Eyeliner 101

This post is as by request from my lovely follower Terrica! =)

Eyeliner 101
- Liquid vs. Pencil vs. Gel
- Which is right for you
- How to apply

Liquid: CoverGirl LineExact Liquid Liner Pen in Black























Pencil: CoverGirl Perfect Point Plus Self Sharpening Eye Pencil in Black Onyx
























Gel: Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner in Charcoal
















Let's do a break down:

Liquid: Creates a more dramatic look because it typically is more pigmented than the others (however, there are some kohl pencils that are giving liquid liner a run for its money!). However, unless you find a super waterproof formula the second any kind of moisture is introduced it will smudge and fade, if not worse. Eek! But Liquid is also the best for a cat eye since you can get that really tapered "wing" on the outer corner.

Pencil: Though each is easy to master, pencils are by far the easiest. You have the most control with pencil eyeliner. Are typically a creamy formula and thus are nice for smudging for a smoky eye. However, there are really good anti-smudge waterproof formulas, too. Also the best for lining the inner rim of your eye.

Gel: Easy but only if you have the right brush (an angle brush, not the wimpy one that came with the Maybelline above). By far the most waterproof! Being said, you also only have a brief amount of time to correct any mistakes, so if you are using gel liner, it might be a smart idea to put it on *before* other eye make-up.

**Price isn't a major factor in choosing which type to get-- all three can come in cheaper and more expensive versions. As you see, the three I tried here are all drugstore brands. However, gel is typically the most expensive.


With these three, I took some pictures:

Liquid-Pencil-Gel
(Keep in mind-- the first two are black, the last is gray)
























Here I quickly ran my hand under the faucet and then ran my finder across it. See how the liquid basically disappears? The pencil smidged a lot, and the gel definitely held up the best, even though not entirely waterproof.

The most popular way to wear liquid is to "wing" it upward at the end, a la Lauren Conrad:





























Gel can also be used to create this look~ and make it a little more waterproof!


Pencil is good for smoky eyes and liner the inner rim, a la Rachel Bilson:




































As far as where to apply eyeliner based on your eye shape, I really believe that you can wear eyeliner however you'd like and focus on your shadow for shaping. However, here are a few guidelines that I've acquired over the years for eyeliner:
- For close-set eyes: apply liner mostly on the outer corners
- For wide-set eyes: apply liner only a little bit past the iris when looking in a mirror-- not all the
way to the outer corner
- For hooded eyes: make the line thicker as you reach the outer corner to open up the eye

Bobbi Brown's make-up book has a LOT of information on eye shapes and contouring-- it's a neat book to have! If you live near me and would like to borrow it just let me know*

Anyhow! Hope this all makes sense =)
If there's anything else you'd like to know, just leave me some feedback!

Have a good weekend~

Until next time~
Beauty Maven

Experience: Manicure

Hello world!

Still Internet-less-- but this blog has a neat feature where I can text message posts to my blog (hence the weird font, haha!)

I wanted to do a quick post today on acrylic nails. My good buddy and I went last Monday to get our nails done cause she had this amazing coupon ($20!). I have to admit, if done right, I LOVE the look of fake nails. They male all of your nails the same length which I adore cause I love nail polish, and depending on how good they are they look like you have really healthy nails, haha!

It never fails, though, that I have to clip mine down and round the edges right after leaving the salon. (You know, all 2 times that I've had them done lol) This time when I clipped them it messed up my thumb nail! Sad day :(





























You can't really tell but it's coming up in the back corner. Aww. Otherwise this set has done well! I'll probably get them removed later this week-- last time I tried to take them off and faaaailed.






























I will be sad to see them go.. Aww.

My favorite part of having these was not worrying about breaking my nails! My real nails seem so fragile, haha! But some downsides were not being able to scratch very well, not being able to peel off stickers.. like the ones they use to close drugstore make-up.. haha.

Have you ever had acrylic nails? Just for occasions, or more frequently? Or never? I want to hear some stories! :)

Until next time~
Beauty Maven

Bold Shadow!

