Best Long Wearing Eyeliner for Monolids/Hooded Eyes

Hi Shine and Sparkle Report Readers!

People with hooded/monolids (See post on "Tips to Deal with Eyeliner for Monolids and Hooded Eyelids" if you are baffled by these concepts)  typically need very durable eyeliner.  Stuff that will not turn you into a hot mess/raccoon under extreme circumstances.  After struggling with every type of liquid, gel, and pencil liner out there,  I wanted to share my winning combination for the world of eyeliner challenged people!

Copyright of whoever made this image.*

Clio Waterproof Turnliner "TwistTurn"- $18.15 USD:
This is Clio Waterproof Turnliner "TwistTurn"  is a Korean product.  It is reasonably easy to obtain from online stores, ebay, or your Dad's trip to Korea. I already have a back-up somewhere in the mail on a 2-3 month journey by ship for when the one my dad got me runs out.

Why is it worth it for mono/hooded-lids?  It comes out in a pigmented but more runny liquid.  3 or so clicks gives you enough to cover a large area (such as the area under the hood).  It dries pretty fast but has plenty of time to work with the product.  It also has a long and precise brush that really lends itself to drawing a perfect eye of hooded eyes.  (even the models for the liner HAVE hooded monolids!)  I can seriously line my upper eyes in seconds with this thing.  And it lasts ALL day, even on oily lids!  Why? Because oil doesn't budge it.

Make up remover is the only thing that removes this stuff.  It doesn't smear at all when I put on my olive or coconut oil to remove all my waterproof mascara, M.A.C Liquid Last Liners, and eyeshadow.  Only when I use my make-up remover or face-cleansing towelettes does this liner easily swipe away.  

Copyright of M.A.C*

M.A.C Liquid Last Liner*-$19.50 USD:
Yes, M.A.C Liquid Last Liner is pricey, but the amount you will waste looking for a product that works like this makes it worth every penny!  It is quite a thick formula and I find it applies best using an angled eyeliner brush over the one in the bottle (I just dab my brush on the product's brush then apply it).  That being said, a bit of practice and you can use this liner with its brush no problem.

While you can use this on both your upper and lower lashline, I tend to just use it on the bottom.  Mainly because it sticks SO well, that it's a pain to remove in the large quantity I have to use on my mono and hooded lids.  However, if you want a normal thin line at your lash, feel free to use this on top and bottom.  While make-up remover will do NOTHING to this eyeliner, a little olive or coconut oil on a cotton pad or ball with take it off in a jiffy.  If you don't use oil based make-up remover, your eyeliner will remain tattooed to your eyes indefinitely.  No joke, perfect liner one morning after wearing all day and being too lazy to take it off the night before.  I might or might not have worn the same eyeliner again until the next afternoon.  This is another reason a prefer to use it on my lower lash line, since my eyelids can sometimes get a bit oily.

In a nutshell,  if you have the three challenges I mention in my "Tips to Deal with Eyeliner for Monolids and Hooded Eyelids" post or any other issues with eyeliner, I guarantee that one (or a combination of both) of these products will solve your problems.

You can definitely get good liner results on the top and bottom with just one of these products.  But for me, the combination of Clio on top and M.A.C on the bottom is perfect!  I was so thrilled to find this combo.  It has made all of my eye-make up looks possible.  I'm so excited to share this information with you all!


* I am not paid or contacted by any of the companies mentioned in this post.  These are my honest feelings and opinions.  Also, like all my images, I'll gladly give someone credit for their image or take it down if someone throws a hissy fit.




Shine & Sparkle!

Tips Applying Eyeliner on Monolids and Hooded Eyelids

Hi Shine and Sparkle Report Readers!

I have 3 huge challenges when it comes to eyeliner:

1) Monolids:  This means I have no upper crease to my eyes.  This also means my eyelids are much more flush with the rest of my skin and get more oily than usual (eyeshadow primer is a must).

2) Hooded eyelids:  This means that not only do I have no crease, but when my eyes are open, there is extra skin that covers my upper lash line so if I just put eyeliner on my upper lash line, it will "disappear" when I open my eyes. Le Sigh.

