Tragic Blush Drabulosity.

Rosie red cheeks. What girl doesn't want that little pop of color? It's cute and really adds a glow to any lovely ladies already beautiful face! But, it becomes a problem when you apply too much blush OR apply it in the complete wrong spot. 

You're probably thinking "huh? There is no wrong spot!" 

Oh but there is my dears. 

For example; the other day I encountered a woman in Kroger. She gave me nasty looks while I handed her my Kroger Plus Card. (Sorry you hate your job, but I do not appreciate, nor do I accept your nasty looks, m'am.) So I quickly deemed her Ms. Nastypants for all the nasty looks. Childish? Maybe so, but I was just acting accordingly. Anyway, Ms. Nastypants, is a prime example for this lesson on blush. It looked like a child drew all over her cheeks with a red Crayola marker. (Luckily those markers are washable with water.) 

Not only did she apply at least 50 coats too many; she also had it all concentrated in little circles under the apples of her cheeks. I didn't even know what to make of this sight other than, birthday clown, maybe? (If you couldn't tell, I really was not a fan of her.)

Take a lesson from Ms. Nastypants. DO NOT apply 50 coats of blush! 

Find the proper color for your skin tone (lighter for light skin, darker for dark skin) and gently sweep the color on the apples of your cheeks. I like to smile a little while I apply it, so I can target the apples directly. Make sure you blend it all out along your cheekbones. Avoid streaky blush lines though, or you'll have to do your whole face over again. (Ain't nobody got time for that! Still relevant right? )

As long as you are kind and gentle to your brush it will treat you right in return; giving you a nice glow and warmth that Ms. Nastypants will never achieve! 

Go ahead girl, make those cheeks pop! The ones on your face, of course. 

Heck, make the other cheeks pop too; you're fab!

Clumpy Lashes: SO Drab.

Let's just cut to the chase; clumpy lashes are gross. Plain and simple.
I'm an associate at a small boutique for women's clothing; aka I stand there and judge people as they walk through the door. (Oops, my bad, ladies.) I've seen some really... interesting... people come through those doors. One woman in particular looked like she had spiders crawling from her eyes. Seriously, her mascara was THAT clumpy. I really just wanted to hand her some makeup remover and reapply the mascara for her. Instead, I casually hid behind a mannequin and stared at her like she was one of the 7 Wonders of the World. After she left the store, another customer approached me and asked if I saw "that."Apparently associates aren't the only people judging everyone else in the store. (Score! I'm not a total jerk.)

After this encounter, I started to check out people's lashes on a daily basis. I had no idea how many people walk around with this clumped look. Apparently some people strive for this effect in hopes that it will make their lashes appear fuller. To those of you taking this approach, please, just stop.

A good rule of thumb is to make sure you only do 2, and I mean ONLY 2, layers of mascara. It will keep your eyes looking fresh and light. If you're looking to add the appearance of fuller eyelashes, just do a light layer of black eyeliner on your lash line before applying your choice of mascara. This will give the appearance of full, long lashes without having to purchase expensive lash serums.
Stick to those basic tricks and you will always have perfectly full lashes that won't have you looking like queen of the spiders.
If you're feeling bold, try applying a colored mascara that compliments your eye color. It'll make those eyes sparkle and pop which, of course, is completely fab!

DRAB

 FAB

Cat Eye Fab.

Meeting up with old friends is like opening up Forrest Gump's box of chocolates; you never know
what you're going to get. Luckily, my last encounter with an old friend did not have me slipping
into Forrest's running shoes. We met for a quick lunch date and after the initial "hey I've missed
you hug," I did the womanly thing and checked out her outfit. (I mean, really, we all do it.) Classic
jeans, simple top, cute pink blazer, black flats, and a long cog necklace. She's the same Katie;
forever girly and forever exuding a captivating glow.

Anyway, after an overall wardrobe assessment, I move on to the makeup situation. It was flawless!
And, when I say flawless, I mean absolutely perfect-cat-eye-flawless. Achieving that perfect cat eye
"flip" is quite the daunting task, so of course, I needed to know her secret.

And what's Katie's secret?

Use tape. Yes, simple Scotch tape. Tape off the area where you want the eyeliner to be applied and
simply color in the lines! Who knew coloring books would serve an actual purpose one day?
And, hey, why not take another tip from the Crayola book and try some brightly colored eyeliners too.
A boldly blue cat eye is definitely an attention grabber and totally fab.