Just Say No to Bare Minerals

The infomercials were very persuasive and I fell prey to them.  I just had to get a batch of those Bare Minerals!

Then I tried the foundation and learned the TRUTH about Bare Minerals.  Yes, Bare Minerals has good coverage and contains all natural ingredients.  However, it is not really compatible with people who have oily skin, like me. 

After having used Bare Minerals for several months or so I noticed that towards the end of a long day, I would come home and look in the mirror to find that the color of foundation I had originally applied disappeared and my face looked rather gray and ashy.  My theory as to the reason for this is that the Bare Minerals foundation had gotten 'wet' with the oil from my skin, and therefore turned three shades darker. 

As for their brushes, the Bare Minerals brushes are pretty okay; they do not shed too much but as for their blending and buffing power I cannot say that I necessarily agree with the infomercials.  Their brushes seem pretty mediocre in this department, actually. 

So my review for Bare Minerals would have to be: if you have oily skin, stay away from Bare Minerals.  And don't invest heavily in their brushes.  Honestly, CVS sells better brushes through their Essence of Beauty line. 

Meanwhile, I will just stick with my Studio Fix Fluid by MAC, and if I find anything better I will keep you posted!

Love,

Geneys  :o)

How to Organize Your Brushes

In order to keep your brushes organized and clean, I would highly recommend you keep your brushes as shown above.  This technique for organizing brushes was first debuted on the Sephora website, but it was quickly embraced by makeup gurus everywhere as a neat way to keep their brushes.

Personally, I thought this technique was very efficient and aesthetically pleasing, so I have also adopted this method.  Keeping your brushes this way would ensure that you have some place to put your brushes back when you are done using them, and it would also look pretty on your vanity. 

To make this brush organizer, you will need:

- A glass vase (preferably 4" or taller)

- A pouch of clear acrylic filler

Buy two of each if you would like to make two brush organizers.  I made two for myself: one for my face brushes, one for my eye brushes.  These materials can be purchased at any Michael's store.  I don't know the prices for these materials, sorry, but you might be able to save money because Michael's usually sends out coupons for 40% off. 

And might I suggest buying a color-coordinated ribbon so you can tie a bow around each brush organizer?  My brushes are mostly pink (available at www.CoastalScents.com until I can replace them with MAC brushes), so perhaps a polka-dotted pink ribbon would be nice.

Love,

Geneys  :o)

NARS Super Orgasm

Don't let the name fool you, in my opinion, it's not that great.  I was really excited to try NARS' Super Orgasm blush because I heard really great reviews on it.  However, I was quite disappointed because it did not have the effect that I wanted.

It is pink and it provides a kind of glimmer to your skin with all those sparkly gold flecks, but all in the wrong areas.  When I first applied this product to my cheeks, I noticed that it didn't enhance my cheek bones, rather, it highlighted all of my imperfections.  If you have pores or flaws on your skin, it seems like the glitter in the blush makes your imperfections look deeper and bigger.

If you have perfect skin on your cheeks, you might go for something like this.  But otherwise, steer clear of this product!  And the same goes true for MAC's Mineralize Skinfinish Trio, which has a similar glittery look.  I don't know how else I would use the NARS Super Orgasm blush or the Mineralize Skinfinish Trio in Triple Fusion, so I am thinking about returning them.

So disappointed, but I guess makeup is all about trial and error.  Let me know if you have had a different experience with this product.  Otherwise, boooo! 

Love,

Geneys  :o)

How to Make Your Own DSK Jewelry

It seems like DSK jewelry is all the rage among the makeup gurus on Youtube, and the necklaces seem to be the most popular pieces.  The pendants are very sparkly and really catch the eye.

Well, I decided to check out the prices for this jewelry, and I was floored.  $40.00 for a necklace with two heart pendants??  Having been a jeweler in a past life, I decided to find out the real price for these necklaces, and try my hand at making one. 

