Review: Annabelle Cosmetics Skinny Brow Liner

I have been using this wonderful little product on myself and on my clients for the last few years and I must say that I have been more than pleased with it.

Most of us are used to using pencil brows, and we all know the routine..  sharpen, apply, correct, sharpen... and it almost always still looks smudged.. ugh

Say goodbye to your frustrations!  Annabelle has the solution!

This gem of a product takes the frustration out of brow applications..  It is very fine, which allows for a precise application and make brow filling practically foolproof!  It is retractable and it includes a brow shaping comb as well. Some would prefer a spoolie instead, but in all honesty, it doesn't bother me at all.

The formula is matte, waterproof and hypo-allergenic... three words you want to hear when describing a brow pencil!

And the best part... it costs less than 10$ per pencil!

It is available in a number of colors:  Universal Light, Universal Medium, Universal Dark, Universal Ebony, Universal Taupe, Universal Auburn

I cannot tell you how many clients I have turned on to this product. 


Seriously.. two thumbs up!

SALLY HANSEN MIRACLE GEL NAILPOLISH

 For many years, I have been doing my own nails and, (not to toot my own horn) I think I have gotten quite good at it. 

 

Clean nails, basecoat, 2 coats of polis and topcoat. 

 

Problem is, I tend to knock my fingers around, wash dishes, type, clean, grab stuff... you know, LIVE...  and unfortunately, my nails bare the wrath of my day to day activities.  Generally, I am lucky if I can extend my mani to a week.

 

Now... I know what you're gonna tell me...  but the beauty industry has given us gel, and shellac and acrylic nails so you won't have to worry about mani longevity.  Buut, if you are anything like me, you don't necessarily have the time or the budget to get your mani done regularly at a nail salon.

 

I have tried many different brands of basecoat, polish, topcoats... There are some really good brands out there.. Orly, Opi, Essie... but I have to say, for longevity, Sally Hansen takes the cake with their topcoats (especially the Insta-Dry topcoat)

 

BUT!  they have now OUTDONE themselves!

 

BEHOLD the Miracle Gel™ nail color and Miracle Gel™ 2X Volume Top Coat (cue angels harmony here)

 

While shopping, this is what I saw:

• 2 Steps   
• Up to 14 Days of Color & Shine   
•  Easy Removal   
•  No Light Needed   
• The Next Best Thing to a Salon Gel Manicure!

So I gave it a try. And let me tell you, I am VERY pleased.

 

I bought color 430 called "Crème de la Crème" along with the 2X Volume topcoat.  Firstly, gorgeous color.  It's the perfect combination of white and barely-there pink.  (they offer 61 shades btw)

It goes on a little uneven when applying the first coat, but once the second coat is on... perfection.  It does dry quickly, so make sure to have something handy to quickly scrape off the color that gets on the skin (it happens to the best of us!).

 

After about 5  minutes, I applied the top coat and (to quote the instructions) I let natural light do the rest, and put it to the test.

 

right after I finished my nails

 

If I wasn't a little OCD and if I didn't need my nails to be perfect, the color would have easily lasted 14 days.  I managed to tolerate 10 days.   But even after the 10 days, the shine was still there and the color had lasted with minimal cracking and chipping (referring back to how much abuse I put my hands through, its really impressive).

 

Wow.  okay!  this could be interesting!  My first thought was to go and buy all the colors, I was sold!  But then, reality set in and I remembered that I have about 40 colors in my nail kit that I spent money on.... Hmmm, what to do, what to do...

 

So I tried using one of my preferred OPI nail colors with just the 2X Volume topcoat.  It has been 10 days and my nails are still looking presentable! Minimal cracking, no chipping and slight wear and tear on the tips.  Very very impressive!

 

not bad! 10 days later

 

I am definitely going to try to resist my impulses and try the Sally Hansen Duo again and see if I can make it last the 14 days ;)-  Though I have zero doubt that it will.   It seems that there is a science to combining the 2 items.  According to the website, the Miracle Gel™ Color and Top Coat formulas were developed to be used together as a system.  Who am I to doubt science? :)

 

Final thoughts:

Two very enthusiastic thumbs up to anyone thinking of purchasing this nail product.  GO FOR IT. Get the duo, you will not be disappointed!

