LadyCArtistry

Guest Post Part II: Five Beauty Essentials for the Bride

2012-02-16T13:10:00.000-08:00

Hi all! Yesterday I shared my guest blog post for Los Angeles-based event coordinating company, Purple Meadows Events and today I bring you Part II: 5 Beauty Must-Haves to Prepare For Your Wedding Day

Debra Meadows, owner of PM events has a fantastic wedding blog that covers everything from decorations to the dress. Part II of my guest post goes over the best products to have with you in preparation of your big day. Check it out by clicking the link below.

five beauty must-haves to prepare for your wedding day

Bridal Advice by Me on Purple Meadows Events

2012-02-15T17:51:00.000-08:00

I am excited to share with all of you that I was invited to write a guest post for the Los Angeles-based event coordinating company, Purple Meadows Events!

Debra Meadows, owner of PM events has a fantastic wedding blog that covers everything from decorations to the dress. My guest post gives brides beauty advice on how to prepare your skin and hair for the big day. Check it out by clicking the link below.

bridal beauty helpful tips prepare big day

Sexy Sofia

2012-02-14T15:15:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't love Sofia Vergara? She's pushing 40 and oozes sex out of every bone in her gorgeous body. The best thing about her is that her "sexiness" comes effortlessly. She always has beautiful editorial makeup that is great for every day wear, so I decided to replicate this look she wore to the Golden Globes last month. She has winged out bronzey-plum eyes with a mauve mouth and straight hair parted in the middle.

CHECK OUT THE STEP BY STEP TUTORIAL BELOW

Close-Up of the Eyes

Kissable Lips

PRODUCTS USED:

Eyes

Yogurt, Coppering, Mythology, Trax and Brun eye shadows from MAC

Rose and Pink Bronze Pigments from MAC Pro

Rich Ground (as a base) Blacktrack (as a liner) Fluidlines from MAC
Molten Sun Liquidlast Liner from MAC

Urban Decay black 24/7 eye liner in Perversion

Revlon Growlucious Macara

Lashes from Naimie's

Cheeks

Plum Foolery Shimmer Sheertone Blush from MAC

Lips

Mauve and Hot Pink liners from NYX

Up the Amp and Plum Dandy lipsticks from MAC

Grammys 2012: Makeup Review

2012-02-13T11:24:00.000-08:00

Adele

Judging from my Twitter and Facebook feeds and every beauty blog from here to the moon, Adele wins best makeup at the Grammys by a landslide. The flawlessly matte foundation, the slight contouring, the perfect red lips and nude eye with lots of lashes and bold black liner! <3

Carrie Underwood

Carrie's makeup is always on point. Although this is a pretty typical "Carrie" makeup, I think it's a great look for her. She even added some gold glitter on the lids (you can't really tell in this photo). Those lashes are pretty bold for her too. Way to go, stepping out of your comfort zone, girl!

Fergie

Yes, I know Fergie looks a little rough sometimes, but I really liked her choice of tangerine eye shadow and peach lips. It compliments her eyes and skin tone. Gorgeous!

Jessie J

Why this pretty girl insists on covering her face with harsh bangs is beyond me. Underneath that curtain of black, you can see that she has beautiful milky skin, perfect nude lips and a plummy-purple smoky eye with flatters her blue peepers.

Katy Perry

I love Katy for bringing colorful hair to the red carpets. She is so stunning and truly rocks the crap out of this on-trend blue hair that was seen on every runway for spring. She complimented her Smurf 'do with cool-tone pink lips and thick, black cat eye liner. Precious!

Kelly Osbourne

I really wanted to hate Kelly Osbourne's choice of hair color, but I don't. Those lilac strands just look so darn pretty on her! I adore that she matched her lips to her hair and did her eyes up in a yellow-gold. Yellow is the complimentary color to purple, which is why this look works so well.

