Brows 101.....A Step by Step Guide to Filling in Your Brows (Lip Service featured on SheFinds.....)

When Lisa Fogarty from SheFinds reached out and asked me for the lowdown on brows....heck yeah, I was happy to contribute!  My clients constantly tell me that they have NO IDEA how to fill in their brows, and they get even more confused by Instagram and YouTube gurus who draw on some MAJOR brows that can be well....scary. So how do you enhance them....naturally?  Here's my step by step guide as featured in this article on SheFinds......

Photo credit: Maxtree

Can we all agree, once and for all, that drawn-on eyebrows are not a good look? Achieving gorgeous brows takes commitment and patience, not whatever makeup pencil you happen to have handy. In addition to letting eyebrows grow, brow-savvy beauties know just how to fill in their arches with makeup so that they look natural, not fake. Need a few pro pointers? Makeup artist and beauty expert Jennifer Trotter of Lip Service Makeup is here with the only step-by-step guide to filling in our eyebrows you’ll ever need so they always look seriously stunning–not severe.

1. Assess your shape. There is no one universal paradigm for how to fill in your brows. The tools you choose and how you use them all depend on your brow type and the specific issue you want to address. Here are the general rules for different eyebrow types:

– If you have fairly full brows with a well defined shape, you’ll want to fill in the few bare spots for a bit of polish. “Use brow powder–it’s the most natural approach and it’s easy to use. Just apply the brow powder that matches your shade using a small, dense, angled brush and mimic hair-like strokes,” Trotter says.

– If you have full brows with hairs that stand away from your skin, use pencil or powder and experiment first to see which works best, Trotter says. Then follow the same steps as you would for full brows. For added drama, Trotter suggests using a bit of pencil with powder on top.

– If you have very thin brows that need to be filled in and your eyebrow hair is dense and close to your skin, use pomade. “This is the trickiest of all the options, but works well with this brow type,” Trotter says. “Choose a waterproof pomade, apply with a dense, angled brow brush using short and careful strokes. Don’t draw it in a line! Use a concealer brush with a tiny bit of concealer on it to clean up and soften edges.”

– If you have very thin brows with longer brow hairs that stand away from your skin, use a pencil to create hair-like strokes, then a bit of powder on top. “The pencil is needed to create the brow structure and fill in missing spots. Using a thin brow pencil in a shade that matches, draw short hair-like strokes. Once you have the shape in place, apply a bit of brow powder using a small angled brow brush. The powder will cling to the hairs that are there and make it look more natural,” Trotter explains.

2. Perfect your technique. Mimic short, hair-like strokes when applying any brow product.

Makeup: Jennifer Trotter, Photo Credit: Charla Storey

3. Pick the right product. Choose a brow product that matches the shade of your brows or one shade darker. Additionally, you should choose products made specifically for brows. Eye pencils and eyeshadows can often have the wrong formulation–they’re too creamy or too dry. Products made specifically for brows have more staying power and the control you need.

4. Go slow. Take your time and don’t rush through your brow makeup application. Bad brows will ruin your whole look, so it’s best to go slow instead of piling on product.

5. Use the right tools. Use a brow brush that is small and angled with densely packed bristles for the most control and best results.

6. Prep your brows.  Brush your brows up and into place before applying any brow products, and again after you’ve applied them for the most natural look.

7. Correct mistakes. Use a concealer brush with a tiny bit of concealer as an “erasing” tool–it can clean up lines you’ve messed up, soften a line that’s too harsh, and can be used lightly on your entire brow to soften a look that’s too dark.

8. Don’t forget to cleanse! Always remove your brow products when you cleanse your face, and don’t forget to scrub your brows. Pencil, powder and pomade can build up in your brows and create dead skin and a messy look.

Of course, no guide would be complete without a list of no-no’s, so here are 3 things Trotter says you should never do when filling in your eyebrows:

1. Never drastically alter the shape of your natural brows. Just like you shouldn’t over-tweeze a naturally full brow, you don’t want to overdraw naturally thin ones. If they’re naturally thin, it’s okay to fill them in a bit, but don’t overdo it.

2. Never use brow products the way you would a pen or pencil. Don’t draw a line. It’ll never look natural and it’ll look really bad if your line is uneven.

3. Don’t choose brow products in a color different than your own.  If your brows are a light brown, a dark chocolate brown brow will look harsh and throw off the balance of your face.  The most goof-proof shade is a medium taupe that can work on almost anyone.

For more beauty tips and advice, check out the one thing you should never do when plucking your eyebrows and this woman with four eyebrows.

