Archive September 2009
Review: Olay Nutrients Night Renewal
Olay Anti-Wrinkle Nutrient Night Renewal Cream
I am always on the lookout for a great night cream! I have several that are in a constant rotation in my beauty routine, but one of my long time favorites is Olay’s Anti-Wrinkle Nutrients Night Renewal Cream. This moisturizer is awesome! It goes on smoothly, and feels so rich and emollient. I am only 22 years old so I can’t tell you how well it works on wrinkles, but hopefully it is working hard to prevent them! It does, however, leave my skin feeling super silky and soft, and did I mention that it smells AMAZING!? It has a fresh fruity smell, but not overpowering at all. To be honest, I pretty much only buy it for the smell haha! Just Kidding..
Unfortunately, for some reason, everything I end up falling in love with is always SUPER hard to find. I have only seen this cream in several drugstores, and trust me, I look! I buy this product online at drugstore.com, Here
Beauty Tip: When applying night cream, DO NOT forget your neck! This is just as important as applying to your face.
Milan Fashion Week: Beauty Spotlight
From the Spring/Summer 2010 Runway-
Versace
The Fashion Week madness continued this past week in Milan. There were sooo many gorgeous looks, but Versace was definitely one of my favorites. Makeup Artist, Pat McGrath, keyed the Versace show on Friday, giving the models a pop of purple color on the eye.
Get the Look
-Lightly swipe a bright purple eyeshadow all across your top and bottom eyelids. Reports say that McGrath used CoverGirl’s “Purple Pop” Eyeshadow
-Take a slightly darker purple and blend into the outer crease and lower lashline.
CoverGirl’s Purple Pop Eyeshadow
-Next, line your lashline with a lavender liquid eyeliner.
-Take a white eyeliner pencil and line the inner rim of your lower lashline.
-Apply several coats of mascara (I like L’Oeal Voluminous 
)
-Top of with a soft pink blush and a nude lip!
10 Ways to Utilize Q-Tips in your Beauty Routine
Q-Tips: The Ultimate Beauty Tool
Yesterday I spent the day working as a rep for Q-Tips. The company has recently released 3 new vanity packs, that are cute enough to leave out on your counter. As makeup artists for the brand, we were only allowed to use Q-Tips to apply a full face of makeup! It was challenging but also really fun, and it got me thinking about the best ways to utilize Q-Tips in your own beauty routines!
1. Erase Mistakes
I use Q-tips mainly for quick and easy clean up, when I make mistakes. They are also great for when your mascara or eyeliner start to run. Just dab the Q-tip in a little bit of moisturizer or eye makeup remover and lightly run it over the mistake. Voila, it disappears completely!
2. Smudge Your Eyeliner For Perfect Smokey Eyes
The cotton head of the Q-tip is perfect for smudging your eye makeup to give you that sultry, smokey eye. Apply a black or grey eyeliner to your bottom eye-lid and use the Q-tip to smudge the line, making it less harsh, and ultra sexy.
3. Soften Harsh Lines and Colors
Ok, maybe you went a little overboard when trying out that new makeup look, but have no fear! Use a Q-tip to softly blend in a circular motion over dark, dense colors. The cotton picks up excess pigment and softens the harshness of your mistake. You can use this trick on your eyebrows, eyelids, lips, etc..
4. Prevent Bleeding Lipstick
Don’t you hate it when you apply a beautiful red lip, only to find that half-way through the day, the color has traveled past your lip line, and onto the rest of your face? Try dipping a Q-tip in a little bit of loose powder, and run it along the edge of your freshly applied lipstick. The powder acts as a barrier, keeping lipstick on your lips, and only your lips.
5. Highlight The Inner Corner of Your Eyes
Lately, I have really been into highlighting the inner corner of the eyes. I feel like it brightens the whole eye area and makes you seem awake. In order to pull off this little trick, you need a Q-tip to get in this hard to reach area. Dip the Q-tip into a shimmery eyeshadow or pigment and dot the color right at the corner of your inner eye. I prefer to do whites, golds and neutrals to keep it natural but experiment with different colors as well!
6. Clean Up Excess Nail Polish
I don’t know about you, but whenever I paint my nails I make a HUGE mess, I literally get polish everywhere! Whether you are as messy as I am, or if you only make tiny mistakes, they are easily fixable with Q-Tips! Dip the Q-tip in nail polish remover and rub away the errors. The small, precise tip makes it perfect for small details such as this.