Rihanna

The only way to describe Rih-Rih these days is: sex-pot-dot-com. Could she get any hotter? It's really just unfair. The jury's still out on her newly-dyed blonde tresses but her makeup is, as always, lovely. Her hazel eyes stand out thanks to the smoky black soot in the under-eye, and she kept it simple on the top lids. The pinky-nude lips work well with this subtle and sultry makeup look. SIZZLE

***

Which celebrity's makeup was your fave of the evening? Would you like to see me do a tutorial on any of these looks? Let me know in a comment below!

Here Comes The Sun

2012-02-10T12:21:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite skin care lines, Philosophy has come out with a sun care line! Everything comes in these cute, yellow "sun-inspired" bottles, and best of all, it's all broad spectrum spf-coverage. This means that the sunscreens will help block both uva and uvb rays. There's a face spray, a face lotion and a body lotion.

Face spray

age-defense very water-resistant spf 30 uva⁄uvb broad-spectrum spray sunscreen for body

$26 for 4 oz.

Oil-free, non greasy formula absorbs quickly

face lotion
age defense water resistant spf 40 uva uvb broad spectrum
$30 for a 2 oz.

Oil-free, non greasy formula

body lotion

Age-defense water-resistant spf 30 va⁄uvb broad-spectrum sunscreen

$26 for 4 oz.

Prevents signs of aging

Philosophy's "here comes the sun" line also has sunless tanners for the face and body, check them out below!

sunless tanner- face

age-defense gradual glow self-tanner for face

$26 for 2 oz.

Helps improve the appearance of fine lines & wrinkles

Sunless Tanner-body

age-defense golden glow self-tanner for body

$28 for 4 oz.

Helps firm & tone skin

Stay safe in the sun my loves!

Beyonce- A Red Carpet Look

2012-02-07T17:51:00.000-08:00

Today I'm excited to show you a makeup look that Beyonce rocked last year at the Grammys. There isn't a lot of bold color in this look, it's mostly golds and black. However, it's definitely a "Sasha" look- the top of the eyelids are a fierce cat eye completely smoked out, and the bottom is lined with angelic-like gold shimmer. Beyonce's artist kept the cheeks and lips neutral to balance out the strong eye, and I think this is one of the best looks Beyonce has done. I LOVE the gold hoop earrings too!

CLICK TO WATCH THE TUTORIAL:

PRODUCTS USED:

Contouring

MAC Bronzing Stick: This was a limited item, but you can substitute this with a concealer or foundation stick that is about 3-5 shades darker than your skin.

Matte bronzer: any type of pressed matte bronzer will work.

Angled blush brush: Crown Brush and MAC carry great ones, follow the links to see!

Blending sponge: Beauty Blender

Eyes

Phone Number Eye Kohl (MAC)

Shadows: Creep (black) and Gunmetal (grey) from the Naked 1 Palette, and MAC's Soft Brown and Crystal Avalanche (peach and white) shadows

Lower lid: Urban Decay's El Dorado gold eye liner and Makeup For Ever's Honey Gold 3 metal powder

Lips

Natural lip liner by NYX

Sunmetal lipstick by MAC: this was a limited item, but any bronze frost textured lipstick will work

Stila's 24K Gold lip gloss

Diagonal Shatter Nail Design

2012-02-06T11:55:00.000-08:00

When OPI first came out with the shatter polishes I was obsessed. Then I kind of got over them. Last week, I was perusing the nail blogs I'm subscribed to and came across some shatter polish photos and they got me thinking about ways to revamp the look.

I grabbed a matte, hot pink polish from Essie and painted two coats all of my nails. After they dried, I covered half of each nail with tape and applied OPI's Silver Shatter to the exposed parts. I put the glossy top coat on JUST the shatter portions and voila!

The combination of the matte with the shimmery shatter looks really cool in person. The color looks red on camera, but it's actually more of a dark pink.Next time I'll have to try this with black!

