During the week my worst fear, I repeat my WORST fear, is that my alarm will not go off when it’s time for me to wake up, causing me to have a melt down and then leaving me only 15 minutes until I have to leave for work. Agghhh just thinking about it is stressing me out! So in preparation I have practiced a 5 Minute Face that I’ll be able to do in dire situations such as waking up late or in “emergency” circumstances. Emergency, as in the Nordstrom’s half yearly sale is ending or “The Situation” is currently at the pool letting girls touch his abs- Hello!! Whatever it may be, you’ve got to be primped and prepared.

1st Step – Apply your base (1 minute)
I suggest a tinted moisturizer. In my option tinted moisturizer goes on better with your fingers in the same motion you would apply a typical face moisturizer. Foundations apply better with a brush, but you don’t have time to mess around with that today. Stila Sheer Tinted Mositurizer is great.

2nd Step – Conceal (1 minute and 30 seconds)
Apply your concealer under your eye area to cover any dark circles. Apply in a sweeping fan motion from the inside corner or the eye to the outside corner. Then dab with your ring finger to hide any lines or wrinkles. Also apply all over the lid to conceal any discoloration. Take the last 30 seconds to cover any blemishes or red areas on the face. Try Dermablend Quick Fix.

3rd Step – Set with a powder (30 seconds)
Take your powder and quickly apply only in your T-zone to absorb any oil in one swift sweep around your face. That’s it!

4th Step – Shadow, liner, mascara (2 minutes)
Use a shadow that is highlighting and illuminating all over the lid. I love Stila Eye Shadow Pan – Moonlight for this job. This step should take only 30 seconds.

Next, apply a teal or purple liner only in your waterline. Using a colored liner is a very easy way to jazz up your look when you don’t have the time to apply color on your lids. This step should take between 30 – 45 seconds. Also, applying within the water line is super easy since you’re just filling in empty space. No need (and no time!) to perfect a straight line with lining on top of the lid. If I have the few seconds to spare I will also take my liner brush and smudge the liner in between my lashes to create a darker depth to my lashes.

Now its time for mascara! No time to curl so just directly apply. You have the remaining 45 seconds–1 minute to apply your mascara. I like bareMinerals Flawless Definition Mascara Black.

5th Step – Blush and gloss (1 minute)
Lastly, do your cheesiest smile and apply your blush to the apples of your cheeks and use a highlighter on you check bones or a bronzer in the appropriate places. Take 15 seconds of the apples and 15 seconds for the highlighter/bronzer. The final 30 seconds is for your gloss, apply and go girl!

Is your face round like Kirsten Dunst’s? Or is it heart shaped like Reese Witherspoon’s? Perhaps it’s square like Jennifer Garner’s. Or maybe it’s oval like Jessica Alba’s. Whatever your face shape may be, there’s a way of balancing to bring out your best, and diffuse your worst. Here are some great make-up tips to suit your shape:

Round shaped: If your face is literally round- with a balance of width between the jawbone and brow bone, and a little roundness to the cheeks, give your face depth, definition and contour by way of bronzer. Swirl a bushy brush in some bronzer (we like NUXE Poudre Eclat Prodigieux Multi-Usage Compact Bronzing Powder) and draw a ‘3’ on both sides of your face; starting the top of the 3 at the corner of your forehead, pulling the 3 through to the cheekbone and ending the 3 at the jaw. A smoky eye in shimmery brown or grey will bring out your most sparkly feature and give your face even more depth and definition.

Heart shaped: If you have a razor sharp chin and prominent cheekbones draw attention away with a soft pink cheek (bareMinerals Blush – Giddy Pink is lovely), and a pop of color on the lips (red is exquisite, plum is sultry, pink is cheerful- what’s your favorite?). Also, draw attention to the eyes with bronze and gray shades- but don’t give the eye too much structure with liner, instead use soft shadows and a smidgen of mascara to make the eyes really pop.

