Pop beauty has always been a standout brand because of their conveniently-cute packaging and their electric colors. From color cosmetics to nail polish, Pop Beauty brings influences straight from fashion forward London. You’ll find their new Glitz Blitz eyeliners in the latest season of Beautyfix just in time for fall to add a little glitz and glam to your makeup routine. All of Pop’s formulas are long-lasting and silky that also incorporates step-by-step instructions for foolproof makeup application.

What I love about Glitz Blitz is how each color is mixed with added sparkle for that little extra glam.  These eyeliners deliver intense color along with soothing Vitamin E all while being water resistant. In Beautyfix you have your choice of Blue Beam, Wine Wink, Olive Oomph, Black Blitz, Teal Twinkle and Brown Brilliance to help highlight your gorgeous peepers. I was pleasantly surprised at how long the eyeliner lasts after application! Although I’m a little iffy on the exact texture of the eyeliners, the stand out color they deliver is a great addition to my normal eye makeup routine.

With any of the colors, you can create either a subtle thin line for subtle sparkle or a thick line for all around glamour. Using any color form the Glitz Blitz collection will complement your eyes for a day or night look. Add the perfect amount of drama for fall and the holiday season by using a creamy eyelid primer first, and one of the Glitz Blitz colors on top. Slowly fill in your lid with the glittery color and blend with a brush. Most importantly, have fun!

source: flickr user o0o0lulu0o0o

You wash your face every day. You wash your hair every day (or if you’re like me, every once in a while, at least). So why do you NEVER wash your makeup brushes? (Come on. We know a good portion of you lovely readers out there are guilty of this classic beauty faux pas.) Your foundation brush, your blush brush, your eyeshadow brushes … they all collect dirt, oil and bacteria and gunky cosmetic buildup over time. If you don’t commit to cleaning them on a regular basis, you’re merely transferring all this grit and grime over to your complexion (not to mention your makeup), and even into your eyes and mouth. Gross, huh? (Oh, and do you use a facial brush, like the Clarisonic ? Yeah, you need to clean those bristles, too.)  Don’t know how to clean makeup brushes? Read on!

A clean set of brushes will make for easier makeup application (when there’s no oil on the brush for product to stick to, the product you’re using will go on much more evenly), if the cleanliness factor isn’t enough incentive for you. Plus … you may save some money in the long run, as taking care of your makeup brush set will make it last. Finally, clean brushes mean clean pigment—if you notice your cosmetics are changing colors on you, chances are, they’ve been tainted by dirty implements.

The good news is that cleaning your makeup brushes is a simple process. While this simple process will take place once a week in a perfect world, it will take just a few minutes of your time. The how-to:

1. Wash your hands.
2. Using an antibacterial soap (doesn’t matter which one, honestly) and warm water in a small bowl, gently “shampoo” your brushes. Don’t get crazy, now—if you’re overzealous you’ll compromise the shape of the brush, and you obviously don’t want that.
3. Rinse the brushes with warm water. (I like to let mine soak in clean water for 5 minutes or so, just to make sure all the soap’s really gone.)
4. Lay the brushes out to dry on a clean towel, and you’re done.
5. You’re done! The last step in our brush-cleaning guide is really just a piece of advice: if the brush seems old and ratty and cleaning doesn’t fix it, toss it out and get a new one. You’re doing yourself no favors by contaminating your skin and makeup with tools that are past their prime.

I clean all my makeup brushes every Sunday after I put on my makeup, if I opted to wear makeup that day (hey, sometimes Sunday’s couch and movie day). I enjoy starting the workweek on Monday without bacteria-laden beauty tools and I think you will as well.

Do you have any beauty cleanliness tips of your own? Do share!

Source Flickr User: Chase Patterson

Learning how to apply eye makeup the right way can have its benefits. One of my most important pieces of advice: eyeliner can be a girl’s best friend. It’s a little wonder that can turn your eyes into sassy, sexy or sultry with simple lines or bold colors. Applying eyeliner can be difficult. But with the right practice and eye makeup tips in mind, you can enhance your features graciously. Fact is, everyone has a different eye shape, and eye set. Depending on the style of eyeliner and application method you choose, you can make them appear smaller or larger. There are many different possibilities—the best part is playing with to work best for your own personal eye set.

Having a set of smaller eyes can help you appear mysterious, but if you’re looking to widen your eyes and make them appear larger, all you need is eyeliner. To make your eyes appear bigger, use dark liner and line just below the lash line on your lower lashes. Be sure that you don’t line the inner rim of your eyes and extend to the outer corner. When applying eyeliner, extending the line beyond the outside of your eyes moving upwards to create a cat eye will make your eyes look wider. Another trick to use is white eyeliner. Use white eyeliner or a highlighting color on the inside corner of your eyes to bring more light to them, making them appear larger. Sticking to applying eyeliner on half of the lid will open up your eyes and give the illusion that they’re bigger. Big curly lashes are another must-have, and will add the extra va-va voom you’re looking for. Use an eye lash curler to help you get the shape and follow with a dark voluminizing mascara.

If you have a large set of eyes and you’re not careful with your eye makeup application, heavy shadows and liners can be a bit much. The last thing you want is to look like a drag queen, right? The key to applying eyeliner on large eyes is keeping the line thin enough to make it look natural. If you’re using a pencil, crème or powder to create you lines, blend and smooth them out for a seamless finish and a gorgeous natural look. On larger eyes, feel free to line from the inside corner of your eye outward, around the entire top lid. Winging your liner at the end is another fabulous look for larger eyes. Hold your eye taut and use your eyeliner pencil to extend the line up and out. For your lower lashes, be sure to line as close to the lash line as possible.

Applying eyeliner takes a lot of practice, but can be easily mastered. It’s one of your biggest allies in the makeup world, so stock up and start drawing!

Flickr.com user Weglet

Good lipstick and blush can be a challenge to find if you don’t know how to choose the correct colors for your skin tone.  If you are having a hard time finding lip and cheek colors that look good on you, and are sick of feeling like a clown, here are some tips that will help you with your search.

Know what your skin’s undertone is.  There are two basic undertone colors, Warm (more yellow), and Cool (more blue).  To determine your skin tone, look at the underside of your arm. If your veins appear bluish you are cool toned, if they appear greenish you are warm toned. If you still can’t tell here is a quiz so you can know for sure.

For warm skin tones, chose colors like, coral, peach, rust, and deep brick reds, like Duwop’s Private Red. Stay away from pinky reds, and mauves as they will contrast badly with the yellow undertones in your skin.

For cool skin tones, chose colors with a blue undertone like Pink, Raspberry, Lavender, and Mauve, like Stila’s Lip Color Sheer in Natalie.

Blush colors follow the exact same rules – it doesn’t matter how light or dark your skin is – it’s just the undertone that you need to match. A bronze or orange-red is a beautiful color for warm skin tones, and purple-pinks, and berry colors will look natural on cool skin.

Follow just these rules, and it will relieve so much agony when buying new shades of lipstick and blush on your next shopping trip.