A Natural Bride: Blonde & Blue Eyed

This lovely lady is Tanya, and she is getting married this summer! She asked for my help to create a look for her big day and I was so happy to oblige.  Tanya is a mascara-and-go kinda gal so for her trial we wanted to keep everything very neutral and natural but still emphasize her features.  Tanya isn't used to wearing any makeup and didn't want anything too heavy, bold or dramatic.  I've not done makeup on a lot of mature skinned ladies before, and Tanya hasn't worn a full face of makeup for a while so it was a learning experience for both of us :)

Doesn't Tanya look like she could be Kate Winslet's sister? I think they have the same beautiful smile!

As an aspiring makeup artist, I believe it's SO important to practice on as many skin types, skin tones and age ranges as possible.  There is no end to education when it comes to the creative art forms. I learned a lot working with Tanya and will definitely be adding some new products to my kit for the future and tweaking her final look on her big day.  I realized that a lot of the makeup that I currently own is catered towards younger skin types and won't work for ladies with fine lines, wrinkles or mature skin especially around their eyes.  This area is so delicate and needs extra attention and the right combination of products to  both highlight & conceal properly.  I will definitely be shopping for some new products!

For the look we created for Tanya, hydration was key.  The more moisturized & hydrated the skin is, the more youthful & supple it appears.  Products will also lay more nicely over hydrated skin, so we really focused on adding moisture first with Embryolisse Lait-Cremè Concentré mixed with MAC's Strobe Liquid Lotion for luminosity.

BASE: 

Primer - Benefit POREfessional

Foundation - Airbrush, one light layer to even out her skin tone

Concealer - NYX HD mixed with Maybelline Dark Circle Eraser Treatment Concealer (this ended up a little too heavy & drying for my liking and I will be using something lighter next time)

Blush - Tarte 'Trustworthy'

Powder - Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder

Highlight - MAC PRO Shaping Powder in 'Emphasize'
Lips - NYX Soft Matte Lip Creme in Stockholm & LA Girl Glazed Lip Paint in Nude

For Tanya's EYE look we used Lorac & Tarte Eyeshadows - all neutral Taupes/Greys and cool tone Browns as requested.  I used all Matte Shadows to keep her look the most flattering and natural & added a nude liner to her waterline to brighten her eyes. We added 3 KISS Xshort individual lashes to each outer corner to add volume to her lash line.  Tanya has THE BEST brows! They were perfectly full and naturally shaped and I didn't think she needed much added to them, so I just used a wax stick from Ardel to groom them and a neutral brown shadow to lightly add further shape.  

For her actual Wedding Day, I think we will end up adding a little extra and defining everything a little more to ensure all her makeup will stand out that little bit more when photographed.  While she was happy with her makeup after our trial, I knew I wanted to tweak a few things for next time :)  Excited to glam her again!

My Everyday Face: Before & After

I thought it was about time I showed my own every day, go-to look and how I transform myself from the what you see on the left to what you see on the right... Magic, right? Makeup is ahhhhmazing.

Most work days, I gravitate towards looks like this one - neutral, but put together, with little touches of glam.  By other people's standards, this wouldn't be considered "minimal" or "natural" but for me - it's about as natural as I go for days I'm working. I even throw on some corner lashes to vamp up my eyes a little sometimes. I love makeup (obviously) and more often than not, I will always be wearing a little (or a lot, ha!).  

Every new day is a chance for me to play, experiment and create and I love the whole process so if you're curious about what goes into my makeup routine, and which products I've been gravitating towards lately, this post is for you!

How weird is it seeing your face half naked and half not? Not to mention so up close and personal.. eek! Kinda spooky... 

So my skin is combination/oily and although it's calmed down a lot in the past few years, I am still acne prone.  Along with that I have some hyper-pigmentation from acne scaring and redness.   I also have large pores, especially around my cheeks and nose (ugh) so those are several things I tackle when I start my face..

---> I always start with a clean, prepped face.  I like to wash, tone and moisturize and apply an eye cream & lip balm.  After that, I apply a primer in tapping motions - mainly focusing on filling in my pores and fine lines instead of swiping over them.  This day I used Benefit's POREfessional & MAC Mineralized Charged Water.

