Sharpen Your Eyeliner

Upon working with a bride this weekend, I perfected an eyelining technique. The thing is that I love liquid eyeliner because it is much sharper than an eyelining pencil and really stands out above carefully-curled lashes. But sometimes, it may not look completely uniform - especially on someone who likes to squeeze their eyes together in fear of foreign objects being placed quite close to their eye by a stranger. This is completely understandable; hence I decided to use both the eyelining pencil and the liquid eyeliner.

Use an eyelining pencil with good pigmentation. I love Prescriptives' Softlining Pencil in Jet. As you close one eye and pull out your lid so that it's pretty smooth, run the pencil from the inner corner to the outer corner of your eye in short, little movements. Once you have your straight line, use the liquid eyeliner (I enjoy Maybelline's Lineworks Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner) to give the line a little more definition. For the liquid liner, I usually start in the middle of the lid so as not to have an excess of product on either end. Be sure to smooth out the line from end to end. And there you have a sharper, more cohesively-lined lid!

A Face for Facials

I got a facial yesterday - my second ever - and my esthetician told me that my face was looking much improved from the first time I came to her. I was completely thrilled. I did switch up a few things in my routine since that day and I'm going to tell you about them right now!

1. Cleanser
SEV told me about this absolutely divine cleanser that she couldn't live without. It's Bliss' Steep Clean Deep Pore Cleanser. She went on and on about it so much, I just had to see what the hype was all about. She was definitely right. You put this cleanser on your dry face, which seems extremely strange but seriously does wonders. If you think about it, you really get the strongest possible product this way, as you're not diluting it with water. And, although it feels strange at first -- to have this dry product not gliding along your face with ease -- your face will feel so smooth once you wash off the Steep Clean Deep Pore Cleanser.

Tip: Occasionally (or more often than not), you can use your Clarisonic brush with the cleanser. Just wet the brush head after you apply the product to your dry face…

2. Toner
I didn't use toner until I left my facial last time. Apparently moisturizing is not enough. You need to also tone your skin. This will ensure that you use less moisturizer than you would need. I bought one of the toners at the salon and have been using it pretty religiously (we all have our off days) each time I wash my face. I have noticed a difference.

Tip: There are some toners that are spray-on so you don't need to go through the annoyance of using a cotton ball each time. If you have the cotton-ball-necessary toner, then you can put some in a spray bottle and use it that way -- saves a little time if you're in a hurry.

3. Moisturizer
Moisturizer is so key. The first time a makeup artist told me that even oily skin needs moisturizer, I was hooked. It really is true. If you don't moisturize, your skin tends to overproduce oil - and then you are left looking like a greaseball. I'm still looking like this anyway, but I can definitely bring down the degree to which I'm oily.

My favorite moisturizer? Prescriptives' All You Need + SPF 15 for Oilier Skin.

4. Mask
I haven't been keeping up with using a mask the way I should be. My esthetician told me yesterday that I should use one at least once a week. This will help cut down on oil and keep me looking nice and fresh. The one I want to try was also recommended by SEV - the Steep Clean Facial Mask by Bliss. Once I try it out I will let you know what I think!

My skin has been looking so much better in the past few months and I really do believe it's due to my routine and the occasional facial. And since I'm not made of money and can't go quite as often as I'd like to get facials these are just some of the things I can do in between to maintain a healthy, glowing face.

-A

Multi-Functional Primer

I've found a new product. And it's a foundation primer that is multi-functional. I think I may be in love (though we do know that sometimes I can fall out of love just as quickly). However, I think this one should be around for some time. It's the Cover FX Clearprep FX Matte Foundation Primer. Here are its jobs:

Mattifier
Upon using Clearprep for the first time, I felt exactly what they meant when they said matte -- it's nice and light. The product goes on your face extremely smoothly and doesn't feel like those excessive oily products. Hey, I can't afford to be throwing more oil on my face!

Zit-Fighter
Clearprep advertises an anti-acne feature, which we can see on the ingredient list in the form of salicylic acid. I'm not sure if it actually has helped get rid of my problem areas, but it certainly can't hurt, right?

Shine Buffer
I must say, I am one of the oiliest people I know and it grosses me out. I've tried so many products to stop that oil from coming through my pores, but many do not meet my expectations. I definitely saw a difference when I used Clearprep. It didn't solve my problem, but I was blotting a lot less throughout the day and felt that this was in large part due to Clearprep's presence.

Primer
I'm definitely an advocate for priming before applying your foundation. It keeps a tighter hold on the product and helps fill in any spaces before you apply your foundation, whether it's liquid or powder. This mattifying primer certainly does a nice job and I like the staying power it has.

Clearprep may not solve all of my problems (ie, I do get oily eventually), but really I'm just so oily -- it would seriously take a miracle. I definitely recommend checking out Cover FX Clearprep FX Matte Foundation Primer.

Available at Sephora, $39.