While we all might be feeling the affects of the weather lately (it's raining cats and dogs in Sydney!), there's so much you can enjoy from Winter beauty — darker makeup palettes, stronger brows and pretty accessories. What's not to love? This week, the POPSUGAR editors' have put together their favourite beauty picks, and for a taste of what's inside, think: cheek stains, makeup tools and a divine face cream! Curious? Come check it out.
Angled eye brushes are favoured by many makeup artists because they help achieve depth, definition, precision, and blend-ability along your upper lash lines. While seemingly frivolous, these brushes are actually a key tool to have in your collection. Discover everything you need to know about angled liner brushes, when you read more.
When fleshing out your makeup brush collection, it's easy to get slipped up on what you need. Some brushes look the same, seem to serve similar purposes, and seem like they're easy to skip. But scratch your head no longer! We're here to bust up the confusion of the brushes, starting with your standard blush brush.
What It's Used For
A blush brush is used for, well, blush. It is designed to lightly apply pigment to the apples of your cheeks, giving you a flushed, rosy tinge.
What It Looks Like
Blush brushes are domed and fluffy. Look for a brush that has natural, tapered bristles. A blush brush has a similar shape to a powder brush but is smaller. And those mini-brushes you get with a lot of blushes? Can them. Since they aren't dome shaped, they'll create a sharp line instead of a soft dusting.
Why You Need It
Blush is an important step in your makeup regimen, especially if you use a heavy foundation. A blush brush is a makeup case staple since it delivers your pigment in a natural way. To apply, dip your brush into the blush, tap off the access, and lightly swipe it onto your cheeks. Smiling helps you find the natural line your blush should take, and you should apply from the bottoms of your ears to the top corner of your mouth, with most of the pigment focusing on the apple of your cheek.
Tips and Tricks
Mid-January is a great time to get to work on any New Year resolutions or intentions, because the late nights filled with endless streams of champagne are finally (sadly) over. Here at Sugar, we have made our fashion goals known, and now it's time to think beauty. Beauty resolutions can come in many shapes and sizes — from regular facials to trying a new shade of red lipstick — and then there's the hair... A new year means new locks, so we asked the girls to reveal the celebrity hair they want, real bad.
Like the food in your fridge, the makeup in your bathroom goes bad after a while. Even though a swipe of day-old lipstick doesn't warrant a trip to the hospital like food poisoning, expired makeup can wreak havoc in its own nasty ways. It's not compulsory for makeup companies to print expiration dates on their containers, so how do you make sure your makeup bag has a clean bill of health? Keep this chart on hand, and count from the day you break the seal on the product:
| Product | When to toss |
|---|---|
| Powders (including blushes, bronzers, and shadows) | Two years |
| Cream shadows and blushes | 12-18 months |
| Oil-free foundation | One year |
| Cream compact foundation | 18 months |
| Concealers | 12-18 months |
| Lipstick and lip liner | One year |
| Lip gloss | 18-24 months |
| Pencil eyeliner | Two years |
| Liquid or gel eyeliner | Three months |
| Mascara | Three months |
Still not completely sure? Read on for more tips.
What do you get the girl who has everything? Beauty tools, that's what! If you want to spend a wee bit more than $20 on a gift, a luxe brush set is something many women would never buy for themselves, and the same goes for the more expensive styling tools like a ghd Styler or the Cloud Nine The Wand. And then there's the icons like the Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler (in 24K gold!) and the self tanning must-haves to consider. Step on in...
Working toward clearer-looking skin means taking the proper precautions: washing your face every night, not wearing makeup while working out, and cleaning your makeup brushes regularly. These three cleansers are your best bet when it comes to disinfecting, and one is probably in your shower right now. Plus, they won't break down the glue that holds your brushes together.
This week has been all about high voltage glamour. From the Venice Film Festival to the MTV Video Music Awards, we've been oogling everything from up 'dos and beachy waves to edgy rock looks and punchy lips; so we're dedicating this week's budget beauty buys to products that'll have you red carpet ready in a flash. Whether you've got a friend's wedding coming up or you're preparing for a big birthday bash, click through to see our round-up of makeup, tools and self tan — each one amazing and all under $20.
Fact: You know the wide array of makeup brushes presently cluttering your bathroom counter and/or makeup bag? While each does serve a purpose, when it comes down to it, you probably don't need all of them. If you're looking to clear out the excess, discover how to whittle your brush collection down to four (yes, four) of the bare basics when you read more.
Meet your new best friend — the smudger brush. Its tightly packed, dome-shaped bristles allow you to easily blend out cream, pencil, or powder liners, softly diffusing harsh lines on the crease and lash lines. This makes it particularly essential when creating a dramatic, layered, sultry smoky eye. You can even try dipping your smudger brush into a similarly hued powder shadow to set and intensify creamy pencil liner. And since it's so small and easy to control, it's perfect for reaching targeted areas, like the inside corners of the eyes. Glittery shadow, here you come, sans the excessive results. Shop a variety of smudging brushes in the widget below.
