Beauty Tip

Chic Shopper Chick x Me = Even More Beauty Tips For You!

February 19, 2009 by Jillian

As of yesterday I am the newest contributor to the fabulous website: Chic Shopper Chick.

I’ll be sharing tips and tricks weekly, and if you like the how-to’s and must have’s that you read here then you will LOVE what I’m dishing on that site!

Go here to read my first post!

If you’re a new visitor who has found your way here through the link on CSC – Welcome!  My own blog is a little different from CSC  in that it is 100% about beauty.  My posts tend to focus on a mix of personal and professional, product reviews, and updates regarding recent work.  But, no matter what I’m writing about, the common thread is always beauty.

Please take a look around, peruse the archives, and get acquainted with what I do!  I look forward to having you as a regular visitor and encourage you comment!

Bali @ Major for NTO Jewelry

February 15, 2009 by Jillian

A few weeks ago I wrote about the liquid liner from Stila that looks like a Sharpie marker.  If you read that post then you might recall that I not only love the product, but that it also is phenomenal for creating a sexy liquid cat eye.

Below is a cat eye created using the product.  For this intensity, I recommend lining the eye TWICE.  Apply the first coat of liner and let it dry completely, and then repeat to achieve desired intensity and thickness.

Photos: Shannon Sinclair

Hair: Billy Keith

The Solution: Because the Last Thing You Need is Another Job

February 12, 2009 by Jillian

CLEANSER. EXFOLIATOR.  FACE SERUM.  EYE SERUM.  EYE CREAM. FIRMER AND A GLOP OF MOISTURIZER.

I do all that.  Nightly.  I know.  And yes, sometimes it’s exhausting.  I swear if I age poorly it will be solid proof that all of these ‘innovative’ products are just a scam.  For now I stick with it.  I’d rather have blind faith in skin care than risk getting old before my time.  Not to mention, it kind of is my job to be committed to all things beauty because I wouldn’t be a very good makeup artist and beauty expert if I didn’t devote my life (and my skin) to the cause.

But, I’m a real girl too, and sometimes I just get TIRED.  Tired as in ‘I CAN BARELY CHANGE OUT OF MY CLOTHES LET ALONE WASH MY FACE’ kind of tired.  I know you feel me. Say that you’ve never felt that way or gone to bed without washing your face, and I say you are a LIAR.  It happens to everyone, even those of use devoted to taking care of our skin.

For anyone who ever thought that they didn’t have the time or energy to commit to beautiful skin, I have the solution.  Literally.  I have it, and it’s called The Solution.

The Solution is the ultimate all-in-one skincare formula, replacing your: day cream, night cream, eye cream, moisturizer, anti-aging serum and, pre-makeup base!

It really doesn’t get any easier than that.

Tip: You can use this all over your face and neck.  EVERYWHERE.  I love applying a little on my lips before bed – I swear they’ve been softer and more lush since I started.  Also, use this before applying lipstick for a perfect, feather free application.

Bonus: This product is free of parabens and fillers AND 10% of the net proceeds from each sale are donated to charities that support sustainable projects for needy people worldwide.

To order The Solution by Envision, go here.

Q & A: Big Strong Brows

February 10, 2009 by Jillian

I haven’t done one of these in a while…

And this one is extra special because it was sent in from KAT via TWITTER which she supposedly HATES, but clearly finds ADDICTIVE and USEFUL.

She writes: So I am obsessed with Big strong eyebrows right now…I may need your assistance…maybe you’ll come over …I need some good brow advice…mine are thin and light and I tint them from time to time, I guess I need a good browliner and powder…whadda ya think? I do alright sketching em in…but could be better.

My response is this:

Dear Kat,

The obvious answer is to grow them in.  Obviously this is best.

If they don’t grow in very full (from too many years of plucking, tweezing, whatevs) then yes, you should fill them in.  I do not like pencil.  Actually, let me rephrase that: I HATE BROW PENCIL.

It is harsh, and will make you look severe.

I personally like powders or creams.  My favorite budget product is from Sonia Kashuk and it’s only 10 dollars at Target.  It comes in a quad with 4 colors so you can custom blend the perfect shade for you (I use this in my kit and swear by it). My second favorite, higher end selection is from Vince Longo – And if you move fast you can get it on sale at Sephora because Sephora is going to stop carrying the line soon.

Use a small, hard edged angle brush to apply the product (I like one from MAC and have linked it here). The key is to start with a little bit of product and build on it until you get the desired effect keeping in mind that with brows a little bit of product goes a long way.

Links to both products are below.

And, I will happily come by and demo proper eyebrow filling – But only if you admit that twitter is amazing.  Oh…and Staci has to make Shepards pie.  Those are my terms.

Good luck!

Sonia Kashuk Brow Quad

Vincent Longo Brow Powder Pomade

Are you on Twitter? Follow me!

OMFG: I love GG and Lubriderm

February 9, 2009 by Jillian

My roommate and I love some Gossip Girl.  Monday nights are major in our apartment, and we can’t get enough of the GG cast.  New York magazine was totally right when they declared it the ‘BEST. SHOW. EVER.’

Every time I think the story lines can not get any more ridiculous…They do.  And I am LOVING the whole ‘Dan/Serena share a sibling who is supposedly deceased but totally alive’ drama and I’m dying to see how that one plays itself out this season.

