#08 - Long Wear Makeup Made Easy

Ok, so... I took a leaf out of Wayne's book.
I really admire him and as I said before, I trust MALE 'gurus' more than female ones on Youtube.
Wayne is really THE BEST. When I first came across his videos, I thought, "OMG. FINALLY SOMEONE WHO AGREES WITH ME ON NOT USING A STUPIDLY PALE CONCEALER FOR YOUR UNDEREYES!"
Then I discovered neat tips and tricks by watching more videos.
So... yeah, people check him out on Youtube! His channel is called gossmakeupartist.

Well... not everything is from Wayne, but he's an inspiration for this piece, undoubtly.

For each tip, I'll be stating how it performs or how likely it is to work for you.
Remember, every person is unique. What works for me, may not work for you, vice versa.
Also you CAN COMBINE many many tips to get a much better outcome.
So please take everything with a teeny pinch of salt!

So... let's get kicking!!


#1 - Primer
This was covered in much detail under #02 - Prepping your skin.
To avoid this post being too long, please head straight there for more detail.

A primer is good for people with combination to oily skin, as it can absorb oils.
If your makeup is 'sweated off' in the heat, then... this may not be the best solution.

A primer also provides a good base for makeup to adhere to.
It is able to smoothen the skin, to some extent, help colors look more vibrant, as well as help your makeup stick to your face.

I do use a face primer for myself and clients on event days.
I'm currently using the NYX Studio Perfect Photo-Loving Primer.


#2 - Choose Long Wearing Products
Ok, so this isn't exactly a tip.
Everyone will definitely want their products to be long wearing... but how do you know if it is?!
Let me give a teeny bit of advice.

Foundations:
Look for foundations which advertise 16hrs of wearability.
Logic dictates that ones that state 24hrs would be even better, but take note that some 24hr formulations tend to set very quickly so you might not be able to blend it out in time.
(i.e.: the new formulation of the Revlon Colorstay Liquid Foundation is 24hrs compared to the old one which is 16hrs)

Lipstick:
Before I start on this... let me say that... lipsticks will NEVER stay on more than ~3hrs.
You do have to reapply it, especially after eating.

However, you may choose to find a Lip Stain OR a Lip Paint.
Lip Stains will leave a sheer tint to your lips which lasts fairly long.
Lip Paints on the other hand, are highly concentrated with pigment and a very little is sufficient ans as they are extremely viscous in nature, do stay on much longer than lipsticks.

I'm currently using the SLEEK Pout Paints, which are an alternative to the Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tars.

Mascara:
There are many many types of formulation (drier or wetter formulation) as well as many many types of mascara wands.
I can't tell you in words which are better...

BUT, for a mascara in terms of staying power, look for WATERPROOF mascaras.
ok, duh... but that's not all.
Unfortunately, you have to test out the mascara for a couple of times to determine how 'flaky' it is.
If you feel that your lashes become dry and brittle or you find lil black bits falling off over the day... it is NOT your ideal mascara.

This differs for everyone because everyone's method of applying mascara is different.

Eyeliner:
Ok, generally... this is the rule about how long eyeliners wear
Gel >= Liquid > Pencil

Gel eyeliners work for 90% of people. The other 10% are like me and have superpowers that melt eyeliner like crazy.
Liquid eyeliners... well... some aren't waterproof and then some are just crappy.
Pencil eyeliners will not last more than 1hr. You'd end up with a very smudgy line or a non-existent one after 1hr.


#3 - Makeup Setting Spray / Finishing Spray
Ok... this is one EXPENSIVE PRODUCT but it WORKS.
A good one will not only 'set' your powder makeup, but also make it look more natural.
Note that this product is to be used over POWDER products on your face.
If you spray if directly on your face covered with liquid foundation, don't expect it to last much longer.

I'm currently using Skindinavia Cool Flash Makeup Finish.
This particular product is designed so that your face, after spraying, will feel less hot and produce less perspiration.
Unfortunately, I had to spree this item over and it cost me a small bomb...

