Really Useful Makeup Tutorial

How to Make Small Eyes Look Larger and Protruding Eyes Look Smaller.

The makeup artist does one eye one big and one eye small. Lots of great hints about products as well.

How To Get Anime Eyes

Here’s a fun youthful look for parties or save this one for a hip Halloween.

It’s how I imagine the anime faces in the Uglies/Pretties books by Scott Westerfeld.

Michelle Phan has a lot of fun video tutorials on her youtube channel. Be sure to check them out.

Be Prepared

I attended a seminar today about Emergency Preparedness by the Red Cross. It’s a subject I’ve never really given any thought. I realized that I don’t even know where my flashlight is, and if I could find it, I’m sure the batteries are dead.

Here are some tips I learned today:

• bottled water in plastic only keeps for a couple of months.
• candles are not the preferred light source during an emergency because of the fire hazard, but also because gas mains could be broken.
• statisics say that everyone will choke at least once before the age of 50.
• as we learned from Katrina, emergency help could take a full week to arrive.

With these things in mind, you should have an emergency kit that can last 7 days.

Some things your kit should include:

• one gallon of water per person per day (for drinking, hygiene, cooking)
• first aid kit
• flashlight with extra batteries or one that recharges through motion
• non-perishable food that requires no refrigeration or preparation
• non-electric can opener
• can of sterno to heat food
• medications (prescription and non-prescription)
• personal hygiene items (toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, contact lens supplies, feminine supplies)
• plastic garbage bags with ties (for personal sanitation)

Other ways to be prepared:

• take a first aid course
• learn CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver
• plan an emergency escape route like a fire drill
• keep a smaller emergency kit in your car
• backup personal records to another location (insurance, mortgage, banking, identification, medical records, emergency contact info) It could be a while before you can prove you are you.

Some helpful Web sites:

ready.gov
redcross.org
fema.org

How To: Organize Your Life

Organizational skills are necessary in our fast-paced modern world. Organizing your mind and environment will save time, create mental clarity and reduce stress. There are many ways in which to organize your life.

• Make lists to help you get organized. There is no better way to keep track of the things you need to do and what you have accomplished. Make daily lists, long-term goal lists, shopping lists and only buy what is on your list. Make lists of nice things to do for people. I love lists so much that I make lists of the lists I need to make. The beginnings of organization start with making lists.
• For one week write down every penny that you spend. You’ll be surprised how those pennies add up at the end of the week. Decide where you can save some money. Even if you can only afford a few dollars a week, save something for a rainy day. Skip that latte once in a while and put that money in the bank. Pennies add up to nickels, nickels to dimes, and so forth. Every little bit helps. You should always have an emergency fund so you don’t always have to depend on credit cards to get you out of a jam. Financial organization creates freedom.
• Be on time. Late people are unorganized people and cast the wrong impression. No one cares why you are late and they don’t want to hear tales of traffic woes or alarm clock malfunctions. They just know that you kept them waiting. You can’t be organized and stress free if you are always rushing around. There is a difference between being a fast mover and being in a hurry. Movers and shakers know what they want and go for it as quickly as possible. People in a hurry are rushing toward an unclarified goal. Better preparation will get you to life’s goals faster.
• Tidy your house and your workspace. Chaos is not a good living or working environment. Tidiness is as much of a psychological state as a physical one. Makes a list of the things you need to tidy. Some things need to be tidied every day, some once a week, some less often. Environmental organization creates peace of mind.
• Buy a filing cabinet to keep your bills and other important papers handy. You should be able to pull out a bill or an insurance policy at a moment’s notice. It’s also a good idea to keep photocopies of important papers close at hand, and keep the originals safely tucked away in a safe deposit box. Having a pile of unorganized bills will only create stress. Clerical organization creates order.

I Want To look Like Keira Knightley

Here’s how to get Keira Knightley’s makeup look from her appearance at the Oscars:

This look features a dramatic smoky eye and a flawless complexion with subtle yet perfect lips. Keira looks glamorous and youthful.

From BeautyRiot:

FACE
Foundation / Concealer
After moisturizing, use a matte foundation in a shade as close to your natural skin tone as possible and apply to any areas of the face that need evening out. Blend well.

Then, apply concealer to the inner corners of the eyes and underneath to cover dark circles. Apply a small amount of concealer to the eyelid as a shadow base.

Blush
Use a cream or powder formula blush in a delicate rose, or peach depending upon which compliments your skin tone better. You should apply your blush in the style that best suits your face. Round faces look better with blush applied to the apple of the cheek, while narrower faces can take blush on the cheekbone. Apply blush one light layer at a time, blending well, until you have a delicate glow.

Powder
Dust your entire face at this stage with a matte pressed powder in a shade that matches your foundation. Use a puff or sponge to press the powder into the upper and lower eyelids. This will do wonders for preventing eyeliner and shadow slippage over the course of an evening of dancing, laughing, kissing, etc.

EYES
Eyelid
Apply a matte tan or khaki shade on the lid and right into the upper lashline. Sweep this shade along the lower lashline, as well.

Crease
Apply a matte smoke or charcoal shadow in the crease from corner to corner. Blend very well, paying special attention to delicately blend into the lid shadow just a touch.

Hilite
Apply a light layer of matte cream shadow just below the brow, from underneath the arch to the outer corner.

Eyeliner
Choose a black or smoke powder liner or eyeshadow, or eye pencil. If you use shadow or powder liner, use a wet liner brush dipped in the powder.