---> I work on my eyes before applying the rest of my face makeup and for this day I used: MAC ProLongwear Paint Pot in Soft Ochre, and set that with Rimmel's Stay Matte Translucent Powder.  For shadows I used TheBalm's Meet Matt(e) - similar - palette (SO good! TheBalm's shadows are so buttery soft & super pigmented - TheBalm is frequently featured on HauteLook too - keep an eye out!)

---> Black Eyeliner on upper lash line is Kat Von D Liquid Liner in Trooper.  I love this! It's a pen form - but instead of a felt tip it's a brush head which is really easy to use and great for precision.  Waterline is Beauty Rush Eyeliner in Black from Victoria's Secret. Lashes are a couple individual ones from Kiss & Mascara was Maybelline Lash Sensational.

----> Foundation is Maybelline Fit Me Matte and Poreless mixed with Cover FX Custom Cover Drops - This product is fantastic!!  Concealer is Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circle Treatment. Blush is MAC Gingerly, Setting Powder & Bronzer are from the Kat Von D Shade & Light Contour Kit.  For Brows I used the Dip Brow Pomade from Anastasia Beverly Hills in Blonde.  Highlight is Physician's Formula Powder Palette Mineral Glow Pearls in Beige (beautiful!).

---> Last but (not usually) least - for my Lips (when this picture was taken) I wore the Body Shop's Coconut Lip Butter.  Most days I stick with lip balms and light, wearable lip colors.  I love the Body Shops range, Revlon's Color Burst Lip Butters or Maybelline's Color Whispers.

There ya go guys! Just some of the products I've been reaching for and enjoying lately :)

Photoshoot Full Face Glam: Acne Prone Skin

I get so lucky to be able to work with such beautiful women! 

 This is Kayla, she is in town visiting family and at the request of her lovely Mama, (the talented photographer Ms Helen Hilman - go check her out!! Above photo credit to Helen Hilman Photography) she is doing a little evening photoshoot session.  To get Kayla camera confident, we focused on playing up her gorgeous eyes and added an even airbrush base, with a little extra coverage to help camouflage her trouble zones.  Like myself, Kayla has suffered with acne for a while and is terribly shy about showing her face without makeup, and it takes great courage to display to the world what we dislike about ourselves.  It's taken me yearrsss to have the confidence to leave the house without a full face of makeup on.  Acne has felt debilitating for me in the past, and I know I'm not alone. But I really encourage everyone to share their experiences and share their faces because we  can all learn from one another and SO many people can relate and identify with the struggle of acne prone skin.  No one is perfect, especially not the airbrushed versions of celebrities we see at every turn so I love seeing real people with real skin and learning how they fix their 'flaws' and feel beautiful. 

 We all struggle with things we don't like about our appearances, and for anyone that deals with acne, makeup can be such a savior when we feel like hiding from everyone. Kayla is beautiful without any makeup on, as are we all! But we don't always feel that way, and don't always see ourselves that way.  So for those times, makeup can help give us that little extra bit of confidence and happiness when we're lacking self esteem.   
No photoshop needed with this beauty!  

For Kayla's skin, we moisturized and focused on concealing any breakouts as well as brightening under her eyes BEFORE we added 2 layers of Dinair Colair Airbrush Foundation.   I like to spot conceal prior to the airbrush application simply because it's easier to manipulate concealer underneath than on top of the airbrush base. To achieve a little extra blemish coverage, I added a few drops of Dinair's Paramedical Camouflage color in Olive Beige to her foundation mix - this full coverage formula covers, corrects and conceals without looking cakey.  I know I talk endlessly about it, but I LOVE airbrush foundation for myself and anyone who struggles with acne because it is SO lightweight and build-able and it never looks (or feels) heavy.  It gives the skin a lovely semi-matte, skin like texture and photographs beautifully (bonus!) It is also the most hygienic way to apply your foundation, as you avoid bacteria laden brushes and sponges!

Again, I used my holy grail favorites for Kayla's look, so feel free to ask about any products and I can list them :)

Isn't she just stunning! Yes, yes she is.

The main shadows for Kayla's Bronzey smokey eye are Urban Decay's 'Smog' with 'Half Baked' packed on top.  These colors work beautifully to make her blue/green eyes POP! I can't wait to see how her photoshoot went, and share some of her final pictures :)