INDULGE: LIP & NAIL

With the change of seasons quickly approaching, it's no surprise that MAC Cosmetics has two new fall collections to INDULGE in.  This post is all about the INDULGE: Lip & Nail collection...and this is how MAC describes it:

"Revel in a magnificent banquet of colour for lips and nails.  Lipstick in deep plum, frosted beige and sheer, golden sparkle get layered with Lipglass, ranging from blackened berry to shimmering taupe.  Lacquered nails for that opulent touch, rich in jewel tones and molten metallics."

Take a look at the items in this collection:

5 Lipsticks ($15 each)

Smash Hit

By Design

Feed the Senses

Just a Bite

Sweet Succulence

5 Tinted Lipglasses ($15 each)

Ultimate Dish

Fashion Punch

Liqueur

Lust for Life

Utterly Tart

6 Nail Lacquers ($16 each)

Sinfully Sweet

Magnificent Feast

Discotheque

Impassioned

Screening Room

Rebel

INDULGE: EYE & CHEEK

With the change of seasons quickly approaching, it's no surprise that MAC Cosmetics has two new fall collections to INDULGE in.  This post is all about the INDULGE: Eye & Cheek collection...and this is how MAC describes it:

Fall Colour is a surreal feast for the senses, where no taste is too extravagant and no behaviour beyond limits. On the menu: Cremeblend Blush flushes skin with buildable glow as Eye Shadow defines eyes for the ultimate in temptation, intensified by Fluidline. Haute & Naughty Too Black Lash darkens and lengthens lashes. 

Here's a look at the items in this collection:

8 highly-pigmented shadows ($15 each)

Guilty Morsel

Sex & The Oyster

Three Ring Yellow

Divine Decadence

Beluga

Eat...Love

Deep Cravings

Palace Pedigreed

3 ultra smooth fluidline liners:

Guilt Gourmet

Deliciously Rich

Blacktrack

Haute & Naughty Too Black Lash Mascara ($21).  A two-in-one mascara which allows you to customize your style...naturally defined or powerfully dramatic.

2 cremeblend blushes ($21 each)

Tease Your Tastes

Glamour Feast

2 Makeup Brushes

266 Small Angle Brush $20   

213 Fluff Brush $24

All About Eyes Makeup Class

If you missed part 1 of this amazing class, About Faces...shame on you! Lol...but you can read all about it in my previous blog post About Faces Makeup Class. 

This past Sunday I had the pleasure of taking yet another class taught by the extremely talented Brittany Rogers. I really enjoy her classes because she is very personable and makes learning fun in an informal setting.  And she always gives us little goodie boxes which is super sweet. This class was sponsored by Shades by Shay and we got two really pretty shadows that I can't wait to play in. So let's jump right into what we learned.

The first thing we went over was brow shaping.  How to clean them up....meaning where the brow should begin...arch...then end, filling them in (using pencil and powder products), and then highlighting the brow-bone area.  One awesome tip that she let us in on was using Ben Nye's banana powder after using concealer under the brows.  This not only acts as a very nice and natural highlight but will keep your eyebrows...well the products...from running down your face on those hot summer days.  (I'll be trying this out for sure.)  She told us some of her favorite brow products and brushes to experiment with and find out what works best for us.

We then talked about eye shadow application brushes.  Now, you use what works for you...but these are just the basics.  You've got your regular eye shadow brush.  They come in a variety of sizes for whatever amount of area you intend to cover.  Usually the denser brushes pick up the most product to achieve a more vibrant color payoff.  You then have your blending brushes or fluffy dome brush.  These are intended to blend out the harsh lines after packing on your color with the eye shadow brush.  Then there's the crease brush.  This brush allows you to define your crease and/or concentrate the color in one specific area.

