Brushes 101: A Brief Tutorial

Every gal worth her eyeshadow knows that awesome makeup is nothing without a good set of tools with which to apply it. A pro never goes anywhere without a solid set of brushes. Have you ever seen professional makeup artists strutting around with those black belts slung around their hips, stacked with upright brushes for every cosmetic need? That’s the ultimate in brush utopia. I’m here today to help you navigate the world of brushes to build a strong set for the basic functions. Welcome to Brush 101, your crash course in makeup brushes.

Read on for the full course after the jump.

Get the Look: Ruffian Spring 2010 Runway Eyes

I’m crazy about the look MAC artist James Kaliardos created for the Ruffian Spring 2010 runway show. The beautiful, pastel-infused palette of colors looks flirty, lighthearted, and of course, fun. And check out those lashes! It’s easy to recreate; after the jump, check out my brief tutorial on recreating a similar look.

Find Your Perfect Shade with 3 Custom Color Specialists

We all know how frustrating it is to desire a certain shade of lip gloss or blush, and to never get our hands on. Sometimes, everything we try just seems slightly off. Those days have come to an end with 3 Custom Color Specialist’s Custom Blending Service.

They can recreate shades for lip color, eyeshadow, brow filler, eyeliner, concealer, eyeshadow, powder, blush, and lipliner (whew!). If you fell in love with a shade that has since been discontinued, send the remnants to 3 Custom Color and they’ll whip up a new batch for you. Or, search their online archives for discontinued shades that they already have formulations for.

Read on for more custom creations.

Update: Bobbi Brown Extreme Party Mascara

I’ve been using Bobbi Brown’s new Extreme Party Mascara ($22) for about a week now. I am genuinely surprised at how much I like it; I wasn’t expecting much from it, because I typically find Bobbi’s mascaras to be too natural for the look I prefer. This one is bold and beautiful.

It’s a wetter formula than I’m used to (I prefer dry mascaras), but it works. At its core, it’s a layering mascara; each time you apply a new coat, the previous coat is reactivated (no matter how long ago you applied it), so you can build up to the thickness and length you prefer. The most remarkable quality of this mascara is its softness and flexibility; through all that reapplying, the mascara never gets hard or flakes, and it doesn’t make lashes brittle. Lashes stay soft, supple, defined and dark with each additional coat.

It’s also a really damn good mascara overall. The brush is fat and packed with bristles, which gives lashes thickness and length, and fans them out beautifully. Eyes look bigger, wider, more intense after 2 coats.

I can’t find anything I don’t like about this mascara!

Get the Look: Kim Kardashian’s Glam Nude Lips

I’ve said it time and again: Kim Kardashian is the Queen of the Nude Lip. Not a bad title to hold, right?

She does it so well, and thankfully, she shares her secrets with us occasionally. Her birthday celebration last week was cause for her glam squad to swoop in and prettify her. Makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic created this sweetly sultry look. Read on to find out what he used.

Perfectly Preppy

Clockwise from top left: Kate Spade “newbury” flats, $275; Juicy Couture “gossip girl” sunglasses, $145; J.Crew wool schoolboy blazer, $178; Lilly Pulitzer “laurent” ruffle cardigan, $178; Guess plaid peacoat, $198; Chanel vintage pearl CC earrings, $550; Lilly Pulitzer “kaya” dress, $298; J.Crew pearl cluster necklace, $75; Forever 21 “signature satin bow” headband, $4.80; Kate Spade “beantown quinn” tote, $275; J.Crew pearl pebble cocktail ring, $55.

Someone Please Turn Me Into This Woman

This is really an ad for YSL’s Mascara Singulier ($30), but the first thing I noticed about the model was…well, everything. Her eyes are gorgeously styled, with a slight cat eye and major lashes. Notice she’s wearing little more than those 2 products on her eyes, and they are stunning. The cateye adds intrigue, but isn’t over-the-top dramatic…it somehow manages to be subtle and beguiling. Her brows are impeccably shaped and groomed, yet they don’t look too darkened by brow filler.

Her skin is flawless It’s smooth and dewy, with the faintest hint of pink blush on her cheeks.

I NEED this lipcolor; it is to die for. (I wish it noted what it was on the YSL website.) Her lips are slightly shimmery and so voluminous.

Ok, I don’t need to magically morph into this woman, but can someone please do my makeup like this, just once?

MAC Studio Moisture Cream, aka My New Fave Moisturizer

Here’s a sin I’m not proud to admit: I don’t always wear moisturizer. In fact, sometimes I forget to moisturize for days at a time. Other times, I just put it off because I hate the way it leaves a greasy-feeling residue on my skin. But all that’s about to change, because I’ve discovered my new favorite moisturizer: MAC Studio Moisture Cream ($32).

This super-rich, ultra-thick cream is like a comforting veil for skin. Not only does it work overtime to hydrate upon contact, but it works all day to draw moisture from the air into your pores, boosting your complexion’s radiance long after you’ve applied.

Details after the jump.

Anastasia Brow Duality

In Sephora a few weeks ago, a sales associate used Anastasia Brow Duality ($23) under my arches. Never in my life would I think of using a pencil on my browbone; for me, pearly shadows give a much softer effect while highlighting and defining brows. I’d always thought of brow enhancing pencils as harsh, giving brows and eyes that “overdone” look.

Not this one.

The dual-ended pencil has a matte tip for daytime brow highlighting (which is more subtle), and a shimmery tip for night-out looks. It not only helped to define my brows, but it brought light to my entire eye area by highlighting the browbone. It gave my eye makeup a finishing touch, and almost seemed to “lift” my entire eye area. All this from a double-tipped pencil!

More details after the jump.

MAC Devil May Dare Eye Palette

From MAC’s Magic, Mirth, and Mischief holiday 2009 collection is the Devil May Dare eyeshadow palette ($36). This collection of 6 new, exclusive shadows was described as “warm” on MAC’s website, and therefore, I never considered trying it (I’m a cool). But when a MAC artist applied it to my eyes, the effect was stunning.

More product shots after the jump.