makeup tips

Trish McEvoy Summer to Fall Makeup Tips

July 30, 2013

Beauty guru, Trish McEvoy shares a few Summer to Fall Makeup Tips to help you easily transition your beauty routine for the upcoming season. With just a few simple beauty adjustments you’ll be ready to face the cool fall weather that will be here before you know it.

EVEN SKIN – Be it a fake or a slight tan, a deeper complexion disguises imperfections. As you transition to a lighter skin tone for Fall/Winter, evening out your complexion becomes even more important. Use a foundation or skin-perfector with treatment benefits to help skin recover from summer wear and tear, and with hydrating properties in preparation for the drier weather.

FACE COLOR – Blush is to fall what bronzer is to summer. As you transition into fall you want to lighten your bronzer and brighten your complexion with cheek color formulas that make you look lit from within—as if you’ve just taken a brisk walk. Apply a pop of pink to the high apples of cheeks and blend it slightly out to achieve your perfect fall face color. (Face Shapers, Brighten Up Duo)

DEFINITION – Summer makeup is casual but as fall draws near style become more dressy and defined—from hair to makeup to clothes. Nothing instantly transforms a look like definition on the eyes, face and brows. Intensify your eye liner, sculpt your face with bronzer and highlight, and shape your brows. For lips this season the look is muted with definition achieved through highlighting around the mouth, a trick that makes lips look naturally fuller. Pat down lip color with your finger for a sexy, blurred, just-kissed finish. (Whole line-up)

BRIGHT EYES – To look your energized best for fall, ensure eyes appear vibrant and rested with an even, bright upper eyelid and illuminated under-eye area achieved with my “Triangle of Light” inverted triangle technique under each eye. (Eye Base Essentials, Instant Eye Lift, Beauty Balm)

How To Manage Makeup When You Have a Cold

June 16, 2013

When you’re sick you almost don’t want to wear any makeup but there are ways to manage makeup when you have a cold. Statistically there’s no increased risk of contracting a cold during the change of seasons, anecdotally, people often complain of getting sick this time of year. If the fatigue, aches, sore throat and generally yucky feeling are not enough to deal with when you’re sick, looking presentable becomes infinitely more challenging.

Just when you really need to look a bit perky and less tired, managing makeup becomes a Sisyphean task- and cold-ravaged skin often feels a lot better clean and makeup free. In a perfect world, you could camp out in bed with some romance novels and apple cinnamon tea until you feel totally healthy- but chances are you’ll need to go to work, or to an event, or even to the store to stock up on NyQuil. Doing makeup when you’re sick or have a cold is a bit more difficult, but not impossible- try these tips while you heal.

Moisturize like crazy. Nothing is as soothing when you’re sick as a nice, hot bath or shower. It clears your head and mitigates the schlumpy, groggy feeling. Try to moisturize as soon as possible after you towel off. A thick, soothing moisturizer like Dermologica’s Intensive Moisture Balance or La Prairie Skincare Advanced Marine Biology Day Cream found at Beautique UK will help maintain skin hydration, but you might want to add a stick-style moisturizer, particularly around irritated areas like your nose. Trish McEvoy’s Luxe Moisture Balm is a good spot-soother.

Fight flakes. During a cold, blotchiness and uneven skin are part of the territory, and frustratingly, foundation often rubs off or settles into dry or chapped areas. Even if you’re a mineral makeup queen, you might want to stick to a tinted moisturizer and a super-light dusting of setting powder until you’re better. Tarte’s Smooth Operator is a well-liked option, and Jemma Kidd’s Gossamer Finish Ultra Sheer Translucent Skin is finely milled enough to handle frequent touch-ups.

Be conservative. Even something as routine as mascara can be a recipe for disaster when you’re under the weather. Consider forgoing intense eyes, although curling lashes always wakes up your face. Liner and pigmented shadows also not only migrate, but can irritate already itchy, watery eyes.

Fake a healthy glow. After smoothing out skin tone, a bit of sheer blush and some soothing lip color will go a long way to minimize the overall washed-out look that comes along with being ill. Urban Decay’s Afterglow Glide-On Cheek Tint is sheer but pigmented. For lips, a tinted balm or sheer lipstick will add color without settling into flakes or cracks. Clinique’s Almost Lipstick in Black Honey is a cult favorite because it’s sheer and flatters everyone, and Lucy B. Cosmetics Stung Lips Tinted Balm comes in a nice range of rich hues.

