Mac Tartan Tale Mini Haul

Hi Everyone! I'm back with another haul (mini) of MAC's new collection A Tartan Tale. This collection came out Oct 28th and some of the products are already sold out. I only picked up a few items because, let's face it, I really don't NEED all of it.
I hope you enjoy the video. Leave a comment on my Youtube page or below if you have any questions.

Happy Halloween

I know, I'm totally late in posting this, but what can I say, I've been busy????
I just wanted to share a few looks I wore this past weekend while working some makeup events at the MAC store.







Hope you all had a safe and Happy Halloween!

Sigma Makeup Brushes and Discount Code

As a makeup artist, I have a variety of brushes in my kit. I've used almost every brand out there, if not at least tested them. I came across Sigma makeup brushes last year. I have to say, I love these brushes. They are very similar to MAC makeup brushes. I currently own the Premium professional brush roll and the travel roll as well. I've had them for a few months and seriously LOVE them! The quality is great, and the price is phenomenal! They aren't hand cut, like the MAC brushes, but I've found they are still soft and blend easily with my other brushes.
I'll be doing a review on them shortly.

Sigma is currently having a promotion of $20 off their "Premium Professional brush roll kit." Enter PREMIUM at checkout at www.sigmabeauty.com

You can also get to their website by clicking on the link on my sidebar.

This offer expires October 31st.

Happy Shopping!

Giving your cheeks a pop of color

One of my favorite beauty products is blush! Seriously, I love it! Blush can transform a persons face from dull to bright instantly.
Don't be afraid to use a bright color. Even the most pigmented blush can be toned down or worn very sheer. Bright pink blush, like the one's in the video (Bobbi Brown Pale Pink and MAC Coygirl) are some of my favorites.
Layering blush is also a great way to keep your blush on throughout the day. First, apply a cream blush to your cheeks with a foundation brush or even a blush brush. On top of that, layer a powder blush.

Hope you all like the video, and make sure you go to my YouTube page and subscribe!

MAC, Sephora and Private Gallery Haul

Hi Everyone! I'm back with a MAC, Private Gallery and Sephora Haul.

Hope you enjoy my finds. As always, if you have any questions, shoot me an email.

How to properly conceal undereye circles

I've received quite a response via emails about the video I posted, so I figured I'd do a follow up of the step by step process on how to conceal the eyes.

This is probably every woman's nightmare, especially those of us that have children. One of the many questions I receive from clients is how to conceal the circles under their eyes. We all hate the dreaded gray, ashy look that can be left behind if this is not done properly.

Step 1
Eye Cream
This is one of the most important steps. Apply some type of eye cream day and night. Doing so will allow the concealer to go on smoother and help prevent some of the lines and wrinkles we all cringe to think about. It also helps prep the delicate skin so that the concealer doesn't look "cakey." I personally use MAC moisturelush eye cream.



Step 2
CORRECT
The KEY to erasing dark circles is the proper corrector. I mostly use peachy tones to correct my clients as this will color correct the dark circles under their eyes. There are a few companies that have color correctors. My favorite are Bobbi Brown, Eve Pearl and Makeup Forever.

Step 3
CONCEAL
This step can be optional for most people, but for my clients, I take the time to show them this step.
You will use a concealer about 1-2 shades lighter than your normal {not white please} foundation/tinted moisturizer color. This will help to brighten your undereye area. It will also help cancel out any leftover of the color corrector from the previous step. I use all different kinds of concealer: Makeup Forever HD, Bobbi Brown, MAC Studio Fix, MAC Studio Finish, Eve Pearl, Laura Mercier...the list goes on and on.

Step 4
Set with powder
Don't forget this last step. I think some people skip this step because they are afraid this will cause the lines to show under their eyes. In fact, this will prevent the creamy concealer from settling into your lines. There are many kinds of powders you can use under your eyes. I use a finely milled powder, face powder is not going to do for this area. In the video, I talk about using my MUFE HD powder to set the concealer under my eyes. This is not technically meant forthe under eye are, but I love how it sets the concealer and gives a flawless look to the skin. BeneFit also makes a great highlighting powder for under the eyes called Powderflage. It highlights and helps keep the concealer in place. I will say, though, the Benefit Powderflage, is only meant for lighter skin tones as it has a pink highlighter color. Another suggestion would be to use a transparent powder to set everything. Whatever type of powder you decide to use, make sure you apply it with a brush and not a sponge. This will make sure it'll be a light dusting of the powder.


