Supernatural Botanicals

Mabel Williams, Maybelline namesake

Maybelline is the gold standard in mascara; in fact, they were the original creators of mascara.  Here’s the skinny on how mascara was developed.  Tom Lyle Wiliams would watch his sister, Mabel, with fascination as she performed what she called the “secret of the harem”, mixing petroleum jelly with coal dust and ash from burnt cork and applying it to her lashes and brows.  Mabel’s simple beauty trick ignited Tom Lyle’s imagination and he started what would one day become a billion dollar business.  He named it Maybelline, which is a combination of Mabel + Vaseline.  Brilliant invention!

Kevyn Aucoin’s Face Forward is one of the best books on the market (still) for learning proper makeup application and principals.  After all, if you are wearing makeup every day, you should be the artist of your own face.  You should know basic principals on bringing out your own gorgeous features.  The late Kevyn Aucoin was a self-taught master of makeup, and his book depicts all kinds of celebs in all different and amazing ways.  Want to become a makeup artist?  Train yourself, like so many successful makeup artist do.  Many of the best makeup artists today are self-taught.  The difference between self-taught and formal teaching, many times, is passion.  Check out Kevyn Aucoin’s book Face Forward for a crash course in makeup application.

Yes, yes, and yes.  Katie Holmes is perfection in Vogue Espana in month.  Excellent makeup artist!  Smokey eye, nude lips, great contoured cheeks, defined brows.  Perfect!

How does Isla Fisher get perfectly curled lashes?  Try her eyelash curling trick.   “To make lashes curl better, take a hair dryer to your eyelash curler for one or two seconds before using it.” —Isla Fisher

For an all natural eye makeup remover, try this….drench a cotton pad with warm olive oil and gently swipe across eyes to remove your makeup.  Wipe residual oil off with a damp washcloth.  This removes all traces of makeup while nourishing the skin all naturally.

Tired of inconsistently sharpened lip and eye pencils each time you try to sharpen pointy new tips on them?  Chances are good that it’s your sharpener, not your pencil.

Try these tips to get the most consistent, perfectly sharpened pencil.

1. Always use the proper sized sharpener for the pencil.  Don’t sharpen a small pencil in a large sharpener….you’ll get a crooked edge on the pencil.
2. Use good quality sharpeners from an art store.  Purchase several sizes for your various pencil sizes.  Even good quality sharpeners are fairly inexpensive, and you’ll only need to purchase these about twice in your lifetime….it’s a good deal, go with it.  It’s worth it.
3. Maintenance.  Keep your tools clean.  They’ll perform better and it eliminates any entry point for bacteria.  Use a Q-Tip to gently clean our the sharpening barrel.  Never use alcohol or water on your blades…it will make them rust.

Everything you wanted to know about applying eyeliner, by Tiffany D.

There is one Golden Rule for using an eyebrow pencil, which seems obvious, but is broken remarkably frequently.  Use the pencil in gentle, broken movements to create a natural looking sweep.  One continuous motion creates a scary, cartoon-rainbow effect.