Okay I picked up some new products the other day & want to give you all a little review of them!

1. Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder $33.00 – This bronzing powder is a top rated product from Bobbi Brown & after using it I can see why! This bronzer is super smooth. I bought a nice stiff contouring brush from Sephora to apply it with. I purchased the “deep” color because I wanted to use it as a contour on my cheeks, nose, & use it along my hair line to blend all of my makeup in. It is so seamless. I love Bobbi Brown products for skin as I’ve said many times before!

2. MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Microfinish Blush $25.00 – LOVE THIS BLUSH! I got it in a number 8 -PDA, which is described as a Pinky Nude color. I use a MAC brush I have for foundation to apply it. Like all other MAKE UP FOR EVER products this is made for pictures & television. It is so smooth & creamy & blends perfectly. Totally worth it, especially because you can put it on sheer & build the color up as you want. The color can get really intense. I can’t wait to use this in a shoot!

3. Smashbox Lash DNA Mascara $19.00 – AJ Crimson suggested this mascara to me. I bought it & wasn’t super impressed, but it definitely gives a lot of volume. I still actually like the $10 Sephora mascara I tried the other week. I feel like this mascara is very heavy & clumped a little bit. But still a good mascara nonetheless.

I’d suggest the Bronzer & Blush. So amazing and a great fresh look. There’s a picture below where I used all three products

So most of my product reviews have a majority of the same products I always use, but this product review has two products in particular that I’ve never tried before. I took the picture above in my bathroom of some things I picked up this past weekend. I needed a red and pink lip liner, I wanted two different colored lipsticks (both are great!) & decided to finally invest in some Bobbi Brown foundation. NOTHING has disappointed. Check out the review below…

1. NEW – Bobbi Brown Natural Finish Long Lasting Foundation SPF 15 – I have never tried Bobbi Brown foundation but I hear AMAZING things about it. I have a concealer from Bobbi Brown and absolutely love it. This foundation did not fail. It looks like you have NOTHING on at all – I use a sponge to put it on & it’s flawless – definitely my new favorite foundation for everyday/a night out – for photoshoots I still like MAKE UP FOR EVER – Get it at Bobbi Brown counters at department stores or online here. – $45.00

2. MAC Satin Lipstick in Rebel - My friend Kelcie loves this color & it looks amazing on her – I also love it – especially when I go back to black hair. It’s a deep color but still vibrant. $14.00

3. Illamasqua Lipstick in Underworld – this lipstick is only sold at Sephora. I tried this brand I’ve never even heard of but saw the color & needed it. It’s this briiiight purple color – AMAZING on. Try it please! $20

4. Sephora Collection Long Lasting Eyeliner - I never really use Sephora brand except one of their mascaras which I’ve been given for free because of my points I get for shopping there – but I wanted a new eyeliner that didn’t come off as easily as my Loreal so I tried this – it’s amazing. Great brush to apply either a super thin or thicker line & it didn’t come off throughout the day but comes off easily with eye makeup remover! – $10

Hope you guys enjoyed and will try some of these products

Let me start off by saying I had an amazing trip to New York City. I absolutely love it there as it will be my new home in May. I feel so at home & at peace there… it just feels right.

This trip wasn’t just about play…I had some business to handle. The first stop was the Stevie Boi Fashion Show at the Soho Hotel with Nyne (@nynelyves). We met some great people there who we hope to run into in the future! Stevie Boi’s glasses were great & I’ll definitely be ordering a pair. Check out the website here.

The next order of business was the NYU Fashion Show…

put together by @thelovelylou. Please hit her up on twitter. @Nynelyves debuted her vintage clothing line in addition to about give other designers who showcased their original lines. I loved watching the fashion show, but more importantly I loved doing the

MAKEUP!

I arrived at the Kimmel Building on NYU’s campus after an emergency run to MAC to get @nynelyves some eyelashes on the way there. I got there at 3pm& immediately went to work on male & female models. There were 3 other makeup artists there – I think all of them used to work at MAC, but now freelance for MAC & do their own individual projects on the side.

The male models just needed smooth even skin & some countouring. I used my MAKE UP FOR EVER foundation along with Bobbi Brown powders & concealers & used a MAC powder to contour.

The female models had the theme of color but we were given a lot of freedom to do what we want. We each did several models & worked straight through until the show started at 8pm.

I was EXHAUSTED to say the least & parked my behind in a chair next to @dctobc to watch the show.

Because I was so busy doing makeup all afternoon I didn’t even get to get many pictures – but the ones I did get are below!

