The Budget Fashionista

What: Glam up your eyes with a dose of this season’s hottest eyeliner hue: vibrant blue. What the experts say: A-list makeup artist Amy Nadine, who has brought The Hills’ Lauren Conrad’s peepers front and center with a slash of aqua, tells us, “I love blue eyeliner on the bottom lash line as a fresh and fun way to enliven your face and make your eyes pop.â€? She doesn’t go the traditional route, however, and nixes eyeliner in favor of …

What: Skip the (unhealthy) suntan in favor of summer’s best bronzers. What the experts say: Tanning is so passé, but appearing sun-kissed is still as striking as ever. Yet, choose your bronzer wisely. “The big changes in bronzer this year are the shift from shimmer to matte, as well as placement,â€? editorial makeup artist Elke Von Freudenberg tells us. “Now we’re using bronzer to contour: under cheekbones, along the sides of forehead and at the bottom of the chin. Find …

An eyeliner is one of the essential eye makeup products along with eye shadow and mascara. It enhances the shape of the eyes while also giving them an edgy appeal. The ancient Egyptians were among the first to outline their eyes with pigment for beautification, but also for spiritual reasons. Today, eyeliner is mainly used to accentuate the eyes, and to create that ultra sexy smokey eye look. You can find numerous brands at drugstores for under $10, but designer …

On the left Chanel’s Stylo Yeux Waterproof eyeliner, $28, available at chanel.com. On the right: Maybelline’s Line Stylist eyeliner, $6.99, available at maybelline.com.

What: Get a free beauty gift with purchase during NORDSTROM’s Anniversary Sale. What We Say: Most of the time, we shop at NORDSTROM Rack because the prices at the department store are a bit too steep. But with their Anniversary Sale, we can purchase high-end beauty products and get free make-up, skincare, and perfume. In pouches, which we can use to store make-up. The brands offering gifts with purchase vary from the high end to very high end: Lancome, Clarins, …

What: Tailor-make your beauty with customizable makeup palettes. What the experts say: What good is a makeup palette if it contains only one or two items that suit you? In steps customizable makeup palettes, which allow you to combine the best of what works for you into one easy-to-use palette. “Palettes are a great way to organize your makeup and streamline your makeup routine,â€? makeup artist Bobbi Brown writes on her website. “Pick your favorite shades and custom-fill your choice …

What: Innovations in mascara wand design are leaving lashes looking longer than ever. What the Experts Say: Think the mascara wand is only ancillary to the actual mascara formula? Think again. Cosmetics manufacturers are churning out wand designs that may look odd, but truly deliver the goods. It’s all enough to get Christina Ricci’s makeup gal, Vanessa Scali, hyped up. Of Givenchy’s Phenomen Eyes mascara , which touts a wand with a ball-shape at the end, Scali tells InStyle, “The …

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Image courtesy of True Radiance Day Spa.