PRODUCTS USED:

Essie- unknown... but it's a matte dark pink color

OPI's Silver Shatter

Scotch Tape

Top Coat

Wedding Bling

2012-01-29T23:09:00.000-08:00

No, I'm not talking about rings...I'm talking about Motown-level glittery sequins dripping from every finger on a bride's wedding day. This look is not for the average bride.

In my own quest to find fun bridal nail art, all I could find was that tired french manicure. Pinterest, Google and Youtube all left me uninspired. For my big day, I wanted to incorporate white and big, piecy silver glitter in some creative form. I was hell bent on the nails solely being white and silver. This idea came to me, as most my ideas do, at night laying awake in bed. I really loved the way it came out.

I blocked off the bottom half-moon part of my nails with reinforcement stickers and painted the rest of the area China Glaze's White On White. Then I mixed a clear top coat with MAC's 3D Silver glitter for the crescent. The only thing I'll do different next time is use an actual silver glitter polish instead of the cosmetic-grade glitter, because the texture is a little rough to touch and left empty spots.

Red Carpet Series- Angelina Jolie

2012-01-29T20:26:00.000-08:00

I recently purchased Cherry on Top Carousel Gloss from Lime Crime on one of my frenzied trips to Naimie's and have been looking for reasons to wear it ever since. I wanted to do a "red carpet" makeup look tutorial and zeroed in on Angelina Jolie at the 69th Annual Golden Globes. Doing her look will give me a chance to wear this gloss!

The texture of the gloss reminds me of a melted lipstick. The color is very intense and the feel is creamy. Cherry on Top is a bright, happy blue-red gloss that I have been layering over my red lipsticks as well as hot pinks and...oranges! This only makes me want to buy the Carousel gloss in every single color.

Here are some fun photos of the makeup. Special shout out to Capuccino for lending me his animal print doggy bed as a prop for this shoot.

January Shop & Tell

2012-01-16T00:50:00.000-08:00

Hello my beauties! I had sworn off purchasing non-essential cosmetics to save money for my upcoming nuptials, but lucky for me, I received a ton of Sephora and MAC gift cards for Christmas, and even scored a few "Groupons" to Naimie's so I had an excuse to go this month. I tried not to go overboard, so this video isn't very long, but I definitely hit the jackpot with all these superb products!

PRODUCTS FEATURED

Mario Badescu Ceramide Eye Gel

Makeup For Ever Mat Velvet in 30

Poo-Pourri Heaven Scent

Lime Crime- Cherry On Top Carousel Gloss

Mini Color Wheel

Philosophy Micro Delivery Peel

Bride Makeup

2012-01-15T17:52:00.000-08:00

Attention Bride-to-be's: this video was made especially for you! Click below to watch my all-skin-tone flattering, waterproof, HD photo-ready makeup tutorial for your big day.

As promised, here is a full list of the products I used:

Eye Primer: Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden
Inner corner, top and bottom: MAC eye pencil in Gilded White (any white/cream colored eye liner will do)
Eyelid/brow bone: Virgin eye shadow from the Naked Palette
Eyelid: layered with MAC Yogurt eye shadow and Vanilla pigment on top
Crease: MAC's lavender/pink Haux eye shadow, followed by grey Scene and dark grey Print.
Waterline: Urban Decay Perversion liner
Eyeliner: MAC Blacktrack Fluidline
Fake lashes: non-brand from Naimies, #10s from MAC are similar.
Blush: MAC Breath of Plum
Cheekbones: MAC's Trophy Bounce shadow with MAC Mineralize Skinfinish (any) on top
Lips: MAC's Highstrung and Creme Cup lipsticks with MAC Plum liner and NYX Naked liner

Disco Ball

2012-01-12T16:34:00.000-08:00

Although we didn't go out, I still had some fun on New Year's Eve. Everyone who knows me will tell you I'll use any excuse I can to wear glitter. Why not on December 31st, in our living room? Here are some fun shots of my eye-balls from the eve of 2012.

