Tokidoki Makeup Review & Tutorial

I've always loved the super kawaii clutter of Tokidoki Designs. Now they have a whole cosmetics line available at Sephora that I couldn't refuse. I really didn't expect much from makeup in packaging so cute it made me want to vomit rainbows and unicorns, but I was pleasantly surprised. My video shows what I love about the eyeshadows, brushes, mascara, lip stain and lip glosses. There are also swatches and an application tutorial. Tokidoki!!! SQUEE!!!

How to Spot Fake MAC Cosmetics on Ebay

My new video shows you what to look for when shopping for MAC Cosmetics on eBay. There are thousands of counterfeit M.A.C. Cosmetics in the world, and the internet makes it that much easier to dupe people into thinking it's the real thing. In my video, I cover brushes, eye shadow palettes, and the Hello Kitty collection. I've learned from my mistakes, and I now know that there's no better deal than buying MAC from real MAC counters, real MAC stores and the MAC website. They are extremely reasonably priced, and the US sells it for less than any other country in the world. This tutorial is meant for those of you who seek out those discontinued or limited edition products that are no longer available. A tip for brushes: JUST DON'T DO IT. The video explains why...

Ask Marissa..."I Hate My Big Nose!"

Jane Doe: I hate my nose. I think it is big and well just don't like it. Are there any make-up ideas that could draw attention away from my nose and mouth maybe to my eyes instead? 


Me: Shading (or contouring) should do the trick. Use a matte bronzer or brown eyeshadow. Use a fluffy tapered shadow brush like M.A.C. #224 ($29), and blend the powder on the each side of the bridge of your nose. Make sure you blend well, so it doesn't look like there's makeup there.

Marissa's Pick of the Week - M.A.C. Lip Pencils

I absolutely love M.A.C. Lip Pencils ($13)! They glide on smoothly, wear for a long time and have great coverage. I like wearing these more than lipstick because you get more precise results. I like to wear 2 lip pencils; one for the liner and one as the lipstick, then top it with a Lip Glass ($14.50) or Tinted Lip Conditioner ($14.50) Some of my favorite combinations are:

Bright Hot Pink-
Line: Cherry
Lip: Magenta
Gloss: Viva Glam Gaga lip Glass

Neutral Brown-
Line: Cork
Lip: Subculture
Gloss: Soothing Beige Tinted Lip Conditioner

Red-
Line: Brick
Lip: Cherry
Gloss: Viva Glam Cyndi Lip Glass

Nude-
Line: Stripdown
Lip: Oak
Gloss: C-Thru Lip Glass

Looking Greasy in the Club?

 In the 6 or so years I've maintained social networking profiles, I noticed a horrible epidemic plaguing a lot of young women:  pictures of them in night clubs were REALLY bad. Their heads were whiter than their bodies and their faces were greasy looking. Camera flash is not very generous to our features, but super generous to our flaws. All these pretty girls were looking deathly ill.

I didn't go to school for makeup artistry, so everything I know is basically through trial and error. Here are some things I've learned about flash photography:

DO contour appropriately

DO use a foundation and powder a couple shades darker than your skin tone, or cover your neck and shoulders with your normal foundation

DO use matte finish foundations, concealers and powders. This includes blush. Eye makeup isn't as important to be matte, but it does make a more beautiful picture.

DON'T use shimmery finishes on your face. This will make you look greasy and gross.
DON'T use foundations or concealers with pink undertones. This will make you look pale or ashy.

Here is the difference between a do and a don't:
DO

I used a matte finish foundation, concealer, powder and blush.

A light colored lip gloss with no shimmer and minimal glitter will accentuate you natural lip color.

On my eyes is just a black crayon that I blended upwards. I didn't use a highlighter.

When you contour correctly, there's no need to highlight.

DON'T

I used my normal radiant finish foundation with a satin finish concealer.

I used a shimmery loose powder followed by a sheer coral blush and shimmery highlighter on my cheekbones.

You can see that I look really greasy and my face is lighter than my neck. This makeup is beautiful in person, but doesn't translate well in flash photography. 

Here's what it looks like without flash:

Ask Marissa...Eye Primer for Red Eyelids

Jane Doe: I'm looking for a good eye primer but can't decide which one to go for. I want something that neutralizes the skin on my eyes (I have a lot of redness) but also gives my shadows mega staying power. 


Me: I have 3 favorite eye primers; M.A.C. Paint Pot in "Soft Ochre" ($16.50), Lancome's Ombre Perfecteur Pen ($23), and Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion ($18). All have yellow undertones to neutralize redness, and the staying power of shadows are amazing!

