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Happy New Year! While most of us are trying the same old resolutions year after year; lose weight,  clean out your closet, get more sleep... There is one New Year’s resolution many women forget- UPDATE AND ORGANIZE YOUR MAKEUP!

There is a little bit of a hoarder in all of us, especially when it comes to makeup. Before I became a makeup artist, I couldn’t even fathom throwing away makeup or organizing the heap of it I kept in my bathroom drawer, bags, and bottom of multiple purses. Now my brushes and products are clean, mean beauty making machines.  Here are some tips on how to update your makeup and utilize it at its best.

1. UPDATE YOUR STOCK

Old makeup is disgusting. It may not appear to be useful- but trust me amigo, it is not. It HOARDS bacteria-especially your mascara. That stuff is just waiting to attack you with an eye infection. Evil little thing it turns into.  Since it is it not possible to perform an Excorcism on your old beauty products (trust me I tried and let’s just say those demons won), here are some reminders to know when your makeup has a date with the garbage.

• Smell. If your makeup even remotely starts smelling odd/different, then you know what to do. Mascara especially will develop an odor from all the bacteria gathering in the tube. Don’t commit makeup suicide. Ditch that sucker and buy a new one.
• Time Elapsed. Here is a rule of how long makeup products last before you need to

purchase new products:

• MASCARA: 3 MONTHS (REMEMBER DO NOT PUMP MASCARA, IT BRINGS AIR AND BACTERIA INTO THE TUBE)
• FOUNDATION : 1 YEAR
• CONCEALER: 12-18 MONTHS
• EYELINER- 18 MONTHS (REMEMBER TO SHARPEN OFTEN AND CLEAN SHARPENERS WITH ALCOHOL)
• EYE SHADOW: 18 MONTHS
• LIQUID EYELINER: 6 MONTHS
• LIPSTICK: 18 MONTHS (LIPSTICK WILL DEVELOP WAX-LIKE CONSISTENCY AFTER TIME)
• GLOSS: 18 MONTHS

    2. CLEAN YOUR BRUSHES

If you are using a brush for your foundation, liner, brows, blush, etc- you must remember to wash your brushes/applicators THREE TIMES A WEEK. I recommend buying a brush cleaner such as MAC Brush Cleaner, or Sephora Brush Cleaner Wipes.  In order to keep your skin healthy and brushes free of bacteria, it is essential to treat them with care- and cleaning them with the correct products will keep their integrity. NEVER use hot water, or simple soap. This will damage the bristles on your brush.

    3. ORGANIZE

Keeping your brushes organized will stop you from misplacing any items, and bring you some overall sanity. We are all different types of makeup lovers, and need different types of organization.  Here are different genres of makeup users, you may fit in one or each of the types:

• The “I Would Never Leave My House Without Makeup” Girl

You own a lot of makeup, and you aren’t sacrificing any of it. I recommend turning your bathroom into a closet for all your products.  See-through compartments with drawers are the best for organizing. Place all your face (foundations, concealers, blush) into a drawer, eye products (shadows, liners, mascaras) and lip (liners, gloss, lipstick) into separate drawers/compartments. Remember to keep all your brushes together. I saw a great idea on The Nate Berkus Show, where a professional organizer came in and offered the cute and creative idea of placing your brushes in clear glasses where the bottom of each glass if filled with colorful glass beads. It will keep the brushes in place and esthetically looks amazing.

• The “Working” Girl (no, not that kind…I don’t even want to know where that makeup goes)

You barely have time for breakfast, let alone a full face of makeup in the morning- and you just feel like applying it on the train or in the car. Well, you will need a makeup bag with compartments to keep whatever products you use organize and easy to find. I recommend a small zippered makeup bag that will fit easily in your purse. (Pack lightly a great work look only needs: Mascara, Liner, Gloss, and a mirror)

• The “I Share a Bathroom With My Boyfriend” Girl

Men hate seeing an abundance of what they view as “junk”.  (I know it stings to know their opinion of the products we live by).  If your space to get ready is combined with your man I suggest (he shut up and deal with your need to be glamorous) you invest in a makeup kit/case which will hold ALL of your beauty needs. (here is an idea of what you should be looking for) Sephora, MAC, Ulta- they all offer amazing makeup travel bags. Go browse and pick what from what you need; wheeled, zippered, hard cased/soft cased. It is like buying a new car, so take your time. It is important to choose an option which once opened will have enough space for your brushes, makeup products and can even fit cleansers/moisturizers as well. Once you purchase your makeup case, pack all your beauty products into categories and place your case wherever you desire (this case will help traveling with your products much easier as well). DO NOT NEGOTIATE A SPOT. He already made you lock all your stuff away, he can’t take your freedom.  

These tips should help you regain organization with your makeup and make everyday looks easier to obtain. It is also the perfect opportunity to go makeup shopping- what is better than that?

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

I hope you all had a great New Years Eve, I know I did.....I also know I wasn't looking so great yesterday or today from the late night =)

Here are a few things I like to try to wake up my tired eyes~

1. White eyeliner

Apply white eyeliner on lower lid to open and brighten your eyes. Also try alittle white eye shadow in the corners of your eye. With a detail brush, apply a pearl  eye shadow or highlighter to the inner corner of the eye, immediately under the lower lid and on the part of the bag that hangs downward (this is the very small area where the shadow of the bag is cast.) This little touch of powder catches and casts back, the light, creating the illusion of a brighter, more open under-eye area..

2. Undereye Concealer

Apply a concealer just a shade or two lighter than the rest of your face. Choosing the right concealer is important in covering up dark under eye circles. A shade too light can make you look like you have eye bags, while a dark shade will only enhance under eye circles.

After you picked the right shade of concealer apply the concealer with your ring finger. Your ring finger has the smoothest skin out of all your other fingertips; this helps to set the concealer. Rough skin on other fingertips will only work to rub off the concealer. Continue to apply a powder mineral foundation. This will give you an even skin tone. Gently tap the powder under your eyes to give you a warmer and natural feel. You don't want the undereye concealer to stand out.

MAC's Select Moisturecover is the conclear I use on models and brides, as well as myself!

If you really want heart throb eyes, apply a small amount of powder shimmer bronzer underneath your eyes as well. This give tired eyes a brighter look.

3. Preparation H

While concealers work to reduce dark under eye circles, it's often hard to fix puffy eye bags. An old but well known treatment for puffy eyes is Preparation H. Yes it's butt medication for hemorrhoids but it works. It helps to tighten skin and when applied under the eyes, it effectively reduces swollen puffy eyes. Give it a try.

4. Cold Spoon

Another great tip to reduce puffy eyes is a cold spoon. Simply take a spoon from your kitchen and run it under cold water. Once you feel the metal is cold place the spoon on the puffy area for at least 60 seconds. Voila! Puffiness gone. An even better idea is to have a spoon already stored in your refrigerator or freezer for emergency puffy eye fixes. Ahh, the wonders of home remedies!

I love love love Patricia Wexler M.D. Dermatology Fastscription™ Instant De-Puff Eye Gel from Bath and Body Works. I have been using this years and it works great. You can even put it in the refrigerator so you can de-puff even faster if your in a hurry to get your makeup on.

Just added a few pics to my Flickr account..check them out and become a friend!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/denisekellerman/