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!

Hello everyone,

today I have a guest post for you, written by the lovely Aleya, on how to tweeze your eyebrows like a pro. Enjoy!

How To Tweeze Your Eyebrows Like A Pro

Getting your eyebrows done professionally can be costly and time consuming. If you’re one of the many women who shies away from doing your own brows because you feel that you’re not good at it there are some simple steps that can help you to get perfect looking brows in a short amount of time and with much less frustration. Here’s what you have to do.

1.Get a pair of quality tweezers from a brand that is known and trusted by your friends and throw out your old ones. It’s essential that you work with the best possible tools so that you get the best results because they will give you a firmer grip and better results.

2.You should also invest in a quality lighted mirror. This way you’ll be able to see each and every hair so that you can get a better idea of which ones should be removed and which ones you need to stay. The magnification will make the process much easier on your eyes so that you’ll be able to work faster and more efficiently.

3.Now that you’re about ready to start tweezing you should start by applying some clear mascara such as Tweezerman’s Browmousse onto your brow area. This will help to hold the hairs in place so that you can see which ones are too long and need to be trimmed as well as which hairs can be considered to be sparse hairs and should be removed. In other words, you’ll get a much cleaner looking brow line.

4.Use a brow brush to brush your eye brows and use your tweezers to remove the strays that are resting above, below and to the sides of your eyebrows.

5.Brush your brows upwards so that the longer hairs stand up. Using brow shaping scissors cut the hair carefully so that they line up with the border of the brow line.

6.Remove the clear mascara, brush your eyebrows one more time and reapply the clear mascara if you want to.

Here are a few additional pro tweezing tips.

- Don’t go too thin with your brows or you may regret it later on when they don’t grow out again or when your taste changes.
- Following your natural brow line will ensure a lot less upkeep later on.
- Take your time when tweezing your brows so that you don’t accidentally remove hairs that you want. Remember the hairs at the border of your eye brow should look clean and if they look jagged they will look messy.
- Tweezing more than one hair at a time can be painful and can cause you to remove hairs that you need to keep in place so stay with one hair at a time.

Good luck and stay beautiful.

This post was written by Aleya Bamdad who works with Tweezerman which has won awards for making the best tweezers since 1980.

Bubbling is the worst, most annoying problem when applying nail polish. Other nail polish mistakes such as smudges, can be easily fixed, but once those ugly bubbles start to appear, there is no getting rid of them. The only remedy is preventing them from appearing in the first place, but, because their cause isn’t clear, that’s not easy to do. Still, there are a few things that I noticed help keep my nail polish bubble-free. Here they are:

Don’t shake the bottle: although there may be times when your nail polish bottle needs a good shake, it’s always best not to do it right before application. Instead, roll the bottle between the palms of your hands. This is said to reduce the chance of bubble forming inside the polish.

Keep nails clean: dirt, oils and even excess moisture can interfere with nail polish application and cause those horrible bubbles to form. So, before applying nail polish, always make sure that your hands and nails are nice and clean. I like to use white vinegar to wipe my nails because it cleans them well without leaving any residue behind.

Use thin coats: use thin coats and wait for the polish to be completely dry before applying the next layer. If the layers are too thick, those annoying bubbles can appear and ruin your manicure.

Keep away from air drafts: when you apply nail polish, don’t sit in a draft. Even if the weather is hot, close the windows and turn off the fan. This will help prevent air bubbles.

Change your products: if you’ve tried all the tips above but with no avail, then you may be using a nail polish, a top coat, or a base coat that’s prone to bubbling. In that case, you should just switch to different products.

Do you know any other tips to prevent bubbling?

Hello everyone,

on Monday I blogged about the best beauty products I’ve tried this year. But not all products I’ve tried in 2011 were good. I’ve also come across a few that just didn’t work for me or didn’t keep their promises. I know that some of you may disagree with me so if you had a better experience with these products, let me know in the comments. So, what products didn’t I like this year?

1. Sally Hansen No More Mistakes Manicure Clean-up Pen: although the tip allows you to remove nail polish near the nail bed, the solution dries up fast and, already from the second use, you’ll find that correcting any mistakes you may make while painting your nails becomes harder and harder. Like that wasn’t enough, the tips break off easily too.