Apply a thin line to the top lash line, from corner to corner. Use a light touch and try to keep the color just in between the lashes. An easy way to do this is to aim the brush or pencil at the lashline from underneath and wiggle it in between the lashes gently as you work your way across.

Repeat the process on the lower lashline, creating a very thin, fine line, staying within the lashline, itself, all the way across. Try the reverse technique as the upper lashline, aiming down on the lashline from above.

Finally, trace a thin, delicate line around the inner corners of the eyes for a really professional look.

Trace your eyeliner with your crease eyeshadow. Then use a clean brush or applicator to gently blur the shadow, widening it onto the lid and below the lower lashes just a bit.

Finally, use a clean brush or applicator to gently blend and soften the overall eye look to your desired result. Keira’s look has no hard edges or sharp lines, except for the liner around the inner corners of the eyes.

Brows
Use a brow pencil or powder to shape and fill in brows. Start by defining the arch and then fill in the rest as necessary.

Lashes
Curl lashes and coat two or three times with a black, lengthening mascara.

LIPS
To get glass-smooth lips, brush them very gently with an old, soft toothbrush. Then apply petroleum jelly and allow it to soak in for 30 or more minutes. You can do this first and let it sit while you apply the rest of your makeup.

Choose a lipstick in a very delicate matte nude, pink or peach. Apply one coat of the lipstick and blot with tissue, then apply a second coat, blot again, and apply one more coat for lasting power.

Source: BeautyRiot.com

Get The Look: Carrie Bradshaw

Here is how makeup artists Judy Chin and Nicki Lederman create the look of Carrie Bradshaw for Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and the City.

Skin: Judy and Nicki use skincare by Epicuren and Arcona

Foundation: I Nouvi Gelbase in 2Y or Make Up For Ever Face and Body Makeup in a mix of N2 and N6 applied sheerly

Concealer: Cle de Peau in Ivory and Ochre. Laura Mercier Secret Concealer no. 2

Powder: MAC Blot Powder in Medium and Clinique Stay Matte Sheets

Blush: BlissGlows in Posy, Tarte Cheek Stain in Flush, Paula Dorf Cheek Color in Ballet and Cheek Color Cream in Playmate, and NARS Multiple in Cannes. Poole Multi-Purpose Separates in 1 is often used lightly over the blush on apples and across cheekbones.

Eye Shadows: For a smokey eye, they love Poole Eye Color Separates in Black-Brown 005, MAC Humid and Bronze mixed, Armani no. 21, and NARS Eye Shadow Duo in Cleo. For a natural look, they use Poole Multi-Purpose Separates in 1 to give some sheen to the lids and brow bone.

Brows: Shu Uemura Hard Formula Brow Pencil in Seal Brown

Eyeliner: Cle de peau Eyeliner Fluide in Black, Brown, Blue, and Violet. Also Prescriptives Softlining Pencil in Jet and Blue Black, and the Prescriptives Deluxe Eye Pencil in Black and Midnight.

Lashes: MAC Thickening Mascara in Black X. They also dye Sarah Jessica’s eye lashes black every couple months.

Lips: FACE Stockholm Lip Pencil in Barbro and Jessica, Laura Mercier Lip Pencil in Chestnut. Lancôme Juicy Tubes in Miracle and Elizabeth Arden Clear Gloss are some of their favorite glosses.

Body: BlissLabs Lemon and Sage Body Butter, Dermalogica Body Hydrating Cream, Apothecary Fairy Healing Body Crème in French Lavender and Grapefruit, and BeneFit Bathina Body So Fine. Sarah Jessica has also been using GoSmile this season. It’s a great easy way to keep her smile sparkling.

Source: Makeup 411.com

Get The Look: The Notorious Bettie Page

Here is how makeup artist Nicki Ledermann turned actress Gretchen Mol in iconic pin-up girl Bettie Page for the movie, The Notorious Bettie Page.

Skin Care: Shu Uemura rosewater toner, Epicuren Step 6 moisturizer, La Mer body lotion.

Foundation: Uslu Airlines airbrush foundation applied with an Uslu Airlines airbrush.

Shading: Bobbi Brown Taupe blush to enhance cheekbones, chin.

Concealer: Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage under the foundation.

Powder: MAC Blot Powder in Medium Dark.

Cheeks: Armani Sheer Blush #2 mixed with MAC Pinch’a’cheek.

Eye Shadow: Stila in Shell all over lid and Bobbi Brown’s Taupe in crease to lift lid.

Eye Liner: Bobbi Brown eyeliner gel in Black.

Brows: Bliss pencil in Brown.

Mascara: Kevyn Aucoin volumizing mascara in Black.

Lips: Shiseido lipstick in Red #10 with matching Shiseido lip pencil.

Source: Makeup 411.com

Video Makeup Tutorials

My new favorite Web site is Video Jug. They have how-to videos on every subject. My favorites are the makeup tutorials.

Here are links to some of the ones I like best:

Smokey Eye Tutorial
Easy to follow, step-by-step instructions for how to achieve the smokey eye look.

Burlesque Makeup
A fun glittery look for evenings when you want a little Las Vegas glamour.

The Five Minute Face
Quick instructions on how to apply makeup when you only have a few minutes.

Eye Shadow Tutorial
Basic instruction on the best way to apply eye shadow for various types of eye shapes.

If video slows down your computer, they also have written instructions available.

Dig around on the Video Jug Web site and let us know which are your favorite videos.