Phamexpo This weekend

This weekend is the Phamexpo(Professional Hair and Makeup Expo) in Los Angeles. The event is open to the public and super beneficial to pros and the beauty lover.  The launch of the expo was last year and it was really intimate and similar to IMATS with professional speakers within the industry, workshops and vendor deals on purchases. In fact it’s the same place where Imats is held and Phamexpo replaced the original Imats date before it moved to January. So We now have 3 makeup conventions, (that i know of)! How awesome is that?!  I assume since the buzz is getting around and this year will be a lot more people, which is good because as an artist or makeup lover it is important to support these expos so they keep coming back with awesome beauty deals and insightful information for pro and aspiring artists. Not so great because of the crowds but great to be around other artists  and like minded people who share your passion. Lets face it, not everyone understands the methods to our madness. The speakers and education they have to offer is enough to go even if you can’t buy anything.

Last year I meat a few other artists who has helped me get to where I am today. It’s amazing for networking, learning and to get products and learn about what’s new.  I highly recommend this event if you are in the Los Angeles area, aspiring artist, makeup lover. It’s all good! http://www.phamexpo.com

I will be in this workshop taught by the amazing Donna Mee on sunday. I am currently an Empire Student and TRUST when I say you want to hear what she has to say. She’s absolutely amazing!

Come out and support the industry we love and appreciate! What are you waiting for?!?! 😛

Are you going to the Phamexpo this year?
Www.phamexpo.com

Black Friday Deal from Skin Authority!

I LOVE Black Friday(I am a shopaholic) because they are always amazing deals everywhere! For me it outshines Thanksgiving…is that weird? I’m always so excited so I don’t mind standing outside in the cold, all night for a good deal. Although i REFUSE  to camp out for days…its not THAT serious. I really do wish more makeup brands had black friday deals(actually maybe that’s good for my wallet that they don’t).

Well Skin Authority has announced an AMAZING black friday deal. Buy one get one free. Enough said!

Skin Authority is arguably one of my favorite skin care brands so I gotta show them lots of love, why? because it WORKS!  And the staff amazing and so helpful! I have reviewed a couple of their products and I will review more within the next week. Hopefully I can find some time with my busy schedule.

You don’t have to stand in the cold for this deal! To participate in the Black Friday Weekend Event beginning at 12:01 a.m. Friday, November 29, visit the Skin Authority website: www.skinauthority.com/blackfriday to begin shopping. Want to shop in person? The website lists participating Skin Authority authorized retail and spa locations and will continue to be updated until Black Friday.

Not sure what to buy? Skin Authority offers specially trained and certified Skin Care Coaches to assist customers in choosing the right products. They listen to needs, help set goals, recommend the best products, and hold your hand throughout the entire process. Skin Care Coaching is free and available in-person at participating retail locations, through the Skin Authority website: www.skinauthority.com/myskincoach or via phone at 1-866-325-7546, option 4.

Stay tuned for more details!

Night Out with Russian Red Lipstick

I am a huge fan of red lips and I love wearing red lipstick. Red lips look so classic and elegant especially for a night out. When I usually wear red lips I either go neutral on the eyes or if I’m feeling really bold or want to have that smoldering look, I wear a smokey eye. I went neutral here. I wore this for a night out with the girls. I also contoured my face here. I don’t usually contour my face because sometimes I just think it’s too much, for my taste, but I do think its good for a special night out from time to time, The lighting was pretty poor but I tried to get some better pictures 😦

Face:
Laura Mercier Oil Free Face Primer
Ben Nye Cream foundation in Almond(to highlight)
Ben Nye Cream Foundation in Mocha (to contour)
Bare Minerals Foundation

Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Mac Somoa Silk Eyeshadow on lid
Urban Decay Buck Eyeshadow in crease
Mac Chromographic Pencil NW25/NC30 on waterline
Lise Watier Feline HD Liner