And....bonus! Here a few of my favorite brow products:

Photo credit: Essiebuttons.com

Pencils - MAC brow pencils (Fling is great for blondes, Stud is awesome for brunettes)
               IT Cosmetics Brow Power - a neutral taupe pencil that works on nearly everyone

Powder - Senna Brow Book (My kit staple! Find your perfect shade in this long-lasting powder)
                Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo - two shades in each compact to mix for your perfect match

Pomade - Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip Brow  - Chocolate is a great shade for warm brunettes

Brow Brush - Makeup Forever Angled Brow Brush
                       MAC Cosmetics #208 Brow Brush
                       (Look for a brush with an angled tip and short, dense bristles)

Thanks so much to Lisa Fogarty and SheFinds for featuring my tips!!  Check out SheFinds daily for all the beauty lowdown you need to look and feel fabulous.....

Over 40? These makeup tips are tailor-made for you! (SheFinds Feature)

So...you're over 40....do you really need to do your  makeup differently?  The answer is...yes! Many of the same looks that worked when you were younger may not be the most flattering now, so at the minimum, you'll want to make a few adjustments.  I'm in my forties too, so when fab beauty/lifestyle blog She Finds asked me for tips to share, I had plenty...working with my clients AND from personal experience!

Read on to find out what YOU could be doing wrong, as well as some great tips to help you choose the best products for your gorgeous, over 40 self....

(PS, thanks for the feature SheFinds!!)

9 Makeup Tips Women In Their Forties Should Commit To Memory

It’s really no secret that women in their twenties do not face the same skincare challenges as women in their forties. That’s the beauty of aging, right? So just as your style and sensibilities evolve as you get older, so should your daily makeup routine. When you’re 20, you can put just about anything on your face and get away with it, but that’s probably not that case once you hit 40. Luckily, Jennifer Trotter of Lip Service Makeup, pro makeup artist and beauty expert, and Kate O’Brien, founder of Alima Pure, are here to share their best tried and true makeup tips for women 40 and over.

1. Look for highly pigmented products. “You can use less product and still get color payoff,” Trotter says. “The older we get, we don’t want to pack on makeup, so this tip is important.”

2. Be careful with color choice. “Avoid dull or overly vivid colors,” Trotter says. “Right in the middle is where you want to be. Rosy/peachy/plum shades for lips and cheeks always look young and fresh.”

3. Less is more. While coverage is good, more is not always better, O’Brien says. “Moisturize well, and let it absorb thoroughly before applying foundation. Then apply with a light hand, going back over spots that need a little extra coverage without over-applying.”

4. Prime your lids. “Matte and (surprise!) shimmer eyeshadows often work better for eyes over-40 than pearly eyeshadows which can emphasize lines,” O’Brien says. “A touch of primer or BB cream on the lid before shadow application can help shadows stay in place.”

5. Skip trends. “Trends, for the most part, have the reverse effect and can make you look older,” Trotter says. “Giant drugstore brands quickly jump onto trends to capture their audience, but be wary–often, these products are not geared towards those over 30 and should be skipped. Examples include super vivid colors, the spiky lash trend and glitter. Subtle shimmer is fine at any age, but glitter where you can actually see the particles… NO. Watch out for this in shadows, blushes, highlighters and lipsticks,” Trotter says.

6. Choose emollient products. “Seek out products that plump and moisturize and avoid anything that is too dry,” Trotter says. “A too matte lipstick is aging, a too dry eye pencil will drag and pull on your eye, and a too dry foundation won’t give you that seamless glow.”

7. Focus on brows. “This is a great time for strong brows,” O’Brien says. “A well defined brow can help a face of any age look bright and awake. Choose a color somewhat lighter than natural brow hair and work soft strokes in through the natural brow line.”

8. Beware of cheap eyeshadow. “Across the board, watch out for drugstore brand shadows–they just don’t cut it.,” Trotter says. “The reason is because the ratio of filler to pigment is too high, which results in not enough color, not enough staying power and a dry, chalky look, which is aging.”

9. Shop smart. Smashbox, Lorac and Laura Mercier are all great brands for women in their forties because they offer colors with plenty of boldness, but not too many over the top choices, Trotter says. “Their lipsticks and shadows are highly pigmented, which is really what you want at any age.”

Mineral makeup brands like Alima Pure are also great for women in their forties because the colors reflect those occur in nature and all of the products are made without harsh chemicals like sulfates and parabens.