 
 

Ask Marissa...Balancing Extreme Combination Skin

Jane Doe: I have normal / combo skin and in winter it usually gets a little dry...but this winter it's behaving very differently. My skin is very dry in the cheeks and around the eyes, enough to where it is tight and uncomfortable most of the day. But my t-zone is just as oily as it would be in the summer and seems to be more prone to breakouts than usual. Any suggestions for how to tackle this? My current system is to cleanse with a normal cleanser, use a mild alcohol-free toner and moisturize with philosophy hope in a jar / eye hope for the eyes. I also exfoliate 4x a week and do an at home peel every other week.

Me: I would say stop using Hope in a Jar. Any oil on your face will make the oily areas worse. I don't want you to waste your money though, so just use it at night with an oil control lotion on your t-zone. During the day, I would suggest MAC's Studio Moisture Cream ($32). It's safe for oily skin, but is very moisturizing. It gives time released moisture throughout the day and has spinach to help circulation. It will also add radiance to dry dull skin. Keep using your cleanser for normal skin, but switch to one with a toner in it. A toner's main purpose is to pH balance your skin after using a cleanser that is too acidic. All of MAC's cleansers a pH balanced, so you don't need a toner. No tone r= no irritating dry skin and no under-toning oily skin. Try MAC's Creamwash ($19.50) or Green Gel cleanser ($19.50). Both are ok for all skin types.

Jane Doe: Perfect thanks! I haven't tried any of MACs skincare maybe it's time to give it a go. I think I'll have to grab something from the Champale collection too.

Me: Champale was made for you! All of MAC skincare is made with natural ingredients. No synthetics. No animal testing. All cruelty free.


Jane Doe: I love everything in that collection, I really want the quad though. It reminds me a little of my fav MAC quad Liza eyes which is really really old but just very pretty neutrals. Does the MAC skincare smell good?


Me: Some of it has no fragrance. I don't remember what Studio Moisture cream smells like, but the Green Gel cleanser is very crisp and clean. It's got green tea and algae extract.

Ask Marissa...Acne Scars & Rosacea

Jane Doe:  I have horrible skin and I have tried a lot of cleansers and toners ect for it I look forward to trying a mask I hope it will help, 'cause so far nothing works and it is embarrassing. I have even had women tell me you need to wash your face more. It's Rosacea and acne scaring I tell them but still get the looks of question .


Me: I can only really tell you how to cover up and soothe rosacea. Only dermatologist prescribed treatment can cure or control it. 

As for acne scarring, you might want to try Stri-Vectin. It's pretty pricey ($135), but it lasts a long time and works wonders. Within 2 weeks of using stri-vectin, my purple stretch marks turned white. Stretch marks are scars too. For something less expensive, start out with Maderma (you can get it at Walgreens, $30) until you notice results are not improving anymore, then move up to stri-vectin. You will need to use a very good moisturizer on top of Maderma and Stri-Vectin, because there is a lot of retinol in it and will make your skin feel dry and uncomfortable.

When you cover up acne scars, always wear a makeup primer underneath your foundation. This will fill in any lines, wrinkles, pores and acne scars so that your skin will have an even texture. Since you have a lot of redness, I suggest using the Sephora brand green corrector primer ($15). The green hue will neutralize any redness. Follow with your foundation, and setting powder.

Jane Doe: Ok I will do when I can find one in my area and TY for the advice. Doctors are way to expensive for me right now to go to for skin care. I used to have a face wash with tea tree oil in it that worked wonders for the Rosacea but it is no longer made I have looked for a new one to try but can't find anything like it. Never thought of using Maderma on my face I have some and will be using it thank you.


Me: If you can find pure tea tree essential oil, one drop in your cleanser and/or moisturizer should do the trick.

Beyonce Inspired B.B. Homemaker Makeup Tutorial

Here's my latest makeup tutorial based on one of Beyonce's looks in her "Why Don't You Love Me?" video. I have it on YouTube, but they disabled my audio due to licencing issues, so I had to replace the soundtrack with one of their pre-authorized songs. The Vimeo version has the original soundtrack; a tribute to Miss Eta James.


Beyonce Inspired B.B. Homemaker Tutorial from Marissa Rhoades on Vimeo.

Marissa's Pick of the Week! -Tweeze Me, Baby

I really loathe plucking my eyebrows, but since waxing regularly doesn't fit in my budget, I might as well get some good tweezers to make the process easier on me. Tweezerman makes excellent quality grooming products to fit the needs of everyone. My favorite product is the Pointed Slant Tweezer ($30) recently released by Benefit cosmetics. These are super sharp, therefore precise. You can pluck out super short hair and thin hair with these. If you want save $5, you can get the simple stainless steel ones on the Tweezerman site.