Brows:
Anastasia Brow Duality Shell (Highlight brows)
Mac Spiked Brow Pencil

Lips:
Makeup Forever Aqua Lip 8C
Mac Russian Red Lipstick

Cheeks:
La Femme Coral Blush

Winged Eye Liner Look

I saw this photo on Pinterest and I absolutely LOVED her eyes! So Of Course I had to re-create it. Of Course it’s not to scale and not exactly the same but It is an inspiration. I don’t really care for the thick eyeliner wing on me. I really liked how this came out (not loving my hair though) and I wanted it to be more wearable.  The photo is gorgeous but it’s definitely fashion makeup. I would wear this out to a party or a night out with the girls. It’s not a lot of makeup, it’s really simple, but precise, and who can resist red lips?  The only thing I would add would be some false lashes. I think that would give this look that extra boom but I ran out of time. But I love it s is!

**Would you recreate this look?

Products used:
I only used a Black liquid Liner(Lise Waiter Feline Eyeliner HD) to outline the shape of the cat eye and filled in the lid with a black pencil(Urban Decay Zero) and set with a charcoal black (Mac Typographic eyeshadow-).
Black Mascara

Lips:
Makeup Forever Aqua Lip Liner 8C
Mac Classic Dame Mattene Lipstick

 

Related articles

• INCOLOR Fabuliner Liquid Eyeliner Review (precious416blog.com)
• Our Top 5 Eyeliners (maddaboutmakeup.com)
• Winged Eyeliner- Step by Step (beautybybaybune.wordpress.com)

Lush Ocean Salt Face and Body Scrub

First Opened

This is Ocean Salt from Lush Cosmetics. This is my go to face and body scrub. It’s a salt scrub(obviously) but it’s not super abrasive. I use this on every part of my body from head to toe and it leaves the skin so soft and smooth. I tend to like salt scrubs over sugar scrubs because sugar scrubs tend to be really greasy/oily and leaves a residue on the skin and in the tub, not so good when taking a shower. This leaves no residue. And I find with salt scrubs, they dissolve really quickly once in contact with water. This is pretty gentle on the face for a salt scrub if you mix the product well. When you first open the product you can see from the picture that the salt crystals sit on the top. You mix it together and you get a much creamier texture with good scrubbing action. Although it’s not super abrasive, you do need to use gentle motions. Don’t just scrub at your face or you could scratch your skin.

Ocean Salt Mixed Together

Ingredients

This works really well for acne prone and dull skin. I like to use this when I start getting break outs and when my skin starts looking dull and lifeless. This seems to bring back some life to my skin, leaving me with a bit of a glow. With the salt and the lime juice you get a really nice, natural exfoliation. The coconut and lime oils bring some balance to the skin as to not strip the skin of all it’s natural oils. So it’s not drying at all but you’re not oily either. AND the added bonus is the vodka infusion! 🙂 So it smells lovely…if you like the smell of a margarita(yes I know margarita is Tequila). However you won’t be walking around like an alcoholic but It really does have a pleasant scent, in my opinion. I don’t like that there are parabens in the product but at least they are last on the list. What are ya gonna do? I love this product!

I give this product an A. I would give it an A+ but I took off a point because it’s pretty pricy. They come in two sizes. Small and large. And they are recyclable. Bring back 5 pots and you get a free fresh face mask!

Look of the Day-October Sunrise

It’s been too hot here in Los Angeles for going on 2 months or so with no break. Humid hot! We’re spoiled in LA and not used to dead heat for weeks at a time. I’ve been pretty miserable and haven’t felt like wearing makeup because I sweat it off just sitting still. Then my skin has been acting up because of the heat and sweat…I’ve been a mess! It was 90+ degrees yesterday but I really wanted to do some makeup so I decided to suck it up.
I was inspired by watching the sun rise from my window, since I haven’t been sleeping due to the heat. The sky was filled with yellow and Orange and the sight was just gorgeous. Hope you like the look! I had fun with it despite sweating profusely.

