Snowed in??? Clean your brushes!!!!!!!

Snowed In??????????

While this winter hasn’t produced much as far as snow accumulation, it has caused quite a few days full of ice and nasty weather, resulting in lots of time at home with my little guy without much to do. 

A perfect idea for what to do on a spontaneous day off if you don’t have cleaning to do or little ones to entertain, or if they have gone off to their naps and you are searching for something to do on your own, is to clean your makeup brushes!!!  

Lots of people think this is something that should be done only if you practice makeup professionally, but in truth you should be cleaning your own makeup brushes, or at minimum sanitizing them on a weekly basis.  While sanitizing them will remove the bacteria on your brushes, cleaning them will actually remove the built up makeup and oils that have sunken in over time.  And trust me, after just one cleaning, and seeing the amount of makeup that comes out of your brushes, you will never go an extended period of time again without making sure you clean them good.

So how exactly should you go about cleaning your brushes? I like to use baby shampoo for mine, because it is gentle enough on the hairs of the brush, while cleaning and providing a fresh scent as well.  I always start with a bowl of lukewarm water mixed with a teaspoon or two of baby shampoo.  Next take each brush and begin by running it under some warm water and swirling it on your hand to loosen up any residual or built-up makeup that is on or in the brush.  Be careful to avoid the part of the brush where handle meets the actual brush.  Over time this can loosen the glue and cause the brush to fall apart.  But don’t stress if it gets wet.  We will discuss proper drying of the brushes shortly so that any moisture that does get in there will drain properly.

Next, take the brush and swirl the tip around in the water/shampoo mixture.  This is where you will begin to see the magic!!  Haha, you will be surprised at the amount of makeup that will come out of the brush, and if this is your first time cleaning your brushes maybe even a little bit shocked.  Make sure that the entire “swirling” process in the soapy water is only for about 10 seconds top so that the water doesn’t begin seeping up into the brush handle.  When you are done, run the brush under some water while swirling it in the palm of your hand to remove the soap.  If necessary, and if some time has passed in between cleanings, repeat the steps above until the water runs clear.

 

Take the clean brush, squeeze out the excess water with your fingers, reshape it as best you can and lay it, bristles down, on a slanted surface or brush stand.  I have an old crib wedge that I had used for my son that I lay a soft towel over and lay my brushes on that.  You can also just roll a towel and use that as seen below.  I also give it a gentle swipe or two on the towel before leaving it to dry.

Repeat all steps with each brush until all of your brushes are clean.  After about 24 hours, I leave mine for 48 if I have the time, your brushes should be dry and softer than before you washed.

Now keep in mind, while baby shampoo is great for cleaning, you should also antibacterialize your brushes often to avoid transferring any bacteria from the brush to your face.  This is especially important if you use your brushes on anyone other than yourself.  GloMinerals has a great brush cleaner that you can simply spray on your brushes and wipe on a soft towel or clothe. 

For more information, or to purchase a bottle of glominerals brush cleaner contact Ruthie’s Eyes studio at (610)724-3808!

-Sheena

2015 GRAMMY MAKE-UP TRENDS

2015 GRAMMY MAKE-UP TRENDS

By Sheena Nunan

While there were only one or two performances that caught my eye the night of the 2015 Grammy Awards, there were more than a few makeup trends being rocked that night.  Fresh faces, colorful lips and various different colored smoky eyes were some of my favorite looks of the evening.  So let’s help break it down with some of the most well-known faces in music and fashion.

Fresh Faces

Beyoncé, Gwen Stefanie, Miley Cyrus, Rhianna and Anna Kendrick were a few fresh-faced beauties to strut their stuff on the red carpet with barely there looks.  While a few of the girls seemed to have literally went make-up free all together, leave it to Gwen to add just a bit of black eyeliner on the top lash line to help accentuate her glowing skin and natural lip.

Bright/Bold Lips

Sometimes it isn’t just about the dress or the jewelry, it’s about making a statement with a nice bold lip color choice, and these ladies definitely knew what they were doing with their color choices.  Miranda Lambert chose to match her lip to the hot pink lines that stood out on her sexy little black dress.  She pulled it off perfectly with her slightly darker new do and those baby blues.  Definitely one of my favorite looks of the night!  Jennifer Hudson decided to stay away from the LBD and chose a crisp white ensemble instead, but she too opted for a colorful lip as her best accessory. Her fuchsia pick came in as a close second to Miranda’s hot pink pout.

Not everyone decided to go bright, but I loved the bold choices that Bonnie McKee and Jessie J chose just as much.  Jessie J work black and opted for a wine color lip leaving her looking like a sexy matador, while Bonnie McKee chose to play matchy-matchy with her plum lips and skin-hugging gown in the same shade.  Both of them looked flawless and edgy in their bold lip choices.

Try GloMinerals Moisturizing lipstick to get these looks!!!!! GloMinerals lipstick provides vibrant, long-lasting color and remarkable wearability. It’s fortified with the exclusive glominerals antioxidant blend of Vitamins A, C, E and Green Tea Extract.

Smokey Eyes

I always love a good smokey eye, and love it even more when it’s not just a dark black and gray palate used.  Kim Kardashian West and Taylor Swift both get points for getting it right at this year’s Grammys! Kim chose a nice metallic hue to not only accent her gold dress, but also her sun kissed skin and nude lip.  She definitely made the right choice in the hazy golden shade she chose.  Taylor on the other hand gets props for adding some color to her smokey eye by opting for a navy hue that really played up her eyes and angelic skin tone.

Let us know some of your favorite makeup trends of the evening below!! 

