Are you always in a hurry in the mornings? Do you wake up before the sun rises to go through your beauty routine so that you can be out of the house on time but wish you could spent a few more minutes in bed instead? A few, quick changes to your beauty routine will make you save some precious time so you can stay in your comfy and warm bed a little bit longer or enjoy a a relaxed breakfast and still look your best. Here’s how:

1. Shower the night before
Showering at night is one of the best ways to save time in the morning, allowing you to spent a little more time in bed. In addition, because you don’t have to rush out to go to work or run some errands, you can spend more time in the shower. You can take advantage of this to shave, wash your hair or just unwind and relax, letting the water soothe your tired body and wash your cares away.

2. Choose your outfit the night before
Do you often grab the first clothes you can find in the morning even if they don’t go well together, or on the contrary, waste a lot of time looking for those earrings that would really complement your outfit but you can’t remember where you put them? These problems are easily fixed by picking out your entire outfit, including underwear, jewelry and other accessories at night before going to bed. That way, all you have to do in the morning is simply put them on. It saves time and ensures you always look your best.

3. Use unnecessary skincare products at night
In the mornings, keep your skincare routine as simple as possible and use only necessary products such as a cleanser, a sunscreen, a moisturizer and maybe a product to treat breakouts or any serious skin condition you may have. Instead, use serums, toners, exfoliants and any other skincare product you need at night before going to bed. Also, tweeze your eyebrows and do your manicure, pedicure, and any other skin-pampering treatment you need in the evening too.

4. Keep your makeup simple too
If you don’t have much time to get ready in the morning, keep your makeup simple: a touch of concealer when needed, a neutral eyeshadow, a coat of mascara, some blush, a gloss and a dust of powder to fix everything is all most people need. Also, use multi-tasking products such as a cheek and lip stain. Doing a full face or more complex eyeshadow looks is nice and fun, but do it only when you have time.

5. Don’t try new looks in the mornings
And don’t try new looks or techniques in the morning. If you want to use a liquid eyeliner but don’t have a steady hand, or want to apply your eyeshadow in a different way, practice when you have some free time, or you’ll risk ruining your look and having to start from scratch again, which will only make you lose time and maybe make you late for work or school too. Once you’ve become a pro, you can incorporate it in your makeup routine in the mornings.

Do you have any other beauty-related tips to save time in the mornings?

We all know how important it is to wash our makeup brushes regularly. Germs, bacteria and leftover products can all get trapped in the bristles and end up on our faces, thus causing rashes and breakouts or just simply ruin our look, so that our makeup turns out muddier or darker than we thought. But washing them with soap and water and letting them dry can take hours, if not a whole day for big, fluffy face brushes and let’s face it, most of us don’t have the time to do that often.

So, what’s a girl to do? Luckily, there is a quick and easy solution to this problem and it’s called spot-cleaning. It only takes a few minutes and all you need, apart from your dirty brushes of course, is a brush cleanser (such as Kiko Brush Cleanser) and either a tissue or a paper towel.

Start by pouring a small amount of brush cleanser on a thick paper towel or tissue. Then gently brush the bristles across the towel/tissue in circular motion. Don’t apply too much pressure or smash the bristles onto the towel/tissue or you will just damage the brushes. Now that your brush is clean, reshape the bristles and lay it onto another towel to dry, which should take only a few minutes.

You can do this as often as you like. I usually spot clean my brushes this way after every use to keep them clean and sanitized. And no, it won’t ruin them. Of course this is not a substitute for a more throughout cleansing and, about every 10 days, a fortnight at most, you should wash your brushes with soap and water.

Also, keep in mind that brush cleansers usually work better with eyeshadow and blush brushes than with those for the face, lips and eyeliners. That’s because foundations, lip products and eyeliners contain waxes that are hard to remove. A brush cleanser will help remove some of these waxes from the bristles, but to remove them all, pour some olive oil on a towel, glide the brush over it, and then wash it with soap and water.

What do you use to clean your brushes? Do you ever spot-clean them?