Square shaped: You’ve got structure all over- it seems that square shaped faces usually come paired with a strong nose too. Use sheer washes of color to soften the linear look- shimmery shades make the skin look flawless, luminous and ethereal. Build buxom lashes and draw the attention to your gorgeous eyes. We love Too Faced Lash Injection in Pitch Black for crazy lengths and volume.

Oval shaped: Oval beauties have soft angles, and are elongated at the sides. To help cut down the length of your face use bronzer and brush to paint a bit of a horizon across your cheeks; this will bring out the width of the face. We love new Philosophy The Supernatural You Make Me Blush Hugs Kisses Powder Duo. Oval shapes also do really well with the cat-eye look because it virtually extends the width of the face. Use black eyeliner or a stiff shadow brush to fan out smoky shadow at the corner of the eye. Meow!

What’s your face shape and have these tips helped you? Leave us a comment below.

Here at SkinStore, we believe knowledge is key when it comes to skincare and beauty! That’s why we have created Product Talk, an interactive Q&A feature for our customers. It’s a powerful, yet simple tool!

Here’s how it works: While on SkinStore, find a product that you would like to learn more about. Click the “Product Talk” tab under the product photo to access the tool. To ask a question, click the “Ask a New Question” button. To answer, click the question to open it, and click the “Answer this Question” button. You can even also vote for the best answers to questions. It’s your community.

Now is your chance to help us build the beauty community and to be a voice! We pulled a few unanswered questions from community members who would love to hear about your beauty experience and get your feedback on some products that you may have already tried. We encourage you to share your knowledge and experience.  Click on the questions below to answer them (you may be asked to log in or register).

Click on the questions below to answer them.

UPDATE: (8/31)  These questions have been answered! Thanks to CindyS, Jofab and jd584 for sharing your answers.

Thanks for helping to build the community!

Katy Perry’s recent pop hit “California Gurls” has revitalized the term California Girl.

“I know a place where the grass is really greener
Warm, wet and wild, there must be something in the water…
You could travel the world
But nothing comes close to the golden coast…
California girls, we’re unforgettable”

If you’re in search of that iconic look, we’ve gotcha covered! Colorescience mineral makeup offers a kit with a few of their best sellers to help you achieve that sun-kissed glow.

Wild to Mild SunReliable SPF 20 Primer is my latest product infatuation. I’ve told everyone about it! If you’ve searched for that perfect no makeup makeup, for those days you don’t feel like putting much on, this is it! It provides a hint of bronze, while imparting a more uniform smooth finish. Your skin looks even and radiant without a stitch of foundation. Love it, love it, love it!

If you desire a bit more coverage, simply dust on their infamous Pressed Mineral Compact in California Girl and your complexion is flawless. Their powder stands out above other mineral powders because it has triple the pigment of other mineral powders. Which translates to more coverage with less powder.

To finish off that bronzed babe look the kit includes Lip Candy Glaze in Suga Babe for a kissable pout and a handy dandy Loose Mineral Puff. It’s a self dispensing travel puff with built in bronzer so you can glow on the go.

Now, every girl can be a California Girl!

Kit Includes:

• Wild to Mild SunReliable SPF 20 Primer, 0.68oz
Called Wild to Mild, this was created as an after-sun product, to calm down burned skin, and to take it from wild (burned) to mild (soothed).
• Pressed Mineral Compact – California Girl, 0.42oz
Unlike traditional pressed powders which are usually translucent and used as a finishing powder, Colorescience’s very concentrated pressed mineral pigment gives more coverage than any other formula!
• Loose Mineral Travel Puff – Kissed by the Sun, 0.52oz
A bronzer that is packaged in a self dispensing travel puff that allows you to glow on the go.
• Lip Candy Glaze – Suga Babe, 0.20oz
A long-lasting, non-sticky lip gloss with the natural flavors of Quadruple Chocolate Extract and mint. Sheer and lightweight, Lip Candy Glaze won’t leave your lips dehydrated or tacky.

