Effy's Eyeliner: How To Doll Yourself Up!

STEP ONE: STYLING PRODUCTS AND UTENSILS

The most important step to protect your hair from heat damage is to use a good heat protectant product such as CHI Straight Guard, which makes my hair soft and doesn't leave a greasy residue that other brands often do. The second step is to have a good straightener. I use GHD Classic Styler, and a slimmer straightener by Amika to get those frustrating baby hairs. Since I spend $$$ on my straightener, I tend to buy less expensive curling irons. Both are ConAir. The one inch barrel is perfect for loose curls and the .5 inch barrel is great if I want tighter curls.

STEP TWO: START WITH SEMI "DIRTY" HAIR

I like to let my hair go without washing for a day before I curl or flat iron my hair because it holds better throughout the day and night. (Which is obviously a MUST!)

STEP THREE: THE BLOW-OUT

I like to blow-out my hair before beginning the curling and flat iron process to give it a little extra oomph. I blow-dry
up-side-down to achieve this: however, sometimes the top of my head gets a little neglected, so try to remember that that's important as well! (oopsies)

STEP FOUR: SECTIONING AND CURLING THE HAIR

Always curl away from your face and keep the iron in your hair for at least 5-7 seconds. Some people like to use hairspray during this step, but I don't because sometimes, depending on which product you use, it could leave an unwanted sticky feeling instead of soft curls.

Bottom layer done! Time to section off second layer....

Since I have really curly hair on the upper section of my head, I like to straighten the root and then proceed to curl.

Again, remember to curl away from your face at all times!

I never have a center part because I feel that it makes my head look flat so I always leave it off centered. This can be a little tricky when curling, so using a smaller curler is best for this part. However, when on a time crunch, and if your hair is long enough, using the one inch barrel gets the job done quickly and efficiently.

Remember the Key Rule: Curl away from the face!

DONE!

The whole process usually takes me about 30-45 minutes depending on how much time I have. BUT, I have been known to do my hair in less than 20 minutes! Which, my friends, is superwomen status for me!

MOVING ONTO MAKE-UP

Using products that are safe for your skin is very important. It took me a couple of years to find products that didn't cause me to breakout or irritate my eyes, since over the years, both have become quite sensitive.

I like to use Carmex on my lips because it soothes my lips and creates a soft surface to apply lipstick and lipgloss.
Lipstick: Kate Von D
Lipgloss: Chanel

I like to fill in my eyebrows with MAC soft brown eyeshadow to give it a little more emphasis.
Eyebrow brush: Target
Brow brush: MAC
Curling your lashes is super important! I cannot stress how much of a difference it makes when I use an eye lash curler compared to when I don't. (The difference is like night and day, seriously)
Eyelash curler: MAC
Mascara: Lorac
Recently, my eyes have been very sensitive, so I have been using Laura Mercier eyeshadow as eyeliner. It creates a subtle but beautiful effect to your eyes.

For my cheeks, I first use Benefit Blush in Coral Pink, and then lightly brush on Laura Mercier blush to create a shimmery effect because I always like to add a little sparkle on my cheekbones.

Blush: Laura Mercier Pink Mosaic
It's wonderful because I can use it not only for my cheeks but for my eyes as well!

Since my skin isn't too bad these days (knock on wood), I use Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer SPF 20. It's lightweight and makes my skin look even. If I'm having bad skin, I use the heavier Laura Mercier (in the brown tube) since it is thicker and provides better concealment of blemishes. For concealer, I use MAC nw 20 in the winter, and nw 25 in the summer. I mostly use my concealer under my eyes, but if those dreaded little pimples want to make an appearance (always at the worst of times) it is thick enough to cover those bad boys too.

Lightly dabbling on some sparkle to the upper part of my cheekbones

I curl my lashes before I put on eyeliner so that I can get right under the lash without any difficulties.

Wetting the brush (also Laura Mercier) makes the eyeshadow come out thicker.

Almost done......

HERE'S THE FUN PART!!!! Extensions!

To achieve this, I use Sally Hansen's Wavy Hair Clip-in Extensions (14 inch). They are amazing and, at $85 dollars, it won't break the bank when comparing it to other types of extensions on the market. Now, you might be asking yourself, well what if someone pulls it out? Or, what if I accidentally pull it out? Well... I'm not going to lie....both have happened to me, and trust me, it isn't the end of the world, ladies. Just laugh it off, walk (or run, haha) to the ladies' room and clip them back in. (By doing so, it shows that you don't take yourself too seriously and that's always a nice quality to have.)

They come with 4 single strands

And several larger rows for an all around even do!

HOW TO PUT THESE PUPPIES IN!

Just like when curling or straightening your hair, you have to do the same with the clip-in extensions. But, remember with clip-in extensions, it is imperative you do not go past the crown of your head. If you're like me and play with your hair, your fingers could pull them out...whoops!