Blushing Beauty!

Okay, so here's my pet peeve about blush, well, one of them anyway...blush is meant to ENHANCE your cheekbones and give your skin a healthy, flush of color. It is NOT meant to look like war paint. So often I see young women and even older women who have no clue how to apply blush correctly and it ends up looking like two bright stripes. Not attractive. Your cheeks aren't meant to look like apples-you're just supposed to apply it to the apples of your cheeks. Here are a few tips to apply great, natural looking blush: Use a blush brush and start at the mid-point of your cheek. Not sure where this is? Place the brush on your cheek, lining it up with the middle of your eye. Sweep the brush upwards towards and into your hairline just above the top of your ear, keeping the majority of your color on the apples of your cheeks. BLEND the color by pulling the brush down slightly toward your jawline to soften the edges and diffuse the color evenly. When using two colors, be sure to use the darker color first and keep it under the apple of the cheek, blending it well. Use the darker colors sparingly! Then apply the lighter color to the top of the cheek and concentrate it on the apples only. Makeup Artist Tip: Use a tiny bit of blush on the center of the forehead and the chin to brighten the skin and give it uniformity! Watch for my instructional how-to videos to come!

Setting Your Eye Makeup

Smeared and smudgy eyes are a cool, edgy look...unless it wasn't intentional. A common complaint I from hear women is trying to deal with fading, flaking, runny looking makeup that won't stay put. Here are some tips to give your eyes some well-deserved attention for the right reasons: Start with clean skin! Residual makeup left over from the night before is not only dangerous for the health of your eyes, it also makes applying fresh coats of eye products difficult and can cake together. Use an eye primer. Just as you use foundation for the rest of your skin, your eyelids NEED a primer. It provides a surface for powders and shadows to adhere to. Primers also enhance and intensify shadow colors, meaning you use less shadow and get better color. DO NOT use foundation on your eyelids-the coverage is too wet and your shadows will come off-FAST! Brushes are best. Yes, some eyeshadows come with those sweet little sponge applicators and they are great in a jam, but ditch them fast. They are breeding grounds for bacteria and they actually cause you to burn through your shadows much faster. Instead, opt for natural hair brushes (good quality, cruelty-free brushes are available in higher-end department stores, ULTA or Sephora). Washing them weekly with a mild soap, such as Dove, can extend the life and performance of your brushes, not to mention stopping bacteria growth in its tracks. Don't forget powder! Once you have your desired look, be sure to set it with a light dusting of face powder to help hold it all in place. Using a large powder brush, dust a very small amount over the entire eye area once. Lastly, add a coating of mascara and feel confident that your eye makeup will last as long as you want it to!

Moisturizer...What's the Big Deal?

We've all heard it-"Moisturize your skin!" As women, we've been hearing this little tidbit of advice from the moment we hit puberty. And rightfully so! Our mothers, grandmothers, dermatologists and make-up artists weren't just spouting a bunch of rhetoric. "Moisturize your skin" should become every woman's mantra. But why is it so darned important? Well, for starters, your skin-just like any other part of your body-needs hydration and nourishment. Heck, it's practically begging for it. Your skin is made up of several layers of dermis and thousands of pores. Those pores deliver hydration, absorb humectants and air and expel toxins and dead cells in the form of sweat and natural exfoliation of the top layer of skin. Moisturizers and toners provide skin with essential oils, alpha-hydroxys, rejuvenators, hydrators, protection from free-radicals and harsh chemicals, most even contain built-in SPF protection. Moisturized skin is supple, soft, and dewey. Moisturizers reduce the appearance of fine lines and creases caused by sun damage and aging by plumping and firming the skin. They also aid in the application of cosmetics by improving skin's texture and tone. The only way to protect your skin and retain a youthful, healthy glow is by applying moisturizer and SPF protection DAILY. There are several well-formulated products on the market today. Many of them have added benefits such as anti-aging, sun damage reversal, fine line reducers, etc. A good way to see which one is right for you is to ask for samples at your local beauty supply store. Don't be afraid to ask for more than one! Sometimes it takes several "test drives" before you find the right fit. Remember, if you take care of your skin it will take care of you!

Re-Launch!

Carrie Underwood

Nina Dobrev

Kate Winslet

Halle Berry

After (ahem) some time away from my blog, it's time to jumpstart this thing back in to high gear. Please feel free to browse through the blog and offer comments, suggestions and questions. For this re-launch of the blog, I am looking to all of you out there in the blogosphere for your suggestions. Over the next several months this blog will be completely re-vamped and re-invented in order to cover all aspects of the beauty scene and give all my current and future followers plenty of advice, variety and instruction. Speaking of instruction...above are four of the most beautiful women working in Hollywood and music today, while attempting to look just like them is next to impossible, that doesn't mean you can't have their fabulous style and learn their make-up breakdown. Leave a comment (one per person please) and vote for the beauty breakdown you would like to see! Then stay tuned for an instructional how-to video on how to re-create the look yourself!

Industry Insiders

Photo by Mark Kidman Photography (all rights reserved)

Okay, so first off, let me apologize for my very infrequent posts. I would love to be able to update this bi-weekly, but alas, I would never get any of my makeup jobs finished. So, to that end, I will try to post more regularly, but please understand that the makeup world waits for no man...or woman!

Movin' on...here is the first of many insider tips that I will be sharing with all of you.

