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

When summer rolls around the heat can really mess up your makeup & make you feel sticky & not cute. Here are a few tips to try to beat the heat & keep your makeup looking fresh all day long.

- Use an oil free moisturizer after washing your face. I love Aveeno’s oil free moisturizer with SPF (so important for the summer).

- USE A PRIMER – people skip the priming step, but it’s so important. The primer will help your makeup stay put, not crease & last longer. It really preps the skin so foundation & concealer stays smooth. MAKE UP FOR EVER has an amazing primer & different types depending on your skin color or skin problems. Check them out here.

- Only use foundation & concealer where you need them. Unless you really need it, do not put foundation over your entire face. Using a slightly damp sponge will also help put on a sheer layer of foundation.

- Use waterproof mascara. Whatever your favorite kind is, get it in the waterproof version so if you sweat – it won’t matter! I love Dior Iconic mascara & Covergirl Lashblast mascara. Also, find an eyeliner that doesn’t run. I love MAC Kohl pencil, but some people find they smudge. Again, using a primer will help with this problem.

- Lastly, use blotting sheets! Clean & Clear makes a set of oil sheets that I love. Just put them in your purse & use them whenever. They won’t remove your makeup but instantly removes shine. I made a post about them a couple months ago too.

What I’m about to say is usually a huge

NO NO!

However… I like to think nothing is ever off limits – it just depends on your execution.









Recently there has been the use of white eyeshadow (such as the picture above of a Donna Karan model during one of her shows)… This look is crsip & clean & I tried it on Jessica Couch in our last shoot, but only had a white liner to do it. I wouldn’t recommend using a liner because it creases – & creasing with white are VERY obvious. Instead, try a white shadow – I haven’t tried any yet, but I’m sure if you use a nice primer from Smashbox or MAKE UP FOR EVER on your lid, followed by white eyeshadow by MAC with an angled brush you could get this look. Keep your face clean & bronze + a few coats of jet black mascara to get wispy strong lashes. This would be perfect & I’m going to try it soon!

I had a woman named Tracy G.M. James ask me suggestions about bright lip color – She sounds like she knows her stuff about makeup & I gave her some suggestions about lip color. I also decided I’d make a post about some amazingly brightly colored lipstick.

Bright lip color with a bare face is a huge trend for the spring, make sure you skin is super smooth & glowy, put on one of these bright lip colors & you’re all set.

1. NARS Semi-Matte Lipstick in “Funny Face” – This lipstick is described as fuschia color, it’s extremely creamy & has a blue undertone to it. Get it here for $24.00

2. Color swatch of Funny Face… Visit Sephora or a NARS counter at a department store to try this color on.

3. NARS Semi-Matte Lipstick in “Schiap” – This lipstick is SUPER fluorescent, I’ve only seem a couple people pull it off, but it’s gorgeous. My friend Zewidi has it on in the picture below. Get it here for $24.00

4. NARS Semi-Matte Lipstick in “Heat Wave” - This lipstick is semi-matte, creamy & a really bold color. It’s described as Orange Red & that’s exactly what it is. I wore this in a recent photo shoot. You can see the photo below. Get it at the NARS website for $24.00

5.  A color swatch of NARS’ Heat Wave

6. MAC Morange – This lipstick is bright orange – not for the weary, the color is really intense, but very pretty. The finish is an amplified cream. You can buy a matching lip liner from MAC or opt for a reddish orange lip liner to play down the orange of the lipstick a little bit. Make sure you blend the two well. $14.00

7. MAC Russian Red - This color is described as an intense bluish-red and the finish is matte. I love this color & there is a picture below of me with it on a couple years ago – gorgeous color.$14.00

Try some colors at MAKE UP FOR EVER – I see the colors all the time, but have yet to try one of their lipsticks. Based on their intensely colored eyeshadows I bet they’re lipsticks are really pretty on as well.

The other weekend Lauren Cowart, my favorite photographer, & I worked together!! Her stuff is SO amazing! I wanted to do something super colorful on Margaret, who agreed to be the model for the shoot. I choose a vibrant blue eyeshadow from MAKE UP FOR EVER called Turquoise Matte 72 & an amazing lipstick from NARs called “Funny Face” I layered MAC Dazzleglass lipgloss over the lipstick – Dazzleglass is a limited edition high shine gloss from MAC & I love them! Next time: I’m going to leave the lips nude, take some photos then go back in with a bright lipstick.

After shooting Margaret, I really wanted to do another look ,but it would have been too much to take all the makeup off of Margaret so Margaret and Lauren suggested I do a quick look on myself while they finished taking the last photos downstairs. I took about ten minutes to do a quick face on myself using another NARS lipstick I picked up called “Heat Wave” I did a winged eyeliner with my Loreal Lineur and used my Covergirl Lashblast Mascara that I love.