It felt so AMAZING because the hair stylists & models kept giving me compliments about the makeup & asking for my cards – I hope I get some good business off of this! (Shout out to @c_lux for the business cards too.)

Dear Santa,

These are just a few things I want. Please and thank you in advance, because you always come through.

v

Love,

Anna

P.S. Mom I hope you see this post!!

1. NARS Sheer Matte Foundation in Tahoe $42

2. NARS Bronzing Power in Laguna $30

3. NARS Matte Lip Pencil in Bahama & Belle De Jour $24

4. Bobbi Brown Sheer Finish Loose Powder in Basic Brown $34

5. MAC Tined Lipglass in C-thru $14.00

So the other night I planned a last minute photo shoot and these are the results….

I’m MORE than satisfied.I used a picture of Kim Kardashian who had her makeup done by Mario Dedivanovic who I did a post on before. I toned down the intensity of the makeup a little bit – Amber could even wear this out to a club. I worked with Lauren Cowart, she is simply AMAZING! Check out her website HERE!Amber Grissom was the model for the shoot – she favors Kim Kardashian so I thought it was appropriate for the look I was going for.

Check out a few more photos of the shoot below. It was super relaxed & I enjoyed myself.

How I got the look:

1. Used NARS Makeup Primer $33 all over the skin with MACs 190 Foundation Brush $32

2. Mixed 2 shades of MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Invisible Cover Foundation $40 together & applied with the same foundation brush.

3.  Under the eyes I used MAC Studio Finish Concealer $16.50 with MAC’s 195 Concealer Brush $22.

4. I set the foundation & concealer with Bobbi Brown Sheer Finish Loose Powder $34 with a MAC 182 Buffer Brush $45

5. I filled in Amber’s brows slightly with a MAC Eye Brow Pencil in Stud $15

6. I prepped Amber’s eye, lashline to brow, with MAC Paint in Bamboom $16.50 to give the eyeshadow something to stick to. I used a MAC 239 Eye Shader Brush $24.50 to put on the Paint.

7. I then used the same brush & loaded it with MAKE UP FOR EVER Eyeshadow in Purple 92 $19 – I used it in her crease and outer eyelid as well as below her lower lashes. I blended up upwards towards her brow.

8. I used MAC Pigments in Melon $19.50 on the inner corner of the eye using the same brush.

9. To highlight the brow I used MAC Eyeshadow Rice Paper in $14.50 with the same brush blending all of the colors together.

10. I then used a MAC 222 Tapered Blending Brush $28 to blend the eyes together and continue to build the color intensity.

11. I used Dior DiorShow Mascara $24 on her lashes. I cleaned up under her eyes with a q-tip and touched up the under eye concealer.

12. I then used MAC Powder Blush in Peachtwist $18.50 over the apples of her cheeks & blended it out to her ears using a MAC 129SH Powder Blush Brush $34.

13. Over all of this I used MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Microfinish Powder $30 with the MAC 182 Buffer Brush.

14. On the lips I used a MAC Cremestick Liner in Sublime Culture $14.50 in to outline and fill in lips.

15. Over it I used a MAC Lustre Lipstick in High Tea $14.

WHEW!!!!

16. I touched up whatever needed to be fixed and viola!! Amber’s lashes are super long so I didn’t even waste time with fake lashes.

It took me awhile to post this, I apologize. I’ll keep it real & say my blogging motivation went out the window for a second & I was on super chill mode. But I did go to the mall the day like I said I was going to. I spent 2 + hours (not joking) playing around in Sephora, and at MAC and Bobbi Brown in Hudson Belk.

HERE’S THE WINNER:

Givenchy Pop Gloss Crystal in Light Up $24

Take a look at the lipglosses down below with a brief description as to why I liked, or didn’t like, them.

C-THRU will always be #1 in my book though, no matter how long I search for a new favorite.

I’m on the pursuit of the perfect lipgloss today….

MAC?

Dior?

Yves Saint Laurent?

Smashbox?

MAKE UP FOR EVER?

Sephora?

Bobbi Brown?

NARS?

Clinique?

Chanel?

Urban Decay?

Forget about happiness, lipgloss is where it’s at! haha. But really, I’m on my way to the mall right now & will probably spend a good hour searching & I’ll be sure to post pictures of the lipglosses I tried & let you know if I found my perfect no lipgloss (other than C-THRU) … wish me luck!!

Last night I decided to be brave & do a bright eyeshadow. I’ve mentioned before that I usually stick to browns or just eyeliner, but last night was different.

How To Get The Look:

1. I did the regular foundation hoopla – MAKE UP FOR EVER HD FOUNDATION in 176  $40and Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit $32 – I used the foundation only in the spots I needed & the concealer under my eyes.