Now...let's talk about what I consider my everyday/wear to work eye and how to achieve it.  I know it's easier to explain via video but as most of you know I am still on a YouTube hiatus (we will talk about that in a separate blog post) so you will have to use your imagination...or simply how you would apply eye shadow lol.
1. Prime eyes -  this can be done with an eye shadow primer or whatever concealer or foundation you use.  It's just something to help keep your shadow from creasing.  My current favorite is the ELF Eye Lid Primer.
2. Base eyes - this is a product that is used to help make your shadows stick to your lids.  Your choice of color depends on the color shadow you are using.  My current favorite is the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil.
3. Pack on the shadow - pick up some shadow from the pan using your eye shadow brush and tap off the excess to prevent fall-out.  Put the shadow all over your lid but try not to put this shadow above your crease.
4. Blend! - the edges of the lid color need to look like it's fading into your skin.  Here you can use a transition color that is similar to your skin tone to blend out your lid color.
5. Define your crease - here is where you want to use your crease brush to make your eyes stand out.  On the outer portion of your eye, use a darker shadow to deepen where your eye meets your brow-bone.
6. Line your eyes - with a liquid, gel, or pencil...line your top lash line and lower water line.  For some added sultry-ness, smudge the liner on the lower lash line just a bit.
7. Mascara and/or lashes - no explanation needed lol

Smoky eyes anyone?  This is one of my favorite looks.  You don't have to just do a black smoky eye...smoke out a color for fun.  Here's how Brittany taught us to do it.  Follow steps 1-4 above.  For step 4 if you're doing say a black smoky eye...use a mid-tone brown to blend out the edges of the black.  Again, line your eyes...especially the bottom and here you definitely want to smudge shadow or liner on the lower lash line.  Add your mascara and lashes and your red carpet ready! lol.

I'll keep all of you posted on the next class that Brittany has...you surely won't want to miss it!  I hope you enjoyed my recap and now I'm off to try a colorful smoky eye...wish me luck!!!

Primers and Eyeshadow and Lipstick...Oh my!

My Partners In Pretty know the way to my heart! Being an aspiring makeup artist, you have to build your kit with the essentials. Foundation, primers, concealer, powder, eyeshadows, blushes, lippies, etc. And the ladies always bless me with the perfect products to add to my growing kit. Here are a few things that I got this weekend from my boos Shana of ShanaJanelle and Nikkia of Silver Lips Beauty. (I can't thank you ladies enough for my goodies!)

Ben Nye MagiCake Aqua Paint Palette...12 colors for the face and body. Activated by water or Ben Nye's LiquiSet Sealer, these colors are vibrant and extremely pigmented. 

Sephora eyeshadow in Prisma Chrome. This eyeshadow is not only pretty in the pan, it amazing on the skin. The texture is velvety smooth and easily blendable. I also think this would be a beautiful cheek highlight for the summer. 

MAC Cosmetics Pearlmatte eyeshadow trio from the Lilyland Collection. My girls know I'm a sucker for anything pink and green lol. I love the design of this trio and it may be too pretty for me to use lol. 

Senna Totally Transforming Eyeshadow Primer. (Colors light and medium) Senna cosmetics describes this product as a color magnet, eyelid color corrector, wrinkle minimizer, and eyeshadow fixative. 

MAC Cosmetics Metal Maven lipstick and Rock Out lipglass from the Riveting Collection. I love the frost on this lipstick and the rainbow glitter in the lipglass is gorgeous! Can't wait to find somewhere to rock these two lippies!

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics (OCC) lip tar stained gloss in new wave. I haven't tried these new stained glosses so I'm excited to see how they work. Plus I love a pink lip :)

Temptu Pro s/b concealer wheel. Being as though I am trying to build my kit...this is a perfect addition for concealing and highlighting. 

Make Up Forever makeup bag...this is great for travel or your big purse lol. You can never have too many makeup bags!

M·A·C Illustrated - Makeup Bags with Style and Attitude

Every girl has her makeup bag...and each one tells a story. M·A·C has gone another level and stepped up the carrying case for cosmetics game with their collection of Illustrated makeup bags. These bags are great for us who often carry our essentials in our purse or even for packing makeup for travel.  Here is what  M·A·C had to say about these gorgeous bags:

"Two award-winning illustrators transform M·A·C makeup bags into mini-masterpieces. Anja Kroencke's black-and-white line drawings of elegant feminine faces with huge, wavy hair, and New York City graffiti artist Indie184's vibrant graphic street style adorn M•A•C Store-exclusive bags, each lined with an interior in a complementing pattern, top zipper closure and a looped-end handle."