PRODUCTS USED:

Lashes are from Makeup For Ever

MAC Pro 3D Silver glitter

MAC Carbon eye shadow

MAC Platinum pigment

...and about 15 other products

Mom-Friendly Makeup Tips

2012-01-12T16:29:00.000-08:00

Leave it to Youtube to freeze frame the absolute worst video stills of me from every single tutorial! LOL

My middle school pal, Leslie, hosts her own Mommy Blog where she talks about the best ways to manage a household and family. She reached out to me about a week ago with a collaboration idea for me to host a "Mommy Makeup" tutorial on her blog. I was honored that she asked me, and thought of a quick and easy day to night look for all you over-worked, under-appreciated moms out there! Click to watch the video here, and when you are done, hit up Leslie's Blog by clicking here. Hope you all enjoy the tips!

Tips on How to Rock Red Lipstick

2012-01-08T13:41:00.000-08:00

Red lips is a trademark of the pin-up style of the 40's and 50's. You had to be living under a rock not to notice the resurgence of the "vintage pin-up" red lip in the past 10 years. With trends come the responsibility of learning to wear them correctly. In the video below, I give you easy to follow steps on how to apply rockin' red lipstick.

I also give you a few No-No's:

1) Overdrawing Your Lips- There's nothing wrong with overdrawing your lips, if you are using a light or nude color. Try to avoid overdrawing when giving yourself a bright red pout because it will just feather and smear.

2) Frosty, Shimmery Lipstick- Again, nothing wrong with this if you are going for a light or nude lip, but it will cause smears and feathering if you use a frosty red.

3) Concealer Around The Mouth - I don't get it. Tons of Youtube and other artists alike practice this look, but what they don't show you is what it looks like 45 minutes after application. Concealer caked into the lines around your mouth is not a good look.

4) Red Gloss- NEVER a good idea. If you're going to rock red lips, do everyone a favor and keep the lip MATTE.

PRODUCTS USED:

MAC Studio Fix Powder

MAC Cherry Lip Liner

NYX Hot Red Lip Liner

MAC Wild About You Lipstick

New Year, New Reverse-French Nails.

2012-01-01T16:11:00.000-08:00

Hello my 2012-ers! Hope you all had a good start to the brand-spankin' new year. I love even-numbered years. Especially this one, since it's super easy to say: "twenty-twelve." It starts with a two, it ends with a two. Okay, I'll stop.

In honor of the new year, I designed this nail look. It's a reverse-French manicure with what I fondly call "tuxedo button" dots. I used a black nail polish and a silver nail polish for this particular look, but feel free to change the colors if you like on yourself.

"Great, I'm being used as a prop"

"I think they get it, mom."

YOU WILL NEED:

Reinforcement Stickers: these are super cheap and can be found at any office supply store.

Nail Dotting Tool: you can pick one of these babies up at Sally Beauty Supply for under $5. You can also opt to use the end of a bobby pin, although it will give you bigger dots.

Click below to watch the tutorial

Lady C's Holiday Stash & Tutorial Part II

2011-12-31T15:27:00.000-08:00

Hi beauty lovers! Click here to watch Part II, where I use the products I got for Christmas. Enjoy...

My Christmas Stash- Product Review

2011-12-31T14:39:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays, everyone! I got some great beauty gifts for Christmas this year and wanted to share them with you. I also gave the makeup studio walls a makeover with my sister-in-law Corine, check them out in the video below! Special shout out to Youtube for always choosing the ugliest photo stills of me for each vid. lol

PRODUCTS

Chantal's Lush Gifts

Comforter Bubble Bar

Blackberry Bath Bomb

Ro's Argan Body Conditioner

Allyson's Gifts

NYX Lip Liners

Urban Decay 24/7 eye liners

Urban Decay Naked Palette

My Purchases

Beauty Blender Sponge

Lise Watier Base Miracle Pore Minimizing Primer

How to Shape Your Eyebrows

2011-12-31T03:09:00.000-08:00

Tired of paying the wax lady mucho dinero every two weeks to groom your brows? Neglecting your brows because you don't even know where to start? Click on the video below for some quick and easy ways to keep your brows tamed. Enjoy!

