MAC 162 Small Contour Brush Dupe: Naimies 827524 Angled Contour Brush

MAC 162 Brush (discontinued)

A similar brush I found at my local beauty supply store, Naimie's

A long time ago, while I was working at a makeup counter, I read Kevyn Aucoin's book, Making Faces, which is still pretty much the Bible of makeup application. I learned that contouring your face can make your features pop in all the right ways. I like to contour my nose (to make it look less wide) and cheeks (to make my cheekbones stand out more).
 
I went to Naimie's Beauty Center the other day, looking for a dupe of the discontinued MAC 162 small contour brush and found this AMAZING brush. It was only $8 and is the perfect width for contouring the sides of my nose. The brush is about 6" long and has blunt angled bristles. The circumference of the bristles are about as wide as a penny and they're dense. They're a bit stiffer and more bushy than the 162. Also, the angle of the bristles is a little less than the 162. The brush applies just the right amount of contour powder (in my case, Too Faced Chocolate Soleil) without giving you harsh lines down the sides of your nose, if you use a light hand.

You can buy this brush at Naimies.com. Check out Naimie's other brushes too- they're great quality for the price!

Dupe for MAC 168 Angled Contour Brush

I just took another trip to Naimies, my favorite beauty supply store, and discovered their Royal Silk natural-bristle brushes. Many of them are under $10 and a look like great quality for the price. I picked up the C120 Contour Brush, which looks very similar to the MAC 168 Angled Contour Brush.

Both brushes have white bristles and a long black handle. The only major difference between their handles is that the C120 tapers slightly at the end. The bristles are both angled, soft bristles but the MAC 168 is slightly bushier, wheras the C120 is slightly firmer.That actually worked out to my benefit because I need stiffer bristles to deposit the right amount of contour color on the sides of my nose.

MAC 168 Large Angled Contour Brush, $34, maccosmetics.com

Royal Silk C120 Contour Brush, $7.50, naimies.com

The C120 isn't an exact dupe for the 168 but it's the closest you'll get for under $8! If you need a brush to contour the sides of your nose, like I do, definitely give Royal Silk a shot! :) If you've already tried Royal Silk, please drop me a comment and let me know how you liked them!

Get the London Look: MAC Fashion Week

MAC Makeup Look for Vivienne Westwood during Fashion Week

Eyes
1. Apply Cyan Paint Stick to eyelids as a creamy eye shadow base
2. Apply Electric Eel eye shadow to lids and lower lash line
3. Apply Bitter eye shadow to inner corners of eyes as a highlight and under lower lash line
4. Use Lime eye shadow to accentuate crease and outer corners of eye lids
5. Blend and soften all harsh lines with Juxt eye shadow
6. Use Chromagraphic Pencil in Hi Def Cyan at upper and lower lash lines
7. Apply a super thin line of soft black eyeliner from outer corners of eyes to about 3/4 of the way to the inner corners
8. Curl lashes and apply a natural-looking mascara

Cheeks
1. Apply Pro Powder Blush in Azalea right under and along cheekbones
2. Apply Pro Powder Blush in Salsarose onto outer half of cheekbones
3. Apply Powder Blush in Well Dressed to apples and use to blend all blush colors

Lips
Apply Kissable Lipcolour in Woo Me or a similar flesh-tone pearl-finish lip color

Isn't this look so pretty? It's perfect for Spring! :)

Natalie Dee Keeps It REALLY Real When It Comes to Fashion and Makeup

I saw this on NatalieDee.com, a funny comic blog that my sister loves, and HAD to re-post it here:

Natalie Dee's comic, "It Doesn't Take a Genius to Know Wearing 15 lbs of Fabric is Going to Make You Look 15 lbs Heavier"

I feel you, girl.

And fashion designers aren't the only people she's beefin with:

This one's called "Thank for Ruining My Face for Commission"

Lol, tell us how you REALLY feel, Natalie Dee :)

MAC on Sale at BeautyTicket.com!

One of my favorite online beauty sites, BeautyTicket.com, a beauty flash-sale website, is having a huge sale on MAC blushes, lip glosses, and more this week! Check them out here!

MAC "Date Night" Dazzleglass Lip Gloss at BeautyTicket.com

MAC Blush in "Ambering Rose" on BeautyTicket.com

MAC Eye Shadow in "Aquadisiac" on BeautyTicket.com

PLUS you can find hard-to-find or discontinued products from past MAC collections, too! Happy shopping!

Shake up Your Makeup with Plum Blush!

It's getting cold out here in L.A.- I went to the beach last weekend for one last hurrah and promptly froze my *ss off, turned around, and went back home :( *Sigh*. Almost time to trade the bikinis for trench coats and flip flops for boots... but not just yet. Until then, all I can do is Fall-ify my makeup and nails... since the cooler weather suddenly makes bright peach cheeks and neon pink nails seem out of place.

My new beauty obsession this season is plum-colored blush, which looks so chic and makes a girl stand out from the rosy-cheeked crowd. It might seem intimidating at first, seeing purple blush in the pan, but use a skunk brush and a light hand and you'll get a gorgeous flush of plum.

Here are few that are guaranteed to look amazing with any Fall outfit: 

"MAC "Plum Foolery" Blush (light to medium skin tones)

 

 Black Radiance "Plum Sorbet" Blush (medium to dark skin tones)"

 

Bobbi Brown "Plum Wine" Blush (medium skin tones)

 

Chanel "Plum Attraction" Blush (olive to tan skin tones)

 

 Milani "Plum Parfait" Blush (olive to dark skin tones)

 

MAC "Breath of Plum" Blush (light to medium skin tones)

Note: All references to skin tones are suggestions only! You can definitely experiment with any of these colors, no matter what your skin tone :)

Would you wear plum blush in the Fall?

High-End Beauty Brands for Less

I can't be the only girl whose wallet (and makeup bag) is suffering because of the economy. When a trip to Sephora for a few "essentials" can run you about $100, you need to get a bit creative when it comes to finding high-end cosmetics for cheap.

One of my new favorite websites to find high-end beauty brands for less (besides BeautyTicket and AllCosmeticsWholesale) is BuyMeBeauty.com. You can find discounted items from Lancome, MAC, Bobbi Brown, Stila, Trish McEvoy, Borghese, Elizabeth Arden, Kiehls, Origins, Smashbox, Phyto Pro, Clarins, Clinique, Yves Saint Laurent, Adrien Arpel, + more. I bought my MAC Select Sheer Loose Powder there for only $16!

Lancome Professional Blending Brush #17, $10

MAC Studio Stick Foundation, $23

Phyto Pro Ultra Shine Cream, $8

Smashbox High Definition Healthy FX Foundation SPF 15 Oil Free, $27

Another great site is MakeupShop.com, which sells quality cosmetics and luxury skincare brands for cheaper than retail.

Happy shopping!