Friday, July 31, 2009

Fellini shoot, Studio 5

So today we are going to have the final installment of the Eye Make Up 101 piece, and it is the video of me actually doing the tutorial.

Some of the things that I have written about here will make a lot more sense when you watch it being done. How I hold and angle the brushes, how to use them etc.

I have to warn you though, there was a lot of crazy hilarity in the studio that day, and we had to keep doing re-takes because one of us would just bust up laughing! Even I couldn't keep a straight face at the end!

You'll hear Lea singing too, so enjoy!



Have a gorgeous weekend!

xo

C

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Lash 'em Danno!!!

I promised a little lash-o-rama tutorial, so I had Kelly Cappelli shoot some frames while we were getting Lea's makeup done the other day.

Lashes are the final step in your makeup. Make sure your eye makeup is complete and you have a couple of good coats of mascara on before you start lashes.
(If you need to curl your lashes do so before you put on your mascara. Be careful that you dont have the lashes too curled - they can make it very difficult to position the false lash.



You've all seen the big, crazy lashes that I use on fashion shoots and music videos, but for regular wear I use Ardell or Andrea lashes. (I have Shu Uemura for special occasions)
You want to practice this a couple of times before you launch into them on a big night out.

Lift the lash off the tray and position it along your eyelid to see where you want it placed once the glue is on.


I use Duo Medical Adhesive for my lash glue. Its kind to the delicate skin at the lash line, and feels safer to use around the eyes.
Get a white glue that dries clear. This is important, because its hard to tell if a black glue or a clear glue are all the way dry.

Bring up bubble of glue to the top of the applicator, and run your lash thru the bubble. (This will give you more control over the glue than trying to paint it along the lash)
Make sure you have extra on the outer corners.



Sit the lash along the base of the lashes. I like to bring them up a little at the outer corner so that the eyes don't appear to be drooping downwards.
Once I have the lash positioned on the lash line I press into it a little with the back end of a liner brush to help it stay smooth.

Now you just have to wait for the glue to dry. Sit down somewhere with your eyes closed for a few minutes. If your eyes are blinking and batting around, the false lash has a more difficult time adhering properly.

Ta dah! Perfect lashes!
If you dont have them quite close enough to your own lashes, run a little mascara through them to bind them together.




So this was our final look that day. Pretty fab, isn't it?




If you missed yesterday's blog (Eye Makeup 1 oooh!1) I did a tutorial on how to do the eye makeup for this look.

Maybe tomorrow I'll post the video of this tutorial.

So now you're armed and ready to knock 'em dead this weekend! Watch out boys!!!

xo

C

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

A Little Eye Makeup 1 oooh! 1....

Kelly and I came up with this brilliant idea that we could do some makeup tutorials with still shots rather than video.
You get to decide which you like better, because we have a video of this makeup too.

So anyway, welcome to Eye Makeup 1 ooh!1!

We were shooting Lea in a Fellini-esque look. The hair was high and loose, a hybrid of a Bardot look. The eyes were simple, but well defined. Easy to duplicate, easy to wear. You'll feel fabulous in this one

Start by concealing, and applying foundation and powder. Groom your brows too.
With a nice clean canvas we go to the next step.


Use an eyeshadow primer to help shadows adhere, and keep the colors true.


I just press it on with my finger.

Next up, use an oval shadow brush, and Nars Nepal shadow.


Sweep the shadow from the lash line to the brow. You can give it a couple of coats so that you can see the color nicely.






Now take an angle blender brush and Nars shadow in Barbuda.
Press the longer end of the brush into your crease, and move side to side across your crease. The shorter end of the brush is now creating a new crease for you, perfect for your eye shape.



Turn the angle blender brush onto its flat side, and press color into the outer corner of your eye for a little depth and drama.


Whichever shadow you are using, particles will drop below the eye.


To stop them staining the under eye area and making it look dirty or bruised, take a deluxe fan brush and sweep away anything that has dropped.

Now take a bent liner brush and some black cream liner.


The shape of the bent liner makes it easy to get a nice tight line along the base of the lashes.
Make sure you lift it out and up at the outer corner. If you follow your lash line all the way it will make you eyes look like they are angling downwards.



