Your Most Important Tool

I have a set of seven brushes, in a white covering, that I received for Christmas either last year or the year before. I can't really remember that far back. They're super soft, synthetic, and I never use them. I've used them two or three times in the time I've owned them.

I don't know if its that I really feel like I have less control with brushes, or that I don't want to take the time with cleaning them, but most of the time, I just don't use them. I think if you like brushes, and you're good with brushes, you should use them.

The same goes for powder puffs, foam triangles, and pretty much everything else on the market for applying makeup. I simply don't use them. I know a lot of people who swear by all sorts of things, but I have found one thing that I like to use to put on makeup. One thing that does the job and does it well, because I can have ultimate control over it.

One thing.

Well, its really ten things.

That's right, ladies and gentlemen! My Fingers. Phalanges. Digits. I can make lines with them and smudge with them and blend with them and do everything with them! I don't use them for eyeliner, because I have various pencil liners for that. However, for literally everything else I do with makeup, I use my fingers. A good washing with some good old Dial Soap (the yellow kind that smells like childhood) and my fingers are ready to go! Blues, greens, yellows, oranges, reds! No color is safe from my makeup applying tools!

I feel like, at any given time, you should use what you are most comfortable with. If you decide that the lines you want you can only get from brushes, use your brushes, my friend. If you decide that you can only get those dots from a brush, do it. Honestly, do what makes you most comfortable. If the lady at Ulta (those women are scary sometimes!) tells you that you HAVE to get something, don't listen. If the woman at Sephora tells you that you NEED this concealer/brush/shadow/liner, don't give them the time of day. The only thing you HAVE to get or NEED to get is whatever you walked into the store for. And for God's sake, if you walk in and pronounce the product name wrong, don't let them make you feel bad. It is not my fault that NYX is not pronounced "Nyx" but N-Y-X, saying each separate letter. Don't let them mock you and act like they're better than you. (That happened to me in Ulta the other night. True Story. The woman looked like a porcelain doll. I was so afraid.)

Bottom line: do what makes you most comfortable, because you have to live with it. You have to see it. You have to be ok with it. Make sure you're on par with what you want and what you need.

Never Be Afraid To Try Something New.

The Inherent Dangers of Craft Store Glitter

I watched a girl the other day on YouTube look her camera square in the lens and say, "Never, never, never use craft store glitter on your face. It will get in your eyes, and you will end up with your cornea all scratched up." I don't know if she was being facetious, or if she was serious, but Lord willing, she was just being obnoxious.

Its a fear we all have: we're standing in the club, looking as hot as we can without looking like a hooker, and we reach up to scratch our eye. The glitter that we had affixed to our upper lid gets in our eye, and suddenly, we're looking through a pair of scratched-up dollar store glasses. Your life is ruined, the choir of Heavenly Angels stops singing, and you're screwed.

The thing is, I'm 25. I've been a member of the Glitterati for about 2 years now (if not a little longer), and my corneas are fine. So, here we are, at 1am on a Tuesday, and I am posting to you about glitter: my favorite subject. Granted, I've heard it said that "glitter is the herpes of the craft world," and I will attest to that. It gets everywhere, and in the end, you find glitter in places that glitter should never be. But, I LOVE glitter. Glitter in my hair, on my face, on my arms, on my legs, on my chest ... EVERYWHERE. I just love it. I love the reactions from the people around me, and my favorite sentence is, "I wish I could wear things like that."

My response? You Can.

There is no reason you can't wear that glitter, my friend. There is no reason that you can't take some eyelash glue and affix a little star to your face, and surround that thing with so much glitter, you'd think Liberace tap-danced across your cheekbone. Now, while glitter does have its limitations ("Rusty Starlight, Lawyer" while covered in glitter isn't too professional) there is no reason you can't have a night look with glitter.

Here are my tips for using glitter:

1) Use an adhesive. There are dozens on the market, but these are the ones I hear the most about. I haven't used a couple of them, but they get rave reviews from those who've used them.

• The Fix from Medusa's Makeup
• Duo from MAC
• Lash Grip Eyelash Adhesive
• She Laq by Benefit
• Saliva.

"Saliva?" you may ask, incredulously. Yeah, saliva. I've found that almost nothing works better than saliva, right after a good, thorough teeth-brushing. Rinse out your mouth and, Voila! instant, clean glitter fixative.

After a day of work, and spending time with my husband, here's how my glitter looks:

See that? All that glitter? It's been there since ten o'clock yesterday morning. It's one am right now. A thin layer of The Fix and a few smudges of glitter goes a long way, and its still there. I could rub it off if I wanted, but my hands don't go near my eyes.

2) Brush off the excess.

