Tutorial: Cat Eye and Nude Lip

Here is a quick tutorial for a fun look.  The key product for this look is eyeliner, of course!  I used a gel eyeliner and a thin brush, but you can use a liquid liner or even a powder eyeshadow with a damp eyeliner brush to achieve the same look.  I would advise against using a pencil liner, which makes it difficult to achieve a sharp line.  Otherwise, you can use whatever you want, and you can easily change up the lip color or blush to suit your needs.  

1.  Apply your favorite foundation, tinted moisturizer, mineral foundation- whatever you like!

2.  Apply a primer to your eyelids and then swipe on a skin-toned eyeshadow.  Otherwise, you could just apply a skin-toned cream eyeshadow.

3.  Using the eyeliner of your choice (I used Bobbi Brown Gel Liner), draw a thin line across the upper lash line, sweeping up at the outer corners.  Draw a thin line along the lower lash line as well.  The best trick to achieve a flattering wing is to use your lower lash line as a guide- basically continue to draw a guide line in the direction of the tail of your eyebrow.  Don't feel like both sides have to match exactly upon eyeliner application.   You can always use a pointed cotton swab dipped in makeup remover or moisturizer to clean up any mistakes or correct a wing. I connected my eyeliner at the inner and outer corners for this look, but you don't have to.

4.  Once you have perfected your eyeliner, curl your lashes and apply your favorite mascara.

5.  Fill your brows lightly and set with brow gel or wax.

6.  Apply a orange cream blush with a brush (or your fingers) to the apples of your cheeks.  I used Stila Convertible Color in Gladiola here.

7.  Apply your favorite nude lipstick.  I had just purchased Hourglass's Femme Nude Lip Stylo ($30) in shade 3.  The cool thing about this line of lipsticks is the shade offering covers various shades of nude.  You could also use my concealer trick from my "Lip Tip" post to save a few bucks:)


Done and done!

Tutorial: Easy Summer Makeup

Generally in the summer, we don't feel like piling on makeup.  Most of us are a little tanner and don't feel like we need as much makeup, plus we don't want to worry about makeup melting and sliding off of our faces.  We also would rather enjoy the nice weather rather than spending a long time getting ready.  Here is a very quick and easy summer makeup look that anyone can pull off.

Just wanted to point out that the eyeshadow pencil I used in this photo is on SALE for $5 on the Urban Decay website!!!  The color I used was "rehab."


1.  Apply your favorite moisturizer (regular or tinted).

2.  Conceal under eye area and any redness on the face.

3.  If you prefer, apply a mineral powder foundation to even out the skin tone.

4.  Apply bronzer where the sun naturally hits the face- around the hairline, on the top of the nose and cheekbones, and along the jawline.  A lot of makeup artists will say to use a number 3 motion on the sides of the face, starting at the hair line then swooping down to the cheeks and then the jaw (on both sides of the face).

5.  Swirl on your favorite blush.  This look is especially pretty with a cream blush.

6.  Apply your favorite highlighter on the top of your cheekbones.

7.  Using a soft eyeshadow pencil in a gold or bronze shade, swipe all the way across your eyelids (lash line to crease) and under the lower lash line.  Then using a blending brush to blend the shadow pencil all over, concentrating on really buffing it into the crease.

8.  Line the waterlines (top and bottom) of the eyes with a waterproof eyeliner pencil.

9.  Curl lashes and apply your favorite waterproof mascara.

10.  Fill brows and use a little gel to keep them in place.

11.  Apply a bright pink lipstick to your lips and blot.  I used Nars Semi Matte lipstick in "Funny Face".  A good dupe is Maybelline Color Sensational Lip Color in "Fifth Avenue Fuchsia".

Done and done!

Easy Special Occasion Makeup Tutorial

Considering we are in the midst of wedding season, I thought I would share a relatively simple makeup tutorial.  This look is perfect for any special occasion and should not take a long time to replicate.  You can easily change the look with different eyeshadow, eyeliner, and lipstick combinations.  The key is to look put together, fresh and pretty, but take it up a notch by adding some false lashes to the mix.   If you are scared or do not like the idea of applying false lashes, you can skip that step- do not fret!

Below you will see a photo of the finished look, which is a pretty typical style for my brides and bridesmaids.

This is the final look- the look we are aiming for! Defined eyes, natural but defined brows and even, natural-looking skin.  

Step 1: Moisturize your face and under eye area based on your skin type/concerns.  For most of clients, I normally use Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre ($16), which moisturizes and primes in one step. 