3) High round cheeks: To top off the other 2 eyeliner challenges, when I laugh and smile, my cheeks tend to push against the skin under my lower lash line.  This leads to lots of smudging and raccoon-eque smudges under my eye.  Not cute...unless you are trying to catch a raccoon.

I struggled for years and years of crappy looking/non-existent eye make-up.  Nobody really seemed to know how to make my eyes look cute.  Still to this day, nobody "professional" has gotten them to look great.  I think it is because I have all 3 of theses issues.  Make-up artists can usually handle 1-2 but 3?  Disaster.  For those of you who need a visual, here is is:

Now that some of you are thinking "duh" and others are thinking "woah, never even thought about that before."  So how do I apply my eyeliner so it actually does what it is supposed to (make eyes look more defined and larger).  A picture is worth a thousand words:

Magic right?!  Some extra information:

• What eyeliners do I use that absolutely do NOT smudge, budge, or attract racoons?  Check out my post on "Best Long Wearing Eyeliner for Monolids/Hooded Eyes".
• I did this whole eyeshadow look using the "Naked" eyeshadow pallet by Urban Decay.*  The lid is the color "Sin".  I smoked out the very thick black liner with "Gunmetal".  The outer corner and crease color is "Toasted" with a tiny bit of "Hustle" right in the darkest part of the crease.  The inner corner and brow bone are "Virgin".  And I blended it using a bit of "Naked".  WOAH!  Did that just sound like a foreign language?  Well, it's pretty much a full eye look.  To me, this means using all the tricks in the book.  You can totally just swipe on one color for a classic eye.  However, using different colors in different areas of your eye gives you many more options and can really add dimension.  This look uses all areas.  Let me know if you are interested in a post detailing different eyeshadow techniques!
• My stick straight and wimpy lashes need a lot of help.  I curl them using the Shiseido Eyelash Curler.  Then I do a coat of water proof mascara only on the top lashes to hold the curl.  Then I use a volumizing mascara over the top lashes and on my bottom lashes to really give them oomph (a very technical term).  Let me know if you want more detail on this too!

* I am not paid or contacted by any of the companies mentioned in this post.  These are my honest feelings and opinions. 

Shine & Sparkle!

Ms. Sparkles Embraces Social Media!

Hi New and Loyal Shine and Sparkle Report Readers!

Have you noticed the new banner?  Have you notice the sleek new layout? Have you noticed Shine and Sparkle Report going live on tons of Social Media?  Have you noticed me spamming the world each time I get one of them set up?




The right-hand side of this blog contains ways for you to keep up with The Shine and Sparkle Report in tons of ways!  Please feel free to check out any (or all) of them!

Follow me on Instagram at @shineandsparklereport.  Shocking username right?!

"Like" the Shine and Sparkle Report Facebook page. *oooooohahhhhhh*

Or get updates via my Twitter tweets  @sparklereport.  Why so limit letters in my user name twitter? Why?!  Also, did anyone else notice that "tweet" is a noun and a verb? 

I'm contemplating the YouTubes, (currently it only consists of some videos of my pet bunnies from college).  But while Ms. Sparkles is web and writing savvy, video editing and acting...not so much.  Please let me know if you would want to see me do some videos.  Then I'll think about it! Haha.  While you are at it, let me know what you might want to see a video about!

Squiggles has also bee feeling left out of posts, so I made sure he was representing in my social media post.  How could can you resist "following" "liking" and "tweeting" about this guy?

Thank you so everyone for encouraging and supporting me through this new phase of The Shine and Sparkle Report!


Shine & Sparkle!

 

I'm Horrified about Micro Beads!

Attention Shine and Sparkle Readers!

This is an urgent report.  We need to be smart consumers and not use beauty products with microbeads!

All images were obtained from beatthemicrobead.org

Microbeads are so small! These were scooped right out of the ocean with a fine mesh net. 

This Report by CNN revealed to me the absolute crazyness that are "exfoliating microbeads".  They are made of little tiny pieces of non-biodegradable plastic!  More research revealed that, these little plastic beads in cleansers and soaps are too small to get caught in water filters before spewing into the ocean.  As a result, they pollute our oceans with tiny little beads.  The beads are so small that fish eat them thinking they are food.  Then we eat the toxic fish.  I knew that there is a plastic island in our ocean, but I didn't know that the ocean is simply going to be made of tiny plastic beads floating in it if we don't stop using them! Eek!

