I remember the word "stippling" from my high school art class, where we had to use the technique for our lesson in pointillism. The term stippling also has a meaning in the world of make-up definitions and you'll likely hear me and many other make-up artists reference the verb (in fact, many of you may use the technique without realizing it!).

What is stippling?
Stippling is a make-up application technique that is especially useful for building coverage. The act of stippling involves applying the make-up product with a light patting motion over the areas that need coverage. Many times I hear women complain that their foundation or concealer isn't giving them the coverage they desire, but more often than not, the issue is that the method of application is all wrong.

Stippling applied
For instance, to camouflage unruly undereye circles, avoid applying with a swiping motion, as this tends to wipe away what you've already done. Instead, stipple and build up a layer of concealer on the problem area and stipple more layers as required (without going overboard!). Stippling is best accomplished with a sponge or even your most accessible tool - your finger! Just make sure you use the ring finger as it has the least amount of intensity and is perfect for working make-up around the delicate eye area.

See more on the benefits of stippling here.

As promised, here are more pics of Carina's Big Day! To check out the behind the scenes, view the slideshow here.

This past Saturday I had the opportunity to participate in Carina's Big Day prep. The beautiful Carina was a total bride knock-out in her elegant wedding dress. I swear her dress was one of the nicest dresses I have seen...ever. And usually, anyone who knows me knows that I don't pay as much attention to wedding dresses as I do to wedding make-up! Thank you Carina for sharing your day with me! More pics of Carina's bridal party and behind the scenes will follow - I just wanted to show off this bridal beauty for now!Today I'll be doing make-up at Shannon's wedding - one of my last weddings of the season. My heartfelt thanks to all my lovely brides that have made it such a great year! You are all the reasons behind why I truly love what I do. Thank you.

The other night I was in my local Shoppers to get my make-up fix and "restock" my kit during the usual bonus points sale. I overheard the usual salesperson fodder, as the fresh-faced sales associate tried to upsell her customer on "the best" foundation and a foundation brush to accompany it. The customer was initially asking for wedge sponges, but as the store was sold out, the sales associate recommended brushes as they had "less bacteria". Now to disspell this myth based on the hygiene argument, let's remember that it depends on how you take care of your tools that will determine how hygienic they truly are. A foundation brush, if not cleaned with a brush shampoo and then sprayed with 99.9% alcohol will be just as prone to bacteria build-up and transfer as a sponge that is not cleaned appropriately. The brush should be cleaned after each use to prevent bacteria growth. I love foundation brushes for the application they provide, but if you're more of a make-up minimalist, the foundation brush and the cleansing of it will likely seem like extraneous steps. A sponge, when used and taken care of properly, can be just as hygienic as a brush. Either replace your foundation sponge after several uses or wash out your foundation sponge regularly to give it more longevity. Keep these tips in mind, as regular and proper maintenance of your make-up tools will make sure you get the most bang for your buck! (and who doesn't love that?)

I meant to mention another useful tip that MAC Senior Artist, Jane McKay, pointed out during our Pro Master class on Monday evening. A while back I did a post on mastering the smoky eye while avoiding the usual mess that the application of dark eyeshadow entails. Jane highlighted the most obvious one that I failed to mention during my own post (duh!). To help ensure you get your eyeshadow where you want it to go, do your smoky eye first. Once your smoky eye is complete, use eye make-up remover with a q-tip to clean up any stray bits of eyeshadow underneath the eye area (or anywhere else you didn't intend for it to go). Then, go in with your concealer and a concealer brush underneath the eye to complete the look.

Once concealer (and foundation if necessary) had been applied to the undereye area, Jane used a tapered blending eyeshadow brush (see MAC Brush 224) to lightly distribute a loose translucent powder to set the concealer. The eyeshadow brush was the perfect size for the small and delicate undereye area; a brush of a larger size (or a sponge) could end up distributing too much powder and making the undereye look cakey. Remember just because a brush is called an "eyeshadow brush" doesn't mean it's specific to that one area of the face. Jane herself was using brushes intended for eyeshadow application as powder brushes, and brushes meant to apply concealer as lip brushes.

Overall lesson: The rules with make-up and make-up tools are flexible. i.e. there is no set order to applying make-up to the face first and then to the eyes (and vice versa), and although a product says it's designed specifically for one area of the face doesn't mean it can't be used elsewhere. It's where you bend the rules that you become your own little make-up artist! Enjoy :)