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Cosmetics for the curated makeup bag. How to apply the must-have new and classic cosmetic makeup for face, eyes, and lips.

Hourglass, Chantecallie, By Terry, Lash Star, Too Faced, BlueMercury, SpaceNK, MAC, Ulta, Sephora, Boutique Brands.

Find your go-to makeup products for everyday and special occasion events.

How to guides ranging from how to best use YSL Touche Eclat to How to Apply Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara.

Botearoa Amazing Cleansing Balm for Face & Eyes

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Confession time: I hate removing makeup. After a long day, removing makeup feels like such a chore, especially when removing long-wearing waterproof mascara, sunscreen, primer sprays or mineral powders. Many makeup removers are very oily yet still drying or irritating to the skin and require lots of skin and lash tugging they require to fully remove makeup, and so many removers leave an oily film on the skin that needs to be scrubbed off not to cause acne breakouts. I also dislike chemicals getting into my eyes while removing eye makeup. Botearoa Amazing Cleansing Balm tackles tough to remove mascaras, lip stains, and facial makeup while using organic, gentle ingredients that leave skin supple and smooth.

WHY BOTEAROA AMAZING CLEANSING BALM IS SPECIAL

Many of us hate removing our makeup, but it’s even worse if one has sensitive skin, eczema or rosacea, as it’s easy to irritate these skin conditions and even provoke a flare-up with too much rubbing with rough removers formulated with chemicals. But since mineral makeup is so popular for concealing these skin conditions, a stronger makeup remover is often required. Botearoa Amazing Cleansing Balm is gentle and soothing to the skin yet quickly melts off makeup without irritation or causing breakouts. Even those with sensitive eyes can use it to remove waterproof and regular mascara, as it will not sting the eyes. Few cleansers can handle both eye and face makeup and clean both off equally well like Botearoa Amazing Cleansing Balm can. It is a cleansing balm which unlike most makeup removers, it is a gentle cleanser, makeup remover and moisture all in one.

While it is sometimes tempting to go to sleep without removing makeup, it is highly irritating to the eyes. Even if it looks like your makeup has worn off after a long day, UV light testing shows that residual product remains and that it can damage the skin and cause premature aging.

INGREDIENTS

Ever read the ingredient label on some makeup removers? It’s somewhat daunting. In addition to various chemicals and detergents, there are often unnecessary glutens and other allergy-inducing ingredients. Botearoa Amazing Cleansing Balm Contains natural organic ingredients such as Almond and Coconut Oil and Organic Essential Oils including:

  • Peach Oil nourishes with Vitamin E and B without leaving skin greasy. Also used in massage oils, it helps efficiently melt makeup.
  • Lavender Oil treats acne, wrinkles, psoriasis, and other inflammatory conditions, aids in blood circulation and is calming to skin.
  • Rose Geranium Oil revitalizes and cleans congested and oily skin while being gentle enough for skin conditions such as eczema.
  • Pomegranate seed oil is rich in essential fatty acids that help the skin repair itself as well as soften the skin

Coconut oil is not only highly emollient but is anti-microbial and provides a natural way to melt makeup. Straight coconut oil leaves a film on the skin and requires other active ingredients to assist it to cleanse and nourish the skin. But when combined with essential oils, it creates a three in one cream that cleanses, removes makeup and moisturizes skin.

A blend of natural, organic ingredients including Coconut Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Lavender, Peach, and Rose Geranium Oils

What it does NOT contain:

  • No pore clogging Mineral Oils made out of Petroleum
  • No sulfates, gluten, parabens or other harsh chemicals

MY EXPERIENCE USING BOTEAROA AMAZING CLEANSING BALM

I wear deeply pigmented, dramatic mascaras such which are often difficult to remove. And I wear a black cream eyeliner that is also difficult fully remove and generally a lip stain with gloss on top. While I don’t wear very much foundation, I do set my face with a primer and wear sunscreen that requires more than just soap and water to fully remove. I find Botearoa Amazing Cleansing Balm is up to the task of my various makeup removal needs, completely removing my eye makeup without leaving a residue on my facial skin.

USE: Applying Botearoa Amazing Cleansing Balm starts out like a rich moisturizer and melts into the skin, turning into a silky liquid that left my skin feeling very soft without being greasy.