I hope this step by step has answered some of your questions. As always, if you have any others, please send me an email.

How to Conceal Under Eye Circles

It's probably every girls worst nightmare....waking up with horrible dark circles under our eyes.
This is also one of the most widely asked question, how do we conceal/correct the circles?

Watch the tutorial below for a step by step instruction:






Products used:
MAC Moisturelush Eye Cream
Eve Pearl Salmon Concealer in Medium
MAC Select Moisturecover NC20
Sigma Makeup Concealer Brush F70
Bobbi Brown Eye Blender Brush
Makeup Forever HD Powder

What do you think? Have you ever used a Salmon color corrector/concealer?

Another mascara review....

Covergirl came out with a new mascara about a month ago called Lashfusion. What?!? Something new that I haven't tried? You know it was in my cart faster than you could blink. As usual, I got the waterproof version of the mascara. I really wanted to like this mascara, but it didn't happen.
According to the Covergirl website, this mascara is supposed to thicken and extend the look of your natural lashes (isn't every mascara supposed to do that) and add Super Volumizing + Buildable Fiber Strength lengthening to the lashes.

Here's the problem. The brush is one of the plastic bristle brushes. These brushes never do it for me. My biggest pet peeve about this brush is that the tip of the brush, which you would normally use to get either the smaller lashes or the outer lashes, has no bristles!! What is that about?!?
I will say, the formula was very nice, it didn't clump at all. Yes, you could go back after your first coat, add a second coat without the spider looking lashes. I can say, CG is correct in saying it is a buildable mascara.

But, in my book, this mascara is a FAIL for personal use. Since I use disposable wands on my clients, I'll probably use this mascara in my kit since I did like the formula.


Back to the drawing board.....

How long does your makeup last?

One of the questions I get asked is how long should a person should keep a product or what is the shelf life of a certain product. I figured it'd be best to answer these questions on here. The best thing to do is to keep your products in a dry, cool area, away from the heat. Remember, the heat can also change the consistency of products, like foundation and concealers.


Foundation anywhere from 12-18 months

Mascara 3-6 months

Concealer 12-18 months

Powder 18-24 months (make sure you either clean your sponge or change it out)

Blush 18-24 months ( I think you can stretch this out as long as you take care of the product and it's not cracked or doesn't smell)

Cream blush 12-18 months (again, you can stretch this out as long as it doesn't smell)

Eyeshadow 18-24 months

Eyeliner 18 months *

Liquid liner 6-12 months *

Lipstick 2-3 years

Lipliner 2-3 years


*For any eyeliner or liquid liners, if you've had an eye infection, it's best to throw it out. Also, be weary of sharing pencils with others as you will be sharing bacteria. To make sure you sanitize properly, dip the pencil in alcohol and sharpen them if you are using amongst others.





A general rule of thumb for most products, if it starts to smell, it's time to throw it out!

EOS Lip blam

Photos courtesy of http://www.evolutionofsmooth.com/products_lip_sphere.html

I've heard a lot of people rave about this lip balm. I was in CVS a few months ago buying some last minute extra lashes for a photo shoot and they had these buy 1 get 1 free. Yes, I snagged them. One for me, one for my sister {lucky girl, she gets all my extra stuff, ha!}. I bought the balm in the flavor Summer Fruit. I have to say, I've had the lip balm a few months and am thoroughly enjoying it. It's not very greasy, and moisturizes your lips.

According to the website:
Eos lip balm is 95% organic, 100% natural, and paraben and petrolatum free. Packed with antioxidant-rich vitamin E, soothing shea butter and jojoba oil, eos keeps your lips moist, soft and sensationally smooth.

I like the packing, it twists shut and seems to have a tight seal. The smell is very light, and not overwhelming.

When I run out, which I don't think will be for a very long time, I'll definitely be picking up another one.

Have you tried EOS?

Friday Fashion Find

I'm sure most of you have noticed the leopard trend lately, it's everywhere! It looks like this trend will transition into fall.
Now, I am not one to wear head to toe in a print. Most likely, I will wear this leopard trend by either incorporating it into a shoe or cardigan. I was at my trusty favorite store {you know, the red bulls eye one} the other day, and I found this jewel. I figured it was cute and I can wear it with jeans or use it with a dress.

photo courtesy of www.target.com

How will you be wearing this trend?

Since we can never get enough...

Another mascara review is in order!