Contact Ruthie’s Eyes for more information on how to get these looks or to place an order today!  (610)724-3808

Ruthie's Eyes' Newest Member

Hello, my name is Sheena, and I am the newest member of the Ruthie’s Eyes team.  While I haven’t been doing make-up professionally for an extended period of time, I truly believe that I have finally found what it is that I am supposed to be doing with my life.  First, let me give you some background on my journey to become a part of the team!

My whole life I have loved make-up, whether it was as a child drawing eye shadow and lipstick on my Barbie’s, or in high school experimenting with different looks on myself.  As I came into my mid-twenties I really started trying new looks on me and my friends.  I have been in more than a handful of weddings and I always loved getting my makeup done and watching closely to what the different makeup artists would do.  I always loved makeup, but never thought I could have a career in it. 

So in the meantime I fell into a Full-Time job doing Financial Aid, and eventually worked my way up to a Director-level position.  While the money was good and I actually excelled in the position there was no passion for what I was doing.  I got married a few years after my promotion, was pregnant shortly following the wedding, and was a mommy before my 1—year anniversary.  It was only after having my son that I realized how important it was for me to do something that I was truly passionate about.  If I was going to leave my baby to go to work it had to be worth it to me.  I wanted something flexible, something fun, and something I loved. 

My husband loved his job already, but was working on some things there as well, and in talking one day we decided that this year would be our “YES” year.  We would take every chance we could to do anything that came our way.  We would chase our dreams and see where we ended up.  I took this challenge serious and even drove up to New York to audition for Wheel of Fortune one Thursday afternoon.  Needless to say, that did not work out to well for me, but at least I can say I went. J  With that out of the way I decided that make-up was where my heart was and that I was going to do whatever it took to start my new career.  But finding time between work and my home-life to go back to school full-time would prove to be an impossible challenge.  So it looked like my dream would have to wait.

I went to Ruth to get a spray-tan a few days before my friend’s wedding and was talking about how I was interested in make-up, how I had a passion for it, and how I had looked into make-up programs and just couldn't afford to take time off and do any of them.  Next thing I knew it was 2 weeks later and I was standing behind her in a bride’s kitchen beginning the start of the rest of my life.  I've loved every second of it and haven’t looked back once.  The best part about it was that I was good at it.  It was something that didn't feel like work.  I was excited to leave the house versus dreading it as I had felt in the past. Every new event I did just further validated that I had made the right choice.  I am more excited now than ever for my future with Ruthie’s Eyes.

Being a part of this team has truly inspired me and has opened up a creative side of myself that I never knew existed. I love helping people to see themselves in a different light by enhancing what’s already there.  I look forward to seeing and working with you in the future!  

2014 Fall MakeupTrends

As we move out of the Summer heat and into the cool, breezy fall season everything that we are used to seeing as we step out the door is about to change.  The leaves will start to change to bright, warm, golden colors before falling to the ground and leaving everything bare.  And just for a moment before winter sets in everything will be a warm, rich, golden hue.

So in researching many of the upcoming Fall trends for 2014 I wasn’t surprised to see many of the same things that come to mind when I think of this transitional season. Metallic touches and bright vibrant colors are trending big for Fall.  So if you are feeling like trying something new with your makeup don’t be afraid to push the limits and go a bit outside of your comfort zone. 

If your are a little more timid start with a gold scarf or some silver nail polish and work up to applying some fun glittery eye makeup.  Or maybe start with a peachy lip and work your way up to a bolder color.  Whatever you do, make sure that you choose colors that compliment your eye color and skin tone.  Reference a color wheel if needed, to see which color is complimentary, or opposite your eye color on the wheel. 

 

Towards the end of Fall the trees become more bare and their branches become more defined.  This may possibly be the inspiration for some other Fall trends that we will see more of.  There is room for both glowing, fresh, bare skin and defined eyes within the autumn months.  To get a flawless, glowing complexion start with some fresh clean skin and a moisturizer with an SPF.  This will moisturize your skin while protecting it from the harmful rays of the sun.  Even though it may not be warm and sunny in the Fall like it is in the Summer, the sun’s rays are still strong enough to harm your skin for years to come.   So remember to protect your skin during all seasons.  Using a moisturizer with a built in SPF will take the worry out of forgetting to apply a sunscreen on a day-to-day basis.

 If you do have imperfections on your skin and feel the need to apply a foundation as well, Glo-Minerals is a great choice because the minerals and anti-oxidants used to create the makeup are not only good at covering up any imperfections you may have, but will also protect your skin and help correct your imperfections.  Glo-Minerals also has built-in UV protection as well so you can feel good about using it every day.

If you are like me then you always have to add something more to that bare skin before taking on your day, even if it is just a bit of mascara.  Of course if I had long luscious lashes then I wouldn’t have to do that either, and I am all about simplifying my morning routine as much as possible.  So an alternative would be to get XTreme lash extensions put onto your natural lashes.  XTreme Lash Extensions help your lashes look thicker and longer without looking fake. For more information on XTreme Lash Extensions visit http://www.ruthieseyes.com/xtreme-lashes.html or call Ruthie's Eyes Studio (610-724-3808).  Long luscious lashes is coincidentally just one more Fall Trend for 2014.

 

When you hear defined eyes the first words that may come to mind are dark or smoky, but defined just means clean or outlined.  You can use really any color that you feel compliments your eyes to outline your top and bottom lids.  A dark, liquid liner can be used for a more dramatic look, 

while a light powder applied with small smudge or liner brush can be used for softer definition.

So with fall here, start to look outside and use what is around you to help  inspire a change in your day-to-day look.  Whatever you decide to try don’t be afraid to get a little risqué, as it can all simply be wiped away!   And most importantly have fun!!

 -Sheena