8 Steps To Magnificent Lashes!

Nothing enhances your eyes more than really sensational lashes, but getting them isn't always as easy as it would seem. Here's a little 8 step guide to building lashes a girl can bat alluringly!

8 Tips To The Longest Lashes Ever

1. Use a primer

DiorshowMaximizer Lash Primer

Applying a coat of primer first will help create the illusion of thicker fuller lashes and will give your mascara something extra to grab hold of.

2. Choose Your Wand
A small fine wand is ideal to help build longer lashes. It is easier to get to the base of the lash and pull through and extend the lash

Avon Super Magnify Mascara

A fat, fluffy wand is for fuller, fluffier lashes. If you're going for a fuller lash look, put on several coats to really build the lashes.

Cargo Texas Lash Mascara

3. Throw out old mascara.
You'll never get full, lush looking lashes with an old dried out mascara

4. Work your technique.
Starting at the base of the lash, pull your mascara wand through the lash using a side to side motion. Go back through the lashes this time rolling the wand to create more intensity.

5. Don't pump the wand!
Don't pump the wand in and out of the tube! This won't put any extra product onto the wand, but instead will push air into the tube and dry your mascara out much more quickly.

6. Line the upper inner rim or the eye.

Makeup Forever Aqualiner

For a fuller, bolder looking lash line apply a waterproof liner to the upper lid's inner rim before applying mascara. 

Makeup Forever Aqua Eyes

Then smudge a thin line of liner into the base of the lashes and lash line. This will create the illusion of thicker lashes.

7. Create a fan of lashes on the upper lid.
Direct the outer third of your lashes toward you temple, the center third up and forward, the inner third toward your nose. This trick will make your lashes look drastically fuller and longer!

8. Ingredients to look for:
Some key ingredients to look for in your mascara are
Soy Protein to build volume
Acrylates Copolymer to enhance lash length
Panthenol, Pantethine and Pro Vitamin B5 (all of which are found in hair products)  are conditioners used to make lashes longer and stronger

Four Quick Steps To Lighten and Brighten Your Eyes

Nothing will undo your look more quickly than dull, tired looking eyes. Whether you wake up with puffy eyes or whether you sit in front of a computer all day and wind up looking exhausted, having a few good tricks up your sleeve can make all the difference in the world.

 Four quick steps to lighten and brighten your eyes!

 1) Use a good de-puffer under the eye.

I love Kiehls Facial Fuel Eye De-Puffer. It soothes, cools, hydrates, gets the circulation going and de-puffs all in one easy step. I also love that it comes in a stick form instead of a lotion or gel. 

2) Curl those lashes!

A really high speed way to open the eye is to curl the lashes. But not all lash curlers are created equal! Some just flip the lash up, or don't shape it nicely. Makeup artists all over the world swear by the Shu Uemura lash curler (www.shuuemura.com) due to its perfect shape. (always curl before applying mascara!!)

3.) Use a supersonic mascara

such as Cargo's incredible Texas Lash mascara. In Texas they like everything bigger, and this mascara is no exception!! Put on several coats and build some big, dramatic exciting eyes.

4) Use a highlighter.

Again from Cargo I love the Eyelighter pen. Keep one in your handbag for a quick freshen up after work, use when getting ready to go out, or on those days when you need a little extra something in the morning. This double ended pen simplifies age old makeup artist trick of using both matte and frosted highlighting shadows. The pointed tip puts a matte shadow under the brow, under the lower lash line and at the outer corner of the eye, while the rounded tip puts a soft shimmering highlight to the inner corners of the eye. Your eyes look instantly bright and alive!

Rebecca Taylor Fall 2010

Being that I absolutely live for pretty dresses (and high heels and lip gloss and... oh you know what I mean) I am a huge Rebecca Taylor fan. Pretty, feminine, floaty dresses are her signature move, so I am always eager to see what she is showing each season.

This season Taylor kept her sweet, sartorial feel, but added in some fun animal prints and must have gray stretch suede over the knee boots that gave long, clean lines, and a very modern edgy counterbalance to the delicate dreaminess of her collection.

 Honestly? I could not love this more!

 

Layers and ruffles leaned out with the perfect boot.

The perfect jacket length, off set by the boots

The boots and the leopard print jackets will be in my thoughts all day.

xo

C

Backstage at Balmain Spring Summer 2011

Just how fab is this??

Balmain showed some edgy, retro punk revival at the Spring Summer 2011 show. 
Breath of fresh air Christophe Decarnin has put the sizzle back into the house of Balmain, and his "couture punk" style has become a staple amongst the rich and titled euro-youth.

Although not for most of us, it was still exciting to see something a little different!