 

 

For more: you can follow me on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TenySarkissianMakeupArtist

Instagram: @tenplatinum

 

 

 

 

Review: Maybelline The Nudes and The blushed Nudes palettes

I was walking down the cosmetics aisles of the pharmacy, as I usually do on my trips there, when something caught my eye in the Maybelline display.  Nude palettes! AFFORDABLE nude palettes! (They retail for almost 13$/palette + tax)

So I bought both ;)

With all the hype surrounding the Urban Decay Naked palettes that retail for a whopping 64$ + tax, it is no wonder that there are dupes popping up everywhere.  Other examples are the Coastal Scents Revealed palettes, and L'Oreal's Color Riche La Palette Nude or even Annabelle's Smokey Nudes Eyeshadow Pallette.


At first glance, the color options that these palettes offer are impressive.  You get 12 colors per palette, and each contain a combination of matte and satin shades.

The original palette has a combination of bronzy tones, ranging from champagnes to taupes to golds and browns/blacks

The blushed palette has an array of pinky tones ranging from a vanilla to rose golds to silver/greys and a sparkly plum

Application: 

As soon as you swatch the colors with your fingers, you understand that the color payoffs are quite sheer, especially the matte shades.  The more satiny shiny shades are more pigmented. 

Right away, I would recommend that these palettes be used with an eye primer and a dense eyeshadow brush (or even your fingers) to apply.

bronze palette swatches

blushed palette swatches

 

Final thoughts:

 

 

The colors are gorgeous, it is obvious that they gave the color choices a lot of thought. Most of the shades have a wonderful satiny finish that are easy to apply and easy to blend out. 

 

The variety available in the palettes makes it easy to go from day to night without the bulk of having to carry around a bunch of different pans and the user-friendly-ness of not having to break your head deciding which colors go well together. 

 

However, I do wish that the colors would be more pigmented.  Colors that are adequately pigmented not only facilitate application but also give the wearer the choice of degree of intensity they wish to have.

 

All in all, a good buy for the everyday woman looking for a variety of choices for an affordable price :)

 

 

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Instagram: @tenplatinum

 

 

Why Is a Bridal Makeup Trial so Important?

You got engaged! You are over the moon and it is now time to plan your dream wedding!

You have the venue, the band, the dress... Now all that's left is the makeup. You find a makeup artist you like and her portfolio seems to match the vision you have for yourself on your special day.  You ask yourself if a trial is really necessary?  

The answer is a resounding YES!

But why?  Below is a list of answers to that question along with some helpful tips.  Enjoy!

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1.  Getting to know you.  The makeup artist is meeting you and your face for the first time.  The trial is the time for her to ask you the necessary questions about your skin type, allergies, likes and dislikes, etc.  There is generally no time on the wedding day to be having those discussions or for her to familiarize herself with your face.  This is also a time for her to get to know you as a person.  For the artist, this will help with the creation of the perfect look.

2.  Do you speak the same language? A person's makeup lingo is very different from a makeup artist's lingo.  Many times, I've had brides use adjectives such as "dramatic", "cat eye", "smokey eye", "light", "dark", "glam"... These words (and many others) can mean two completely different things to you vs your makeup artist.  It is during the trial that you will be able to determine if the words you gave the makeup artist really described the vision you had in your head.  Your makeup artist should be open to criticisms and tweaks you want to do to the makeup on the wedding day.  

3.  Will you like her? It is important to know whether or not you will get along with your vendors, especially your makeup artist.  More often than not, your makeup artist will be the first person you see on your big day and your relationship with her will set the tone for the rest of the day.  The time you spend with her at the trial will determine whether your personalities will gel nicely.

4.  Go out and enjoy.   Do your trial on a day when you have an event to go to.  One where your hair will be done and you're dressed to impress. This will give you a better visual of the makeup and how it actually looks when you're all done up.  If you do your makeup trial in sweats with your hair in a messy bun, the makeup will stand out and you may be taken aback by the intensity of it in comparison to how "regular" the rest of you looks.

5.  More is less.  It is important to remember that whatever look you are aiming to achieve, the makeup artist will be applying with the camera in mind.  What does that mean?  Let me explain...  Anytime you have a professional photographer and/or a videographer in the mix, the makeup artist knows that the makeup has to automatically be at least 40% more intense than usual.  The camera, the natural light, the flash... all of those will wash out the applied makeup in the pictures.  This means that the makeup artist will need to: a) use more makeup than usual, b) use brighter/darker tones than usual and c) intensify the products applied... more than you are used to.  The right amount of makeup will make you look flawless and natural in the photos with all the right parts of your face highlighted.

6.  Take it for a test run.  Testing out the makeup is as important as the makeup application itself.  You want to know that the makeup will last all day and all night.  Getting dressed up and going out after your trial serves a double purpose.  Will the makeup stay intact? Will your skin get oily?  Will you have any reactions to the products? Are you comfortable with the false lashes? Are you comfortable in your own skin with the makeup on? Was it too dark? Too light?  Was it perfect and everything you hoped it would be? By the end of the night, you will have enough information to give your makeup artist good feedback for her to work with on the wedding day.