You will need:

- 2 Sterling Silver Open Jump Rings (4mm)

- 2 Leaf-Shaped Sterling Silver Bails (9x5mm)

- 1.5ft of Sterling Silver Flat Cable Chain (2mm)

- 1 Swarovski Heart (14mm)

- 1 Swarovski Heart (10mm)

- 1 Closed Sterling Silver Spring Ring Clasp (6mm)

- 1 Sterling Silver Closed Jump Ring (5mm)

All of the components for this necklace can be found at www.JewelrySupply.com, for a total price of: $18.69, which means DSK Jewelry makes a profit margin of over 50%!

To make this necklace:

Open up one of the open jump rings gently with your fingers and connect one end of your chain to the spring ring clasp.  Then close this jump ring with a pair of needle-nosed pliers.  (You can find the jewelry version of this tool in the jewelry section at Michael's).

Put your two bails on your two hearts carefully, and pinch the bails closed gently with your pliers so the pins of the bails will fit inside the holes of your hearts.  If you are not careful, flecks of glass will fall off from your hearts, and they won't have that 'bling' effect anymore.  These two heart and bail pairs will be your pendants.  Slide them onto your chain. 

To finish, open your other open jump ring gently with your fingers and connect the other end of your chain with the closed jump ring.  Close the open jump ring with your pliers.  Then you are finished!

Here is a necklace I made below (I had another fight with my camera, sorry), and I'm thinking this one will go to my sister.  Hope you found this helpful, and please let me know if you have any questions.

Love,

Geneys  :o)

Cheap, Quality Makeup

If you are on a tight budget like we all are (I'm on a tight budget, just in denial of it) I think you will be interested to learn about Elf makeup.  Elf makeup is cheap, but its quality stands right up there with the big names, especially when it comes to its Studio line.  But let me warn you, Elf's Studio line specializes in eye makeup and concealers, so if you're going there for foundations, sorry, you will be disappointed. 

Nonetheless, Elf's Studio line is pretty awesome.  I just got an order from Elf in the mail, and I am MORE than satisfied with their products.  Their face brush is sooo soft, and their nail polish colors (I ordered three) were nicer than expected.  I had also ordered a blush/bronzer compact, which the blush is a really pretty, gentle pink color and not too dark, along with four packs of falsies, each with its own glue.  And how much did all of this cost me?  A whopping $13.00! 

This purchase was a no-brainer.  I was paying very little for good quality, and at the time of purchase, Elf had a promotional (as they usually do).  So, on top of what I was already saving by purchasing from Elf cosmetics, I got 50% off my entire order.  How awesome is that??

If you're looking to save some money, I would definitely check out Elf's Studio line.  Below is a picture of some of the products I purchased, and below that are the names, prices and where you can buy them.  Good luck!

Elf Nail Polish - $1.00 at www.EyesLipsFace.com

Elf Powder Brush - $3.00 at www.EyesLipsFace.com/Studio

Elf Dramatic Lash Kit (Black) - $1.00 at www.EyesLipsFace.com

Elf Blush/Bronzer - $3.00 at www.EyesLipsFace.com/Studio

Love,

Geneys  :o)

Etude House Makeup

Speaking of Korean cosmetics, I would recommend that you not only try out the Etude House skin care products, but also look into their makeup.  I haven't been able to buy too many things from them, but looking at what little I do have, I can tell you the Etude House makeup is REALLY PRETTY.

First, I hate to admit it but I do judge things by their cover when it comes to makeup.  And from what I could see the first time I saw Etude House's packaging, I knew I had to get some of their stuff!  The packaging that comes with their makeup line is so exquisite.  There is usually a flourish design on the lids and the tops of their bottles.  I was fighting with my camera, but you can kind of see the design up close here.

