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!

A Tale of DRAB Lipstick.

It was a typical, slow day at work, when all of a sudden woman walked through the door. A pale woman wearing BLACK lipstick. I literally thought Elvira had come to steal my soul. Luckily, this woman was not actually coming to reap souls. She turned out to be one of the most perky people I've ever met. (You know, one of those people you want to slap for being so nice?) It's funny how the scariest people always turn out to be the nicest.

Although I was beyond glad to interact with a decent human being; I could not stop staring at those deathly black lips. I couldn't even be sassy and tell the woman that she looked like the Grimm Reaper; I mean, how do you tell the nicest person ever that they look like a terrifying mess?
I just couldn't do it. So, I let her walk out of the store to face the rest of the world like that.
I won't let you guys down though!

Choosing the proper lip shade for yourself is incredibly important. One shade off, and you could look like a hot mess; or my new Elvira friend (I don't really know which is worse).
Here's an easy guide to keep in mind when you're standing amongst 100's of shades of lipstick.
(Of course there are always exceptions. But, sometimes it's good to play it safe.)

1) Pale Skin = Pale Shades
- Dark shades will make you look more pale. You are lucky though, not many people can pull off a pale shade without looking they have chalk on their lips.

2) Medium Skin = Bright Colors or Dark Shades
- You are pretty lucky, you can pull of a variety of different shades. Test em' out.

3) Dark Skin = Dark Shades or Quirky Colors
- You could probably pull off that black lipstick with the right wardrobe. And you're super lucky because those crazy bright purple shades that you see will look totally fab and make your lips pop!

Keep this in mind, play it safe, and you'll have a fabulous winning shade each time.
Bye bye Elvira. Hello Elle Macpherson!

The Drab World of Pimples.

PIMPLES.
What can you say about em'? They're gross and always seem to pop up at the exact time you don't want them to. It's inevitable. Most of us get pimples due to stress, oily skin, or bad eating habits. But, Cami, a friend of mine, is cursed with a constant influx of pimples. It's actually beyond drab.
I've known this girl for a few years and this outbreak just starting happening a few months ago. The poor thing went from nearly clear skin to "woah, I didn't even know you could get a pimple there."

As gross as it is, she doesn't stress (obviously that'll just add to the problem) she just uses a few simple tricks to both get rid of those little buggers and cover up the stubborn ones.
Wanna know Cam's secrets?

They're so easy, a cavewoman could do it (Lame? My bad).
Anyway, start out with a basic salicylic acid wash. I know many people claim it's not good for your skin, but guess what, it gets the job done! After washing your face, apply spot acne treatment cream to the single pimps on your face. The ingredients should make those pesky pimples disappear over night.
If you wake up with some stubborn suckers left, never fear, you can cover those!

^ Your solution ^
We both live by this stuff. Physicians Formula Mineral Correcting Concealer. Apply them 1, 2, 3 and your face will look clear as a baby's bottom.
So, when you feel like a pizza face, don't stress and eat a bag of Mini Snicker candies. A simple 1, 2, 3 and you'll be pimple free!
Get bad with your fab self!

Eye Baggage Drab.

We all have baggage. And I'm not just talking about the emotional kind. I'm talking about those lovely bags we carry around underneath our eyes. They're stubborn aren't they? Almost as stubborn as the airline attendants that weigh real baggage.
As a college student, sleep and I are not exactly on good terms. Aka I am an expert on baggage. Some days I look like I'm walking around with an incurable illness. It's literally the epitome of drab.
But, after a few years of "WOW, are you okay? You look a little sick." I've finally mastered covering up those stubborn sacks.

How?
A fantastic combination of BB cream, concealer, and powder. Sounds like a lot, but these products are actually incredibly light and give you an airbrushed glow.
Begin by squeezing out a dab of your BB cream of choice (I suggest Loreal). Rub it on like moisturizer. Then whip out the concealer (I suggest a cream version). Dab your finger in the product and gently tap a layer over those ugly bags. Blend, blend, blend. Then sweep over a layer of translucent powder on your entire face to reduce the shine of the creams. This will keep your face in place all day.
Once you've applied these simple products you can apply whatever other fabulous make-up you want.

Rock it out, girl! No more baggage holding you down!

Eyebrow Arching Fabulosity.

Okay guys, let's try a quick game.

Google a picture of your celebrity beauty idol; in my case Mila Kunis. Now take your index finger and place it over their eyebrows. Not looking so beautiful anymore, huh? 

Shapely eyebrows are an incredibly important aspect of your face! 

Of course, most of us are not blessed with thick, perfectly arched eyebrows. I actually have the complete opposite of this myself. "Thin, un-contoured random hairs above my eyelids" is probably the best description. Apparently these thin eyebrows run in my family, so I had no choice but to learn how to combat this curse. Luckily, it's super easy to get those perfect Kardashian brows. (Basically, my brow pencil is my best friend. No shame.)

For those of you just starting on your eyebrow contouring journey, try using some tape. Tape your brows off just like you would your cat eye eyeliner and use the same coloring book idea; but keep it nice and light. Don't want to get that caterpillar look. (Andy Rooney much?)
It's as easy as finding your brow shade, sticking on tape, and going to work.

Once you're comfortable getting the contour right, do it with out the tape boarders. You'll be surprised how your hand remembers the way to your perfect shape.
Soon enough you'll be a pro with some absolutely fab brows that'll blow those Kardashians out of the water!

(Or, if worse comes to worse, pluck those brows out completely and compensate with some ivy. JK!)

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

Eyeshadow Drab.

Many people claim that the eyes are the windows to the soul. And, like a curtain adorning your
window, eyeshadow adornes your eyes. Unfortunately, we were not all born with flawless-non-oily
skin; so getting eyeshadow to stay put on those beautiful "windows", all day long, is nearly impossible.
My mother and I are both cursed with the dreaded eyelid-oil-slick. It's really quite the tragedy; nearly as awful as Romeo and Juliet.

After testing every over priced eye primer Pinterest could suggest to us, we discovered the eye primers were only adding to the problem; they're far too greasy to apply to an already greasy surface. Thus, my mother decided to attempt a powder foundation as a primer. She applied the powder and brushed on her go-to purple shadow. After spending the entire day outside in the South Florida heat, she walked inside to a fantastic surprise. Her eyeshadow was exactly where she left it!
The days of the purple oil slick were finally over.
Of course, I assumed since it worked for mommy dearest, it would have to work for me as well.
Wrong. So very, very wrong.

The powder only dulled down my normally glitzy hues and left my lids looking like a runner's t-shirt from "The Color Run."(The epitome of drab.)
Obviously, I needed to continue my hunt.  I tried everything in my makeup bag that I doubted in the past and, what do ya know, I FINALLY found a solution.
Covergirl concealer. This light product made the perfect primer for my lids. It keeps my hues bright and well blended for the entire day; what more can a girl ask for? (Well, maybe some chocolate.)
So, for those of you out there suffering from eyelid-oil-slick syndrome; pull all your eyeshadows out of storage. It's time for YOU to rock that fab smokey eye you've been dying to try!