Bold Brows and Other Beauty Blunders

I have a friend who recently decided to dabble in the whole "bold brows" trend, and while I admire her effort and literal interpretation of the fad, I have to admit they did not suit her.  They were far too harsh and defined for her face.

I really wanted to tell her to take it easy on the brows, but as I'd never encountered this kind of situation and since she's not a close friend, I withheld my opinion.  Thankfully, she has since taken a more natural approach to her brows, but this got me thinking - is it our place to tell others about their makeup mistakes?  Or what we see as a mistake?  I'm not talking about mascara smudges or lipstick on the teeth; I'm talking about those questionable makeup choices our friends and family make that, in our opinion, look ridiculous.

Is it our responsibility to point out others' mishaps?  Who's to say that what we see as hideous, they don't see as beautiful?  I'm sure I've had plenty of beauty blunders that no one (not even close friends or family) have pointed out.  Is it because they don't want to hurt my feelings?  Or is it because confrontations like these tend to get awkward real fast?

The other day, after visiting several stores, I got into my car, looked in the mirror, and found a tiny, rogue bat creeping its way out of the cave (if you catch my drift).  At first, I wondered why no one told me about my little runaway, but then I realized it would be far more embarrassing if someone had pointed it out.  Sometimes, I'd rather be blissfully unaware of what's going wrong with my face.

What side do you stand on?  Are you brave enough to speak your mind about someone else's makeup preferences?  Or do you let time do it's magic and pray that they'll eventually see what you see?  Would you want someone to speak out about your own beauty choices?

Ipsy Glam Bag: January 2014

It's the first bag of the year!  Wa-hoo!  Let's see what the first bag of 2014 has in store:

My No Brush Challenge!!!

Earlier this week, I wrote about an article I found in Elle called "The Brush-Off" by Celia Ellenberg.  Inspired by the article, I created the No Brush Challenge where, you guessed it, you're forbidden to use makeup brushes!

I watch and read a lot of the popular beauty vlogs and blogs, and even I have been frustrated with the super complicated, brush-heavy tutorials that seem to be the norm these days.  I'll admit, I use brushes on a daily basis, but my two brushes are nothing compared to the handful most tutorials include.

So today, I'm giving my brushes a much needed vacay and using my God-given paintbrush--the almighty finger (that sounds weird, but I'm sticking to it).  I've created a simple, everyday look with products that are best applied with your fingers (well, most are best applied with your fingers; mascara would get pretty messy):

No Brush Challenge!

© Polusvet | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images

I was reading the December issue of Elle magazine the other day (yes, I know I'm behind in my reading) when I happened upon an article called "The Brush-Off."  This piece by Celia Ellenberg questions the ever-growing reliance on makeup brushes versus the high fashion preferred method of using fingers.

The article first mentions a few popular YouTube beauty gurus known for their brush-heavy tutorials:

One of the most striking constants in [Michelle] Phan's now 270-clip beauty-video library is her reliance on makeup brushes to distribute concise, concentrated doses of pigment.  This technique has also become the hallmark of YouTube beauty gurus such as Kandee Johnson, From Head To Toe, and Blair Fowler, whose recent post titled 'Everyday Fall Makeup' included 23 steps and 11 different brushes.

My 2013 Beauty Favorites

Hello, 2014!  I'm ringing in the new year by sharing my beauty favorites from 2013 (I wouldn't be a true beauty blogger without sharing my yearly favorites!).  Although there are a few that made their debut in 2013, there are also some goodies that I just found myself using a lot more this year.  Let's take it away!