Second, if you try their makeup, it is just so awesome!  They have such neat innovations as their Tear Drop Liner, which can  be used to line your eyes so your eyes are eye-catching, and look brighter and more open.  And I have tried to find their Tear Drop Lashes product, so you can add a 'tear drop' to each of your eyelashes, but I haven't been able to get my hands on this.  It seems really awesome, so if anyone knows where to find this, I would appreciate it!

Also, you have to try their Peach products, which smell exactly like peaches!  I can't describe how nice the scent is, all I know is that it smells wonderful!  Mmmm, peaches!  There is nothing nicer than this smell, honestly.  What I do have of the Etude House makeup products I will put below with their prices and where you can get them (going from left to right in the picture).

Tear Drop Liner - $7.99 at www.etudehouseusa.com

Princess Cake Fragrance - $7.99 at www.etudehouseusa.com

66 Big Eye Vitcara Mascara - $9.99 at www.etudehouseusa.com

Peach Water Gloss - $6.49 at www.etudehouseusa.com

Peach Beam Blusher - $11.99 at www.etudehouseusa.com

But you know what?  Seriously, try it and judge for yourself.  I think you will love the experience!

P.S. - Here's a video so you can preview some of their products.  If I didn't do a good job explaining how cute these products are, I think this video will make it clear.

Love,
Geneys  :o)

Skin Care Routine

Currently I am split between two skin care routines, so I alternate between the two.  But first let me explain my skin.  When I have acne, it is BAD acne.  It's not like, oh look, I made a little friend, let me just pop it after it cultivates for a day or two.  No.  It's deep, it's swollen, it's painful, and it's very conspicuous on my face.  It was a LOT worse when I was in high school: oftentimes it looked like I had a golf ball-sized bump sticking out of my face.

Needless to say, my acne totally ruined whatever social life I had.  It has gotten a lot better over the years, especially after a round of Accutane that nearly wiped me out.  Sigh, sometimes I wonder if I should have children at all, because it would really suck if I had a daughter that had to go through this!

Anyways, if your skin is anything like mine (oily and acne-prone), the first skin care routine I will talk about was recommended by my dermatologist.  It is a brand called La Roche-Posay, and this consists of a cleanser and moisturizer, namely, Effaclar and Hydraphase.  This skin care routine is awesome, it really helps my acne.

The Effaclar is a great cleanser because it is soap-free with a pH of 5.5, which is great for sensitive skin, and even though it is very gentle, it still rids your face of excess oil and unclogs your pores.  Hydraphase is a good moisturizer because it's non-comedogenic, and it keeps moisturizing your skin at an intense level for about half a day.

Listen, this sounds contradictory, but if you have acne, it is important that you moisturize your skin.  I used to over-wash my face to try and dry it out, but little did I know that this would cause even more acne: dry skin flakes contribute to pore blockage and therefore more acne.  If you moisturize your face, the dirt and oil will have a path out.  Does this make sense?

The other skin care regimen I use is by Etude House, a Korean cosmetics company.  Their Aqua Sherbet skin care set is really good, especially during the summer (it's fall and it's still hot here in Nevada, so I'm still using it).  Their products are light, and refreshing, so your skin feels clean, clear, cool and moisturized.  The moment you spray the Ice Toner on your face, your face feels almost like ice, but it is such a nice, clean feeling.  The lotion, serum, and gel cream are all geared toward moisturizing your face.

I know it seems like a lot of steps: toner, lotion, serum and then gel, but these are all essential and in the end you will touch your skin and notice how light, cool, clean and soft it feels.  It also helps your skin avoid acne by moisturizing your skin, and it does so with some of the purest and most refreshing ingredients (Alaskan glacial water and grapefruit water).  I would highly recommend taking an afternoon break (especially when the sun is the hottest and you are feeling oppressed by the sun) to go through this skin care routine so you can feel fresh and renewed.

Unfortunately, good skin care is not that cheap.  But if you have acne, I would ask you to take a moment and ask yourself if the acne is worth it.  Personally, I think it's worth it so I don't have to go out in the public feeling gross.  Below are the items with their prices, along with where you can make the purchase.

Aqua Sherbet set - $54.99 at www.EtudeHouseUSA.com

Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel - $19.95 at www.Amazon.com

Hydrophaser Legere - $28.09 at www.Amazon.com

Let me know if you have any questions about any of these products and I will try to get back to you asap.  That's all for my skin care routine, and good luck!

Love,

Geneys  :o)

If You Don't Like the Taste of Lipstick...

My husband always complained about my lipstick.  He hated the taste, and he also didn't like it that he couldn't kiss me whenever he wanted to because my lipsticks tasted so gross.  I had to agree with him that my lipsticks taste gross, I mean, come on, I'm wearing the stuff!  On top of which I have this habit of pursing and licking my lips whenever I concentrate on something, so basically, I am constantly eating my lipstick.

I always thought that in the world of beauty, the old saying is ALWAYS true: no pain, no gain.  This meant that if my lipsticks tasted bad, I must continue wearing it and bearing it.  But one day, my mom-in-law heard about this issue about lipstick between my hubby and I, and she gave me some beauty advice.  She told me to try Clinique's lipsticks, because they are tasteless.  Well, I just got my first Clinique lipstick, and indeed, it doesn't taste like anything!  I can have the color, and not the gross taste!  Woot!  It's wonderful!  I can't tell you how happy I am!  

If you are interested in trying a Clinique lipstick, I highly recommend Clinique's Long Last Soft Shine lipstick.  The color in the photograph I've included is called Baby Kiss.  It's available online at www.Sephora.com for $14.00.  I hope you love Clinique's lipsticks just as much as I do! 

Thanks mom-in-law!  And come over here, Honey!

Love,

Geneys  :o)

Free Beauty Products

I should wait until tomorrow to do this post, but you don't understand, I'm sooo excited to be able to share this with you!  Nowadays, we are in recession mode, we are hurting for moolah, we can't go shopping as much as we would like.  How do we get around this problem to get to the beauty products we love and crave?  Simple, let me show you how.

Samples are a great way to try out different makeup products.  For the past month and a half, I have ordered many beauty samples, and not all of them have come in the mail yet (usually, they request 8-12 weeks for your products to arrive).  Needless to say, this method of acquiring beauty products is not a very reliable one if you are looking for specific staple items for your medicine cabinet or makeup drawer.  However, if you are not that picky about your beauty products, this might help your wallet.  After days and days of searching the internet, I have come up with a few good websites for free samples:

http://www.ilovefreethings.com

http://www.shop4freebies.com

http://www.freesamplesblog.com

http://walmart.triaddigital.com/In-Stores-Now-free-samples.aspx

Also, if you are a Costco member, oftentimes they offer free samples that are pretty substantial in size.  All you need is your Costco card number, and their samples arrive quickly in the mail.

Lastly, if you have a staple item that you are crazy about and you can't possibly bring yourself to try anything else, my suggestion is to keep visiting the website of the product.  Usually, the makeup websites offer samples of their products, and if not, they will give you some big coupons.

I hope you find what you are looking for, and this information helps you save money during these difficult times.  Good luck!

Love,

Geneys  :o)

Falsies

With what little I do know about falsies, I will tell you about them.  If you have a sagging face, or if you have a shapeless face like I do, you've got to take the attention away from your jawline.  One way of approaching this problem is to put on falsies, fake eyelashes.  When you accentuate your eyes, you really bring your eyes into focus and stop people from looking down there at your sagging/puffy/round whatever jawline. 

Remember, the general rule is to bring into focus with makeup, bring out of focus without makeup.  This is the reason why it is very important that you find a really good match for your foundation, and if you can help it, don't put any makeup near your jawline that attracts attention.  Falsies are also helpful in that they make your eyes appear bigger, and actually give the effect of lifting the face, making it so you appear very alert and bright.

Before you get excited and run to the store, however, let me give a few tips so you can pull off the falsies look.  First, please prep your falsies so that the "band" of the eyelashes will not show at all.  How I do this is I grab whatever liquid eye liner I've got and while the falsies are still in the box, I color the band so it looks completely black.  It is VERY important that you do this because the band of your falsies, while clear, still has a sheen to it that catches the eye.

Second, do not pull your falsies out of the box by ripping them out from their ends.  This will ruin the shape of the falsies and you will have a difficult time applying them.  Instead, use your thumb and gently pull the falsies off of their packaging from the middle of the eyelashes.  (I hope I'm explaining this so it makes sense).  In the end, it is more cost-effective to be gentler to your falsies, because you can reuse them up to about ten times.

Lastly, when applying your falsies, it is highly advisable that you use DARK adhesive, not clear.  The reason for this is that even though the clear glue claims to dry clear, it will still dry looking a bit opaque and white against your dark eye liner, and this is not good-looking at all.  We want to make these eyelashes appear natural, not nasty.

If you are just starting out with falsies, let me recommend Sally's Beauty Supply.  A pair of falsies will go for $3.99, and dark adhesive costs $3.59 the last time I checked.  You will probably have to experiment with the different shapes.  I cannot prescribe what shape would go good with your eyes, sorry - everyone has differently shaped eyes.  For me, I have tried MAC falsies, and couldn't justify paying $13.00 per pair, so I switched to Ardell.  The ones you see in the picture below are Demi Wispies, and the glue is Ardell's Lashgrip dark glue.

I hope these tips help you, and if you have any questions or better tips and tricks on falsies, please let me know!

Love,

Geneys  :o)

Notoriety

OMG, I cannot tell you how much I love this Notoriety eye shadow quad by MAC.  It is just perfect for your everyday look.  Whether you're going to school or work, it has just the right amount of impact.  It is neutral and warm, so you won't seem too makeup-y, but at the same time it will enhance the beauty of your eyes.

And listen, I don't care what anyone says, EVERYONE has beautiful eyes.  It's just that the eyes can be brought into focus with makeup, or out of focus without makeup.  I used to think man, my eyelids are Asian (creaseless and heavy), no point in putting makeup on.  Wrong!  Again, it's whether or not you decide to enhance what you have.

Anyways, going back to my point: I'm pretty new to the makeup world, but I have tried eye shadows by many different brands, and all of these pale in comparison to the awesomeness of the MAC eye shadows.  First, MAC eye shadows are very pigmented, which means that the amount of times you need to go back to the eye shadow pot to reload your brush is very minimal.  The color will carry through, spread, and blend very easily, all while giving you the integrity of the color that you expect.

Which leads me to my second point: I know that MAC eye shadows can seem very expensive ($14.50 per individual color and $36.00 per quad), but if you think about the number of times you have to swirl your brush into your cheaper eye shadow pots to create the same effect, the MAC eye shadows might be the better deal.  When I use the MAC eye shadows, I notice that I do not need very much on the brush, and it will still go a long way.  Whereas, for example, if I was using my Coastal Scents palette, I would have to keep going back to the palette for more.  I don't really know how to describe how awesome the MAC eye shadows are, words are too futile!

When you do buy it and use the Notoriety eye shadow quad, I would highly suggest using the top left color for your brow bone, and the bottom left color for all over your lid.  Then use the top right color for your crease, and the bottom right color for the outer corners of your lids.

And if you're still on the fence about whether or not you should buy this quad, let me make it easier and make the decision for you: you MUST get this quad, and buy it soon!  It is a limited edition quad, so whenever they run out, that's it.  Get something you can put on everyday, look into Notoriety.

Love,

Geneys  :o)

Speaking of Brushes...

OK, despite the fact that I'm sitting here all mopey because I'm missing my sister's way too cool b-day bash, I think I've found my new favorite face brush.  It's by Sephora, and although the Sephora brand has had some not-so-favorable reviews, I have to say this brush is the best face brush I've come across by far. 

Let me explain: this brush is perfect for those of you who are on-the-go, and also for other practical reasons.  The bristles are very soft when you brush them across your face, and very dense, so that your face powder would be distributed evenly on your skin.  There is a clear acrylic compartment that pops out and then you would screw it open to take the 'spatula' inside and scoop your face powder in.  Then you screw the bottom portion back into the brush, and push the bristles back up.  You would then shake the brush so that the powder from the compartment inside would come up to the bristles, and then brush, brush, blend all over your face.

There are also notches indicated on the bottom portion that allow you to control the amount of powder that comes to the top of the bristles: locked closed, slightly open, more open, and completely open.  There are only pictures on the brush to indicate these, but I don't know how to convey the information to you otherwise.  It's just really awesome.  Lastly, there is a cap for the brush so that the powder doesn't get everywhere in your makeup bag.  Come to think of it, it is also a space saver, so you wouldn't have to carry that large compact or tub of powder around.

I would highly recommend this as a cute little gift for someone, if not for yourself.  It is available online right now at www.Sephora.com for $24.  Please, do yourself a favor and get one of these.  I think you'll love it!

Love,

Geneys  :o)

First Tip: Clean Your Brushes!

One of the worst things you can do for the condition of the skin on your face is to rub dirty brushes into your pores.  Hello!  I have had more than my fair share of acne, so I have become extra careful about what touches my face.

So far, I have tried the brush cleansers from Bare Minerals and MAC.  The Bare Minerals brush cleanser seemed too harsh on the hairs of my brushes.  After the brushes were laid out to dry, the next morning I would find that the hairs on these brushes had become coarse, and rougher than before.  After this, I decided to go higher-end and try the MAC brush cleanser. 

However, after having cleansed with the MAC brush cleanser, I didn't feel like my brushes were cleaned thoroughly enough.  I'd put a drop or so on my eye brushes, and then brush them against a dry cloth, only to find that there was a bit of makeup hidden somewhere in the hairs.  So even though I had 'cleansed' my brushes with the MAC brush cleanser, there would always be a nagging feeling inside that the brushes hadn't been cleaned enough.  Perhaps I was being OCD about the cleanliness of my brushes, but I decided to keep looking.

Eventually, I came upon a makeup guru who suggested that Johnson's Baby Shampoo would be the best way to really thoroughly clean my brushes.  I tried it out, and I loved it!  How did I not think of it before?  If I was so concerned about the condition of the hairs on my brushes, I should have thought to go to the gentlest hair cleanser: Johnson's Baby Shampoo!  Hello!  The brushes were dry the next morning, and the hairs were softer and cleaner-feeling than ever before.

How often?  Twice a month for thoroughly cleansing with Johnson's Baby Shampoo and probably once a week for cleansing with the MAC brush cleanser.  I hope you try this and come to the same wonderful results!

Love,

Geneys :o)

Hello There!

Hey All!  First time blogging, kind of an interesting experience.  Let me introduce myself.  My name is Geneys, I am a 27-year-old housewife, stuck at home without a job or anything, and all I have to entertain myself with is learning about makeup, and acquiring and applying said makeup.  My blog might be different because I am approaching makeup from a Korean woman's point of view, and also because I consider myself a pretty normal-looking woman, with all my flaws and other things I have to hide.  If you are anything like me (kind of normal-looking), then I hope you will find this blog helpful.  Otherwise, you must be a superstar model who has no business poking around in blogs like mine!  Shoo!

Anyways, I hope you will join me on my adventure with makeup, because I am kind of just starting out in the world of beauty.  For the past several years, I went around with ONLY FOUNDATION, and believe me, I looked really plain.  But recently I have begun to dabble with stuff like eye shadows, primers, bronzers, and eye liners.  Amazing what a huge difference just these components make!  So upon my sister's suggestion, here I am!  I hope to review products for you and give you helpful tips.  See you around!

Love,

Geneys :o)