If I Were Going To Happy Hour...

Well its Friday, and while all the hip young things are out and about being fabulous tonight, I will be working. (if you can call being paid to do what you love 'work'!)
And after the enormous work week I've had - gotta love the new season's crazy busy-ness , I'm not going out on the boogie after work tonight, instead I'll be crawling home to catch up on some sleep.

Savagely uncool, I know, but I have early call times this weekend, and have to be on my toes...

However, I have been thinking about what I would be drinking if I were going out tonight, and I'm thinking a Cosmo-tini sounds kinda fab.





So here's the easy, peasy recipe:

Cosmopolitan Martini

2 oz Grey Goose Vodka, chilled
1 oz Cointreau
1/2 oz Cranberry Juice
1/2 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
lemon twist.

Mix all ingredients in your cocktail shaker, then pour into a martini glass and garnish with the lemon twist.

Told you it was easy!

Don't forget to check out the Racing Fashionistas Happy Hour segment...

xo

C

New Season's Nars-o-licious....

I'm supposed to be doing many different things right now, but instead I'm sitting here playing with some of the new season's colors from Nars.
On some level I could probably say its work-ish, except that we all know its not - I'm just playing.

But lets have a little look at the objects of my affection...

First up I am loving the Silk Road eye shadow duo. Fall/winter can get so caught up in heavy, dull shades, so these are a breath of fresh air. The colors are soft, pretty and feminine. I'll be using them to do a subtle, beautiful, slightly opalescent eye, maybe bringing in a little depth to the outer corners with something a little moodier, like Night Fever. (eye shadow single)
Maybe I should do an eyeshadow tutorial with these?




The next thing isn't even remotely new, in fact I've been using it in my kit for years, but it does deserve a mention here. Once our bronzed up, glowy summer skin surrenders to the gloomy fall wind, rain and overcast skies, we tend to bury our skin under heavier bases and powders.
I am a big proponent of gorgeous, dewy looking skin, and one of the products I use to create this with is Nars The Multiple in Copacabana.
This versatile stick can be used in many ways, anywhere on the face. I love using my fingers to blend a little into the upper cheekbone, outer forehead, sometimes high on the nose, to create luminosity and glow to the skin.
Copacabana makes dull skin look alive and bright, which translates to young and gorgeous. And who doesn't want that???





One of these days I'll learn how to resize pictures. But until then...

Now of course I am still obsessing about the Stella McCartney over the knee boots that have now become the screensaver behind my lids when I close my eyes, and I was thinking about what makeup would be great to offset a killer pair of boots like that.

These boots are all about being fierce, fabulous and sexy, so the soft & juicy mouth that I love both to create on others and to wear myself isn't necessarily telling the same story as the footwear, so I'm thinking a bold, take no prisoners mouth. And wouldn't you know it? Nars has this darling piece of decadence that is exactly perfect! Even the name - "Fast Ride" is calling you to badness!




Its beautiful, bold and powerful, can be muted down to a stain, or worn full force.
The combination of these three products is just fabulous. Soft eyes (I'd throw a strip of lashes on for emphasis), glowing skin, and a full mouth. Hmmm - maybe we will have to shoot this look for you.

And the Stella's....



You just know its a match made in heaven!


xo

C

These Boots Were Made For Struttin'!

Its 108 degrees today here in sunny Phoenix, and instead of getting aquatic and smelling like Coppertone, I'm busy reviewing winter makeup and fashion trends for some upcoming shoots. Quite the crazy juxtaposition, mais c'est ma vie!

The one thing that has me excited beyond delirium for this coming season is the over-the-knee boot. So sexy, so raunchy, so crazy cool!!!

A lifetime ago when I was a makeup artist living in super trendy London, I had a pair of black suede thigh boots that I wore all the time. They were the absolute most dynamic thing I ever owned. I would wear them with short skirts and this big black faux fur russian hat that I bought in Moscow. I felt like the coolest thing on wheels when I slipped those badboys on, but in all reality, London was so full of models, supermodels, and just outright super funky, edgy, sexy- cool girls that I probably blended in with the wallpaper.

