Broken Eye Shadow? Here's how to fix it!

Has this ever happened, you open up an eyeshadow and it's disintegrated into small pieces?

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I always I thought I had two options, pour the loose shadow into a small container or throw it away.  Neither of those options were very appealing until I discovered this ... you can re-solidify your shadows.

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Using rubbing alcohol fill the metal container 3/4 high (I prefer 99% alcohol, but 90% or 91% should be fine) .

Don't over fill, you can always add more alcohol if it's not full enough.

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Gently press the shadow with a Q-tip mixing the shadow and alcohol together.

Make sure the shadow is completely saturated with alcohol even if this means the breaking the chunks of eye shadow into smaller pieces.

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The eye shadow should be completely saturated.

Lift the container and tap it against the counter.  You should see small bubbles being forced to the surface as the alcohol/eye shadow mixture settles back into the container.

Let the eye shadow container sit open so the alcohol can evaporate.

Voila!!!! Amazing that with a little alcohol an eye shadow can go from this to this!

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Hope this little trick can keep you from needlessly throwing away a broken eye shadow.

Jamie

CoverGirl LashBlast Mascara - Product Review

Mascara, the one product that I find women have a love affair with.  We love it ... but very few of us are in a committed relationship to just one brand.  I too fall into this category.  There may be seasons that I go back to the reliable ones, but I'm quite certain I've never purchased the same tube of mascara twice in a row. Now in all fairness I'm quite harsh in my judging.  I expect the trifecta of drama to happen with every swipe of the brush; it must lengthen, add volume and curl.  If any one area falls short, I'm not buying the tube again.

This mascara for the most part has passed the test, well at least enough that I've bought this type 2 or 3 times before.  It's CoverGirl LashBlast Volume Mascara.  It's the one in the orange tube, don't get the other colors . . . (see the last comment about the green tube)

Here's the proof

Mascara-Before

Mascara-After

Length - Much longer lashes

Volume - Each lash appears to be wider, but they aren't clumped together.

Curl - I do not curl my lashes with an eye lash curler and this mascara still gives me pretty good lift.  I have noticed they will straighten a little through out the day.  If you did curl your lashes, this mascara would help the curl stay.

This mascara can be a little thick, but I tend to prefer a thicker texture to a thin one.

The plastic brush can take some getting use to.  It seems to be a little fatter around than a regular mascara wand, but I find I've adjusted to it by the 2nd or 3rd use.  (Note-When running late in the morning, do not get in a rush applying your mascara quickly with this brush.  One's eye, when poked by the little plastic bristle will water profusely, potentially ruining your eye make up and making you even later.  I may or may not know this from experience. :)

Occasionally, I've noticed the mascara flaking off my lashes as the product is running out and I'm getting near the end of the tube.

As for the green tube, CoverGirl's LashBlast Clump Crusher, it does exactly what it says.  It's so good at removing clumps it also removes all the product from your lashes meaning I had some length, minimal curl and no volume.  I made the tube work, but was happy to toss it when it was empty.

What's your favorite or most current mascara?

Jamie

Lovely Layers, how to make a color you might be missing!

There are many times that I'm applying make up and I don't have the exact color I need.  With lipsticks it's quite easy to blend a few together to make the color I'm missing, but did you know it's just as easy to do that with eye shadow?  All it takes is a little layering.  For this particular look I wanted an eyeshadow color that mimicked the reflection of the sequins on my shirt.

Follow these steps as I show you how I make the exact color I was needing.

Silver

Lid color #1, Silver, was applied to the eye lid and the Brow Highlight was added to the brow bone using the 242 brush.

Pink

Lid color #2, Pink, was brushed on top of the silver using the 242 brush.

Crease

A warm, red based brown was blended into the crease with the 217 brush.

Gel-Liner

I lined the top and bottom lid with a gel eyeliner using a 263 brush.

Powder-Liner

Using a black eyeshadow and the 266 brush, I gently smudged the eyeshadow into the gel liner.

Mascara

Add mascara.

Water-Line

Using the 263 brush and the gel eyeliner, paint the inner water line of the eye for this finished look.

Final Look

I'd love to help you create a color that you're missing.  Let me know if you have any questions!

Jamie

Gel Eyeliner that lasts all day, to good to be true? (I think not)

I'm always on the lookout for products that will last, but will still look fresh when my day is over.  When I heard this new company, Inglot Cosmetics, had a gel eyeliner that outlasts any other on the market my interest was peeked.  The official product name on their website is Matte Collection AMC Eyeliner Gel.  I used number 77.

The test was a 15 hour day (applied at 7AM, removed at 10:30PM) and the application was a 50's style winged eye liner.  This application requires exact precision, with this look no mistakes can be made and covered with with a smudged line.  I used a synthetic bristled, angled brush to apply this product, similar to the 263 brush referenced in my essential brushes post.

Review

-Budget friendly - There's a large amount of product for the price. (0.19 oz vs 0.1 oz which is about the average size)

-Tons of matte colors (as well as metallic colors not shown on the website)

-Simple, easy packaging.

-Opaque, velvety color.

-Paraben free and no animal testing.

-The texture is great!  This is my ultimate test for gel liners.  It's has a nice slip to it when painting it on the skin and it's not too thick.

-At the inner corner of my eye, on the bottom near the tear duct, a small amount of product that transferred to the skin midway through the day.  This is not an uncommon place for a product to transfer/run because of the amount of moisture near the tear duct.  I simply used a q-tip to remove the product.

Final Judgment

-This is a product I will use both personally and professionally.  This product wore for 15 hours without budging.  All the pictures here were taken at the end of the 15 hour day!

*Because this product is so new it can only be found in select markets.  Nigel Beauty Emporium is the only place that I know of in LA that sells this line of cosmetics.  This store one of the amazing make up stores that I use when I'm purchasing products for my kit.  You can use the Inglot Cosmetics website to research their products.  If you're local, head on over to Nigel's or place an order because they literally ship make up supplies all over the world!

If you try this product, let me know.  I'd love to hear your reviews on it!

Jamie