The Daily Beauty Break

I don’t care how long I’ve been doing makeup…(actually about 13 years now)..I’m always on the lookout for new tips and tricks…And just in time for your Xmas shopping Bobbi Brown brings us a new book….Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual ($32) available at major retailers TODAY and at the counters in January 2009 (can you believe the years almost over!).

Anyways…this book is for EVERYONE….from makeup newbies to pro’s trying to make it in the world of beauty…It’s definitely going to be on my Holiday reading list…..I’ve read Bobbi’s other books and they are step-by-step on task…beautiful photos and right on  technique every time.

Be Beautiful….

Honesty really IS the best policy. That’s why I love the girls over at Product Fiend….they dish on all the latest and greatest in the skincare world (and all the trials and tribulations regarding it…..wrinkles AND zits, anyone?). Seriously though, I’ve always followed the “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all” policy here at TDBB.  Mainly, if I try a beauty product and it’s a real STINKER….it’s won’t get a mention here either way…I try my best to “keep it real”….bottom line, I want to help YOU the dear reader look and feel her best….and if a product doesn’t fit the bill then I won’t write about it.

But after reading Wendy’s review of Bare Essentials Bare Essentials Bisque Concealer today (I swear it almost sounds like she got a bad batch or something..), I just had to make a little list of my own favorite concealors….I mean, talk about being worked into a corner….Zits just suck all the way around….and if you are like moi, when it comes to hiding the little buggers price can be no object ( nothing like returning a concealor to a counter girl becuase it won’t cover your zits…GOOD TIMES)  So I thought I’d do a quick list of my ALL-TIME favorites…

1. Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage ($20)…(with ya on this one Wendy!) This little duo has the perfect constistency for covering zits….super pigmented and thick, it won’t budge!!! Bonus, you can mix the two shades as your skin changes with the seasons so you will always get a perfect color match!

2. PUR Minerals 4-in-1 Pressed Mineral Foundation ($24.50). I slap this bad-boy on in the am when I have to take the kiddos to school but just can’t bear to go out of the house with the “chaos that is my face” showing….bonus, you don’t need to set it with powder and there’s no icky sheen like some other mineral makeup! TOTAL COVERAGE = TOTAL RELIEF, I say!

3. Illuminare Extra Coverage Foundation/Concealor ($27). This is my “go-to” foundation and concealor when I am really in a skin pickle and have to go do makeup for a photoshoot…(nothing like being a makeup artist w/ acne)! A cult fav among us makeup artists…Illuminare probably has the most pigment of any pre-mixed foundation I have ever tried…..I always get compliments on my “skin” when I wear it…If they only knew….

TIP: When it comes to covering your zits…A. make sure your skin is prepped…flakes are toned or scrubbed away (go easy) and you have a good oil-free foundation primer on to help “even out the topography”..if you know what I mean! After foundation, set with a good translucent powder…then move on the concealer…apply in layers my dears….think concealer/powder/concealer/powder until the madness is GONE, BABY, GONE!!!

Be Beautiful Ya’ll…..

(my girl Faith…working her magic at the Marc Bouwer show….)

New beginnings….that’s what it’s all about. I am so hopeful after last nights election and hopefully you are too my beauties!! So ANYWAYS…I told ya’ll that I would have tips for days after my Bobbi Brown Uber Master Makeup Class at Fashion at the Park this season and here’s a good one…….

MY personal Bobbi Brown makeup artist Faith Edwards told me the CUTEST way to know whether or not your mascara needs to be tossed...If it doesn’t make that K-I-S-S noise when you open it (you know the suction-y sound as you pull out the wand) it’s time to say GOODBYE to that tube….NO K-I-S-S means that A. your mascara is totally dried out and B. it is probably loaded with all kinds of “goodies”!!!

Now (of course) this little lesson wouldn’t be complete without me sharing with you what mascara you need to replace your old…..Get it while you can,  you MUST HAVE Bobbi Brown’s Limited-Edition Everything Lash Glamour Mascara Combo ($28)!!!

Now I gotta admit, when I first opened this bad-boy I wasn’t sold….the first few times I used it I ended up with some SCARY spiderlashes…But I honed my skills…and if you start with the “Everything Mascara” and really work it into the base of the lashes and then fill out the ends with the “Lash Glamour” formula you’ll have lashes for days…….(suprising bonus, this mascara really seemed to help my lashes retain thier curl, too!!