PRODUCTS USED:

MAC #266 Angle brush

MAC Trimming Scissors

MAC Slant-Edge Tweezer

MAC Brun Eyeshadow

Makeup For Ever Eyebrow Correcting Gel in #3

Frosty Makes an Appearance

2011-12-15T14:51:00.000-08:00

Once again, I was inspired by Cute Polish's latest video for this design. I can't help by smile every time I look down at my fingers!

PRODUCTS USED:

Black Magic By Milani -- I used this for the snowman's eyes and mouth, with a dotting tool.

White on White By China Glaze- I applied 2 coats of this for the base.

Unconditionally Fabulous by MAC- I used 2 coats of this on top of the white to give it the "sparkly snow" effect.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Deborah Lippmann - I made the snowman's carrot nose using this with a nail art brush.

Holiday Gift Guide 2011

2011-12-15T13:23:00.000-08:00

The holidays are approaching, ya'lll! If you are looking for a gift for the Beauty Fashionista in your life, you have come to the right place. I compiled my gift favorites that Sephora is offering this season to make it easy for you. Nothing is worse than walking into a store and being bombarded with 500,000 gift sets and not having a clue about any of them! What's great is that all these gifts are under $30!

The Wyndham Collection- $20.00

For the nail fiend in your life, Sephora recently started carrying British brand Nails, Inc. in their stores. Nails, Inc. is a high quality nail polish brand that I'm beginning to be a huge fan of. The Wyndham Collection features the Teal Black Kensington polish and The Wyndham Overglaze top coat, "which contains hand cut, irregular particles to create dramatic holographic effects when applied over other polishes." I'm already swooning.

Black Honey Glow $28.50

Clinique's Black Honey Glow gift set includes the High Impact Mascara in Black, a limited edition Black Honey Gel Blush (LOVE), a moisturizing Super Balm gloss in Black Honey, and a shadow duo is Lucky Penny and Rose Chocolate. Flattering for all skin colors and YUMMY!

Gingerbread Man Hot Salt Body Scrub- $25.00

Philosophy's set caught my eye when I read "Hot Salt." According to the site, "the Gingerbread Man Hot Salt Scrub features sea salt and natural extracts to exfoliate and polish dry, rough skin, leaving it feeling silky soft, super smooth and conditioned." I read the reviews and the salt actually heats up and gives you a tingly scrubby feeling all over. Yes, please!

Makeup For Ever Best-Of Collection $55.00

I've had my eye on this since last year, but I already have every thing in it. This gift set features all of Makeup For Ever's best sellers in smaller sizes so you can sample what you've been missing out on. If you are looking to get into Makeup For Ever, this is a perfect place to start. And let's not even talk about how soft and heaven-sent their HD powder feels! This set includes: the HD powder, HD primer, the waterproof version of the Smoky Lash mascara in Black, Lab Shine gloss in S4, and a shimmery champagne Aqua Cream. *Sigh

Fresh Sugar Plum Glam & Glow $28.00

My heart palpitates when I think about this amazing little set from Fresh. This set includes a full size of their AMAZE BALLS Sugar lip balm in Plum, which is flattering for everyone. You also get small sizes of their SuperNova Mascara in Black, their Twilight Glow moisturizer (with red pearl, it's gorge), and Soy Face Cleanser (great for sensitive skin).

