Tip-full Tuesday: Colors that make your eyes pop!

Kelsi J. asks, "Hi Sara - what colors will make my eyes pop? They are brown."


I love this questions as I  to accentuate the eyes, after all they are the windows to our soul. Through the eyes you can see so much about a person - they're kindness, joy, happiness - you can see the beauty of their hearts!

The first thing to remember is that the best way to make colors stand out is to choose colors that are opposite the color wheel and flattering to your skin tone.

If you have brown eyes, colors that will make your eyes pop are: blues, teals, greens and purples.

If you have blue eyes, like me, colors that will make your eyes pop are: golds, oranges, coopers, and browns. Blacks and shimmery greys will pop too, as well as dark blues.

If you have hazel eyes, colors that will make your eyes pop are: blues, greens, teals, purples, deeper pinks, plums, coppers.

If you have green eyes, colors that will make your eyes pop are: reds, warmer/deeper pinks, plums, purples, and coppers. Dark greens, while not opposite the color wheel, will bring out your eyes if they are lighter green.

If you have amber eyes, colors that will make your eyes pop are: blues, purples, teals.

If you have black eyes, colors that will make your eyes pop are: teals, purples and metallics.


Also, black liner applied to the waterline adds nice contrast to the eyes and adds some great drama to the eyes!

 Shimmery shadows will also draw attention to your eyes, just be sure to use it in moderation.

Thank you so much for the question, Kelsi!

Tip-Full Tuesday: Eyebrows

I love how eyebrows can completely change your entire face! They are so expressive and with the ability to shape them, we are able to shape them in order to better fit our personalities. However, the downside to tweezing and waxing is that sometimes it leads to sparse brows as a result of over tweezing or waxing.

But - fear not! You can always fill in sparse brows with either an eyeliner pencil or eyeshadow.

The first thing you need to do is to pick the proper shade of pencil or powder - choose a color that is close to your natural brow color (generally one to two shades lighter than your hair color). If you have very blonde hair, choose a color that is one shade darker than your brows.

Next, comb out your brows so that they are in the shape that you would like.

If using a pencil, fill in sparse areas with short strokes that mimic the appearance of natural hair. You don't want to create a line, but a texture that appears like your natural browns.

If using a powder (eyeshadow or brow powder), use an angled brush and lightly dip in the shadow. Fill in sparse areas with short strokes.

The most important thing is to make sure that you like that shape and the appearance of your brows.

 

Tip-Full Tuesday: Makeup for Monolid Eyes

I love asian eyes - I think they are absolutely beautiful and so much fun to make up, however, I get a lot of girls asking how to apply makeup to asian/monolid eyes. 

So here we go:

• You always want to apply primer to your lids like MAC's Prep & Prime Eye or TooFaced's Shadow Insurance. (Both are phenomenal products)
•  Using a flat stiff brush, sweep a dark shadow over the entire lid, creating a round shape up to the crease (I prefer to use something with a little shimmer to it like MAC's "Smut" or "Twinks")
• Blend out with a champagney or peachy pink color (MACs "Dazzle Light" & "Honey Lust" are favorites as well as Bare Escentuals "Trust") - making an upside down "u" shape...and blend blend blend
• Go back with the darker color and blend
• Highlight the brow bone with a highlighter color - (MAC's Vanilla, Brule, Dazzlelight)
• To "round" the eye, take a lighter shimmery color and apply to the middle of the lid. 
• Using an angled liner brush, smudge black shadow (MAC's Carbon or Tuxedo) along the lash line, blending it out to soften the line.
• Using the angled liner brush, take the dark shadow you used on the lid and smudge on the outer half of the lower lash line - this will open up the eyes. 
•  If you would like, use a lighter shimmery color and apply to the inner half of the lower lash line.

Tip-full Tuesday: Makeup for Dark Complexions

Hello Lovelies,
I cannot tell you how many times I have worked with women with dark complexions and have them tell me horror stories of makeup artists who have turned their skin ashy/grey looking because they don't use the proper products.
I have also had many girls and young women just entering into the makeup world ask me for tips because they just don't know - most recently from Denika, who sent this note:

 "Hi SaRa, 
     I m 13 and a mocha diva as mu friends say. I hav tried some makeups but they dont work for me ~~make me loook sik or just weird. hhow do i pik guud makeup for mee? Thnx."

