Pretty in a Pinch

 

Yikes! You left the house without your cosmetics case (but have a few random makeup items floating around in your purse). Now what? Roll into work sans a stitch of makeup? Or head on that weekend get-away with a bare face? Maybe, if you’re brave (make that really brave). Otherwise try these simple ways to look pretty in a pinch!

Left the house without your lip color?
Look pretty in a pinch: “Take a little cream blush and dab it on your pout,” suggests makeup artist Raychel Wade, owner of Cheek to Chic. “The key is to use it sparingly and create more of a stain rather than a full application.”

Left the house without your blush?
Look pretty in a pinch: “I forget blush all the time,” says Wade. “So I revert back to my grandmother’s trick and pinch my cheeks. After all, it’s about looking flushed and healthy.”  Or bend forward at the waist and tip your head upside down like you are shaking your hair out. Do this for twenty seconds or so and when you come back up, your skin will have a rosy little glow.

Left the house without your mascara? 
Look pretty in a pinch: You may not have anything to swipe on your lashes, but you can still beautify your eyes. Do so by lining the inside of your eyes with black eye liner. “This will give the illusion that your lashes are longer and your eyes will look more intense,” explains Wade.

Left the house without your brow tools?
Look pretty in a pinch: No worries, your brows can still look beautiful. “I was actually in this pinch this weekend when I was away and forgot all my brow tools,” says Wade.  Use a clean tissue to wipe as much product as possible off your mascara wand, then use it to brush your brows.  “A tiny amount of mascara will be left, which will act like a brow gel,” says Wade.  “Even though the mascara is black, there’s so little on the wand that it works perfectly to shape and darken.”

Left the house without your foundation?
Look pretty in a pinch: Simply use concealer as a foundation to even out your complexion.  “Apply it to all the areas needed—under the eyes, around the nose, on your chin and between your eyes—and you are left with even skin without full coverage,” explains Wade.

Shout out your beauty pinch hitter below.

 

Article written by: Michele Bender 

For Makeup.com

Discarding Make up !!!?

So last week I went through my stash of make up and realized that I haven't cleaned it out in a long, long time. I had products that turn different colors, consistency was different, I mean it was scary to think I was going to put this stuff on my skin.

Did you know, make up comes with an expiration date?  A date, which is not written on the packaging. There are a few tell-tale signs you should be aware of just the same for instance liquid  foundation turning clumpy, thick or extra runny.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a “one-size-fits-all” solution to determine when you should dump your color cosmetics because that’s decided in large part  by the product’s formulation and the method in which you store them which should always be in a cool, dry place. Because cosmetics manufacturers aren’t under a U.S. mandate to display expiration dates on their packaging, you’re then left with the task of following  loose guidelines given out to us by these same manufacturers concerning the toss schedule of your products.

So here is a list to help you out with  tossing out products that's past its expiration date:

Liquid and cream foundation: 2 years

Concealer: 2 years

Powder: 2 years

Mascara: 6 months

Lipstick: 12 to 18 months

Lip and eye pencils: 12 to 18 months

Eye shadow: 2 years

Powder blush: 2 years

Cream blush: 2 years

Moisturizer: 2 years

Eye Cream: 6 months

Sunscreen: 2 years

Face cream: 2 years

Note: Dirty makeup brushes carry bacteria so clean them regularly to extend the life of your makeup.