Thanks to one of my friends and reader of my blog, Jill, who told me about this fabulous mascara.
Since the Falsies was a major fail for me, I had to go try something else and I wasn't in the mood to spend a lot of money on anything. I went to the local Target and picked up this lovely. Maybelline XXL PRO Extensions Mascara



Ladies, seriously, this mascara DOES NOT BUDGE! I tried and reviewed the waterproof mascara for the past two weeks. I use MAC's Cleanse off oil, which takes everything off your face, and this still doesn't come off. Most of the mascaras I use are waterproof, for two reasons: 1) my clients (brides, photoshoots, etc) must have waterproof 2) I need to test the formula to make sure it's actually waterproof. As much as I really like the Colossal waterproof mascara, it wasn't TRULY waterproof. As evidenced by my Lauren Conrad eyes when I went in the pool a few times.

This mascara has two steps to it. The first side, which is clearly marked with a number 1, is white. It's a microfiber basecoat. This is used to tame and control your lashes as well as add volume. {Your lashes will look WHITE after this application} Before the coat is completely dry, you apply Step 2. The second side, marked Step 2, is your colored mascara. You sweep this on top of the white lashes. As I applied the mascara, my lashes definitely appeared longer and more enhanced.

Here are my likes and dislikes of the mascara:

LIKES

Lashes do appear to be more full and voluminous

Basecoat helps to separate individual lashes

With the second coat, you can extend out the lashes

Formula is very creamy, not once has it made my lashes clump



DISLIKES

The handle of the mascara is too short, I know this may sound petty, but for someone who is always working with mascara, I like a longer handle

You have to be quick with Step 2, if the white dries then you have to comb through the lashes a bit. (it happened to me, but the mascara still wasn't clumpy, so it's not really a dislike, just advise, ha!}

Here's a picture of me with the mascara. Yes, I have somewhat long lashes, but this mascara really kicks them up a few notches!



Let me know if you end up buying this and what you think.

Couldn't pass these up...

I am on a clothes shopping ban, well, sort of. At least until I lose weight, that is. Since I won't allow myself to buy clothes, what's the next best thing? SHOES!
Last week I found these darling pair of shoes at The Gap {I know, I was surprised too}. They are so comfortable, sort of remind me of the Tory Burch Eddie flats. I bought them in black, boring, I know, because I wear a lot of black for my makeup gigs. I'm on my feet a lot and am always looking for the perfect shoe to wear. My feet howl at me the days I decide to be cute/fashionable and wear my heels or wedges.
Anyhow, these lovely flats come in many different colors and are perfect for the fall, which is just around the corner. For the price $39.50 {I got them at an additional 30% off Gap just happened to have that day SCORE!}, how could you pass these up?

La Vie Este Belle Magazine

A few months ago, I was asked to do the makeup for a photo shoot with an amazing photographer, Brittany Gordon Bowman, in Vilano Beach, FL. The model, Tyler, was gorgeous. She had flawless skin, beautiful bone structure....just a beautiful canvas!
Last month, my work was featured in La Vie Este Belle Magazine. How excited am I that my work is finally getting published?
Here are some snaps from the shoot

Picture courtesy of www.brittaniagarden.com

These last two pictures were taken with my iphone:

July Favorites

I decided I am going to start a new series on the blog. Once a month I will tell you what my favorite things were from the previous month. It will always include beauty products, but sometimes I'll include other random things going on in my life. Hope you all enjoy this months favorites!

EYES

GO eyeshadow by MAC. I think this may have been limited edition, but it's very similar to their bronze color. Loving this for a beach look. Since summer is almost over, I'm making sure to get the most out of this look. Swept lightly over the eyelid for day, or wet it to intensify the look for night. Subtle, yet gorgeous!

EYELINER

MAC Minted
This color came out with the Back to Beach collection. It's a deep emerald green color. I love mixing this color with browns. My favorite look is a beach look with this eyeliner lining the bottom of your eye to add a splash of color. I did this look when I went to a baseball game and got lots of compliments.




LIPS

I am loving anything nude, but with high sheen {mostly glosses}

Too Faced Glamour Gloss in Pillow Talk

MAC Creemsheen in Boybait

BLUSH

I am still in love with my trusty NARS Orgasm blush. You can't go wrong with this color.

But, when I do want a punch of bright pink on the cheeks, I go for either MAC Mocha, MAC Full Fuschia or Too Faced La Vie En Rose.