*Choose foundation that has undertones of yellow and red. Dark complexions on the lighter end generally have more yellow where as on the darker end of the spectrum they tend to have more red. Always be sure to see how the color looks in natural daylight - store lights distort colors.

*Since dark skin has more pigment than fair skin, choose blushes on the darker end of the spectrum of berries, peaches and pinks. To apply, start with less - it's always easier to add more color than take it away. This is true for all skin tones.

*Lip colors that will work well are plums, pinks and purples that have a hint of gold, deep berries, and browns that have a hint of red to them.

*When looking for eyeshadow colors, the options are pretty much endless. You can use browns, blues, red, deep purples... If you don't know where to start, below you will find a list of MAC suggestions. (Anything starred is a personal favorite)

Neutrals
Bisque
Bronze
Brown Down
Brown Script*
Embark
Espresso
Handwritten*
Naked Lunch*
Satin Taupe*
Vanilla*

Blacks, Greys and Silvers
Black Tied
Carbon*
Electra
Print
Silvering*
Smut*


Reds and Pinks
Hepcat
Paradisco
Sushi flower*

Oranges
Antique
Coppering*
Kid
Mythology*

Golds
Amber Lights*
Dreammaker
Gorgeous Gold
Woodwinked*

Greens
Club*
Green Smoke
Lucky Green*
Velvet Moss

Blues
Aquavert
Deep Truth*
Electric Eel*
Freshwater
Moon's Reflection
Plumage*

Purples
Beautiful Iris
Beauty Marked*
Contrast
Vibrant Grape*
Sketch*

Thanks again for your wonderful question Denika - have fun & stay beautiful.

                                        Sara

Tip-full Tuesday: How to apply Bronzer

It's 110 degrees outside which means that summer is upon us and everyone wants to get that beautiful, sun kissed look. Here's a quick and easy way to accomplish that without being exposed to skin-damaging sun rays. 

First, locate the hollows of your cheeks. The easiest way to do this is to make a fish face - where your cheeks go in is what you're looking for.
Now, using a contour brush (like MAC's 168) and a bronzer that is 2-3 shades darker than your skin, apply to the hollows of your cheeks (just under the cheekbones) then blend upwards onto the cheeks.

To add more definition to your face, apply at the temples and top of the forehead by your hairline.
You can also contour your nose to make it appear smaller and a little under the chin and along the jawline to bring out your bone structure or to fake a more angular bone structure.

Many of you have asked if you should use a matte or a shimmer bronzer. Use whichever one you would like - makeup is all about self expression. There may be rules and guidelines put in place, but I whole-heartedly believe what Kevin Aucoin says - there is no right or wrong way to do makeup. It's an art form and it's limitless. 

If you have any makeup questions or Tip-full Tuesday suggestions, don't hesitate to ask.
MakeupbySaraC@gmail.com


Lipstick & Loves,
Sara

Tip-full Sunday: How to Cover-up/Hide Acne

Hello Gorgeous,
It has come to my attention that last week's "Tip-full Tuesday" did not post for some reason - so here it is - a tip-full Sunday.

At some point in your life, you will encounter the dreaded pimple and it will most likely come at an inconvenient time, like a play, picture day or your wedding. Luckily, the cosmetics industry has blessed us with an abundance of options on how to cover-up, conceal and hide those unwanted visitors.

Concealers are going to be your best bet. If your pimple is an exceptionally red one - I suggest using a concealer that comes in a pot for everywhere except under the eye. Pot concealers will be thicker than the ones that come in tubes and will therefore cover better, however use a tube concealer for under the eye. Your skin under your eye tends to be thinner and therefore having too thick of a concealer under your eyes will look cakey. 

1. The first step in hiding acne is to moisturize your skin. Stay away from moisturizers that will "brighten" your skin as it will draw out pinks and reds even more.
   
