The Daily Beauty Break

Retinoids, Glycolic Acids, Chemical Peels,MIcroderm, Photofacials….RESULTS=AMAZING, but waiting for those results SUCKS…IN BETWEEN=FLAKES & REDNESS….All these skin treatments have one thing in common, they all help the skin literally shed the old (”wrinkles, acne, sunspots, OH MY!”) before revealing smoother, younger-looking skin.

What to do in between? Try Kryolan’s High Definition MIcro Foundation Smoothing Fluid ($44). This soft, micronized liquid foundation melts right into the skin. I used it on a client last weekend who just started Tri-Luma and it covered her melasma beautifully, while keeping flakes at bay ALL NIGHT….Even better, it contains sunscreen for daytime protection.

Now, why should an average gal even consider believing the High Definition Hype? Because the new digital format is “what you see is what you get”….So when cosmetic companies do special formulations for the camera it means YOU get to reap the benefits and look great….IN REAL LIFE.  I highly recommend “High Definition” makeup for the average gal who needs a little extra help…(like moi).

KRYOLAN has specialized in producing makeup for professional makeup artists  in film/print and tv for over 60 years….Why should you care? If you don’t look good, we (the makeup artists) don’t look good. Thanks for that Vidal……..

Be Beautiful Ya’ll!

Hello beautiful people! Well, as some of you already know I was super thrilled and honored a few weeks ago to meet one of my makeup idols….CARMINDY, the master behind the make-up on TLC’s What Not To Wear.  Carmindy was able to  fulfill a dream I think most professional makeup artists possess…..she was asked by Sally Hansen to help them create a one-of-kind makeup line called Sally Hansen Natural Beauty….Inspired by CARMINDY……I was even more thrilled to learn that Carmindy honestly ONLY USES SALLY HANSEN NATURAL BEAUTY make-up on the show!!! Since they shoot What Not To Wear in HD, what you see is what you get (and made me even more positive that I MUST try out these amazing products)!!!

And wouldn’t you know it….last week I received my own box of “love” from Carmindy….and just have to share with you the standout products from the Sally Hansen Natural Beauty…inspired by CARMINDY line!

1. Luminizing Face Primer ($9.99). Well, you all know how I feel about primer….if you are going to take the time to put on foundation, put on primer first!! This shimmery, gel-based primer felt like silk going on….It made my foundation adhere seamlessly and then stay all day! I am super excited because I have yet to find a drugstore primer that I can recommend to my clients…Well, here it is Ya’ll!

2. Your Skin Makeup ($12.99) This foundation did a great job of giving  me the  medium to full coverage I need; I found this yellow-based (thank GOD) liquid to be super easy to work with and the results looked super natural…I recommend this foundation for experienced makeup girls or you  newbies to the cosmetic scene!

3.Fast Fix Concealer ($8.99) Thick enough to cover the nastiest of blemishes but creamy enough to use under your eyes….that is no easy feat from any product ( GO drugstore beauty…)!

4. Instant Definition Eye Shadow Pallete ($7.99) Consisting of a highlighter, mid-tone and contouring shadow, there is no end to the different looks you can get from this one pallete (they come in 8 color combos)….Use the highlighter for day and pump it up with the countor shadow for evening….These silky shadows have enough pigment to satisfy a makeup artist while managing to stay VERY user-friendly..(I’ll be using these puppies at my next wedding for sure…).

5. Natural Beauty Powder Blush ($10.99) Same as the shadows…enough pigment for moi, but not too much for makeup newbies….the shade I tested “Etheral” was super-light with just enough shimmer to give you a super-natural glow!

And last (but not least), I have to tell you about the lip gloss….

5. Natural Shine Lipgloss ($7.99) This yummy-tasting gloss is the perfect mix of balm and gloss….thick enough to stay awhile, but not a “hair magnet” like some others can be, I thought it had the perfect amount of color….it looks beautiful on it’s own or works great layered over lipstick for that extra “oouummph”!

The best part? Since Carmindy “shared the love” with moi…I am going to pay it forward and share it with you readers….I’ll be giving away my own “box of love” of Sally Hansen Natural Beauty…inspired by CARMINDY cosmetics…Stay tuned for my next post Ya’ll!!

Be Beautiful….

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!!! 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…..

Let me tell you…this whole High Definition “revolution” has not been kind to television anchors and celebrities…(or their makeup artists). So anytime I come across a product that gives the look of natural, perfect skin I get super excited!

Especially for men…traditional makeup looks so fake on them….and in the past I’ve used tinted blotting powder…which helped, but didn’t give enough coverage…

Well no more! Say hello to Cargo’s Blu_Ray High Definition Mattifier ($24)…Used alone or under/over your foundation, this product is like an instant airbrush to your skin….just a small amount of this silky, souffle-like textured cream/gel instantly refine pores, evens skin tone and diffuses wrinkles! Perfect for men on set or you “Nancy Naturals” of the world. It has a slight bit of color which helps to even skin tone while still looking like you have absolutely NO makeup on!

Bonus, it contains tons of goodies for your skin…like Vitamin A & E for antioxidant protection. I love this product because it is totally multi-purpose. 1. Use over your makeup as a powder…to set and keep shine away ( I like to apply with a small Kabuki-type brush) 2. use under your foundation as a makeup primer (since it’s silicone-based it creates a beautiful smooth canvas)…use fingers or a sponge, or 3. alone for a “natural glow” when you don’t feel like caking on any foundation! Not bad for $24 bucks…

Cargo Blu_Ray High Def Mattifier is definitely going to be taking up permanent residence in My makeup bag and My makeup kit!

And as the folks at Cargo say… Be-you-tiful (that’s their little slogan..cute,huh!)!

As if I need ANOTHER reason to love Target MORE than I already do…I just heard ( I was a tad late on this one dangit!) that they are bringing in makeup by some of my favorite prestige cosmetic lines/makeup artists….Coming soon ( I heard this month, but looked again today with no success…) are products by Napoleon Perdis, Jemma Kidd and Petra Srand (Pixi) Cosmetics….all three are going to feature products similar to their high end cosmetic lines…..at Target prices….and hey, if those Frenchies @ Target have taught us anything, it’s that great design and style don’t have to come with a high price tag!!!

Although I haven’t yet tried Petra and Jemma’s lines, I have absolutely fallen in love with Napoleons….his Auto Pilot face primer really is my favorite right now…for my kit and in my own makeup bag.

So check it out next trip into the Big “T”…and if you buy, you better dish my beauties!!!

YAY!!!

Be Beautiful Y’all….

I am so excited ya’ll….I recently scored a  broadcast gig doing makeup for the lovely Jessica Sherbert…anchor of Bank of America’s (formerly known as Countrywide) broadcast division. Jessica does a weekly show that airs to the companies thousands of sales employees….she updates them on all the latest in the home mortgage world..and most important of all, stays real ( and beautiful, of course) while she does it. She has THE perfect makeup face…..strong features and huge eyes for way fun eye makeup looks ( I need to do her makeup for a night out)…..a dream job for moi!

I’ve named her look for this weeks show “Peachy Keen” (yes, Jess I am probably going to have to name each new look…) Some of the standout products that we used for this week’s shoot were:

LORAC’s Miss Davenporte pallete ($38)…Sorry ya’ll don’t think it is available anymore as a set…but I am pretty sure that each shade is part of their regular collection and can be bought separately……but the peach shimmer just made her hazel eyes sing, don’tcha think?

Then I used my Handy-Dandy NARS blush/bronzer Duo in Orgasm/Laguna ($37) to contour her features and make her cheeks POP! It never fails to amaze me how handy this little duo comes in for me on the job….I use these shades on EVERYONE…from super-pale to ethnic beauty, these colors are universally flattering!

What was even better this shoot was that Jess introduced me to her makeup bag (and this girl knows her makeup, let me tell ya!)…..and from her stash I got to try her Make Up For Ever HD Invisible Cover Foundation ($40). This foundation melted seamlessly into Jessica’s skin and covered her (I think darling) freckles beautifully…all while looking super natural. MUFE’s HD line is formulated specifically to stand up to bright studio lights and we both think it does a great job making the camera (and Jessica) happy!

To finish off the whole look and make her makeup stay we used Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Powder ($30). I admit, I was pretty set on my MAC Set Powder…but MUFE’s formula won me over to their side…….SUPER-finely milled…So fine, in fact, that both Jessica and I were sneezing it out a few hours later….(hey, sometimes you have to suffer for beauty, nuff said!)….the HD Microfinish Powder did a great job setting her makeup and softening any imperfections…..without giving her that cakey, powdery finish we all know powder can do sometimes.

Result…perfect, flawless looking skin that took to the camera extremely well….Man, I could not imagine the pressure to be “in front of the camera” and Jessica manages to do it beautifully……stay tuned to see what color combinations we come up with next show!!!

Be Beautiful Y’all……