Unsung Hero: Clear Nail Polish

2011-12-12T16:31:00.000-08:00

Does the gem fall out of every single nose ring and you're sick of buying new ones? I literally go through about 12 nose rings a year, because they each last about a month. I like the ones that hold a little gem at the end-- so dainty and adds a touch of sparkle to your every day look! But unfortunately, there isn't such a thing as a "high-quality" nose ring, so the gems always end up falling out. I have had my piercing for about eight years and throughout that time, I've searched far and wide, including places like New York City, L.A. and Las Vegas, and every single vendor cart and jewelry shop I've gone to sells the same darn cheap-o nose rings. Imagine my delight when I purchased my last round of nose rings at Claire's the other day and the girl who worked there told me she paints the gems with clear top coat nail polish to hold it in place.

Can we say...genius? Why the heck didn't I think of that!?

I am happy to report that since painting all of my nose ring gems with clear top coat, they have all stayed put. We'll see how long they last, but so far, I'm pretty impressed. I spoke with another sales girl at a different jewelry store, and she told me she also paints all of her fashion (a.k.a. cheap) jewelry with clear top coat to keep the finish from rusting. I went to town last night on all my Forever 21/Claire's/Icing accessories and drowned them all in top coat. I can't believe I didn't know this little trick! Did you?

Xmas Nails by Xtine

2011-12-11T21:08:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone! I've been wanting to try the reverse half-moon design in red a la Dita Von Teese, and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to throw in a little Christmas tree-green glitter in the mix.

PRODUCTS USED

OPI's Pretty & Privileged -- A cheery, pearled red from OPI's 90210 collection.

Forever 21's Green Glitter-- I know: who knew Forever 21 had nail polish? I spotted this little gem while in the checkout line and snagged her (yes, it's a her) last minute. I think it was like $2. Score

Reinforcement stickers from Staples-- Yup.

STEPS:

1) Paint the bottom half of your nails with the green glitter. I did 2 coats so it would show up better.

2) After it has completely dried, cover the bottom half of your nails with the reinforcement stickers.

3) Paint the part of your nails above the reinforcement stickers red.

4) After all has dried, carefully peel off the stickers and apply top coat. Voila!

Baby, It's Cold Outside

2011-12-05T16:38:00.000-08:00

Clearly, I live in L.A., and the coldest it gets here is 55 degrees at night. But still. Call me warm blooded but I am always freezing! I sleep with a comforter, blanket, and sometimes a Korean blanket (which weighs like 75 pounds, no lie). I wanted to interpret how frigidly cold I always am in the winter with a mani and found this great one from Cute Polish on YouTube. Check her out! She has literally has the cutest designs and they are super easy.

PRODUCTS USED

"Unconditionally Fabulous" by MAC Cosmetics

Essie's Lapis of Luxury

Inglot Nail Art Enamel in White

Orange You Know I'm Engaged?

2011-11-30T18:01:00.000-08:00

Ok, I know, my title isn't the best, but it's the end of the day and my brain is fried.

Dylan and I took our engagement photos with our amazing photographer, Rustin Michael, at Paramount Studios' New York Street last month. We both starting working for CBS at Paramount and have a lot of memories there together. We still go on movie premiere dates and actually live in walking distance of the studio, so to be able to take photos there was incredible and super meaningful. I was pretty nervous at first because I'm not used to being a "model," and it was so hard not to laugh while staring at Dylan's pores about 2 inches away from his face the whole day, but we really had a blast.

I've talked about Lime Crime's My Beautiful Rocket shade of lipstick, and I think it's worth bringing up again since I wore it here. We did a heck of a lot of kissing, and while Dylan's face was covered in orange stains, the lipstick did stay on pretty darn well. I didn't even touch up for the four-hour shoot! It was so creamy and really popped in the photos. I'm so over the red lipstick look and I didn't want to do some boring nude color, so My Beautiful Rocket was the perfect choice. Clients love it too. This is a must for every artist's kit.

Click Rustin's link below to see the whole shoot!

