Skip to main content

Ask the Expert

We think it is well established that Elizabeth is the makeup guru of our little group. And while the Katies aren't exactly minimalists, they do little more than is absolutely necessary. 

Occasionally we come across a product in the store or some advice online or in a magazine and we just don't quite get it. So we go to Elizabeth for an explanation. It dawned on us over cocktails that not everyone has an Elizabeth that they can go to, so we would like to offer you ours. We take this opportunity to formally invite you to shoot a question either in the comments or on our Instagram (we should probably let you email us, but I don't think any of us have ever actually checked our blog's email) that you would like our expert to answer. Of course, we are experts in most things, but if you have some sort of beauty question, let Elizabeth be your guide!

To start us off, here are a few questions from the Katies and Elizabeth's answers:

1. What's the deal with blue (or any colored) mascara?

There are two schools of thought here. First is that colored mascara is very dark so it literally just gives a tint to your lashes that brings out your eye color. If you want to give it a try that's great, but I have never seen a big difference as it reads almost black anyway. 

The second is fashion/editorial looks. This is brighter and much more noticeable for those who want to experiment and play with makeup, and is definitely not for the corporate setting. If you are 20 and having fun or a makeup artist expressing yourself, then a bold color on the lashes may be part of your look. I follow a lot of artists on Instragram just to see their creations, which are wild and beautiful, but I would never consider recreating them for the office. Those artists would probably never claim that they were doing a wearable look. 

This brings me to some advice that we have provided before regarding clothes (both here and Katie 2's worst advice here), but it holds true for makeup as well: not every trend or style will work for you. That super blinding highlight that is all the rage may make you fee like a disco ball, or you may feel as though super matte lips make you look shriveled and old. So don't wear them. Makeup is very personal and you should only wear what makes you feel good and/or look like what you consider to be your best self, which also means if you like it screw what others might think and rock it.

2. What's actually the difference between BB cream and CC cream?

In all honesty (and this may or may not be a shock to you), I feel like a lot of this is just marketing. However, here is the basic breakdown: BB stands for "Beauty Balm". It's like a tinted moisturizer with a little more  coverage and some skincare benefits. CC stands for "color correcting". It has even more skincare ingredients and generally is meant to be more for dealing with redness and discoloration. 

As you will know if you read our Dressing for Hot Weather post, I am a fan of the Tarte Amazonian Clay BB Tinted Moisturizer and It Cosmetics CC cream. If you compare the two you will see that they both offer lightweight coverage to even out skin tone, SPF, and good-for-your-skin ingredients, but the It Cosmetics gives fuller coverage and it has a lot more skincare ingredients, including an anti-aging serum. (Katie 2 would like to say that while she doesn't know the difference between BB and CC, she highly recommends the Dr. Jart+ Premium Beauty Balm SPF.)

3. What the F is micellar water?

This is an interesting question because I immediately thought "I know what micellar water is", but when I went to explain it, I realized that I don't really know much beyond "it removes makeup and cleanses the skin", which was not a very satisfying answer. I decided to go to the web for more information. I found a great post that really explains what micellar water is and how it works in an easy-to-understand way. I am going to leave a link to that post below and you should check it out, but basically, it is a very mild soapy water.

Micelles are surfacants that are suspended in the water and when you pour it onto a cotton pad, the part of the molecules that attracts oils clings to your makeup, dirt, etc, and takes it off your face. The micelles are so mild that you don't have to rinse your face. I love using micellar water to get the last traces of makeup off my face after I have traditionally cleansed at night. It is also useful to get oils off your face before applying makeup if you aren't doing your makeup right after washing your face, or to clear up makeup slip ups, like excessive fallout under the eyes. My favorite is Bioderma, but there are tons of brands all over (Sephora, Ulta, drugstores). I am also a fan of the Simple Micellar wipes.

Learn more here. 

So there you have it folks, the first of many "Ask the Expert" posts.  Hopefully our next edition will be based upon your questions and not ours! 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Super Popular Trends We Hate

Perhaps it's a byproduct of getting older but recently we're starting to realize that there are a ton of super popular trends that we really effing hate. We've decided to share this list with our dear readers in hopes that both of you will commiserate.  A Real Working Girl's List of Super Popular Trends That Suck Ombre Hair. It’s so hard to get right and maintain and just ends up looking sloppy and unprofessional. If you talk to a stylist, she (or he) will likely explain that ombre came from people who were growing out their color. To make truly good ombre, it’s just roots. Also, isn’t this over now? Crop tops. Just no. Unless you are a stick this is not a good look for you.  Midi-skirts. See above. Katie 2 would like to add that unless you’re over 5’8”, it’s floor length.  Mom jeans. See #2. If you’re normal sized, you ass looks like crap.  Top knots. Sorry… it just looks sloppy. Take a minute and do your damn hair.  Sex hair. See above. It looks s...

Back to Basics: The Sheath Dress

We're back with the second post in our series of basic pieces that working women should have in their wardrobes. If you missed our first, go back and check it out . The goal is to show you those items we come back to time and time again and show you a few ways to wear them so you 1) get some mileage out of the pieces and 2) you don't look (or feel) as though you're wearing the same thing every day. The capsule wardrobe. Be honest- how many times have you pinned it? (Katie 1 would like you to know she's has NEVER pinned it. She has no desire whatsoever to create a capsule wardrobe thankyouverymuch.) Whether it's for vacation or every day, we search for those elusive few pieces that we can mix-and-match in a million different ways to create an entire month's worth of outfits with just seven pieces! We here at Not a Corporate Fashun Blog have no mastered the capsule wardrobe. We, just like you, wake up in the morning with a closet packed full of stuff and ...

Workout Wednesday: The Push-up

We wanted to take today to discuss the benefits of one of the most useful (and hated) of all exercises: the push-up.  First off, why should you even care? It's a great exercise to do any time, any where. No equipment needed. It targets multiple muscle groups. Get a lot of bang for your workout buck. This is really 2b: It's good for your core. A strong core improves your posture and can help prevent lower back pain (something you will struggle with if you sit a lot during the day and as you're getting older).  Calorie-torching! (Let's call this one "2c".) Because you're using so many muscle groups, you burn more calories with a push-up than you will for other strength exercises that involve only one muscle. (Want to burn even more calories? Do a burpee- a push-up and a squat jump. They're awful. Katie 1 says that Katie 2, the primary author of this post, is evil for even mentioning burpees.) They can be done no matter your fitness level. Yo...