Top 10: Beauty Tips and Tricks

i kno, i kno. you're thinking, "who gave HER any authority to give beauty advice?" yes. well, as unassuming as i am, i do kno a thing or two about beauty despite looking like crap most days of the week. (but when you take into account where i work, you have to forgive me.) i'll admit, i probably get most of my tips from miss natasha, but i've picked up a few tricks along the way as well.

even though this is a "top 10" post, these are pretty much my ONLY tricks...

1. VASELINE/petroleum jelly: i can't seem to get away from deserts, and because of that, my lips are perpetually dry. sometimes i'll even wake up in the morning with dried blood on my lips, because they've cracked from lack of moisture. yea, i should probably be drinking more water, but when you're in the desert, you can only drink so much -- water, that is. but a quick remedy is to put vaseline on your lips before going to bed. it's better than any lip balm i've tried.
2. BE MINERAL VEIL (or any other translucent powder...): dusting this over your lids after putting on primer and shadow helps set your shadow and prevent unsightly creasing or oily lids. it keeps your shadow looking fresh through the night and into the next day. ;)
   (baby powder probably works too, though i haven't tried.)
   
3. WET THE CHEESE GRATER: ok, it's not really a cheese grater, but it looks like one. you kno the thing you use to get callouses of your feet? well, again, if your feet are always dry and cracked coz you live in the desert -- or even if you don't -- you've probably found that using this thing in the shower does very little good. trick? don't wet your feet, wet the cheese grater, then go at those callouses.
4. JOJOBA OIL: i recently replaced my daytime facial moisturizer with this little gem. it's natural AND it helps clear up my skin. love. plus it doesn't leave an oily residue despite being an oil. :)
5. TOILET SEAT COVERS: speaking of oily skin, if you find yourself getting oily and without any oil blotting sheets, go use the little girl's room. the unwaxed side of toilet seat covers work just as well.
6. BRUSH IT OFF: with the advent of the unbaked eyeshadow and powdered liner (e.g. BE), there is now the problem of leaving specks of shadow or liner on your cheeks after its application. and when you use your hand to brush it off, it leaves a streak, thus making it look like you tried to kill a gnat on your face. use a face brush to remove any said specks instead.
   
7. CONCEALER/BLUSH: i think the reason why i like makeup (even though i don't use it very often) is because it gives me a way to express my inner artiste since i went into a completely non-artistic field. and... if you kno anything about art, you kno that lighter objects come into the foreground while darker objects recede. using this line of logic, it makes sense that a darker blush is used under cheekbones to enhance them and concealer (since it should be one shade lighter than your foundation) can be used down the bridge of your nose (if you're asian) to give your face more dimension. just make sure you blend well to keep from looking like a clown.
   
8. NEON NAIL POLISH: after your feet have been in hiding all winter, it's hard to get them to look tan all of a sudden. that is unless you use neon nail polish. because neon nail polish is so bright, it'll make your feet look more tan in contrast. a definite win for those with pale, reflective skin.
9. PURPLE TINTED LIPS: lip balms and glosses that have a hint of blue or purple in them make your teeth look whiter.
10. SWITCH IT UP: have you noticed that after you use a certain product for a while, it tends to lose effectiveness? it's like your skin becomes immune to that face wash, or your hair is tired of that shampoo. my guess is these products create build-up over time and you need a different product to remove their build-up. so even if you found the love of your life... or the perfect shampoo in this case... you still need a break from it once in a while.