Similar products available in Singapore are sold under Urban Decay, but... here's the catch. Skindinavia makes them.


#4 - Hairspray
This... isn't highly recommended... for reasons below...
BUT if you are going to under some very hot spotlights, it is a trade secret in the industry.

Rather than the makeup setting spray or finishing sprays, makeup artists behind the scenes on runways, use cheaper hairspray instead.
It definitely holds the makeup on as well as, if not better than, setting sprays.

BUT!
Hairspray will clog up your pores, therefore... giving you more skin problemsAND sometimes leave a shiny finish to the skin.
To remove the shine, lightly pat a layer of powder (foundation, setting powder) over the DRIED hairspray on your face.


#5 - Layering Product
Many people underestimate layering.
They just slop on a thick layer of liquid foundation and call it a day.
Nope, that will DEFINITELY slide off within 2hrs.

Layering means to do thin coats of the product and let that dry before applying another coat.


#6 - Setting Liquids and Creams with Powders
Very basic technique.
After you applied your layers of foundation, lightly go over with a pressed powder or a powder foundation.

What people don't know... is that they can do the same for blush.
Apply a cream blush (i.e.: the new Jelly blush by Maybelline) or a lil bit of lipstick in a suitable color to act as a base and blend it out.
Then top it off with your powder blush for more vibrant and longer lasting color.

Same with Eyeshadows!!Use a cream eyeshadow or a gel eyeliner in the correct color as a base and then apply your eyeshadow!!!

The same is recommended for gel eyeliners... but honestly, it didn't do any good for me...
I got raccoon eyes within 10minutes. I guess my black eyeshadow was too black!! haha


#7 - Eyebrow gel
If your eyebrow color doesn't last long enough, apply a thin coat of eyebrow gel or clear mascara over it.
TheFaceShop carries a clear mascara which is fairly generous in size.


#8 - Blot
If your face gets oily, you can blot with the oil absorbent facial papers.
If you perspire a lot, blot gently with a tissue. Please take a look in the mirror to make sure that there isn't any bits of tissue stuck on your face!!


Alright mateys, I'm turning in soon and my brain is mush.
I can't dreg anymore tips from my brain at the moment, so... well... I'll update this note if I DO think of sommat.

Tesun

#07 - Brushes vs Sponges Part 3 (Eyes)

Following up with the next installment!!

Yep, we are continuing in the same confusing manner.

Today, we shall go through:

Brushes:
 - Flat Shader Brush
 - Fluffy Blending Brush
 - Crease Brush
 - Pointy-type Liner Brush
 - Angled Liner Brush
** We will not be touching on Pencil or mascara brushes, either because I have no experience with them or because this will get too long!

Sponges:
 - Eyeshadow Applicators
 - Felt Tip Applicators (Just throwing this in to make it slightly more balanced!)


1. Flat Shader Brush
Well, as the name implies, this brush has a flat ferule, and the bristles generally form a gentle arc.
The main purpose of this brush is to apply eyeshadow.
There are many variations to this brush, so let's get a brief coverage on the general bits.
The brush can be densely packed or medium packed bristles, the more densely packed, the more pigment it picks up and applies.
The brush can also be made of natural hair bristles (e.g.: goat, squirrel... etc) or synthetic bristles.
Synthetic bristles are preferred for liquid and cream products.

Pros:
- Comes in many different sizes. Can choose a suitable size for any use.
- Versatile, you can basically use it for other purposes (e.g.: concealer)
- Good for packing on color for more vibrancy
- Can be used to blend colors

Cons:
- Some may have stiff bristles which irritate the skin
- Difficult to blend eyeshadow out

Method of Application:
1. Gently dab the side of your brush into your eyeshadow pot, drag it across a couple times IF the eyeshadow does not want to transfer
2. Tap the brush gently against the side of your table, palette or compact mirror (anything actually...) to prevent fall out.
3. Press the side of the brush against your closed eyelid. Dab until you cover the entire area desired.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 until you get your desired effect.

