Wednesday, May 25, 2011

May Travels/Vanessa Shoot

Hey guys!

Wow, it's been a while. 

I went to NYC for The Makeup Show.  I got to experience makeup heaven and learned SO much about products, trends, and application techniques.  Very fun :)   I didn't take many pictures at the show (my hands were too full of products) but here's one from a Fall 2011 trends class.  Think dewy finish, bold brows, and deep red lips!







After NYC, I hopped on a plane to St. John to meet my mom, Uncle Doug (her brother), his wife Lynn, and my cousin Jen (and her husband--Jeff).  This was such an amazing vacation.  Every view there is picturesque.  I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to go on these trips--the gratitude has not escaped me.  Here are a few pictures from that adventure.











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Now back to business.  I have the fun job of doing hair and makeup for a photo shoot with the beautiful Vanessa Sandler (she owns Monkees on Daniel Island--go check it out!) and photographer Mark Pelekakis.  For this shoot, she wanted a really bohemian, bronzey look.  Her hair was to be a beachy, messy wave.  Pictures turned out amazing! 






Hair:

Vanessa has naturally wavy/curly hair.  It is really fine though, but she has a lot of it.  It's gorgeous.  I used a 1 inch barrel curling iron and curled her entire head. I used Moroccan Oil Hair Spray and sprayed it all over. I teased her crown and loosly tousled the ends.  Easy-Peasy.

Makeup:

Vanessa has stunning blue eyes, so browns look GREAT on her.  She is also heavy lidded so I can put hardly anything on, and her eyes look AMAZING--I hate love her ;)  I used Urban Decay's Primer potion on her lids.  Dusted MAC Bronze all over the lid and blended MAC Corduroy into her crease.  We used a matte finish highlighter (I think I used MAC Vanilla).  Key to this look is applying eyeshadow to the lower lash line.  Completes the smokey eye and gives it an "I just slopped this on and look gorgeous" kind of feel.  I airbrushed her with Temptu Silicone base foundation in 004.  Dusted some blush (NYX Expresso), applied a nude gloss (Bobbi Brown in Nude) and voila! 

She is beautiful without makeup so my job wasn't difficult.  Hope everyone enjoyed.  Let me know if you have any questions.

Xo

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Flaw-Erasing Concealers

Hey guys! 

How is everyone?  Great, I hope.

Concealer is my best friend. I rarely leave home without it.  Since few of us have truly perfect skin, concealer is a must-have in most makeup bags.  Different from foundation and powder, concealer is thicker to better cover flaws. 

If you're using concealer to hide under eye circles, apply concealer to the inner and outer corners of the eye, and the inner corner of the bridge of the nose, gently patting it in.



FaceFirstFav:

With a blend of anti-puff ingredients, like peptides that target the fluid that causes tired-looking eyes, Chanel Life Lumiere Concealer instantly lightens dark circles to perfect the eye area. 

     
$45-chanel.com


The Benefit of Colored Concealers

Concealers come in a variety of pastel hues, and each serves a purpose.  When applying them, use only on the discolored area, followed by your regular concealer so that the color doesn't come through.  

Green: Light green concealers will cover redness in the skin, common of acne, scars, and birthmarks.

Pink: Pink shades balance out blue and gray tones, which tend to show up under eyes.

Yellow: Yellow-based concealers brighten by evening out pink tones.

Orange and Peach:  Great for darker skin, orangey shades correct blue tones under the eyes.

Purple and Blue:  Cool colors like purple and blue counteract yellowness in the skin to brighten. 

I hope this helps.  Concealer is a weapon that is commonly misused.   Use it the right way, in the correct color, and it can work WONDERS.  Have any questions?  Ask away...

Until next time....Xo