Are You Stuck in A Makeup Rut? How To Update Your Look

It’s so easy to get stuck in a rut with your makeup. We’re all guilty of too much continuity in our daily look. When you have the same makeup look for months, or even years, you begin to feel lifeless and bored. Well, at least I do. If you’re fine with your repetitive look, more power to you. If you’re feeling too much monotony and want to change it up a bit, I’m going to tell you how.

When changing up your look, you may not want to change everything overnight. Do what you feel comfortable with. It’s best to start off by changing one or two things, and you may find that’s all you need to update your look.  Here are the 3 main items that I suggest you can change to give you a renewed look:

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1. Eyeliner

Switching up your look could be as simple as changing your eyeliner. If you always use a dark brown, try black. If you always use black, try a deep, navy blue. More color options are deep plums, bronze, or white eyeliner for your lower waterline. A color I recommend everyone to try is navy blue. While this may frighten some, it actually looks gorgeous when applied. Navy blue helps to brighten the whites of your eyes, making your eyes appear whiter and more awake. This color looks good on every skin tone and all ages. Here are two of my favorite navy eyeliners:

Chanel Marine Long-lasting Eyeliner

MAC Fluidline in Waveline

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2. Lipcolor

Lipcolor is the easiest thing to get stuck in a rut with. In my years at the cosmetic counter, I cannot count the times women would come in and tell me they had been using the same lipstick for over 10 years! Oh, and heaven forbid you tell them their favorite color was discontinued, you might get verbally assaulted! The bottom line is, your favorite lip colors will not be around forever. If every cosmetic company kept every lipcolor they had ever made, they would have to have a Clinique store the size of Central Park.

My advice is to go to a makeup counter and try on 3 different shades every year. Everyone needs a summer color, fall color and everyday color. Trying a shade on is the best way to see what looks good on you. Also, don’t be afraid of color! If you would love to wear deep red lipstick, but are too afraid or think it doesn’t look good on your skin tone, then experiment with a deep plum color. Everyone has a shade that looks great on them. You just have to find it. Here is a gorgeous shade I will be wearing to update my look this fall:

NARS Afghan Red

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3. Foundation

Foundation comes in all different finishes: Matte, sheer, satin, luminous, full coverage, etc. Play with different finishes or coverages. For example, I used Bare Escentuals Mineral Foundation for years. I started to feel like I wasn’t getting the coverage I wanted anymore and I was looking dull. I switched back to a liquid foundation and my skin looks renewed and rejuvenated. I don’t know if it’s proven or just in my head, but I feel like my skin adjusts to my foundation, just like what happens with skincare or shampoo. I’ve noticed my skin looks best if I switch up my products from time to time. With that being said, a simple switch of your foundation can give you a whole new look. The current foundation I’m wearing and loving is:

LORAC Natural Performance Foundation

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If you’re stuck in a makeup rut, you don’t have to have a complete makeover and spend hundreds to update your look. A simple change of a key product in your routine can do the trick!

Do you ever get stuck in a rut? What are you going to change in order to update your look?

How To Wear Makeup Without Looking Like It

As a makeup artist, you might think that I wear a ton of makeup. The answer is no. I love to wear my makeup so that it covers my flaws, but I still look like myself. The best way to describe it is, I like to look like the best version of myself. I think creating the perfect makeup look all starts with the skin. Use a good skincare routine and become diligent about taking good care of your skin and you’ll be on your way to your best makeup days ever. In order to achieve the, “I’m wearing makeup, but don’t look like it” look, you have to start with the basics of skincare. You can find out all about my skin routine here.

There are certain products you need to use to look like you have effortless, impeccable skin. If you’re wondering about the type of look I’m talking about, here it is:

I’m absolutely obsessed with Lauren Conrad’s makeup style. She is such a minimalist when it comes to her makeup. She looks casual, chic and cool. If you think for one second though that she just isn’t wearing makeup and is blessed with naturally radiant, flawless skin, you’re wrong. She is absolutely wearing makeup. She has just mastered how to apply it without looking like pancake face.

I’m going to show you the necessities to master this look. Even though it may look like Lauren just has a little lip gloss and eyeliner on, there is actually quite a bit more that goes into achieving this look. Here are the things you will need:

1. Foundation:

You have to achieve an even skin tone and hide your imperfections. Start with a foundation that gives you the amount of coverage you need. You don’t want to choose one too heavy, otherwise you risk losing the all-natural look we’re going for. Try a few samples from Sephora to see what works for you and what you feel comfortable with. Recently I’ve been on a foundation sampling frenzy and I’m currently loving this foundation from Lorac. It gives me the perfect amount of coverage for my skin.

