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Festive makup

Written By Real Techniques™ - April 09 2018

We all could use a little sparkle in our life. Whether you’re attending a cocktail party or a casual soiree at home, a dazzling holiday makeup look is always on-trend and this one doesn’t require a lot of time or products.

Don’t have enough minutes in the day to watch the whole thing? Check out the highlight reel below:

Enhanced Eyes
+ Choose a greyish brown cream shadow and sweep over a clean eyelid with your medium shadow brush. Apply pigment along the lash line then blend up toward the crease for a gradual fade of colour. Soften the edges with a clean deluxe crease brush.

+ Run a navy eyeliner pencil along the upper and lower waterline to add intensity.

+ Press a shimmery powder shadow over the cream base with your base shadow brush. The mix of textures and colour creates an eye-catching iridescent sheen.

Flawless Base
+ Smooth a primer over your complexion with your expert face brush to keep your makeup in place and give a radiant glow.

+ Use the same brush to apply a sheer layer of foundation (you want your glowy skin to show through). Then go back with your expert concealer brush to blend concealer under the eye and any other areas that need a little extra coverage.

Flawless Finish
+ Fill in your brows and apply mascara to complete the eye. Take a step back and assess your look to see if there’s anywhere that needs more blending or softening.

+ Soften the edges of your eye makeup with your deluxe crease brush, then use your setting brush to add a bit of light powder under your eyes and over your T-zone.

+ Warm up your complexion by sweeping a golden bronzer over the high points of your face and down your neck with your powder brush.

+ Add a ‘V’ of highlighter over the tops of cheekbones and outer eye with your setting brush.

+ Pop a spot of glitter into the inner tear duct with your fine liner brush.

+ Finish with a slick of nude gloss.

Power of powder: Monochromatic eye shadow

Written By Real Techniques™ - March 12 2018

Elaborate eye trends like unicorn eye shadow and neon eyes may be popular on Instagram, but we’ve noticed that more and more celebrities are simplifying their eye makeup looks for red carpet and tv appearances. We adore contrasting colours, cut creases and dark smokey eyes, but the one shade (monochromatic) eye shadow look is a refreshingly simple style that can be dressed up or down.

Follow these steps for a monochromatic eye that can go from daytime to evening:

Step 1. Choose a neutral shade(s) slightly deeper than your natural skin tone in a matte or velvet finish.

Recommended skin tone shades:

+Fair to Light: taupe, dove grey, heather, peachy brown

+Medium: khaki, mauve, plum, terracotta

+Dark: chocolate, burgundy, olive, raisin

Step 2. Apply shadow over lower lid (on bare skin or eye primer) with your soft shadow brush. Build coverage with light layers moving up toward the crease or higher up onto the orbital bone. The ultra lux filaments pick up pigments effortlessly—there’s no need to tap off excess—and lay down and blend over the lid with diffused precision.

Step 3. For more definition at the lash line, add a deeper shadow (in the same hue) around the lash line. Take shadow on the point of your point xxs or xs brush and work over the roots of lashes letting the tapered cut blend out softly as your apply.

Step 4. Easily transition into an evening look with a layer of metallic shimmer or glitter shadow in the same shade. Use your soft shadow brush to apply a layer of sheen all over the lid or use your point xxs or xs brush and press shimmer over the centre of the eye, inner corner or accent around the lashes.

Step 5. Enlarge and open up the eyes with long wispy lashes. Curl your lashes then apply several layers of your favourite mascara. Remove any clumps with your lash brow groomer.

Perfectly Plum

Written By Real Techniques™ - March 05 2018

Mesmerising metallic eyes look surprisingly fresh when balanced with a matte complexion and creamy cheek and lips.

Here’s our step-by-step guide using our brushes from the new Blend + Blur collection:

Soft Matte Coverage
+ Matte formulas only look good on healthy hydrated skin, so it’s crucial to treat your skin before applying coverage. Sweep your face lotion over face and neck and allow it to absorb into your skin for 2-5 minutes. Then, take a dollop of primer onto your Blend + Blur foundation brush and buff over skin.

