Guerlain’s Terracotta 4 Seasons let’s you customize your bronzer according to your tan.  LOVE!

Bobbi’s Bronzer is tried-and-true by all the pros.

Nars Bronzer has a hint of  lovely gold shimmer.

For those of you on a budget, this is the biggest steal EVER!  NYC Bronzing Face Powder for under 3 dollars.

Ladies, share your favorite bronzers with us!

Jenna  by Bobbi Brown

YU Satin pencil by Nars

Forever Fuchsia by Loreal 

Aphrodisiac by Tom Ford

Love them all! Share your favorite bright lip shade with us! XOXO

It’s over a month and a half away, yet it can’t get here soon enough as far as I’m concerned.  In the meantime, let’s line up some much needed seasonal essentials!

Chanel’s Fracas Nail Colour is the perfect shade to welcome the next season.  What do you think ladies?

To achieve this look:

1) Use a tinted moisturizer along with an under eye concealer.

2) Apply bronzer

3) Go for a skin tone eye shadow with a hint of shimmer and a deep brown liner. Follow with mascara.

4) Make sure to have a well-groomed brow and fill in as needed with brow powder and a brow brush.

5) Finish off this look with a nude lip color or gloss.

Photo Credit: Imaxtree

You are Fresh-Faced and ready to take on Spring 2013!

XOXO

A few easy tips to create the perfect red lip:

-First off, always search for a shade of red that looks best on your skin tone. There are endless shades to choose from: red-oranges, red-browns, true reds, and blue-reds.  (Trying on at the store before purchasing is always key.)

-For a perfect red pout make sure that you start with a well hydrated and exfoliated lip. (Apply lip balm overnight, and gently exfoliate your lips with a tooth-brush the next morning.)

-Apply a small amount of foundation onto your lips.

-Apply the lip color using a lip brush rather than straight from the tube.

-Use a lip liner in that same shade of red and apply the liner on your natural lip line. (Going outside of your natural lip line WILL make you look ridiculous!)

-Teeth check! No one ever looks classy with crimson stained teeth.

-Go easy on the eyes.  I love pairing a classic red lip with neutral shadows and simple cat eye-SO Mad Men!

A few versions of the ultimate red pout…

Nars “Fire Down Below”

Laura Mercier “Portofino Red”

Bobbi Brown “Hollywood Red”

L’Oreal “British Red”

Yves Saint Laurent “Le Rouge”

Chanel “Pirate”

Red lips are perfect for the season and look fantastic in photos. If you don’t have a tube, treat yourself!

Rock this shade at your next holiday soirée!  This also makes a fantastic stocking stuffer…

Share your favorite holiday manicure shade with us!

XOXO

I teamed up with Wanda, from 2Girls Glam and Danielle, from DonMeNow to create looks for over 30 models.  Brushes were flying and we most definitely could have counted that night’s makeup sesh as cardio. An adrenaline boost from the buzz in the ballroom pre-runway show: countless cases of makeup, bottles of hairspray galore, models rehearsing, sound checks from the band… The evening ended with Danielle and I backstage transforming the model’s nude lips look to ravishing red for the finale.

Here’s a sneak peek of some of the smokey eye and nude lip looks I created taken via iphone! (More pics to come…Perhaps BonBon Rose Girls has some handy ?)

Loved being a part of an event that supports a charity and local talent! Did anyone else attend this fabulous show?

xoxo

“What is it”,  you ask?  One word: EXFOLIATION.  It’s life changing!

There is absolutely NO reason to skip over this step. No matter how exhausted you are, just do it!  You only need to do it 2-3 times a week and it takes less than a minute. Exfoliation rids your face of the dull, dry, and dead skin cells to give you a fresh and polished look.

One of my go t0 products for the job is ExfoliKate, by Kate Somerville. It’s made with one of my all time fave ingredients, pumpkin, along with some amazing oils!

Tips:

-Don’t over-exfoliate. It’s best to stick to around 3 times a week.

-Be gentle! Move your finger tips in a circular motion and let the product do the work.

-Use a small amount on your lips, rinse, and apply lip balm before bed. Your lipstick will look amazing on smooth and hydrated lips.

-Apply your favorite moisturizer after exfoliation.

It’s especially important to rid your face of that flaky skin during these upcoming fall and winter months.  Set aside 3 minutes a week to give yourself that fresh-faced glow. Share your favorite tips and products for exfoliating!

Ok ladies, here are some top makeup DONT’S that will keep you from looking like a fright!

-DON’T wear the wrong color foundation!

Foundation is one of the most important parts of a makeup routine. Whether you wear a tinted moisturizer, a full coverage foundation, or a powder based formula ALWAYS try it before you buy it! Investing in a foundation that can be purchased in the department store will give you the opportunity to wear it on your skin. (Never try the foundation on your hand because your face and your hand are NOT the same color!)  If the foundation leaves a mark on the jaw line, then that color is too dark! You will know you have found your match when the foundation “disappears” into the skin.  It’s a great idea to check the foundation in natural light if possible.  Yellow based foundations are best and work well with all skin types rather than pink based shades. The pink based formulas leave a pepto bismol like glow on the face…yikes!

-DON’T line the bottom eyelid alone! 

Lining only the bottom eyelid creates a droopy effect and focuses all the attention to the under eye, which tends to be a problem area for most women. When lining the eyes, line either the top lid alone OR both the top and bottom eyelids. Remember to line all the way across the eye from the inner corner to the outer corner.

-DON’T overdo the blush!

Although the holidays are approaching, the toy soldier look is OUT for this season! Apply  your blush on the apple of the cheek blending towards the hairline. You want an even application that is not focused only on the apple.  If you apply too much blush, take your foundation blush and swipe over the area in downward strokes. This will tone down the intensity of the pigment.

-DON’T use a lip liner that is darker than your lip color! 

We’ve all seen the dark brown liner paired with the light lip color. Ladies… AVOID this look at all costs! The purpose of a lip liner is to keep the lipstick from bleeding past the lip area. Match your lip liner with your lip color. For a more natural look, apply the liner AFTER you have applied the lip color.

-DON’T “overshimmer”!

So many women get carried away and frost their faces like cupcakes! Keep it simple and avoid the “frosted face”! If you are wearing shimmer shadows, then you won’t need a shimmer gloss, along with a shimmer blush, and a shimmer highlighter…Choose an area or two to feature with shimmer. Don’t overdo it!

Share your make up DON’Ts with us!

One of the easiest ways to preserve your skin is to wear sunscreen every time you plan to head outdoors (no excuses!).  If you think to yourself, “I’m just running out for a few minutes, OR “I’ll be protected in the car”…Think again!  Sun damage can still occur from simply walking to and from your car unprotected over time. A sunscreen I’m currently in love with (thanks to my fab Aesthetician Jessica)  is MDSolarSciences SPF 30 Mineral Tinted Gel.   It’s lightly tinted and is a Broad Spectrum UVA-UVB Sunscreen.  This product is a physical block which means that the active ingredients of Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide actually block the sun’s rays (most sunscreens are chemical blocks, which means that their active ingredients absorb the rays).

Pros

Feels super smooth on the skin

Serves as a great primer for foundation

Under $25

Very water-resistant

Works well for acne and rosacea prone skin

Leaves the face feeling matte

Looks great when worn alone

Cons

Due to its water resistance, it is slightly difficult to remove

If you haven’t been wearing sunblock on a daily basis, it’s time to start NOW! Does anyone have a favorite sunblock?