Lorac Natural Performance Foundation, $36 at Ulta

2. Bronzer:

Lauren has a bronzed look to her skin, but it’s not too over the top. You need to create a little contour to your skin. Sweep some bronzer on your forehead, cheeks and jawline. I’m in love with this bronzer from NARS:

NARS Bronzer in Laguna, $34 at Sephora

3. Highlighter:

Highlighting is the key to giving your skin back the radiance it naturally emits. Dust a highlighter on top of your cheekbones to give your skin the radiance you see celebrities with in pictures. Everyone wants this look. I call it the J. Lo glow:

Who wouldn’t want to look like this?

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft & Gentle, $34 at MAC stores

4. Eyeliner:

Eyeliner is something I have mixed feelings about. Everyone always thinks it’s strange that I NEVER line my bottom lash line. This is actually my secret to looking like I’m not wearing a lot of makeup. I love the definition that lining my top lid gives me, but once I put it on the bottom I feel like the whole look of my makeup changes. It looks like voilà, I’m definitely wearing makeup. If I’m doing a smokey eye though, I’ll definitely line underneath. If you notice in the picture, Lauren only has liner on the top. They have applied a bronze shadow underneath to give it a glowy feel. I love powder eyeliners because they tend to look a little more natural and you can get them really close to the lash line. Here is one of my favorites from Bare Escentuals:

Bare Minerals Powder Liner Shadow in Onyx, $14

5. Groomed Brows:

Groomed brows help to make you look polished. Make sure you remove any stray hairs. You can do this in form of waxing, tweezing or threading. My absolute favorite brow gurus are Anastasia of Beverly Hills. They have this counter at your local Nordstrom. They shape your brows into the perfect shape for your face. They’re wonder women! Unless you are blessed with perfectly full, shapely brows, you may need to fill them in a bit. I prefer a powder, over a pencil,  to fill in my brows because I think it looks more natural.

Anastasia Brow Powder, $22 at Nordstrom

6. Lips:

Lips are the finishing touch for this look. Unless you put something on your lips, you don’t look completely finished. Apply a gloss, or a nude lipstick. Here is one of my favorite nude lipsticks. You can also find it featured in this post:

MAC Lipstick in Honeylove, $15 at MAC stores

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What do you think about the minimal makeup look? What celebrity do you think wears this look the best?

How Often Do You Clean Your Makeup Brushes?

** UPDATE: **

A pin is going around on Pinterest that says to soak your brushes for 20 minutes in vinegar. I do NOT suggest this. Unfortunately someone pinned this with the wrong information that came from a readers comment on this post. This could potentially damage your brushes. You do not want to use anything besides shampoo that is formulated for makeup brushes. I hope none of you have been misinformed. Please read and follow my method below. This is the best and safest route to clean those brushes of yours! The best of luck and happy cleaning!

Cleaning your makeup brushes is one of the most crucial, yet overlooked, tasks that should be done regularly. Cleaning your brushes is important for multiple reasons. First of all, brushes are an investment. It has taken me years to build up my brush collection and we all know they aren’t cheap. Quality makeup brushes can range in price from $5 to above $50. It’s important to take care of them because they should last you years, maybe even a lifetime if you take care of them properly. Another important reason your brushes need cleaned regularly is because they collect bacteria. If you’re prone to acne this is especially true. If you don’t clean your brushes you are only continuing to spread bad bacteria that can cause breakouts. And finally, if you’re not cleaning your brushes you will not get the optimum results from them. A brush packed full of makeup isn’t going to do the job it was designed to do. Here are the steps to take when cleaning your brushes.

1. Find a makeup brush shampoo. I’m currently using Well-Cared For Brush Conditioning Shampoo by Bare Escentuals. I absolutely love this product because it conditions your bristles and is free of skin-irritants. It also removes every last bit of makeup from your brush. For a budget-friendly option, use a mild baby shampoo such as Johnson’s Baby Shampoo. Next, add a quarter size amount of your shampoo to a cup of lukewarm water and swirl your brush around in the water for a few seconds. Be careful not to submerge the metal part (ferrule) of your brush into the water, which can loosen the glue of the brush.

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2. Rinse out your brushes with lukewarm water, squeeze out the excess water, and make sure they are smoothed out into their original form. Lay your brushes on a towel flat to dry overnight.

For some brushes, such as lip and eyeliner brushes, I will also clean them with alcohol and then shampoo them for extra cleanliness. Some people would tell you not to do this, but I like to make sure my brushes are extra clean. If you’re in a hurry and don’t have time to shampoo your brushes, another great product to use is Quick Change also by Bare Escentuals. This is a very quick-drying cleansing spray that removes the pigment out of your brushes and sanitizes them. It leaves your brushes smelling great too! If you’re a makeup artist, it’s a great product to use in between clients.

Makeup brushes that are used for personal use should be cleaned every 2 to 4 weeks. Make sure to follow these steps and you’re on your way to clean, better performing brushes that will give you optimum application results. You might even see a difference in your skin too!

Do you clean your makeup brushes regularly?