not to blend away all of the colors. Blend lightly where the colors meet, focusing on the crease. You can blend more or less depending on how natural you want the look to be.


9. Take the Eyeliner pencil and carefully line your lid, extremely close to the lashline in thin, short strokes for a natural look.


10. Apply two coats of Diorshow Blackout Mascara, and you're done!

The Final Look

[Saving $$$]: DIY Eyebrow Maintenance

If you really know me, you know that after several awkward years in eyebrow hell, I emerged an eyebrow maniac. My name is Aly and I am addicted to maintaining my eyebrows at home to always keep them arched like I just walked out of the salon (or at least until I think they look decent). Plus, I'm "frugal", so saving $7 bucks every 2 weeks is a HUGE reason as well (Hey, that's a nice lunch or 1.5 gallons of gas)! The economy sucks right about now, so any little bit of savings will help your bank account, right?

Well, here are some of my tips on how to maintain your eyebrows at home and my general thoughts about this risky endeavor.



The last time I got my brows done professionally was in February. Since then, I have been maintaining them myself. They usually look okay when I keep up with them. Unfortunately, they don't have that freshly waxed look (I kinda miss that...), but they look okay enough for me not to go back to the salon for a few months.

DISCLAIMER: I do not advise home maintenance for people who are pluck-happy or who don't know when to stop. For those people, the results could be disastrous. Also, in general, please tweeze at your own risk. I have definitely messed up a couple of times, but in my case, the benefits outweigh the risk. If you don't trust yourself, don't try it. Anyway... I hope I didn't scare anyone away... I just want everyone to be careful because eyebrows frame your face and it sucks to mess them up!

My eyebrows, a few weeks ago.

1. Get your eyebrows arched by a salon professional who you trust. If you just moved to a new area or if you have never gotten your eyebrows waxed before, ask someone who has nice eyebrows where they get theirs done! The arch is the most important thing if you are going to be maintaining it for an extended time between waxes. You don't want to maintain something that doesn't look good to begin with. If they have been arched perfectly, they will correspond to the lines on the image below.

2. Get the proper tools! The most important tool that you will be working with is the pair of tweezers that you have. In the past, I have used brands such as Trim and some of the others that you will find at the drugstore. Those don't work! My brow addiction came on once I discovered Tweezerman mini tweezers. They get every single hair - even the tiny ones. You will also need a small pair of grooming scissors. You can get the ones with the rounded tips if you are scared of cutting yourself. You also need a brow brush/comb, brow gel or clear mascara and an eyebrow pencil in your shade.

3. After your trip to the salon, you can sit pretty for however long it takes for those tiny hairs to start growing back in. Zap them as soon as they come up! This is the key to at-home maintenance. Never ever let your eyebrows grow too much before plucking. The longer you wait, the higher the chances are that you will over-pluck in an effort to regain control of them. When plucking, take your time and only pluck one hair at a time. Make sure you are doing this in a clean mirror (not a magnifying one).

4. If your eyebrow hair is unruly, use your eyebrow brush/comb to brush the hairs down and then trim lightly. Never trim too much, or your brows will be bald! Some length is needed to cover the ends of your brows. Just barely trim the hairs along the shape of your arch. This trick will also keep your brows looking freshly done.

5. When you finish, lightly coat your brows with brow gel to keep them in check. There are tons of fancy products on the market to achieve this, such as brow wax, but I haven't tried them as yet, so I won't recommend them at this point.

6. If you have accidentally plucked that one hair that seemed to make all the difference (don't you hate that?), use an eyebrow pencil to fill in the bald spot. Use very light strokes to draw short, hair-like lines. This way, it looks very natural. Also use eyebrow pencils if you want to add some va-va-voom definition to your perfect arch. Again, use light, short strokes to accent underneath the arch, going down to the tail of your brow. Use the brow brush/comb to blend the color for an even more natural look. Brow powder is also another option, instead of a brow pencil. I like the one featured above, by Clinique.

These are my tips for maintaining your eyebrows at home. My way is definitely not the only way or the best way, so please share your knowledge of any other techniques or products. Also, again, please be careful when messing with your brows. Any type of plucking at home is always an at-your-own-risk thing.

[TIPS & TRICKS]: Liquid Foundation for Summer

Have you ever tried to wear full coverage liquid foundation in the summer? Usually, by the end of the day, it ends up looking cakey or leaves you with a greasy face (Ew!). Also, most of the time, you end up looking waaay overdone. The summer is the one time of year to go easy on the makeup, let your pores breathe and allow natural radiance to shine through.

My old solution? I totally stopped wearing foundation, even when there were times that I wanted my skin to look more polished. I just made the sacrifice to avoid my face looking like a shiny lightbulb! I forgot where I heard about the trick of mixing liquid foundation with moisturizer, but one day I decided to give it a go. It was perfect! I am now addicted to this makeup trick because it lets me wear liquid foundation in a watered down version. Basically, a home-made tinted moisturizer. You get the same effect without all the issues. This trick solves most summer foundation dilemmas and you don't have to spend major cash on buying another product.

It's as easy as 1, 2, 3!

EXTRA: Mix your foundation with an SPF 15 or above moisturizer to kill 2 birds with one stone.

Try it and let me know what you think!