How do we know when our “look” is outdated? If you’ve had the same look for the last 10 or 20 years, it’s definitely time to move on! Holding on to those styles from your teens and twenties doesn’t keep you suspended in your youth. In fact it can make you look VERY outdated! It’s time to take some risks! Go down to the bookstore and take a glance at some fashion magazines (for both men and women.) Get a feel for which looks are in style that best reflect who you are and your personality.

Ladies start with a new hair cut, color and or style. If you’re not sure what to do, tell your hairstylist you’re updating your look and need some suggestions. Consider something short and sassy like a bob or pixie cut! Losing the high school hair can make you look much more sexy, sophisticated and empowered!

Gentlemen lose the bleach blond (Guy Fieri) or overly dark, dyed hair. Go for something more trimmed and clean around the sides and back and a hint of spikes on top. If you’re balding or thinning on top, the best way to go about updating your look is to go short! Shorter hair creates less contrast between the fuller and thinner areas on your scalp. Also, consider updating your sideburns, goatee and/or beard. Sometimes facial hair may be very sexy on the right guy; sometimes it can make a man look downright ridiculous. If you’re graying, a little bit of gray can be sexy but, do-it-yourself dye kits for hair and beards can end up WAY too dark and look obvious.

Buying the same old style turtle neck sweater in a different color doesn’t qualify as updating your look. You need to take some risks and try something new that you wouldn’t normally buy. Take a younger niece or nephew out with you when you go shopping. Ask them to give you their honest opinion on whether the clothes you’ve picked out are the same old same old, way too trendy, or just hip and trendy enough.

Finally is the all important skin care and make-up. Ladies (and gentlemen) if you haven’t already done so, now is the time to start considering a regular regimen of skincare products to undo any damage and aging to your skin and help prevent future damage and aging. Find a good cleanser, toner, moisturizer and SPF and use them on a regular basis! Taking better care of your skin will result in healthier more vibrant skin with less fine lines, wrinkles, sunspots, and dark circles; and less need for heavy makeup and concealers.

When choosing makeup, remember to go classic with a little bit of flair. Avoid the use of metallic’s, heavy bronzers, and glitter. These accentuate lines and wrinkles. Consult with a make-up artist and/or esthetician on designing your eyebrows and eye shadow. Eye shadow contouring and highlighting and color choice can make all the difference in whether your eyes look bright and inviting or dull and sagging.

Correctly designed eyebrows can accentuate your eyes best features and minimize flaws. The wrong eyebrow design can also send the wrong message. And gentlemen, remember the object is to “groom” your brows so you don’t have a unibrow or a couple of caterpillars on your forehead. Don’t go overboard and lose your handsome masculinity.

Keep all of these things in mind while you have fun designing the new you! Now go forward and conquer that mid life crisis!

Do you have an angel on your shoulder or the devil in your head?

Are you feeling naughty?  Do you want to vamp it up? Do you want to dance on a table top tonight? Are you wearing your leather pants? Channel Kat Von D. Bring out your inner Bettie Page.  Sex it up, kitten! Make those boys howl. Here are our favorite bad gal picks:

Stila Smudge Pot in Black; use as a liner to achieve a sexy cat eye look, or apply all over the lid and crease for a high-impact smoky eye.

Stila Eye Shadow Pan in Pewter; rim the inner corners of your eye and use as liner on the bottom of the eye to achieve a sultry, smoky look.

Too Faced Lash Injection in Pitch Black; create a powerful lash with this high-impact mascara. With a flick of the specially-designed wand your lashes will be injected with massive volume and length. Wink wink!

DuWop Lip Venom 2nd Sin; pump up the volume on those juicy lips sans injections. In a matter of moments you’ll feel and look as sexy as Angelina Jolie.

bareMinerals Vanessa Buxom Big and Healthy Full Color Lip Polish; red lips are the epitome of sex appeal. Add depth and oomph with a rich burgundy wine hue to yours, and since you’re feeling bold and daring mix red lips with smoky eyes for a Goth-inspired bad gal look.

