Random Opinion Blog about....MAC

So by now most women have heard about MAC. If you didn't know, MAC stands for Makeup Art Cosmetics. Just to give you a little back story, MAC was started by these two Canadian guys who wanted to make a brand catered to the needs of the makeup artist. To cut a long story short, the brand grew and became available to the everyday woman, which was eventually bought by the makeup giant, Estee Lauder (which owns many makeup brands, including Clinique). There is the regular MAC stores, and then there is MAC pro which is only available in major cities, like Miami and New York. MAC pro sells things that only makeup artists really know how to use like mixing mediums and reflects. MAC is a high end makeup store, therefore it's prices are a lot higher than drug store cosmetics. Although at my very core I am a MAC groupie, I will always be the first one to tell you when you can save your money on a product that works the same. There are some products that are unparalleled, like their pigments, however their mascaras and eyeliners are nothing special in my opinion. Even their holy grail foundation MAC studio fix fluid foundation, is comparable to Revlon ColorStay. Don't get me wrong, they have amazing products, especially in the new collections that come out, but I am a firm believer in research and purchasing wisely. One thing most companies can't beat is the quality of their brushes. They very rarely shed, never smell, and last forever. They are the most expensive products they have, but investing in good brushes is better than having to buy new ones every year.

In summation, I love MAC (especially MAC pro), but I also think that there are other products out there that are just as good.

Enjoy the following pictures of me at MAC Pro in NYC :)

The women that work there are literally models

So where is a waterline?

I edited a picture and pointed out just a few of the different parts of the eye. Just so you have a picture reference, as I will use the following terminology in my posts :)

Quick Tip!

So a lot of you know, or do now, that the easiest way to make your eyes look more awake and bigger is to take a white or salmon colored eyeliner and line your water line with it. The problem is that when you line your waterline almost an hour later the liner is gone, as your tears naturally take it away. One thing that can be done to help it stay on longer, is to take a lighter and heat the product up above the lighter for a few seconds, just to get it a little hot. Then touch the tip to much sure it's not going to burn you, and go ahead and use in your waterline. I haven't tried this trick with black liner so attempt at your own risk (I mean of ugly results lol). One other note, I do know of some people who tap some of the same colored eyeshadow on top of the liner in the waterline. Although this is effective on the lower lasline I think that this method does more bad than good. Then again everybody's eyes are different.

Hope you enjoyed!

Liner, Liner, stay on longer!!!

Ladies we have all had the problem of eye liner slipping and sliding all over the place during the day. What can be done about this regular annoyance you ask? Well there are a couple of different tricks and products that can help.

First off  most women use a pencil liner, mostly becuase it is the easiest to apply and fix. The reason pencil dosen't tend to stay on for very long, is that your face heats up during the day, and the ingredients in the product start to melt. Practically no pencil liner stays on for the whole day, however, the longest lasting pencil liner in the history of the universe is the Urban Decay 24/7 pencil liners. Depending on your skin type, they will stay on for at least 5 hours, if not much longer. Trust me there is no other pencil liner that stays on longer. They retail for $18 at Sephora and Ulta. If you don't want to switch to a liquid or gel (which have much cheaper options, yet same quality as other brands) then I suggest to spend the extra money for these eyliners.

Moooving on to gel liners, which are my favorite. At first gel liners can look very intimidating, as they come in little pots and you have to use a brush to apply. But once you get the hang of them they are absolutely fabulous and way longer wearing than pencils. Honestly the drug store brands gel liners are just as good as MAC or other prestige makeup brands. My favorite right now is from Physicians Formula, and come in little stacks that can be taken apart. A little goes a long way, literally, so get a good thin angled eye liner brush and dip it in the product and slowly drag it along the eye lid from the inner to outer corners. If you make a mistake, either take a q-tip with some generic lotion on it and fix it or.....MY FAVORITE TIP: Take a matte black eyeshadow and put a little on an angled liner brush and tap it on the gel liner already applied. This not only sets the gel liner but also lets you smudge it a bit. I don't generally suggest you use a gel liner on the bottom lash line but it can be done. Another trick, take a regular eyeliner, and dip it directly into the gel pot, then place it on the water line (area above the bottome lashes) and smudge it out a bit onto the lower lash line. Always clean your brush after use for best results.

Lastly, the most dificult to apply, the dreaded liquid liner. Most people have trouble using liquid liners as they are not very forgiving and take a steady hand. All I can really say is practice, practice, and then practice some more. One tip is to always buy liquid liners with a felt tip, as they are easier to use than a brush tip. Use your pinky and place it on your cheek to anchor your hand, then slowly and with patience drag the applicator across the lash line. Over time this process will be easier. Setting liquid with a black eyeshadow is always a good idea :) My favorite is Revlon's Color Stay liquid liner.NEVER put liquid eyeliner on the bottom lashes, it can seriously irritate your eyes. Liquid liner stays on the longest, literally all day so give it a go <3

Hope this helps, if you have any questions feel free to ask!

Oh Glitter, why must you be so difficult,...

Hello all! So this post is going to be about how to deal with eye  glitter successfully. There are many products out there that can help you adhere glitter to your lids, mainly I want to focus on a high priced one and a low priced one. One important note, MAC reflects glitter are NOT eye safe, which basically means that not all of the glitters they make are finely milled enough to placed on the eye. However....If you use the right adhesive and no glitter gets in your eye then you should be okay. Moving on, the old trick was to just use a eyelash glue and dab it onto the lid. This can get a little messy although it is effective. I prefer to use LA Splash Eyeshadow Sealer, which retails at $6.49 at ulta. This works very well for pigments and glitter, however do not use this for regular eyeshadow as it gets clumpy after a few hours. So lets say you want just a little glitter in the inner corners of your  eyes, just place the product directly on to your lids in the area where you want the glitter (even on top of eyeshadow), and I prefer to just use my fingers to dab the glitter on. The other option is the new primer that just came out from Too Faced. This works just as well as the LA splash but for $18. Hope this helps.

My Review of Zoya Nail Polishes

 So here is a link to a Youtube video I did about my thoughts on Zoya nail polish. Overall I really like them, minus the longer drying time. So go check it out :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CAiqafKmNA

Speaking of naked....

I love MAC's naked pigment! It is so multi-functional. You can use it as an all over lid color or just in the inner corners and brow bone. Or you can use it my favorite way. As a highlighter! With your fingers or a brush dab a little bit on the highest points of your cheeks where the light naturally hits it. Just gorgeous <3

Let's get naked :)

I absolutely love this palette. If you haven't gotten naked, what are you waiting for?! Oh and btw, they will now be selling this with a brush instead of a double ended eyeliner, which also makes the price $48. I know sad right :( They started selling them again in Ulta so try your luck there. One other note they are mostly shimmer and glitter and I think only two matte, which is okay with me b/c of the awesomeness <3

Nail Design of the week :)

I have a Youtube channel,,,

Go check it outaaaa!

 http://www.youtube.com/user/cherielovemakeup?feature=mhum

Hello World!!!

This will hopefully turn into a pretty decent beauty blog, so we'll see :)