Face:
Laura Mercier oil free primer
Mac studio sculpt foundation
Mac Golden Lariat blush trio

Eyes:
Nars smudge proof eye primer
NYX eyeshadow base-white
Sugarpill eyeshadows:buttercupcake, flamepoint, love+
Mac rule e/s
Mac texture e/s
Liquid Eyeliner from beauty supply
Makeup Forever False lashes

Lips:
Nars Wonder Lip gloss
Mac Liberated lipglass

Super By Dr. Perricone Daylight Savings

Company Description: “Daylight Savings is a non-chemical moisturizer with SPF 25 which protects skin from UV rays and gives it a luminous finish. Formulated with Curcuminoids, the antioxidant found in Turmeric, this cream protects and hydrates the skin while giving it a natural golden glow.”

Product: This is my go to day moisturizer because it is perfect for oily skin and gives protection from the sun. The moisturizer is not thick or greasy and it adsorbs into the skin instantly.  This doesn’t clog my pores or break me out like other moisturizers I have used in the past. It also mattifies the skin which makes it good to wear under foundation also. Daylight Savings Moisturizer is very lightweight and I do feel as though it helps to tone and even out my skin a bit. Mid day my skin isn’t as oily as with past moisturizers I have used. I do see shine on my forehead and nose but it’s not ridiculous.

Packaging: The moisturizer comes in a small glass bottle that stores super easy in drawers, cabinets or any small area. It comes with a pump, making dispensing of the product easy. This is very travel friendly and doesn’t take up much space.

Price: $38 for 1oz. I hate that the price is so much for a small bottle. I love this moisturizer because this works like a miracle but the price is a bit steep, especially since Sephora has stopped carrying this in stores and online so I can’t use a discount code. Although you don’t need much to cover the face (2 pumps; 3 pumps for the neck) I feel that this goes pretty fast because I use this daily. I really wish they gave more product or would go down on the price a bit. But I have yet to find a day moisturizer, with SPF, that I can use daily with success.

Final Review: A

Product 5/5

Packaging 5/5

Price 3/5

Season of the Prom

Prom season is here again and with it comes giddy teenagers, pretty dresses, fashonable shoes and fabulous hair and makeup!  Prom is one of the most important days for some teenagers.  A day of pampering is a girl’s ideal day no matter what age they are.   Teens spend the day getting their nails, hair and makeup done to make themselves look more beautiful than they are thus making them feel better about themselves. Whether going with a date or going with friends, prom is sure to be a fun, exciting night and quite possibly the start to many late nights of partying and dancing with friends. It’s the teens beginning of independence.

A teen’s makeup is what brings their look together.  They have this beautiful dress with cute shoes, hair is looking sharp and now the makeup must be flawless to make everything blend together. A few tips (and pictures I found doing a google search) for great makeup on prom night:

1.) Don’t wear too much! You ideally want to look pretty and glamorous but not overly made up. Pick a feature you want to play up and stick with that. Bold eyes is fine but be sure to keep the lips simple and neutral or vice versa.

2.) Neutral eye makeup is usually safe and works for everyone and goes with almost every dress. Brown, beige, gold, peach tones, white gold are all excellent choices for the eyes and easy to add a color to. Not everyone likes to wear colorful eyeshadow but one can add a colored eye liner to amp up the look a bit and bring out your eyes. The colored liner could match the detail in the dress to bring it all together.

Use a white or a bone( for darker skin) colored eyeliner to open small set eyes.

 

Neutral eyes with heavy eye liner

Neutral eyes with colored eyeliner

3.) Smokey eyes works great for any occasion. The brilliance of a Smokey eye is one can go as subtle or as dramatic as they’d like. It doesn’t always need to be dramatic. There are tons of palettes, with instructions, available (high end and drug store brands) that makes Smokey eyes easy to accomplish. Add a wash of black, or even a bronze eyeshadow over a base (eye primer or a blended out black eye kohl) blend the color out with a neutral eyeshadow that matches your skintone and add a highlight. Add eyeliner to the top and bottom lash lines, set with a dark shadow and add mascara. To add more drama, add some black eyeshadow to the crease and blend it out so there are no harsh lines.

 

Dark smokey eyes with lots of liner and mascara

Very Natural, No Makeup makeup look with a slight smokey eye. Not overly made up but still pretty

4.) Not too sure about wearing eye makeup? Apply eyeliner to the top lashes and outer bottom lash lines for small eyes or rim the entire eye for bigger eye shapes and lots of mascara to fake it. And add some color to your lips if you desire.

