Brush Week: Best Kept Secret

The most beautiful makeup of a woman is passion. But cosmetics are easier to buy.

-Yves Saint-Laurent

Craft stores: The mecca of inexpensive professional brushes.

I took a trip to Michael's this past weekend and lo and behold... I came across the mecca of affordable professional brushes! A huge aisle, full of every type of brush you can imagine. The best part, 99% of the brushes were under $10. A girl could save some serious cash shopping like this!

Art brushes are one of the best kept secrets in makeup. A $25 eye shadow brush can easily be swapped for a high quality $4 'art' brush. I promise - you or your makeup won't know the difference. And geez - check out the selection!! I found a dupe for nearly all of my brushes except for a foundation brush. This is amazing news for beginners who want to experiment with application tools but don't want to drop $150 in the process. It's also amazing for junkies like me who can never get enough. 

I picked up a Grumbacher 4620 brush identical to a professional gel/powder eyeliner brush I had my eye on, and for a tenth of the cost ($4.) The only con - lots of the brushes have really long handles, but we can handle that. ;)

steal my lashes

they're real.

If there's one thing I get complimented on, it's my lashes! I attribute it completely to mascara application. Keep reading to see how you can steal my lashes.

line your lashline.
Even if it's just a thin line, make sure to line your upper lash line. This will make the base of your lashes look thicker and instantly fuller. 

layer your mascara.
Most important step. The trick is not just adding layers of mascara, but add layers of different types of mascara. My tactic: start by adding 2 coats of a mascara that lengthen your lashes without clumping. This provides a nice clean base to build from. While your lashes are still wet, layer your favorite volumizing mascara. Continue adding coats of the volumizing mascara until you find your desired effect. On days that I want really dramatic long lashes, I add another coat of a super black volumizing mascara. In all, I can apply about 10 - 15 coats, easy. The key is finding mascara formulas you like working with. A bad formula will make this look turn sour quickly. This routine may seem extreme at first, but once you see you lashes, you might never look back!

get in there.
If you want huge lashes, you've got to get up in a mirror and coat  e v e r y--s i n g l e--l a s h. Experiment with the way you hold the mascara wand, they way you coat your lashes, ect. I can easily spend up to 10 minutes(yikes!) on my lashes, so adjust this routine however you'd like. Who wants to see a video tutorial??


*I've linked my current mascara routine products. My routine changes monthly because I love trying new products. Maybe I'll post about my all time favorite mascaras!