Beauty News: It's Official! Chick Advisor and Makeup Junkie Team Up!

I'm very happy and excited to officially announce that I am now the Makeup Expert for Chick Advisor.com! I'll be here to answer any of your beauty 911's, share how-to makeup tips and applications, and be keeping you in the loop on the hottest beauty looks each season! Each month I will be covering different makeup topics so stay tuned! I along with other "experts" including fellow blogger Ellen of Lipstick, Powder, 'n Paint (covering everything beauty) will be joining the Chick Advisor team!

Makeup Junkie has some very exciting things coming up in 2008 including the return of Chick Advisor's podcast show "Where'd You Get That?". Be on the look out for 12 new episodes coming out this Spring/Summer! Check out "Meet The Pros" on the Chick Advisor blog "Chick Lit" to see each expert's bios. To send in questions, email us and Chick Advisor will feature the best ones. Watch Chick Lit for tips, tricks and answers to your questions. Looking forward to hearing from you!

Q&A With Makeup Junkie

Fabulously Broke In The City asks:

"Can you recommend a good, pigmented, CHEAP eyeshadow brand for neutral
shades??? maybe a range of neutral shades but nothing too brown or too red,
etc?"

Thanks for your question! I'll be straight, I haven't really bought an inexpensive eyeshadow in a long time until yesterday. I should probably be reading your site more often - maybe it'll save me some money! lol Drugstore brands that have really great pigment and have staying power are L'oreal, Quo, and my new favourite NYX found at Pharma Plus. I used to use L'oreal and Quo a while back and I was always happy with them. I know their formulations have definitely gotten better since then.

In terms of a neutral that aren't too brown or red there's a few great ones that NYX carries that I was going to snatch up yesterday. I'm not sure what your skin tone is but here are some choices from NYX Trio Eyeshadows: Nude/Taupe/Dark Brown, Highlight/Brown/Suede, Aloha/Mink Brown/Deep Bronze (this is on my list!), and Sahara/Suede/Chocolate. All of these are beautiful neutrals but I'd recommend checking them out and seeing if any of them are what you're looking for. It's a great trio because you have a highligther/base shade, lid shade, and crease/liner shade all in one slim compact. It comes packaged with a little compact mirror if you need to touch up and wand applicator if you're on the go (real brushes are always the best though). I swear by the pigment and it stays on really well.

I hope these suggestions helped! Let me know if you end up buying any of them or if you go with another brand. Thanks for stopping by! If any of you makeup junkies have questions feel free to send them my way and I'll try to answer the best way I can! Happy shopping!

Beauty News: Makeup Junkie Spotlight on Chick Advisor!

I am very lucky to know some pretty amazing people and Ali from Chick Advisor is one of them. She surprised me with a little write up about me on "Chick Lit" the official blog for Chick Advisor. Ali has been a great supporter of my blog and my work and I truly appreciate it. Thank you also to my Makeup Junkie readers who take precious time out of their day to read my blog! I truly appreciate all the feedback and comments whether they are good or bad! I'm just glad I have readers lol! To check out my spotlight visit "Chick Lit"!

P.S. Please excuse how horrible I look in the picture! Long hours and early start times = bad makeup and hair day!! :)

Beauty Reviews: Drugstore Brands vs. High End Brands

I've been asked a few times why I rarely recommend or review any drugstore brand cosmetics. I'll be honest - as a make-up artist I'm used to sticking with high end brands but that doesn't mean I think less of drugstore cosmetics. The drugstore is where I began my love affair with make-up and I still continue to buy a mascara or two here and there. Brands like Revlon, L'oreal, Maybelline, and Max Factor have gone above and beyond changing their formulations and packaging to match those of their higher end competitors. If you're looking to buy quality make-up on a tight budget, here are some recommendations and make-up artist favourites.

1. Foundations: "L'oreal True Match Super Blendable Makeup, and Cover Girl's Queen Collection Oil Free Liquid Makeup for darker skin tones

2. Tinted Moisturizers: Quo's Skin Tint SPF 15 and Wet n Wild Ultimate Sheer Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15

3. Concealers: MAX Factor's Erase Secret Coverup, Maybelline's Instant Age Rewind Under Eye Concealer

4. Loose Powder: Revlon's Bare It All Lustrous Powder, Cover Girl's TruBlend Powder with Minerals

5. Pressed Powder: Physician's Formula Powders (they come in many types to suit your needs), L'oreal True Match Super Blendable Powder

6. Corrective Products (rosacea, blemish and scar marks): Physician's Formula, Quo's Bags Away or Colour Corrector Camouflage