Photographer: Rustin Michael Photography

Venue: Paramount Studios

Hair Stylist: Ella-Maria Alonzo

LIP PRODUCTS USED

MAC Pro Long Wear Lip Pencil in What A Blast

Lime Crime's My Beautiful Rocket

Derek's World

2011-11-22T17:10:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago I had the honor of painting a very good (and very pregnant) friend of mine's belly, Sharon. She and her husband John were expecting their first baby on November 21st and well, baby couldn't wait that long. She gave birth ONE WEEK after we did this photo shoot on November 14th to a healthy baby boy weighing in at 9 lbs, 8 oz! We made it just in time lol. Since John and Sharon have always been travelers and have gone all over the world together, we came up with a "world" theme. Here are some photos of the process shot by Mr. Photographer/Dad Extraordinaire, John Ejimofor.

I started out by tracing the shapes of the continents on Sharon's belly. The baby was fluttering around here.

Then I filled in the "water" first with the light blue in the MUF Flash Palette and set it with MAC's Light Blue pigment.

Cappy loves pregnant people lol

Momma was such a good sport

Next I filled in the continents with MUF Flash Palette's green color and set it with various MAC green eye shadows.

Mid Action

I left Antarctica white, because let's face it... it's icy cold!

So fun!

The blue dots represent all the places John and Sharon have traveled to. The heart is over L.A., where the baby is :)

Momma likes glitter, so we did a sparkly baby plane

Isn't he a cutie?

She literally has the whole world in her hands

We went with a mother nature theme, isn't she radiant?

And finally, without further adieu...

Welcome to the world, Derek John Ejimofor!

November Plaid

2011-11-22T15:44:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving Week! I found this cute design on Cute Polish's Youtube page and gave it a whirl. I was inspired by the leaves turning colors this month and was looking for a "fall nails" look to do, and this was perfect. It was a little harder to do than some of my other nail art designs but well worth it. My cuticles are a little sloppy here, but the nails looked SO cool in person! I got compliments everywhere I went. I think the secret to them looking so cool was the base color I chose. I went with OPI's 18K Ginza Gold, which is a buttery marigold with tiny silver flecks. It's like an orange pumpkin that's turned yellow from the sun. *Sigh* I love fall....

PRODUCTS USED

Kiss Nail Artist Paint in White, Black and Gold Glitter

OPI's "18K Ginza Gold" as a base

October's Shop & Tell

2011-11-21T01:02:00.000-08:00

Hi peeps!

I'm a little late on posting this but I recently went Halloween makeup shopping and wanted to share some of the items I purchased with you. Click below to watch my "Shop & Tell."

You can find the products below at http://shop.cinemasecrets.com/

Party Girl (Katy Perry) Wig -- So fun! The wig looks great out of the bag and the curls are easy to manage.

Flesh Latex-- Works great. I dribbled some onto my face and neck for a "melted skin" appearance on Halloween eve and it totally worked. I just dabbed on some concealer in my skin tone on top and it was good to go.

Super Sealer spray -- I sprayed some over mine and my fiance's Halloween looks and it worked pretty well. I also used some recently for a maternity painting and it worked so good that I got a text from the mom-to-be the next day saying the painting was STILL on!

Black lipstick-- I was SO bummed because this Cinema Secrets-brand lipstick came out super sheer and looked like Clinique's Black Honey lipstick shade.

Glow in the Dark Body Gel-- Total waste. It smelled funny and felt gross. And didn't even glow.

You can find the products below at http://www.naimies.com/

Elegant Lashes-- According to a trusty friend, these lashes are from the same distributor as MAC's eye lashes. I have to agree because they went on just like MAC's lashes do and worked fabulously. $2.99 a pair and probably the best purchase I made all day.

Beauty Blender-- This adorably bright pink teardrop-shaped little wonder is amaze-balls. My foundation has never looked better. I absolutely love the pointy end to get into the nooks and crannies (like around your nose and eyes). The best part is that this sponge, unlike others, actually washes out and is reusable. And it better be, for $18 a pop!