What can you do?
Don't buy or use products with microbeads!  Supporting this part of industry will continue to have them use them!

Here is what to avoid on your products!

Good Alternatives*:
Exfoliating products that use natural ingredients to exfoliate.  This can include sugar, salt, sand, ground rice, walnut husks, coco beans, you name it.  Just avoid micro beads! It's a small difference that can make a big impact.

Comparing good and bad exfoliating ingredients.

Kudos and Status:
As stated in the article, Unilever is getting rid of microbeads by 2015! Hooray!  Here are some other big name brands which pledge not to use micro beads and their timelines thanks to beatthemicrobead.org. Check them out for a more detailed list and information.

• Lush-No Microbeads!
• P&G-Gone by 2017
• The Body Shop-Gone by 2015
• Johnson & Johnson-started to phase out.
• Loreal-Not making new products with micro beads and says they will phase out, but no target date. 

Note: the way to get companies to move faster is to simply not purchase products with microbeads.  They will not make it if they cannot sell it.


* I am not paid or contacted by any of the companies mentioned in this post.  These are my honest feelings and opinions. 

Shine & Sparkle! 
(and help the earth shine and sparkle too.)

Healdsburg Bath and Body Review

Happy February Shine and Sparkle Readers!

So February has Valentines Day.  What better way to express love than with some bath/shower products I have been absolutely in LOVE with!  Pamper yourself or someone you love with these awesome finds.  So, for Christmas I received a wonderful assortment of goodies from Healdsburg Bath and Body* (abbreviated by Ms. Sparkles as "HB&B"--oh how I love acronyms).  If you don't know where Healdsburg is, it's quite close to Napa, California.  They are a small local business close to where a wonderful Aunt of mine resides.

I made this image, if you'd like to use it please ask ;)  Honestly, I don't know why you would want it, it's just a paint image of some products and Squiggles...

What I love about HB&B are the following:

1. You can recognize all the ingredients. This is also great because you are really getting a pure product without a bunch of fillers.  
2. They work amazingly.  Because of the wonderful ingredients, these products work really wonderfully to take care of and pamper yourself.  They feel absolutely luxurious.
3. Product Fragrance.  The fragrances of the products are unique and sumptuous.   The owner Yen Chesley, really has impeccable taste when it comes to picking scents that really last.  You will exit your shower into a room filled with the wonderful fragrance and it will linger for a bit on your skin (perfect for smelling as you are going to bed after a relaxing bath or shower).

Now for the products that have made me want to take a trip to wine country and stockpile HB&B products:

• Blackberry Sage Sugar Scrub:  Divine.  Consists of a blend of high quality skin moisturizing oils and sugar.  Pure, natural, simple, and smells absolutely heavenly.  I wish they invented smelling over the internet for this one.  There is really no good way to express how much I love the smell of this.  It fills your bathroom, clings to your skin, surrounding you with a warm spa blackberry smell.  Smells sweet, clean, slightly herbal, luxurious, and not like candy. I'm in love. There are a few Ms. Sparkles tips about using this product.  
• Wash with your favorite soap first. Because this is so moisturizing, you will probably want to wash with your favorite soap first to get that "clean" feeling.  Then go in with this awesome product.
• Small amount goes a long way to exfoliate and moisturize your body simultaneously.
• No need to lotion afterwards, towel off after rinsing to remove the last traces of excess oil and your skin will be baby soft.
• Be careful not to slip in the shower.  Heavy on the moisture and oil means slippery tub!  Don't crack your head open please! 

• Cranberry Olive Oil Lotion:  I think this might have been a fall scent but it is wonderful.  Again, this smells amazing.  It is the perfect size to fit on my tiny apartment vanity next to the handsoap for moisturizing my hands after washing them.  It is also a good size for traveling.  I find when I travel, the one thing I need more than a 2oz size of is body lotion.  Water in other places is often very harsh compared to what I'm used to and really dries out my skin.  This was a luxurious treat for getting out of the shower when I was braving a Washington DC winter. 