+ Squeeze a few drops of a matte finish foundation on the centre of your Blend + Blur foundation brush and smooth over skin using circular motions around the contours of your face. Build coverage where needed using small circles, then glide over surrounding area with a larger circle for a seamless finish.

Alluring Eyes
+ Layer a cream and powder shadow to build a long-lasting, multi-dimensional look. Take a muted plum cream shadow and sweep over your lower lid with your Blend + Blur shadow brush blending up into the orbital bone.

+ Choose a similar metallic plum powder shadow and press over the centre of your eye with your shading brush for a halo effect, or over entire lid for a seamless, shimmery eye.

+ Run a black pencil liner over the lash line and use your smudge brush to blend along the root of your lashes. For a sultry pop, sweep liner along the upper and lower water lines.

Dewy Finish
+ Balance the matte finish with a glowy cheek: take a dusky pink or plum creamy blush onto the centre of your Blend + Blur cheek brush and glide over the apples of the cheeks and up the cheekbone with small circular strokes.

+ Add a soft-focus glow with a creamy highlighter. Buff over the high points of your cheekbone with your Blend + Blur cheek brush, blending the edges out into the blush.

+ Finish with a swipe of creamy lip colour in the plum family.

Real Trends: Jewel-toned Smokey Eye

Written By Real Techniques™ - March 05 2018

If diamonds are a girl’s best friend, then sapphires, emeralds and rubies are definitely her rich and sophisticated cousins! Nothing dresses up an outfit like a little bling, so this holiday season decorate your eyes with a jewel-toned smokey eye.

The smokey eye technique doesn’t have to include a zillion shadows. All you need is two eye shadows and a good eyeliner.

These simple steps will help you create a jewel-toned eye like a pro:

What You’ll Need
+a velvet or satin finish eye shadow powder the colour of your preferred gemstone: sapphire, emerald, ruby or amethyst.

+a matte eye shadow 2 shades deeper than your skin tone. #ProTip: fair to medium complexions tend to look pink in the crease, so choose a cool grey vs. warm brown to neutralise the eye lid.

+black kohl pencil

How to Apply
For this look, we’re going to switch up the order of application and apply foundation and concealer after the eye makeup in case you get fallout that you need to clean up. Vibrant pigments are eye-catching, so it’s important to have the skin surrounding them pristine.

Eyes
+Sweep matte shadow over the lower lid with your blend + blur shadow brush and buff out the edges into the crease. This will neutralise the lid and act as a transition colour.

+Take the vibrant shadow onto your smudge brush and work over the upper and lower lash line. Soften and blend the pigment toward the crease (and along the lower lashes) with your blend + blur shadow brush. Repeat application to build the intensity of colour closest to the eye.

+Run a kohl pencil along the lash line and blend with your smudge brush to anchor the colour gradation.

+Finish the eye with several coats of mascara and fill in your brows with your go-to products.

Complexion
+Clean up under the eye and along the outer edge of the eye shadow with a drop of micellar water on your miracle eraser sponge.

+Apply your favourite foundation over the face with your blend + blur foundation brush, starting at the centre of the face and working out to the perimeter. Use your concealer brush around the eyebrows to sharpen and define them.

+Run a creamy concealer under your eyes and extend to the outer edge of the brow with your concealer brush to complete the flawless frame.

+Swirl the tip of your soft complexion brush into a matte bronzer and sweep over the high points of the face and along the jaw line to add warmth and dimension.

Colour
+Choose a blush in a cool pink or plum and buff over the apples of the cheeks and up the cheek bones with your blend + blur cheek brush for a healthy flush.

+Keep the lip understated with a neutral lip colour, or balance the vivid eye with a cool pink or plum lip shade—the choice is yours.

Power of Powder — How to set makeup

Written By Real Techniques™ - February 26 2018

No matter how many new trends and products are out in the beauty universe, one of the most common questions/concerns we hear remains how to set makeup effectively without the skin looking flaky or dehydrated.

Unfortunately, there is no one perfect way to set makeup that suits every face. An individual’s complexion is as unique as their personal style, so we put together a guide to help you find the right products, tools and technique for you!

