Tis the season for a red pout!

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Someone asked me if I buy a new red lipstick every season, of course I do! I am also constantly asked about how to choose the right shade of red for your skin tone, so here is a little direction in that area....

If you’re very fair with a porcelain or ivory complexion, you should go for sheer colors. 

If you wear a sheer red it could be warm or cool. You don't want to look gothic so you want something sheer so it’s a lot more wearable. Almost between a lipstick and a gloss.  Also for light skin tones if you’re going to go with the lipstick rather than a gloss, select a red shade with a blue undertone. A good way to test if your lipstick has a blue undertone is by marking on a plain white piece of paper to see if it has more blue, yellow or brown tints in it.

When you are medium-olive toned you can go a little cool and a little warm. A lipstick with a little yellow and blue combined is good. Many red colors have either a yellow undertone or just brown or blue. Medium skin tones can do all of the above! So lucky..:)

For darker skin tones, you need a darker, richer, burgundy red. A little of brown and yellow undertone. The problem with dark skin is a too blue undertone looks too pinky so you need a burgundy or brown base to it.

Far too often women miss out on wearing this wonderful shade for fear of picking the wrong color, I hope this helps, so you can have some very merry lips this season!

Golden Eye

Golden eye.... Sounds like a James Bond movie right? Not this time....It's the golden look carried over from summer, with a little kick that will warm up your holiday!

I have been obsessed with gold eyeshadow all summer and now it's time to take it into this season , but punch it up a little for a dramatic smokey look that's different from the traditional smokey eye. The key to this look is in smudging/ blending the liner!


Step

1. Prep and prime face

2. Sweep a velvety gold or bronze gold shadow from brow to lid. I use MAC shadow in Woodwinked because it's one of my favorites.                

3. Optional to take a medium brown shadow to the crease.

4. Take a darker brown like Urban Decay's Twice Baked Chocolate Brown and line upper and lower lash line.

5. Highlight your brow with a white shimmer shadow such as MAC Dazzelight.

6. Use a black liner to tightline your eyes for that added "pop!"

7. Coat with black mascara.

This is the look that will enhance any eye color and goes with just about any outfit for this season.

Tightlining

   
I just  love when I disover a new technique that changes my beauty routine...For me such a discovery was Tightlining, a technique to give you the illusion of a bigger, more natural eye... It's perfect when you want to give off that "not trying so hard" beauty vibe!

Tightlining is when you apply liner to your upper lash line, sort of like drawing roots on the underside of your upper lashes, right at the waterline to make your eyes stand out and give the illusion of fuller lashes and bigger eyes.

How To Tightline Eyes with Pencil or Gel Eye Liner

1.Using clean fingers, gently lift your lashes upward (this step is only necessary if you find it easier to tightline). You'll see tiny gaps between your lash hairs, which you'll be filling in with eye liner.

2.Using either a gel or pencil eye liner, lightly dab the eye liner in between each individual lash (as close to the root as possible), to fill in your lash line and make it look fuller. Start at the the inner and work to the outer corner of your eye.
3.To intensify the look, tightline your bottom lash line as well. It's the same concept as the top, but you'll be filling in the space between your lower lashes.

 

Tightlining is my favourite elegant ‘no makeup’ makeup look. For people who prefer nude makeup or light makeup, but still want to appear awake with deep eyes, tightlining is the way to go!

 

 

 

 

Bridal Makeup Breakdown: Bride Christine

My bride is gorgeous to begin with, but I love seeing how makeup transformed her into a more glamorous version of herself. I never want my bride to look like the makeup is wearing her. My pet peeves for bridal makeup is when the makeup is too caked on, the eye makeup and brows are too severe, and the lips are too over done.

The look of the day had a classic feel with warm tones to go with the exceptionally hot Tennessee heat wave! The makeup I chose for Christine had soft hues of gold, latte and chocolate that suited her skin tone very well.
 Here is a list of products I used to create her look on this most special day!

Face:
Airbrush Foundation in Natural Beige
Concealer in Light/Medium
Makeup Forever HD Setting Powder
MAC Blush in Blush Baby

Eyes/Brows:
MAC Brow Pencil in Coffee
MAC Dazzelight as a highlighter
Chanel Ombre Shadowlights in Chahut in crease
MAC Brun Satin eyeshadow on lid
MAC Eye Khol in Smolder to line eyes
Lancome Definicils Mascara in Blak
Andrea Individual Lashes

Lips:
MAC Nice'N' Spicy Lip Pencil Pro Longwear
MAC Viva Glam Lip in Angel
Hard Candy Mouthing Off Sheer Lip Shine in Sweet Treat

Brittany Connor Photography did a beautiful job of capturing the beauty of this bride!