• Lavender Candle:  I burn through Bath and Body Works 3-wick candles like potato chips (actually, more like Cheetos if I have to pick a guilty pleasure snack chip).  That being said, I some how just can't get past how pretty this candle is to burn it.  I know I should...but...it's sooo pretty!  It doesn't help that it perfectly adds some extra girly flair to my purple, silver, and black  apartment decorating scheme.  It sits on my bedside table giving off a gentile lavender scent when I go to bed...if you can smell it over the 3-wick bath and body works candle I'm plowing through at the moment.  That being said I love it.  And if I ever do get up the nerve to burn it, the elastic ribbon attached doubles as a hair tie!

I'm going to have to make a trip to Healdsburg soon to get more body scrub at the very least (or bribe my Aunt to get me more).  I'm pretty sure now that I have tried it, I can't live without it.  Not having to use lotion after showering is such a time saver! Mini tip:  Lush also has a body conditioner called Ro's Argan Body Conditioner.  It is similar in function to the HB&B scurb...but with rose smell, no exfoliating sugar, and more chemicals.  OK, very vaguely similar, but if you want to skip lotion in favor of nice smelling moisture in the shower, this is also great.  I alternate between the two in my shower depending on if I want exfoliation or not.  I'd love if HB&B had a similar body conditioner.  I'd buy it in an instant!

Lastly, I know that because HB&B is a small local business, they have a webpage and facebook but don't currently have an online store.  However, they say to "Call us at 707.696.0328 with any questions or orders!"  I would 100% recommend seeing if you can get a hold of some of their products! OR, take a trip to Healdsberg and drink great local wine and have really yummy food!

I hope you enjoyed this edition of the Shine and Sparkle Report.  Thanks so much for reading!

Shine & Sparkle!

*I am not paid or contacted by any of the companies mentioned in this post.  These are my honest feelings and opinions. 

Introduction to Flat Irons

Hi Shine and Sparkle Readers,

Back to non-holiday posts and back to beauty blogging!  I wanted to throw out a quick tip on flat irons based on an inquiry from my wonderful Aunt!

I made this image, if you'd like to use it please ask ;)  Honestly, I don't know why you would want it, it's just a paint image of my mommy's guinea pig...

1. Heat Protect: Before use of any hot tool, use a heat protector!  I love my TRESemme's "Heat Taming Spray"* for curls, affordability, and lazy-ish days.  But for straightening, a heat protecting lotion has a bit more weight and works better to aid in taming friz and holding the style ( I also think it protects a bit better).  My favorite all around hair conditioner and lotion for healthy hair is It's a 10 "Miracle Leave In".  If you have colored or damage hair, I suggest the It's a 10 "Miracle Leave In +Keratin".  Just spay 2-4 pumps (depending on your hair length) into your palm, rub hands together, then smooth into damp hair concentrating on the ends.  Blow dry or air dry, then you are good to straighten. Same works if your hair is dry already!
2. Never straighten wet hair:  You will sizzle, burn, and basically boil your hair.  EEEK!
3. Hot and fast:  I know that sounds scandalous, but really, you want a very hot iron, gliding through about a 1" section of your hair once.  Not a low setting over and over again.  This is actually much healthier for your hair.  Brush out your hair, then take a 1" section, run a comb through the section then straighten with a hot iron steadily down the strand.  Repeat.  Mini Tip: Start straightening the strand about 1" from your scalp to prevent burning yourself and maintain some volume.  
4. Try not to do it too often:  Try and stretch out how long you can last between heat sessions (or save straightening for special occasions).  Dry Shampoo is great to absorb hair oils and make the style last (favorite dry shampoo post coming soon!)
5. Use a good quality iron:  To adhere to tip #3, your typical Conair Iron from Target isn't going to cut it.  Yes they do get hotter now than they did in the past, but the plates that heat up are pretty low quality.  This means you might not get the press you want, have to go over it slower/multiple times, or worse, snag and break your hair.  Not to mention that low quality irons break....quick.  So all this means investing in an iron but how much do you need to spend to get good quality and value?  
6. Buying Tips: For best control, go for a 1" width iron.  As for price, you are probably looking at $50+.  I know it seems like a lot, but it is worth the investment.  Trust me!! Having gone through more than $50 of cheap ones, I know from experience that investing a bit more has been great!  I haven't gotten a new one in over 8 years since I got mine.  Options like different material plates (I prefer ceramic) and adjustable heat settings (best if your hair isn't crazy curly and you might need a bit less heat) are all personal preference. Below are brands that I trust to give you a great product no matter which iron you pick.  I wouldn't sweat about the details as long as you are using these brands. 