Use a taklon liner and some more Barbuda to smudge under the lower lashline. Keep the color right up into the lashline.


This gives you definition and a smokey effect without making your undereye look heavy.



A few coats of mascara and a set of false lashes, and we are good to go!


Isn't it pretty?

The products I used were:
Eye Shadow Primer
Nars shadow in Nepal
Nars shadow in Barbuda
Black cream liner
Mascara
False lashes

Brushes (from the CorinnaB line)
Oval Shadow Brush
Angle Blender
Deluxe Fan brush
Bent liner
Taklon liner
all brushes available at www.CorinnaB.com

Tomorrow we'll cover lash application, in time for the weekend!
I'll also post some more pics of the final look.
Soooo fab!!!

The facebookers and the twitterati are sending me messages re what makeup tricks they'd like to learn. You can either comment at the bottom of this blogpost, or click to follow me on twitter and leave me messages there. I want to know what you would like to see!

xo

C

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Hey There Juicy Girl!

My gorgeous, funny, super glamorous friend from Texas blew into town this past week with a bunch of gorgeous, funny, super glamorous Texan friends, and we got to have such a fabulous, girlie time together! (as usual...!)

Whenever she's here I stay the night at her house.
Quite apart from the joys of a slumber party, the loud music we play, all of us putting our makeup on, doing our hair and getting glam to go out, the floating around in the pool with cocktails telling crazy stories, the divine sisterhood and camaraderie that is part and parcel of a Texan visit, there is the breathtaking excitement of wondering what goodies will be in the guest bathrooms.

She never lets us down! Not ever! This visit was all about Juicy. In my shower, lying in wait was the completely delicious Viva La Juicy Shower Gel. My absolute new favorite!




This gel is so softly fragrant that all day long, every time I moved I could smell it. Oooh I love it! It is truly divine. And I now have to go buy some!

While I'm doing so I may also pick up the Viva La Juicy Fragrance, although I didn't feel the need to layer it. I think that either the shower gel or the fragrance will be just beautiful standing alone.


And lets face it - when life lets you make the choice, you might as well be a juicy girl!

xoxo

C

Monday, July 27, 2009

Summer Makeup 101

I have had tons of people asking me via this blog, facebook, twitter etc for some makeup tutorials. So we decided that we would film some when we were on real shoots, so you could see the makeup happening and see a little bit of the behind the scenes action too.
Keeping it real.

The day we shot this segment was pretty wild! We did it at Studio5 (my home away from home). It was 115 degrees out, which is somewhat miserable, and about 20 minutes after we all arrived the power grid went down in that part of Scottsdale for almost 2 hours! Consequently our climate controlled studio turned into an oven! It never was able to quite cool down again that day. So as you watch this video, know that we all had sweat rolling down our backs, our gorgeous hairdos got wild with the humidity, and we ended up having to shoot way deep into the night...

The edits couldn't be completed on time, so you are seeing a semi rough cut. We actually had so much information in there that we ended up splitting it into 6 segments.

The first tutorial I wanted to give you was on summer makeup. Here we are, smack bang in the middle of summer, so there's no time like the present!
I was able to include segments that show you how to use some of the JulieHewett products that I've written about too, so that you can really take advantage of the summer discount that the company has extended to my readers. (and because thats what I've actually been using...)

Summer makeup needs to be soft and fresh and a little shimmery. You definitely don't want to be overwhelming the face with heavy makeup.


This is a picture from the photoshoot itself, shot by the amazing Kelly Cappelli
Our model, Mallory, was a doll, so inspite of the heat we all had a blast!








Last look at the Zoe eyes and cheeks.

Don't forget to go to Julie Hewett's website click here and at the checkout enter the code SUM20.
You will get 20% off anything and everything you order. You can order as much or as little as you want. Make sure you read her bio too - its fabulous!

Have a beautiful day!

xoxo

Friday, July 24, 2009

Here Comes The Weekend...

