Maybe she's born with it?

or maybe it's makeup?

Brush cleaning day!  I have committed to every other Thursday being my makeup brush cleaning day
I usually use a gentle organic shampoo to clean my brushes, but this time tried a mixture of warm water, apple cider vinegar (great antibacterial cleanser) and dish washing soap. Worked well, bristles are nice and soft and have not lost their shape.
I  tried out a new trick I found on Pinterest on drying makeup brushes.  After washing, tie your brushes together with any hair elastic and attach that to your faucet.  Your brushes hang with the bristle facing down to prevent any water getting inside the metal portion of the brush.  Brushes last longer as it does not disrupt the glue adhesive that attaches the handle to the brush.  Furthermore, mold can build up if water gets inside.
Today as i was cleaning my makeup brushes, i decided to look through my makeup bag to evaluate some of the purchases i have made.

I have to admit that i am still very much a newbie in the makeup department.  I really did not start wearing makeup until after University.  My makeup "case" contained three items from Shoppers Drug Mart- a tube of  Marcelle tinted moisturizer,  Physicain Formula's bronzing powder and L'oreal Voluminous mascara. Most days i would not wear makeup, but had these for night outs.  

 Not because i thought of myself as a natural beauty, but I just never felt I could apply makeup properly. I thought a natural face was better than a badly made up face.  I also was very involved in running, and really did not have a chance to wear makeup.  I would have to wash it off anyways before training, so there did not seem like a point in even applying it when i woke up.  Being in the sun for training, and working at the gym where i had access to a tanning bed (which i don't do anymore) in the winter,  i always had a sort of tan foundation that covered up any blemishes, redness, imperfections. Plus youth was on my side, we all have a natural glow in our 20's. 

I would say that not until about a year ago did i finally start learning a bit about makeup.  When i was downtown one afternoon i visited MAC store, and a lovely makeup artist spent the time going over makeup with me.  Luckily, i went on a day when it was not busy and got one on one service to help me understand what to pick. This was in contrast to a very intimidating experience at Sephora where there was too much to look at, and not enough help.  I feel like Sephora is store for someone who knows what they want, or at least knows the basics of makeup where they can try products out for themselves without the help of a beauty consultant...that was not me! 

So we picked out a variety of essential makeup items and the start of a real cosmetic collection began. I have slowly started treating myself to makeup along the way.  I now have a cosmetic bag that contains more than 3 items...in fact, quite a few that my makeup bag is now filled. 

Here it is:

I have a rule that i can't have more than one product that does the same thing.  So i have to wait until one is finished before i try another.

Face:  All MAC

• Foundation: Studio Sculpt SPF Foundation. Will try Nars Sheer Glow foundation once this is finished.
• Select cover-up concealer. 
• Sheer Pressed Powder
• Mineralize Skin Finish bronzer in dark
• Melba blush.  I Like this one for casual everyday.  It is a great introduction colour into the world of blushes. I want to get MAC Springsheen next and will purchase it for the summer.  It was instant love when i tried it.  Gave me more of a wow factor than Melba.  I also hear it is the best dupe for NARS orgasm, but after trying both, i like Springesheen better.

Eyes

• I got a custom MAC eyeshadow quad with Jest, Ground, Coral (I love this and it was my first "looks intense, but it really is not that intense when put on" colour) and Deep Damson.  The camera did not pick up the coral colour.  It looks so much brighter/intense in person.  It is only sold in the Pro Mac stores, try it if you are there.
• MAC Blanc Type eyeshadow- for inner eyes
• MAC Sable eyeshadow for crease
• Smashbox Brow Tech in soft brown
• Stilla liquid eyeliner- treated myself to this after i cut off my hair.
• L'oreal Voluminous Mascara (classic)\
• Free MAC zoom mascara

Highlighter

• Benefit Watts Up and Miss Popularity
• Smash Box photo op eye Brightener- came in a set i got cheap at Winners -see below)

Primers- got a smashbox set at Winners for 19.99 and it included

• Photo Finish Primer
• Photo Op Eye Brightener
• Lash Primer
• Lip Primer
• Eyeshadow Primer

Lips

• MAC Sheen Supreme in Ultra Darling
• MAC Twig
• Nars Orgasm lipgloss
• Lola Jacqui- i love this one, but i think this may be my last tube as they don't sell them at Sephora anymore. Found it for my wedding day, and it has been a favorite ever since.
• Nars Red Lizard- Eeek, a RED lipstick.  Have only worn it once while we went out for dinner in California.  I need to be more brave and wear it out again...for my next date night.

So there it is!  Maybe i was not born with the natural-no need for makeup face, but that does not mean i can't fake it. I am still learning, and hope to get a lot better this year.

My favorite site for makeup application is

Maskcara

Pinterest- i have pinned some great tutorials to try.  Do a search, you will find lots of info.

I like this site for looking at different makeup swatches and reading reviews:

My favorite GTA makeup artist is Heather Snowie