7.  The details.  The trial is generally a good time to finalize (as much as possible) the details for the wedding day. A lot can be lost in translation when

communicating by phone or by text.  Take advantage of the face-to-face and discuss the pricing, the wedding day schedule and any other important details.

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I hope this is helpful to all you future brides out there 😊

For more: you can follow me on

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Am I a warm or a cool tone?

Makeup tip of the day: WARM VS COOL Foundation

Many of us have heard these terms when it comes to makeup, but when we're standing in front of a plethora of foundations, who has the time to think about it and figure it out? 

Here's a little trick: Don't look at the skin on your face. More often then not, our face has a different coloring than our body. 

Cools have have more red, pink-y, blue-y hues in their skin while Warms are more yellow, orange-y, peach-y. A neutral tone is an equal blend of the two tones.

Pull up your sleeves and take a look at the veins visible on inside of your forearms. Are you doing it? Good.

If your veins looks more blue, you've got cool undertones.

If your veins look more green, you've got warm undertones

Another cool trick is to think back to the type of jewelry you wear. Do you look best in silvers or golds? Generally, silvers are more flattering on cool tones, and golds look more radiant on warms.

So what does this all mean? ** You want to always match the tones in your body upward into your face to neutralize and blend.

So, for example, if your face has mostly cool undertones, but you have determined that the rest of you is a warm, then you will be choosing more golden-shade foundations, in order to neutralize the cool tones in your face. ** Always remember to blend down into the neck and decollete!

WHEN IN DOUBT and all of this is too confusing, stick to neutrals. 

Et voila! 

The assumptions of makeup trials

Wedding and event season is coming up, and that means that many ladies request a trial session to make sure that their makeup is 100% perfect on their special day.

Trials are an important part of the makeup process, there's no denying it... So I am a little confused as to why clients diminish the importance of a trial if its so important? (Confused yet? Join the club)

Let me explain:

On the day of the trial, your makeup artist  will spend more time with you communicating and creating a full makeup look (sometimes multiples) to make sure that you both have the same vision in mind, and until you see exactly what you envisioned in the mirror.  Your makeup artist will use all the same products (sometimes more) and in the case of those who want at-home service, will transport all her makeup and tools to your location (chair, light, heavy makeup bag, supply bag, etc...) to ensure a comfortable and complete experience for you.

So, now that we know the extent to which a makeup artist works for a client's  makeup trial, why-oh-why do clients expect to pay a fraction of the price or nothing at all for the makeup trial?  

We just established that the makeup artist is putting in more of his/her time, energy and products for the trial and yet, many are still under the impression that it isnt worth the compensation.

Its like saying that you will eat at a restaurant for your birthday and are eating the same meal at the same place a week before, but are not willing to pay the price of the food and service provides because it isn't actually your birthday....  

Boggles my mind.

The importance of cleansing your face before bed. JUST DO IT!

How many times have I heard someone say ``I was too tired/too lazy to wash my face before bed``... ``I shower in the mornings anayway``... ``I wasn`t wearing any makeup that needed washing off``...

Hearing someone tell me they don`t cleanse their face before bed is like nails on a chalkboard to me... cringe-worthy.

Anna Pursglove recently wrote an article for Dailymail UKrelating how she bravely decided to challenge herself to not cleanse her face before bed for one month.  After one month, her skin specialist announced that her skin had aged by a DECADE!!

So what happens to our skin while we sleep?
Skin regenerates itself while we sleep; dry skin sheds, creates collagen & elastin, elimintes toxins... And as we get older (inevitably every day), our skin needs all the help it can get!

Makeup and external pollutants create a barrier on the skin during the course of the day, and not washing off all the `guk` on a repeated long term basis can cause more damage than we may have thought:

• prevents the production of collagen and elastin (the stuff that makes your skin tight and youthful) therefore causing saggy and wrinkly skin
• prevents old skin shedding to make new for the new younger skin
• cloggs pores, therefore creating larger pores and acne
• irritants get locked in and can cause allergic reactions and redness
• uncleaned eyes can cause infections and lash dandruff 

Do I need to continue??

It is hard to offer a suggestion of cleansers, because every skin need is different, but I can tell you that my cleansing routine includes Ponds cold cream with a hot face towel followed by a quick wash with african black soap. 

So now that you will all start cleansing before bed, please take the extra 5 seconds to moisturize as well to help keep your face hydrated and healthy.  Your future self will thank you for it. :)