2. On my eyes –> MAC Eye Paint in Bamboom $16.50 – I put this all over my lid with the 238 Eyeshader Brush $24.50

3. Used that same brush & loaded it up with MAC Eyeshadow in Romping $14.50 (use whatever color you want here). I pressed it onto my eyelid, reloaded the brush & repeated until I got the color intensity I wanted.

4. I highlighted the inner corners of my eye with MAC Pigment Colour Powder in Melon $19.50 – I added a little more Bamboom Eye Paint so the powder had something to stick to.

5. I touched up any places I needed to, cleaned up under my eyes with a q-tip & put on some C-THRU lip gloss of course!!

Your Foundation + Your Moisturizer = New Tinted Moisturizer

No, this isn’t a math equation. When you run out of something or you can’t just don’t want to buy it, you can MAKE it. In this beauty tip make your own tinted moisturizer. Take your favorite moisturizer (mine is Mary Kay Velocity $10) & mix it with the foundation you have….voila…

Tinted moisturizer.

This is perfect for a time when you want less coverage than regular foundation gives. It’s a sheer layer of cover & evens out the skin tone while letting your own skin shine through.

Tip: Mix a little shimmer with the foundation to get an extra  glow. Try MAC Iridescent Power/Loose $22

I’ve always been a huge fan of MAC, but recently I have switched my makeup. I remember when I first started off wearing Covergirl - when they didn’t have the Queen collection and their range of brown foundation was – let’s just say subpar.

I’ve switched up what I use – I’m not saying use what I use, but I’ve found Makeup Forever’s foundation to be great…and now I’m deciding to try something else new…so take a look!



PAST – I used MAC StudioFix in NC45 $26 – It’s oil free, medium coverage, matte finish. All that good stuff. BUT it does havE SPF – AHHHHH! Great for skin, but I don’t like. I didn’t forget that I’ll tell you all why…later.















PRESENT- Right now I use Makeup Forever HD Invisible Covere Foundation $40 – I use a sponge to apply it or a foundation brush I have from MAC. I like the fact it has no SPF and is used for HD TV so the coverage is crazy. It looks really natural and comes in a million shades!!












FUTURE - This is on my “Hit List” - Bobbi Brown Luminous Moisturizing Foundation $45 – The reason being that I love my Bobbi Brown concealer so much and Bobbi Brown is the queen of flawless skin. Remember my post about them!?















Now that you’ve seen my past, present & future of foundation, experiment. Sephora is great because they have sponges out and makeup remover & a bunch of cosmetic lines in one place – except they don’t have MAC or Bobbi Brown

If anyone has a great foundation tip or line that they use tell me. Also, drug stores carry some great lines of foundation – they’ve done a lot of research recently to step their game up. I’ll have a drugstore spread in the future.

There’s an ART to this – under eye concealer is tricky, but when done right creates such a great glow under the eyes!

1. TEST TEST TEST – play around at makeup counters for your right color, try them on, take them off, try again (if you buy them at Wal-Mart, Duane Reade, Rite Aid etc., where you can’t try on, you CAN return if it’s the wrong color so take advantage)

2. INVEST INVEST INVEST in a sponge or brush for application. I use Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit $32 – It comes with a Sheer Finish Loose Powder & an applicator to set the concealer.

3. USE a brush to get a small amount of concealer on it & dab under the eyes from inner corner to just beyond the outer corner.

195 Concealer Brush $22

LINE LOWER RIM OF EYE WITH A WHITE LINER TO BRIGHTEN EYES & MAKE THEM APPEAR LARGER!

1. Use a liner that draws on easily

2. Try MAC Eye Kohl Liner in Fascinating $14.50

3. Try Makeup Forever Kohl Pencil in Matte White 2K $17

4. Try whatever brand you want – Covergirl, Bobbi Brown, Revlon, etc.

4. Use a nude colored liner for a less retro look.

5. Be delicate with the liner…too much white can leave you looking a little scary. Play around with it!

6. Recessionista: Use a white eyeshadow you have, wet a thin eyeliner brush and paint on your makeshift eyeliner!

Bobbi Brown – The first thing I think of when I visit the Bobbi Brown stand is FLAWLESS SKIN! Bobbi strives to redefine beauty & her view might seem unconventional.  With straightforward, easy-to-use cosmetics in timeless hues, all formulated to create a smooth, natural, & healthy appearance.

“Beauty isn’t about looking perfect. It’s about celebrating your individuality.”

I will continuously be posting more information about Bobbi  Brown.