7. On the Go Touch Ups
Keeping several Q-tips in your purse or backpack is a great way to ensure that you stay fresh all day. I use them to clean up my smudged mascara and bleeding lipstick (like mentioned above), but they are also great for when your eyeshadow starts to crease. If you find this happening, pull out a Q-tip and gently clean up wherever you see creasing, and you’re good to go! Also when wearing a smokey eye, do you ever get the black “goop” that travels the the inner corners of your eye? Swipe a Q-tip in the tear duct to clean it up in a hurry!
8. Dab on Some Concealer
The best way to cover up a zit is to dab it concealer and gently pat around the pimple to blend the cover-up into your skin. The only problem is, your fingers are not always clean and the bacteria you could be spreading to your face will only give you more zits. Use a Q-tip to dab the concealer on your blemish and blend with the soft edges of the cotton tip. Clean, sanitary and effective!
9. Perfect Your Liner
The only thing I love more than a regular Q-tip is a pointed Q-tip!! These babies can be an amazing tool to help you perfect a winged eye liner look. First, draw on your liner and bring it out past your eyes into the cat-eye shape. Don’t worry if it’s not perfectly sharp or precise. Next, take your pointed Q-tip and dip it in a little bit of moisturizer. Use the sharp edge to perfect the shape, taking little bits off at a time until you have the cleanest, hottest cat-eye around!
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10. Apply Makeup in a Pinch!
Whether your brushes are dirty, or your heading straight to a fancy dinner from the office, Q-tips can be a great tool when you have to apply makeup in a pinch!
My main tip for applying your makeup with a Q-tip is to keep it simple! Dip one in a black eyeshadow and run it along your bottom lashes for a sexy smokey eye. Swipe a bright colored shadow along your eyelid for a fun and quick makeup look. Apply your eyeshadow with a wet Q-tip for a more dramatic color pay-off. Dip one in a sultry lip stain and swipe across your lips. Dot a liquid highlighter along your cheekbones and blend in for sexy shimmer. The possibilities are endless and easy! I don’t recommend applying lipgloss with it though! The cotton “hairs” get stuck everywhere and it becomes really messy. Trust me, I had to learn the hard way haha
The New Vanity Packs!
Temptu Hits Sephora!
At Home Airbrushing- Do or Don’t?
Professional makeup artists have known about Temptu for years, and now, regular makeup consumers will soon be in the know about this popular airbrushing brand. On September 15th, Temptu launched their new airbrush system in Sephora’s nationwide, giving the general public a chance to spray their way to flawless skin!
The Temptu AIRbrush system comes with the mini, light weight compressor and airbrush gun. “The Air Pod Foundations” are sold separately, in sets of two. There is also the option to by blush and a highlighter, also sold in “pod” form that can be sprayed through the airbrush gun.
So this all sounds fabulously exciting, but what are the downsides?
First of all the cost! It is $225 for the Airbrush set (gun and compressor), not including the actual makeup. If you want your foundation, tack on another $55! These prices alone makes this new makeup must-have seem depressingly out of reach for a lot of women.
I am very skeptical of how well this new product will do in Sephora, if the price doesn’t make women run for the hills, how about the unconventionality of product in general? Sephora’s website talks about how hygienic it is, and how there is no more need for brushes or sponges. This is definitely true, but add on the time you MUST spend cleaning your airbrush gun after each and every use, and all of a sudden, you might start to miss your sponges after all! Airbrush guns are very temperamental and need to be taken care of in order to work properly.
I hate to sound like a downer because I actually love Temptu and own one of the airbrushes, but this just does not seem like the most practical investment for Sephora customers.
One other thing to remember: You do not need an airbrush to achieve flawless looking skin! The magic is in the application and it is entirely possible to make yourself look thick and cakey even when using an airbrush. I challenge you to find what works best for you! I have not tried this particular product yet, so if you love it, please let me know!
Top Five: Emmys Makeup
Emmys 2009 – The Best Makeup of the Night
Mila Kunis
I LOVE Mila Kunis and her makeup last night was gorgeous! It really suited her face and made her look even more amazing than she normally does. I’m usually not into matching your eye makeup with your outfit, but it totally works for this look! I also love that she has some color on her eyes, and didn’t do the grey smoky eye like everyone else.
Mila’s makeup artist is Tracey Levy.
Jennifer Love Hewitt
I haven’t seen J-Love in a really long time and I have to say she looked amazing last night. She seems very happy with her new boyfriend, Jaime Kennedy, and being in love makes her glow even more! She opted for the bronze smokey eye which I think is a great choice for the baby yellow dress. The little bit of gold shimmery shadow on the inner corner of her eyes makes her eyes pop.