Step 2: Prime skin if necessary.  Apply primer to eyelids and under eye area as needed.  Apply lip balm to moisturize lips.  

While your moisturizer and lip balm is absorbing, you will start your eyeshadow application*.  For the look in the photo, I used a combination of different grays and taupes from Inglot Cosmetics and Smashbox Full Exposure palette ($49).  I recommend either using a gray or brown/taupe/bronze color palette because it is generally the most flattering, and because they are neutrals, you have a little more leeway with the rest of your makeup.  Also, try to use eyeshadows that are not too shimmery or sparkly.

Step 3:  Apply your base eyeshadow color all the way across your eyelids, from lash line to crease.  Next, apply a lighter shadow on the inner corners of the eyes.  Lastly, take the deepest shadow and a blending blush to lightly define your outer corners and crease of your eye (outer "v" area).  I typically also take a small pencil brush and apply the medium or deep shade along the lower lash line to add definition, but it is up to you.

Step 4:  Apply black eyeliner pencil in a very fine line all the way across your upper lash lines.  If you prefer to add a wing/cat eye, wait until Step 7.  I really like MAC Powerpoint Eye Pencil in Engraved ($16) because it is waterproof and is easy to apply.  If you prefer, you can also add liner to the waterline, lower lash line, etc.  

Step 5: Curl your lashes and apply your favorite mascara (mine is Loreal Voluminous Waterproof formula $7.99) to upper and lower lashes. Continue to step 6 if you would like to try false eyelashes.  Otherwise, skip to step 7.  

Step 6:  Using a good quality set of false lashes, hold up to your eyelid to ensure the width of the lashes is not too wide or long for your eyes.  If necessary, trim a tiny bit off of each of the lash bands; this is extremely important for the lashes to look natural and feel comfortable while wearing them.  Using a pointed cotton swab, apply a good clear lash glue (I love DUO, $9) to the band of the lashes.  Wait about 30 seconds for the glue to get tacky (makes it easier to apply).  I prefer to use tweezers to place the false lashes onto the base of my eyelid and push into place.  This also allows you to secure the middle of the lashes first, then each corner.  This is MUCH easier than any other way I have tried previously.  A good video tutorial can be found here.  

Step 7:  After allowing the glue to dry, use a gel eyeliner and a small brush to cover the band of the lashes.  You can also create any eyeliner shape you prefer.  I love MAC Fluidline ($16).  

Step 8:  Clean up under eye area from any eyeshadow fall out*.  This is why we did eye makeup prior to complexion makeup!  Apply for favorite under eye concealer.  Lately I have been using Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer ($8.99) applied with a blending brush.  Set with a little powder or setting spray.  Make sure you blend well and go all the way up to the lower lash line.  If you applied lower lash eyeliner, you can always go back with your eyeliner and touch up as needed after concealing.  

Step 9:  Apply your favorite liquid or cream foundation using a damp sponge.  You know I love the Beauty Blender!  Make sure the foundation is blended well, especially around your jawline, neck and ears.  For my clients, I usually use Face Atelier Ultra foundation ($34).

Step 10:  Swipe on a light layer of bronzer around the hairline, temples, underneath the cheekbones, and on the jawline.  Next, apply your favorite highlighting product on the cheekbones.  Lately I have been using Nars Bronzing Powder in Laguna ($38) to bronze and MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle ($32) or RMS Living Luminizer ($38) to highlight.  

Step 11:  Apply a cream blush with a stippling brush (or the fat end of the Beauty Blender) onto the apples of the cheeks.  You can also layer this with a powder blush for extra staying power.

Step 12:  Fill your brows as needed and set with a wax or brow gel.

Step 13:  Apply lip liner (if preferred/necessary) and a long wear lipstick.  I tend to use rose or muted pinks since they look good on most folks and don't look as washed out in photographs (like say, a nude color, would).  I recommend Rimmel Lasting Lipsticks ($6) because they are inexpensive and really last.  

Step 14:  Apply powder and/or a makeup setting spray all over the face.  Right now, I like Skindinavia Makeup Finishing Spray (Bridal formula, $29). 

Whew! Done and done:)  

Tutorial: Super Quick and Easy Smokey Eye

Since I have not posted a tutorial in awhile, I thought I would share this extremely easy and quick look.  It is probably the most fool-proof way of achieving a smokey eye, in my opinion.  You really only need three makeup products to achieve this look.