Although I think all the bags are very nice...I'm really eyeing the Indie 184 pink M·A·C logo one. Which one will you be picking up???

LORAC Fall 2013 Collection - Pro To Go

Lorac Cosmetics has come out with a nice fall 2013 pro collection.  Check out what they have offered in this Pro To Go collection...

Click here to watch the behind-the-scenes video

Pro To Go Palette

Easily contour, shade, line, and define like a pro. The velvety-smooth eye shadows and blushes are ultrapigmented and packed with long-lasting power. The palette includes three shimmer and three matte eye shadows (pearl, shell, chai, mink, cafe, and black), two eye shadow brushes, two blushes (coral and pink), and a bronzer (bronze). 

Cococin Cream Compacts

This lightweight formula is infused with Cococin®, an ingredient derived from young green coconut and loaded with vitamins and minerals to help keep skin healthy, hydrated, and silky smooth. Antiaging antioxidants of vitamins A, C, and E, phospholipids, aloe, red seaweed, white peony flower, echinacea, chamomile, and calendula help to calm, soothe, and revitalize. It's the perfect balance of skincare and makeup in one sleek, chic compact, that's great for on the go.  (colors: CR1-Fair, CR2-Light, CR3-Light Beige, CR4-Golden Light, CR5-Medium Beige, CR6-Golden Tan, CR7-Tan, and CR8-Deep)

Cobra Mascara

This mascara features a custom cobra head wand for creating dramatic, buildable volume and length for the longest, thickest, blackest lashes ever. Infused with keratin, panthenol, and vitamin E, its formula resists flaking and smudging.

Lip Lustre Gloss

Inspired by LORAC's top-selling 3D Liquid Lustre Eye Shimmer, this glam gloss instantly amps up your look with 3D sparkle. The paraben-free formula is infused with antioxidants of açaí berry, pomegranate, grape seed, and vitamins A, C, and E to help nourish and protect the lips. (colors: Ruby Lustre, Fuchsia Lustre, 3D Lustre, Rose Lustre, and Peach Lustre)

About Faces Makeup Class

I attended my very first makeup class this past Sunday!!! Yaaayyyyy!!!  The class was taught by the awesome Brittany Rogers (Check out her twitter and instagram here) and held at Studio 223. It was sponsored by LA Girl Cosmetics, Sylk Cosmetics, and Key2Impressions. Here is a little more information about Brittany via RawArtists:

"Brittany Rogers has been a Make-up Artist just a few years, but has been enhancing faces since high school.  Brittany born in Washington D.C always had a sense of style and a creative ability.  Brittany studied Make-up artistry at Bennett Career Institute, in a little over a year, Brittany had worked on up to three hundred faces of different skins tones, textures and types.  Brittany has been the Key Makeup Artist for Emerge Fashion runway show for New York fashion week and at such a young age her work has been published in Touch Magazine and Black Hair Magazine.  Today you can find Brittany creating new looks, sweating it out on the location of a photo-shoot or putting final touches on flawless face"

I was really excited about taking this class as it was my first real makeup class and I am eager to to get out there and start creating my portfolio. What I wanted to get out of this class was the fundamentals...you know, the basics. And Brittany taught us just that. She outlined everything step by step...the way you would normally do a face of makeup. Now while I think that one should learn from many sources and tailor to their own needs...I believe she helped us create the foundation on how to complete a clean face of makeup. 

We briefly talked about skin care and she told us some of her go-to products for maintaining healthy skin.  We also discussed the different skin types (normal, dry, oil, and combination) and what products to use and not to use on each.  She mentioned exfoliating at least twice a week, but too much may harm your skin.  Brittany also emphasized the importance of your diet...fruits, veggies, and water is a must!  