Directions

RESULTS: My eyes are not irritated when removing my liner, eyeshadow, and mascara, and it does a thorough job removing all traces of liner and mascara from the lashline. It does not leave a residue on my skin, yet my skin feels silky soft after use. There is a light somewhat lemony scent, that is from the rose geranium.

The texture is like a balm that quickly melts to a silky liquid on contact with no greasy residue

CONCLUSION

Using Botearoa Amazing Cleansing Balm for Face & Eyes means that makeup removal doesn’t have to be an exhausting, irritating chore! Never be tempted to go to sleep without removing your makeup! Botearoa Amazing Cleansing Balm has the luxe feel of a rich moisturizer that melts into a silky liquid to easily and quickly remove both facial impurities, face makeup, lipstick, and stains, as well as even the most difficult mascara without stinging my eyes or irritating sensitive skin. Safe for eczema and rosacea suffers, it removes even the toughest mascara, sunblocks, mineral and liquid foundations, lip stains and liners while leaving skin soft and chemical-free!

WHERE TO BUY IT

Find Botearoa Amazing Cleansing Balm for Face & Eyes at Amazon

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Style Chicks received Botearoa Amazing Cleansing Balm for Face & Eyes in exchange for our unbiased review and received compensation for our time and effort. However, our experience with the product and the opinions expressed in this review are 100% our own.

BEAUTY & MAKEUP ORGANIZATION: All The Things Professional Makeup Case

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Has this ever happened to you? You have the perfect lipstick, liner or shadow somewhere, but your makeup drawer is so disorganized and overstuffed that you can’t locate that perfect shade? Need to carry your makeup when you travel, or for doing makeup for a big event like a wedding? Those makeup bags that come with GWP offers are often pretty but don’t hold makeup well when traveling. We recently tried the All The Things Professional Makeup Case and found it holds our makeup securely and has a spot for everything so we can locate just what we need when we need it.

The All The Things Professional Makeup Case holds makeup, creams, hair care and more neatly and securely

FEATURE OVERVIEW

  • Four Large Adjustable Trays to custom fit palettes and brushes
  • Deep divided bottom compartments with removable and adjustable dividers to fit even a hair dryer or curling iron
  • Secure locking hinge top closures
  • Easy to clean dust-proof acrylic sheeting
  • High-grade aviation aluminum is lightweight but sturdy
  • Custom over the shoulder harness strap with padding

ABOUT THE DESIGN

The 14-inch long design is big enough to hold multiple palettes, brushes, hair products and powders but it is not cumbersome to carry either by the handle or the shoulder strap. I have a Pro case from a known cosmetic brand that is larger but without the adjustable trays, it actually holds less than this All The Things Professional Makeup case does.

Two-tiered drawers hold all my makeup brushes and smaller items like eyelash curlers, eye creams and mascaras safely

Keep your makeup collection safe under lock and optional key!

HOW MUCH IT HOLDS

The fold out two-tier top compartments come with multiple and adjustable dividers, so you can create any kind of space you want by sliding a divider into any side crevices.

The Makeup case seen with the top tiers showing

The dividers slide into any side slot to create any size compartment you need to accomodate brushes, lipsticks, palettes and more

The dividers can even divide a tier horizontally to separate out brushes if desired

Here I placed the dividers to provide enough room to hold my Urban Decay Naked palettes (about two Naked palettes fit per tier) with a smaller compartment large enough to hold lipsticks or two Nars blush sized single palettes.

Fit multiple long thin palettes like the Urban Decay Naked Palettes with room to spare for lipsticks or blush compacts

The tiers are also large enough to hold my brushes including foundation and blusher.

Hold smaller important items like this Jeffrey James Eye Cream safely in a smaller compartment where it won’t get lost

Tiers are long enough to hold UD palettes and an Hourglass powder compact, or brushes and lipsticks. Easily see all your lipstick and gloss choices at once

The bottom is a deep multi-section compartment where any of the larger padded dividers can be removed and repositioned to create a variety of spaces to hold hair dryers, hair styling products, curlers, curling irons, large brushes, bottles and larger containers that hold powder or product. If you prefer an entirely open bottom compartment, that is possible as well.

