Ask The Expert - Make-up Artist Extraordinaire Part Two!

Sabrina shares makeup products that she can't live without! More makeup love from my FAVORITE makeup artist!



Makeup Majesty: Share some makeup products, from any brand, that you cannot live without?

Sabrina:

First thing is first…Vaseline. I adore it. I have like 13 jars on hand at all times. They’re all over my house, in bags, in pockets… I have different sizes…I’m obsessed. I’m constantly lubing up my lips. But it’s also very versatile. It can remove make-up, hydrate your skin and nourish your lashes. It even helps soothe cuts and burns! I’ve used this product all my life and I will never stop!

Second, false lashes… I can’t live without false lashes. They make such a huge difference for both appearance and the overall outcome of the make-up application. I love all types of lashes. I enjoy double staking them as well. (I used to wear 4 pairs of lashes, but I’ve calmed down I suppose). I love to pair up a crosshatched lash with a spiked lash on top. I use lashes from local beauty supplies and MAC!

Third… cake eyeliner and a thin, straight brush. I’ve used a lot of cake liners, but I love MAC’s fluid line in “Blacktrack”. It’s the best b/c it’s water resistant. I also love the #210 brush. I hate angle brushes for doing liner… it’s so awkward. Plus, you get a nicer point on the wing when you use a straight brush. If you want a real old school cake liner, the type our grandmothers used…the one you have to wet and work at getting that perfect consistency…then I suggest MUD's cake eyeliner. I'm also an eyeliner junkie so I put a classic liquid on top after I apply my lashes. I find that it covers the band better and you’ll get a more dense black finish. I also apply liner to the upper waterline, so there is no pink showing and the false lashes look that much more realistic as well as making mine look fuller. I guess I can’t live without black eyeliner!!!!

Fourth… eye brow pencils and or shadow to fill in eyebrows. When you have well groomed, nicely shaped, full eyebrows, it creates your whole face. Eyebrows are so important… they are the shape and expression of our faces. It makes such a huge difference when you have the right shape as well. I know from experience. When I wore pin curls, waves and side bangs, I could get away with an arched eyebrow with a squared off end. However, I had to start wearing a curvier, more round eye brow when I cut my Bettie Bangs… it’s a shape on the face that makes a huge difference. I use MAC’s “Stud” eyebrow pencil and I go over it with MAC’s “Mystery” eye shadow. I then set it with a dark brown mascara or hair wax. I like MAC’s eyebrow pencil b/c the mechanic pencil allows for precise application and the formula is dense in pigment. I hate regular sharpened pencils for the eyebrow… I feel as though it comes out a bit sloppy and the color pigment is not vibrant enough.

Fifth …MAC’s “Ruby Woo” lipstick. It’s the perfect red for me, it’s not too drying to the lips and its “retro matte” finish stays on all night…even through a few martinis’ and a pack of smokes.

And there you have it ladies! What are some products that YOU can't live without?

Tokidoki Treasures

Created by Italian designer Simone Legno, these Japenese-inspired, cult-favorite designs have been given the makeup treatment!


Cromatico Eyeshadow (16 shades)



Bastardino Makeup Palettes (1 Palette with 4 different shades)


Prisma Lip Gloss (16 shades)



Fantastico Lip Ink (5 shades), Brush and Inferno Bronzer



Tokidoki Makeup Bags (3 sizes)



Nail Files



Tokidoki Tank Top



I purchased the Perfetto Eye Liner in Black, and the Cromatico Eye Shadow in Donutella:


The packaging is adorable! But the most important question remains - how are the actual products? I'm very happy with both the eye liner and the eye shadow! The Donutella shadow is a lot of fun - shimmery with glitter flecks. I haven't experienced much creasing at all while wearing it, which as we know is very rare!

The Perfetto Eye Liner is also great - it's a felt-tip marker pen which I love. The application is fairly easy if you're trying to achieve the winged-tip cat eye look. It stays put throughout the day, and is a true BLACK color. Comes in 8 shades, and it's waterproof!

I was tempted to buy the Prima Lip Gloss and the Lip Stain, but figured I would quit while I was ahead and only purchase two things from the new line - JUST in case I wasn't impressed. It's possible I might go back for more!

Brush Me Beautiful

OK, so you walk into Sephora, Ulta, or any department store. You want to buy a few makeup brushes. But OH. There seems to be 1000 of them. Fat brushes, skinny brushes, pink brushes, black brushes, long/short handled brushes, synthetic or natural haired brushes...YIKES!!!!! Selecting brushes if you're a brush virgin can be a scary task if you don't really know what you're looking for. No worries! I can hold your hand and get you through it =)

Below are the four brushes that I use every day. There is a basic foundation brush, a powder brush, a blush brush and an eye shadow brush. You can't go wrong with these. Of course there are many other brushes for shading, details and so on, but this post is all about basic brushes!

I usually purchase the short-handled brushes vs. the long-handled brushes, simply because they are easier to fit inside my makeup cases! They are all MAC brushes, but I also love Bobbi Brown brushes as well. Sephora has nice brushes too, very soft and durable. Enjoy!



190 Foundation Brush


This will be your best friend if you don't own one already. If you wear liquid foundation, this is the brush you must own. Repeat. This is the brush you must own. The brush hairs are stiff enough to allow even application of your foundation, but not too stiff that it is uncomfortable against your pretty face. It is a must have in every girls' makeup collection!


134 Large Powder Brush


If you wear powder, this is a great brush. Very soft and fluffy, it will allow you to apply your powder with little to no effort. There are other options for powder brushes though - some people like a bigger, fluffier brush that covers more "face" with one sweep, while others like a smaller, more concentrated brush so they can pay more attention to detail. I think this brush is a good balance between the two!


129 Blush Brush


If you wear powder blush, you need the right sized brush with the right texture. I like the 129 brush, because it's super soft and the right size to apply product to just the apples of your cheeks. You don't want a big brush for blush, because the blush will be applied beyond your cheeks and you will look pink all over - not good.


242 Eye Shader


I give the eye shadow brush a little more flexibility when it comes to size. The 242 shader is a great basic eye shadow brush for your every day uses. Some people like a larger brush for different colored eye shadows - like a smoky eye for example. Some like a smaller or flatter brush for shadow application. To each HER own, I say!


Remember - every makeup lover must own a great set of brushes. If you take care of these properly, they will last you a very long time. You should clean your brushes every couple of weeks to eliminate any potential bacteria or residue that is left on them from your makeup. You don't need to buy a fancy brush cleaner either - a few squirts of a gentle facial soap (I use my Clinique Liquid Soap) in some warm water will do just fine. Let them soak for a while, then lay them on a towel to air dry.

Happy Makeuping! <3