These tips will help you to look good when you have a cold. What’s your plan of attack for looking your best when you’ve got a cold? Do you have any go-to pick-me-ups?

Memorial Day Fun + Summer Makeup and Beauty Tips

May 30, 2012

Summer is my favorite season of the year, even though I complain incessantly about the heat and humidity I secretly love every second of it. Summer always makes me smile more, maybe its the warmth of the sun beaming down on my face, the free movement of my body without the constraints of cumbersome clothing or maybe its just the beauty of life in bloom. Whatever it is summer always feels like the most wonderful time to the year for me. So as the unofficial kick up to summer know as Memorial Day approached my wife and kids decided to take a trip to Long Island to visit my in-laws for some BBQ fun.

I love watching my boys enjoy life and be happy, it’s one of my joys in life. I love seeing how carefree they are and the huge smiles on their faces, it’s one of the best parts of being a mom. And of course there are all the laughs I have as a mom because children are so honest and they have no filter. Listening to their conversations is always entertaining. While we chatting and enjoying some drinks with brother-in-law while he was eating a lobster my 6-year old son, Jacob shouted “Sick! You’re going to eat that!” and covered his eyes. It was just one of those moments where you had to laugh and a proud moment for me his vegetarian mom!

Lobster dead R.I.P go vegetarian — R.I.P

Two african american boys eating hotdogs outside during the summer — My boys Jacob and Jahari; Jacob says no to lobster but yes to hotdogs!

Before I headed out to “the island” as us city folks call it, I swapped out a few of my old beauty products and added some new ones. It’s been so humid in New York City lately that giving my beauty routine an overhaul was completely necessary. This weekend was my final reminder that its time to to lighten up my beauty routine and add a fresh new look. These are a few of my summer beauty tips to get you through the warm weather.

1. Use sunscreen – While using sunscreen is always a must and should be on your daily beauty checklist so be sure to stock up on sunscreen that is noncomedogenic so that it won’t clog your pores. Lately I’ve been using Badger Damascus Rose Sunscreen because it’s made specifically for your face; it’s lightweight enough to wear underneath my makeup and almost invisible after application. Its offer full spectrum SPF 16, I just wish that it provided a little higher SPF but overall its a great choice.

2. Keep makeup minimal – During humid summer weather you’ll want to keep your makeup light and your skin clear. I have oily skin that seems to get oilier by the second during warmer months so I like to keep my beauty routine light and pretty. I apply an oil-free tinted moisturizer for light coverage or I use a liquid or cream bronzer if I want to achieve more of a sun-kissed look. Right now I’m loving Stila One Step Bronze it primes, illuminates, bronzes and nourishes the skin all in the same product. It’s oil-free and blends seamlessly onto your skin leaving it glowy and beautiful.

When hot weather hits that’s when I reach for my waterproof mascara, which is necessary to avoid tragedies of course. Imagine a scorching 95 degree summer day, sweat begins to drip down your face and seeps into your eye. You squint, barely able to see out of your one good eye functioning when your suddenly your blinded by suns’ rays and you stumble down a busy Manhattan street landing your racoon inspired eye makeup disaster right on the lapel of Karl Lagerfeld’s custom-made suit. See. Tragedy.

But what if I want to wear my favorite mascara and it’s not waterproof? That’s when I reach for Anastasia of Beverly Hills Lash Genius, a clear waterproof topcoat that you can add to any mascara to instantly waterproof it. I just add this on top of my Anastasia of Beverly Hills Lash Lifting Mascara (or any other mascara) and voilà no panda eyes!

On my lips I need a color with staying power, I like to use Stila Long Wear Lip Color, the hue that I’m loving now is Flushed. This lippy is a combination of lipstick and lip gloss, it’s very creamy and it keeps lips soft and the color doesn’t fade.

On my eyes I completely skip pencil liners and opt for liquid, if any at all. I like to keep my hues neutral and use a single color of cream eyeshadow (with a little bit of primer) and that lasts all day long. I’ve been using Kevyn Aucoin The Prime Color Creme Eye Shadow in Decadent. I must confess that I use this eyeshadow all year long because the color looks great for day or evening, it’s super easy to apply and it last forever, which I’m grateful for because I often forget to use primer.

3. Drink lots of water – While drinking water daily is a given, my tip is to drink water first thing in the morning, there are many health benefits to drinking water in the morning like a boost in metabolism and helping your kidneys eliminate toxins better. Plus your body hasn’t received any hydration for almost eight hours so do yourself a favor a drink lots of water to keep hydrated.

