Helping people tell their stories is what we are all about. Melissa said “I Do” to the love of her life this summer and we were so honored to be there to help her prepare for that walk down the aisle! Follow along as P&P Artists Gina and Ashley work their bridal beauty magic…Amazing photos by Mapurunga Photography.    

Finishing touches…

And that final detail to complete the look…

Cheers to True Love, Telling Your Story, and The Best Day Ever,

Note: the pictures of these lovely ladies below are NOT examples of looking old or doing things wrong…in fact they are evidence of the opposite! Plus, let’s be honest, the pictures break up my long winded soap box! Thank you Lydia Photographyfor the amazing shots from our previous photoshoots!

Dear Friend,

You asked for my honest opinion, “Am I looking old? Honestly Jess, tell me. I can take it. I know you’ll tell me the truth!,” you said. So here it is. And listen, regardless of my answer, you should ultimately do what you love…how you feel is what is most important, so if you do something in this list and you love it then be my guest! It’s your right to look haggard err umm I mean everyone is entitled to their wrong opinion—uh What I mean is, more power to ya! And yes friend I know you think I’m a little snarky, but it’s only to emphasis my point and because I would NEVER be this unfiltered with a client…but since we are friends, I know you can handle the truth.

1. Your brows are way too thin. Maybe it’s over plucking, maybe you’re just not particularly hairy, or maybe they’ve thinned with age but they are too thin. It seems counterintuitive but fuller brows actually make your eyes look more lifted! Thin brows overexpose the orbital bone and makes your eyes appear droopy. A fuller brow is an instant face lift, so grab some filler and make them fuller! Or head to an Anastasia counter for some brow rehab–Don’t worry, we can tell the press it was just for “exhaustion.”

2. Your lipstick is too brown or too dark…Honestly women are pretty religious about their lipstick. I get it. That shade is perfect right? You’ve been wearing it for years ya? Well that’s just it, you’ve been wearing it so long you don’t know any other way to view your lips. That doesn’t make it the best shade for you. Dark lips age, period. Sometimes that’s ok if we are going for a vampy look. But for everyday, you should go with something a little more rosy with more life in it! It will brighten your complexion and your smile.

3. You’re still wearing the same mattifying or oily skin formula foundation from years ago. You’d be surprised at how many women when discussing their skin type claim to be oily when what they really mean is, I was labeled as oily in my teens and I never reevaluated that as I got older. Oily skin formulas tend to combat shine, sucking out radiance…which when we were much more oily was great, we had radiance coming out the wazoo! But now, you aren’t anymore. I mean ya, you may still get shiny or even the occasional zit, but you are not the oil slick gal you used to be (thank God right?!). So using those formulas is essentially making your skin look dull and tired. And you don’t need that mega coverage anymore! Something lighter and more radiant is going to make your skin look fabulous! I know I know, it’s a total paradigm shift. It’s the right thing to do though, I promise.

4. You’re not concealing under your eyes. “But I feel like it makes me look wrinkly, or I feel like it settles in my lines.” First, let’s do some hunting to find a good formula that works best for you! Not all concealers are created equally. Second, darkness under your eyes will make you look more old and run down than a few lines ever will. The lines are there whether you care to acknowledge them or not, the darkness doesn’t have to be.

5. You’re not using good skincare. Whether it’s because you think it’s too late, or you’re in denial of it being necessary…you need to pay attention to your skin. If you’re thinking to yourself: should I start using an eye cream? The answer always is: yes you should of started years ago, regardless of how young you are. It’s never too late to give your skin what’s best for it. That’s like not watering a wilting plant…it’s not dead yet, so give it what it needs! And if you’re old enough to question if you should be using reparative creams or nutrient packed serums, then your answer is yes.

So there you have it friend, I’m only telling you this because I love you…and because you asked my advice. I mean, I think you’re fantastic and have great taste (after all, we are friends!). But you know I will always tell you truth when you ask for it, that’s why we are such good friends.

PS- if we really do know each other personally and you saw something on this list and wondered, “Is Jess talking about me??” Yes, yes I am talking about you. Coffee next week?

Cheers to Honesty, Friendship, and Aging Gracefully,

I am so smitten with the look I did for a photoshoot this week with Nicole Cook (umm, by the way she is an AMAZING highschool senior –fashion– photographer in NorCal). Luckily I had the sense to take pics of the look as it developed so I could make this tutorial for you! The funny thing is that it doesn’t actually use any silver shadows in it…the hue is a result of the blending of the liner and shadows. Which I actually prefer because silvers often translate very blue on camera. This way you get the effect in a truer way. If you’re not a fan of silvery shadow, then sub the black pencil for an espresso one and blend out with dark brown shadow instead of black for a more chocolatey neutral look. I worked from my Naked Basics palette and also a few shades from Makeup Geek (creme brulee, shimma shimma, and homecoming).

1. Prime your lids and dust on a neutral champagne or vanilla shadow all over your lid, the shimmery base will help when it comes time to blend.

2. Line your eyes, doesnt need to be precise.

3. Use a pencil brush (or your finger even) to blend and soften the liner.

4. Draw a V with your pencil to outline where your smokey cat eye will go. Make sure you open your eye first to determine how high up you want the line in your crease.

5. Use your pencil brush to blend and smudge the V more into the center of your eye, you essentially are focusing on the outer third portion of your eye. Dip your brush into black shadow as necessary to build the depth you are comfortable with. See how messy its getting? Trust the process and don’t get scared! I like to do eyes first and skin second when doing looks like this.

