Almay Picnic

On Monday night, I found myself sitting on the Drake’s rooftop patio, drinking delicious lemonade and learning more about Almay products. I was there as part of the makeup line’s summer picnic party.

Myself and at least two dozen bloggers started off our evening with free food, free drinks and a pretty bag filled with Almay products. Then, after we’d all stuffed ourselves, Almay’s head makeup artist, Jackie, walked us through all of the products in our goodie bag and explained how we could use them to quickly, and easily, put together a polished look.

Jackie's tutorial was a great one and contained the following useful advice:

• When applying any powdered makeup, bloat it first on the back of your hand, to get rid of excess, potentially shading product. 
• When applying eyeshadow, regardless of if it’s with your finger, brush or sponge, apply it in one steady application, with the applicator never leaving your skin. 
• Everyone’s eye skin is saggy and this sagginess makes it for harder, and more imprecise application. For eyeshadow, pull the skin up with your other hand to create a smooth, tight work surface. For eyeliner, pull the skin taunt and straight out to the side, “like a ruler” and then glide your product on. 
• If you have heavy-lidded, or deep-set, eyes, and you’re doing a smoky eye, make sure you apply the darker “crease” colour just below your brow bone. Yes, most smoky eye instructions, including the ones that company Almay’s Intense i-Colour Smoky i-Kit, say to apply this shade to the crease but depending on your eye shape, you may need to shift this colour up.
• Those with heavy-lidded, or deep-set, eyes should also always look down for at least 10 seconds after applying eyeliner or mascara, to allow those products to dry first. 
• When it comes to liquid liner, use the side of the brush for a more precise look, not the tip, and draw right along the lash line. 
• If you’re applying liner to your bottom lashes, use the “leftover” product on the brush, after you’ve lined the top eye. 
• If you want to add volume to your lashes, run your mascara through your lashes in a slow, exaggerated motion. 
• If you’re going to go for a heavily bronzed look, make sure to brush bronzer on your ears and possibly your neck and chest. When using an eye makeup removal pads, use one for each eye. 

While I was already familiar with some of these tips (that’s not to say that I always follow them), some of them are new and are definitely advice that I’ll be using.

I’ll also be using the items in my goodie bag. While some of these products are items that I received at the Spark Sessions, some of them, like the Intense i-Colour eyeliner are new to me and are products that I’m eager to test out. You can expect to see those reviews trickling out over the next few weeks so be sure to check back regularly to see what I think of these items.