•  Most Affordable
• Chi
• HotTools
•  Moderate:
• NuMe
• HerStyler
• Luxury:
• GHD

P.S.  If you want to go all researcher on which iron to buy, Flat Iron Experts is my favorite resource.

Shine & Sparkle!


*I am not paid or contacted by any of the companies mentioned in this post.  These are my honest feelings and opinions.

Let's Talk Self Esteem and Beauty

Happy New Year Shine and Sparkle Readers,

This is going to be a pretty mushy post, but January is the start of a New Year and a good time to do some internal reflecting.  I know that many people right now are thinking "It's New Years Resolution time.  Need to drop x pounds."  More of you (I hope) are thinking about that in a "I want to get healthy and fitter and if x pounds go away as a result, hooray!"  But realistically, a lot of people are motivated to lose weight at the new year because they just don't feel that attractive.  Some of them might get down on themselves and think they are fat, ugly, and all sorts of other hurtful words.  Maybe the words were said by others.  Maybe they were said by perceptions based on what "beautiful" is said to be by society.  I think there are moments in everyone's lives when they feel down on themselves, but nobody should feel that way all the time.*

No matter what, I want all my readers to know that you are beautiful no matter what size you are or how you look.  As beauty bloggers, sometimes I think we have a tendency to forget to stress that while make-up and other beauty products may change your appearance, nothing will matter if you don't love yourself and feel beautiful on the inside.   So here are a few things that I want to remind my lovely readers:

1) Feel free to wear make-up and engage in the fun world of beauty, but don't let make-up or the beauty industry wear you.   Use it however YOU want, to empower yourself and be the best and most confident you.

2) It's not the years in your life, but the life in your years.  Remember, no matter what, live life to the fullest!

3) Don't say anything to yourself you wouldn't want others to say.  If someone came up to you and said "you look like a total lard ball today you lazy butt.  You should lay off the cookies fatso."  I (hope) you would be really angry at them.  So why do we say these things to ourselves?  If we can't say empowering things to ourselves, who will?  Tell yourself "I love me, just the way I am today." and other kind things to yourself.  You will be amazed how right you are!

4) Your life is your own movie.  Yes, you are writing the script of the movie.  How you chose to interpret the events is up to you.  There will be ups and downs, but you have the power to control how that effects the main character--you! 

5) True friends are the ones who know everything about you, and love you anyway.  Nobody is perfect.  True friends love not only when you are being you, imperfections included.  You don't need friends who put you down or don't make you happy.  The flip side is, that none of your friends are perfect either.  If you want to be a true friend, you have to love their imperfections too (unless they are serial killers, or generally bad people, then forget them *wink*).

6) The standard of beauty should be what makes YOU feel beautiful.  To stand behind all I've been preaching, here is a before and after make-up of Ms. Sparkles. See? These aren't even photoshopped.  Imagine what those crazy magazine/media people do?  This is why we have to take responsibility for what we consider beautiful.  I will always be transparent with my audience.  I still break out with acne at age 27, and probably will continue to for the foreseeable future.  I wake up with bed head hair and dark circles under my eyes.  I will get older.  I will get wrinkles.  I will get grey hair.  No matter what age we are, we all have things we perceive as flaws, the key is to not make the flaws the center of our lives.

I made this image myself, so if you want to use it for anything, please contact me if you are going to re-post it. I suppose it's copyright of me as of 2014.

I hope this little talk helps you guys go into 2014 in the most shiny and sparkly way possible!


Shine & Sparkle


* I am not a professional psychologist or clinician of any kind.  If you are facing depression, thoughts of suicide, or any other things that make you sad please consider talking to a professional.  They know what is up and can help way better than little me.