2. Deborah Bioetyc Clean Skin Eye Make-Up Remover: it’s a makeup remover that doesn’t remove anything bar the most minimal makeup. Do I need to say more?

3. I Provenzali Olio Di Semi Di Lino (Lindseed Oil): I don’t think this is a bad product, but I had to include it because I personally can’t bring myself to use it. This oil can be used as a mask before shampoo, on wet hair to nourish it and make it soft, and on dry locks to give them volume and shine. But it has such a horrible scent that makes the product unusable. What’s the point of having beautiful hair if it stinks?!

4. Layla Brilliant Due Top Coat: it has a dense consistency that makes application difficult and chips badly in just a couple of days. But, when you want to take it off, it won’t budge unless you have a strong, acetone based remover!

5. Layla Glitter in Eyeshadow: Layla products are famous for being very pigmented so I was very disappointed to find that these eyeshadows are on the sheer side. In addition, they crease horribly even with a primer and because of the glitters, they are quite hard to remove.

6. I Provenzali Balsamo Labbra Vegetale all’Olio di Argan: it really saddens me to have to mention another I Provenzali product because I really love the brand but it seemed I didn’t have much luck with it this year. This lip balm has a grainy texture that doesn’t apply smoothly and makes my lips dry!

What were the worst products you’ve tried this year?

Hello everyone,

the year is almost over and so I thought it’d be nice to share with you the best beauty products I’ve tried in the past twelve months. Not all these products were released in 2011, but I’ve only had the chance to try them this year and was really impressed with them. Actually, I’m in love with them all and have been using them very frequently since I’ve got them. So, let’s get started:

1. Montagne Jeunesse Chocolate Masque: I’m tempted to eat this mask every time I use it, because it really smells just like chocolate! So yummy! And it’s good for the skin too: it leaves it soft, bright and clean. It also helps absorb excess oil. It’s a bit messy to use and remove, but the results are worthy it imo.

2. Make Up For Ever Powder Blush: these blushes are pigmented and so need to applied with a light hand. The texture is soft, easy to blend and, once applied, they will last for the entire day.

3. Shiro Cosmetics Loose Eyeshadows: these eyeshadows have a wonderful, creamy formula that is a dream to work with. They are available in lots of different shades, all of which are stunning and pigmented. I particularly like their selection of neutral eyeshadows because they contain shimmers and glitters that make them stand out from the boring and common brown shades everyone else makes and so appeal to bright-lovers like me too. And they are very inexpensive too!

4. Layla Glitter in Eyeliner: I’m not really a fan of glitter eyeliners but I love these because they are the real deal. Very pigmented, they provide an opaque and bright coverage in just one coat! In addition, the glitters are not too big so they’ll make your eyes sparkle beautifully without looking over the top. And once on, they’ll stay put for the entire day.

5. OCC Lips Tars: available in lots of different, and sometimes unusual, shades, these lip products are extremely pigmented and have a glossy finish. They are very longlasting and don’t dry lips, but the texture is very runny so you’ll have to apply them carefully to avoid making a mess.

6. Sleek Makeup Pout Paints: a cheaper dupe of OCC Lip Tars, they are insanely pigmented, longlasting and have a satin finish. The texture is a bit thicker than that of the OCC Lip Tars so application is easier and they don’t dry lips either. They can be used alone or mixed and matched too, but you will have to apply them carefully to avoid mistakes and stains.

7. Ecotools Brushes: these eco-friendly brushes all have very soft but dense bristles that don’t shed. They all do their job very well. My favourite is the blush brush which picks up a good amount of products and blends it effortlessly. And they are all so inexpensive too!

8. Chanel Inimitable Intense Mascara: this is one of the best mascaras I have tried this year. The color is an intense black shade and, together with the simple wand and thick formula, provides lots of length, fullness and some volume too with only one coat. If you apply more, it starts to get clumpy, but you won’t have to do that anyway as one coat is really enough to get noticeable and beautiful lashes and it doesn’t smudge either.

9. Sugarpill Chromalust Loose Eyeshadows: these loose eyeshadows have a soft, finely-milled texture that applies smoothly with only minimal fallout. They are also very pigmented, longlasting and packaged in a cute jar that’s not prone to spillage.

10. Inglot Sleeks: these are some of the most pigmented lipglosses I have ever tried. They provide opaque color payoff and lots of shine to your pout, don’t dry lips and aren’t sticky. Oh, and they smell and taste delicious too!