Choose a setting powder
Foundation powders are great to use as foundation, but they are too pigmented and bulky to set makeup. Choose a sheer loose powder that is translucent or slightly tinted (best for darker skin tones). The powder should feel light and silky giving a diffused finish without changing the colour of your foundation.

Fully Blend Foundation into skin
Theres no point in “locking in” an uneven finish. Your foundation should be blended seamlessly into your skin, not sitting on top of it.

+For a sheer finish use a damp miracle face and body sponge or duo fibre brush

+For a medium to full coverage, buff liquid or creams into skin with your dual-ended expert sponge, expert face brush, or foundation brush

Light Layers in the Right Places
Be strategic about where you apply your powder and adjust the amount depending on the skin texture that you desire.

+Long-lasting matte finish for normal to oily skin tones. Bend your plush powder puff between your thumb and middle finger and use the index finger for pressure. Dip lightly into powder then use a rolling motion to press the powder into the skin.

+Light set to remove shine for dry to normal skin tones. Take small amount of powder on the tip of your soft powder brush and sweep over your face in large strokes using a small amount of powder to graze over skin.

+Spot set and remove shine for all skin tones. Blend loose powder in the T-zone with your soft finishing brush or use the soft shadow brush for focused setting under eyes, and around the nose and mouth.

5-Minute Festive Face

Written By Real Techniques™ - February 19 2018

There are times when you can do your makeup and enjoy the process, but let’s be honest, during the holiday season those times are few and far between. And for those nights we have your plan of attack for looking fierce, fast.

Keep it simple and focus on applications that will make an impact in a dimly lit room.

These are our tips, tricks and products tips to help you go from bare skin to glam in 5 minutes flat:

Main Focus—Eyes
Choose a stick formula eye shadow in a rich blue, green, plum or chocolate and pair it with a powder shadow that is highly reflective (glitter shimmer, metallic).

+Take the stick shadow and run over the upper and lower lash lines—don’t worry about perfection, it’s all about the blend! Grab your instapop shade brush and work shadow out towards the orbital bone creating a soft gradient. Go back with your instapop crease brush and buff out the edges along the crease and outer corner, then use your precision smudge brush to smudge pigment along the lower lash line through outer corner and extend to the crease.

+Take the instapop crease brush and pick up the powder shadow on the flat side of the bristles. Press the powder over the lower lid allowing the creamy shadow to grab onto the powder pigments. Apply over the entire lid or limit it to the centre of the eye for a halo eye effect.

+Run a black eye pencil along the upper water line (optional: lower water line) and over the upper lash line to sharpen the look.

+Fill in brow as needed but keep them on the natural side, then apply mascara liberally.

Cover and Highlight
Select a soft matte or natural finish foundation and a creamy concealer for under the eyes.

+Sweep under the eyes, down the nose, and around the mouth. Pick up your blend +blur foundation brush and buff over skin with a circular strokes for flawless full coverage in seconds.

+Highlight and sharpen the entire eye area with creamy concealer and your concealer brush. Smooth concealer under the eye and extend to the outer edge of the eyebrow. Then use the straight edge to sweep over the top of the brow, down the tail to complete the framing of your eye. Blend out the edges down to the tops of your cheekbones with your deluxe crease brush. Because the concealer is slightly lighter and more opaque than foundation you’ll end up with a natural highlight.

Colour and Dimension
Choose a versatile cream colour to brighten your complexion and add dimension.

+Brush cream onto the tips of your blend +blur cheek brush and glide over cheekbones for an effortless blend of colour.

+Press pigment onto the centre of your lips and blend out along the perimeter with your lip brush.

Sponges: Flawless finish

Written By Real Techniques™ - February 12 2018

Each new sponge in our makeup sponge collection was designed with unique sides and edges to help you unleash all your favourite looks. Whether you want to embrace your inner #bossbabe, channel your bronzed goddess or rock red carpet glam, our 8 *new* sponges will help you #ExposeYourEdge with ease.

We broke down our sponges into 3 categories – Cover + Correct, Beyond Makeup and Flawless Finish–making it easy to see their primary function at a first glance.

