9 Steps To Perfect 4th Of July Makeup

 9 Steps To Perfect 4th of July Makeup

Its 4th of July weekend, which in America is a big holiday weekend, but in the rest of the northern hemisphere

is just another summer weekend.

Adriana Lima in Victoria's Secret Bikini

Regardless of whether or not you are flying the stars and bars

this weekend, it's the perfect time to run through some 

summer makeup tips, and more specifically tips to have you 

looking fabulous at pool parties, lake parties, beach parties

- whatever outdoor summer event you are attending.

There are 2 major areas in makeup where girls mess up 

at this time of the year.

The first is looking like you have a face full of makeup on.

Thick or heavy makeup looks ridiculous on a hot summer's day.

The idea is to look like you have next to nothing on your face, 

and just look glowy and gorgeous.

The second is the absolute bane of my makeup artist life,

even worse than Instagram-style overcontouring (my second pet peeve), it's the flagrant misuse and abuse of bronzer. Equal parts one of the most wonderful makeup products ever created, and also the most violated makeup product ever created.

When I was with SheKnows.com we shot a beauty segment about it. Check it out here Bronzer 101

Now that we know we don't want to look like makeup-face, and we don't want to commit crimes with bronzer, here's what we do want to do:

Kate Upton Sports Illustrated

1. Start off with SPF

There's nothing pretty about a sunburned face, or a face ravaged with sun damage, so start out with a very liberal application of a broad spectrum facial SPF. You need to use the highest number you can find, and preferably use one that has a dry finish, so that you don't look gooey and slimey.

I use Neutrogena Dry Touch With Helioplex, SPF 85+ or 100+ 

2. Use a primer

Give your SPF a few minutes to really soak in to your skin, then follow it with a good primer.

If your skin has even color ( or if you have been using a facial self tanner), the smoothing effects of primer maybe all you need to get your complexion looking fantastic.

Candace Swanepoel Bikini

3. Use a BB Cream

If you need help evening out your skin tone, lightly apply a thin coat of BB Cream with a duo fiber brush.

The idea is not to look like foundation-face, but just to even out the color a little.

4. Color correct your eye area.

You don't want any heavy concealer here, and often your BB Cream will be more than enough so disguise any under eye action, but the other part of the equation is to even out the skin on your upper lids. Either use BB Cream, or if you still see a little discoloration lightly apply something to neutralize it, like MAC Paint Pot in Painterly or Soft Ocher.

5. Use a soft gold shadow

If you still need a little love on your eyelids to make your eyes sparkle, use a soft champagne gold wash of color. This is not about executing a killer eye makeup, instead it is about brightening the eye, just a little.

6. Work your lashes

Curl your lashes then go to town with tons of mascara. If you are water bound use waterproof, otherwise use water resistant. Make sure your lashes look lengthened and glossy, not clumped and full of product. Its about opening up the eye and making it look bright.

7.  Use a light wash of color on the cheeks.

I love cream blushes to death, but some can look too slimey mid summer when its hot and humid. Try Inglot liquid blush or Nars The Multiple to give yourself a natural looking flush of color.

8. Accent your brows

Running some color and accent through your brows pulls any look together, and creates a fabulous focal point when you a doing a minimal makeup look.  You don't want them overly defined or painted on, but instead just enough to give the face some structure and dimension, and to frame the eyes.

Coral lips

9. Finish with a pop of color

Finish your look with a pop of color on the lip.  Try the season's "it" color, a bright coral or orange, whiten your teeth with a gorgeous raspberry or a magenta, and seal the deal with a fresh glossy sheen.

Codie Young For W Korea

Isn't this just fabulous?

Australian model Codie Young gets pseudo-punk 

on an Italian beach for Philip Riches' lens

in this gorgeous story featured in the 

new issue of W Korea.

Fashion editor Woo Lee styled the shoot, and even made

some of the accessories from stones, shells and ostrich feathers.

10 Things I Have Learned From Traveling

Venturing out into the big wide world this summer?

Maybe you are traveling to another country, or maybe you are just exploring your own. In my travels around the world I have discovered many interesting truths, and today I am sharing with you

10 Things I Have Learned From Traveling.

All in white, boat day in Portofino last year

1.) Don't Rely On The Internet.

We all have smartphones and iPads, laptops and other media devices, and most of us store travel information on them. Always, always have a hard copy of your itinerary and flight and rental car details, as well as your hotel information.

