Hello beautiful muggies! I’ve had SO many of you asking how I get my teeth white (and no, I don’t get them professionally done- I spend all my money on makeup and clothes instead ) Here’s the products I use at home to make my teeth just a lil’ brighter and whiter.

Plus White 5 Minute Whitening System

I have to say this is the best whitening system I have used IF you stay consistent with it.  You won’t get neon bright teeth overnight, so be patient.  I start off with using it almost every day for 2 weeks, then doing just 1-2 times a week for maintenance.  It works really well and is pretty cheap!  I found mine at Target but I think they stopped selling it, so I got my most recent one from Amazon.

To use:  brush your teeth then rinse with the whitening rinse that comes in the kit.  Dry off your teeth as much as possible, then apply a thick layer of the gel on your teeth (I just use my finger).  Put the tray on and let sit for 5-10 minutes.  Then brush your teeth (with no toothpaste this time), and voila!  Beautiful teeth

Price:  $7.99

Where to Buy:   Amazon  .  Select Drugstores

Crest 3D White Strips

In between my whitening treatment, I’ll also use the Crest strips as they work really well in whitening without having to use a tray.  These work a bit faster and better than the Plus White system, but you have to leave these on for 2 hours (I’m so impatient- haha), plus these cost a little more…

To use:  Brush your teeth well, rinse, and pat dry.  Peel off the crest strip and place on your teeth and press firmly.  Leave on for 2 hours, then take off and brush your teeth with just water.

Price:  $40.99

Where to Buy:    Most drugstores  .   Amazon  

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Another tip in making your teeth look white especially for pictures is to apply a cool toned lipstick.  Cool lipsticks have a blue undertone to them such as true pinks and apple red.  Avoid any lipsticks that are orange, brick red, or yellow tinted pinks- the yellow undertones will bring out the yellow in your teeth.

I have to say that I’m very impressed with the teeth whitening systems that are used at home- they are so much better than they used to be and are very affordable now!

I hope you muggies have a wonderful week and stay safe this holiday season!

MUCH love,
Marlena

What you’ll need:

• Pairing Knife
• 1″ Hole Punch    (Amazon)
• Magnetic Sheet or Roll   (Amazon)
• Wax or Parchment Paper
• Flat Iron   (Amazon)
• My favorite flat iron that I use on my hair is the FHI one- it gets really hot but glides easily on my hair
• Palette to put eyeshadow in    (Makeup Geek Store)
• *I really like the Z Palettes as they are see through on the top so you can view all your colors!  Plus they hold 28 eyeshadows!

Here’s my favorite blushes for both warm and cool colors:

Peach (warm):   Tarte “Tipsy”,  NARS “Orgasm”,  NYX “Peach” (Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush TipsyAmazon) (eBay)

Pink (cool):   Tarte “Dollface” (Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush DollfaceAmazon) (eBay)

Here’s my favorite lipglosses for both warm and cool:

Peach/Coral  (warm):

• MUD Canteloupe  (Makeup Geek Store)

Here’s my favorite eyeshadows of each color! (yes, these are bright )

Purple:    Make Up For Ever #92 (MAKE UP FOR EVER Eyeshadow Purple 92Amazon)

Blue: NYX Lanikai (Makeup Geek Store)

Green: MAC Lucky Green (MAC)

Teal: Inglot #504 (Inglot)

Yellow: Makeup Forever #71 (eBay)

Orange: MAC Firespot (MAC)

Pink: Inglot #495 (Inglot)

Here are my top favorite colorful eyeshadows

What is It?

A soft duo fibre brush that flawlessly applies blush or cheek highlighter.

Where to Buy: Makeup Geek Store

Why I like it:

I LOVE this brush as it applies just the right amount of shimmer to the cheeks! Since the bristles are so soft and feathered out, I never over apply my blush. This brush is an exact dupe of the MAC 188 brush but 1/3 the price (yay for saving moola!)

To use, I stipple the brush into my blush or cheek highlighting powder/cream and gently sweep across my cheekbones. (Many of my tutorials I show how to use this) I really don’t have any complaints on this brush, and I use it every single day!

You know we’ve all at one time or another applied too much foundation or concealer and ended up with what I like to call “Cakey Face”.  This is a common dilemma when it comes to makeup, so here’s my easy steps in how to get more natural looking skin!

1.   Apply a face primer

This step helps prime your skin just as paint primer preps your walls before applying paint:  it smooths out the surface filling in pores and making the surface smoother for the foundation.  Primers have just recently become standard in makeup products- one of the first ones was the Smashbox Photofinish.  This works well if you have dry skin, but I find it too oily looking on combination to oily skin.  (check out my article from awhile back on “Choosing your Best Face Primer“)  Here are my current favorites:

Benefit the POREfessional

MAC Matte Cream

Clinique Pore Minimizer Instant Perfector

2.  Don’t apply too much foundation

Now I realize that if you want full coverage or have many blemishes you’d like to cover, the first thing you think is to apply a fair amount of foundation.  This will cover the blemishes BUT will also risk the chance of piling up and looking very mask like.  The better option is to apply a thin layer just to even out your overall skin, then go over with concealer on just the blemished areas.   On my clients I really like using the Beauty Blender (see my video on how to use it here:  Beauty Blender Review) because it applies a thin layer and makes it easier to melt the foundation into the skin.  It is best used damp as the wet sponge thins the foundation slightly.

