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So, I tell my clients that makeup rules don’t exist because makeup is what you want it to be. I do my makeup probably entirely different than you do. So, when I give suggestions - it doesn’t mean that it’s set in stone and you must do it in such a way. Here are a few tips that will help your makeup look crisp all day!

1. Use an eyeshadow base. No, I don’t mean a light colored eyeshadow before your regular shadow. I mean a cream-type base that will hold your eyeshadow on all day. My favorite all time eyeshadow base is Soft Ochre Paint Pot by MAC, any paint pot will do though. You need to remember to keep your base a matte finish unless you wish to use a shimmer on your lid. I typically do the Soft Ochre all over, and then if I wish to add a shimmery/colored base to the lid, I do so JUST on the lid, not above it. If you use only a shimmer base, like Bare Study paint pot, your matte eye shadows in your crease will no longer be matte. Some other popular bases are Urban Decay Primer Potion (UDPP, Marsadie did a review here!)

2. Which brings me to my next tip. Matte textures ONLY in your crease!!! I worked for MAC for probably 4-5 months before really understanding basic makeup & color theory. If you use a shimmer shadow from your lid all the way to your brown bone, you’re going to lose a LOT of dimension to your eyes. Use a matte shadow in the crease ALWAYS! If this was one thing I had to put as “Rule #1″, this would be it. The shadow doesn’t have to be brown - there are plenty of mattes that are colored. MAC came out with a collection called Matte Squared this last summer that had 16 new matte shadows to add to the already amazing eyeshadow collection. These are the best shadows I’ve ever worked with! My favorite is an eyeshadow called Handwritten. It’s a dark chocolate warm brown. I use it every single day. My other favorites include Clarity, Fig 1., and Typographic. Makeup Forever also has some great matte shadows.

3. Always use liner & mascara. Typically, this is all many women use - which is okay! However, an eyeshadow application can be the best of the best, but without mascara and/or liner, it looks completely unfinished. The trend lately is liner in a cat-eye shape (see my tutorial here) on the upper lid. Some people don’t like liner on the top and like I’ve told others, it’s about personal preference. I typically use liquid liner or fluidline, but pencil works as well. If you’re a pro at pencil liner, more power to you because I can’t do it! My favorite watersill liner is Graphblack Technakohl liner from MAC. It’s waterproof & smudge-proof!

4. Moisturize DAILY! Whether you have dry, oily, combo, or sensitive skin, finding a moisturizer right for your is extremely important. I have such oily skin I fill an entire blot film usually 3-4x daily (I know right, EW!). But, I still moisturize every single day because it keeps my skin looking and feeling amazing. Great makeup starts with great skin, great skin starts with moisturizer!

5. Great skin also starts with exfoliators. Microfine Refinisher is the best exfoliator that I’ve ever used in my entire life. I used to LOVE the Apricot Scrub by St Ives, but Microfine is the absolute BEST! The exfoliating beads are so small that they don’t tear your face apart or hurt when you’re rubbing your face. I exfoliate about 2-3x a week. If you have dry, flaky skin you may need to do it more often.

6. Use a primer for ALL areas of your makeup! Face, Lash, & Lip Primers are essential to perfect makeup. MAC’s Prep+Prime line is amazing. Smashbox also has a great primer as well. It’s important to prime your skin for the makeup you’re about to apply so (1) it lasts longer and (2) it looks great all day long. P+P Lash is absolute LOVE. I honestly hadn’t tried it until about two weeks ago and WOW was I missing out! I have uber long, curly lashes… and P+P Lash extends them to a length I didn’t think was possible! This is a great product for all lash-types. Lip primer is important too because it fills in the texture in your lip - which everybody has - so that your lipstick or lipgloss looks smooth and silky.

7. Wash, wash, wash!!! You work so hard having that perfect looking skin through moisturizers, primers, and exfoliants, so why in the world are you sleeping with your makeup?!?! Cleanse your face before going to bed. Take that makeup off! Coming from someone who hates to wash her face, please trust me when I tell you how important it is! If you’re lazy like I am, use MAC Wipes! They’re soap and alcohol free and contain many ingredients that help moisturize as well as clean your face. A sugar derivative breaks down the makeup instead of soap or alcohol, so you don’t have to rinse after you use a wipe! I literally keep my wipes on my night stand with a small trashcan underneath and remove my makeup laying in bed at the end of the day.

