This past weekend I got to go to Montauk.  And I got paid to do it.  Wha What?  There is nothing that makes me happier than being near a beach.  Actually make that a beach with surfers.  And organic cafes.  That are dog friendly and have freshly squeezed watermelon juice.  And wide open roads to take a morning jog upon.  That’s Montauk and if you ever get to NYC it is worth the drive out to this little community.  So, Emily hired me sight unseen from London and got me a lovely room at Sole East where I enjoyed an afternoon glass of wine by the pool with my book.

Each bridesmaid was prettier than the next.

And a quick snap of the bride who wanted a very natural look, given the location.

And I LOVED that instead of the traditional dress they had these amazing blush toned skirts.

On the way back I passed the most amazing little home store where I saw these that will one day be in my yet to be purchased beach bungalow.

And I am obsessing about what I can sell from my closet to afford these beauties

Professional images to follow once received!

Nora came to me through a long time client, Kate to do the Working Face (far and way my most popular makeup service).  She just went back to work after having a second little one and was looking to *finally* learn some basic makeup tricks.  By her own admission, her makeup routine was a small amount of shadow (whichever color she reached for), mascara on the tips (we would need to change that.  Roots, baby, roots!) and some concealer (she had the right product, but the wrong shade).  We met at the mecca Barney’s, which is my makeup home away from makeup home, and chose a few products that would bring out her gorgeous green eyes and natural rosy cheeks.  But the trick is with a full time job and two little ones this routine had to be under five minutes.  She was terrified of the lash curler, positive she wouldn’t be able to use liner and overall convinced this was going to be too hard.  WRONG NORA!  She was a champ and picked it up like an ol’ pro.  (Psst, if your finance job doesn’t work out ya wanna help me with some weddings?)

The stars of this show were, among other things, Lovejoy blush, Midnight Sun shadow, and this STUNNING new little tidbit from Kevyn Aucoin.

Doing models is fun.  Doing shoots is exciting.  But helping real, everyday women look and feel their best is the most rewarding.

So, come on and book your appointment today ladies!

Here’s a couple from my little iPhone.

So, in the spirit of sharing the love I thought I would show you a little behind the scenes of our NYC hair and makeup beauty shoot and give you the 411 of how you create the looks at home!  Once the magazine hits the stands I’ll be sure to post the final images and the behind the scene video they shot.  These were just taken with my iPhone.  The final ones will be much better but at least you get a sense…

First up was this delicious sweedish blond.  Could not have been nicer and her skin was pretty insane.  I wanted to create (a more) flawless skin and have everything else be sort of bare.  I used Armani foundation, MAC Blanc Type which completely smooth out the lid and then just a lint of Nars Voyage in the crease.  Line was Nars Sophia and Sue Devitt Mascara– no lashes.  The just a hint of Nars Gaiety blush.  Lips were Nars Little Darling and Turkish Delight.

We got her in front of the lights and camera and while she looked beautiful she need just a little extra something without changing the look I created.  So I added YSL gloss in #48 to make them a little pinker and lined her inner top line with Bobbi Brown gel liner and… Voila!

Next up, we had this brunette american beauty.

Her features are natural more bold and I wanted to play that up.  Eyes were Nars Abyssinia and Sophia in the crease with Coconut Grove as a liner.  I also used their new Gaiety blush on her but added MAC bronzer and Kevyn Aucoin highlighter in Candlelight.  Lips were Nars Mitzi with some Tarte Glisten on top and some lashes in the corner to make her eyes stand out a bit more.

Enjoy!

Xx

I found this video cruising around YouTube and wanted to share.  I pay a lot of attention to what goes into my own personal beauty routine.  It’s almost impossible to keep a professional makeup kit 100% organic.  Generally speaking, the quality isn’t as good, the payoff not as big and the overall performance is lacking to some of the more mainstream brands.  But like anything, use the really healthy stuff where you can and I find the easiest place to start in on the smacker.

But here are a couple of favorite paraben free lip products that are good enough to eat and wear:

Starting with the prep of your lips, I love, love, love First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Lip Therapy.  Sometimes when I’m doing someone’s makeup and they’ve slathered their lips with balm, it’s too hard to get the lipstick to stay put and we need to wipe it down and start over.  This has a less shiny consistency which is perfect for priming.

Tarte knocks it out of the park with their lip products and the LipSurgence Natural Lip Tints are no exception.  Kinda a gloss, kinda a lipstick, they are simple and easy and that works for me.  They glide one and come in so many juicy, gorgeous colors.

For lipstick look no further that ILIA Beauty.  The creator, Sasha, poured her heart and soul into researching every little ingredient to make sure they perform like the lipstick brands we are all used to.  She’s a smaller operation, but she is mighty and fast growing.

What abut you guys?  Thoughts on natural lip products?

Xx

Not long ago I used to gag at kale.  Blech, gag, no way Jose.  That is NOT going near my mouth.  A couple of years ago I did the much talked about Blue Print Cleanse.  Full of this stuff and belch, gag and repeat FOR THREE DAYS.  What was I thinking?  I felt better, more lucid after but all I really wanted a crunchy cracker and a glass of wine.  Then about three months ago I started juicing and turning fistfuls of the stuff into liquid health.  Kale seems to be that buzz veggie now.  It’s not terribly expensive and since it’s still on the DL and not nearly widespread as say, romaine, most of it is organic.  Is it literally one of the healthiest foods you can consume.  And here’s the thing (to, ya know, make it relevant on this little blog) healthy food means healthy skin and healthy skin means… your makeup looks better.  For reals ladies.  When I get all close and personal on you when doing your makeup I can tell all sorts of things indicative of your lifestyle from how the makeup goes on and how it stays put.  I’m not suggesting that you need to eat kale for your new BB cream to look good, but it’s an added bonus.

Here’s a great intro to the stuff.  I eat this salad seven times a week.  It’s it so good that the most resistant kaleophiles will buckle. Oh and it does, of course, go well with wine.

 

 

Gumbo with kale.

 

Add a poached egg.

 

Or pancetta.

 

Some pretty choices:

I LOVE this little guy from Shiseido.  Short, stalky and gets into all the nooks and crannies of your face.  He’s my new favorite pet.

For $15 buck a roos you can get this from Sonia Kashuk.  Technically it’s for blush, but I think it’s perfect for blending foundation.

Or you can always go with the traditional choice from good ol’ MAC #190.  I have a bunch of these in my professional makeup kit.

Now the sponges do have a little place in my heart for foundation, but it’s just not in the application process.  If you use them for applying foundation, they’re gonna eat up all your product (after all it IS a sponge) and you’ll have to replenish much faster.  So use them to blend and touch up.  And for that turn to The Beauty Blender.  The great thing about this little tool is that it works best when damp which helps create a smoother finish.

What’s your favorite foundation brush?  Do you prefer a brush or your fingers?

I would say 99% of my brides want a wedding day makeup variation of the same thing: To look like the most beautiful, amazing version of themselves regardless of how that is acheived.  And why shouldn’t they?  Skin should be luminous, lips on this side of natural and eyes that shine.  My job is to dig a little deeper and come up with a palette that suits her and her needs.  Typically, this is achieved used warm, sandy colors that blend easily and look effortless.  But let’s not forget about those cooler tones.  The purples and grays of the world have a place on your face.  Especially if your wedding colors match.  Not that you have to be all matchy matchy with it– not at all!  But a general overall wedding palette can certainly support your makeup choices.  Take a look at these images all pointing in that direction.  (all via Pinterest)

And here’s my take.  Give it a whirl!

What do you think?  Are you a cool or a warm?