But in those boots I felt like a million dollars.

I worked with tons of Ethiopian and Sudanese runway models at the time. They were all over six feet tall, exquisite and long and lean, and could move like panthers. I adored them! And they taught me how to walk in my thigh boots.

And not just walk, but own it in my thigh boots, with this fantastic hip and pelvis roll that was both languid and powerful at the same time. It was fierce!

I've often wondered where life took all of them, and also where it took my thigh boots! I don't have them anymore, but am so totally overjoyed that the look this coming season is just possessed and dominated by the thigh boot!

So lets have a little look at some of my favorites...





Stella McCartney's boot is too die for! She is completely amazing and innovative. I could possibly get away with the pair above on the streets of Scottsdale, for sure the streets of NYC.

The Stella's below are fierce, but I think I would suffocate in them. But I'd give it a go!










Sexy Gucci boot, not over the knee, but still delectable! And more expensive than the average house payment.


And of course, the red soled master himself...


Hello lover!



Christian Louboutin, purrfect everytime!


That first pair of Stella's had me at hello...

So now I'm going to put on my huge sunglasses, big hat and SPF, and go stretch out by the pool, but behind those black lenses I will be day-dreaming of thighs boots in winter.

And maybe I'll send my friend Cynthia in Atlanta a telepathic message about red soles (haha!),
because when I'm thinking Louboutin, she always seems to hear me!

Strut it sisters!

xo

C

Good Morning TV-land!

Every so often I do makeup segments on various breakfast television shows. These segments tend to be under 3 minutes, and are really just a quick demo or chat about whats happening in the world of makeup and glamor. (the glamor part was something I just thought up - they really only want to know whats happening in makeup!)

To make it more fun, it means a 3 am or 4 am wake-up call, so you can be camera ready and get to the studio, or what ever location you're shooting at before the morning program goes live.
That means some serious under eye drama and repair work!

Will and I were on breakfast TV this morning doing out thing, our on-air time being about 2 minutes. And believe me we worked those 2 minutes up one side and down the other! And, might I add, with his new goatee thing going on he looked devilishly handsome! But sadly ladies, he is completely unavailable to any of us!

I told twitter-world last week all about a breakfast shoot (as it was happening no less), and here are some behind the scenes stills. If you're on twitter you can follow me @Corinnamakeup, or click on the icon over there on the right.



I never remember to think up what I'm going to say beforehand, and only realize it as the camera light goes on, so I'm always hoping I say something coherent...





Theres nothing quite like seeing yourself on camera to make you think all about the squats and lunges that you've been meaning to do, but haven't quite gotten around to!

This one was all about trends in wedding makeup.
It was a fun shoot, as they normally are. If I can get any footage from youtube I'll post it later this week.

Have a gorgeous day!

xo

C

Brush me up baby...

What makes a makeup brush special? There are tons and tons of makeup brushes out there - synthetics, pony, sable, goat, squirrel - the list goes on and on.
So how is a girl supposed to figure out which brushes she needs, and how to choose amongst all the different brands, styles, price points etc?

Here is what I do. If you are buying online, have a really good look at the brush, if you are in a store, pick it up and really feel it.




How densely packed are the hairs? If there aren't enough hairs, and they're not packed together well, then you will have very little control over the product you're trying to work with.
If it is packed too tightly, it will create lines as it moves across your face.

Do the hairs fall out as you play with the brush? If so the quality is not good enough. Also its a complete nuisance to have to keep picking hairs off the surface of your makeup.

What is the brush made from?
I recommend synthetic brushes to move wet products, like foundation, concealer, cream shadows etc, and hair brushes for use with dry products, like powder shadows, blushes etc.

Many brushes out there are made from dyed fiber or dyed hair. These dyes can come away into your product, can irritate your skin, and generally leave you with a brush that breaks down very quickly. You want the brush to maintain its shape years down the line, and not wind up in the junk pile a couple of months in.

I avoid dyed brushes at all costs.