Hello!

Sorry for the late posting.. I still have yet to find convenient internet, so I guess I'll have to get creative! =)

So today I wore my super-purple Heidi Klum eyeshadow palette to work. Let me tell you about some of the comments I received:
- "Whoa, I like your shadow! Bold for work, but it's awesome!"
- "Oooh you did your eye stuff different! Cat-eye!"
- "It makes you look older, more mature and polished!"

Hahaha... makes me smile =)

Here are pictures (via iPhone):





















Noooot necessarily super bold, but bold for me!

I have to admit though, I'm digging it! Definitely makes my eyes stand out more! I'm going to have to experiment with color of my lids a little more.

Tell me a lil' about your eyeshadow!

Until next time,
~Beauty Maven

A Little Research on Lash Serums..

Hello! Hope everyone is having a nice start to the week~

Let me tell you what I have in mind for the next few posts:
- Gel vs. Pencil vs. Liquid eyeliner, as per request.
- Eyebrow extensions (?)
- Winter hair tips
- The evolution of the smoky eye
- The best winter face cream. Ever.

Those posts will start showing up after awhile... If you have anything you're curious about, please leave a comment and I will be glad to research it!

For now, however, we're on to eyelashes...

This is more of a scientific post, sparked by a friend of mine who told me about how she lost a few eyelashes but they were all in a clump. Then I noticed on my eyelashes about a week later that I had a little chunk missing! What came to mind when I saw this was those new eyelash growing serums. So let's look into all of this a little bit.

(Let me please note: When I Googled 'Eyelash' the first page was about fake eyelashes and extensions. Yes, we as a culture are obsessed with having lush long lashes!!)

To begin- the lifespan of an eyelash:
It takes about 7-8 weeks to grow back if one is pulled out.
The average life of an eyelash is about 3 months.

Thus, to improve lash appearance, either growth must be stimulated or the growing time must be increased.

According to telegraph.co.uk: "The idea behind the lash serums is to extend the length of time the individual eyelashes grow before they fall out-- an eyelash is like your hair in that your actual hair is dead, and what effects the healthiness is at the root."

Latisse is by far the most effective serum out there for lash growth. The active ingredient in Latisse is bimatoprost. According to their site, "What bimatoprost does is bind prostaglandin

receptors to the hair root. This stimulates the regrowth of the hair follicle. This causes a significant increase in the percentage of hairs in the growth phase of the hair follicle. It also extends the active length of the eyelash growth phase."

If I were you I would definitely check out their website-- The results are pretty impressive!
*Let me add this, too. I spent some time on their website, and I have heard that the major concern with Latisse is the possibility of increased brown pigmentation of the iris, which only occurs if the product is applied incorrectly and gets into your eye. This being said!- It won't turn brown with 1 accidental application, and also this brown side effect did NOT occur in ANY of the clinical trial of the serum, but in the glaucoma patients, (where the active ingredient was derived), who applied it directly into their eye daily.*

However, for those of us on a tight budget or who would rather not use an expensive serum, the biggest thing you can do to promote healthy lashes is simply to NEVER sleep in mascara, which dries out your lashes, and alllllways use an eye make-up remover instead of scrubbing away with face wash in to not tug away any lashes... which will then take 7-8 weeks to grow back. Eek!

(ALSO! you might be interested to hear that I am currently trying L'Oreal's new lash serum day/night set-- 4 weeks will be on Valentine's day, so watch for a review that Friday!)

While researching I came across the following, which is quite odd, and something I did not know was possible:
"It is also possible to get a eyelash transplants, which are similar in nature to hair transplantation often done on the head. Since the hair is transplanted from the hair on the head, the new eyelashes will continue to grow like head hair and will need to be trimmed regularly."

Not something I would recommend! But fascinating..

Hope you enjoyed this post! Leave me some feedback-- would you like more like this? Do you prefer reviews? Pictures? Also, do you have anything to add? Personal tidbits?

Leave me some feedback! =)

Until next time~
Beauty Maven