Versatile compartment dividers can be placed anywhere to make large or small compartments to fit even a hairdryer or curler

Multiple compartments can be divided however works best to hold items like Lordsbury Retinol+C Cream Moisturizer (front) and Big Sexy Hair Powder Play and Root Lift Mousse, Remede highlighter< Jeffrey James Hyaluronic Serum and OPI Nail Polishes (back)

I put my unusual shaped palettes in the bottom section, it holds the IT Cosmetics Contour Palette, the Ulta NYX Birthday Eyeshadow Palette, The Urban Decay Naked Matte Palette, the UD Naked Basics amongst others.

Hold palettes of all shapes and sizes including the Urban Decay Naked Matte, UD Basics, IT Cosmetics Contour palettes, Ulta Palettes and more. Also hold very large brushes, loose powders, creams, serums and sprays

In the other compartments, I keep hair products, a larger limited edition ByTerry Kabuki brush that I don’t want to be crushed by other brushes, and finally my larger creams and lotions including my trusty Creme de la Mer Concentrate and Lordsbury Retinol C+ Cream Moisturizer. I like that the compartment dividers have some extra padding to keep expensive and fragile products safely cushioned.

It holds several palettes at once and skin care products, bottles, nail polish, etc.

Tall enough to hold the full-size Mac Prep & Prime bottle as well as large skin care products like the almost 3 ounce size Lordsbury Retinol+C Cream Moisturizer

MY EXPERIENCE: PUTTING THE ALL THE THINGS PROFESSIONAL MAKEUP CASE TO THE TEST

The case is sturdy, it’s easier to transport than the old vanity style suitcases yet it holds my makeup more securely than just packing it in a suitcase. I’ve invested so much in my makeup, tools, and brushes, including limited edition palettes and brushes, as well as fragile bottles such as the Mac Prime and Prime, or perfumes that I prefer to keep my makeup with me as a carry-on or safely in the car with me while traveling, and it stows away nicely underfoot. If you prefer to carry your hair supplies in here, it is a safe way to transport high-end hair dryers and curling wands such as the T3, CHI or Dyson.

The handle is sturdy and secure even when I overpack the case with heavier items.

Wow! All tiers expanded and the bottom compartment holds plenty of stuff! Brushes, lipsticks, eye creams, palettes, concealers, eyelash curlers, full-size retinol creams, MAC Prep & Prime, creams and lotions, loose mineral powders, compacts, liners, hair care products and more each in their own space so they don’t get crushed and they stay organized

The key works without sticking and keeps the case secure. The padded shoulder strap is a nice addition as it reduces the strain on my shoulder and does not wrinkle clothes. The handle is sturdy. It is easy to clean any powder or spills off the surface of the case due to the special coating on the dividers and inner lining.

Sturdy, easy to carry handle and close-up view of the padded shoulder strap

Side view of the makeup case with the optional shoulder strap attached

CONCLUSION

The All The Things Professional Makeup Case is a highly versatile and sturdy case for organizing makeup, brushes, hair products, powders, palettes and makeup within four pull our tiered compartments and the deep lower compartment that can be divided in any number of ways. Ideal for keeping makeup organized and secure while traveling or at home, the All The Things Professional Makeup Case is an excellent value that will securely and neatly hold your makeup collection for years to come, so you can find just the right shade when you need it!

WHERE TO BUY IT

Find the All The Things Professional Makeup Case at http://www.amazon.com/

All The Things Professional Makeup Case

Style Chicks received the All The Things Professional Makeup Case in exchange for our unbiased review and received compensation for our time and effort. However, our experience with the product and the opinions expressed in this review are 100% ours.

How to Use Tarte Lights Camera LASHES 4-in-1 Mascara

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If carefully applied, Tarte Lights Camera LASHES 4-in-1 Mascara gives a Zooey Deschanel-twice-the-size-of-a-normal-eye kind of look. The lashes are defined, even from a few feet away. Clumping is minimal, but the tube dries out quickly, perhaps due to the cute but problematic leatherette packaging making it difficult to complete close the cap tightly. But it’s a solid mascara for a special event to have dramatic yet natural lashes. Here are our best tips and tricks for getting the most out of this cult-favorite mascara.