So one of my absolute favorite blogs is the Racing Fashionistas. These girls have it down! They are all about fashion, fun and racing - three of my most favorite things in life. They mostly seem to write about Nascar, which I know very little about, but am learning all kinds of fun info from their blog.
If I lived in the same town as these three, I would want to be their BFF - they are just so cool!
Anyway, on Fridays they do a Happy Hour post, and each week they feature a different drink. Its pretty cool to see what they come up with each week.

I am not much of a drinker, even though I am a Kiwi. However, here and there I do stumble upon aperatifs that look fab, or maybe I've been out and imbibed something that is fab, so from time to time I will shamelessly rip off the Fashionistas and give you a new cocktail to make or to order. And it will probably end up being in a Friday post too.

This weekend in Phoenix we have ridiculously searing heat that just defies all belief, so I will be cooling off and enjoying the final outing of the Western Swing (via ESPN), with a big, cold Lavender Lemonade in my hand.

So here's the recipe:

Lavender Lemonade





You will need:

1 cup sugar (divided)
4 tsp dried lavender (divided)
2 lemon wedges
12 oz vodka (I use Grey Goose)
3 oz lemon juice

Combine 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water and 2 tsp lavender in a small saucepan. Boil til sugar is dissolved (only a couple of minutes). Cool down and strain syrup, removing the lavender.

Grind remaining sugar and lavender in a spice grinder until fine. Moisten the rims of your glasses with the lemon wedges and coat lightly with the mixture (like salting a margarita glass).
Fill a pitcher 2/3 with ice. Pour in vodka, cooled sugar syrup, and lemon juice.
Stir to mix, strain and pour.

Then kick back and see who wins funnycar, with a nice cold Lavender Lemonade in hand...

xo

C

Oh and by the way, thanks for all the comments on the Sonoma*A*Go Go blog! It is so much fun reading about who you want to win. Some of you are just plain hilarious!!!
The race isn't over til Sunday, so keep 'em coming!

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Shu Racing!

Actually, this post has nothing what so ever to do with racing, but a whole lot to do with lashes and cleansing oils.

This morning after doing a segment on breakfast TV, I mosied on down to Saks 5th Avenue where I had one of my hyperventilative whirls through Shu Uemura to pick up more cleansing oil and check out the lash bar. A couple of treasures that you need full knowledge of!

Firstly, Shu itself. This is a truly delicious line of makeup designed by one of old(ish) Hollywood's most celebrated Makeup Artists. It's one of those lines that has spectacular makeup & divine skin care (the two don't often get together within one line). Add the most sensational lashes to the mix and I become hopelessly, devotedly addicted.





Uemura-san

So first up, lets talk about the cleansers. I love these passionately! Shu has a line of cleansing oils that will make you a convert as soon as you try them. The line is quite extensive and has different oils for all the different skin types. I know some of you are squirming at the concept of using oil on your face, and some of you may even have had not quite fabulous experiences with other brands, but trust me here!
You just massage a small amount of the oil into your dry skin, or fully made up face, then emulsify it with a little lukewarm water. It dissolves all makeup, even waterproof. It cleanses your skin so beautifully, and then leaves it soft and supple.

There is an oily skin formulation (oil lifts away oil), there's a skin brightening one, I use either the balancing or the purifying. The green purifying oil is anti aging, has antioxidants, cleanses, protects, and is the #1 selling oil cleanser in the world.





You can get the cleansing oils at the Shu Uemura Boutiques, at Saks 5th Avenue and at Sephora. (check website for other locations)


Next up, the Lash Bar.
The boutiques and Saks (probably some Niemans and other places too) also have a wall of the world's most fabulicious lashes, made by Shu.
There are simple lashes of all shapes and sizes, as well as the more extravagant lashes.
The basic lashes tend to run around $25 per set.


The combination of great quality and sensational design make Shu lashes sought after world wide.
They even designed special jewelled lashes for Madonna to use in her videos and on her tours. You can actually purchase almost the same lashes that Miss M uses, but with crystals and rhinestones instead of actual jewels, so they are a tad more cost effective.



And you have to figure on some level, if they are good enough for her, they can be just fab for us too!!!