Here’s to new beginnings……

Be Beautiful Ya’ll!!!!

Happy Halloween my beauties!! You got your costumes for the weekend all figured out? Well, rather then re-invent the wheel I wanted to show you all the great How-To’s on one of my favorite beauty websites Total Beauty. Total Beauty is one of my sources for all the latest and greatest beauty finds, professional makeup tutorials and   “real people”  cosmetics reviews. They aren’t afraid to keep it real and I love that they do lists like “Editors 9 LOWEST rated body lotions”.

But seriously, TB’s Halloween makeup How-To’s are off the hook!!! There’s the “Twinkling Fairy” (pictured above), “Glamorous Mask”, “Sexy Kitten” (why do women always have to be either “sexy” or “dumpy” when it comes to Halloween…I soo don’t get that), “Classic Pin-up” (think Vita Don Teese), “Sexy Vampire” and MY favorite “Retro 60’s Girl”.

The step-by-step instructions are SUPER easy to follow and you don’t have to be a professional makeup artist like moi to re-create the looks…….Total Beauty Rocks!!!

So I hope you have a totally fun, totally safe (sorry it’s the mom in me) Halloween this year my pretties!!!

Be Beautiful and send pictures…..

*OH and don’t forget to enter my Sally Hansen Natural Beauty….inspired by CARMINDY giveaway (it will just take you a second….)!

Hello my beauties! I am SO about bronzer right now, can I just tell you? It is my favorite thing….esp after all those years in the 90’s without it….(so many bad pictures of me white-faced!!!) And now that our summer color has officially faded, I wanted to share with you one (of the many) tricks of the trade that I learned at The Bobbi Brown Master Class last week!

Leave it to Bobbi’s team to make it super easy for us….(it was definitely one of those Aha! moments for moi)…How to find the perfect shade of bronzer for you? According to Bobbi’s Kim Soane and my “personal” makeup artist Faith Edwards….Just look and match the color to your arms!!!! Since we are all great about wearing sunscreen on our faces (right, ladies?) but not quite yet on our bodies, our arms are usually a few shades deeper than our face…..and our natural “tan” shade is EXACTLY the color we want when we buy bronzer……DUH!!!

Here are my High/Lo Bronzer picks….(of course) Right now my High pick is definitely Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder ($33). Perfect for fall and winter, I am digging it because it doesn’t have all the shimmer in it that some of the others do…it gives you realisitic looking color for the colder months so you don’t end up looking like your face went to Hawaii and your body stayed home….

Lo Pick is definitely Milani Cosmetics Powder Bronzer ($<5). Why? Same reason as Bobbi….not too much shimmer….And I was also suprized by how much pigment Milani gives you at such a great price! Nice…REAL Nice…..

Happy Monday and Bronze Beautifully…..

Hello my beauties…..Been thinking hard on this topic and just had to share with you my  5 Top Tips on “How NOT to look OLD”. There are so many out there but these 5 really “float my boat”…

1. Use foundation primer. The 2 seconds you spend applying this magical product before your foundation or concealer is HANDS-DOWN the best thing you can do for your skin. Primer fills in hills and valleys and helps to lessen the elevation of bumps and lumps……PLUS you will be amazed at how much better your foundation covers! My current fav? Napoleon Perdis Auto-Pilot Pre-Foundation Skin Primer ($39)…..I found it to be least slimy and “oily” feeling of all….

2. Say goodbye to dark, matte lipstick. Need I say more? Now be careful on the gloss…you want more of a SHEEN vs getting all “Porn-Star Paris Hilton-ish”…..( photo courtesy of TotalBeauty…check out the amazing photos from their story “Erase 10 years”…the pictures are phenom!!!)

3. Use a  Gradual Self-Tanning “Lotion”. (Instead of plain old Self-Tanner which can be tricky and has the potential to streak). These gradual Self-Tanners are SO easy to use and hide a multitude of past skin “sins”…Brownspots anyone?  It’s amazing how the neck and backs of hands can age you….I use Olay’s Touch of Sun Overnight (<$9). I’ve found it to be the least offensive scent-wise and who doesn’t need a little extra moisturization before bedtime?

4. Use a moisturizer with SPF EVERYDAY.…after you apply it to your face take it one step further and coat your neck, chest and the backs of your hands.….I’ve told you before, but my fav is Neutrogena’s Healthy Defense SPF 45 Daily Moisturizer (<$13). I was just telling someone the other day that this awesome product helps keep my brownspots at bay WAY better than some others I’ve tried that are $100 bucks or more!!!!

