What's in My Makeup Bag?

 

Looking for new makeup? Here are my favorite grab-and-go products for when you need a quick touch up. This is great for travel, school, formal events, and any time you may need to find a mirror and get all dolled up in a snap. Share your must-haves in the comments!

Summer Style: 13 Cool Finds

Ready to ditch the sweaters and say hello to the colorful, breezy clothes of summer? Grab a glass of sweet tea and get ready for some online shopping. Don't worry -- I've done it for you! These summer-worthy styles are all under $50, so there's no reason not to jump in and revamp your wardrobe. (I'm sharing my favorite summer makeup steals, too!)

Spring Beauty Guide 2013

 
Spring symbolizes new beginnings, making it a great time to try something new with your look. Whether it's a trendy hairstyle or a new makeup, consider this your infallible guide to all things beautiful this season.

Simple Beauty: 5 Minute Makeup

Whether you're in a rush or simply don't like wearing a lot of makeup, this step-by-step guide is perfect for natural beauty in a hurry.

Taylor Swift Back to School Makeup

Summer is almost over, so get ready for a back-to-school mini makeover! If you need a fun look to add to your usual beauty routine, look no further -- we've tackled Taylor Swift's fresh-faced makeup.

Makeup For Chocolate Skin Tones

Dear Melissa,

I have chocolate colored skin. What makeup should I use?

With beautiful dark skin, you want to bring out the rich tones in your complexion instead of covering them up. This means finding the colors that work for you while avoiding white setting powders or using too much foundation. These tips will also work for caramel-colored skin.

6 Summer Beauty Must-Haves

When it comes to summer beauty, less is more. Swimming, sweat, and heat can melt makeup right off your face, so what's a girl to do? Here are our top summer beauty essentials. You'll look polished without looking overdone -- great for makeup-shy girls.

If you're looking for our top summer beauty tips, click here.

Top 20 Summer Beauty Tips

Look your best this summer with our favorite sun-kissed beauty tips and tricks that will give you more time in the sun and less time in front of the mirror. Wondering what to do with your new free time? Check out our fun summer bucket list.

Should You Wear Eyeliner?

You don’t have to be Goth to appreciate what eyeliner can do. It can define your eyes, making them stand out and “pop”. It can give you the appearance of thick, dark lashes. But is that all it can do?
Don’t be fooled into thinking eyeliner is all good. It’s tempting when you start wearing it to put more and more on. But if you don’t apply it correctly, don’t use the right kind for you, and don’t ever leave the house without it, it has become a problem.
So should you wear eyeliner? The answer varies from person to person. Some people look great with a little eyeliner. Others just look fake. The last thing you want is someone coming up to you and saying you wear too much makeup (yes, it’s happened to me, and for a while I wore even more to show that I didn’t care). I created some basic guidelines to help you answer this question for yourself. Keep in mind that this advice isn’t written in stone – if you like a little heavy eyeliner, go for it. If you think you’d look better without it, that’s fine.

If you’re a brunette, you can wear eyeliner better than anyone else can, although it isn’t necessary. It doesn’t look too overpowering on you if you apply it correctly. Black or brown varieties will look great on you.

If you’re a blonde, you shouldn’t use too much eyeliner. Yes, it can make your eyes pop, but it can also look fake if you apply too much. There are other options besides black pencil eyeliner. You can use a gold pencil or dark eyeshadow and an eyeliner brush to for more natural looking lashes.

If you’re a redhead or auburn girl, you look best with very little makeup. If you must wear eyeliner, find a pretty golden brown and line your top lashes.

If you’re African-American, follow the same guidelines listed for brunettes, but remember that less is more and you should let your glowing skin take center stage.

Beauty Tip #291

Dear Melissa: Makeup for olive skintones?

I have dark hair, brown eyes, and olive skin. What makeup advice can you give me?

The great thing about your features is that you can look great with or without makeup. You can go without and let your bold features and natural beauty do the talking, or you can pretty things up with some great mascara and a good lip gloss.

Take a good look at your skin. You say you have an olive complexion, like me. If you look carefully, you can see little hints of olive, brown, russet, and gold all smoothed perfectly into your skin. God designed every inch of that beautiful face, so let's make the best of it!

