Elegant Bridal Makeup

This is a timeless and elegant bridal look that is perfect for any season or makeup personality. It defines the eyes without being too dramatic and the skin looks flushed and healthy. Super full lashes add a romantic touch, and they'll make your eyes stand out in photos. Most of my brides request variations of this look, but it's also perfect for any special event or evening out.

Eyes
1. Prime the eyes to ensure crease-proof, long lasting shadow application, I used my Urban Decay Primer Potion.
2. Smudge on a base of white pencil to keep the eyeshadow colors looking light and romantic.
3. Press a matte cream colored shadow onto the lid and all the way up the brow bone.
4. Blend a matte light brown shade into the crease to softly add definition.
5. Deepen the outer corner of the crease with a matte dark brown shadow for added depth.
6. Highlight the center of the eye and the tear duct with a pearly shimmery shadow to brighten the eyes.
7. Line the top lashline with a black pencil and blend it with a smudge brush. Add a matte brown shadow over the liner to keep the look soft.
8. Add mascara and add false lashes if you wish. For this look I glued on individual lashes to keep them looking naturally full.
9. Smudge a bit of dark brown matte shadow along the outside edge of the bottom lash line and highlight the inner half of the bottom lash line with a shimmery champagne shadow.
10. Finish the look by filling in the brows to frame the face. I used my Anastasia Brow Wiz in 'Medium Ash'.

Face
Primer: Becca Resurfacing Primer
Foundation: Becca Radiant Skin Satin Finish Foundation
Concealer: Mac Pro-Longwear
Powder: Hourglass Ambient Light 'Ethereal Glow'
Blush: Nars 'Deep Throat'
Bronzer: Nars Laguna
Highlight: Laura Mercier 'Highlight 01'

Lips
Liner: Palladio 'Nearly Nude'
Lipstick: Mac 'Creamcup'
Lipgloss: Laura Mercier 'Sparkling'

Spring Wish List

Spring is on its way! With the warmer weather upon us, people will be sporting brighter colors, fun prints, and shimmery textures! So here are some of my top beauty and fashion spring picks!

* Kat Von D Monarch and Chrysalis Palettes are comprised of velvety, rich shadows that stay true to color. The Monarch Palette is comprised of warm browns, bricks and champagnes and the Chrysalis Palette is a mix of cool greys, purples, blues and silvers. I love how they included the 3 larger base/highlight shades because people usually go through those the quickest.

* Bite Beauty Deconstructed Rose is a set of 12 highly pigmented, non-sparkly lip glosses. The romantic hues are flattering on everyone, and Bite makes all of their products with high quality food-grade ingredients, so you know that only the best will be on your lips. They are moisturizing and long wearing and are the perfect way to top any lipstick or just wear alone.

* YSL Creme De Blush is a long time favorite of mine, but the smooth, pillowy texture makes these blushes perfect for spring! The cream to powder formula leaves your skin with a fresh glow making your cheeks look radiant and healthy. I also love the color selection because they offer bright, fun shades as well as natural ones.

Floral print and nature inspired dresses are always big around springtime, but I love the scary twist of this venus fly trap dress from Pinup Girl Clothing.

These flats are perfect for spring and summer because they will spice up any basic outfit with their bright colors and cute animal faces. A tail is also printed onto the back of the shoe! You can find the cat faces here and the fox faces here.

What are some of your favorite spring styles?

Sephora Senior Artist Training

A few weeks ago I flew out to San Francisco to participate in Sephora's Senior Artistry training and certification process. There were 102 Sephora cast members invited to the training, so I had a ton of fun meeting makeup enthusiasts from all over the country. The week was intense, full of testing, skill practices and makeup applications, but it was amazing meeting so many cool brands and artists (I even met Anastasia, the eyebrow queen herself, from Anastasia Beverly Hills)! I had to wait on pins and needles for the last few weeks to hear my results, but today I was notified that I was one of the 45 that passed! So I am super excited, and I wanted to share some of the photos from the training and the BEAUTIFUL city of San Francisco. 

The beautiful city of San Francisco!

Practicing some face chart styles and getting ready for classes, can you tell we focused on contour & highlight? 

Meeting Gilbert Soliz, Lijha and the Make Up For Ever team, Anastasia Soare, and Marisa of Sephora Collection

Hanging out and getting to know my fellow CT Senior Artist candidates: Laura, Ayriel and Cheryl.

Eating all the garlic a person could handle at 'The Stinking Rose'. It was absolutely DIVINE!

Exploring Powell St. Sephora and the HUGE beauty department in Macy's where I got these awesome Inglot shadows.

All in all it was an amazing learning experience and career building opportunity, but most importantly- I am so lucky to have met these three other lovely Connecticut ladies: Laura, Ayriel and Cheryl, I had so much fun exploring the city, finding the best restaurants, and just getting to know you guys! I hope we get to work together in the future, as Senior Artists or otherwise.

Allure Magazine Beauty Blogger Awards 2014

So excited to announce that Allure Magazine named me one of the Top 15 Beauty Bloggers in the USA. Even though I didn't make it into the top ten to be able to compete for the #1 spot, I am super excited to even be recognized by such a huge publication! Thanks so much Allure!

Super exciting things are still coming from this opportunity, and I can't wait to be able to share it with you guys!

Fresh Peony Brightening Night Treatment Mask Review

Fresh has hit a home run again with their amazing new sleeping mask! They have always been one of my all-time favorite skincare brands and I could rave about any of their products all day, but I wanted to specifically review their new treatment mask. 

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The Peony Brightening Night Treatment Mask visibly brightens the appearance of the skin and diminishes dark spots and uneven skin tone while providing extreme hydration. It has a smooth, dense texture without the sticky feel and it absorbs quickly into the skin like a night cream so it won't leave any residue on your pillowcase. The hydration it provides is instant, you can literally feel your skin drink it up. It smells like cucumber with a tiny bit of a floral scent which I'm assuming is the peony. It's formulated without parabens, sulfates or phthalates and retails for $65.00 for 1.6 ounces. 

* Cucumber Extract calms and softens the skin as it hydrates.

* Amino Acids help to visibly smooth the skin and firm wrinkles.

* Peony and Licorice Root Extract combined with Vitamin C help reduce and prevent the appearance of dark spots and uneven skin tone while brightening the complexion as a whole.

This mask really did transform my skin overnight. When I woke up my face was the softest it has ever felt and all traces of dryness were erased. My skin looked radiant and soothed and my makeup applied more evenly. It is my new favorite hydrating treatment by far, and I love the extra brightening that it gives. All ages and skin types can benefit from this mask, and I definitely would rate it at 5 stars! Fresh says it can be used 1-2 times per week, but I've used it more often than that with no ill results.

If you do decide to try it out, let me know what you think about it in the comment section below!

Urban Decay Electric Palette (Look 2)

This palette is absolutely amazing! If you have ever had the desire to wear bright colors, I highly suggest you go out and pick up this palette! Originally I had heard that it was going to be limited edition, but now I'm being informed that it will be part of Urban Decay's permanent collection. So here is a super funky, vibrant look mixing together pink, purple, lime green and silver! View my first look with the palette here.

Eyes
1. Prime the eyes to prevent creasing and to ensure long lasting, intense color payoff, I used my Urban Decay Primer Potion.
2. Blend 'Savage' (hot pink) softly into the crease and towards the brow bone, avoiding the lid.
3. Deepen the whole crease with 'Jilted' (lighter purple) and add a touch of 'Urban' (darker purple) on the outer and inner edges of the eye socket.
4. Press a silver cream base onto the lid and avoid the crease. Then top it with 'Revolt' (silver shadow).
5. Re-blend some of the 'Urban' (dark purple) into the crease to smooth out the separation between the silver and the purple.
6. Line the eyes in a dramatic wing with a black liquid liner, I used my Kat Von D liner in 'Trooper'.
7. Add mascara to the top lashes and apply super long false lashes for added drama. I used Sephora's lashes in 'Mink'.
8. Line the bottom lashline with a lime green or bright yellow pencil to serve as a base for the eyeshadow, then top the pencil with 'Thrash' (lime green).
9. Trace under the tail of the black liner with a bright green liquid liner, I used one from NYX.
10. Highlight the browbone with a white shadow to create separation.
11. 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 in 'Ethereal'
Bronzer: Estee Lauder in 'Sun Goddess'
Blush: Hard Candy in 'Living Doll'
Highlight: Laura Mercier in 'Highlight 01'

Lips
Lipstick: Illamasqua in 'Fable'

Mel & Marshall Engaged!

Here are some photos from Mel and Marshall's snowy engagement session shot by Callaway Gable Photography. Mel wanted natural looking makeup with flirty lashes, so I did a combination of golds, sands and a bit of rose on the eyes paired with a soft pink lip. She was super sweet to talk to and I know that she will make a beautiful bride! All other details are at the bottom of the post.

 

Photographers: Brian and Allison Callaway of Callaway Gable
Hair: Adriana of The Beauty Bar
Makeup Co-ordinater: Erin Infantino of Simply Gorgeous by Erin for the Mystic Seminars

Urban Decay Electric Palette

Urban Decay just released their 'Electric Palette' which is comprised of 10 insanely bright, pressed pigments. If you are thinking that you love the colors but would never want to wear a look as vibrant as this, don't worry; the shadows in this palette make excellent eyeliners as well! You could always do a simple neutral eye and just add a pop of color for a liner. 

Eyes
1. Prime the eyes to ensure pigmented, long lasting, crease-proof shadow application. I used my Urban Decay Primer Potion.
2. Blend 'Savage' (hot pink) into the crease and above it towards the brow bone.
3. Trace out the curved shape in your eye socket using a small brush (I used the one from the palette) and cream shadows. I used the purple and green creams from the Illamasqua Paranormal Palette.
4. Press 'Urban' (deep purple) into the tail and wing, 'Jilted' (lighter purple) into the middle lid and 'Freak' (green) into the inner corner of the eyelid. DO NOT blend these colors heavily, just press them into each other so there are no harsh lines. 
5. Line the lower lashline and waterline, I used 'Deep End' 24/7 pencil by Urban Decay and a little bit of the Illamasqua green cream shadow for the inner corner.
6. Top the liners with colors from the palette, I used 'Fringe' (teal) and a little bit of 'Freak' (green) for the inner corner.
7. Add mascara and false lashes if you like them, I used a purple pair (now discontinued) to stay with the electric theme.
8. Highlight under the browbone with a matte white pencil or eyeshadow.
9. Finish the look by filling in the brows, I used my Anastasia Brow Wiz in 'Medium Ash'. 

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Face
Foundation: Nars Sheer Glow
Concealer: MAC Pro-Longwear
Powder: Hourglass Ambient Lighting 'Ethereal Glow'
Blush: Hard Candy 'Living Doll'
Bronzer: Estee Lauder 'Bronze Goddess'
Highlight: Laura Mercier 'Highlight 01'

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Lips

The tutorial for these lips (and other gradient lip looks) can be found here: http://nicolemariemakeup.blogspot.com/2014/02/gradient-lips.html