Makeup

Complimenting Your Skin Tone with Makeup

September 21, 2016

Women of all skin tones deserve flawless makeup. But finding the right shades for you can be difficult, and too often women are left with streaky concealer, nudes that don’t match their skin and mismatched face and body coloration. Perfect products exist for basically every skin tone if you do enough research. Here are a few ways to find makeup for your skin tone.

Find Your Undertones
Before you start looking at makeup, figure out what kind of undertone your skin has: cool (pink or blue), warm (yellow or golden) and neutral (a combination). If you’re not sure which tone you have, there are a few methods for figuring this out, like checking the color of your veins in your wrist. A cool-toned person will have blue or purple veins, while a warm-toned person will have green veins and a neutral person will have blue-green. Another method is to think of how your skin reacts to the sun. If you tan easily, you are likely warm toned, if you burn easily, you are likely cool toned, and if you aren’t sure, you’re likely neutral. Most makeup companies will divide their foundations and concealers by cool and warm tones, so completing this step will help to narrow down your choices when you start shopping.

Quality Products
The quality of your makeup is of utmost importance. Even if you find a perfect match to your skin tone, makeup that settles in your pores or melts throughout the day is not flattering at all. Do some research before you make a purchase, and learn from the pros. For example, the professional makeup artists at New York Fashion Week use the best in the industry, like the Artistry collections from Amway, so the models are runway ready. Find the brands that the professionals turn to from reading blogs, watching YouTube videos and following their social media accounts. They may be a bit more expensive than a drugstore product, but when seeking out flawless skin, the investment is worthwhile.

Application Tools
You’ve found your perfect shade and bought a high-quality product, now it’s time to put it on. It may seem like common sense to use the tool that is included with your foundation to put it on, or even just your fingers. But this can lead to streakiness and uneven coverage. Makeup sponges like the beautyblender have been gaining popularity in recent years. Since they have no edges they create a seamless look, and are simple to use. There are also many foundation brushes that work well to blend out makeup. Read reviews on sites like Sephora, Ulta and Amazon to find one that will work for you.

Complimentary Tones
Once you have a great base in place, move forward to the rest of your makeup: eyes, cheeks and lips. As with finding foundation, it’s good to keep in mind what your skin’s undertone is, as different colors compliment undertones differently. For example, a cooler pink blush might fit in perfectly with warm skin. Women with darker skin tones can also experiment with more dark and bright shades than those with pale skin.

Perfect makeup is achievable. While you may have had trouble finding the perfect match and coverage for your skin in the past, following these tips will help you achieve an effortless and smooth look.

New York Fashion Week Beauty: Essie for Jenny Packham S/S 16

September 14, 2015

With designs that always strike attention, Jenny Packham’s SS 16′ collection will keep individuals talking.

Packham’s collection included beautiful dresses that would be perfect for a celebrity’s red carpet look. Clothing filled with plenty of glitz, glamour and GLITTER!

Jenny Packham‘s Spring/Summer 2016 collection was directly inspired by the music of Nick Cave and PJ Harvey. To complement the earthy, ethereal vibe, Rita Remark for essie, the brand’s new Global Lead Educator, chose two nail looks: a standout bright blue to add an element of fun, and a soft, sheer pink that perfectly paired with the gowns.

NAILS:

To go with the look Jenny had her models use nail polish by Essie. The colors were a bold blue, called “good to go”. Those who did not sport this statement of a color went with more of a neutral shade called “adore-a-ball”. This pinkish color also went on the models toes, giving them a very neutral pedi to go with their shoes – Christian Louboutin’s of course.

Essie nail products used:

first base base coat
adore-a-ball
butler please
good to go top coat

Get the look (bright blue; pictured below):

Apply first base base coat to clean, filed nails
Next, apply two coats of butler please
Finish with good to go top coat

Get the look (soft pink):

Apply first base base coat to clean, filed nails
Next, apply one coat of adore-a-ball
Finish with good to go top coat

MAKE-UP:

The look for the afternoon was created by Talia Sparrow for Laura Mercier. Sparrow added an extra strike of beauty to the models with her make-up craft. Creating a “made for the runway” torqousie blue eye shadow, which was made just for the show. Models showcased their natural skin tone for a more youthful look with added highlights to the face, creating a gold tone to their faces. To top off the look Sparrow had the models sport a bold red lip, which also went perfect with the shoes, matching the famous red bottoms.