( Is Helen Mirren NOT amazing? Talk about aging gracefully.….)

5. Accept your AGE. Sorry to get all deep on you ladies but I gotta say this one probably takes the cake. After all my years in the biz, I’ve seen some scary stuff…..you know, lots of women that look GREAT far away and then you get up close and are like, SCARY? I think nothing ages a woman more than when she tries to look YOUNGER than her AGE…I mean, don’t get me wrong…I don’t think there’s anything wrong with trying to preserve what your maker gave you..But tread LIGHTLY when it comes to the knife and needle...At some point we just have to accept that aging happens…So I say look the best you can FOR YOUR AGE!!! (Okay, I’m off my soapbox now….)!

If you have any tips or tricks that you rely on to look the best for YOUR age do tell!!!

Be Beautiful Ya’ll….

Hello my beauties!!! Meet my girlfriend Christine….busy mom of 3 (yes, I said THREE) girls all under the age of seven, she is ONE mom-on-the-go (what is the STAY-at-home mom thing supposed to mean anyways?). I wanted to show her an easy, FAST makeup technique that would enhance her already gorgeous natural beauty…and did I say FAST?

Skin: I used one of my all time favorite liquid mineral foundations…Illuminare Fantastic Finish Foundation ($27). This moisturizing foundation gives beautiful medium-coverage while providing an SPF of 21!  I applied to the center of her face blending outwards….just using it where she needed it. After that, I set it with my good old standby Cornsilk Shineless Classic Translucent Loose Powder(<$6)…if you’ve ever read anything I’ve wrote, you know my devotion to this magic powder. I’ve used it since I was 13…YIKES!

Cheeks, Eyes and Face: Then I used my handy-dandy favorite blush/bronzer combo EVER…..Nars Bronzer/Blush Duo in Orgasm and Laguna($37)…I applied the bronzer in my classic horseshoe shape along the hairline of the entire forehead and tops and sides of cheekbones….and then to the contours of her eyes with a big fluffy blush. I topped it off with the blush just on the apples of her cheeks…..SMILE pretty Christine!!!

Eyes: Before I put the bronzer in her crease, I highlighted her browbone and inner corners with another all-time fav…Prestige Loose Eye Shadow in Jump (<$5). After the bronzer I brushed a quick coat of Cargos’ TexasLash Mascara ($17) to her lashes, top and bottom (and you really only need one coat with this stuff!). Next up was Anastasia Perfect Brow Pencil in Medium Ash ($22) to fill in her brows and frame her face. This handy pencil has it’s own brush …I just love multi-tasking…..

Lips: The finishing touch was a newbie I picked up at Target the other day…Pixi Lip Blush in Purity($18)…this stain is perfect “natural” lip and blush color for practically everyone (who is caucasian) and has major staying power…I topped it off with Bobbi Brown Shimmer Lip Gloss in Rose Sugar ($22)…. and Christine was out the door!!!

This look is perfect for anything from picking up the kids at school or a well-deserved (and seldom taken) lunch with the girls (sans kids)…And the best part? It took me like 5 minutes MAX to get the look.……..Doesn’t she just look fab? Did you ever think that just bronzer could bring out your eyes this much?  Thanks so much Christine for being such a doll and letting me plaster your beautiful face all over the internet!!! lol

If you have any questions at all about how to get this look email me anytime!!!

Be Beautiful Ya’ll….

So they say all artists have their own “style”….and I’ve thought long and hard on this one and realized over the years that no matter what, I don’t EVER do a “makeup” without highlighting the brow bone and inner corner of the eyes….EVER. We ALL need a little help sometimes when we miss our beauty sleep,no?

That being said, I am constantly on the lookout for new highlighting products and just happens that my favorite Beverly Hill’s Brow Guru just came out with a new one…. Anastasia’s Brow Duality ($23). This double ended pencil contains an amazingly blend-able, creamy formula….one side matte and one side shimmer. Duality comes in two sticks….Duality 1 in Matte Camille/ Shimmer Sand, a pink-based tone good for the pale girls and Duality 2 in Matte Shell/ Shimmer Lace..more golden and for darker complexions.