Hayden Panettiere
I’m actually watching TV right now and they are ripping Hayden’s look to shreds. I really don’t get it, nor do I agree at all. They said she looks like a 40 year old woman. Um hello!? I hope I look this good when I turn 40. Anyways, I think she looks fabulous; definitely more mature, considering she’s only 20 years old, but still fabulous. Also, its the EMMYS! She doesn’t walk around like this everyday people!
I love the red lips and feathery lashes. Her skin looks glowy and healthy, and her eyebrows are perfect.
Kim Kardashian
Kim always looks amazing, she could wear green lipstick and I bet you it would look beautiful on that face haha! Her skin is always flawless, perfectly contoured, and she definitely loves her blush. She went with a blue eye last night, which was definitely a change from her signature smokey look, but she pulled it off without a hitch. It looked so pretty and sparkly with her white dress.
Kim’s makeup artist is Mario Dedivanovic
Olivia Wilde
Olivia Wilde looked beautiful last night! Her Marchesa dress was GORGEOUS and I loved the gunmetal smokey eye with the light gown. No wonder she was crowned #1 in Maxims Hot 100 poll this year.
Prescriptives is Going Out of Business
Good-Bye Prescriptives!
Makeup brand, Prescriptives, announced on their website several days ago that they will be closing their retail counters on January 31, 2009. Prescriptives has been around for 30 years, and was made popular by their unique custom blending. Working at the Prescriptives counter was one of my first jobs so this makes me sad! They did have awesome skincare, and I know a lot of ladies that are going to be very upset by this news. You can still buy Prescriptives products on their website while supplies last, but the manufacturing has stopped for good. Estee Lauder announced the sad news yesterday.
RIP Prescriptives!!
Understated Beauty Tool
The Metal Eyelash Comb
Clumpy, thick, spider lashes are a beauty nightmare for most women. Old mascara can be the culprit, as well as application techniques, but don’t worry! Perfectly separated lashes are lot easier to achieve than you can imagine.
It’s much easier to prevent a mistake than to fix it, so follow these easy steps tips to get separated lashes every time:
1. Make sure your mascara is not expired
Mascara has the shortest shelf life out of all your makeup. 4 months is the maximum amount of time that you should keep your mascara tube around, and that is only if you take great care of it! Don’t pump the wand in and out because it forces air inside the tube, causing the mascara to dry out and become a bigger breeding ground for bacteria. Keep your mascara fresh and you will avoid dry clumpy eyelashes.
2. Wiggle It!
The magic is in the application. When applying your mascara, place the want at the base of the lashes and wiggle it left to right all the way up to the tip. The wiggle motion keeps the lashes separated.
3. Get rid of excess product on the wand.
When you pull the wand out of the tube, check it to make sure there is no excess product build up on it. Too much product on the wand will mean too much product on your lashes, and too much product on your lashes will result in clumpy-ness. Wipe excess mascara on a tissue, or on the rim of the tube to ensure you get just enough mascara on your eyelashes.
Ok, So You Missed a Step, Ignored a Rule or Used Old Mascara and Now Your Lashes are Thick, Clumpy Galore. What Now??
Meet your new best friend: The metal eyelash comb/separator!
You’ve probably seen or even owned a plastic eyelash comb. They come in most brush sets, but this one is a little different, and SO much better! The teeth are metal, which force them through the clumpy build-up of mascara coated to your lashes. Comb through two or three time and say good-bye to spider lashes! Seriously, it’s that easy! I use it a lot when my models sneak off to the bathroom to apply more mascara. They think they’re pulling a fast one on me but I’m not blind! haha Combing through their mess with this tool has saved many photo shoots.
Just BE CAREFUL! Sharp+Metal+Eyes= No Bueno.
Fun Fact! Julia Roberts uses a safety pin to separate her eyelashes when she applies her own mascara!! She brought this real-life detail to her character in Charlie Wilson’s War! Please don’t try this at home. A metal eyelash comb is much easier lol.
If only Tammy Faye had known about this magic wand…
New York Fashion Week Spring 2010- Last Day!
MBFW Beauty/Makeup Overview- Day 8 of Fashion Week.
Today is the last day of New York Fashion Week! It has been an amazing week with gorgeous collections and interesting makeup. Countless cat-eyes, apricot lips and mascara-less eyes! Check out the makeup looks from the last of the runway shows this season.