She then started to talk about "Prep/Prime/Moisturize" (but not in that order)...that was a little jingle that Brittany taught us to remember how we should start off each and every makeup look.  I hadn't been in the habit of using a primer but I have a few of them on my "to get" list.  We then went into brows and she let us know that they should be sisters...not twins or cousins lol.  I made note of another product that I will be getting (NYX auto brow pencil) as my Kevyn Aucoin one is on it's last leg (insert sad face here). We moved on to concealers (thank you LA Girl for my new Pro Concealer) and correctors and the uses for each color (green, orange, purple, yellow, pink ,and grey).  Brittany explained the various types of foundations (cream, stick. liquid, iridescent, and sheer or tinted moisturizers) and also guided us on how to determine peoples undertones.  She told us the consistency of each and how they should be applied.  Now the next thing we talked about was where I get the most nervous...highlighting and contouring.  She gave us a face chart (click here to see an example) and shared with us exactly how to get from the face chart to a perfectly blended finish.  Before attempting to apply everything to our own faces, we quickly talked about blush placement (by the way, I had been applying mine somewhat wrong...eek!) and bronzing.  

I learned so much from this class and it really helped me to know where I need to practice and polish my skills.  Brittany was a great teacher and was able to answer any question that was thrown her way.  Her team of assistants was very helpful as well...thank you to them.  And her family was extra sweet and very supportive of her.  She will be having more classes coming up soon and I will be sure to let all of you know when they are and how you can register. If you're just starting out in the makeup artistry industry like me...you won't want to miss her classes!

Testing the waters...

As many of you know I had a dilemma a while ago trying to decide if I wanted to pursue my love and passion for makeup artistry (click here to read) and I decided to go for it! I have been practicing my make up skills, learning various techniques, and doing lots of research. But it would not be at all possible if it weren't for my Partners in Pretty...especially my coach/mentor Shana Janelle. She answers what I feel are silly questions...and if she feels its something I need to figure out on my own...she points me in the right direction and says "Go find the answer yourself!" She won't always hand me what I want or need on a silver platter and for that I am truly grateful!

Recently Shana asked me to come along and assist her with a bridal party. She told me to bring my brushes as she may need me to do some light work. Boy was I in for a ride! She threw me to the sharks and I had to sink or swim. Needless to say I didn't want to let her down or embarrass myself. It was crunch time and I had to do this! Luckily there was a game plan which helped me to not be so nervous...but I still had butterflies. Ok they were more like huge waves that made me sea sick and light headed lol. But I jumped right in and went to work. I followed Shana with what she did and was able to get the job done. The clients were very nice and made my first makeup experience comfortable. (I'm sad I didn't get any pictures.) 

I assume I did a good job because Shana asked me to come assist her on another gig this past weekend. This time I was a little less nervous and was more comfortable with my application. And again the party was very energetic and made it a really easy going experience. 

I have signed up for my very first makeup class this coming Sunday and I'm super excited to learn as much as I can (I will post that experience next week). I hope to be as good as my mentor one day as she has inspired me to jump into this thing without a life-vest on. I will update you all as I embark on this new journey...I know it won't be easy but I have to build my confidence and keep telling myself...I CAN DO THIS!!! 

Lovely Lilac

At the advice of my mentor, I have decided to branch out and try some new makeup products. (Review on them later.) I tried out the Revlon Colorstay foundation in Golden Caramel, LA Girls pro concealer in Medium Beige, and MACs invisible setting powder. I also picked up a lilac lipgloss at the beauty supply store and thought I might as well do a lilac look. So here it is.  Below is a list of all the products I used to achieve this look. Enjoy!

On the eyes:

Kevyn Aucoin brow pencil in Brunette

Revlon Lilac Shimmer eyeshadow on the lid 

MAC Mystery on the outer corner

Rimmel London day to night mascara

Wet n' Wild gel liner in black

On the face:

LA Girl pro concealer in Medium Beige

Revlon colorstay foundation in Golden Caramel 

MAC invisible setting powder

Milani blush in Sweet Rose

Ruby Kisses mineral powder in Cognac for the contour

On the lips:

LA Colors lipstick in Frosted Lilac

IrisColors lipgloss in Lilac