But since all sponges work with liquids, creams and powders, you can ultimately use their unique cuts and edges any way you like. Plus, our sponges are made from a latex-free proprietary formula that delivers “just right” softness—soft enough to absorb and apply the perfect amount of product, but firm enough to remain durable over time. Sponges can last up to 3 months with proper care and cleaning.

Flawless Finish
miracle finish sponge
+ This sponge is similar to our miracle complexion sponge, but is slightly smaller and more porous to make it ideal for blush. Make sure to dampen the sponge before applying your blush, and feel free to use either powder, liquid or cream product. To build up colour, continuously work in the blush.

+ Use the pointed end for blending blush, or even for dabbing on concealer or contouring.

miracle contour wedges
+ Start by using the precision tip of the sponge to apply colour. Then, tilt the sponge on its domed sides and allow the sponge to do most of the blending work for you. If you want to buff it out even more, use the flat side of the sponge in circular blending motions for a natural look.

+ Thanks to its compact size, the miracle contour wedges are perfect for throwing into your makeup kit (and the flat edge is a great tool to apply powder on-the-go).

miracle blotting cushions
+ Apply powder to the blotting cushions to dab away excess oil throughout the day to recapture your shine-free, matte finish.

+ Use without powder to smooth out concealer or remove oil like a blotting paper. #Pro tip: Use a translucent powder to avoid a cakey finish.

+ Blotting cushions can fit into your pressed powder compact and are the perfect replacement sponge for cushion foundation compacts.

All about the blend: Blend & Blur Collection

Written By Real Techniques™ - February 05 2018

You don’t blend in, but your makeup can!

At Real Techniques we know that great makeup application is all about the blend, so we’re constantly working on new brush designs to help you create stand out looks.

And when you’re looking for a seamless, allover blend that you can achieve quickly… check out our new Blend+Blur Collection. Here’s why we love these new brushes:

+Five densely-packed oval head brushes (from small to large) designed specifically for building, blending and blurring makeup easily without any lines or streaks.

+The domed-shaped bristles glide over the contours of your face and body, while the curved handle fits comfortably in your hand for optimal control.

+The Blend+Blur brushes are available individually, so you can create a custom collection that’s tailored to your unique blending needs.

Here’s the breakdown of the Blend+Blur Collection:

all over brush: extra large brush suited for applying powder, lotions (great for sunless tanning) or foundation to the face and body in a snap.

foundation brush: effortless application of liquid or cream foundations. Take product from the back of the hand onto centre of brush and buff over skin using circular motions, building and blending coverage quickly.

contour brush: the densely-packed bristles buff your favourite contour products into skin for a soft-focus, streak-free contour. Glide the tips of bristles over cream or powder makeup, then run along the angle of the jaw, temple, or cheekbone in smooth back and forth strokes.

cheek brush: the brush head is sized to cover the apples of the cheeks for targeted yet diffused application of pigment. Easily build from a natural glow to a bold cheek with additional layers.

shadow brush: the oval head can be held horizontally or vertically to apply and blend shadows over the lid or along the crease. Layer shadows for extra definition and buff out the edges for a flawless look.

Natural looking highlight

Written By Real Techniques™ - January 29 2018

We all want skin that looks luminous, glowing, or even ethereal, right? However, with all of the extreme highlighter trends —holographic, unicorn, mermaid, chroma— the ‘natural’ part of highlighting has gone to the wayside.

We love products that glitter, sparkle and strobe for a festive face, but they aren’t highlighting a feature, they’re the main attraction!

Here’s all you need to know about achieving a natural glow:

Why do we highlight?
The goal of highlighting is to catch light and add dimension to a feature on your face that you wish to accentuate. Highlighting the cheekbone has been common for decades, and in recent years, highlighting other high points like the brow bone, bridge of nose and cupids bow have become popular. Conversely, If you don’t want to draw attention to an area, DO NOT apply a highlight on that area.

How to choose the right product?
For a natural highlight, choose a product that blends into your skin, leaving a luminous or opalescent finish. Highly reflective formulas that sit on top of the skin alter the overall colour of the skin, which results in a more dramatic strobe/shimmer effect.

