HAPPY FRIDAY! Today, I am sharing my first installment of Reader Beauty Q & A. I have chosen a couple of questions from my free beauty question emails that I thought you guys would benefit from. If you are a subscriber already, just sent me an email with the subject Free Beauty Question, and you will receive a personalized email, along with product recommendations straight to your inbox. You will also be invited to join our private Facebook group at some point. I have been slacking in putting it up, but I am working on it, I promise. If you are note yet a subscriber, you can join the fun here.
Question:
As a fellow fair-skinned blonde, what is your favorite mascara? I hate the spidery look that most give, and with blonde lashes my biggest concern is smooth, even color coverage, rather than volume.
Answer:
There are 2 types of mascara – fiber based and gel based. A fiber based mascara contains small fibers to bulk up your lashes and build volume. A gel based mascara is primarily used to cover the lashes with color and lengthen them without the bulk and build-up of fibers. It sounds like you are looking for the latter. Here are a couple of recommendations.
Good gel based mascara options:
This one from Clinique in jet brown.
This is another good option. I love the Navy color. It makes the whites of your eyes look brighter, making you look more awake. It is a great option for fair-skinned blondes.
This is a good one to try at a lower price point. It comes in brownish black.
Lastly, Covergirl Clump Crusher in Black Brown:
Good fiber based mascara options:
This one has reached beauty icon status.
Everyone loves this one as well.
This one is a great dupe for the Better than Sex mascara that everyone loves, and my current favorite.
Question:
Hi! I am 44 and I have hazel eyes and lighter skin (but not fair). I want to buy an age appropriate eye shadow palette that lasts all day but doesn’t have lots of shiny shadows. What neutral eye shadow palette would you recommend?
Answer:
I have yet to find a shadow palette that will last all day on its own, but with a little prep and an eyeshadow primer your makeup will last and stay. In order to make your eyeshadow last, I recommend applying an eye shadow primer all over your eyelid and up to the brow bone. I just use my fingertips and spread a tiny amount all over my eye and blend it upward. I then apply a shadow, without shimmer, in a neutral tone, all over the primer and kind of press the shadow into the primer. This does 2 things:
1) It will make your eye makeup last all day
2) It will also make anything else you apply over the top go on smoother and the colors are more true.
As we get older, shimmer can be dangerous, so you are right, matte, neutral shadows are best. At this age, it is all about enhancing what we have. My favorite neutral eyeshadow palettes are below. They are staples in my makeup bag. I love the Urban Decay palette. It is very basic, but I truly use every single shadow in it. It has only one shimmer shadow, which is great for highlighting the inner corners of the eye or the center of the lid. I use the black & dark brown as eyeliner. A great budget alternative is the Milani palette, which does have more shimmer shadows, but they are neutral and flattering. The Smashbox palette is also great and contains all matte shadows.
Lastly, this one is also great and has warmer tones in it. It gives you a bit more variety and smells so good! ( Not that it matters that much, but I find it to be a pleasant bonus).
Have a good weekend, friends!
XO,
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