Tarte Lights Camera LASHES is rich black mascara with full wand

Tarte Lights Camera LASHES is the BLACKEST black: a rich black, creamy mascara

Tarte lights camera LASHES mascara has been around a few years, but I didn’t try it until recently as I was satisfied with my then-current-but-now-discontinued-mascara.

Tarte Lights Camera LASHES 4-in-1 Mascara Is BEST USED FOR:

Natural, clump-free, highly defined lashes that create a big doe-eyed look.

This mascara, if applied carefully, gives long, defined lashes that stay clump-free and give a big-eyed look. It lasts the day with minimal fallout. It is not the biggest and lushest look when compared to mascaras like DiorShow or Benefit BadGal, but it does look the most natural yet defined lashes can look, in my opinion, making it suitable for daytime wear with light touchups for a more dramatic evening look. Good for a beguiling, defined eye that doesn’t look fake or like you are trying too hard, especially if you only apply one or two thin coats.

Tarte Lights Camera LASHES 4-in-1 Mascara Features

  • It is not sticky or itchy.
  • Look of a very wet mascara, but it dries rapidly
  • Didn’t clump, no smears or smudges on my eyelids
  • Vegan with conditioning ingredients like Olive Oil.
  • Paraben free.

How to Apply Tarte Lights Camera LASHES 4-in-1 Mascara

APPLICATION TIPS & Tricks

  • Using a disposable wand and a lash comb gave a very defined look. Using a mascara fan brush and lash comb out afterward with a disposable wand gave a long, soft, wispy look. Two coats with a disposable wand, top lashes only, had a nice bombshell lash but not tacky or trashy look.
  • Lights Camera LASHES was a bit more difficult to apply to my bottom lashes with the brush that came in the tube, so I recommend disposable or lash comb for bottom lashes.
  • TIP: Some neutral to negative reviews I see of this Mascara are reviewers have piled it on pretty thick in multiple coats. I did a very basic one coat, I attempted to coat from lash to tip on each lash and only doing the second coat if I missed a lash or a lash pointed in a weird direction and needed to be set straight. This gives all the length without the clumping I see some people having with this mascara.
  • If you have experienced clumping with this mascara when applying several coats, or one thicker multi-coat, I’ve found that one thin coat gives the dark rich black color and the length without the clumping of multi-coats.
Tarte Lights Camera LASHES mascara

Tarte lights camera LASHES mascara

RESULTS

The mascara is very dark and applies relatively thinly almost always without clumps, but they still need a combing.

I like this mascara. As long as it is applied carefully, it looks great. It gives a Zooey Deschanel/New Girl/Jessica Daye twice the size of a normal eye kind of look. The lashes seem very defined even from a few feet away, yet the mascara is not so obvious as makeup, making the lashes noticeable, not the makeup.

FALLOUT & WEAR

There is very light fall out, after a few hours I saw two or three black grains on my undereye area, my lashes didn’t have apparent flakes or areas the mascara wore off. Carry a q-tip to flick those away.

CAVEATS

Tarte Lights Camera LASHES is not necessarily a good mascara for a quick daytime touch up unless you carry a lash comb with you, which I do. But I found it didn’t need to be touched up if done properly in the first application. I did have an issue with 4-5 lower outer lashes tend to stick together and they always need a thorough combing with a lash comb.

The mascara is not waterproof, but I found it to be long-wearing like a waterproof. The waterproof version is Tarte Lights Camera SPLASHES, which loses some of the consistency in my opinion, and seems to be to be not as rich black, but pretty close.

WHAT I DON’T LIKE ABOUT Tarte’s Lights, Camera, LASHES

It dries out insanely fast, requiring a near constant re-purchase of mascara. It dries out within a few weeks, when plenty is left in the tube. I wouldn’t mind if I even got a good two months out of it, knowing I should replace my mascara every three, but at $23 for the full size, $10 for the mini, that is too expensive as effectively costs the same as a very high-end mascara such as Hourglass.