So needless to say these amazing sticks do the job of highlighting extremely well, but upon experimentation I found 2 additional uses…..1. The matte side of these pens work very well as an eyeshadow base…it really helped my shadows go on smooth and wear longer.  2. (This is the one I’m really excited about) the Matte Shell of Duality 2 COMPLETELY hide my under eye circles!!!….the peach undertones of this shade completely counteracts the blue in my circles so they go Bye,Bye!!!!…literally just draw it over the circles and blend slightly…the texture of the pencil is so creamy there is absolutely no caking or flakiness at all!!!!

Tip: When concealing under eye circles make sure the pick the right toned concealor!  Use peachy-orangy colors for bluish circles and pink-rose based shades for greenish circles….otherwise you run the risk of making your circles look worse (and GREY)…..Been there, done that!!!

Anastasia’s Duality Highlighter pens hit counters October 23!!! Be sure to check them out next visit to Ulta or Sephora…..

Keep those Brow’s Beautiful Y’all!!!

Good Day my beauties…..Well, not only did I have to do the annual foundation switch for fall but I had to do the same with my bronzer…. Just in time for Cargo’s New PlantLove Baked Illuminator in Wind ($28). This cool product is multi-use…it’s a blush, bronzer and highlighter in one! It has some pink in it so it blends better with my paler skin than my summer shade.

Tip: Want the JLO glow?…Using a medium brush apply bronzer in a “horseshoe” shape, blending directly INTO the hairline all along the entire forehead….continue outside the temples and onto the tops and sides of the cheekbones.(and don’t forget to apply blush to the apples of your cheeks to complete the glow) Then, if you want to get real fancy apply under the jawline, to your collarbone and decollete!

Warning, PlantLove Baked Illuminator has some SERIOUS pigment in it  (a little goes a ways) so use a big, fluffy brush to apply and slowly build the color….it’s way easier to add than to take away my friend!

All of Cargo PlantLove products meet the rigorous standards demanded by ECOCERT™, an international certification that guarantees products are eco-friendly through all aspects of product and production, dramatically reducing its environmental footprint. Their compacts are made from CORN and are biodegradable, all the formulas are 100% natural and are produced in a carbon-neutral facility. Now, that’s some “Good For You Beauty” right ‘chere girls!

Bronze Beautifully Y’all…and do comment if you have any application questions!!!!!

photo by Dixie Dixon Makeup by Moi

Hello beautiful people! Meet Jami….local model, mom and (most importantly) a beautiful person on the inside. I had so much fun working with Jami at our photo shoot…and was stunned at how amazing her skin looks in the photos. Of course, Jami has great skin naturally but I thought I would share with you some of the products I used to get The Look above…..so you can get it yourself!!!

1. I LOVE Lorac’s Breakthrough Performance Foundation ($38) As some of you know, I freelanced for LORAC ( owned by celebrity makeup artist Carol Shaw…..LORAC is Carol backwards…too cute,huh?) a few years ago……I fell in love with Carol’s shadows, lipsticks, bronzers, skin prep, pretty much everything……Except for the foundation….it was chalky and really sheer…a tough sell if the customer didn’t have perfect skin already….Well not anymore girls..Carol formulated this one perfectly!…..this foundation gives GREAT buildable coverage…it’s very yellow-based to cancel out redness and has TONS of good ingredients for the skin…..just look at Jami….

2. I forgot…I ALWAYS, ALWAYS start every makeup I do with foundation primer……primers go on top of moisturizer to fill in any little indentations and help to make foundation and concealer adhere….and since the primer forms a barrier between your makeup and your natural oils, you won’t get that nasty darkening of color that can happen later on in the day!!!!! For this shoot I used MAC Prep & Prime Skin ($23). It’s great for photography because it has shimmer particles that diffuse the light and give an airbrushed finish……

3. And last (but not least)…I used Cornsilk’s Classic Translucent Naturally Loose Powder in Nocolor ($5.49). to set and blend. Seriously, I have used this powder since I was THIRTEEN. I initially loved it because it contains crushed walnut shells….that sucked up my adolescent oil slick beautifully. Later on in my 30’s I realized that since it was so SUPER-FINELY milled I could actually use it under my eyes ( YES, powder around the eyes, I said it…) to set concealor and hide my sleep deprivation…and then also, due to the mica it contains this powder magically diffuses fine lines…and the price? Only cavout of the Cornsilk is the old school granny smell (really, I don’t mind it at all)..BUT you know, it’s always a conversation starter with the babies (I mean models) that I work on!

Be Beautiful Babies…..