Sure navigating the summer months on the streets of New York City is a daily obstacle course in itself. But armed with the right beauty products will keep you looking hot during the hot summer months! What changes do you make to your beauty routine during the warmer months?

How to Clean Your Makeup Brushes

February 22, 2011

makeup brushes

Regularly cleaning your makeup brushes is key to healthy skin and a smooth makeup application. Makeup brushes can harbor bacteria and dirt which can lead to breakouts. Makeup brushes also absorb body oils and dead skin cells so they need to be cleaned to preserve the life of the brushes. It is generally recommended that makeup brushes be cleaned after each use, this can be as simple as wiping the brush hairs with a baby wipe. On a weekly basis (especially if you use your tools daily, you should wash them), now while there are many cleaners on the market here’s how to clean your makeup brushes.

Gather all of your used makeup brushes, a clean towel and baby shampoo
Turn on the faucet and allow the water to reach a lukewarm temperature. Run the bristles of the brush under the flowing water. (You may start to see the makeup tinted water.)
Now apply a small amount (a drop or two) of shampoo into the palm of your hand and gently massage the bristles in your palm.
Rinse the bristles until the water runs clear.
Gently squeeze the water out of the brushed from base to tip, lay the brush down on a flat surface and reshape it. (Do not ever use a hair dryer to dry your brushes!)

Lastly do not boil, microwave or use conditioner on your brushes, that will damage them. It’s also best not to dry your brushes in an upright position because the water can seep into the base and loosen the glue that keeps the bristles in place.

So I’m curious, how do you keep your brushes clean?

Six Makeup Tips That Work For Nearly Everyone, Nearly Always

February 3, 2011

Makeup artists are praised for their innovation and creativity, and indeed, many possess the ability to teach you new tricks you’d have never thought to try on your own. A good makeup consult can help even the most product-savvy of beauty junkies, but most makeup artists rely on a small stable of never fail shortcuts that flatter something like 98%* of clients. (Estimated, of course.)

Bear in mind there are exceptions for every rule, and one of the tenets of makeup is to experiment and find what works for you, first and foremost. Still, these tips could streamline your look and really do work on almost everyone.

1.) Use bright blush, and quit contouring: I’ve spoken before of my love of super-bright blushes. Hands down, I’ve found, these are the most underrated products to create a fresh, clean look. It took me several years of experimenting with bronzer to realize nothing had the oomph-factor of a sheer wash of bright color. Following on from that, adding blush to the apples of the cheeks rather than contouring with a darker shade creates a healthier, cleaner look.

2.) Get a good eyelash curler, and cling to it like a life preserver: My Shu Uemura curler is older than my youngest daughter, and even on a tinted lip balm and mineral makeup day, my Shu and I have some face time. A good curler will make a far bigger difference in your eye makeup look than a good mascara.

3.) Moisturize, always: Applying foundation or any lip product over an improperly moisturized face or flaky lips creates a multitude of problems. If you give moisturizer 3-5 minutes to penetrate, your products will go on smoothly and last longer. Exfoliation helps moisture soak in, and a thin coat of balm, blotted off, will keep lips from drying and create an even base.

4.) A good black eyeliner can totally make your look: Time and again, I found myself picking up MAC’s Kohl in Smolder to highlight clients’ eyes regardless of skin tone or age. Get a soft kohl- Rimmel’s Jet Black is excellent- and feather it in to just the lashline. Done correctly, no one will realize you’re even wearing liner. Maintaining a super-sharp point is the key here.

5.) Tap, tap tap: Excess pigment can really mess up application of powder-based products. Tapping your brush over the pan, especially with setting powders, prevents pigment from oversaturating your brushes and creasing on skin. Blotting after application helps, too.

6.) Define your brows: Although brow gel isn’t necessary (it does help), cleaning up your brows instantly gives your face a clearer set of lines. The easiest guide to brow shaping comes from your actual eyes- brows should start at a straight line up from the tear duct. (Use a straight edge like a nail file to measure.) From there, looking absolutely straight ahead allows you to measure the arch of your brow from the outer edge of the iris. Once you have these two points plotted out, plucking stray hairs creates the perfect brow shape. If you want to get super-fancy, comb brows up, trim hairs that extend above the top line of your brows, and brush back down.

Have you discovered any makeup tips or tricks that you swear by? Which products or practices are the core of your makeup routine?