But the thing that really makes Gossip Girl a truly guilty pleasure, are all the beauty indulgences we get to partake in for one solid hour every week.  My roommate usually does her nails, and I usually take the hour to do a face mask – We are super girly girls and watching Gossip Girl makes it all that much more fun to engage in a power hour of beauty.  Despite the fact that we’re multi-tasking whilst watching our favorite guilty pleasure, we are 100% dedicated to our friends Chuck and Blair (How bad do you want to see them together already?), and until this week I can’t think of anything that has derailed our focus from our favorite Upper East Siders.

This week after braving some fiercely frigid winter days, I decided to forgo my usual face mask, and give a little TLC to my hands.  My digits have taken a beating this season, and I’ve been on the hunt for a hand cream that will make them look (and feel) a lot less like they’ve been beaten to death by the elements.  And for the first time ever, a product came along that was so amazing, it actually made us come to a pause.

Advanced Therapy Hand Cream from Lubriderm is a new product designed to not only protect your hands, but also heal them.  It’s not greasy, lasts through hand washing (really, it does), and provides 24 hour moisture.  Enriched with vitamins, nutrients and  antioxidants – This stuff is the real deal.  My hands instantly felt smoother and softer and the improved texture was so amazing that I could not stop applying it obsessively throughout the program.  Even my roommate (who is a very fussy consumer) was hooked and has been loving how effective and gentle this formula is.

I realize I’m a makeup artist, and I usually try and keep my product reviews focused on cosmetics and skin care.  However, I also believe the only other thing worse than an old face is old hands (Ok maybe saggy boobs are on the same level, but, that goes without saying).  If you read this blog regularly you know that I swear by skin care.  Make-up can not look good at any age, if you’re not taking care of your skin.  Like Madonna once said, ‘eventually we’re all going to get old and shrivel up and die’ – But, why should we get there any sooner than expected?  That’s why I think it’s important to fight the good fight against pre-mature aging.  People usually think their face is the only place that shows their age, but did you know that after your neck your hands are one of the first areas that can show signs of aging?

OK, so now you know, and now you can go and pick up some of this really fabulous hand cream.  Do it.  Now.

xoxo
Jillian

At Least Your Eyes Don’t Look THIS Bad

January 8, 2009 by Jillian

Photo: Unknown – Sent directly to me from the victim.

 

This is Anton.  He accidentally got hit in the eye with a 2×4 a few months ago and it’s been drama ever since.  Now his eye is infected – The result of rolling around on a carpet in Vermont over the holidays, or something.  I’m not exactly sure since I wasn’t there. But, that’s what I’m told.

He’s now subjected to walking around with an unfortunate swollen eye.  Again.  

This is an extreme case, but, the reality is that puffy, swollen eyes are the bane of many people’s existence. 

Here are my top three eye creams to reduce all the puff:

MAC Fast Response Eye Cream:  People say too much caffeine is not good for you – But, that doesn’t hold true when the caffeine is in an eye cream!  This cream is packed with caffeine, which instantly acts to de-puff the eye area. Not a long term solution, but a fabulous quick fix.  Also provides a great base for eye make-up.  

 

 

ROC Retinol Corrextion Eye Cream:  This is one of the best eye creams that you will find in the drug store, and I’ve found that it’s really effective if you use at night.  With regular use it decreases puffiness in 4 weeks, and also lessons the appearance of crows feet in 12 weeks.  A great long term treatment.

 

 

Preparation H:  Trust me.  This might actually be the best budget solution to puffy eyes that there is.  If it can shrink a hemorrhoid, then it can definitely stand up to a pair of puffy eyes.  I recommend the cream which isn’t greasy like the original formula.  You can also use this under your regular eye cream.

Not to Be Confused with a Marker

January 7, 2009 by Jillian

Ever since I received this I’ve been obsessed.  I’ve even gotten my girlfriends obsessed.  Not that it was difficult to get them hooked on this product – It’s GENIUS.  

Really, when I get to thinking about it…It seems so obvious.  I can’t imagine why no one came up with this before.  It just makes sense.

If you love a good liquid eyeliner like I do, then you will freak over this.  

Stila Liquid eyeliner looks like a baby sharpie marker.  You know Sharpie, right?  They’re very common in offices.  Even artists use ‘em.  Sharpie is an icon in the world of markers.  And now it seems that Stila has it’s own icon in the world of liquid liner.

 This product might as well be the love child of Sharpie and liquid liner.  It’s make-up perfection in a tiny little pen.  There is no ‘well’ to dip a brush in to,  and there is no flimsy brush to fuss with in order to create the perfect line.  This is about as easy as liquid liner gets.

Just shake the pen and it’s all good.  You don’t even have to pull on the eye (which you shouldn’t do anyway because it will give you OLD EYES).  Just run the tip along the lashline for a precise and even line – Every time.

For a thicker line I recommend working off the side of the tip.  For a thinner line I suggest only working with the point.  

Bonus:  This creates an AMAZING cat eye a la Nicole Richie.  If you like how Nicole Richie rocks her eyeliner, then you’ll be thrilled to know that this small wonder makes her look super easy to replicate.

Cop it here.

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