You will need a cream eyeshadow or cream/gel eyeliner product (I used Stila's Smudge Pot in Brown), a neutral eyeshadow for blending (I used the shade "Tease" from my Urban Decay Naked 2 palette, which is a mauvey-taupe color), and a regular eyeliner pencil in either black or brown (on this day, I used Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Pencil in Zero).  You will also need two makeup brushes; a flat, synthetic eye shadow brush (a concealer brush will work perfectly if you do not have a synthetic eyeshadow brush) and a small blending brush.  

***This is a side note, but I bought a Wayne Goss flat eyeshadow brush at the Makeup Show last weekend and it is seriously amazing- so soft, and applies product beautifully!  If you are in the market for new makeup brushes, these are pretty nice and are sold in handy kits (eyes, face, etc).***

Anyway, back to to business!

1.  Apply foundation, concealer, complexion products of your choice.  If you are new to the smokey eye technique, you can always start with your eye makeup instead, which allows you to clean up any shadow fall out.  Since we are starting with a cream based product, there really shouldn't be much mess though:)

2.  Dip your flat eyeshadow brush into your cream eyeshadow/eyeliner product.  Using a tiny bit of product, start pressing the eyeshadow color all over your eyelid.  Repeat over entire eyelid and then on the other eye.  Take the skinny side of the brush and the cream shadow and draw a line under your lower eyelids, starting at the inner corner and drawing toward the outer corner.  This does not need to be perfect, since you will be smudging in the next step!

3.  Take your blending brush and start blending all over the eyelid in circular motions.  Blend upward toward the crease of your eyelid, so the color starts looking diffused.  Gently swipe the blending brush back and forth along your lower lash line as well.

4.  Dip your blending brush into a neutral eyeshadow and using a windshield wiper motion, blend the eyeshadow into the crease of your eyelid.  Once again, gently swipe the brush over the lower lash line carefully.

5.  Using your pencil liner, if you wish, line the waterlines of the eyes.  This helps enhance the smoldering effect of the smokey eye look.

6.  Curl lashes and apply your favorite mascara- and groom brows, of course!

There you have it!  Please let me know if you have any questions about any of the products or instructions in this post.  If you try this look, please let me know what you think:)

Tutorial: How to Slim Your Nose in a Few Minutes

One of my favorite tricks that is super easy and makes a HUGE difference is contouring my nose.  Not that everyone out there needs to create a slimmer schnoz, but if you have a nose that is on the larger and/or wider side, this is a great trick to know.  With makeup, you can slim your nose in just a couple of steps.  All you need is a matte bronzer or contouring powder (nothing shimmery or sparkly), a eyeshadow brush, and a blending brush.  Some people prefer to use a concealer or foundation (a couple shades darker than their skin color) to contour, but for day-to-day makeup, the steps below are easier.

1.  After applying your typical complexion makeup (moisturizer, concealer, foundation, etc), swirl the tip of your flat eyeshadow brush into your bronzer or contouring powder.  Starting at the upper side of the bridge of your nose (under the head of your eyebrow), lightly trace a line going all the way down to the nostril.  Repeat on the other side of your nose.

2.  After you have drawn the lines on both sides of the nose, draw a line horizontally from one nostril  through the tip of your nose, to the other nostril.

3.  Using your blending brush, blend along the bronzer/contour lines you drew to "fade" them into your skin.

And there you have it, a slimmer nose in no time!  Below you can compare the difference this makes. I am sorry that I do not have photos from the same day, but you get the point:)

No contouring

Contoured nose:)

Tutorial: Purple Lipstick Evening Look

First off, just wanted to apologize for the lack of posts.  I am busy preparing for wedding season and learning how to style hair as well (undos and whatnot).  I don't mean to neglect my blog, especially since it is still pretty new!  

Here is a tutorial for a relatively simple look that works well for night time, and the purple lipstick is a little bit unexpected compared to a red or pink.

1.  Prep skin with moisturizer of your choice. If you live in a cold climate (or have dry skin), the more moisture the better!  I like to blend Mario Badescu's AHA and Ceramide Moisturizer with some BareMinerals Tinted Moisturizer.

2.  Conceal dark under eye circles and any redness (acne, rosacea, etc) with concealer of your choice. This step ensures an even skin tone that will not compete with the lipstick shade.  I like Nars Creamy Radiant Concealer for the under eye area and Bobbi Brown Touch Up Stick for the rest of my spots.

3.  Apply foundation (if you want or feel you need it), like BareMinerals Original Foundation with a big brush.  If you prefer liquid foundation, I also suggest using a stippling brush or Beauty Blender sponge for flawless coverage.