I buy a lot of my more extreme lashes from Shu Uemura also. In fact, I have bags of them! (it's kinda like the shoe thing...) The big feather lashes etc I use on fashion shoots, not for a night on the town or a day at the races. But that's just me getting all conservative on you. If I saw you out at dinner in a pair of big fluffy orange Shu lashes, I would respect you. Immensely!

The lashes below were designed for Shu by Viktor and Rolf, and when I checked were $95 per pair. I don't own them. Yet. But I so covet the bottom pair!



One of the things that sets the lash bar apart from other lash bars, is that they have samples of almost all of their lashes inside glass cubes that you can hold up to your eye and look in the mirror to see how they really will look on you.
I can play there for hours, but it invariably costs me...

So today was all about the cleansing oil, and I didn't add to the ever growing lash collection.

I do recommend trying the cleansing oils. I have never had anyone who has tried them not totally love them.

And love makes the world go round...

xo

C

Monday, July 20, 2009

Sonoma * A * Go-Go!

Every so often, if I've been a really good girl, the planets line up, and the universe drops me a package with my favorite things all bundled up together in it! And this weekend looks like one of those times...

You all know that I have a crazy love for killer high heeled shoes (even though they actually aren't a part of this story,) and handbags and racing.
Well this weekend its all coming together! (apart from the shoes, but the week's not over yet.)

I wrote recently about the super fab handbags at Nitro*A*Gogo in a blog called Girl Get Your GoGo On! These are edgy, cool, racing inspired handbags that you just gotta see, race fan or not.

When it comes to racing, I love the NHRA best, and within that, my absolute, without a doubt, can't miss it favorite are the Nitro Funny Cars. They are just the coolest looking cars you'll ever see, they roar like thunder, and go faster than the devil on a case of Full Throttle.

This weekend is the final weekend of a three week event called the Western Swing, where the NHRA makes its annual cross country trek through Denver, Seattle and then Sonoma.

Wouldn't you know it? In Sonoma there is going to be a Funny Car flying the Nitro*A*Gogo colors! Handbags and Funny Cars! I LOVE it!!!




And how totally fantastic does this car look?


Lets have another look...




Designer Leeza Diehl looks on


So now my loyalties are getting slightly more shredded than torn. Who do I want for the win in Sonoma?

You gotta love the whole Nitro*A*Gogo scene (and I do love red cars...), then there's the AAP car which is bound to sneak up and do something huge before too long, there's Ashley Force Hood rocking the girl power (and looking glam while doing it), there's the Q car which you have to keep an eye on at all times, Capps makes those hilarious Napa commercials so you just have to love him, and then Neff did get the whole feng shui treatment in Seattle - and I'm not one to mess with juju...

Luckily I have the whole week to figure it out, but I want to hear from you.
Who do you want for the funny car win in Sonoma this weekend?

Tell me who is getting your vote in the comment section below

If you are at the Infineon Raceway this weekend, July 24-26 talk to me on twitter @Corinnamakeup (click twitter icon to the right of this post)
If you're watching it on ESPN, talk to me on twitter too.
If you're feeling like there's a new handbag on your horizon check out Nitro*A*Gogo

I'll be looking for your comments!

And may the best car win!

xoxo

C

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Checking Out Miss Hayden P....

When Hayden Pannettiere showed up at David Letterman a couple of weeks ago, the fashion world let out a collective "aaaahhhh!"

And so did I.

Every blog under the sun wrote about it, and because some of my favorite blogs were amongst them, I decided to wait a while out of courtesy.

So lets just have a little look at Miss P.




Firstly lets analyze whats right about her makeup.
Well that was quick - everything!
I have got to say here that whoever did her makeup this day was 100% on the money and needs a raise. This is what makeup perfection looks like! This is also what reading the moment perfectly looks like.

Hayden has a soft, beachy hairdo going on, so the makeup needs to reflect fresh face, glowing skin and give a 'natural beauty' vibe.
I love the attention and accent given to her cheeks, making the structure of her face the main focus.
The super-soft brow lends itself to the beachy feel, the eye is soft yet defined. We are taken in by her eyes, but not overwhelmed by them. The soft neutral lip gives more attention to the eye.

