Teal Eyes

I was at work last week when one of our lovely Stila representatives, Stephanie Mesmer of Beauty Excel, came into Sephora. She had the most gorgeous eyeshadow look comprised of teals, greens and blues. I loved how vibrant the colors were and I knew I had to try it on myself. A few days later a friend said I could play around with her new Motives and Sugarpill eyeshadows (which I have been dying to try) and I immediately created my own variation of Stephanie's look.

Because I was testing out brand new shadows, I used a little bit from each brand. You definitely don't need to use as many colors as I did to recreate this look, but I was way too excited to try them that I couldn't leave any out.


Eyes
1. Prime the eyelids to ensure long wearing, vibrant, crease proof shadow application, I used my Urban Decay Primer Potion. I also used the scotch tape trick to keep the winged edge of my eyeshadow super crisp.
2. Apply a green liner as a base to make the colors look deep and vibrant, I used my Urban Decay 24/7 glide on pencil liner in 'Deep End'.
3. Blend a medium brown shadow into the crease to add definition, I used 'In the Buff' by Motives. Deepen the crease with a gray shadow and blend upwards, I used 'Cosmic' by Motives. Add the tiniest bit of black shadow to the outermost corner, I used 'Bulletproof' by Sugarpill.
4. Press a bright, matte teal shadow onto the lid avoiding the outer corner, I used 'Midori' by Sugarpill. Darken the outer corner with a deeper matte teal, I used 'Mochi' by Sugarpill.
5. Run a pearly teal color over the matte teals, I used 'Instyle' by Motives.
6. Trace the inner corner of your lid with white pencil to serve as a base, then place a white & pearly blue shadow overtop. I used a mix of 'Crystal Blue' and 'Mykonos Blue' by Motives and a bit of 'Tako' and 'Afterparty' by Sugarpill (I used way more colors than you actually NEED for this step).
7. Place some glitter over the eyeshadow near the center of the lid. I used my Sephora Glitter Eyeliner & Mascara in 'Mystic Teal'.
8. Line your upper lashline with a black liquid liner, I used my Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in 'Trooper'.
9. Highlight the browbone to lift the eye, I used a sheer dusting of 'Vanilla' by Motives and 'Tako' by Sugarpill.
10. Add mascara and wispy false lashes for extra drama.
11. Line the bottom lashline with a white liner to serve as a base for the colorful shadows. I used a combination of 'Crystal Blue' and 'Mykonos Blue' by Motives for the inner corner, 'Acidberry' by Sugarpill in the middle and 'Mochi' by Sugarpill for the outer corner.
12. Place three tiny green dots underneath the edge of each wing. I used my NYX Studio Liquid Liner in 'Extreme Green'.
13. Finish the look by filling in the brows, I used my Anastasia Brow Wiz in 'Medium Ash'.

Face
Foundation: Nars Sheer Glow
Concealer: Mac Pro-Longwear
Powder: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette
Blush: Nars Deep Throat
Bronzer: Nars Laguna
Highlight: Laura Mercier Baked Highlight in '01'

Lips
Lipliner: Palladio in 'Nearly Nude'
Lipstick: Mac 'Modesty'
Lipgloss: Benefit 'Sugarbomb'

The Mystic Seminars

Thursday I had the awesome opportunity of being part of the wonderful makeup team for the Mystic Seminars. These seminars bring together a group of extremely talented photographers of many different backgrounds and styles. They hold classes, share tips, critique and teach mini workshops to other professional and aspiring photographers. As a photographer myself, it was a really cool experience to see a bunch of different artists teaching at once. I really loved watching Ben Von Wong shoot, and I was even more impressed when I looked up his website later that night.

Some of my own images - Nicole Cudzilo Photography

Erin Infantino of Simply Gorgeous by Erin offered me a spot on the makeup team, and I'm so excited that I got to work with such a talented group of girls, it was such a blast! 

My models were photographed by Brian and Allison Callaway of Callaway Gable, they are multiple award winning photographers who have shot for publications such as: Town and Country, US Weekly, People and Inside Weddings among others. They are based out of Los Angeles but are available for world-wide travel and recently photographed Charmed actress, Rose McGowan's wedding. They were holding a workshop on engagement portraits called the 'Callaway Gable Way'. I think the photos should be lovely and I can't wait to see them!

Here are a few of my behind-the-scenes snapshots:

my lovely model (and awesome wedding photographer) Erin of www.daphneanddean.com

Makeup, hair and models! Visit my instagram (nicolecudzilo) for all of the individual credits!

watching the photographers get to work

I will do an updated post once I get the photos back from the photographers! And a huge thank you goes once again to Mystic Seminars and Simply Gorgeous by Erin!

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Other photographers: Sean Flanigan, Jared Platt, Bambi Cantrell, John Micheal Cooper & Dalisa Cooper, Camille & Chadwick Bensler, Richard Israel, Benjamin Von Wong, Davina + Daniel, Citalli Rico, Ryan Brenizer, Fer Juaristi and Kirsten Lewis.

Other artists: Adriana of The Beauty Bar, Kelly Hart of That Girl, Shana Bartlett from A Touch of Color, Erica T Martell of Erica Martell Makeup Artist and Dana Bartone & Co, Jocelyn Tonne of Simply Gorgeous by Erin, Meghan Cotto of Simply Gorgeous by Erin and Jessica Sager.

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Check out more of my photography on my website: www.NicoleCudziloPhotography.com

Becca's "The One Perfecting Brush" - Review + Florida Photos

I just got back from an awesome week vacationing in Florida with my boyfriend and some friends where we got to see the everglades as well as the keys. We hiked through mangroves, kayaked through an overgrown, smelly, but beautiful swamp, and snorkeled in wonderfully warm waters where we saw a huge moray eel, some barracudas, a goliath grouper and a green sea turtle. It was an amazing time and I'd love to visit Florida again!


When you go on a trip, you don't want to bring very much with you, especially if you are traveling by plane, so I though it would be the perfect time to try out my Becca 'The One Perfecting Brush'. Priced at $49 it is made from non-porus goat hair (cruelty-free) and it's supposed to take the place of ten face brushes to apply everything from liquids to powders to creams without having to clean it between each step. Hoping it would work, the only brushes that I brought with me were two eye brushes (one to shade and one to blend) and this Becca brush.

Because the trip was very outdoorsy, the only makeup I wore during the day was this Shiseido sunscreen spf 43 that had a bit of a tint to it, which I would highly recommend. But for the evenings, I brought some little samples of things I had been wanting to test run. Most ended up being Becca products as I like to test out a new tool with items from their own line, but I also knew that all Becca cosmetics were supposed to be very resistant to water, sweat and heat. 

The brush applied my Make Up For Ever Face & Body foundation (it is waterproof, sweatproof, lightweight and looks like skin) really nicely and left a light, even coverage on my skin. The best way to apply it is with stippling motions and then blend it out in long, sweeping strokes. I used my fingers to apply my under-eye concealer because I felt like the large bristles would irritate under my eyes. For bronzer I tried out my sample of Becca's Bronzing Skin Perfector, which was a really pretty liquid bronzer. On an everyday basis I think I would still prefer my powder bronzer for a more precise contour, but this liquid gave me a very pretty, beachy glow. I applied it the same way as my foundation and it lasted the evening. For blush I tested out samples of Becca's Beach Tints in 'Guava' and 'Lychee' and they were AMAZING! I applied them in the same motion that I did for my foundation and bronzer and they blended like a dream. I also applied them as my lip color and topped it with some gloss, they smelled divine and the color lasted through dinner and drinks until I removed my makeup at the end of the night. 

I haven't cleaned the brush yet, but I wore makeup 3 of the 7 nights I was there and I didn't have a problem between applications with colors ending up in the wrong places on my face. When you are ready to clean it, Becca recommends that you use something very gentle like a baby shampoo so as to not damage the natural bristles.

All in all, it was a very handy tool to have and I will certainly bring it on any future trips.

anole earring (yes it is alive), baby crocodile, kayaking, alligator

florida panther crossing, baby alligator, the glades, my first palm tree

snorkeling, goliath grouper, barracuda, tarpon feeding

***I received my brush for free as gratis from a Becca representative while working as an employee at Sephora. All opinions and statements are my own.

Wintertime Blues

New Year's Eve was a really busy day for me, I did countless makeovers at Sephora and then I came home to do makeup for a friend who was going to a school party. My favorite thing about working on my friends is that they usually let me do whatever I like with their makeup. Tori just showed me what she was wearing for the night, a dark blue dress with one jeweled sleeve, and we went from there! Thanks for letting me photograph you Tori!


























Eyes
1. Prime the eyes to ensure long wearing, crease proof shadow application. I used my Urban Decay Primer Potion.
2. Apply a white base for bolder color. I used a shimmery white jumbo pencil from Sephora Collection. (Thanks Jackie!)
3. Lightly dust a light brown shadow through the crease to serve as a map for the other shadows.
4. Pat a shimmery, pearly white shadow over the whole eyelid, and bring the color along the lower lashline as well.  
5. Shade a dark blue color
6. Pat a medium blue shadow between the dark blue and the pearl color to add a subtle gradient.
7. Line the top lashline with a dark blue gel liner and run what is left on the brush along the outer half of the bottom lashline. I used one from Maybelline.
8. Place glitter all over the lid on the light pearl color. I used my Sephora glitter in 'Sassy Silver'.
9. Add mascara, we only did the top because Tori's eyelashes are extremely long and we didn't want them to look spidery.
10. Finish the look by filling in the brows, I used my Anastasia Brow Wiz in 'Medium Ash'.

Face
Foundation: MUFE Face & Body in #20 and #38
Concealer: MUFE HD Concealer in #325
Powder: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette 
Blush: Nars Deep Throat
Bronzer: Nars Laguna
Highlight: Laura Mercier in 'Highlight 01'

Lips
Lipstick: Mac in Modesty & Creamcup
Lipgloss: Benefit in Sugarbomb

Wedding Day Makeup you will LOVE

It's after the holidays and couples are getting engaged! (Congrats to Larisa & Rob and Jillian & Julian)!

On your wedding day you want to feel like the most beautiful and radiant version of yourself. Here are a few tips to ensure that your wedding makeup comes out exactly the way you want it to, so you don't feel like you're under or over done. With these pointers in mind, you can be the elegant, simple or dramatic bride that you have always pictured.

left photo: Martine Colepaugh - right photo: Photography by Jillian

*Know what styles you are drawn to.
- do you want to look natural? 
- do you want to look like you stepped out of a high-fashion magazine?
- do you want to play up your lips or your eyes?

*Look at previous work.
- check out the artist's website, blog or facebook page to get a feel for their quality and esthetic.

*Ask a lot of questions.
- will they be the one doing your makeup?
- have they done weddings before?
- will they bring another artist with them?

*Bring pictures.
- find photos from magazines or the internet and show them to your artist. It is super helpful for a makeup artist to actually see what you like and what you don't like.

*Have a trial.
- this is the absolute best way to make sure that you will love your wedding day makeup. You will have one-on-one time with your artist where you can discuss everything that pertains to the look for your big day. You will be able to see how the makeup looks, feels and how long it wears. I highly recommend every bride getting a trial done! 

And always keep in mind that makeup will photograph softer than it looks in real life.

left photo: Photography by Jillian - top photo: Martine Colepaugh

Check out more of Jillian's Photography on her blog.