Marissa's Pick of the Week - Tapered Shadow Brush

The Tapered Eye Shadow Brush is my favorite eye shadow brush ever! In fact, I love it so much, I have 4 of them- 2 for me, and 2 for my artist box. I only own Lancome's Blending Brush #17 ($27.50), but other lines carry similar brushes. This brush gives the perfect shape on your outer corner and crease everytime. I also use it to apply shadow all over, and to flawlessly blend colors together. Another great use for this brush is settling your under eye concealer with a loose powder. Holding the brush vertically, roll it across under your eyes with just a little bit of powder. To see the use of this brush in action, view my last video tutorial.

Marissa's Pick of the Week- Asian Beauty

Yes. My pick this week is a book, but not just any book. What I have chosen for you is the best beauty book I have read so far. This includes books by Bobbi Brown, and The African American Women's Guide to Successful Makeup by Alfred Fornay. Not only is this a great reference for makeup application techniques, but it also has suggested skin care regimens, beauty tool knowledge and lifestyle recommendations for better looking skin.

Margaret Kimura (pictured right) has finally put a guide out into the world that focuses on the unique texture, skin tone and features of the Asian Woman in her book, Asian Beauty ($30). Her book models range from Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, and Korean to Indian, Filipino, Malaysian, and mixed races. Other ethnicities can benefit from this book, as her techniques have been used on hundreds of people in Hollywood and skin care tips are universal. Known as the "Blending Queen" in the makeup artist industry, her book is 210 pages of how to achieve a smooth, natural looking complexion to build the perfect canvas for color.

Check it out at the library first. Chances are, you'll want to buy it. It also makes a beautiful coffee table book at the very least.

Beauty on a Budget Tip #2 -Vaseline

Vaseline should be in everyone's medicine cabinet, diaper bag and purse. Here are some uses for this wonder jelly:

Don't waste money buying those expensive glove treatments for hands and feet. Slather on the Vaseline, slip on some socks and gloves, then wake up to baby soft skin.

Vaseline smoothes rough patches, knees and elbows better than any body butter I've ever tried.

Vaseline is also a great lip balm. Mix in some colored mica and sweet almond oil and you've got a tinted lip gloss!

If you have dry skin, Vaseline is great for removing makeup. I don't, however, recommend keeping petroleum jelly on your face over night.

Apply Vaseline around your hair line before coloring your hair. This will prevent the dye from staining your skin.

Mix dark eye shadows with Vaseline and apply to eyes with your finger. This gives that Old Hollywood glamour look.

Got anymore ideas? I'd love to hear them!

Beauty on a Budget Tip #1

Baby wipes are great for removing makeup. The best ones are cotton and fragrance free. My favorite wipes are Parent's Choice Organic Baby Wipes (Walmart, around $2 for one pack or $8 for a wholesale box of 6 packs). These biodegradable wipes are made with organic cotton. If you want to "splurge" a little, Pamper's Sensitive Wipes (drugstores, around $3 for a tub of 60 or $13 for a wholesale box of 6 packs). These alcohol free cotton wipes are hypoallergenic and soothes irritated skin with chamomile.

Marissa's Pick of the Week!

Ick! Acne! It never fails to surprise me. There are times when my skin is flawless and smooth as butter. In the summer, it just feels like butter was spread all over my face. My

favorite remedy? Acne Solutions Cleansing Bar for Face and Body (Clinique, $12.50). This is by far the best acne targeted soap I've used. It also comes in liquid form, but I'm partial to bars. They last longer, it costs less, and you get more product for your buck. Think of how much water is added to liquid soaps, yet they are more expensive. ??? I don't get it either.

Acne Solutions Cleansing Bar can be used on most problematic skin types due to it's mild salicylic acid formula. (If you are pregnant, please consult your doctor. Salicylic acid is known to cause birth defects and complications.) My skin literally squeaks after cleansing with this bar. After one wash I notice an improvement in my skin's condition. It's recommended that you either only use this bar once a day (I prefer night so my skin can regenerate at it's cleanest time.) Or every other day. If your skin is extremely oily (you can go through a pack of blotting sheets in a day) it's okay to use twice a day every day. No matter how often you use this acne bar, remember to always follow up with toner and most importantly, MOISTURIZER. Remember, oily skin that doesn't moisturize WILL produce more oil.