BRUSH

This brush was temporarily sold out throughout all MAC stores and I was ecstatic to find it when I was traveling and popped into a MAC store and found one.



I am in LOVE with my MAC 130 brush. This brush is wonderful if you use cream foundation. If you use a cream foundation, this is the brush to use, it's just like the other duo fibre brushes except it has a flat top, which helps smooth out the product evenly on your face. Don't we all want a flawless face?

HAIR

Since I live in Florida, and we have like 200% humidity during the summer months, I use this Aveda product for my hair. I have pretty straight hair, with the occasional wave in it, but this product really helps keep any wave or frizz away.

Aveda Smooth Infusion Glossing Straightener




What were some of your favorite products you've used this month?

Stay tuned this week for another mascara review!



pictures courtesy of MAC website www.maccosmetics.com and Aveda www.aveda.com

Mascara Review

A friend of mine called me raving about a new mascara she tried recently by Maybelline called Falsies. A new mascara? That I haven't tried? You know this means I got in my car to stalk the aisles of Target.
According the the Maybelline website: This new mascara claims to build your lashes up to 8x without clumping, the unique wand helps to lift and separate the lashes.

I've tried it now for a few days and reapplied it different ways and here is my take on it. The mascara does nothing what the website claims it does. One of my biggest complaints was the clumping. The only way I didn't get it to clump was to wipe clean the applicator, dip it back into the tube and start fresh. It seems the applicator gets too much mascara on it when it initially comes out of the tube.
The applicator is a bit tricky to work with. If you look at it from one side, it's a bit flat, with very small bristles. This is to be able to get any small eyelashes you may have. If you turn the handle a bit, the applicator is a nice fluffy brush.
Their recommendation is to use the flat/small bristle side first and then the fluffy side next to comb out the lashes. This was the only way it did work for me. I feel when I used the small bristle side of the applicator, this is when I would get most of the clumping. If the applicator was made of the fluffy bristles all the way around, I think I would have liked this mascara a lot more.
The one thing I will say I did enjoy about this mascara is the formula. I tested the waterproof formula. It definitely tested true. Much more so than the waterproof Colossal mascara. One of the days I was testing the mascara, I went to the beach with my sun. By the time I got home, it was still in place and I didn't have a smudge on my face or a black eye look. Now that's waterproof!
http://www.maybelline.com/images/products/thumbNails/510VEFW_xl.jpg
So for now, I will be sticking with my Diorshow or Colossal. I do have another mascara review coming up next week, so check back later.

As usual, if you have any makeup questions, please leave a comment below or send me an email.

It's time....

For the past few years, I've been on a constant fight with my weight. Long story short, it's time to get serious about it. I've been going to the gym, but unfortunately, lately, Sebastian gets hysterical when I leave him in the nursery, and they end up coming to get me within 20 mins. Obviously, 20 minutes of just elliptical is not enough for me. So, I've decided to pick up Jillian Micheals 30 Day Shred. Lots of my blogging, twitter and FB friends have started on this as well.
As of today, I'm on Day 2. I feel if I put it out there in the blogging world, I will HAVE to keep up with it.
So there it is...I'm officially on the 30 Day shred bandwagon!

If you've done this video or struggle with your weight, I'd love to hear from you as well. We can all do this together!

Wedding Day Makeup

Since we are officially in Wedding season, I thought I would post something for my bride's to be. These same rules apply if you are having professional photos taken or you are in a wedding party.

One of the most important things I discuss with my brides during their consultation is that this is not a day to try something new. You want to look like yourself when you walk down the isle. This is a day to emphasize your features, but in a natural way. You want to wear color, but not too much. Always remember the rule, if you are wearing color on your eyes, wear a nude/blush colored lip and vice versa.

Most important: Creating a flawless face! Do not wear heavy foundation if you are not used to wearing foundation at all. You need to wear some type of foundation on your face. Your makeup artist should be able to achieve a look and feel that you are comfortable wearing.

Stay away from glitter. In photographs, it looks like you have specks on your face. Shimmer and frost are different from glitter. You still want to use these sparingly.

To achieve the blushing bride look, you MUST use blush. This is critical as photography washes everyone out. I love adding a warm glow of peach or a pop of pink to my brides.

Eyes should look as natural as possible to create a classic and timeless look.

I love to add lashes to my brides. At the same time, I understand not all brides are used to a full strip of lashes. Adding individual lashes or a half strip will do the trick as well. These will make your eyes look bigger.

