Winner of Miss Crimson, Baileigh

I have known Baileigh for a while now and she is just as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside.  Baileigh decided to enter her high school pageant and wanted me to do her makeup.  I was so excited that she asked because I just love working with both her and her mom.

Baileigh wanted her makeup to stand out on stage but to still look somewhat natural.  I decided to do a soft, somewhat smokey eye with a bit of dark contour on the outer part of her eye.  I used grey browns to compliment not only her piercing blue eyes but also her dress.  I then added a bit of Anastasia Beverly Hills shimmer to make her eyes pop.  Dark, smudged liner topped with lashes completed her eyes.  Baileigh has flawless skin so not much airbrushing was needed.  I used Dinair Airbrushed foundation in Soft Glow for a matte look.  Then, filled in her brows, added contour (no shimmer highlight because of the bright lights… didn’t want her to look shiny on stage), pop of blush with a soft lip.  The result….a gorgeous girl that felt confident!

CONGRATULATIONS to Baileigh for winning the Miss Crimson Title (Winner of her Junior and Senior Class)!!!!

Baileigh collage 3

Details on her makeup….

Airbrush Foundation:  Dinair Soft Glow in Vanilla and Olive Beige

Concealer:  IT Bye, Bye Undereye – Combo of light and medium

Eyes:  Makeup Geek – Vanilla Bean, Americano, Cherry Cola, Corrupt and Anastasia Beverly Hills -Metal and Warm Taupe, Ardell Lashes

Contour:  Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit

Blush:  Bare Minerals in Aphrodisiac and Faux Pax

Lips:  Anastasia Beverly Hills in Kirsten

Baileigh Crown

A Brand New Mom

I got a call from the baby whisperer/photographer extraordinaire, Mary Beth at Mary Beth’s Photography , to pamper a brand new mom with a makeup session. This way, the new mom could feel a bit spoiled after giving birth, look amazing and feel extra confident when appearing in some of the portraits with her beautiful newborn daughter. Here is her final look…. gorgeous, right? (Want to see the adorable newborn portraits too? Click here.)

Details on Makeup:

Airbrush Foundation: Dinair in Soft Glow

Concealer: IT Cosmetics

Eyes: Urban Decay, Makeup Geek, MAC Cosmetics

Brows and Contour: Anastasia Beverly Hills

Lashes: Ardell

Lips: Bare Minerals

Brianna’s Bridal Trial

Another day of fun in my studio with a new client, Brianna! Brianna is getting married and wanted a new dramatic look for her wedding day. When she got to my studio, we discussed everything about her look that she wanted. She showed me pictures of what she loves and doesn’t like. (Did you know that what you don’t like is just as important as what you do like?). We talked about her dress, her wedding colors, and her hair. This way, I can create a cohesive look for her wedding day. Here is her final look…..

Details on her makeup look:

Airbrushed foundation: Dinair in Vanilla and Olive Beige Soft Glow

Concealer: IT Cosmetics Bye, Bye Undereye

Contour: Bare Minerals – Deep End

Blush: Mac Cosmetics

Eyes: Makeup Geek Cosmetics, Tarte liner, Pat McGrath Labs, Urban Decay

Brows: Colour Pop

Lips: Bare Minerals

Lashes: Red Cherry

I’ve also created a face chart to go along with Brianna’s look….

Photo shoot with Taylor

My talented daughter, Sydney is an art minor at Clemson. She has won several awards for her photography and has been published in minor publications. So, we decided to collaborate together for her next submission.

Model: Taylor

Photographer: Sydney Rose Photography

Details on Makeup:

Airbrush Foundation: Dinair in Glamour

Concealer: IT Cosmetics

Eyes: Urban Decay, Makeup Geek Cosmetics, MAC Cosmetics

Contour and eyebrows: Anastasia Beverly Hills

Blush: Bare Minerals

Lashes: Ardell

100% Airbrushed Makeup

As some of you already know, I love airbrush makeup. It is wonderful for photo shoots, brides, pageants and everyday. However, for my clients, I usually only offer airbrushed foundation with the rest of the face done by hand. So, I’ve challenged myself to do more with the airbrush. (Thanks to R&R Airbrush Makeup Artistry ).

Here is the final look. Now, keep in mind, everything is airbrushed . . . Eyes, liner, brows, contour, blush, highlight and yes, even lips. All products by Dinair.

My Favorite YouTube Channels!

In my last blog, I spoke about the 3 YouTube channels that I love to follow on a regular basis, so I thought I’d share my thoughts with you.

2 out of 3 of these YouTube bloggers are WORKING makeup artists . . . not just makeup gurus that have hoards of makeup who don’t normally work on clients.  As most of you know, I like fashion makeup like what you find in Vogue or W Magazine, makeup that makes you feel great about yourself and makeup on the runway and red carpet.  I’m not very into “Instagram” makeup . . . which, hopefully, is on the way OUT!

My absolute favorite is Pixiwoo!  They are two sisters from the UK, that used to work for MAC many years ago and are still makeup artists today.  They even have their own line of brushes out named Real Techniques.

pixiwoo

Honestly, I have been watching them for about 9 years or so.  I think that was even before YouTube makeup gurus burst onto the scene!  These ladies are super talented, funny and always do something different!  Some of you, may have heard me say that I am “pixiwooing” though the grocery store today . . . meaning that I am going upon my day acting like I am not wearing extravagant makeup.  They coined the term.  Here is my gorgeous daughter pixiwooing as Wonder Woman at our local pizza place, Your Pie…  she did get some strange looks that day!

pixiwooing syd

My next fave is Wayne Goss!  I love him because he gives it to you straight, is a working makeup artist and has great tips and techniques.

waynegoss1

He turned me on to several products and techniques.  The most recent one being the brand “The Ordinary” (Click here to read more about it).  Also, since it is the holiday season, do you know what he calls people who highlight the tip of your nose?  Rudolph!  That is one of my pet peeves, as well as his . . . highlighting the tip of your nose.  If you are doing it . . . I beg you . . .  please stop.