I would love to see more girls rocking that lovely, summery look! Just perfect!

The dress I wasn't loving.



However, once we hit the street we were back in perfection again! The shoes!!! Oh my! The shoes!!!
Who cares about the dress when you have shoes like that? I love them!!!

Stuart Weitzman Tijuana's.
Even the color name is cool. Not 'black', these beauties are 'jet mirror'.

On the 'must have' list. These go beyond have to have. These are must have, as in must have in order to keep breathing.





I actually have no idea whatsoever as to what she was there to talk about that night. I was far too busy checking out the make up and the shoes!
Last night Danica Patrick was on Kimmel, and I have no idea what she was promoting either, as I was completely absorbed with the fierce thigh boots she had on. Her hair and make up were great too, but the boots! They were quite something! But thats another story...

You see shoe love, my friends, is true love...

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Zo Zo Zoe Fabulous!!!

Todays blog will be the shortness and the sweetness, as I have a huge day ahead with a double shoot.
First up is a photoshoot, then right behind it we are shooting a "how to do a summer makeup" video segment. I am getting tons of requests for tutorials on various aspects of doing your makeup, and we are trying to shoot videos on this as quickly as possible.
Keep the comments and requests coming!

So anyway, I want you to meet the gorgeous Zoe, a new summer palette from Julie Hewett Cosmetics.

(For those of you who are new to my blog, Julie Hewett is a major movie makeup artist, who has worked on some of the biggest movies ever. Her bio is just amazing... When she did the movie Pearl Harbor, she couldn't find the perfect red lip for Kate Beckinsdale, so she made it herself. Then everyone wanted it, so she created a little boutique line of products, firstly with the red lips, then other products that she has created over the years. Her products are just fabulous. Most professional makeup artists that I know have quite a collection of Julie Hewett products in their kits, as these are super high quality, high performance products. And if they're good enough for the biggest movie stars in the world, then I think they're good enough for us!)

The ZoePalette is Julie's "Summer Goddess" quad, and is all you need for a delicious summer face.

Vanilla is a matte bare color that you can use all over the eye, or just under the brow bone.
Dolce is a shimmery opalescent gold dust hue with undertones of pink velvet. So beautiful on your eyes, it wakes them up and brightens them. So very beautiful!
Cleo is a sultry bronze shimmer that you can use over your eyeshadows, blend onto cheekbones, or highlight your lips. (Pressing a little Cleo on top of any lip color brings it to life and makes it divinely summery)
Natural is a very sheer, tawny brown tint that compliments all skin tones. Use it to warm up your skin for a sun kissed look, or use it on your lips for a perfect nude color.




I am wearing the Zoe palette everyday, along with the Chloe lip (see my Oooh! Kiss Me Quick! blog)
I am also using it on shoots and loving the results!

The Zoe/Chloe combo is perfect for your summer make up look. Use it to enhance what you are already doing, or use it alone.
For those of you getting married, or in weddings this summer it gives you the perfect summer face for all the events leading up to your wedding such as the rehearsal dinner etc.
I am loving it also for all those beach/poolside/lake/river days where I want to look pretty, but not be wearing a full face of make up. I am also loving just wearing it around town and feeling (and looking!) fresh faced.

And it just keeps getting better! Julie is in Georgia at the moment shooting the new Miley Cyrus movie, The Last Song, but she has given me a special makeup discount for all my readers!!!

Here's what you need to do:
click on Julie Hewett, this will take you into her website (make sure you read her bio!)
At the checkout, enter the code SUM20 This will give you a whopping 20% discount on anything and everything on her site! It will also give you a flat shipping rate of $4.95 in the USA

Whoever you are, and wherever you are, anywhere in the world, you can go in and order as many times as you want! Just come into my blog and click on the link - its that easy!

Copy and paste the address in your web browser, and send this blog to everyone on your email list, all your friends, family, co workers etc. I don't see the department store brands giving out any discounts to anyone, let alone my blog readers, so jump all over this opportunity!

There are two subscription icons on my blog page. Sign up for either of them, and as other special promotions come along, you'll be notified!