Courtesy of Style.com lets have a little look backstage at Balmain Spring Summer 2011
I love that they used the Sex Pistols My Way!
Also check out the fabulous hair guru Sam McKnight who I worked the London shows with all those years ago.

xo 

Makeup Fall 2010 Mesmerized Purple!

One thing I love to pieces about fall is that after all the dewy freshness of summer, makeup starts to show a hint of intrigue, a hint of drama.

YSL is bringing the drama this season with their Rock and Baroque collection

image courtesy of musings of a muse

 The usual camels, beiges, burnt oranges and chocolates have been replaced with purples,

image courtesy of musings of a muse

 Navy and tan to die for, and lilacs.

image courtesy of musings of a muse

image, musings of a muse

 The lip collection has some beautiful traditional shades, but by far the most exciting is Purple Mesmerize. 

When going for a deep dark shade of lipstick, avoid the dulling shades of brown and burgundy. These will weigh the face down and deaden skin tone. Choose instead a bold, deep grape such as Purple Mesmerize, that has plenty of blue undertone to it. This will make your teeth look super white, bring out the intensity in your eye color, and add a little black magic to your look!

Bronzer 101 SheKnowsTV

Summer is all but over, yet we're not quite ready to lose that lovely sun-kissed glow, so its time to break out the bronzer!
But not all bronzers are created equal, and the shade that is gorgeous on your friend can look hideous on you, so here's the girlfriend's guide to bronzing, as seen on She Knows TV.

1. Find your formulation. 
When all is said and done, gels and creams can be trickier to get even and smooth and to keep looking perfect all day, so go with a powder compact - its way easier!


2. Find your correct color.
If you have a pale skin you will look best in a bronzer with a rosey gold champagne undertone.
If you have a medium or olive complexion you will win with a golden copper undertone.
If you are a dark goddess look for something with a deeper red undertone.


A little shimmer can be beautiful, and really bring some light and life into the skin. Look for bronzers that have very small particles of shimmer. Basically if you can see and identify individual shimmer particles, they are too big, and your skin will look crazy shiny.


3. Application.
Don't try to color your face in with bronzer. Its need to hit your skin where the sun would. Across the forehead, the top of the cheek bone and bridge of the nose, and the chin. You can run a little along the jawline too.
Think of doing a number 3 across forehead, cheekbone, nose and chin.
If your collarbones are visable, dust them too.


Your application should be light enough that you can see freckles through it.


The bronzers I showed in the segment are actually from my makeup kit. 
Here is the 411 of what was on the table.


On Lisa I used Guerlain's amazing Terracotta Powder in shade 2.

Beyond brilliant, this product is the benchmark for all bronzers. Guerlain first introduced the Terracotta powders in 1984, and they were the first bronzers on the market. To this day they are the biggest selling bronzer, with one unit selling somewhere in the world every 25 seconds!!
I love these because they give the warmth and luminosity of a natural tan. They also are moisturizing, long wearing and oil controlling.


Cargo Cosmetics Bronzer in Medium

A staple in my kit and in my personal product arsenal. I love the subtle sun kissed glow it gives, slightly shimmery and sheer. This award winning bronzer avoids the overly yellow trap that many bronzers fall into. Totally gorgeous!


MakeUp Forever Bronzer

I am a huge advocate of Makeup Forever! Their products are amazing. On the table I showed their bronzer in shade #5, which has a lovely red undertone for my dark skinned girls. It comes in several shades, so no matter what your complexion is they have one for you.

Backstage at Gucci, Spring 2011

This post is a re-post from one of my favorites, BeautySnob.com

 

Backstage Beauty: Gucci Spring 2011

By Beauty Snob Sharon on September 27, 2010 6:00 AM Leave A Comment

Images from WWD

Givenchy makeup artist Dominique Lehongre recently said about the trends to come that one of the most important things we can expect is the red lip.

Less than a week later Frida Giannini sends out all of her models with glossy red lips on the Spring 2011 Gucci runway! I loved the mix of vampy (with the popping lips), and classic sophistication (with the slicked back hair), that the Gucci models had.

The girls' hair was braided into a side-part chignon and fastened with thin bronze leather hair bands that were created especially for the show to match the collection's handbags and shoes. Marc Jacobs may want frizz to be in, but I much prefer this put together look. Frugal buy, John Frieda's Frizz Ease Serum, was used to keep the hair in place.

Pat McGrath let the makeup team and the models looked flawless with their glossy red lips, luminous skin, and metallic bronze and taupe eye shades (covered by a hint of gloss). McGrath, who works with CoverGirl, similarly opted for some frugal finds. Among the products she used was CoverGirl's NatureLuxe Silk Foundation, which she said was key for creating the dewy look (this new product hits shelves January 2011). Though I prefer plum lip shades on myself, I can't wait to head to Sephora this weekend to find something to re-create McGrath's glossy eye look!