4.  Apply bronzer to hairline, down the bridge of your nose, cheekbones and jawline. Then apply a light peachy pink blush.  I routinely use Nars Laguna Bronzer and Orgasm Blush.

5.  Fill in your brows!  If you want to know how, watch my video tutorial:)

6.  Prime eyelids with your favorite primer to ensure long-lasting eye makeup.  As you may have read previously, I LOVE Urban Decay's Original Priming Potion.

7.  Apply waterproof black eyeliner on upper and lower waterlines, smudging into the base of the lashes.  This does not need to look perfect, since it will be blended for the finished look.  I love Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil in Zero.

8.  Using a pencil blending brush dipped in a cool-toned taupe eyeshadow, blend and smudge the eyeliner so the line looks diffused and soft.  Blend from the lash line up toward the lid.  You can add more liner to the waterline if you prefer.  I used Urban Decay's Naked 2 Palette for the eyeshadow (I believe I used "Pistol")

9.  Swirl on a lighter eyeshadow ("Verve" is the shadow I used) onto the lid using an eyeshadow blending brush (no need to use a shader brush).  Then with the same shade of eyeshadow used to blend the liner, apply color to the crease of the eye with the same blending brush.  Blend until everything looks as seamless as possible.

10.  Curl lashes and apply mascara of your choice.  I think I used L'Oreal Voluminous here.

11.  Line lips with a neutral lipliner, then apply purple lipstick straight from the tube  (I used my favorite MAC Heroine lipstick).  Blot lips with a tissue and you are good to go:)

Please let me know how you like this tutorial and / or if there is anything you would like to hear more about!

Super easy, glasses-wearer friendly makeup tutorial

Here is a very simple look, which is perfect for anyone really, but especially for those who wear glasses.  When you wear glasses, you don't need to wear as much makeup (generally speaking), which is awesome.  You do have to play up certain features, like your brows and lips, so the glasses don't take over your entire face.   I myself have worn glasses since I was three, so I know a thing or two about how to do this:)

All you need is to follow your typical complexion makeup routine (tinted moisturizer and some concealer in my case) and follow these steps:

1.  Fill those brows!  If you don't know how, check out my "How to" video on this blog:)  This step is the most important, since the brows frame your eyes and glasses.  Plus, it makes you look more put together.

2.  Swipe on some shimmery taupe eyeshadow on your entire eyelid, all the way up to your crease and blend.  No need for multiple eyeshadow shades for this look!  I used one (Verve) from my trusty Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette.  

3.  Draw on a very thin line of black (or gray, if you prefer) eyeliner on your upper eyelids.  I used liquid to get a super skinny line, but any liner will work just fine.  

4.  Apply two coats of your favorite mascara on top and bottom lashes.  If you have any clumps, make sure to comb them out!  I used one of my favorites, L'Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes.

5.  Apply a pretty lip color, preferably a medium peach or coral, which looks great on most skin tones.  I used Nars Satin Lip Pencil in Lodhi. 

6.  Apply a swirl off peach-pink blush onto your cheeks.

And there you have it!  Simple and pretty in no time at all:)   

Tutorial: Violet / Cranberry Smokey Eyes

If you read my last blog post, you saw I just bought a bunch of MAC products including several eyeshadows to fill a palette.  I have never been a huge fan of MAC's eyeshadows, but my recent purchase is leaving a good impression.  The shadows are all very pigmented and do not crease or fade.   Now that I know they are up to par, I put together this tutorial for a smokey eye look with some of the eyeshadows I bought.  You can use any eyeshadow, as long as the colors are similar it should give the same look.

1.  Apply shadow primer of your choice.  As you know, I love Urban Decay Primer Potion.

2.  Use a slightly iridescent cream color on the inner corner/tear duct of your eye.  I used MAC Shroom.

3.  On the inner corner of your eye, apply a light peach-pink shadow.  Here, I used MAC Gleam.

4.  On the middle of the eye, apply a medium pink-purple.  I used MAC Star Violet.

5.  On the outer v of the eye and crease, apply a dark purple.  I used MAC Sketch.  Blend everything with a blending brush with a windshield wiper motion.

6.  Apply a waterproof black eyeliner in the upper and lower waterlines.  Smudge with a q-tip or pencil blending brush.  For this look, I used Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Zero.  

7.  Smudge some of the dark purple shadow into the lower lash line.  

8.  Curl eyelashes and apply lots of mascara.  I used L'Oreal Voluminous Butterfly Effect mascara.