How to Apply?
The tendency to over-apply highlighter is common. We don’t have the perspective to see light bouncing away from the skin, so we apply too much over a larger area, resulting in a disco ball cheek. For that natural look, just apply along the highest point of the feature (cheek, cupid’s bow, bridge of nose) and blend out into surrounding areas.

+ Powder highlight: a medium sized brush like your setting brush or your soft finishing brush is great for a light dusting over the cheekbones. For smaller spots try the multitech set point xs or xxs.

+ Cream and liquid highlight: dip the tips of your concealer brush or miracle sculpting sponge into product, apply to the high point then blend out the edges with an expert concealer brush or clean side of the sponge.

How to apply your lip colour

Written By Real Techniques™ - January 22 2018

Finding the perfect lip colour may be the first step, but proper technique makes all of the difference. Regardless of your preferred lip style, check out our pro tips for flawless lip application:

Proper Prep
Whether you want a matte finish or high gloss, a smooth, hydrated lip is the first (and very important) step!

+Hydrate. Incorporate lip conditioning into your everyday skin care routine. Apply lip treatment in the morning and especially before bed to prevent the dry lip cycle.

+Exfoliate. When needed, exfoliate your lips. Do this when your lips are already wet, like after washing your face or brushing your teeth, so skin is soft and pliable. Take a dab of lip salve and run over your lips gently to remove dry skin and stimulate blood flow. Top with more salve or your favourite lip product and you’ll notice a visibly plumper lip.

+Moisturise. Apply lip moisturiser at the beginning of your makeup routine to allow time for absorption.

+DON’T lick your lips to moisten them, it does the opposite. Carry a lip balm with you, and apply when the impulse to lick hits.

Artful Application
Build the perfect pout with light layers of product. It may take a little extra time, but it will look better and last longer.

+Lip gloss is an easy on-the-go look, but it fades quickly so allow an extra minute to prime your lips with a nude lip pencil. Line the perimeter and fill in the centre of the lip with a light stroke. Grab your lip blur brush and blend the pencil from the outside perimeter down toward the centre of mouth. Finish with your favourite gloss.

+Bold lips are beautiful, but maintaining the colour without fading or smudging can be tricky. #Protip: Use a felt tip stain in lieu of a liner. Trace over the lip line with short strokes then fill in the rest for stay-put colour that won’t smudge or smear. Allow stain to dry, then apply your favourite lip colour to the centre half of your lips and use your lip brush to distribute an even layer of colour up to the outer edge. Add additional layers until lip is evenly saturated then go back with your lip brush to finely blend around the lip line.

+Matte liquid lip formulas are not blendable, so resist the urge to press lips together during application. Start with a hydrated lip (not greasy) and use a lip liner in the same shade over the perimeter of the lip to lock-in the lip shape. Take a small amount of liquid from the container and smooth a light layer over majority of the lips, then use your lip brush to precisely apply product over the lip liner. Allow the first layer to air dry, then go back with additional layers if needed.

Flawless Finish
If you watch a pro MUA do their thing, you’ll notice that they often step back from their client and stare at them for a few seconds. This is when the pro is analysing their work and are asking themselves, “how can this look even better?” Here are the common tweaks that elevate your lip game:

+Highlight the shape. Go around the lip line with a touch of liquid concealer on your lip brush, then soften the edges.

+Perfect the perimeter. Set the skin around your lips and blur the lip line slightly with pressed powder. Roll your lips inward until just the outside of lip is visible and press translucent powder over them with the flat end of your miracle complexion sponge.

+Smooth out the finish. If your semi-matte or matte lip formulas are looking dry, dab a creamy formula (not gloss) over the very centre of lips in the same shade to keep the centre of lips hydrated without changing the overall matte finish.

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Festive makup

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Power of powder: Monochromatic eye shadow

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Perfectly Plum

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Real Trends: Jewel-toned Smokey Eye

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Power of Powder — How to set makeup

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5-Minute Festive Face

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Sponges: Flawless finish

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All about the blend: Blend & Blur Collection

Here’s the breakdown of the Blend+Blur Collection:

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Natural looking highlight

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How to apply your lip colour

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