Having flawless skin is the dream of every woman. And it’s an achievable one. And no, you don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on high-end beauty products or go under the knife to make it come true. You just need to stop your bad habits and use the right tools. Here’s how:

1. Healthy lifestyle

Great skin comes from within. There is only so much even the best-formulated skincare products can do if you don’t take care of your skin from within by leading a healthy lifestyle: eat a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables, drink plenty of water and avoid alcohol, don’t smoke and get your beauty sleep.

2. Use skincare products suited to your skin type and concerns

You don’t have to spend lots of money on expensive beauty products. There are lots of cheaper ones that are well-formulated and effective as well. The important thing is that you choose those that suit your skin type and needs. Do you have oily skin? Then choose lightweight lotions and leave the richer creams to those with dry skin. Acne? Opt for products with Benzoyl Peroxide or Tea Tree Oil. Want to fight premature aging? Look for products with antioxidant and retinoids. And remember to use sunscreen daily. It prevents wrinkles, sun spots, cancer and keeps your skin looking younger for longer.

3. Let your moisturizer sink in before applying makeup

Always apply foundation on a clean and moisturized face to avoid it looking cakey and emphasizing any dry spot you may have. But make sure you wait a few minutes to let your moisturizer sink in before applying foundation! If the moisturizer is still sitting on your skin, it will gunk up the foundation; and then, once everything’s absorbed, your foundation will look patchy and cakey. Not a good look, is it?

4. Use a face primer

This is an optional step. The main purpose of face primers is to makeup your makeup last longer so, unless you know you will be out of the house for the entire day, you may not need it. However, those with oily skin will benefit from using a mattifying primer, which will help keep the oil at bay and make makeup stay in place. Some primers are also formulated to help cover imperfections and large pores and just even out the skintone, which will allow you to use less foundation.

5. Cover up any skin imperfections

Use a foundation with enough coverage to even out your skintone, but that can also easily be sheered out so that it will look natural. Next, use a concealer to hide spots and dark circles. You can apply it with either your fingers or a brush but I find the latter works best. Also, to cover dark circles, I like to use the triangle method, which I think gives a more natural result and brightens up the face as well.

Do you have any other tips on how to get flawless skin? Share them in the comments!

Do you wash your new makeup brushes before you use them for the first time?

If you answered no, you’re not alone. A lot of people don’t wash their brand new brushes before first using them. After all, they’re new and still in their plastic packs, so they’re bound to be clean and germ-free, right? Wouldn’t washing them before you use them thus be unnecessary?

Well no. You use, you have no way of knowing where your brushes have been. They may have been lying around in the factory for months, collecting dust, dirt, and who knows maybe germs too, before they were packaged and shipped to the store. Your brushes are gonna come into contact with your skin, so you need to make sure they are clean and sterilized before you use them, otherwise you run the risk of them making you break out or, worse, give you an infection.

But there is also another reason why you should wash your new brushes before using them. Some brushes may bleed or shed a few hairs the first few times you use them so, if you wash them, these stray hair will end up down the drain instead than on your face. And a good wash will also make the strong and unpleasant glue scent new brushes tend to have disappear.

So, next time you buy a new brush, wash it with water and baby shampoo, which is delicate and won’t ruin the bristles. You, and your brushes, will feel better, if you do!

We all wanna wear makeup and clothes that makes us look our best. But how do you do that? The first step is to figure out what your skin’s undertone is. Once you know that, you can easily choose the shades that enhance your coloring and avoid those that make you look sick and washed out.

How to determine your skin’s undertone

There are several tests you can do to determine your skin’s undertone. For more precise results, you should do them in natural light and with a clean, bare face. Lets’ get started:

Veins test
Look at the veins on your inner wrist. If they appear mostly blue, you are cool toned, while if they look mostly green you are warm toned.

Jewellery Test
Get a piece of gold and a piece of silver jewellery (if you don’t have them, you can use gold and silver eyeliner instead). Wear them one at the time. If gold suits you more and makes you look glowy, you are warm toned. Silver looks better on you? Then you are cool toned.