The idea here is to take the natural earthy colors that are already blended into your skin and use them in your makeup. Think warm, rustic colors like rust, olive, and chocolate. Of course, you're very lucky -- brown eyes go with almost all colors -- so feel free to have fun and break the mold! I like trying a little blue or green in the summer and a soft smoky eye in winter. Try new things and don't go overboard.

I consulted a Covergirl makeup consultant for some extra advice. She suggested that you: "Extend sparkly eyeshadow across your eyelids, apply eyeliner and mascara, line lips carefully and blot, and finish with matching lip gloss." She also suggests CG Eye Enhancers 3-Kit Shadows in Shimmering Sands or Dance Party for your skin tone.

YOUR BASIC MAKEUP BAG:

• Black mascara. It was made for you. If you still don't feel comfortable with this, go for brown-black.
• Plum lip gloss. It looks great on everyone.
• Black eyeliner (optional). Use just a little bit on the outer corners of your eyes (no wings) to make them instantly pop!
• Natural eyeshadow. Brown, neautral, olive, and a little plum or dark pink. Rust is also good, but not with the plum or pink.
• Extra eyeshadow (optional). Blue, green, or purple.

X-mas Gift: NYX Luscious Lip Palette

Make Nail Polish Last

Don't you hate it when your polish chips? Here's how to get the most out of your manicure.

1. Wash your hands to make sure your nails are clean and have no oil residue from your fingers or lotion.
2. Apply a clear basecoat.
3. Apply two coats of your favorite color polish. Let dry.
4. Apply a clear topcoat to seal and shine.

BONUS TIP
Your polish will chip once the topcoat is worn off. You can keep reapplying topcoat every 2-3 days to make the color last even longer.

Covergirl Chats on Putting Your Best Face Forward

Who doesn’t love an expert opinion? Beauty experts, makeup consultants, and dermatologists (skin doctors) have a lot to say about beauty! Here is some of their best advice, plus products they suggest. More is to come from beauty experts from Covergirl, Olay, and Pantene.

"For the best coverage, relax your lips when applying lip liner. To apply gloss or lipstick, open slightly and say ‘Oh!’ so that you can reach the entire lip surface." Fav lipstick? "You can get sheer, shiny lip shades that are true to you with Covergirl TruShine Lipcolor." What about the eyes? "Let your lashes dry between coats [of mascara]. For extra thickness, close your eyes and dust lashes with loose face powder between applications." What do you suggest? "Covergirl Lash Blast Mascara. It gives you those big, bold, ‘look at me’ lashes giving you both volume and separation." And makeup? "When it comes to makeup, color is key. Warm or cool, learn what color family looks best on you. Always put your best face forward. Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Drink eight glasses of water a day. Wear foundation with sunscreen." – Covergirl consultant

Waterproof Mascara

Waterproof mascara is great for pools and special tear-jerking occasions like funerals or weddings, but it can really dry out your lashes. For everyday use, opt for regular mascara. Even better: when going to the beach or pool, just go all natural and skip the waterproof mascara. You look gorgeous anyway! Just have a fun time this summer and make it last.

Summer Beauty Tips

 Here are some tips to have a lovely time this summer.

Wear sunscreen every time you go outside. Even when it's cloudy, you're gonna get burned. Skin cancer is really easy to get. Chose a sunscreen with 30 SPF (Sun Protection Factor) or higher and reapply every hour. You can even buy lip balm with sunscreen because your lips can get burned, too!

Go for the natural look. Get some waterproof mascara or just go without makeup (watch out, though -- to much waterproof mascara will dry out your lashes). You probably won't need much blush if you're running around and getting hot, but dust some over your eyes for a pretty look. Chapstick or lip balm make your lips look effortlessly lush.

Smell good. Get some fruity deodorant and some fruity body spray with a light summery scent.

Get a summer haircut. Adding layers gives your hair more volume while making your hair feel weightless.

When you plan on getting a tan, put a heart sticker on your ankle. When you're done with the sun, remove it and viola! You'll have a pretty heart design without getting a tattoo.

Sharing Lipstick

Makeovers are awesome, but don't share lipstick and lipgloss, even with friends. You can spread germs that you really don't want -- even if your friend isn't sick.