Last, but not least, lips. To ensure your lip color lasts through your nuptials and reception, use a lip primer first. Then add a lip liner a few shades darker than your natural color. Fill in your entire lip with the liner. After this step, you can either use a gloss or lipstick of your choice.

If you are not hiring a professional makeup artist for your wedding day or event, make sure you practice your look before the big day.

As always, if you have any questions, send me an email. I love answering my readers emails.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

I will be spending my Mother's day with this sweet little man. A year and a half ago I was blessed to become his mom.



And every day I wake up to his little face, it melts my heart. God blessed our family with the sweetest little boy.




Hope you all have a wonderful Mother's Day!

The never ending quest....

I LOVE MASCARA!
Yes, I'll admit it, I am a mascara hoarder. I try all kinds until I find one that I cannot live without. Even once I find one I love, I am still on the prowl for the next great one.
I follow a bunch of beauty guru's on You tube and some of them have talked about this mascara, so I decided to try it out myself.
I will admit, I had my hesitations about it. I just wasn't sure if the quality was going to be there.
To my surprise it was.
I bought the waterproof Colossal mascara by Maybelline when it was on sale at CVS. I have to say, I am totally in love with this mascara. For now, it has replaced my Diorshow, YSL, well.....everything.
The brush is very similar to Diorshow's wand. I, personally, love big fluffy wands. They add more volume to your lashes.
Colossal also has collagen in the formula which helps plump and build up your lashes.
So there it is ladies, this is my new GO TO mascara. And, honestly, for $5-$6 a tube, it's worth trying it. That's why I did.

If there are any other products you'd like for me to review, or if you have questions about a makeup product, email me.

Using cleansing oil to wash your face?

Most people would not think to wash their face with oil. Well, I am one of them, UNTIL. I heard the rave reviews about these cleansing oils. I have personally been using the MAC cleansing oil lately. I have to say, I LOVE it! Even when I wear waterproof makeup, the oil takes it right off. I have dry skin, and this leaves my skin feeling incredibly soft afterwards. This cleansing oil works for all skin types. Whether you have dry or oily, this will work on you without clogging your pores.
You just rub one pump of the oil onto your face, add a little warm water until it gets to a milky consistency. Then wash off completely with warm water. Your face will now be soft as a babies bum! Don't forget to moisturize as well.

Here is the MAC cleansing oil I use. You can get it at your local MAC store or here



This is another brand, DHC, which I've heard great things about as well. You can purchase this item here



If you use these products, let me know what you think.

Until next time.....

An Award!

Connie at Living My Glamorous Life has awarded me The Lovely Blog award. Thank you to Connie for following my blog. If you haven't read Connie's blog, please do here
Run over and give her some blog love!

So I am supposed to pass this on to some new blogs I have been reading lately. Since I am pretty new at blogging, most of the blogs I read are new to me. But, here are some of my favorites:

Living My Glamorous Life

Chanel Fashionista

For the Love of Stilettos

Makeup by RenRen


Those are just a few of the new blogs I'm reading. Some of the other's I follow are private, but LOVE them too.

Thanks for following and congratulations to these blogs!

New lipsticks for Spring

Spring is finally here!
Well, whether you believe me or not (due to lack of sunshine or hot weather where you live), in the makeup and fashion world, it is.

With that being said, it's time to revamp our look. So...out with the dark berry lipsticks and jewel toned eyes, and let's break out the pinks and corals. Yes, you heard me correct, this Spring is all about pinks (in every color) and corals.

As far as lipsticks are concerned, here are two of my FAVORITE colors right now:

MAC in Blood Red
The name is a little deceiving because it's actually not a red color, it's a fuschia. Perfect for Spring!
You will need to check your local MAC store for this as it was part of the D Squared collection from a few months back.



A swatch of the color






Sephora brand

This is a new color, so it should be in stock at your local Sephora. The lipstick shown below is not in the color, but the color you want is called Rosy Frivol. It's a sheer magenta color. I like this one because it looks like a gloss.




I am not a big coral fan, but the new Viva La Glam Lipstick by Cyndi Lauper is really pretty. I didn't purchase it because, honestly, it turned too orange on me, BUT it looked great on the Sales associate.


Remember, when trying on lipsticks, it does change on everyone. It really depends on the pigmentation your lips have. If you want to get the true color of the lipstick, add some concealer or foundation to your lips before applying the lipstick.

So go out and try new colors this Spring!