Makeup Must: Foundation Brush

You’ve heard it before – you get what you pay for.  The savvy people of the world know that it is only mostly true – there are certainly things that aren’t worth the money or investment, but then there are, of course, lots of things that are.  Here is where I cut to the chase and tell you that a foundation brush is one of those things that is worth your money.

Let me back up, in case you are reading this, scratching your head in frustration, and saying “a whoodey-whatey?”  A foundation brush is a flat, tapered brush that you use to apply – what else – foundation.  Applying foundation with your fingers is a big no-no, even well-washed hands can spread bacteria and cause breakouts.  A brush will also give you a more even application – filling in each line and ultimately giving you a more finished look.  Ever wonder how celebs always have such flawless skin on camera, or why your makeup just doesn’t look as polished as you think it should?  The answer is simply:  buy a foundation brush.

Can you hear angels singing?

Foundation brushes will work with all sorts of foundations – cream, solid, liquid – you name it.  They are great for spot applications and can be cleaned using your everyday shampoo!  Makeup is an art – give new meaning to “painting” your face.

I personally use the Sephora Brand Professional Foundation Brush but I also really like the MAC 190 Foundation Brush and the Chanel Le Pinceau Teint brush.  You should expect a decent brush will start at around $25 but can go all the way up to $50.  It’s an investment, but remember that you will use it daily, and it won’t “run out” if you take excellent care of it!

Have any makeup tips and tricks you want to share?  Questions you’d love to see answered?  Leave them in the comments!

Superbowl Stunner: A How To for You!

I love Jennifer Hudson and I don’t think I’m alone here.  She’s talented, fearless and always looks fabulous.  She’s come a million miles since her underdog days on American Idol, and it’s been such a thrill to watch her grow into a stunning young woman.

Her makeup is always PERFECT.  Whether she’s walking the red carpet, or making an appearance, or giving one of her sensational performances.

I’m STILL in love with her makeup at the Superbowl earlier this month, and I know many other people thought she looked particularly fabulous for the occasion.  If you loved her look too, here is how you can get the look with a how to courtesy of her incredibly talented make-up artist Sam Fine – who also gives great face to Queen Latifah (Interested in a ‘how to’ for Queen Latifah?  Visit my blog).

TO GET THE LOOK:

Mascara is My Must Have. What’s Yours?

I want to start out by saying that this is not the original entry I had taken the time to write.  My original post was lovely.  I promise.  In any case, let’s see if I can get this going again since that post mysteriously VANISHED.

When Erika asked if I’d start contributing to CSC I was incredibly flattered, super excited and also a little bit nervous. I know I’ve been doing the make-up thing for a while now, and I’m definitely a bon-a-fide hustler making my name in my own scene, but its always slightly intimidating to be the new girl. Especially when you’re the new girl on a website maintained by a really fabulous young woman who seems to have this blogging thing down a lot more than I do in my own little corner of the internet.

I do my best on my own site, constantly trying to strike a balance between personal and professional, and product reviews and beauty tips. Trying to find the appropriate balance on my own site can be tough though, and it often means that I don’t get to let my readers in on as many great products and how-to’s as I might like. So when Erika asked if I’d share my tips with you, I couldn’t resist the opportunity! Here on CSC I’ll be able to give you all the tips I have, even the ones that might not have a home on my own blog because I’m busy blogging about a photoshoot or recent work.

I thought for my first post I would share my must have mascara’s and the best way to apply them. It is one of Erika’s make-up obsessions, and it is also one of mine…And I think it’s the perfect way to get things started. If you too share our passion for luscious lashes, then you will love the following two mascara’s: Benefit BADgal and Maybelline Great Lash.

Benefit BADgal is my favorite! It creates thick and full lashes that look incredibly sexy on any woman! However, some of my clients and friends have complained that the brush on this mascara is too big and they aren’t comfortable handling it. My suggestion is to bend the tip of the wand. You don’t have to bend it a lot – Just a slight bend will allow you greater control over the brush because you’ll be able to twist and turn it in more directions than if you leave the wand straight.

If BADgal doesn’t work for you, there is always Maybelline Great Lash! There’s a reason that this mascara has a cult following: It does not disappoint! It’s virtually fool proof, and in my opinion is one of the most consistent mascara’s on the market. When applying this mascara, I recommend TWO coats applied one right after the other. You don’t want this mascara to dry before applying a second coat otherwise you’ll end up with spider lashes; And seriously, who wants spider lashes?

Note: If you’re already devoted to a specific mascara, you can still try my tip for bending the tip of the mascara wand. No matter what mascara you use, you will get optimal control if you bend the tip which means you’ll be able to cover every inch of lash!  Trust me, maneuvering the wand will be easy breezy with this trick!

That’s all for this week, but please let me know what you might be interested in reading! I’m really excited to have a new network of girlfriends with a love of beauty, and I hope that you’ll share your own tips in the comment section and also leave questions there about anything beauty related that you might want to see covered in my posts.

You are also welcome to visit my blog – Your feedback is appreciated there as well!

I look forward to writing, and sharing my tips with all of you!

CSC Welcomes Jillian To Our Team!

I am very excited to be bringing a second contributor on board here at Chic Shopper Chick and am even more excited to tell you all about who she is!  Back in October I met Jillian during the Hot Blogger Calendar Photo Shoot when she worked her magic as a makeup artist to make me camera-ready (I’m not even kidding when I tell you that she AIRBRUSHED my makeup!)  She immediately put me at ease – she was so sweet and lots of fun during the entire process – we chatted about makeup and style, and she made the entire experience completely stress-free.  And, really, that is saying a lot since I tend to be a beauty snob and quite picky at times.  She was completely devoted to creating a look for me that I loved, and just giggled and obliged me when I asked for even more mascara.  It was a great experience!

About a month ago I started thinking that I wanted to have a regular beauty column here on Chic Shopper Chick, and I immediately thought of Jillian.  I was very excited when she agreed, so starting this week she is going to be giving you great tricks and tips, as well as recommending great products for you to use to spice up your daily beauty routine!  As a professional make-up artist and beauty blogger herself, Jillian is on top of all of the newest trends in the beauty industry and so I’m majorly pumped to have her writing weekly here!  Her work encompasses a broad spectrum of clients and celebrities including: Verizon, Rogan, LRG, Interview Magazine, CBS, the CW Network, FOX; David Allen Grier, Levon Helm, Santogold, Jennifer Missoni, Zuleikha Robinson and Freddy Rodriguez, among others.  You can see that she is very accomplished, and we’re thrilled to have her on board!

To hold you over until she starts posting this week, you can check out Jillian’s blog or her website to see some of her work.  Don’t forget to give her a warm welcome – we’re thrilled to have her!

UPDATED:  Do you have a topic or trick or product that you want Jillian to talk about?  Let her know in the comments here and she will do her best to answer your questions!