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Feather Me More!

So here are some more images from Sunday's shoot.




It's actually incredibly difficult to wear these big lashes. They're very heavy on the eyelid so there's considerable work involved when modelling them.



Also you can't glue them along the lash line as they are so wide it makes the eye look like its turning downward. So, they are glued on an angle up to the orbital bone. Quite uncomfortable, but with this calibre of model you'd never know it...

Shooting them is tricky too, because if the faces and eyelids aren't at exactly the right angle, it's all just a blurry mess.





Lovely Lea! In between shots she was singing for us. She is so chilled out, she'll just pick up her guitar and rip out some cool songs, then slip back under the lights and give you something like this!

It's really fun to be along for the ride as a huge music career is growing. The record company, management company, PR company & all the powers that be have to restrict how much info can be given out, but as much as possible I'll give you sneak peeks into the behind the scenes action with Lea.
It's all very, very cool.



Lastly, I hope you can see this shot. It is actually hair diva Kristin Isaac's myspace profile picture, as is funnier than all get out! She is in a parking lot makeing her boyfriend kiss her boot, and she is sparking some fierce attitude!!!

I love that crazy girl!!!

Well, I'm off to wardrobe fittings for the next makeup segment that we're shooting, which is supposed to be on Thursday.

Please don't let it be the chaps...

Monday, July 13, 2009

Lovin Me Some Feather Lashes...

This weekend was a big one in makeup-land.
I had a huge fashion shoot at Studio5 with genius fashion photographer Kelly Cappelli.
Director John Wischmeyer (the Wischdoctor) was there directing some behind the scenes rock-u-mentary footage, and piggy backing on that we shot the first installments of a series or "how to" makeup tutorials.

All in all it was a pretty significant production day!

The day started with Lea Cappelli in hair for an hour or so. Kristin Isaac was our hair diva, and in my opinion gets the MVP award for crazy brilliance on this shoot!
Lea is not only one of the most remarkable models a makeup artist can be blessed to shoot with, but is also a phenominal recording artist.
In true rock n roll style her day wasn't just a fashion shoot - once her hair was complete, and might I say, it was quite the do, producer Myles Lancette had to take her away to the recording studio to rehearse some songs they're tracking in the next week or so.
Then she was back to me for makeup - a very long day before we even started shooting, and most of it happening on-camera no less! But she's a pro and just rolls with it.

Next up I was in hair for a little coiffing, as I too had a considerable on-camera day ahead of me.





Throughout the day I tried to keep posting on facebook and twitter.


Next stop wardrobe. Most productions keep a pretty tight reign on what everyone is wearing. The stylists put together a bunch of outfits and accessories, and with the director/ photographer decide whats going to be worn. We had two productions shooting basically simultaneously, as well as a fashion shoot.





They chose this cool Motor Mayhem shirt for me to wear. I was pretty happy about that, and got to keep it (yay!).
But I should mention at this point, that in the picture you can see some leather chaps with something like "Sheriff's Posse" on them. I had a moment of true cold fear thinking they were gong to try and dress me in them! Thankfully the chaps were for another shoot!!!




can you even believe how spectacular Tamara is with no makeup on???

Meanwhile model Tamara Anthony, who is just ridiculously beautiful and doesn't seem to realize it, had been in hair and was ready for makeup. Part of the day's shoot was getting some makeup tutorials in, so I had final touch ups, and was ready to go. (I'm actually wearing the Chloe gloss from Julie Hewett that I told you about the other day)


So here we are shooting, my set is actually the makeup room. Nothing like keeping it real!





Where possible I want to shoot the "how to" spots on a live set when we're doing something fashion based.






Once the makeup segment was finished shooting I amped up Tamara's makeup and put on these completely crazy fabulous feather lashes. Oh yeah!




Me with Tamara and Kelly


We had a few minutes to chill, and then Lea arrived back and got in the makeup chair. (She never, ever complains. Not ever. No matter how long her day is. And some of them are soooo long!)



Here we are, ready to go

Finally the photoshoot starts!

And oooohh!!! Look what we got!!!





I'll try to upload more tomorrow...

xo

C