Favorite tool:   Beauty Blender

Favorite dewy looking foundation:  Neutrogena Healthy Skin

3.   Apply powder only to oily areas

This is the key step!  ONLY apply powder to the areas on your face that tend to get oily- usually the “T zone”.   If you have dry skin, you may even be able to skip powder altogether.  The trick is to also apply powder in a thin layer- I find the best way to do this is to use a thin, flat sponge.

My favorite sponge:   NYX Medium Powder Puff

4.   Mist setting spray

This step is optional- I just do this step if my skin looks a bit dry after applying powder.  My absolutely favorite product of all time is MAC’s Fix Plus spray- simply mist it all over your face after your makeup is done.  It will give a subtle glow to the skin and help “melt” the powder into your foundation.   If your skin is oily, I would skip this step as it can make it look more oily at the end of the day…

MAC Fix +

ALWAYS remember to apply makeup in thin layers at a time- you can always add more, but it’s very difficult to take away.   I really hope this helps you all in your quest of getting flawless looking skin!

Stay happy and healthy!

much love,
Marlena

Summer is right around the corner, so it’s time to pull out those bronzers!  The trick to applying bronzer is to pick the best shade and apply sparingly- too much and you’ll look dirty, and the wrong shade will make you look like an oompa loompa…

I apply my bronzer somewhat differently than other makeup artists as I like my bronzer to be a bit darker to give me a suntan look, but here’s my tips for applying bronzer:

• Using either a contour brush or a rounded face brush to apply just under the cheek bones, then blend upwards onto the cheeks
• You can also apply bronzer along the temple and top of your forehead to give a sun kissed glow
• Pick your correct shade- you want something that is just 2-3 shades darker than your skin
• It is up to you if you want a shimmery bronzer or a matte finish one- shimmery ones will give a nice glow, but it can also emphasize pores

My favorite matte bronzers:

Guerlain Terracotta Bronzer

Cargo Matte Bronzer

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder

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My favorite shimmery bronzers:

NARS Laguna Bronzer

Sephora Sculpting Disk

Too Faced Carribean in a Compact

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Best tools for applying bronzer:

MUG Deluxe Contour Brush

MAC Small Contour Brush

Foundations:

Revlon ColorStay #310 & 360 – Matte Finish (Amazon) (eBay)

Lancome Teint Idole – Satin Finish (Amazon) (eBay)

Tools:

MUG Foundation Stippling Brush (Makeup Geek Store)

My favorite Lash Curlers:

Shu Uemura

This lash curler has been a favorite among makeup artists for years now- its soft rubber pad holds curl well and applies just the right amount of pressure.  I did realize however that many stores are not selling this brand anymore… But if you can snatch it, it works really well!

Price:  $19

Where to Buy: .. Amazon . eBay

Tarte

This is my new favorite lash curler! When I found out my beloved Shu Uemura one wasn’t being sold everywhere, I asked which one to try and I was told this Tarte one worked really well.  The handle on this is easy to use, and the rubber pad also holds curl well.  The shape of the curler fits perfectly around all my lashes also.  Great new find!

Price:   $15

Where to Buy: . Sephora  eBay

MUG Brow Brush Duo

I like this brush as it’s dual ended- one side for filling in brows, the other for separating lashes or combing through brows.  Not a bad price, and does the job

Price: $4.29

Where to Buy: Makeup Geek Store

Tips for Curling Your Lashes:

• Start at the base of your lashes and make sure to get all lashes in the curler.  Hold for 3 seconds- no longer or it will crimp the lashes instead of curling them
• Curl the lashes in 3 segments- at the base, middle of the lash, then tip of the lash to get that natural curl
• Use a good quality curler- it makes all the difference in getting curled lashes that stayed curled all day!
• To separate the lashes, use a spoolie or apply mascara  (my favorite mascaras will be posted soon )

Tips for Applying Mascara

• Scrape the excess product off the brush before applying it to the lashes to avoid using to much product and getting clumping on the lashes
• Sweep your brush side to side while sweeping up to get a nice even application on lashes
• To avoid getting mascara on the lids or cheeks you can put a business card or post-it note under the lower lashes or behind the upper lashes before applying
• To make the lashes look thicker in addition to applying mascara – run a black eyeliner on the upper waterline for a nice subtle difference

What I Use

Loreal Voluminous Carbon Black Price:  $7 Where to Buy: Amazon . Sephora . eBay This one has been my go to mascara for years now!  Is inexpensive, available at most stores, and thickens the lashes really well!  The carbon black formula is my favorite as it’s super dark which makes my lashes really stand out.  The brush on this one is average size- not so large to where those with shorter lashes would have a hard time.

Products Used:

• Benefit Porefessional Face Primer     (Amazon)
• Revlon Colorstay Foundation (I’m #310 right now)    (Amazon)
• MAC Studio Finish Concealer   (Amazon)
• Palladio Rice Powder (gives such a smooth finish!)     (Makeup Geek Store)
• NYX Medium Powder Puff     (Makeup Geek Store)

Marlena’s Tips:

• Correctors are different from concealers- they are generally different colors like green, purple, or orange.  These are meant to correct certain “flaws” like under eye circles, redness, or sallow complexion.  Apply these before your foundation, so the foundation helps hide those colors.
  • Orange and yellow is for under the eyes
  • Green is for redness on the skin
  • Purple is to counteract sallow complexions (I never use this color)
• You can apply concealer before or after foundation- whatever works best for you.  I apply mine after as I find I don’t apply as much concealer once I see what the foundation has already covered.
• Make sure to dab or pat your concealer on- never swipe or wipe   If you swipe it, it will rub off the top of your blemish making it even more noticeable.

*To see my top 5 concealers, click here: Marlena’s 5 Best Concealers