Sponge Equivalents: (See Below)
(a) Eyeshadow Applicators


2. Fluffy Blending Brush
Yep, it's fluffy.
Generally, this brush has a round ferule, with medium packed bristles.
The length of the bristles vary. Shorter bristles pack more color and longer bristles blend out eyeshadow better.
The bristles are generally shaped into a dome shape.

Pros:
- Good for blending (duh...)
- A shorter bristle brush can also replace the use of a Flat Shader Brush. A good one is the e.l.f Blending Eye Brush.
- Longer bristle brush is good for people who are afraid of applying too much eyeshadow/ want to build up their eyeshadow gradually.

Cons:
- Loses it's shape fairly easily
- Result heavily dependent on technique

Method of Application:
-Packing on color-
1. Dip the bristles into the eyeshadow pot.
2. Tap off the excess
3. Dab the bristles against your closed eyelid
4. Repeat steps 1-3. It probably will take longer than a Flat Shader Brush
-Blending-
1. Dab the bristles into the LIGHTER colored eyeshadow pot.
2. Tap off the excess
3. Place the brush at the part of your eyelid already covered with the darker eyeshadow color
4. Lightly buff the eyeshadow out with teeny circular motions while moving the brush left to right across the eyelid.
5. Repeat steps 1-4 as many times until blended.

Sponge Equivalents: (See Below)
(a) CLEAN Eyeshadow Applicators


3. Crease Brush
Fairly similar to the Blending brush but often is smaller with shorter bristles.
The shape is usually slightly more pointy than the blending brush too!
Usually used to help define the crease of your eye with a darker shade of eyeshadow.
The crease is the part of your eyelid which corresponds to the space between your eye socket and your eyeball.It does NOT hurt to press lightly on that area.

Pros:
- Smaller brush head allows it to fit into the 'crease' of your eye easily
- Able to place color more accurately
- Shorter bristles allows you to concentrate more color into the crease

Cons:
- Loses it's shape fairly easily
- Result heavily dependent on technique

Method of Application:
1. Dip the bristles into the eyeshadow pot (try not to get a lot of product on the brush)
2. Tap off the excess
3. Locate the crease (with your finger, if you are not familiar with it position), position the tip of the brush on the outer side of the crease (i.e.: the side further away from your nose)
4. Lightly move the brush over your crease in a windshield wiper motion, back and forth.
5. Repeat steps 1-4 as necessary to get the desired intensity.

Sponge Equivalents: (See Below)
(a) Eyeshadow Applicators (Not really good for this though)


4. Pointy-type Liner Brush
Well... This brush comes to a sharp point, yes, captain obvious.
Eyeliner brushes are usually made of synthetic bristles. In general.
The bristles are usually pretty stiff to improve control.

Pros:
- Stiff bristles allows for more control when lining your eyes.
- Synthetic bristles are good for liquid and cream products (e.g.: gel eyeliner)

Cons:
- Stiff bristles might be too harsh for people with sensitive skin
- Splaying of bristles/brush losing it's shape. Defeats the purpose it was designed for

Method of Application:
1. Scoop out some gel eyeliner using a disinfected spatula to reduce/prevent contamination of the main pot.
2. Dip the tip of the brush into the scooped out eyeliner.
3. Lay the brush such that the side of the bristles is in contact with a clean portion of the spatula/back of your hand.
4. Gently roll the brush back and forth to create a nice point to the bristles.
5. Place the brush against your lashline and draw a line. The eyelid tends to move less if you draw from the inner corner to the outer corner.

Sponge Equivalents: (See Below)
(b) Felt Tip Applicators


5. Angled Liner Brush
This brush has a flat ferule, and usually is made of short synthetic bristles.
The bristles are cut and arranged in a manner such that they form into a slanted shape, much like a tetrahedral on it's side.