Check out a sample of the photos below – we took tons and played around.I love the colors!! Thanks so much Margaret and Lauren.

Check out Lauren’s blog here!!!

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.)

So I went home to Maine (yes, I’m from Maine & yes there are black people there – & yes I’m probably the first person from Maine you’ve “met” haha) … anyway… I did a couple of my friends makeup to play around. I have this one picture of my friend Sarah Rowe & I like the way her makeup came out. She rarely wears a lot of makeup so even something light felt like a lot of makeup to her, but it was fun to play around.

I’ll be honest & say I don’t remember exactly what I used. I had a good canvas, which always make the makeup application more fun

MAKE UP FOR EVER Foundation … MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Powder.. Some MAC under eye concealer .. Some bronzer… a purple type eyeshadow & I used MAC eyeshadow with an angled wet brush to make brown liner for her ( a little less harsh than black eyeliner all around). I think the color really set her eyes off! I used a NARS lipstick as well. I wish I had written it all down, but it’d be easy to remember with all of my makeup in front of me. If you have any questions ask away & I’ll do my best to remember.

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.

Although it may seem like a drag… but when the season changes

CHANGE YOUR FOUNDATION TOO!

In the winter your skin can lose it’s tan from the summer & make you one or two shades lighter.  I recommend searching for a new shade foundation for the winter season & do the same next summer when you get your tan. There’s nothing worse than being able to SEE someone’s foundation color.

Try Covergirl foundations, they’re great!!

Check out the MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Invisible Cover Foundation colors below that I use in the different seasons.

MAKE UP FOR EVER HD INVISIBLE COVER FOUNDATION. Shade 173 (summer) and 170 (winter)

My new favorite product. It’s a must have! GET IT!! It’s worth it.

This new product is the MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Microfinish Powder for $30. You can get this at Sephora stores & it’s rated as a Sephora best seller and given 4 1/2 stars out of 5 on the website reviews. This powder sets makeup & mattifies skin slightly, but still lets the natural skin shine through. It is talc free and has silicones in it to fill in lines & areas that shouldn’t be there. It gives a super natural glow & makes you look like you have flawless skin.

I doubted the product at first so I put some on my face in the store, it’s amazing!! I bought it and use my MAC 182 Buffer Brush $45 to put it on.

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!!

Last night I was playing with the new makeup I got in the NEW MAKEUP post I made the other day. I used the MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Foundation, the MAC Concealer, some MAC bronzing powder & different eyeshadows on Erika. I don’t think we got a close up of the final product (I don’t know why), but there will be pictures coming soon of some of my work, I promise!

Me & Erika!

Here’s a look at a few things that were added to my makeup bag today. MAKE UP FOR EVER FOUNDATION of course, MAC MINERALIZE POWDER, MAC UNDEREYE CONCEALER, & a MAC KOHL EYEPENCIL & my favorite lipgloss (not in the picture):

C-THRU!!

I’m excited about this especially because I got three different colored foundations: light, medium & dark and some very light concealer. This way I can be more prepared for whatever skintone comes my way.

I’d mentioned a little something about this before, but definitely not details & I had someone ask me this morning how to get super bright eyeshadow. They were referring to when they use MAC Eyeshadow in color Rule (orange). You can see the color on my My Personal Flower Power post. This color does tend to blend in with brown skin, but there are ways to help it pop.



1. I like MAC Prep + Prime Eye Primer $16.50 – I use the brush below to apply it, or a larger brush to blend it on my eyelid all the way up to my brow bone. This creates skin that is like a blank canvas – like a painter begins with a blank canvas. If you use this I do recommend using a powder over it to make sure it is dry – Prep + Prime has a damp finish which can crease.





2. I love MAC Paints $16.50 – I use Bamboom, which is good for medium skin. Try out the different colors they have so that it matches your skin closest. I use the same brush to smooth this wherever I want to put the eyeshadow. This is a great way to make sure the color you are about to put on is as intense as possible. Paint has a guaranteed staying power of 12 hours!







3. I use a MAC 239 Eye Shader Brush$24.50  to apply shadow, often times I’ll use a different brush to blend but really it’s what you prefer to get the most intense color possible. You need to LOAD your brush with the color you want & PRESS it onto the eyelid getting it as close to the lashline as possible. To get more intense color load your brush again PRESS & repeat.







Tip: Try different brushes to see how they blend – at the counter of course
Tip: Play around with different products – I’m going to try MAKE UP FOR EVER Eyeshadow $19- the pigments seem so intense.