What's Your Problem Wednesday: Liquid Eyeliner

Wondering the right way to apply blush?  How to use contouring to slim your face?  How to get those "Pamela" lips?

Each Wednesday, I'll be answering your beauty questions at Mama Does Makeup!

So... what's your problem?

Send your questions to Lisa at lisabmakeup@gmail.com

Today's question comes from Karen:

"I need a good, easy to use liquid eyeliner that won't leave me looking like I'm trying too hard. Any thoughts?"

Yes Karen, I have a thought... I HATE liquid eyeliner!  LOL  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE how it looks but I hate applying it. I've tried every brand, every application technique, and practiced my butt off but I still can't get that darn line to look perfect.


Because nothing beats the intensity of liquid eyeliner, I went searching for any easier product with the same properties.  Enter:  gel liners.  YAY!!!!!  These products have the same intense, highly pigmented payoff, but they go on SO much easier because they are a creamy!  The gel/cream liners also dry quick and last forever.  Double bonus!!!!


I have 2 drugstore favorites:  L'Oreal HIP Studio Secrets Professional Color Truth Cream Eyeliner in Black (could that name be any longer????) and Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Gel Eyeliner in Blackest Black.  The L'Oreal liner retails for around $11 while I believe the Maybelline one is under $5.  Honestly, I don't really think one is better than the other so.... go for the cheaper one!  And FYI, Walgreens puts Maybelline on sale for 40% quite often so watch the sales ads.

The trick to getting a perfect line is chucking the cruddy brush they give you with the liners.  Better yet, use it to clean the dust from between your keyboard keys!  The brushes both companies give you are too small and too stiff.

Pick up a REAL liner brush like this one from Crown Brush (www.crownbrush.com)  it's under $2.

You want a long-handled tool with taklon bristles.  Taklon is a synthetic material that won't absorb the liner... thus giving you a much smoother application.  You can also pick up cheap taklon brushes in the art section at Michael's.  Just make sure the bristles are around 1/4 long and that the head of the brush (probably not the official name of that part) is about the same width and not TOO stiff... you don't want to scratch your eyelids.

I was going to post step-by-step photos here, but why reinvent the wheel?  There are LOADS of YouTube video tutorials on how to apply gel liners.  I'm recommending you check out  Kandee Johnson's Prom Makeup 2011 Video to see how easy it is to apply these babies.  You can fast-forward to 5:34 min to skip to the eyeliner part.  And yes!  She is even using the Maybelline liner in this video LOL.  I also invite you to take a peek at Kandee's other makeup tutorials.  She has got a lot of great tutorials on her YouTube channel.


Happy Lining!

~ Lisa

Revlon Colorburst Lipstick Review

Off the Shelf:  Revlon Colorburst Lipstick Review

I used to be a die hard Revlon Lipstick fan.  They had all the colors I loved, good pigmentation, great price, and didn't have a funky flavor or odor.  When I picked up some of the Colorburst colors to check out... I wondered why I had ever strayed :)

I LOVE these lipsticks!!!!

You can find them just about anywhere... Walgreens, Target, WalMart, Ulta, CVS and they retail for anywhere between $6.50 and $8 (Hint:  Revlon frequently issues coupons, so do a quick online search for any deals before you shop!)  They are also packaged REALLY nice in a black case that has a quilted look.  Honestly,  they look like very high end products!

I test drove 4 colors that I both personally liked and seemed pretty popular among other beauty gurus. Although some of the colors weren't what I expected, in the end I wound up loving all 4 of them.

Pink Sugar was one of those that surprised me.  I really expected it to be much more opaque.  It's a VERY sheer nude with a lot of sparkle.  Think: VERY fine glitter kinda sparkle.  It's a color that's perfect to wear over another color to add some sparkle for sure.  You could wear it alone too if you just wanted some shimmer without color.

Soft Nude is my very, VERY favorite of all the colors!!!!  Some call it a dupe of MAC's famous Myth color (which is one of my most beloved colors)  It has more orange in it than Myth and is definitely a lot creamier.  Still a perfect nude to match up with a similar lipliner or even a pink-ier one.

Carnation is a dark pink... pretty much a magenta color.  I'm still getting used to wearing such a vibrant color but, it does look great with pin-up style eyes.  To give your lips more dimension, try pairing this color with a red lipliner... just be sure to blend the line out with a cotton swab or lip brush.  To tone down the intensity of the color, top it with Pink Sugar!

Finally, Rosy Nude.  This is the exact same color of my actual lips LOL  The swatch makes it look darker than it actually is.  I like to wear this color with dark, brown smokey eyes.  It's a very warm look and because the lip color is so natural looking, you can play up your eyes A LOT without looking crazy.  And I pretty sure no one wants to look crazypants!

You can get more information about Colorburst Lipsticks by visiting Revlon online.  CLICK HERE to go their now.

If I had to choose just one color to pick up???  Get the Soft Nude!!!!!!  It'll look good on every skin tone, pairs beautifully with different liners, and it goes well any color eyeshadow.  It'll be the biggest bang for your beauty dollar!

Be sure to comment below with your reviews of other colors in the Colorburst line!

Bursting with beauty tips,

~Lisa

My First Video & Some Updates

Last Friday night, I had the pleasure of attending The Popcorn Project Video Release Party!  This is the first video I was asked to do the makeup for and was SO excited to see my name in the credits!!!!  I'm also very excited for my friends (who also happen to be the singers) KayTie and Jeni as their video goes viral.

I know I said I'd write a "What I wore" post about the evening... but alas, NONE of my close up photos came out :(  I promise that the next time I leave a teaser like that, I can deliver!  I can tell you that I spent several hours getting ready though.  My "date nights" with my hubby are way too few, and WAY too far between (the last one was in like 1997 LOL) and so I wanted to look perfect for the evening.

Here's the one and only good shot of the night

(L-R Jeni Eggers, Me, KayTie Grieser)

If you'd like to see the video (WARNING:  It'll make you laugh AND you will never get the words out of your head!!!)  you can check it out on YouTube at DancePopcornProject

And now for some updates...

My 3 kids have only been out of school for a couple days and it is already proving VERY difficult for mama to get in some computer time.  My plan to blog on a daily basis is really not on THEIR summer agenda LOL  and so.... the new plan is post 3 times a week.  Mondays will be "Off The Shelf:  Drugstore product reviews", Wednesdays will be a mish mash of things like trends and so on, and Fridays are going to be "Fr-EYE-day Fun - Eyeshadow looks".

If  you have any ideas that you would like to see or problems you want addressed, please email me!  I'm creating this blog for all of you and want to give you the content you crave!

Now... I believe mama's time on the computer is up already :(  Be on the lookout for "Off The Shelf" starting this Monday, June 6th.  Hmmmm, wondering which item I should review first...

~ Lisa