Trias
The makeup at the Trias show was very unique today! The whole face is very bare and natural. The eyes are lined on top and bottom, without touching the lash line. The liner pattern looks almost Egyptian! I really like this look and I’m happy that the makeup artists did not go overboard with the rest of the face. It might have been too much.
Argentine Designer Collections
5 Argentine designers showed their collections this season at Fashion Week. This was my favorite look out of their show. With all the bright lips today, I was almost missing the dark, smokey cat-eye! The models wore peachy/pink nude lips, apricot blush and a rockin’ cat-eye. The eyes are rimmed in dark black and the shadow extends out into a sharp, dramatic point. The eyeshadow stays pretty low on the lid, not even going above the crease. This is a definite rockstar look.
Allude
I LOVE the make at the Allude show. Very dewy skin, bare eyes and slicked back ponytails make the look SO clean! On the lips was a blood red gloss which made the whole face pop and gave a classic feel to the makeup. The bows of the lips were drawn on very sharp, continuing the Autumn/Winter trend talked about in a previous post, here.
Calvin Klein
The makeup seen at the Calvin Klein show was SUPER bare and natural. I just wanted to share a few pictures because I’m loving the dewy (almost wet) looking skin. Dewy skin was definitely the “finish” of choice on the runway today. So clean and pretty!!
Isaac Mizrahi
The makeup at the Isaac Mizrahi show is very similar to the Allude show, but I love it just as much. Bright orange-red lips and no makeup on the eyes. Another look with no mascara! That has certainly been a popular makeup choice this season. Brows were filled making the look very retro.
Naeem Kahn
It was all about the lips today!! At the Naeem Kahn presentation, the skin was dewy and the eyes were kept pretty natural, with a little bit of lashes. The lips and hair are definitely the focus of this look. Lips were a gorgeous bright magenta/purple. This look is amazing, the models look like little victorian dolls.
Behind the Scenes
New York Fashion Week Spring 2010- Day 7
MBFW Beauty Round-up Day 7
Nanette Lepore
Models walking the Nanette Lepore runway were very colorful today! Bright peach blush on the cheeks and a burnt orange gloss on the lips. On the eyes was a pale orange shadow to match the cheeks, and the lower lid was lined with a bright blue eyeshadow.
Michael Kors
Another vibrant, but classy, look at the Michael Kors show! The eyes are the focal point of the look with shades of blue, purple and gold. Makeup artists placed a light blue shadow on the inner lid and blended a deep purple around it, as well as along the lower lash line. In the inner corner of the eyes, there is a bright gold shadow which really makes them pop! The skin looks very satiny and on the lips is a pale pink/purple lipstick.
Anna Sui
Anna Sui’s Spring line was very appropriate, with lots of flowers and cute sundresses. With the straight hair, parted in the middle and the makeup, the models looked like the walked straight out of the 70′s! On the eyes was a very subtle smoky shadow to make them stand out, but not too much. Cheeks were a gorgeous rosy pink, and lips were kept nude.
Milly by Michelle Smith
I love the big black bows and side ponytails at the Milly by Michelle Smith show! The makeup is very natural, with a little bit of black liner rimming the upper eyelid, and lots of bronzer! You can’t tell in the picture, but the skin was very shimmery with tons of highlights on the cheekbones. Lips were nude.
Doo Ri
The makeup at the Doo Ri show was very interesting and very monochrome. The eyes were given a wash of grey shadow up to the browbone. No liner and no mascara. The lips are the same shade of grey/blue which match the clothes almost perfectly. Eyebrows were very strong and super defined. I’m not sure what I’m feeling about this look. I’ll get back to you on that… lol!
Behind the Scenes
Pictures from MBFashionWeek.com
Gorgeous Smokey Eyes at the VMAs
Red Carpet Makeup
The MTV Video Music Awards were so good this year! So much drama! From Kanye stealing Taylor Swift’s moment to Lady Gaga’s outfits (omg I LOVE her!!), to Katy Perry’s smokey eye. It seems like the dramatic eye was the look of choice for many of the VMA celebrities. Below are some of my favorite looks of the night.
Katy Perry was my all time favorite look at the VMAs! She looks flawless! Her skin is perfect, the lip color is gorgeous and the gunmetal grey cat eye was to die for. Covergirl makeup artist, Jake Bailey is responsible for this look.
LOVE GAGA. Enough Said.
No Smokey Eyes But….
Doesn’t Taylor Swift’s makeup look insane! So pretty. The lips are incredible and the liquid liner makes her look like an old Hollywood movie star.