Devices freeze, lose power, can't make internet connections, or maybe there is no internet available where you are. You never know what's going to happen, so travel smart and have a papercopy of everything you may need.

2. Arrive With Local Currency

Wherever you are going, make sure you have cash in pocket.

Plenty of places don't accept credit cards, and sometimes ATM machines don't work or aren't available.

I like to have at least the equivalent of $100 in local currency, in small denominations.

(When I leave a country, if I think I may come back I will keep my change and some paper money)

Balat, Turkey

3. Learn The Lingo

Simply learning how to say "hello", "goodbye", "please" and "thank you" in the language of the country you are in goes a really long way. 

4. Always Have A Plan B

Things go wrong. Museums/roads/tourist sites etc get closed. The weather doesn't play ball. Life happens.

If you always have a backup plan, the day is not lost.

More often than not Plan A not working, or you getting horribly lost, leads to something far more fun and exciting anyway. Some of my most fantastic travel discoveries and experiences have happened because Plan A failed. And it doesn't hurt in life to stay mentally flexible.

5. The Road Less Traveled Can Make All The Difference

I love getting away from the tourist traps. There are treasures to be found along the road less traveled.

Lipari, Aeolian Islands, Sicily

6. Some Of The Best Things You Will See Won't Be In The Guide Books.

This works with #4 and #5. Simply wandering around a little and keeping your eyes open can lead to amazing experiences. 

7. Ask The Locals

Ask the locals where they go out to eat. The food will be more authentic, the price will be much better, and the experience will be amazing.

Unless I am maniacally starving or thirsty I don't go to restaurants near the main tourist sites. The food is never as good, and the prices tend to be ridiculously inflated.

8. Don't Try To See Too Much.

Slow the pace down, take time to relax and enjoy the place you have come to. You don't really get to experience a town or its people if you are running around madly photographing everything and then racing on to the next place. 

You just can't beat taking your morning coffee or an early evening prosecco and antipasti in the piazza, chatting with the locals or just watching the world go by.

9. Talk To The Locals

Ask them about local things to see. Some of my best travel experiences have been when locals have plotted out my day and told me wonderful places to go. 

10. Always Take a bottle of eater, a light snack and a light sweater or jacket. Weather changes, sometimes it's hard to find water, or there's nowhere around to eat anything. It doesn't hurt to be prepared.. :)

Recipe Salted Caramel Brownie Sandwich Cookies

Don't these look amazing??

I saw these posted on Dust Jacket Attic

and had to repost.

Because one day I may not be on a diet,

and I may want to make them.

Here is the recipe

Bianca Balti Covers Playboy Magazine

One of my absolute favorite models, Bianca Balti,

who I blog about frequently, is covering the July/August 2014 issue of Playboy Magazine.

Normally we see Bianca in high fashion stories and Dolce and Gabbana campaigns, so it was somewhat surprising to see she chose
to do a Playboy cover. Although with Kate Moss and 
Rachel Mortenson having both just covered Playboy it would seem that perhaps there is move back to fashion models fronting the magazine.

Lensed beautifully by Greg Lotus

Tatcha Aburatorigami Blot Papers

With summer in full swing, the world is getting a little steamy.
None of us want to go out with a gooey, slimey looking complexion, but at the same time a powdery face looks ridiculous at worst, unflattering at best.

I am obsessed with Tatcha Aburatorigami Beauty Papers.
I put them in my red carpet ladies' evening bags, and I give them to my brides to maintain their gorgeousness throughout their big day. I also don't leave home without them.

All Tatcha products are beautifully packaged, are of premium quality, and have wonderful stories behind them.

Centuries ago, gold leaf craftsmen created blotting sheets of abaca leaf to protect their precious metal as they hammered it into whisper-thin sheets. Resourceful geisha learned that the soft, absorbent leaflets were perfect blotting papers, incorporating them into their beauty rituals. These original beauty papers are made from 100% abaca leaf and gold flakes to blot away excess oil without stealing moisture from the skin, leaving you with petal-fresh skin any time. Ideal for dry skin, combination skin and oily skin

Order Tatcha Beauty Papers online at Tatcha.com, or find them in-store at Barneys.

Actitud ~ Toni Garrn For S Moda

Don't you just love this hair and makeup??

Henrique Martins worked the magic on both

for this gorgeous shoot in Spain's S Moda

magazine, June 21st issue.

Photographer Henrique Gendre captures

German model and face of Nars Cosmetics,

Toni Garrn as she showcases contrasts between

major label fall collections against and urban backdrop.

Actitud