MUF Eyebrow Corrector-- I love this stuff! I've talked about this fab eye brow filler before on my blog, but it's worth a second look. If you don't believe me, ask recent convert Allyson Stagg, who now swears by the number 0 shade. I'm a number 3 girl myself.

MUF Mate Velvet-- I'm pretty happy with this medium coverage, matte finish foundation. It keeps up with me as I work, make meetings and appointments, hit the gym, walk the dog and make dinner.

MUF Flash Palette-- The colors go on beautifully and did really well when I used them with MAC's Invisible Set Powder for body painting. However, I found that they moved and melted when I used them to draw intricate designs. Bottom line is, it's a great palette for body painting, not so much staying power on the face.

Nail File-- It's aight. I've had better.

iHate Products

Advanced Home Active Brazilian Peel

MAC Pro Long Wear Foundation

Monster Bride-To-Be

2011-11-01T12:27:00.000-07:00

Halloween was SO much fun this year! Here I am as the Bride of Frankenstein. Dylan found the costume online discounted for $16. I found the wig ($27) at Cinema Secrets in Burbank. This was my first time concealing my own eyebrows, and I got the biggest kick out of it. I feel like if Lady Gaga was to dress up as the Monster Bride, this is what it would look like. Enjoy!

Lovin on my Lil' Monster

PRODUCTS USED

Face: Makeup For Ever Mat Velvet foundation, MAC's Studio F/X powder in Lavender
Lower Eye Lid: MAC eyeshadow in Nocturnelle
Upper Eye Lid: Makeup For Ever's Flash Palette in green as base, MAC pigment in Chartreuse, MAC eye shadows in Bitter, Velvet Moss, Femme Noir, MAC Crystalized Yellow Glitter
Eyebrows: concealed with glue stick, covered up with various MAC concealers, and set with MAC Invisible Set Powder. New shape drawn on with MAC Fluidline in Black Track.
Lips: MAC Velvetella lip liner and Cinema Secrets black lipstick.
Face and Neck: Contouring done with MAC's Bark and Scene eye shadows.
Stitches: Makeup For Ever Flash Palette in black
Melted skin effect: Cinema Secrets Flesh Latex and MAC Select Coverup.

Lil Frankies

2011-11-01T12:13:00.000-07:00

I took this idea from GoldieStarling on Youtube. It worked well since Dylan was Frankenstein for Halloween. This design is SO easy to do, it's ridiculous. It was time consuming, but totally worth it.

What You Will Need

A white polish

Black nail art polish (that comes with a brush)

Bright green polish

A bobby pin

STEPS

Paint two coats of the green polish
Carefully draw on Frankie's "hair and sideburns"
Take the ball end of your bobby pin, dip it in the white polish and draw two eyeballs on each nail.
Use your black nail art pen/polish to draw on eyebrows, pupils and the mouth with stitches. DONE!

Franken-Fiance

2011-11-01T11:25:00.000-07:00

What...a good sport. Right? Here's my monster lover, who was basically the happiest Frankstein I've ever seen. I'm totally swooning at the fact that he allows me to dress him up like this once a year, and doesn't even complain when the makeup takes two days to remove. I didn't have a lot of time, as I had to get both of us ready for a party in the O.C. and my parents were in town helping me with wedding stuff, but here's what I came up with. Enjoy!

What a looker

PRODUCTS USED:

Cinema Secrets Cream Makeup Stack in Undead
Woochie monster bolts
Cinema Secrets Frankenstein foam latex prosthetic
Spirit gum
Cinema Secrets Flesh Latex
MAC eye shadows in Swimming, Nocturnelle, Velvet Moss and Femme Noir
Makeup Forever's Flash Palette in black and green
MAC Paint Stick (in the dark purple shade, I forget the name, but it's only sold in Pro stores)
MAC Invisible Set Loose Powder

Vanity Girl's Table Top Mirror

2011-10-18T10:32:00.000-07:00

Holy smokes...this is a makeup artist's wet dream! