Sneaky Peaky!

Sorry I have been MIA. I have been a busy busy bee. Here is a sneak peak of a project I had the pleasure of working on this weekend...

More behind the scenes and final product to come!

Stay Tuned!

XOXO

Mask of the Day {Pink Pop}

As the heat wave continues in the land of the "LAh", it's hard not to be Spring and Summer inspired. However, it is still only January, and I just can't bring myself to pull out the summer dresses and sandals. It's just not natural. So instead, in an attempt to be brighter and pull myself out of my neutrals rut, I have instead done a Spring inspired make-up look. I'm loving all the coral and fuschia cheekies and lippies! SO fresh and vibrant. If this were a shoot I would have probably kept the eyes simple. A wash of shimmer (MAC Naked Lunch comes to mind) with lots of lashes, A creme pink blush to keep it dewy and a pop of pink on the lips. BUT.... since this isn't a shoot, and is something that needs to last the day (not to mention with the humidity here my skin has become super oily so cream blush wouldn't be the smartest idea), I did more of a twist on a "classic" look.

I had just purchased two new glosses by Revlon (Pink Pop and Coral Reef). They were the exact colors of what was being sent down the runway this season. So Today I chose the pink one. In the pictures Pink Pop had more of a lilac undertone however in person it was more of a hot pink. I used a liner to define the lips alittle more for the pictures, but I think it wasn't pink enough and maybe that's why it has a more purple tone. I Loved it though!

The lighting isn't ideal. I didn't have time to take pictures before going to my store, and didn't get off till after the sun went down, but hopefully you get the idea.

Products Used:


Face: MAC Strobe cream with MAC Studio Moisture tint in Medium Dark (it's there version of a tinted moisturizer), Neutrogena loose powder in Medium, MAC Mineralized Skin finish pressed powder in Medium Deep (I use this as a bronzer. The Best!)

Cheeks:
MAC Dollymix blush

Eyes:
Lid: MAC Goldbit (this is not available anymore :( However Urban Decay Cowgirl is VERY close)
Crease: NYX Brown
Browbone: NYX Highlight
Liner: MAC Blacktrack fluidline (top), MAC Teddy kohl (waterline)
Brows: MAC Omega (lightly)
Mascara: base coat of L'oreal Lashout waterproof, MAC Falselash top coat

Lips:
MAC Dervish Lip liner (if you need a liner go pinker, this turned it more purple)
Revlon Super Lustrous gloss in Pink Pop

(please excuse dear in headlights expression, I hate smiling because I have the worlds largest cheeks!) 

And my attempt at model pose......

Well, I guess I won't quit my day job.

Tips and Tricks:

When it comes to the winged liner the best advice I can give is PRACTICE! I have been doing this for alot of years and I STILL haven't perfected it!!! And forget about being able to do it in a single swipe! I envy those who can. Brava! But one little trick I do (and I always do this on shoots) is do your eye make-up FIRST, then your face make-up. Especially when doing a smokey eye (so you can clean up color fall out easily) or winged liner so you can clean up and tweek it to make it symmetrical without messing up the rest of the face. I also have other little cheats that I'm working on a post to share with you in the future :)

Hope you enjoyed.

Stay Tuned!

XOXO

Bagels and Brushes

Before the holidays I got the opportunity to work with Mikaela. A gorgeous model (doesn't she look like Halle Berry! I'm SOOO jealous) and up and coming recording artist. The shoot was for publicity shots and potential album shots. The photographer on the shoot was the very talented Matt Verzola. It was an awesome shoot full of music, sweets and Hennessey! Yes. I have one of the few jobs that allows you to drink while working..... though I usually stay away or the eyeliner will end up in the brows and the lipliner in the nose. Just sayin. And the clothing was amazing! Almost all was Betsy Johnson! I'm dying for the green dress with the guns on it! With my leather pants..... GORGEOUS! Don't mind me in the picture. I had to close my store the night before, so that is the result of 4 hours of sleep, no make-up and putting on whatever happened to be on the floor at the time..... don't even think I brushed my hair. YIKES! All in a days work.

Products Used:

Natural shots:

Face: MAC Strobe Cream with MAC Face and Body foundation, MAC Select cover concealor and models own pressed powder.

Cheeks: I believe I used MAC cream blush in Sweet William

Eyes: Lid - mix of MAC Goldmine and MAC Steamy or Waternymph, Crease - MAC Amber Lights, Browbone - NYX highlight, Brows - MAC Brun shadow, Liner - MAC fluidline in Blacktrack on top lid, and Ardell false lashes in the demi wispies I believe

Lips - MAC Viva Glam V gloss

Smokey Eye

Face & cheeks: Same as above

Eyes: Lid - MAC paint in Graphito with MAC Carbon on top blended to crease and smudged under lower lid, Crease - MAC Carbon with MAC pigment in Rouge Heritage, Browbone - NYX Highlight, Liner - MAC Blacktrack extended further out and lined in the waterline

Lips: MAC Instant Gold Lusterglass

Red Lip

All Face and Eye the same as Smokey

Lips: MAC Cherry lipliner, MAC Queen's Sin lipstick, MAC Red Romp Lipglass

Pink Lips

All Face and Eye the same as Smokey

Lips: MAC Fushia pigment mixed with mixing medium (this was fine for shooting but for real life its not easy to work with so recommend lipstick instead!) with MAC Splashing Lipglass

Un-edited photos

                             

                                           

Edited

I had so much fun doing the make-up for this shoot! And I need the earrings she is wearing. LOVE! Till next time.

Stay Tuned!

XOXO!

Outfit {Sunday, Bloody Sunday}

Yesterday was one of those lazy day Sundays. Didn't have to work. Didn't have anything that needed to be done. Glorious. So the boyfriend and I decided to head down to Manhattan Beach for the day. 

I have come to the decision that California doesn't have a winter. Where else can you go bare legged to the beach in the dead of winter!!! I LOVE IT! 

Usually my style of dress tends to be on the girly side with a slight boho flair, but I feel when you are on the beaches of California not only is loose and casual necessary but it's just expected. So I opted for a jumper, cardi, sandals and a hat, to protect from the UV rays... no wrinkles for me thank you! The jumper is from LF (in Manhatan beach as a matter of fact) which I acquired at an end of summer sale. It was RIDICULOUSLY marked down and I just loved the over-sized 80's style print. Although I think my dryer ate half of it because I SWEAR there was more to it.

After a good frolick on the beach we ate at this yummy little Greek restaurant and later went on a date to the movies. Saw The Fighter. It was SUPERB! The acting was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Christian Bale was very deserving of his Golden Globe win. He was scary good!

All in all, a delightful Sunday!

                            

Hat: Random street vendor 

Necklace: Chico's 

Jumper: LF Manhattan Beach

Cardigan: H&M

Rings & Bracelet: vintage

Bag: vintage Dooney & Burke (stolen from Mom's closet)

Sandals: Steve Madden

Stay Tuned!

XOXO

Testing {MAC False Lash Mascara}

I am a self professed beauty junkie. I will try just about anything. But the product I love most of all is MASCARA!! I'm a lash girl. Always have been. Always will be. If I were stuck on a deserted island I would have my eyelash curler, mascara and chapstick on hand. My skin would be weathered, but my lashes would be fabulous! I blame my mother. One day when I was probably 11, while we were up in Zion National Park, she took it upon herself to attack me with her lash curler and mascara. Just for fun. At first it felt awkward. I told her my eyes looked like spiders, and that I could feel them hitting my lids. But... as the day wore on I got used to this strange new sensation, and realized I quite enjoyed having spiders for eyeballs. Needless to say, I was hooked. Out went the tom-boy, and in came the girlie future make-up junkie. Another one bit the dust.

For todays trial I am testing out the new MAC False Lash Mascara.

Photo via maccosmetics.com

Now..... I'm STILL in search of my one "wonder" mascara that can do ALL I require, but until that day, I actually use two different mascaras. Due to my eyelashes being stick straight, I use a waterproof mascara as my base (L'oreal Lash Out Mascara) to hold the curl, and then I do a second coat of MAC Plushlash mascara. It gives me the perfect curly, fringey lashes.

So when I went to MAC to purchase another tube, the artist there told me I really should try the new False Lash mascara. It is supposed to curl and thicken all in one giving you the "false lash" look. So I figured why not.

Well. First let me say... NO "self-curling" mascara EVER curls my stick straight lashes. Even when I curl them, they STILL will go straight! This was no different. HOWEVER... I do have to say that AFTER I curled my lashes, and put a coat of this on, they actually stayed curled, which was a first. I still prefer using my waterproof as a base with it though, for myself personally. I like my lashes VERY curly. However, for ladies that don't suffer from the curse of the straight lash this will be just fine on it's own.

Second. It actually didn't smudge too badly. I have long lashes that hit my brow bone, so throughout the day I always get "the smudge", but this wasn't too bad. I don't feel it really "thickens" that much (Plushlash thickens more in my opinion) but it definitely lengthens them ALOT. I didn't feel it clumps and it didn't flake either. All in all, I'd say it's a fine mascara.... however, I'm still a Plushlash girl. What can I say. I'm loyal and a creature of habit. Either way, you be the judge.

Plain eyeball with evil straight lashes

Curled and mascara'd eyeball with MAC False Lash mascara

And now. WA LA! The final product.

Other eye products used:

Lid: NYX Suede eyeshadow

Browbone: NYX Highlight eyeshadow

Liner: (top lid) MAC Kohl in Raven, limited edition :( and (bottom lid) MAC Kohl in Teddy for water line

Nothing in the brows because I'm lazy.

Stay Tuned!

XOXO

Vintage Score!

Here in the downtown of LA we have a special event called "The Art Walk". This occurs every second Thursday of the month, and all the restaurants set up shop on the side walks, with all the boutiques, and the normally vacant buildings come alive with sellers of jewels, baubles, art and VINTAGE! So... due to the boyfriend wanting to check out a deserted building, that any other day would be closed, we ventured in. Low and behold it was all vintage sellers! Not planning on doing any shopping that evening I ran into this.....

AMAZING! Not only was it in GREAT condition (there was a few bleeds in the back from the red running onto white from what looks like washing) but it was completely chic! I imagined it living a life of glamor and prestige. Very Jackie Kennedy. So I dared to ask what a beauty like this was fetching (I figured in the upper figures since it was dated back to the 50's, so said the seller.) and when I heard the price I was told my jaw dropped, and I looked like I was about to faint.... $20!!!!! Can you believe it!!!!! Without hesitation the wallet was whipped and the woman was paid. 

I wasn't entirely sure that the era was correct, so I did a bit of investigating and sure enough the label was that of a early 50's brand sold at Sears in New York! There was a swell of pride. I won't lie.

Also scored this...

OK, OK.... so it's not vintage. But it looks so 1930's don't you think? It's Anna Sui (from Anthropologie) but it was meant to be mine! I had seen it last summer but it was beyond my budget. Then it was on sale but still a bit pricey. Then it was marked down to $69.95 and sold out immediately! I was very sad and decided it just wasn't meant to be....... then, low and behold, one was returned, AND IN MY SIZE, and the best part.... it was now $29.95!!!! It was fated. We were meant to be together. It will be a love affair to last the ages...... or at least through summer anyways. Ha! Outfit posts soon to come.

Stay tuned!

XOXO!

Life's a Beach

A few months back I had the opportunity to work on a jewelry look book shoot, doing make-up, hair and body bronzing, with the lovely blogger and photographer Kelsi of Dedicated Follower of Fashion http://www.dedicated-follower.com. Though it did not end all that fabulously for her, some gorgeous pictures were produced from the en-devour. I got to spend the entire day on the beaches of Malibu playing in sand and sea and powder puffing a gorgeous model. Yes. This is my job.... some of the time anyways. Ha. Here are some behind the scenes and final product of our labors. (Do to legalities, the pictures must be watermarked).

Products used:

Face: A schmorgasborg of product! I combined MAC Strobe cream with MAC Face and Body foundation and MAC Bronze FX hyper Real. Then Finished with a sheer powder in T-zone areas and MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Medium Deep and Shooting Star (limited edition) for Bronzing

Cheeks: I think I used a combination of MAC Sunbasque blush and One of their peachy loose beauty powders for highlight. If you haven't tried them you should! Amazing.

Eyes: I used Stila Sun on the lid, Twig in the crease, MAC Brule in the browbone and MAC Dazzlelight on the tear ducts in the inner corner of the eye. For liner I only lined the top lid and I used MAC Fluidline in Dipdown (which is a shimmery reddish brown) to give alittle shimmer and a thinner line of MAC Dipdown (a matte dark brown) on top for alittle more depth and dimension. And my favorite mascara Loreal Lash Out in black (the waterproof one). Brows I think I used MAC chocolate brown eyeshadow

Lips: MAC Sublime Culture liner with MAC Instant gold lustreglass

Body: A combination of MAC Bronze FX hyper real foundation and MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Shooting Star (limited edition)

(yes.... I use alot of MAC. It's because I have worked with them for so long)

There is a sense of pride I can't explain that one feels when looking at the beautiful pictures they've produced. Its my crack (that and my brother's pumpkin rolls! YUM!). Time to go get another fix.

Stay Tuned!

XOXO

The Golden Globes

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