A Little New Year's Eve Sparkle

Searching for a couple of easy, yet beautiful looks for New Year's Eve? You've come to the right place!

For a lot of impact, and only a little effort, try a soft sparkly eye with a bright lip.

 Here, I used Urban Decay Eyeshadow Potion in Greed all over the eye, up to the socket bone. Brushed over the top of that is Urban Decay eyeshadow in Virgin (a shimmery, pink-toned white), with Palladio eyeshadow pencil in Moonstone on the inner corners. To add depth, I contoured the eyes a bit with Urban Decay Half Baked eyeshadow, and then lined the lower lash line with the same color. To finish the eyes, we swiped on Loreal Volumious Extra Volume Collagen mascara in Blackest Black.

To complete the look, we used NYX lipliner in 859 Edge Pink, and OCC Lip Tar in Pretty Boy for the lip color. And VOILA! Super easy, beautiful makeup.

Jordyn's updo consists of an upside down French braid (in the back), finished with a lace braid bun with a cute bow accent from Ulta.

If you'd like to learn how to do these braids, plus a TON more, a really great site I like to refer people to is Cutegirlshairstyles.com . Braiding is a super hard technique to teach, but Mindy is a pro at it!

One word of caution, however, if you are working with really layered hair (like Jordyn's) you will have ends popping out all over the place. You can just pin those down with bobby pins. And just remember, it doesn't have to look 'perfect'. A little messiness is cute :)

If you're looking for a little more drama in the makeup department, nothing beats a smoky eye.

For Pam's look we did this with Urban Decay Anti-Aging Primer potion (it has the best 'slip' in my opinion, which means its gives just enough glide to the shadow to make blending easier) as a base. From the lash line up to the crease I used Urban Decay eyeshadow in Bordello which is a shimmery purple, then darkened the outer corners with UD shadow in Half Truth which is a shimmery navy. From there, start adding UD Blackout shadow along the lash line and blending it up into the outer crease creating a V shape.

To prevent yourself from looking like a raccoon, you'll want to draw a light line with the shadow from the outer corner of the eye upward at the same angle as the lower lash line (as if you're aiming for the bottom of your eyebrow). This does two things, 1. creates a lifting effect of the eye and 2. starts to create a smoked out effect.

Highlight the brow bone with UD Virgin shadow and buff the purple shadow that's in the crease upward on to the bottom of the brow bone with the same brush.

I lined Pam's top lash line and bottom waterline with a black Mac Kohl pencil and smudged it out with a smudge brush, then lined the lower lash line with Bordello (the purple) from the middle outward to the corner of the eye. Then, taking the Blackout shadow, I lined the outer corner of the bottom lash and smudged it out so that it met with the top lash.

Since I wanted to keep this look fairly simple, we skipped false lashes and went with this AMAZING mascara called Younique Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes. YOU. GUYS. This stuff is crayyyy zeeee. I have never seen mascara like this- the drug store versions do not even come close. I'll probably dedicate a whole post to it because its that awesome.

To finish the look, I lined and completely filled in the lips with Revlon lip liner in 270 Nude and topped it off with Smith's Rosebud Salve.

We styled Pam's hair two different ways. First, I curled it loosely with an 1 1/4 barrel iron, tousled it, swept it all to one side and pinned it, leaving a few pieces around the face for softness. I also added a bit of bling by using a broken necklace and pinning it over the first bobby pins holding the hair. If you're not really one for buying hair accessories try looking around your jewelry box for pieces that you can easily transform a hairstyle with.

From there, I swept the rest of the hair up and pinned to by the ear for a slightly more formal look. Just lightly bunch small pieces and pin them where you want them to go. Play with a bit until you get a look you like. Super duper easy and very soft and sexy!



And because these two are just SO dang cute, here are some more pictures from the shoot :)

Photos by Jazmin Ciara Photography

If you have ANY questions about these looks, shoot me an email or message me on facebook! I'd be glad to help you in any way :)

Wishing you all a very fabulous and happy New Year! Cheers!

Holiday Lipcolors To Help You Look Merry And Bright

From top to bottom: MAC Girl About town, OCC Strumpet, Tarte Flashy, MAC Hot Tahiti,
OCC Pretty Boy

 

 

 

The holiday season always makes me feel like dressing up a little more and adding bolder colors to my makeup routine. It's the best time to break out those bright reds, fuschias and plums that have been sitting in your makeup drawer all summer. Here are a few of my current favorites!

 

 

From left to right:

 

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Strumpet, MAC Glaze Lipstick in Hot Tahiti, Tarte LipSurgence in Flashy, OCC Lip Tar in Pretty Boy, MAC Amplified Lipstick in Girl About Town

 

 

I like to use the OCC Lip Tars during photo shoots because they are extremely pigmented and long lasting. Pretty Boy is a bright fuschia, and Strumpet is a berry/plummy red. A tube of this stuff will also last you *forever* because a very tiny bit will completely cover your lips. It's also a vegan product, which is fantastic.

 

The MAC lipsticks  above are two different textures- Glaze and Amplified. If you want to experiment with a brighter, bolder color but are a little nervous, give Hot Tahiti a shot. In the tube it looks quite dark, but goes on pretty sheer and is a very spicy, warm red. Girl About Town is a vibrant, plummy pink that looks great on every skin tone.

 

Tarte Lipsurgence are some of my favorite daily lip products because they are so moisturizing and long lasting. Flashy is a really fun raspberry pink with a little bit of shimmer.

 

If you are looking to add a little glam to your look for a holiday party or New Year's Eve, give these a try!

 

 

 



A Few Products To Prevent Your Skin From Freaking Out This Winter

So that was the longest post title ever. But it's true, here are some great products for your skin this winter. If you live in the *frigid* north  like I do, you're going to need 'em!

 

1. Josie Maran Argan Oil is a fantastic, multi-use product for winter. When my skin is extremely dry, I apply a drop of this to my face before I apply a moisturizer. It smells amazing, and does wonders on flaky, irritated skin (like right under your nose when you have a cold). You can also use it on your hair to tame fly-aways and moisturize dry ends.

 

2. Chantecaille Jasmine and Lily Healing Mask is GLORIOUS. No lie. It smells amazing, leaves your skin feeling like a babies butt, and alleviates redness that dry winter air seems to bring on. If you like to exercise outside in the winter, like skiing and running, this is the perfect product for healing windburn.

3. Embryolisse Lait Crème Concentre is my absolute favorite winter-time moisturizer. It's heavy without being gross/greasy, and smells lovely. When I'm doing a makeup on a client, I often times use this as my primer/base before applying foundation. It really leaves the skin looking glowy and rejuvenated.

 

4. Smith's Rosebud Salve is the salvation for dry, chapped winter lips. I can't stand waxy, thick lip products- or ones that taste like perfume. If you find yourself in the same boat, give this a try. It is so smooth and moisturizing with just a hint of rose scent. It is also fantastic on dry cuticles and knuckles.

 

One tip, if you are interested in purchasing the Embryolisse, I highly recommend buying through Amazon. The Embryolisse website charges outrageous shipping fees!