White fabric test
Wrap a piece of white fabric around your bare neck (in alternative you can place a white piece of paper near your face or under your hand) and make sure you don’t wear any makeup on your face. The fabric will reflect the tone of your skin. If your skin looks more yellow, you have warm undertones, while if it looks more blueish you have cool undertones.

Tan or burn test
Do you tan easily? Then chances are you have warm undertones. If you burn easily or are unable to tan at all, you probably have cool undertones.

Genetics
The way you look can also be an indicator of your undertone. People who are warm toned usually have yellow undertones in their skin; brown, green and hazel eyes; and brown, red and black hair (sadly none of these are always applicable to Asian people, many of whom erroneously think to have warm undertones, when they are actually neutral or even cool toned). People who are cool toned instead, usually have pink undertones and a rosy look; blue or grey eyes; and blonde, brown or black hair.

Still confused? You may be neutral-toned
Some people complete all the tests above only to find out that they don’t seem to fit properly in either camp. For instance, I look good both in silver and gold jewelry and my veins are both green and blue. I tend to burn easily and that’s a cool trait, but then that could be because my skin is very fair? And you can have fair skin that’s warm toned and dark skin that’s cool toned.. Are you still with me? It’s quite confusing, isn’t it? Well, no skintone is either cool or warm, but a blend of both. It’s just that in some people, the warm tones are more obvious and in others, the cool ones prevail. If neither prevails, then you are neutral-toned.

What colors should you use?

Now that you know what your skin’s undertone is, it’ll be easier for you to choose shades that work best for you. Here are the colors that work best for warm, cool and neutral toned ladies:

Cool undertones
For the lips, cool toned ladies should choose reds with blue undertones, cool pinks, mauve and burgundy. On the eyes, use silver, grey, white, pink and jewel tones (such as sapphire and emerald). On the cheeks, cool pink and rosy blushes. What about foundation? Choose one that’s either neutral or pink-based.

Warm undertones
If you have warm undertones, choose eyeshadows in earthy tones such as brown, olive, orange, yellow, bronze and copper. Gold is a great option too. For the lips, use orange-based reds and apricot, peachy shades. On the cheeks, use coral or peachy blushes. Finally, your foundation should be either yellow-based or peach-based.

Neutral undertones
If you have neutral undertones, you are lucky cos you can wear everything!

Now break the rules!
Now that you know the rules, break them! If, for instance, you are cool toned but want to wear gold eyeshadow, go for it. There are lots of gold shades around, some lighter, some darker, some warmer, others cooler, so you’ll find one that looks good on you. Sure, that same shade may be more flattering on those with warm undertones, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t pull it off as well. At the end of the day, you’ll never know what suits you until you try it. Just remember to stick to the rules when it comes to buying foundation!

Are you cool, warm or neutral toned?

Luscious lashes frame and beautify the eyes. Here are 5 tips on how to achieve them:

1. When you apply mascara, wiggle the wand from side to side as you work your way from the root of your lashes to their tips. This will deposit a thicker coat of mascara on your lashes.

2.When you curl your lashes, work your way from the roots outwards: give a good squeeze closer to the eyelid, a couple in the middle and a last one near the tip of your lashes. This will give your lashes a more natural curl.

3. To make eyes look more open and awake, apply mascara only to the top lashes.

4. Is mascara on the lower lashes too much for you? Then apply a coat of clear mascara on them instead. It will give them definition without looking over-the-top or too dramatic.

5. Try coloured mascaras. Although available in lots of fun shades, blue and purple mascaras are my favourites. The former brightens the eyes, while the latter enhances green eyes.

Do you have any other tips to achieve luscious lashes?