Now, my 3rd favorite YouTuber is mostly my favorite because he is quite funny and entertaining to watch.  If you don’t like to hear the F-word, then he just might not be the one for you.  But this guy makes me laugh out loud and is also very talented.  His name is Manny MUA!  He is the one who turned me onto Makeup Geek Cosmetics and does a lot of real reviews on products with truth, honesty and a bit of crass.

manny

Holiday Inspired Makeup

Are you feeling in the holiday spirit yet or do you have a fun holiday party to attend?  Try this contoured eye with a bit of glitter and rosy cheeks!

For flawless foundation, I airbrushed it using Dinair in Radiance for a slight glow to the skin.  For the eyes, I primed them with Urban Decay primer and brushed on a soft yellow shadow as a base by Makeup Geek.  In the crease, I used a warm light brown.  Then, I used 3 different colors of green (all from Smashbox), starting with the lightest in the center of the lid, the mid-shade closer to the outside corner and then added the darkest in the outer corner. Closer to the inner eye, I used a soft Smashbox pink.  Topped with a black Tarte slightly winged liner and then carried the darkest green and warm light brown to under the eye to give it a cohesive look.  To finish off the eye look, I added Urban Decay glitter liner from my inner corner crease to mid-crease, tapering it off and my favorite wispy lashes from Ardell.

I wanted this look to have rosy cheeks, so I added a very bright pink blush and Deep End contour from Bare Minerals.  Highlighter and brows are both products from Anastasia Beverly Hills.

What are your holiday go to looks?

Looking for new skincare?

I am always looking for the latest and greatest especially in skincare!  Technology changes so quickly and so do makeup and skincare formulas.  Now, I’m not saying that using your old stand by isn’t great but why not try something different when you run out of your current?

I have been struggling with skincare since Bare Minerals changed ALL their skincare formulas.  I have extremely sensitive skin.  I’m not talking about breaking out (most of the time that happens when you start any new skincare), I’m talking about redness, itching and peeling.  It is no fun!

I have a few favorites on YouTube that I admire.  3 to be exact and 2 are WORKING makeup artists, not just YouTube gurus.  So, when one of those favorites, Wayne Goss, did a video about a brand called The Ordinary, I just had to give it a shot and I am so happy I did.  My skin looks great, healthy, hydrated and smooth.

Here is what The Ordinary says about itself…. “The Ordinary was founded by skin care enthusiasts who were fed up with the lack of transparency and fairness in the the beauty industry. By formulating products in their in-house lab and producing them in their own factory, The Ordinary brings you effective skin care at an honorable price”.

The two things I love about the brand is that . . .

#1, it is inexpensive especially for the quality of ingredients that you get.

#2, is that The Ordinary products, are free of parabens, sulphates, mineral oil, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, animal oils, benzalkonium chloride, coal tar dyes, formaldehyde, mercury, oxybenzone.

I ordered mine directly from their website.  Here is what I went with . . .

theordinary

Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 for multi-depth hydration and visible plumping without drawing water out of the skin solely to improve temporary surface hydration.

Granactive Retinoid 2% in Squalane uses next-generation retinoid active technologies which have been shown to achieve better reduction in signs of ageing than retinol without irritation.

100% Plant Derived Squalane is an exceptional hydrator and can prevent ongoing loss of hydration that impairs dermal suppleness.

However, it can be difficult to figure out what you need.  After doing tons of research, I found this to be the best site to guide you in the right direction on what your skincare might need . . . Beautylish.  However, The Ordinary products are always sold out so try The Ordinary website after deciding what you want on Beautylish.

Next, I will talk about The Ordinary’s line of foundation!!!  I love that too.

So, tell me . . . what skincare brands or products are your favorites?

 

 

Happy Halloween

I have had these sequins since I purchased products from one of my most favorite makeup brands, Pat McGrath Labs.  All of her products come packaged in hoards of sequins (Watch the unboxing here!) and I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with them ever since!  This lead me to my version of a sugar skull and painstakingly glueing on each sequin individually on with eyelash glue.  Details on look below.


Sugar skull makeup….

Airbrush foundation: Dinair in white extreme and glamour, topped with Ben Nye powder

Eyes: Pat McGrath liner, eyeshadow and sequins, Urban Decay, Tarte glitter glue, Nyx glitter, Kevyn Aucoin eye gloss

Lashes:  Red Cherry
Roses:  Airbrushed using Dinair in cranberry and Marth Stewart stencils

Dahja’s Senior Portrait Makeup 

This beautiful senior, Dahja, had a makeup session with me and then a personalized photo shoot with the super talented Mary Beth’s Photography.  We had so much fun together in my studio creating this look.  Dahja is a natural beauty who normally doesn’t wear much makeup but wanted something special for her shoot.  So, I did a contoured eye with shimmer, thin black, slightly winged liner and topped with false lashes to bring out her eyes on camera!  I kept her skin flawless with a light airbrushing of foundation, some brighter blush and soft lip.  Details on her look below….

Makeup Details:

Airbrushed foundation:  Glamour Foundation by Dinair 

Concealer, contour and blush: Bare Minerals

Eyes:  Urban Decay-Smokey Palette, Makeup Geek Cosmetics, Ardell lashes, MAC Cosmetics, Tarte Cosmetics liner

Brows and lip: Anastasia Beverly Hills

All photos by Mary Beth’s Photography

%d bloggers like this: