The Nakeds

I recently acquired a foreign boyfriend. American. The out-doorsy Texan kind. An absolutely wonderful man- generous, kind, caring and ever so patient. Surprisingly also the sort of man that I can trust to accompany me into a Sephora, and know he won't complain too much about spending a week camping in there, comparing hand swatches and debating quality and prices with me. I'm not the only one girls, we all know the struggle...

Anyhoo, on his trip over to South Africa, he asked if he could bring anything over for me from the great land of the free. Naturally I put in an order to break the bank as we rarely have this sort of opportunity offered to us artists over here at the forgotten end of the planet.

Yes, my man went cosmetics shopping for me, *gasp* babysat my eye shadows for over 30 hours of flight time, and I can now claim to be the proud owner of not one, not two, but THREE Urban Decay Naked palettes straight from Sephora. My days of YouTube and Insta-envy are over. Well, for now.

Urban Decay Naked 1,2,3

Having never tried the brand or an original product, I wasn't sure how to decide between the 3. 

I did a TON of research on which was the most versatile palette. Now I can tell for myself, and I feel an obligation to let the world know that the Naked 2 is the one to get if one must make a choice. As a make-up artist in a country with the most diverse skin tones, cultures, tastes and textures in the world, I can see the value in this particular range of shades. I also love the very black shade in this one, it's a strong pigment. Tease is a good matte crease colour, and Snakebite pigment is superb- it shows up a lot darker than it looks in the palette.

Naked 2

You'll notice there's a colour missing in  my Naked 2. The little metal containers had not been stuck to the palette container properly and it fell out as I opened it. Ironically it's the only one that has broken, and the shade is called BUSTED. 

If you have the extra cash and have blue or green eyes, get the Naked 3. The shades in 3 will make those eyes POP like crazy. .

Naked 3

Naked 1 is super for natural girls who love a basic, easy to wear look. I especially love Darkhorse, Naked and Buck. Virgin is a great brow bone highlighter.

I love these palettes for bridal looks, everyday wear and evening wear. The lasting power of the pigments is not as good as some professional products I am used to, but I think they are definitely worth having in your personal make-up kit.

Below is a look I created with the Buck, Tease and black shades on Monica, one of my lovely brides, and then a look on myself using BUSTED which is of course no longer part of my collection. ;)

xoxo B xoxo

Make-Up Brushes

I'm not sure what brand the numbers correlate to, but this pic I found gives a good idea as to what all the different make-up brushes are used for.

xoxo B xoxo

The Professional Look

The common eyeshadow palette. Some of the colours may seem pointless if you don't know what they are used for. Medium shades can be fantastic blending tools. This is a wonderful illustration on how to use the various shades found in most pharmacy brand eyeshadows.

1. The Highlighter : lashes to lid

2. The Medium-Dark : blend over the outer half of lid, lashes to crease.

3. Dark : apply in a C/V-shape on outside of the eyelid, keeping to natural crease lines and blending harsh lines.

4. Light-Medium: blend into the entire crease.

Finish off with liner and mascara! Intensify by using a darker dark and a lighter highlighter.

xoxo B xoxo

Brush Basics

Make-up Brush Basics

Make-up Artists will always give you this advice : Invest in a set of quality brushes.

I agree, its great advice, and you agree, that all sounds very exciting. So you take a casual walk around the closest MAC store, see the prices, hear the jargon, freak out and leave the decisions for another day. The truth is before anyone gets caught up in the industry, there's hardly anyone that can give a clue as to what goes with which and how it should -or shouldn't- be used. It can be very overwhelming, and lets be honest, its not cheap. The good news is that if you know your basic application needs, and buy a really good quality set to meet them, you probably won't have to replace your set for a good few years.

Here are some basics I feel are worth investing in for the everyday woman.

Foundation 

Stippling Brush / Duo Fibre

MAC Stippling / Duo-Fibre brushes

These brushes are fantastic for foundation application and give a flawless airbrushed look. Don't be fooled by brushes that simply have two different colour bristles. The duo fibre brush is made from two very different kinds of fibres- natural (dark colour bristles) and synthetic (white).

 I use them for mineral as well as liquid foundation. Use this brush with small quantities of product and apply in short stippling (dotting) and light circular motions.

The classic foundation brush

This can be used for liquid or cream foundation

 These come in various shapes and sizes, including a square tipped shape as well as miniature versions for small areas and concealer. Start in the middle of your face and work the foundation outwards. Short criss-cross motions will help prevent streaks

Mac Foundation Brush

Mac Concealer Brush

Powder

If you use a cream or liquid foundation that doesn't set (transfers) use some translucent powder and apply with a powder brush like this one, or a powder puff. 

Blusher

 Apply a small amount to the apples of your cheeks with the blusher brush. This part is easy to see when you smile.

Eyebrows/ Eyeliner

 Use the small angled brush for filling in eyebrows or for applying eyeliner. I personally always use powder instead of pencil as it gives a more natural finish, and find this brush indispensable.

 The Fluff Brush is wonderful applying shadow to the lid area.

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I love the Blending Brush. This is my absolute favourite and its used for blending the eyeshadow and softening lines. Soft blended eyeshadow is the best way to make your makeup look professional.

Variations of all these brushes are made by most professional cosmetic houses in varying degrees of quality and cost. I would say these are the most important to a personal kit and definitely worth spending on. You can add other tools and brushes as you go along. 

Find more information on these Mac brushes http://www.maccosmetics.com 

Essence is a super brand and very affordable. You can get it at Clicks or Dischem here in South Africa. Perhaps try out some of their brushes for your starter kit?

http://www.essence.eu/za/products/eyes/little-helpers.html 

http://www.essence.eu/za/products/face/powder-brushes-sponge.html

xoxo B xoxo

Complimenting Your Eyes

What are the best shades to bring out the colour of your eyes? Colours on the opposite side of the colour are complimentary. Have a look at the colour wheel if you aren't familiar with what fits where.

Blue eyes should try green, orange and brown. Brown eyes suit pink, blue, purple and blue-green. For green eyes go with terracotta, mauve and dusty pink. One can use different shades together, and for an easy to blend look, try choosing analogous colours. These are shades next to each other on the colour wheel.

These are a guideline, of course, and there will be some variation depending on your skin tone too, but why not give these a try!?

xoxo B xoxo