I think the greatest advice I ever got was from a drag queen I had met here in town. She told me, "Honey, if you think you have on enough, it's not enough." Having said that, there is no shame in taking a big brush (Kabuki, a big round blush brush, whatever) and dusting off a little of the excess. No evil glitter Fae is going to come out of the nowhere and rip your fingers off your body if you dust a little of it off. I use more because, to be honest, I like that it gets everywhere. If that's not your thing, that's fine, but don't knock it 'til you try it.

3) If you happen to be frightened of getting glitter in your eyes, put it below your eyes. Use it on your cheekbones or use it somewhere else. If it is something that will seriously keep you up at night, don't use it.

4) Don't touch your face. I cannot stress this point enough. If you are going to be putting on any makeup, be it glitter, or eyeshadow, or mascara, or anything of the sort, make sure you have the presence of mind to not touch it. Not only are there all kinds of germs on your hands, but there could be things that get transferred to your hands from others, and you do not want that in your eye.
Humans are nasty, gross, awful, disgusting creatures. The things people do in the privacy of their own homes would make you retch until you died of dry heaves. If you think about that, and then you think about how many people a day go through your place of work, or the club, or the grocery store, or the restaurant, and they drag their fingers across things just the same way you do... Yeah, stew on that for a minute. Disgusting, isn't it.

5) Last, but certainly not least, let go of your inhibitions about glitter. Granted, on those days I wear a nice, deep Forest Green glitter around my eye, it looks like somebody punched me, and I look in the mirror at work and say to myself, "Dear Lord, woman. What were you thinking?!" and that color of glitter gets banished to the fiery depths of Craft-Land. If you have a nice, subtle color, or you're not afraid of looking like somebody punched you in the face, go for it. Go big, or go home.

Lots of silly, ridiculous, cliche lines in this, I know, but you'll get past it.

My point is, when it comes to craft store glitter, if you do it right, it'll be 'outta sight.' And, if you do it right, not only will it be a stunning look when tied together with your shadow, mascara, and whatever else you choose to do, it will be complimented and enjoyed by those around you.

Lastly, if you do it right, it won't get in your eyes. All you need to do is trust in yourself and in your ability to keep your hands away from your face, and you'll be fine.

Maiden Voyage

I'm Rusty. Its sort of my Nom de Plume. I've had dozens, but Rusty Starlight happens to be one of my favorites, and one I think will work well for what I'm trying to establish, here.

I spend 10-15 minutes on my makeup a day. I'm not a fanboy of MAC, I'm not a fanboy of MakeupForever, although both product lines are amazing. I love a mishmash of makeups, and glitters. OH, THE GLITTER. I'll post three-or-so pictures of what I use on a regular basis. I love my 120 Color Palette from BHCosmetics. I love the glitters from Medusa's Makeup. I go to Sally's on a regular basis. (So many links, I know. I'm sorry).

Makeup, for me, has become sort of an exciting journey into the world of color. I had asked for the 120 Palette from BH for Christmas 2010, and was deeply saddened when I didn't receive it. So, I waited until last month to order it, and Oh! what a joy it has been. 

I am in love with it. That picture does NOT do it justice. Let's see ... what else ...

Oh! I had gone onto Medusa's website and they were having an epic sale on mascara: 4 for $15. I got Envy, Black Magic, Blue Blood, and Majestic (Green, Black, Blue, and Purple, respectively) I also got a lip gloss, French Kiss, as a sample. I'm super excited to use it.

(As you can tell, I'm sort of a Medusa Junkie)

Not only do I have all that, I also have the Kabuki brush and the "Healthy" body shimmer. That stuff is amazing. 

Now, my wonderful, amazing, adorable husband, Poe, complains about my makeup use often. He says, "You're pretty just the way you are." I say that I am adding to the effect. 

His biggest complaint, however, is the glitter. I put it on every day. A different shade, a different use, I just love me some glitter. The thing about the glitter is, I put on more than necessary so, inevitably, I get it all over the place. I particularly enjoy rubbing my face against his face, ensuring a good layer of glitter. It amuses me, and his coworkers think it's funny, too. I tell him to tell them he's out hunting unicorns.

I simply don't think I have enough. That picture there isn't even all my glitters. I have more, sitting in the bathroom, awaiting my arrival. 

Let's see. Have I touched on everything? I haven't. I don't use lipstick, lip stain, or really anything on my mouth. I am super excited about the lip gloss from Medusa's, but generally, nothing goes on my lips. The same goes for the skin on my face. I know a lot of ladies swear by their foundations and their creams and their god-knows-what, but I really don't. I "put on my eyes" and then sweep a little bronzer over my face, and I'm good to go. 

I love St. Ives Apricot Scrub, because, to be honest, nothing works like that stuff does. I also like to use Neutrogena's Fresh Foaming Scrub (great for getting face paint off, just FYI). 

I will never be certain, but I believe that does it for my first post as Rusty Starlight, potential makeup guru. LOL. We'll work on it. <3