2. Then prime your face with a face primer, such as MAC's Prep and Prime or Smashboxx PhotoFinish.  
3. Apply foundation to even out your skin. Use as much or as little as your would like. 
4. Next, using a concealer brush and a concealer that is 1-2 shades darker than your skin, apply on the blemishes and just slightly around the outer edge of the blemish. Dab the concealer on - do not sweep it. Sweeping it on will not give you the coverage that you need. If you have a lot of redness going on, you can use a green concealer - but be sure to add this BEFORE your foundation. 
5. Blend, blend, blend! Blend around the edges so there is not color difference between where you concealed and the rest of your face. If there is a noticeable difference, apply a small amount of foundation over the concealer and blend out.
6. Set your concealer with powder and either a clean powder brush or a clean, flat sponge.
7. Mist with MAC's Fix+ or Urban Decay's All Nighter Setting Spray. 

Ta-da! Hidden acne and a more flawless looking face!

I know there are a lot of people who say to conceal before you apply foundation and that's fine too. I choose to apply concealer after foundation because the foundation will cancel out some of the redness on its own and sometimes that's enough. After I apply foundation, I can re-evaluate how much concealer I actually need to use. Some blemishes won't need anything additional and some will. 

*Also, when concealing - use concealer around the nose and chin as they tend to get more red throughout the day due to hormones.

Pot Concealer Suggestions:

MAC's Studio Fix Concealer 

Benefit Erase Paste

Tube Concealer Suggestions:

Makeup Forever Full Cover Concealer

Benefit Porefessional MAC's ProLongwear Concealer

Pencil Concealer Suggestions:

Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer Pencil

Nuetral Everyday Makeup Tutorial

Alright Lovelies - here's the look that I have received multiple requests for tutorials on and the one I tried to film this morning and failed miserably at - definitely can't wait to find the other camera!
To get this look:
Face:

1. Before anything else, apply moisturizer to a clean face and let it soak in for a few minutes.
2. Apply a face primer - like MAC's Prep & Prime. Primer is a multitasker - it will help even out redness, blot out excess oil, and smooth out the skin so your foundation goes on more smoothly. It also helps your makeup last all day!
3. Apply a small amount of foundation. Either dot it on your face with your fingers or use a foundation brush - but be careful; a little goes a long way - too much and you're face will get cakey. Using a stippling brush, stipple the foundation on being sure to blend well into your jawline, neck and hairline. 
4. Set your powder with a setting powder. 
5. Using a small blush/contour brush, contour cheeks with a powder that is 1-2 shades darker than your skin tone
6. Using a small blush brush, apply a pinky blush - start with less then add more if you would like -
7. Using a fan brush, apply a highlighter (I use Dazzlelight Eyeshadow) to the top of your cheek bones and done the center of your nose.

Eyes:

1. First things first, use an eye primer to ensure your shadow will last all day and not crease. My personal favorite at the moment is TooFaced Shadow Insurance. MAC has a good one called Prep & Prime Eye, Sephora carries a cheaper one as well. 
2. Next, using Large Shader Brush, sweep Dazzlelight (a shimmery vanilla color) across your entire eyelid and up to your browbone. This will create a base for the rest of the shadows if you didn't use an eye primer. If you did use a primer, you only need to sweep Dazzlelight eyeshadow along your browbone.
3. Using a small shader brush (you can use the large shader brush, I just like to use a smaller one for this step because my eyes are small.) sweep All That Glitters (a shimmery, honey color) from the tear duct to about 2/3 of the way across your eyelid. 
4. Then using a medium shader brush, you're going to take MAC's Smut (a dark, smokey, plum-y color) lightly define the outer V. Smut is dark, so use a little and build up to the darkness you would like. 
5. Using a blending brush blend out and up the dark color
6. Using the same blending brush, pick up a little bit of Twinks and sweep it from the outer corner of your eye to a little bit over where All The Glitter ends and blend. 
7. Using the same blending brush, use Shale and sweep just above the crease and below the browbone. This will add a little bit of coolness and will also get rid of any harsh lines from the darker color.
8. Using a bent liner brush and MAC's fluid line in blacktrack, line the top lash line and wing out and line the lower water line. 
9. Curl your lashes and apply a coat of black mascara.
10. Apply false lashes. I used Duo's black lash glue and Ardell's Demi lashes, but you can use whatever you would like or none. 
11. Curl real and false lashes together.
12. Seal lashes down with a thin line of MAC's fluid line; set liner upper lashline and lower water line with black eyeshadow (Carbon).
13. Eyebrows: Using an angled brow brush, fill in your eyebrows with a powder. I use a warm light brown to fill mine in due to the fact that I currently have reddish hair; but a general rule of thumb: if you have light hair, use a color 2 shades darker, if you have dark hair use a color that is 2 shades lighter. 