6. Pat a shimmery taupe shadow all over your lid, smoothing out the seams of where the black shadow stops.

7. Dust a soft brown in your crease, bronzer works fab!

8. Highlight under your brow and in your inner socket.

9. Now for the clean up! This step is what adds the sharp angled edge to the look. Take a cotton pad with remover or makeup wipe and fold it so you have a straight edge. Swipe the edge in an upward angled motion.

10. Line your eyes. I love the sharpness of a gel or liquid for this look.

11. Add the flick of liner at the end for your cat eye. The awesome part about this look is that the sharp edge we created is your guideline, so its goof-proof!

12. Load up with mascara…bonus points and more drama if you toss in some lashes too! I used medium length individuals.

And there you have it! Isn’t our model Lexy so lovely?!

We were going for drama so we paired her look with a bold punchy lip (Rimmel Kate Moss #12)…but a nude lip is a great option for this look!

Cheers to Seniors, Silver, and Smokey Eyes,

Life can be tough. Circumstances can be shaky. Here is what we are certain of though…

1. Lipstick can cure just about anything.

2. But how we look on the outside does not define us.

3. Everyday is a fresh chance to be a new you. Is the day half gone and its been terrible so far? You can start your day over anytime you choose! I had a teacher in junior high say that all the time and it stuck with me…I use this pearl of wisdom regularly!

4. Knowing how to do something properly is very powerful! And while an expertly executed smoky eye may or may not land you Ryan Gosling, it will boost your confidence and make the day seem brighter!

5. Everyone deserves to have their moment to shine. You may not be a celebrity, but you can feel like one once in a while! (That’s where we step in!)

6. Others actions can affect us, but ultimately your personal choices will be the rudder that steers the ship of your life!

7. You can always count on being able to tag along with us! Beauty Adventures are best shared with a friend…and sometimes a little pretty is the perfect escape!

Cheers to Circumstance, Certainty, and New Chances,

Meet my new friend Kali. Kali at the ripe old age of 21 is an accomplished makeup and hair artist. I met her last month at the Adesign Brush Party, she was demo’ing body art techniques using those awesome brushes. I was completely wowed by her abilities and asked her to share her story and some products she loves. Her strengths and interests (math, anyone?!) intrigue me…take notes people, this girl is going places…

“So lets see, where do I begin…Well for starters my name is Kali Lorenzo. Born and raised in San Jose, CA. I was always a creative kid and somehow I ended up putting it to use through makeup. I loved painting and math. So those 2 skills served me well when it came to hair and makeup. I’m a licensed cosmetologist. Believe it or not theres alot of math in hair! I’ve been professionally doing makeup for about 5 yrs, hair 2yrs.”

“As far as body painting goes, I’ve only been doing that for a year. My first time doing such thing was for a Hair show competition, which I won first place for ;). The theme was “time warp” doing anything from the b.c. to present involving hair/makeup. I did futuristic of course. I converted my model into a robot from head to toe. Never did I have previous training for this, but it was how my mind worked. I had this vision in my head so I would quickly draw it before it left my brain. Sketch it out & then bring it to life on a human body as my canvas. Sometimes I dont even know how my brain works…but it does…in a crazy way. I love doing what I do, and I feel more than blessed to be one of the few that gets to do what they love as a career.”

“My interest in makeup began shortly after my 15th birthday, my friend had a photography project and asked me to be in it. I knew how to do makeup, but not like those girls at MAC. That day I did a look that changed my life forever, it was simple but gave me the idea that “Hey, maybe this can take me somewhere”. So I started reading books, watching youtube videos, and eventually having clients. I posted all my stuff on myspace (back then lol) then facebook, and then eventually started attending shows and networking…”

“May I add I was only about 18or 19? I was determined, and I still am.”

“I know what I want and I do not stop until I get it. I feel like I’m still at a young age where I have plenty of years to achieve my goals, but of course I give myself a deadline. I need to push myself harder every year to achieve that 25yr deadline. So I have 4 yrs to go :).”

3 must haves (or else I’d die!!):

1) Ben Nye Setting Spray, I dont care what anyone says best setting spray ever!
2) Urban Decay Supercurl Lash, I kid you not best curling mascara I’ve used by far.
3) MUFE’s Flash Palette, need I say more??! Everything in 1!

Wow! I don’t know about you, but Kali’s amazing talent and determination (at such a young age too!) is incredibly inspiring! Follow her work on Facebook…and find out there how to book her services!

Cheers to Math, Art, and Determination,

Say bienvenue to our friend Maya! She’s a double threat: a professionally trained and accomplished makeup artist AND a licensed cosmetologist who is amazing at styling hair!

I’m not sure if it’s the Mona Lisa smirk she always has on her face, or her sultry French accent…but we just love her!!

She’s lived in places like France and India and traveled the world sharpening her art and skill, studied under renown artists, and worked for lines such as Dior and Laura Mercier…here’s a peek at what products are her fav’s right now!

photo credits: top Paul Ferradas, bottom Jeremy Montemayor

Should you ever book P&P for your wedding or special event you’ll most likely meet her in person, as she often joins our beauty adventures! From Suburban Mothers to International Models, Maya has done it all! We are so excited whenever she joins us!

Chin Chin (Cheers!) to Mothers, Models, and Maya,