Top quality brushes don't have to be extremely expensive either. You can buy makeup brushes at a medium price point, and get quality that lasts and lasts. Some of the brushes in my kit are 20 years old. They didn't cost any more than other brushes do, they've been worked half to death, all around the world, in all kinds of environments, and they still keep chugging along.

When I was building my makeup brush company, that was actually the main part of my mission statement - brushes that last and last and still deliver up the goods years down the line.

I'll get into discussing shapes of brushes, and how to build your personal brush collection over the next few weeks, but today I'll introduce you to my Powder Brush.

Its made from Badger Hair. The hair is packed just right, so that you can transport powder, and not just be flinging it around.
Some people use a powder brush to apply powder, I normally use it to sweep down the face after powdering, and again at the end of the makeup application to make sure that all excess is removed.
Its a beautiful looking brush, doesn't shed hairs everywhere, is nice and soft, so it doesn't irritate your skin, and being Badger Hair it picks up and moves product like no other!



Isn't it gorgeous?

You can check out my brushes at CorinnaB.com

If you're not buying my brushes, just make sure that quality is your main criteria with whichever brushes you are buying.

xo

C

The Reign In Spain...

I have been so crazy busy lately with shoots, and believe me I love it!

I've been using all kinds of fun and fab products, and one of my absolute die-hard favorites at the moment is the regally tantalizing Reign Collection from Smashbox.
I use a lot of Smashbox products in my kit. I love the quality, I love how the products wear, and I love how they work on camera. And remember, anything that looks gorgeous on an HD camera looks fantastic on us girlies in the real world.

So lets have a little look...

First up the jet set waterproof cream liners. Smashbox always gives sensational color options, and with these four shades you can cover a lot of bases. I put them up first, because Smashbox's formulation is such that you can actually use these as a cream shadow, as a base for your shadows, as a definer and as a liner. I use them in many different ways and have loads of little pots of these in my kit.



Next up there are two shadow sets with both matte and shimmer shadows in them. This one is called Monarch, and the other called Majesty. (Majesty has a more mulberry hue).
Both to die for.
You can use these both wet for more intensity, or dry. You can make a huge, bold eye, or a much softer eye. I love the versatility of them, and again the colors are just beautiful and majestic.



This next piece of gorgeousness is great for everyone, and especially brilliant for the blue and green eyed crowd.
This is the DNA mascara in plum. Plum is such an amazing color around the eyes, infinitely flattering, warm and beautiful. With the Reign Collection it ties everything together for an exquisite finish. For the blueys and the greenies you'll find that a plum mascara will bring out your eye color like nothing else - it'll set your eye color off and really make them 'pop'. (BTW, I can't stand that terminology, but you get what I'm saying...)



Lastly, when you are doing a big, expressive eye, you want to offset it with a soft, luscious mouth. I can't get enough of the new nude lip liners. Use them to either outline, or fill in a perfect soft mouth, then top it off with one of the fabulous Smashbox glosses.





I'll be posting tutorials on the Reign Collection in the next couple of weeks, so you can get a step by step guide in how to maximize the magnificence.

And you can create your own Monarchy, and the boys can kiss your beautiful toes...

xo

C

Elegant Wedding From Victoria Canada Weddings and Events

Style Me Pretty, a national Wedding Blog, posted one of my weddings from last year, and in keeping with the bridal thread that I've been running of late, I thought I'd show you some of it here.
You can click on their link to see more.

The bride used the amazing Victoria Canada, nationally acclaimed event planner. Victoria is just sensationally talented, and does huge events all over the country. I love traveling with her to work on big events! I love working with her here too!

This wedding was at the beautiful Royal Palms resort in Scottsdale AZ, and was shot by photographer Holly Schumacher (her fantastic talent speaks for itself in these pictures).

The bride, Laura, and her bridesmaids, family and friends were an absolute joy to work with!










Please do go to the Style Me Pretty blog, and see these pictures full sized in all their glory! There are all kinds of fabulous details and many more pictures from the event on their blog.

xo

C