SpaRitual Nail Lacquer in Mood; gunmetal silver nails stand out from the French-tipped crowd.

Are you feeling girly? Are you baking cupcakes? Are you a refined, elegant girl at the Kentucky Derby?  Drinking high noon tea with mother? Wearing your Tiffany jewels? Channel Audrey Hepburn and Jackie O, my doll. Make your prince swoon. Here are our favorite sweet angel picks:

Stila Eye Shadow Pan in Starlight; illuminate the eyes with a hint of sparkle.

Too Faced Lash Injection Pinpoint in Hot Chocolate; lengthen, separate and define each lash with this pretty brown shade for a doe-eyed look. Bat those lashes, darling.

bareMinerals Blush in Sorbet; bring out the rosy glow in your cheeks, this blush provides a healthy, natural look, as if you’re really blushing.

Philosophy The Supernatural Superglossy in Smell the Roses; provides shiny, pink and kissable lips. Formulated with spf 15 to provide broad spectrum sun protection and antioxidants to help keep lips looking young and healthy.

SpaRitual Nail Lacquer In The Buff or SpaRitual Nail Lacquer Light Hearted for sugary, natural-looking fingernails.

Classic beauty withstands the test of time. Starlets like Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe, and Princess Diana all share a common grace and elegance. Images of them today remain as iconic and in style as ever before. Idealized for their beauty, we can follow their lead, incorporating effortless style into our own daily make-up regimen.

Timeless make-up is youthful and fresh. Try to avoid colors that are either too bright or too dark and steer clear of outlandish trends. Neutral colors that enhance your natural skin tone are best.

Face: The right foundation lays the groundwork for a timeless look. First, prime and prep the skin. Make-up goes on smoother and lasts longer when you apply a moisturizer and make-up primer. Moisturizer hydrates and plumps the skin, while a primer camouflages large pores and imperfections. Keep in mind, less is more with foundation. Apply foundation sparingly, while paying special attention to areas that need more coverage and blend outward. For liquid foundation users, set with a translucent powder for long lasting coverage.

Eyes: The trick is to play up the natural shape and color of your eyes. Neutral shades of beige, gray, brown, gold, champagne, pale pink, mauve, and plum are best. Start by applying a light to medium shade of beige, nude, champagne, or pink as the all over base color. Next, accentuate the crease and outer corner of the eye with a darker shade. A medium gray, brown, or plum that is two to three shades darker than the base color creates perfect definition. Lastly, add highlight just below the brow and to the inside corner of the eye. A very light nude, white, or pale pink with a hint of iridescence works beautifully.

Next, accentuate the shape of your eyes by lining the top eyelid following closely along the lash line with a dark brown, gray or black liner. Leave the bottom eye unlined for a fresh faced look or line sparingly from the bottom inside corner of the eye and darken in color towards the outside corner of the eye. This draws more attention to the outside corners of the eyes, making eyes appear larger. Finish off the eyes with a few coats of dark brown or black mascara to the top and bottom lashes.

Insider tip: Black liner and mascara will make the whites of your eyes whiter and brightens tired eyes.

Cheeks: Often disregarded, yet one of the simplest ways to brighten your complexion is by applying blush. A rosy flush gives cheeks a youthful healthy glow. Select a color that matches your natural flush or if you were to pinch your cheeks. Sweep the color from the apples of the cheeks towards your hairline. Remember to build the color gradually, to avoid applying too much.

Insider tip: To slim the face blend a contour color to the hollows of your cheeks, just below the cheekbone. Select a matte bronzer or powder foundation that is slightly darker than your skin tone. Finish with a touch of highlighting powder on the top of the cheekbone for added pop.

