Makeup Mondays With Mario: Five Must Have Makeup Brushes

Celebrity makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic is answering your burning beauty questions!!! Every Monday, he will answer a beauty/skin care question as part of a weekly column on Spoiled Pretty, Makeup Mondays with Mario.


Hello Mario,


Being able to ask you a beauty question is such a treat because I'm such a fan of your work. My question is this: I’m in the market for some new makeup brushes and I’m wondering which you recommend. I'm not looking for brush set suggestions – I'm more looking for awesome brushes to round out my collection. Please help!


Thank you,
Mariah

Hey Mariah,


Makeup brushes are so important to me and I use tons of them! Here are some of my favorite brushes that I've been using for years: Stila #15 Double-Sided Crease and Liner Brush; I use the smaller side for a detailed crease. Stila #24 Double-Sided Illuminating Powder Brush is great to contour the cheeks and frame the face with bronzer. I also like Make Up For Ever's Eyebrow Brush. The Concealer Brush by Benefit Cosmetics is great for working under the eyes and my favorite Retractable Lip Brush is by Billy B Beauty.


Hope you get to try some of these brushes to round out your collection! Thanks for visiting Makeup Mondays with Mario!


xo,
Mario

Got a question for Mario? Email your makeup and skin care queries to blogaboutsexygirlpicsquestions@gmail.com, and check back next Monday to read Mario's expert advice!

Winners of the Gillette Venus Spa Breeze Giveaway!

Congrats to the following winners of the Gillette Venus Spa Breeze Giveaway:

Diane Baum
EDRing
Gamagoo
mediumcrazy
MrsAdorkable
Nikki J
Rai
Sarah D.
Shel
sksweeps

The Venus Spa Breeze features built-in "shave gel bars" with white tea scent, 3-blade for an ultra close shave, interchangeable blade refill cartridges, a shaving compact for in-shower refill storage, and a soft grip handle for no-slip control.

Many thanks to Gillette for spoiling these readers pretty.

Stay tuned for Spoiled Pretty's next giveaway announcement!

Hanae Mori Butterfly Solid Perfume Ring

It's no secret that Hanae Mori Butterfly is one of my favorite fragrances. In fact, two different versions of this scent occupy permanent residency on my perfume vanity. So when I heard about a new Hanae Mori Butterfly Solid Perfume Ring available at Sephora, I started reaching for my Visa...that is, until I actually saw it.

I love the idea of a solid perfume ring, but this one just looks so uninspired and cheap that the $39 price tag is laughable. For that kind of cash, I would suggest bypassing the .019 oz ring and buying the 5 oz body lotion instead.

For such a sophisticated scent, I'm a little shocked that they would put it in such a bauble that looks like it came out of a Cracker Jack box. Packaging fail.

Raj Imports Scarf Sale at Ideeli - Get On This!

Just take a gander and the GORGE scarves I just snapped up at Ideeli. Aren't they to-die? And get this...the first two are $26 each and the third is just $16. It don't get better than this, ladies.

I can't wait 'til they show up on my doorstep. Imma be rocking them all spring!

Ideeli membership is free...click here for an invite, courtesy of Spoiled Pretty.

Interview With François Nars

NARS is one of my all-time favorite brands – and if you’re a lover of makeup, it's probably high on your list too. Whenever I visit Sephora, I never do a lap before committing to a location. My first stop is always the NARS counter.

I'll never forget the time when my sister and I were shopping at the local mall and she started to get cranky; I'm a shopper of Olympic proportions, whereas she starts to tire after just a few hours. So when we stopped by Sephora, I bought her NARS Duo Eyeshadow in Rated R and it calmed her right down. That's the power of NARS, people.

Recently, my girl Amber scored an exclusive interview with the legendary François Nars. Did you know that his most-used makeup item is NARS Cosmetics Satin Lipstick in Honolulu Honey – which just so happens to be celebrity makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic's go-to nude lipstick?

For more dishy deets on François Nars, like how he creates a smoky eye and the inspiration behind the Schiap lipstick and nail polish shade, visit dailymakeover.com.

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Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in Nearly There

Makeup Mondays With Mario: Your Perfect Nude Lip

Celebrity makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic is answering your burning beauty questions!!! Every Monday, he will answer a beauty/skin care question as part of a weekly column on Spoiled Pretty, Makeup Mondays with Mario.


Hi Mario,

If you're reading this, it means that you chose my question – which is so exciting!!! I am a big fan and am awed by your talent. I've been reading your column on Spoiled Pretty since it started, and have really improved as an amateur makeup artist. So thanks! Anyway, here is my question – I love the nude lip look, but I never know how to pull it off. How do I find my right shade of nude, and do you have any tools/techniques for pulling off the look? And can you recommend some of you all-time favorite nude lipsticks/glosses?

Your biggest fan,
Kirstie

Hey Kirstie,

Let me start out by saying that you're very sweet!

When choosing nude shades for your lips, you should keep a couple things in mind: light pinks look better on fare skin because they will most likely have too much white in them for darker complexions. Peachy/beige nudes look great on medium to darker skin tones because of the yellow pigments in them.

If your lips are naturally red or dark, pat some foundation on your lips first to block out the color so that the true lipstick shade shows. My fave nudes are Honolulu Honey Lipstick by NARS and Josie Maran Plumping Lip Gloss in Optimism.

Thanks for visiting Makeup Mondays with Mario!

xo,
Mario

Got a question for Mario? Email your makeup and skin care queries to blogaboutsexygirlpicsquestions@gmail.com, and check back next Monday to read Mario's expert advice!

RealBeauty.com Clip-In Extensions Feature

Many human-hair clip-in extensions will cost you more than $250. But if you've got some time, you can make them yourself for about $50!

Visit realbeauty.com for my step-by-step tips!