Ever wonder how the same foundation can look fabulous on one woman and completely horrible on another? The short answer is application and color selection. The long answer is much more invovled. First off, no two foundations are created equally just as no two people have the same complexion. Second, foundation is only as good as the person applying it. If you don't know how to apply your foundation, chances are it's not going to look good no matter how much or how little you use.

Industry insider: Professionals don't have the time or the luxury of having 15 different types of foundation at their fingertips. We find one that we like and we use it for all of our subjects in most cases. So, how is it possible for us to keep everyone looking runway fabulous? The answer is Primer!

Foundation primer is AWESOME! My personal favorite is Smashbox Photofinish Primer. It is silicone-based so it's light and not greasy. A pea-sized amount on your fingertips should be enough to cover your entire face. Use it sparingly and it will last you at least 4-5 months.

Why is Primer important? Primer creates a soft, even finish for your skin. Also, because the one I use is silicone-based, it won't dissolve into your skin. It will stay on top of your skin and fill in fine lines and pores to maximize the coverage of your foundation. One of the best reasons to use primer is because it will make your foundation go farther. You can use smaller amounts of foundation and make it cover more of your face. This in turn, keeps you from having to replace your foundation sooner. Genius!

Smashbox Primer can be found at your local JC Penney store (if there is a Sephora makeup counter inside) or at Sephora.com.

Next up: Summer Color Must Haves!

A Call for Models!

Here is a very tiny sample of just a few models I've done in recent weeks. If you've ever thought about entering the modeling world or want to know how it would feel to be involved in a professional photo shoot, then here's your opportunity.

The upside: Professional, cinema-quality photographs with two hair and makeup looks.
The downside: Not everyone who enters will be selected.

The details: There will be a cost of $45.00. The cost includes makeup, hair styling, and your choice of two 8x10 photographs. You will be required to sign the rights to your image over to me for advertising and portfolio purposes. However, if your image is noticed by the modeling agencies I work with, you have the potential for them to request signing you. (It happens quite frequently.)

There are eight (8) spots open. If you would like to be considered, please post a comment explaining why you want to be considered. This is open to all ages, races, backgrounds, male and female. And remember, if you aren't chosen this time around, there will be more of these in the future!

Good Luck. Posts will be accepted until the end of February!

The Power of Powder!

Hello, fellow makeup junkies! Sorry to have been away so long, but the fashion world does not wait for a blog, so after an extended absence I have returned! Let's get to it!

For those of you who don't currently use powder or for those who are unsure if they are using it correctly, let me go over the basics.

Why is powder so important? Well, let's see if I can sum it up with a simple analogy. Imagine your hair for a moment...when you get ready to style it you don't simply grab the hairspray and lacquer it on while your hair is wet, right? There's usually a mousse, or gel, or foam of some sort that you apply and then style it dry. After you have your hair looking just right, THEN you douse it all with a bit of the sticky stuff to keep it the proper place.

Foundation and powder work the same way. Foundation is the "gel" or "mousse". You place that on your face first to get the proper look and coverage you want. Powder acts as your "hairspray". Once you have the foundation in place, you want it to stay put, in order to do that, you must use powder. It sinks into the makeup and holds it in place by absorbing any oils or moisture in your skin before they can wreak havoc with your foundation.

Here's a few hints for proper technique:
*Use powder sparingly. Don't "dust" your face until all you can see is powder. Lightly dip your brush into a small amount of loose powder and sweep across your forehead, cheeks, nose and chin. Don't forget to add a little powder under your jaw and onto your neck (very lightly) to keep your look consistent.
*Use a powder puff and work a small amount of powder into the puff. Fold the puff around your fingers and work it into the corners of your face using a rocking motion, ie., around the nose, the inner corners of the eyes, around the jawline. Lightly bat the puff against your face to release extra powder in the areas where more coverage is needed.
*Remember-powder is NOT a concealor or a foundation and should never be used in place of either. They are not meant to cover anything. Your face should look natural and slightly "dewey" (hello, you have natural oil in your skin! Matte looks are not natural). The only purpose powder serves is to set your foundation and absorb excess oils and moisture.

Tips on choosing a good powder:
*Microfinishes and triple-milled powders are the best. They are broken down into the tiniest particles so that they don't get stuck in the small crevices of your skin. They will leave your skin feeling light and feathery to the touch. They also beautify your skin without leaving it looking heavy or overdone. My two favorites are Makeup Forever Microfinish Powder and Cinema Secrets Powder.
*With the exception of dark and very olive complexions, it doesn't matter what color of powder you use. The object of powder is to disappear into the foundation so if your complexion is light to fairly tan, you can use any color of powder (except dark colors). Don't be fooled by all the colors at the makeup counter, if they run out of beige, just go with a lighter color-it won't make a difference.

Pressed powders come in handy when you're on the go. For those of you with naturally oily skin, pressed powder can be a lifesaver during the day if you get a little "shiny". One complaint I often hear from those with more oily complexions is how much they hate their skin. I like to remind them that they may hate it now, but they'll love it later on in life when the rest of us are dealing with flaky, dry, wrinkled skin and they still have a youthful glow and less wrinkles. So if you fall into the oily skin category, don't curse your skin, be grateful for it!

Pressed powders are harder to choose, but the one I like to recommend is the Sephora brand. It goes on smoothly and has a pleasant scent. Plus, it's fairly inexpensive and will last quite a long time.

Coming Up: A call for Models!