7. Blush (powder, cream, or stain): Quo, L'oreal, Cover Girl's Cheekers Blush, Revlon's Limited Edition Pinch Me cheek stain, Wet n' Wild Twist Up Blush Sticks, Revlon's Cream Blush

8. Eyeshadows (powder, cream, liquid): Revlon's Limited Edition Diamond Lust, Revlon's Illuminance Cream Eyeshadow, Revlon's
ColorStay 12 Hour Eyeshadow Quad, Cover Girl's Queen Collection for darker skin tones, MAX Factor MAXeye Shadows, Quo Stay Put Cream Eye Colour

9. Eyeliners (pencil, liquid, cream): NYC Liquid Eyeliner, NYC's "Miss Sparkle" Highlighter Pencil, Physician's Formula's Eye Definer Felt Tip Eye Marker, Cover Girl's CG Smoothers Eyeliner

10. Mascara:
Natural - Maybelline Great Lash Mascara
Volume - Maybelline Volum Express Turbo Boost Waterproof
Lengthening - L'oreal's Lash Out Mascara

11. Lipstick: L'oreal's Colour Riche, Cover Girl TruShine Lip Color for a sheer finish, Cover Girl's Queen Collection for darker skin tones, Wet n Wild Precious Metals

12. Lip Gloss:
High shine/sheer colour - Wet n Wild's Glassy Gloss Lip Gel, L'oreal's ColourJuice Gloss, Maybelline's Shiny-licious Lip Gloss ,

Plumping - Wet n Wild's Mega Plump Lip Gloss, Physicians Formula's Plump Potion Needle-Free Lip Plumping Cocktail

Shimmery Liquid Colour - Revlon's Super Lustrous Lip Gloss, Bonnebell's Lip LITES

Darker Skin Tones - Cover Girl's Queen Collection

Stain: Revlon's Limited Edition Just Bitten Lip Stain

13. Tinted Lip Balms: Bonnebell's Lip LITES Glossy Tints, Wet n Wild's Pout Protector SPF 15, Burt's Bees Lip Shimmers

14. Lip Balms: Burt's Bees Replenishing Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil, Neutrogena's Lip Moisturizer SPF 15, Aveeno's Intense Relief Medicated Therapy, any of the original Bonnebell Lip Smackers for yummy scents, Wet n Wild Jumbo Juicy Lip Balm

15. Lip Liners: Wet n Wild Creme Lip Liner Pencils, Cover Girl's Queen Collection for darker skin tones

16. Bronzers: Physicians Formula has a variety of bronzers to choose from, NYC Bronzing Face Gel, Bonnebell's Gel Bronze, L'oreal Glam Bronze Bronzing Powder

17. Highlighters and Body Shimmers: Revlon's Limited Edition Bare it All Lustrous Lotion, Wet n Wild's Mega Pump Shimmer

18. Multi-Purpose Products for Eyes, Lips, Cheeks: Wet n Wild's 3-of-a-Kind Twist Up Stick, Wet n Wild MegaGlo Face Illuminator, Physicians Formula's Bronze Gems Matte & Bright Bronzer, Highlighter & Eye Shadow

Tools: Quo has an assortment of tools, Revlon has a variety of tweezers and eye lash curlers

Brushes: Quo brushes are a favourite among make-up artists because they're affordable and quality brushes, buy Sonia Kashuk brushes if you're in the US, affordable and high quality. Her make-up line is also wonderful.

That wraps up my drugstore brand favourites! I hope this was helpful and I'd love to hear what your favourites are! Happy shopping!

*Quo is only sold in Canada at your local Shoppers Drug Mart. All other brands you can find at your local drugstore.

Make-up Junkie in Canada Wants to Hear What You Have to Say!

I'm putting this out there again! Make-up Junkie wants to hear what you have to say. Let me know what you like about the site or what you don't like. If there's a product you want featured or you have questions about let me know and I'll feature it on my site. Are you having trouble applying your make-up or finding the right shade? I'll answer all your questions. Do you have a beauty tip or secret you want to share with the world? You can be a beauty expert too. Leave me a comment and let me know what you're thinking. I look forward to hearing from you!

What's in My Makeup Bag?

This is what's in my makeup bag. Tell me what's in yours!

Make-up Junkie in Canada Wants to Hear What You Have to Say!

Make-up Junkie wants to hear what you have to say. Let me know what you like about the site or what you don't like. If there's a product you want featured or you have questions about let me know and I'll feature it on my site. Are you having trouble applying your make-up or finding the right shade? I'll answer all your questions. Do you have a beauty tip or secret you want to share with the world? You can be a beauty expert too. Leave me a comment and let me know what you're thinking. I look forward to hearing from you!