Lips: Lip color should enhance and brighten your natural tone. The key is to pick a color that is one to two shades darker than your natural lip color. To create fullness, line your lips with a lip liner that matches or is slightly darker than your lip color. For added dimension add a bit of gloss in a lighter shade to the center of your pout.

Brows: Polish off your timeless daytime look by grooming your brows. Fill in with a neutral toned brow pencil that matches your natural hair color. Start from the head of the brow using light feathery strokes as you make your way towards the arch and tail of the brow. Next, define the shape of your brows by tweezing stray hairs. Lastly, apply a clear brow gel to set your hairs in place.

Insider tip: Plucking too many hairs at once can leave holes or gaps in the brow. For better precision, use tweezers with a slanted tip for plucking one hair at a time.

Running late for a very important date? Keep these time saver beauty tips in mind and you’ll be gorgeous on the go!

Simply dust blush on the apples of your cheeks for a healthy glow. Pick a vivid pink for flirty appeal. We adore Too Faced Brightening Blush La Vie En Rose.

Taupe shadow makes eyes brighter and is a universal flattering shade. You’ll look put together with out all the fuss. Try bareMinerals Glimmer Eyeshadow- Queen Tiffany.

Use liner to make lips appear fuller. Pick a shade that matches your natural lip tone. Line just outside of your natural lip line and apply a lighter colored gloss on top. Perfectly pouty lips in sixty seconds or less! I love, love, love DuWop Liptone Tempo liner paired with Stila Kitten Silk Shimmer Gloss.

Select hues that make your eyes pop. Apply color theory techniques: Rich browns make blue eyes bluer, purples make green eyes pop, and brown or hazel eyes shine in gold or bronze. DuWop EyeCatcher Shadow comes in three different shades, each utilizing basic color theory to bring out the best in blue, green, and brown eyed beauties.

Be bronzed and beautiful. A few strokes of bronzer works wonders. Effortlessly look well rested and golden, a trip to the Caribbean is no longer required. Us California girls have a few secret weapons in our beauty arsenal, bareMinerals Faux Tan All Over Face Color bronzing powder, TanTowel 3 Step Tan-The Perfect Tan self tanning kit, and my all time fave Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Multi Shimmer Dry Oil- Golden Shimmer Spray.

Lip stain is an easy apply and forget about it product. It withstands a full day at the office and even extends into happy hour! The color stays put, simply refresh with a sheer gloss on top. We like Stila Cherry Crush for beautiful berry stained lips.

Metallic eye shadow instantly adds glamour to any day rain or shine! Even if you didn’t have time to apply foundation, a touch of gold, silver, or bronze shadow will liven up your complexion. bareMinerals Glimmer Eyeshadow TrueGold, Stila Eye Shadow-Twilight, or Stila Eye Shadow Trio- Bronze Glow are tried and true favorites.

Determining your skin tone is essential when color matching foundation and selecting your most flattering makeup shades. Similar to selecting colors in clothing, the right hue can make you sparkle and shine. Complimentary colors enhance and brighten your complexion, while the wrong one makes you look drab and washed out.

Skin tones are separated into three general categories warm, cool and neutral. Keep in mind, within each skin tone there are different undertones or subtle hues in the skin. There are four basic undertones: yellow/orange, red/orange, blue/red and red. Warm skin tones have yellow/orange or red/orange undertones. While women with cool skin tones have blue/red or red undertones.

Use these helpful tips to determine your skin tone and better understand what colors best suit you.

Warm Skin Tone:
The majority of the population has a warm golden skin tone. Generally, people who have black, brown, blond, or red hair with brown, black or hazel eyes fall into this category. Women who have an olive complexion and tan easily also fall into this group. An easy way to determine your skin tone is by a simple vein test. If you look at the inside of your wrist (in natural light) and your veins look slightly green, then you have a warm skin tone.

The most flattering and natural makeup shades for warm skin tones are warm, earthy colors. Hues of brown, gold, bronze, olive, beige, champagne, sage green, cream, mocha, rust, and apricot are complimentary. Try to find foundations that are yellow or peach based and avoid foundations that have a pink or red base.