My Day at The Makeup Show New York City 2012

May 16, 2012

Beauty addicts and professional Makeup Artists convened at The Makeup Show NYC this past weekend at the Metropolitan Pavilion. The event was packed full of dream seminars by top beauty industry leaders, exclusive product launches, and the latest makeup and beauty trends.

Renowned makeup brands like Smashbox, NARS, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Make Up For Ever and Stila were attendees as well as smaller brands like Biobliss and Naked Cosmetics. The show consisted of several floors that patrons had access to that consisted of presentations, vendor booths and live demonstrations. Attendees also had the opportunity to sit in on classes taught by their favorite makeup artists and to re-stock their kits or sign up for pro memberships.

A model shows off his lush lashes at the GrandeLASH^TM-MD booth. Isn’t he gorgeous!?! Back to the product…this serum promises thicker, longer lashes or eyebrows in a little as four to eight weeks. It’s Paraben free and contains vitamins, peptides and amino acids.

The Crown Brush booth is always a Makeup Show favorite, I got there early before the mad rush of people! I already have my full set of Crown Brushes no need to purchase any this time but it’s always fun to check out what’s new.

Of course I had to stop by the Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics booth to check out their glamorous eyeshadow and new lip tars.

While walking through The Makeup Show I always like to check out new brands and I came across Biobliss and chatted with their representative. Biobliss is said to help rejuvenate and tighten skin as well as help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. The product helps your daily serum penetrate deep into your skin in 45 minutes, shortening your overall treatment time; I think I need to try this!

I stopped by Naked Cosmetics to look at their latest loose mineral eyeshadows, they were gorgeous! I became a fan of Naked Cosmetics at the last Makeup Show, they always have a nice selection of shades.

Benefit Cosmetics has a new beauty book called Raising Eyebrows. The book is said to be The “go-to guide from the eyebrow experts at Benefit Cosmetics…everything you need to raise your brows to their beautiful best”.

Sienna Cosmetics revealed their new Mod Muse Summer 2012 collection which features five shades of lipstick, 3 blushes, five shadows, four lip glosses and two eyeliner shades.

Sienna Cosmetics is really channeling the 60s, hmmm who will be the new Twiggy?

It wouldn’t be The Makeup Show without super glamorous, over the top, fantasy eyelashes. Even though I wouldn’t wear these daily they’re like mini works of art.

…and more fantasy eyelashes!

The show was fantastic, as expected. If you’re not in New York City, check out when The Makeup Show is coming to a town near you!

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?

How Do You Organize Your Makeup?

December 23, 2010

Okay so you look fierce when you go out– not a hair or even an eyelash out of place and your skin looks so smooth that you’re already a walking airbrushed photograph. But how long did it take to make that happen? Only a few minutes, or did you spend hours on that gorgeous face? Well how many of those minutes or hours spent are actually time spent looking for the right makeup rather than putting it on?

If you are anything like me, you probably collect your old make up and keep it forever… Even if you don’t even use or like it anymore. Well it’s time to update. It’s almost a new year, get ready for a whole fresh new you. Throw out the things that you haven’t used in at least 6 months– YES even that moisturizer that has a little bit in the bottle but you feel wasteful throwing it out.

Once you are down to the things you like the most, find a good place to store them. I like stacking all of the flat eyeshadows in one area and I use sort of a Lazy Susan type box for all of my brushes lip glosses and virtually anything long and skinny. (You can pick one up at TJ Maxx for $6.99) I can turn it easily and just pick out whatever I want.

Then there is your on-the-go makeup bag. Keep it pretty simple– it’s fine to have a few things if you’re transforming from day to night but think about how many times you really reapply eyeliner and mascara when you’re out on the town. Personally, I like leaving my on-the-go bag packed up neatly with my other makeup because some of the items in it are for everyday use. I just use it, then zip it up and throw it in my bag.

Once you remove the clutter from your makeup area, I bet you will also be able to get ready quicker and better and calmer, since you won’t be stressed trying to find your reddest lipstick.

Hey, as you can see, I’m not so perfect either, but really it makes a huge difference in getting ready. It only takes me a cool 6-10 minutes to put my makeup on because I know what I have, what I need and where to find it.

Good luck and let me know how it goes in the comments.

by Brooke B.