Pros:
- Larger surface area to be in contact with your lashline, makes eyelining faster and easier.
- Slanted/Angled shape helps as it can follow the contour of your eye, distributing the pressure from the hand more evenly.
- Synthetic bristles are good for liquid and cream products (e.g.: gel eyeliner)
- Less likely to lose it's shape

Cons:
- Need to find a brush with a good amount of bristles to make it stiff enough but not too much that it makes a fat line.

Method of Application:
1. Scoop out some gel eyeliner using a disinfected spatula to reduce/prevent contamination of the main pot.
2. Dip the tip of the brush into the scooped out eyeliner.
3. Lay the brush such that the bristles on the angled edge is in contact with a clean portion of the spatula/back of your hand.
4. Gently move the brush back and forth to make the bristles form a thinner edge.
5. Place the brush against your lashline and draw a line. The eyelid tends to move less if you draw from the inner corner to the outer corner.

Sponge Equivalents: (See Below)
(b) Felt Tip Applicators


(a) Eyeshadow Applicators
These are the sponge tip applicators you get when you buy a eyeshadow duo/trio/quad/palette.
They can be dual or single ended.

Pros:
- Very easily obtained. Do not need to buy separate from the makeup.
- Good for packing on eyeshadow for more intensity.
- Can be used to blend eyeshadow

Cons:
- Blending eyeshadow can make the colors muddy, especially if you do not use a clean applicator
- Foam tends to absorb a lot of product.
- Foam also absorbs oils and dirt from the face and air, is a good breeding ground for bacteria
- Not durable. The foam tends to fall off the plastic handle after a while
- Not easily washed/cleaned. See "#05 - Brushes vs Sponges Part 1 (Hygiene)" for more details.

Method of Application:
-Packing on eyeshadow-
1. Press the side of the applicator against the eyeshadow and firmly wiggle it a couple of times to pick up color
2. Tap off excess product if the product is very powdery
3. Gently pat on the eyeshadow onto your closed eyelid
4. Repeat steps 1-3 to get desired intensity
-Blending eyeshadow-
1. Apply both the darker and lighter shades of eyeshadow as described in packing on eyeshadow
2. Using a clean side of the applicator, pick up a little bit of the lighter shade of eyeshadow. Tap off the excess product if needed
3. Place the applicator at the border where the 2 colors meet.
4. Gently move the applicator across the border while wiggling it slightly to blur the border.
5. Repeat steps 1-4 till you obtain the desired result.

Brush Equivalents: (See Above)
1. Flat Shader Brush
2. Fluffy Blending Brush
3. Crease Brush


(b) Felt Tip Applicators
Normally comes attached to liquid eyeliners.
Either as the pen nib in the pen-type liquid eyeliner or the applicator of dip-type liquid eyeliners.

Pros:
- Easy to use, more beginner friendly than brushes
- Dip-type: Picks up a lot of liquid eyeliner, need to redip less to line the eye.

Cons:
- Easily loses it's 'shape' (i.e.: condition where there's lil fibres or wonky bits attached to the tip)
- Dip-type: Need to clean the stem of the applicator periodically as it tends to build up and gunk along the length.
- Pen type: Needs to be left on it's side or upside down so that the eyeliner actually comes out.
- Pen type: For some brands/formulation, when left upside down, will cause lots of product to leak and form a mess when you try to use it.

Method of Application:
Self explanatory, so... I'm going to skip this.

Brush Equivalents: (See Above)
4. Pointy Liner Brush
5. Angled Liner Brush

DISCLAIMER:
Brush and sponge equivalents listed here are not perfect equivalents. Specific brushes have their benefits over the sponge equivalent, but you can replace them.

Ok. That's the end of it!
I was going to take a picture and add it into this note, but I washed all my brushes this morning and they are drying right now...
So... I guess I'll do it another day.
I don't think I have a felt tip sample though... I threw my eyeliner away a while ago, I'll see what to do later... I guess.

Nights Guys!
Tesun