Lips:

1. Line with a flesh tones lipliner
2. Apply a medium pink lipstick
3. Finish with a clear or pink lipgloss

Finish off the look with a few spritz of finishing spray - my personal favorites are MAC's Fix+ Setting Spray and Urban Decay's Up All Nighter.

List of ALL Products used:
Brushes/Tools:
Foundation Brush (MAC 190 OR Sephora Professional Platinum Foundation Brush #47)
Stippling Brush (MAC 187 OR Sephora Pro #44)
Large Powder Brush (MAC 134)
Small Blush Brush (Sephora Pro Blush Brush #49)
Small Contour Brush (MAC 168)
Fan Brush (Sephora Pro Fan brush #43)
Large Shader Brush (MAC 252)
Small Shader Brush (MAC 242)
Blending Brush  (MAC 224 OR Sephora Pro #10)
Bent Liner Brush (Sonia Kashuk)
Angled Liner Brush (Sephora Pro #22)
Lash Curler (Sephora)

Products:
CVS Moisturizer
MAC's Prep & Prime Face
Face Atelier Foundation in Porcelein
MAC's Mineralize Skin Finish Powder in Light
La Femme Blush/Bronzer Pallette - 3rd lightest bronzer, 1st and 3rd lightest blush
MAC Eyeshadow Dazzlelight
MAC Eyeshadow All That Glitters
MAC Eyeshadow Smut
MAC Eyeshadow Shale
MAC Eyeshadow Carbon
Benefit BadGal Lash Mascara
Duo Lash Adhesive in Black
Ardell Demi Lashes
Flesh colored lipliner (I can't read what brand or the exact color...it wore off)
NYC Lilac Dream Lipstick
Paula Dorf Light Pink Lipgloss
Urban Decay's Up All Nighter Setting Spray

Enjoy! Feel free to send me photos of your finished look & keep sending questions and tutorial requests to: MakeupbySaraC@gmail.com !

Lipstick & Loves,
Sara

*Photos by Dave Kelley @ Studio Seventy3
**Disclaimer: I was not asked by any of the companies/products mentioned above - these just happen to be the products I like to work with at the moment.

Updates and Flawless Looking Skin Tips

Hello Gorgeous!
I have been busy working away at the launch of my new newsletter that features upcoming monthly specials, details on a new product launch, and a beauty tip. The first edition will be sent out today! If you'd like to sign up for it, you can either go here and click on the icon that says newsletter or you can send an e-mail to me at: MakeupbySaraC@gmail.com

I am still working on the layout for this blog - which is proving to be more difficult than I anticipated, but hopefully all the kinks will be worked out soon!

Lastly, it's a lazy Saturday morning so what better way to spend it than sharing with you tip for flawless looking skin! (Ok, it's not really a lazy Saturday morning as I have a kit to re-organize and a few other kit-keeping things I need to do before this evening's photo session with Digital Obsession: Photography by Frank Wise).
So here we go -

**Let your moisturizer sink in for at least 10 minutes before applying foundation
**You always want to use a primer before you apply any type of foundation. This will help create a smoother surface for your foundation.
**If you have oily skin or your face "melts" during the day, loose mineral foundations (as opposed to liquid foundations) will help to soak up the oil as well as feel lighter on your skin.
**Summer & hot weather are just around the corner, so if you don't want to wear full foundation, wear a tinted moisturizer instead. It will give your skin moisture it needs as well as evening out your skin. And most moisturizers contain at least 15 spf.
**Apply face products in thin layers. It's always easier to add more if needed than to remove it once it's already applied. Too much product tends to cake up on you.
**Only use enough powder to set your foundation. You don't need a lot of it - using a powder puff will help to not apply too much.
**Always use primer under your eyes if you plan on using concealer. This will keep the concealer from seeping into the lines.
**If you are having photos taken, you want to keep the SPF only in your moisturizer. Too much spf will cause the flash to reflect off your skin and you will look ghostly in your photos. In addition, you want to go for matte finish products.
**Use a setting spray like MAC's Fix+ or Urban Decay's All Nighter