This month it seems that pinks, berries, and reds are on the brain…along with hearts and glitter. While I may not make homemade Valentine’s cards anymore, I still find a way to flex my Valentine’s Day creative muscles! Here’s a soft girlie look to try this V-day…or any day for that matter!

 

1. Prep your eyes with a good primer.

2. Sweep a matte vanilla shadow on your brow bone.

3. Using a windshield wiper motion, apply a soft pink shadow in your crease.

4. Pat a shimmery cranberry shadow all over your eyelid.

 

 

5. Blend a soft brown into your crease so everything is seamless!

6. Pat a shimmery light pink shadow on the inner third of your lid.

7. Add a pop of shimmery vanilla in your inner socket.

8. Line your lower lashline with the same frosty cranberry as before.

9. Use black pencil to line your waterline.

10. Line your upper lashline too, I opted for a slightly bolder liquid liner.

11. Curl your lashes and finish with mascara (bonus points if you add false lashes!).

Voilá!

Products used:
Naked Basics palette by UD
MAC shadows in Girlie (pink) and Cranberry
Rimmel Scandaleyes liner in black
Almay liquid liner

 

 

Cheers to Pink, Reds, and Valentines,

 

 

Meet my friend Christi of Christi Reynolds Makeup Artistry! With over 17 years of experience in the beauty industry, she is the definition of a pro! Her skill and expertise have helped me both personally and professionally…in fact, Christi is the makeup artist I hired to do my makeup for my wedding 6 years ago! (See! EVERYONE needs to hire a professional makeup artist for their big day!)

I love Christi’s style of artistry…with a focus on complexion and a fresh aesthetic, her artistry really lets the person shine! I’m so thrilled she is sharing some of her must-have products with all of us! Here we go…

1. Elf eyelid primer: “This sheer formula doesn’t interfere with the color or texture of your shadows…use it and nothing will budge!

2. Benefit’s High Beam and Benetint: “I love to mix them together! Looks good on every skin tone and gives a natural healthy flush. Instant red carpet glow!”

3. MAC Mineralize Skin Finish: “I love this powders beautiful coverage, it’s not too much, and provides subtle luminosity! Great for setting foundation.”

4. Clarins Beauty Flash Balm: “Love it! I reach for this when I know that my skin needs that wide awake, fresh, just had a facial look! Instantly snaps my skin back from looking dehydrated.”

5. Lingering MAC brow pencil: “This is super precise so you can mimic the natural shape of the brow hairs.”

Christi sums up her beauty philosophy well,”I like to make-up, not make over. I like to correct, define, and enhance…enhance…not create! There’s a difference.”

So Cheers to Correcting, Defining, and Enhancing,

Anyone who has had the pleasure the meet Beck Morgan will agree with me on these two things: He is a master at what he does. And he is passionate about what he does. It’s impossible to not catch his enthusiasm when you’re around him!

Beck is specifically an expert on MAC product having been a MAC educator for over five years, training groups of up to 700 people on the latest trends and how to create a flawless look. He loves giving people the skills to get the exact look they want!

As a MAC Cosmetics artist for the past 10 years, he has worked with clients ranging from new brides to celebrities, “Some of my favorites have been Naima Mora and Caridee English of America’s Next Top Model, The Raiderettes, The B52’s and Cyndi Lauper!” Beck is sharing his top 7 must-have MAC products with us today, so grab a pen and add these to your weekend shopping list!

 

    

 

1. Viva Glam VI Lipglass: A beautiful lipgloss with a bronzy base and raspberry shimmer. It looks fab over any lipstick and has enough color when worn alone.

2. Engraved Powerpoint Eyeliner: This liner won’t budge. You can sweat, cry… A bridal must have!

3. Radiant Rose Highlighting Pen: The secret to the Karsashian glow underneath the eyes and to pop the cheekbones that works on everyone.

4. Warm Soul Mineralize Blush: This soft pink and gold blush has the perfect amount of shimmer. Try it, I promise you’ll love it!

5. Extended Play Mascara: This is like Lancome Definicils on steroids. At $16.00 you cant beat it for a department store mascara.

6. Natural Radiance Face Primer: It brightens your complection and makes your foundation glide on like silk. One pump massaged into your skin before foundation, and your skin looks fresh all day!

7. Give Me Sun Mineralize Skinfinish Bronzer: Universal non-shimmery Bronzer that’s gives a golden (not orange) glow any time of year.

“If there is one part of makeup I love most, it has to be beautiful foundation. I always say ‘Skin is who you are, makeup is who you want to be!'”

Well put, Beck!

Cheers to Makeup, MAC, and Beck Morgan,

Saturday I had the pleasure of working at the MAC counter…that day was so busy and full of Halloween makeovers! So much fun! The theme for the day was Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the dead) so we all wore  sugar skull masks (and by wore, I mean our faces were painted that way!)…

So today in honor of Halloween I thought I’d show you pics of what I looked like that day!

One half dramatic smokey eye and contouring and the other half the mask…

For the mask side I used my MUFE flash pallette and fluidline in blacktrack from MAC…the shapes are super straitforward so give it a try its a cinch! Make sure you black out the eyesocket and the nose…then fill in with as much or as little design and color…lots of flourishes and dots!

Trick: I used individual lashes on my “beauty” side, a double layer! This gave me an extra plush lashlline while still looking believable…sometimes lash strips can look very vegas-costumey (which is what you want sometimes so thats ok too!)…a double layer of individuals is more red-carpet!

Treat: The gloss I used on my beauty side is from ELF…its their hypershine gloss in Flirt.  At only $1 I’d say thats a huge treat! Love that stuff!

Tonight, alas I am sick so I will be home curled up with a blanket and some soup…no dressing up or fun for me.  So I am glad that I had the chance to do some crazy makeup on Saturday! What are you doing/dressing up as for Halloween?

 

Cheers to Tricks, Treats, and halloween,