What are the best beauty products you’ve tried this year?

Hello everyone,

today I have a guest post from Jackie Clark, who does outreach for the Mesothelioma Cancer, a leading web resource for Mesothelioma Cancer. Jackie believes that all women, no matter what circumstances they may be facing, need to feel beautiful and I couldn’t agree more. Here’s what she has to say:

Strength In Beauty

by Jackie Clark

Survival rate, treatment, the impact on family, and countless more concerns run through a woman’s head when she receives an earth shattering diagnosis, such as breast cancer or mesothelioma cancer. Things like beauty and fashion may seem trivial. However, staying strong in the face of adversity requires confidence and positivity. Feeling beautiful in your own skin, regardless of the circumstances, plays a tremendous role in your emotional well being, which in turn affects your overall health.

Be bold by adding a pop of color to your wardrobe. Hues, such as red, often invoke a feeling of confidence. Cancer, whether it’s mesothelioma cancer or breast cancer, changes you, but that doesn’t mean you can’t establish a new “you.” The difficult times in life make us stronger. Show off your vitality and strength by test-driving different styles. Swipe on that purple eye shadow you’ve always been hesitant to wear or throw in some bright pieces to an otherwise monochrome wardrobe. Something as simple as wearing a unique color or print can be refreshing.

While comfort is key when running to appointments and treatments, there’s no need to sacrifice style. Ponchos and flat mid-calf boots have been seen on fashionable women everywhere this year. A pair of neutral, flat boots is sensible, yet chic. They can also complement anything, from skirts and dresses to skinny jeans. Cashmere ponchos are warm and soft, which makes them ideal for skin that is sensitive from treatment. Ponchos and drapey wrap sweaters can hide scars or a port to make you feel comfortable. By purchasing items that suit your needs and make you feel attractive, you won’t feel like you’re giving up your sense of self to cancer. Instead, you’re the strong, beautiful woman you always were.

Accessories are a way to add flair to an ensemble. If it’s one of those days where all you can muster is jeans and a t-shirt, opt for a broach, statement necklace, or bracelets to reflect your individuality. The same goes for shoes and handbags. Try something eye-catching, or a style that really resonates with you, to give you that extra sparkle.

When things seem hopeless, sometimes getting out of bed and pampering yourself can bring a glimmer of light into your day. The ritual of applying makeup is soothing. Even if you’ll be sitting at a doctor’s appointment all afternoon, wearing some mascara and lipstick can make you feel rejuvenated. And remember, fashion and beauty rules were made to be broken. Let your style embody the essence of you. Living with cancer is courageous. So throw caution to the wind when it comes to makeup and fashion and reveal your authentic self.

Thank you Jackie for this wonderful post and addressing this important issue!

Hello everyone,

are you looking for a little extra something to give to your loved ones for Christmas? Here are a few ideas:

1. ELF Studio Powder Brush: this brush has dense and soft bristles that don’t scratch skin. It works well with both powder and liquid products. ($3.00)

2. NYX Powder Blush: a pigmented blush that provides a longlasting glow to the skin. ($5.99)

3.Lush Li’l Lush Pud: it soothes dry skin and has a scrumptious almond-icing scent. ($4.95)

4. Eos Smooth Sphere Lip Balm: it glides easily on the lips, leaving them soft and smooth, and protects them against UV rays too. ($3.29)

5. Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Shadow & Liner in Hazel: it contains brown, purple and yellow shades to color, contour and line your eyes. ($5.49)

6. Rosebud Salve: this cult-favorite lip balm soothes dry lips, calms and heals irritation, and soothes the sting of minor burns. It is also a good remedy for the treatment of diaper rash. ($6.00)

7. Eco Tools Bamboo Finishing Kabuki Brush:it features a natural bamboo handle and soft cruelty free bristles. It can be used with powder, blush or bronzer. ($7.99)

8. Essence Stay With Me Long-Lasting Lipgloss: it’s one of the most pigmented glosses I’ve ever tried and the colors available are beautiful. ($2.29)

9. Shiro Cosmetics Intertubes: they are cute, pigmented, longlasting and don’t dry lips. ($6.50)

10. Revlon Custom Eyes Shadow Liner: available in six versions, these palettes contain four eyeshadows and one eyeliner in beautiful shades. ($8.99)