 

5.) Get a flawless face with a foundation that gives the type of coverage you need; tinted moisturizer or a sheer cover foundation if you just need to even out the skin tone, medium to full coverage if you need to hide acne and/or acne scars. Don’t forget to powder.

6.) Prime to make it last. You will probably be out late, prom and after party, so prime your face and eyes before applying foundation and eyeshadow then the lips with a matching lipliner to ensure your look lasts all night. A makeup setting spray also helps.

Did you go to your high school prom? If so, what kind of dress did you wear and how did you wear your makeup?
If not, do you regret not going?

Chanel Perfection Lumiere Foundation

Company Description:

Effortless to apply with seamless blendability for a naturally flawless effect. This breakthrough foundation is the ideal all-day, everyday formula suitable for all skin types in a diverse range of 20 shades. Oil-free. Dermatologist-tested. Noncomedogenic.

Product: This foundation is silky smooth and glides on the face like a dream. It does in deed blend effortlessly and it feels so good on the skin it feels like I have nothing on. The finish gives a satin, natural looking and flawless look that reminds me of an airbrush finish. The foundation is not thick or oily, on the contrary it’s a little watery though it’s not runny. A couple pumps (2 1/2 at the most) is enough to cover the entire face. It gives medium coverage though I do think this could be used for full coverage. I wore this all night, about 6 hours and my makeup still looked flawless. My skin didn’t get super oily either although I did have a bit of a shine toward the end of the night that ironically seemed to add to the natural finish. I wasn’t looking like a glowing disco ball!

I can definitely agree with the company’s claims. I got a sample of this foundation from Macys and I’ve been testing this out for a few days and I absolutely LOVE this foundation. Even more so than the Mat Lumiere. Mat Lumiere gives….wait for it…a matte finish while this gives a satin finish that’s perfect for all skin tones, including dry skin (especially if you prime the skin with a hydrating primer). I used Laura Mercier Oil free primer under this and I think that helped control the oil. I really didn’t want to spend the money for another high end foundation BUT I am totally in love with this so I might have to splurge real soon. I am wearing this foundation here!

Packaging: I like the bottle, it’s the same glass bottle as the Mat Lumiere with a pump. It is compact and the glass is thick so it is indeed travel friendly. It stores well in the cabinet or drawer and doesn’t take up much space.

Price: You know my saying, you get what you pay for. At $55 bucks it’s definitely expensive and a splurge but It is an awesome foundation and it is cheaper than foundations from Guerlain, Armani and the like. I wouldn’t wear this every day, although you could do so. I would only wear this on special occasions or going for a night out. With that, I’m sure this will last for at least 5 months or more depending on how often you use it. I would definitely recommend getting matched and getting a sample (you should do this with ANY brand actually) to test for a couple days before you spend the money.

Final Grade: A

Product 5/5

Packaging5/5

Price 4/5

Pictures from the Raw:Natural Born Artist Event

 

Last night I went to the Raw event in Hollywood at the Key Club to support those in the industry and also to meet people and promote myself as a makeup artist. Raw is an independent organization that promotes up and coming artists, photographers, film makers and hair and makeup artists. It’s sponsored by the community and it’s really great exposure to sell yourself in whatever type of art you do. I had the opportunity and pleasure to see some raw talent in makeup, hair, fashion photography, and art. I met some really wonderful people and hopefully made some connections to work with some amazing people. I love being around people who help each other instead of looking at each other as competition or rivals. There was an art gallery where you can check out and buy some works in photography, painting, and drawing. The atmosphere was really inspiring, welcoming and really energetic. I loved being there and I would love to go to another Raw Event in the future.

Later in the night there was a fashion, hair and makeup show which I really enjoyed. I wish I had got more photos of the show but the lighting wouldn’t allow my camera phone to do so. There was some amazing hair and makeup jobs and fashion. I really had a great time and I realized that an artist’s craft is always developing. I have a lot of practicing to do so I’m getting to it.

Here are some up close shots I got before the show started.

Here are some photos of the show, some I could get anyhow.