The art of a brush

Makeup has always been a challenge for me. I've come a long way from the days of no bronzer (can you believe it?!) and my skills have certainly improved with time, but there's still so much to learn. In the past year or so I feel like I finally figured out how to do my eyes, but the rest of my face remained a complete question mark. I've had a few too many days recently where my face didn't quite match my neck and decided it was time to do something about it. While perusing in Sephora on Friday evening (killing time before meeting a girlfriend for dinner) I decided that instead of making more uninformed purchases, I would take advantage of their services. For a minimum purchase of $50, a Sephora employee will do your makeup. This is an offer I had forgotten about until recently. I figured I would spend at least that much, so I made an appointment to come back the next afternoon.

During my appointment, I asked about a hundred questions and was fortunate enough to work with a very patient employee who talked me through the entire application, explaining why she chose each product. My biggest concerns were foundation and concealer - how to select the type and color and how to properly apply. After she finished applying both, she turned me to the mirror and I was stunned. My skin was even and polished and ALL ONE COLOR. A world of difference from how I look every morning.




I told the makeup artist my absolute musts for face makeup: matte finish, moisturizing quality and light coverage. This is what she came back with. She said I have both yellow and pink undertones - the exact mix this particular color was formulated for. (I have "E".) Love that it's water based. To achieve the matte finish, she applied Cover FX Setting FX Translucent Powder.




Concealer is probably something every girl should have in her makeup bag, but every time I tried it I kinda felt as though I wasn't applying it correctly and it didn't look right. Putting it on yesterday, I realize I still somewhat feel this way and gave up on the brush a bit too and quickly used my fingers to blend it in. While my skills are still shaky, I like the product itself - Amazing Cosmetics Amazing Concealer. What a great name! (I got the light golden color.)




I've always been an advocate for great, high quality makeup brushes and this trip helped me fill in a few blanks. I watched carefully as Audrey chose different tools from her pack and I inquired about each one. When I purchased the three products above, I picked up a concealer brush as I didn't own one. (This is the first time I'm wearing concealer in years!) When I used my new products yesterday morning, I realized I was still missing a few key brushes and ran back to Sephora, found my gal, and asked her to help me select a fan brush (perfect for applying light layers of bronzer - not surprisingly, I have a heavy hand and always apply too much) and an airbrush foundation brush (ideal for light coverage - the Trish McEvoy one I had been using is a paint brush shape and after using it to apply my new foundation, I realized - you guessed it - it made the makeup look like it was painted on).

I highly recommend the Sephora application service to any girl looking to improve her own skill set or change up her routine. But seriously, if you need to pick up a few things there, why not schedule the appointment before a night out? Getting your makeup done is such a luxury! I will most certainly be planning my Sephora stops strategically from now on.