8 . Lastly, but more importantly, please use brushes! Sponges are the spawn of the devil! They’re disgusting. They’re bacteria-ridden. They do a horrible job and blending. Get a brush! I know it’s usually a huge lump sum to buy your brushes that are needed at a makeover. However, if you choose to go with MAC brushes (because those are the ones I’m educated on, and LOVE) be rest assured because the bucks that you’re investing will last you 10-15 years. They’re handmade, too! Brush are the most important tool you can use for your makeup. Ditch those sponges & quit using your fingers because you’re going through at least three times more product doing so! I talked a lot about my favorite MAC brushes in a previous post here.

What are your tips? Do you have anything to add? Disagree with anything? Share your thoughts!

On a day to day basis, I typically am wearing my favorite MAC fragrance combo. I am a very smell-oriented person, some would say my olfactory system is on constant overdrive. The way a person smells is usually what I first notice about them. I can detect a foul breath or someone’s nasty fart a mile away - unfortunately! However, I LOVE when a man walks across my path and is unmistakably delicious smelling.

My all-time favorite fragrance to wear on a day or time I’m not working (if fragrances are worn at work, they must be MAC), is usually Ralph Lauren Romance. This was the first “real” perfume I had ever worn, and Greg picked it out for me. I wear this perfume when I’m going out on dates, when we’re going to the movies, etc. I feel like the majority of girls my age wear much more “trendy” perfumes like Juicy (YUCK!) or Dior, so it’s nice to wear something I love instead of what’s trendy.

For an every day-type of smell, I reach for my Victoria’s Secret Love Spell stash. I’ve got the perfume, the body spray, the shampoo & conditioner, all types of lotions, and the bubble bath in this flavor. I LOVE THIS SMELL! As a general rule, it is best to layer your fragrance when you want the best staying power (much like cosmetics). For best results, start with a bubble bath/shower gel. Lather on the lotion & body butters after your shower and spray yourself with a body mist - be sure to do this UNDER your clothes for optimal staying power. Finish yourself with some FIERCE makeup and a dab of perfume behind the ears, knees, and elbows. You will surely put your lover in a trance with these layering-techniques, no matter what scent you choose. If you like Love Spell, you’ll more than likely also like Pure Seduction.

Lastly, Elizabeth Arden Green Tea. For my first Christmas holiday with Greg, his mom got me this perfume and ever since, I’ve loved it. You know that subconsciously men typically love the same things on their girlfriends/wives that their mother has or at least something similar. Kathy, Greg’s mom, used to wear this when she was younger to keep her feeling “flirty”. Greg get’s a special surprise when I wear this scent because, while I do love it, Romance & Love Spell trump it. It has a very clean, euphoric smell to it - which I love. I learned today that Elizabeth Arden was the first person to open up a cosmetic line in 1910 on New York’s 5th avenue - an extremely popular shopping district. I love going back to the grass roots sometimes, and this scent is perfect for such a thing.

Because I go out of my way to smell good, most days, I love the fact that when my man picks me up and comes in my house the first thing I can smell is his Giorgio Armani cologne. For that brief millisecond, my brain has a slight triumphant orgasm - if you will - and whatever I’m doing is halted by the fact that he smells so damn tasty! My favorite part about this cologne is that not only does it catch my attention, but if he mistakenly sprays too many spritzes - which lets face it, he’s clumsy with his cologne - it isn’t completely overpowering to the point where I can’t enjoy it, like some colognes can get. This is Greg’s “jump my bones” smell. *drools*!

The other cologne that I LOVE him to wear is his Michael Jordan cologne. This is the very first cologne that I ever smelled on him and boy was I in love. When he left for college, I sprayed my entire room with his almost-empty bottle and stole it from him and put it away so when I missed him I could spray again. I have dried roses in some boxes downstairs that smell like this cologne (mixed with that lovely smell of dust, yuck!). This scent is his playful scent. If we’re going out with some friends or for a casual dinner, he’ll more than likely wear this cologne.

What are your favorite scents? Perfumes? Do you layer? What scents do you like on your man? Is perfume/cologne important in your daily routine?