Cool Skin Tone:
Women with a cool skin tone have a pink, rosy undertone with subtle hints of blue. People with very fair skin, fine blond, black or brown hair with blue, green, or grey eyes most often fall into this category. A good indicator of a cooler complexion is if your skin is thinner, translucent, and sensitive or burns easily. If you look at the inside of your wrist and your veins appear to look slightly blue, then you have a cool under tone.

Cool skin tones most flattering and natural makeup shades are rich vibrant colors. Hues like navy, red, bright pink, raspberry, emerald green, plum, black, violet, turquoise and silver are complimentary. Look for foundations that are pink based and stay away from ones that have a yellow or orange base.

A common misconception for cool skin tones is to counteract redness by using a yellow based foundation. Using a foundation different from your natural skin tone masks your natural beauty. The wrong shade is often noticeable, leaving an orange or yellow ring around the jaw line. While the correct shade blends seamlessly, enhancing your natural skin tone.

Neutral Skin Tone:
If you find yourself not fitting into either the warm or cool category you may have a neutral skin tone. Luckily for neutral ladies, they look great in any color, warm or cool. Experimenting with a wide variety of colors will help determine what best suits you.
Look for foundations that are neutral in color, neither too yellow nor pink.

The right color choices for your skin tone will enhance and enliven your appearance. Simply put these helpful hints to use and be prepared for glowing compliments!

One thing that will always be in fashion is healthy glowing skin. To obtain this you must first establish the basics. You can start off with a gentle yet effective cleanser, a treatment, moisturizer, and eye cream. Also a weekly exfoliating product will keep your skin soft, smooth, and makeup ready. You can use peel pads that contain AHA’s like glycolic acid, or a retinol treatment for a skin boost. For sensitive skin types try lactic acid or an enzyme peel. After you have used the right skin care products, check out these easy makeup looks that will have you looking great just in time for summer.

1. Watercolor for eyes – This trend is hitting the runways, but would also look great for anyone who wants to add a little pow to their makeup routine. Watercolors in soft pastels are a great way to layer on colors, making sure to blend properly of course. Shades of pink, blue, and purple are among the most popular colors on the canvas this season. Try Stila Eye Shadow Duo – Orchid. Also think cream or mineral shadows for a soft easy to blend look.

 

2. Pop of color on lips – the rest of your face should look sheer and muted. From magazines to makeup bags, the use of rich bold lip colors and sheer cheeks with minimal makeup on the eyes is among the most popular trend. The look is almost pin-up girl like, but you can be more modern by adding a coral or deep pink to your lips instead of that fire engine red. For a rich red try NUXE Lip Gloss Prodigieux Nutri-Protector Lip Gloss in Charismatic Red.

 

3. Loads of mascara - extra long lashes. This look never goes out of style, who wouldn’t want glorious lashes! Try this one- Too Faced Lash Light.

 

4. Blushing cheeks – in rose tones. The rose tones take the color pallet this summer. They look great on eyes, but especially lovely on the cheeks. Anyone can pull off a subtle yet romantic look with just a few swipes of blush using an over sized brush for easy application. Try Colorescience Retractable Blusher Brush – Apple Of My Eye.  This is a medium rosy red with a built in brush that will provide a flawless finish.

 

5. Sculpting make-up - This technique has been used in movies and on the red carpet for years. How do you think check bones appear out of thin air? They get contoured and sculpted.  Round cheeks can also be camouflaged, and the results are dangerously stunning. The trick is to use a foundation and light powder, then highlight cheeks in brownish shades. Try bareMinerals Warmth All Over Face Color for a cheek contour.

Also take note that apparently sparkle and glitter are so last season. You don’t want to look like a 1980’s senior prom queen so remember less is more. Pick one main trend and keep the rest understated. You will be on your way to glowing skin and whimsical summer nights in no time.