Lastly, IT Cosmetics is actually geared towards women 30 and up, Trotter says. “My favorite products include No. 50 Anti-Aging Primer because it plumps up and hydrates mature skin, Bye Bye Redness Correcting Creme for covering blotchiness, Brow Power Universal Eye Brow Pencil to build up sparse brows and Your Skin but Better CC Cream, which is an emollient tinted moisturizer that is fabulous on dry skin, plus it has SPF 50 to protect you from the sun. Even better, all of the skin products are formulated with good-for-you ingredients, which is a definite must for beauty shoppers over 40!”

For more beauty tips, check out the 8 essentials every woman should have in her makeup bag and all the minor plastic surgery procedures every woman should know about.

(Written by Lisa Fogarty for SheFinds)

Go Nude! Essential Tips for the Perfect Nude Lip That Won't Wash you Out....(SheFinds Feature)

When Lisa Fogarty from  fab beauty blog SheFinds reached out to get the lowdown all about nude lips...I was happy to help!  As a pale girl, I've struggled with nude...do it wrong, and you'll look pale and wan, not chic.

So what's a girl to do?  Read on for the interview and you'll be rocking a nude lip like a pro!

How To Wear Nude Lipstick Without Looking Washed Out

LISA FOGARTY
JANUARY 21, 2016

Certain lipstick shades have big personalities. Red requires little more than a precise application technique to look smashing. Hot pink or coral–similar va-va-va-voom factor, similar ease. The same, however, can’t be said for nude lipstick, which I’ve always considered the most difficult hue to pull off. The wrong nude lip can make some of us look tired and washed out. What’s more: it isn’t always easy to achieve the delicate balance between a nude lip and the makeup on the rest of your face.

To help pull off the nude trend that’s sweeping the Internet, makeup artist Jennifer Trotter at Lip Service is here to offer solid advice on how to create an amazing, flattering nude lip look that will make you look ethereal… not exhausted.

SHEfinds: What are some of your best nude lipstick application tips?

Jennifer Trotter: Here are three:

1. Exfoliate first. Lighter colors really highlight any dryness, so be sure to exfoliate lips with a sugar scrub (I like Fresh Brown Sugar) or even a rough washcloth to remove flakes, then coat lips with a moisturizing lip treatment (I like Joeur’s version).  Let the moisture soak in while you’re doing the rest of your makeup, then blot any excess before applying lip color.

2. Use lip liner. Line and then fill in lips with a nude lip pencil similar to the color you’re using. This will give your lip color extra staying power and it won’t bleed into any fine lines.

3. Choose color carefully. This is crucial to a fab nude lip. Get it wrong and you’ll look like an extra from The Walking Dead.  My rule of thumb: choose a nude with a rosy undertone instead of a flat beige, particularly if you have a lighter skin tone. That slight rosy undertone will keep your nude lip neutral and fresh with just enough warmth to not make you look washed out.  If you have a lot of natural color in your skin (think Beyonce and Jennifer Lopez–the pinnacle of nude lip wearers), you can go more beige-nude.

SF: What specific nude lipsticks do you recommend?

JT: For paler girls: Tom Ford in Nude Vanille, Nars Brigette and Revlon Soft Nude. For darker skin tones: MAC Fleshpot,NYX Honey or The Balm’s Meet Matte Hughes in Committed.

When you consider a nude lip shade, avoid shades with flat brown or taupe undertones. They may be trendy, but they’re easy to get wrong and can suck the natural color right out of your complexion.

SF: Should nude lips be matte or glossy?

JT: I prefer my nudes on the glossier side–too matte can look dry and aging.  A nude gloss looks great on top of any lipcolor, and can neutralize the shade a bit.  Nude glosses to try: Butter London Lippy in Tea with the Queen and L’Oreal in Barely Nude.

SF: How should you adjust the rest of your makeup to suit the look of nude lipstick?

JT: Add a bit more blush for warmth, and ensure your foundation is flawless. Without the contrast of a brighter lip, any skin issues will be more obvious.  You can’t go wrong with the classic combo of a smoky eye and a nude lip. Go super smoky with shades of carbon, charcoal and bronze paired with a nude lip. Add fluttery lashes and this sexy look is tough to beat, yet not too over the top.

SF: Should your clothing choices change when you wear a nude lip?

JT: Be sure that you’re choosing an outfit in your most flattering colors when you rock a nude lip to avoid looking washed out.  If ivory makes you look pale, then pairing an ivory sweater with nude lip will have friends asking if you have the flu. Choose colors that make you feel strong and powerful… cobalt, red, charcoal, black, white. Nude lip looks are fab against all white on darker skinned ladies–see: Beyonce and JLo again.

For more beauty tips, check out Hack: How to turn eyeshadow into lipstick and How to apply lip color so that it stays put all day long.

[Photo: Imaxtree]