Vibrant eyes... This ain't your Mother's eyeshadow!

I am loving the vibrant eyeshadow colors on the market by MAC, Sugarpill, and Medusa! They are perfect for summer, but blending is key!

 The most vibrant colors should stay closest to the lashline, fading as it reaches your eye's crease. Just know that all skin tones can't handle every color on the palette.There are some shades of eye shadow that will just work better on your skin than others. When you're shopping for eye makeup, choose colors that work well with your eyes and your skin color. Your eye shadow should make your eyes pop, but not overwhelm your skin tone. Blue shadows are great for blue eyes, and softer shades like purples and pink are fantastic on women with darker eyes and skin. If you have pink skin (as opposed to a yellow base), avoid pinks or purples.

To begin the appication, start with highlighting your brow with the lightest shade you want to use.
Since you will save the most vibrant color for next to the lashline, use a color a little lighter in the crease. For example, and vibrant blue at the lash line and a paler blue in the crease. Make sure you get the paler color all the way into the crease of your eye, as well as a little on top of the most vibrant color next to the lash line. To get rid of the line between the two shades of eye shadow, blend the two eye shadow colors together using your finger. Your eyes should pop!

If you decide to use vibrant eye shadow, the rest of your makeup has to be subtle. Your lip color should be relatively natural. Not only will this keep the attention on your eyes, but it will also prevent any of your makeup colors from clashing with your shadow. This is an intense trend in makeup and practise makes perfect, and not a clown face!

Pretty Pout

Lips are such a vital part of a women's appearance, maybe that's why women are rushing to the plastic surgeon for fillers....Before you go to the enhancement doc and come out looking like a Koi fish, try some simple techniques with lipstick/gloss and lip liner!

If thin lips are what's stressing you, trace a line just outside your normal lip line with a liner matching your lipstick. You are faking a line, so don't overdo it! Fill in with the lip liner and add gloss to the center of the lips to draw light and make lips appear fuller. Play up eyes and use a more neutral shade on lips.

If you have uneven lips, with one side fuller than the other or one lip is fuller than the other,  use concealer to balance them out. Trace lip line with liner so that the lips match up and then add lipstick in the same shade. Stay away from clear gloss as it may accentuate uneven lips. Instead, opt for a gloss in the same shade as lipstick.

If shapeless lips are getting you down, trace the "V" in the center of the top lip a little heavier when lining to emphasize it,  and then apply two coats of lipstick for durability.

If you are born with full lips, then flaunt it! A lipstain is gorgeous in all shades and lasts all day. Full lips are what we all want so use lipgloss for a natural look or leave it when using a deeper hue.... When applying makeup, feel free to down play eyes to draw attention to the beauty of your pout!

Just remember, if you feel the need to go get a filler, please don't go overboard and please be educated on the procedure! Or.....

Cat Eye

Cat eye makeup is making a huge comeback! Making up your eyes in this fashion adds to their appeal, and can make you look, mysterious, seductive and glamorous. While everyone would like to accomplish the art of  getting that feline look, it requires skill and the right techniques. A wrong step could lead to terrible results, and make you look like you were trying and it was an epic fail...and everyone knows....:)

Step 1: Use the tweezers to remove any eyebrow hairs that might stray in the way when you are working on your eye makeup. Once this is done, use concealer or foundation to minimize the presence of dark circle underneath. Everything should be clean to allow the liner to stand out.

Step 2: For a classic cat eye look, use a vanilla colored eyeshadow from brow to lid blending as you go.

Step 3: Start on your eyes with the eyeliner. Hold the outer end of your eyelid taut and with a steady hand, work your way from the inner eye towards the outer end of the eyelid. End the line by sweeping out and up slightly. Use the eyeliner to thicken the line that you have just drawn. If you do not have a steady hand, apply a few light dots with the eyeliner and then fill them in, smoothing out the dots as you go.

Step 4: Lashes!  Curl them with eyelash curlers so that there is more definition added to your eyes. Apply a few strokes of mascara, or if you have sparse lashes, add in some lash pieces. Recoat with mascara and use a little comb to take care of any clumps.

Step 5: Add the final touch by enhancing your eyebrows with an eyebrow pencil! This is such an important step in framing your face!