Disposable mascaras wands are used by professional makeup artists to safely and hygienically apply mascara to their clients’ lashes, thus avoiding the risk of contaminating the tube and giving someone an eye infection. But disposable mascara wands can be a very handy and cheap tool for everyone to have around as they can be used for more than just applying mascara. Here’s what you can do with them:

1. Comb eyebrows
Disposable mascara wands are very handy when shaping your brows. Use the wand to brush brows upwards and into the direction of their natural hair growth pattern, and then trim excess hair. Then fill in your brows with powder or pencil and, with the wand, brush your brows again. This will soften the lines and remove any clumps that your wax or pencil may have left behind, giving a natural look to your brows.

2.Touch up your roots
If you dye your hair and need to touch up your roots only, you can do so by using a disposable mascara wand. Because the wand is small, it easily applies just the right amount of color you need only where you need it, ensuring a more precise and natural result.

3. Tame flyaway hair
Dealing with flyaway hair? Spray hairspray onto a disposable mascara wand and brush the flyaway hair back into place. You could do the same thing with a hair brush too but I find that, because mascara wands are smaller, they grab the flyaway hair better.

There are non-disposable versions of mascara wands, called lash brush or “spoolie” brush such as MAC 204 lash brush for instance, but I don’t like using them because these wands/brushes get dirty very quickly and they aren’t that easy to clean. The disposable versions are more hygienic and quite cheap too so I highly recommend you use those instead than a spoolie brush.

What about you? Do you use disposable mascara wands? If so, how?

Eyeshadow is an important part of your makeup. It can emphasize your eyes and complement your overall look, but its application can be tricky. I hope these tips will help you achieve a flawless, perfectly-blended look that will last for the entire day:

1. Use a good eyeshadow base
An eyeshadow base makes the color adhere to your lid better and last for hours without creasing and fading. My favourite is Too Faced Shadow Insurance. If you want your eyeshadow color to really pop, you can try a colored base like MAC Paint Pots, which will greatly intensify its color payoff. There are also some bases, such as Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy, designed to make the shimmers and glitters in your eyeshadows stand out and give the shades a foiled look without using water.

2. Invest in good makeup brushes
Throw away those sponge applicators that come with eyeshadows. They’re usually useless. For a precise and flawless application you need to invest in good makeup brushes that are dense but soft and pick up a good amount of color. And if you take proper care of them, they will last for years. MAC Brushes are really good, but there are lots of cheaper options around that work just as well. My favourite drugstore eyeshadow brushes are Gosh Flat Eyeshadow Brush and Round Eyeshadow Brush and E.L.F. Eyeshadow Brush.

3. Clean your brushes after every use
It is really important to clean your brushes after every use to remove any residue of color that may still be on them, otherwise that will interfere with the new one you’re gonna apply next. To clean them, you can use makeup remover wipes or a brush cleanser such as Kiko Brush Cleanser. This way, you can wait a bit longer between washes too.

4. Start with monochromatic looks
If you’re just learning how to apply and blend eyeshadows, start with monochromatic looks. Blending colors that are in the same color family is much easier than blending contrasting ones. Browns eyeshadows are the easiest to blend and are appropriate for any occasion too. And once you’ve learned the technique, you can experiment with more daring combinations.

5. Use gentle motions
When blending eyeshadows make sure you use a light hand and gentle motions for better results. To blend, you can either sweep the brush back and forth gently or use circular motions. The latter is usually done with a fluffy crease brush. When blending colors on the lids, you can just sweep the lighter shade on top of the dark one (in this case, you’re just going forward, instead than back and forth).

6. Fix mistakes with a q-tip
Have you made a mistake, smudged your eyeliner or simply need to remove eyeshadow fallout? Then soak a q-tip in makeup remover and use it to fix your mistakes.

7. Practice makes perfect
Don’t worry if your makeup doesn’t turn out perfectly the first time. Blending, like everything else, takes practice. Even the best makeup artists had to spend lots of time improving their skills, so don’t get discouraged if you can’t get the hang of it straight away and just keep practicing until you’ve mastered the technique. Remember, practice makes perfect.

Do you have any other tips on how to apply and blend eyeshadows? Share them in the comments!