TIPS:

  • MAKE SURE THE CAP IS FULLY CLOSED. The tube comes in a leather-like, thicker snakeskin patterned packaging; this makes it harder to completely close the tube cap. Make sure to twist the cap on tightly, so your mascara does not dry out. When it is dry, it gets very flaky.
  • I keep this mascara in a zip lock baggie to keep it as airtight as possible.
  • I have resorted to cutting off the adorable packaging with a scissors or knife to get a better seal on the cap being closed. Underneath the pretty tube packaging is just a plain black tube.
  • After the first few uses, I put the mascara tube in a cup of hot water and let it sit for a few minutes to keep it smoother and less dried out before application
  • I always apply it with a disposable mascara wand or mascara fan brush
Tarte Lights Camera Lashes Mascara

Tarte Lights Camera Lashes Mascara comes with pretty but problematic packaging.

WHERE TO BUY Tarte Lights Camera LASHES MASCARA

Tarte Lights Camera LASHES Mascara is available at TarteCosmetics, Ulta, and Sephora for $23, $10 for the mini, and the best deal is the Tarte Picture Perfect Eyelash Curler Duo, containing a Tarte eyelash curler and a mini Tarte Lights Camera LASHES for $18 (our recommended pick).

What do you think of Tarte Lights Camera LASHES? Do you have a favorite mascara? Tell us in the comment section

How to Mascara Application Hack For Applying Wet Formula Mascaras

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Wayne Goss has such great makeup application techniques and recently gave this simple but highly useful tip for How to Mascara Application Hack For Applying Wet Formula Mascaras:

bend the mascara wand before completely pulling it out of the tube, so the wand is at an angle.

Angled mascara brushes are not a new concept, some mascara brands even have built-in angled brushes. The angle does make an impressive difference in both control of where you apply the product and importantly, how much produce is distributed, especially getting in nice and close to the lashline.

Watch Wayne’s How to Mascara Application Hack For Applying Wet Formula Mascaras technique in this video:

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txZsw-ENMzk[/embedyt]

Our Experience

We tried the Mascara Application hack for ourselves, and it is actually pretty amazing on getting mascara right in close at the lash line, especially on the lower lashes, the shorter “arm” to the handle makes a difference in how much control there is in the application.

STYLECHICKS ADDITIONAL SUGGESTIONS

Three additional suggestions to make the most of this mascara application hack:

Bend a disposable mascara wand for optimal control and to get in close on bottom lashes

  1. Use Disposable Wands: Instead of using the wand that comes with your mascara, use disposable mascara wands. They are very inexpensive at places like Amazon and Sallys Beauty Supply (under $10 for like 200 of them). The disposable wands are a cheaper plastic and often more flexible, thereby less subject to breaking off the wand head by accident. This way, you can bend your wand without fear of breaking it off and getting stuck, leaving you with no cap for your mascara.
  2. Try angles other than just a 70 to 90-degree angle: You can shape the brush of your disposable mascara wand into other shapes including a c-shape to reinforce the curling capability of your wand.

    Curve a disposable wand into a c-shape to enhance the curl of top lashes

  3. FAN YOUR LASHES OUT. It is easier to manipulate the thin brush handle of a disposable wand between your fingers, so let the brush do the work to reduce smudges and fan out lashes. Rotate the thin arm between your forefinger and thumb to move the brush head so that the angle faces outward instead of inward in order to “fan out” the outer lashes, then give them one last brush forward.
  4. CLEAN UP: You can even follow up with a clean disposable mascara wand for combing out any clumps or to get the direction of lashes just the way you would like it. Just hold the clean wand in front of your lashes and blink through the comb to remove clumps.

SIDE BONUS: Disposable mascara wands give much better control and product distribution for very wet mascaras or mascaras with fibers such as Too Faced Better Than Sex, Benefit BADgal, DiorShow, and Urban Decay Perversion Mascaras, to name a few.

Wet mascaras like Benefit BadGal and UD Perversion apply more evenly but with all the glamour when using a bent disposable mascara wand

Got any good mascara application tips to share? Tell us in the comment section below!

How to Mascara Application Hack For Applying Wet Formula Mascaras Supply Resources

  • Wayne Goss‘ YouTube Channel
  • Disposable Mascara Wands:
    • Face Secrets Silicone Disposable Mascara Wands come in a variety of wand shapes for thickening, lengthening, curling, and close tip work application, $3.29 at Sally Beauty Supply
    • G2PLUS 100 Disposable Mascara Wands, at Amazon

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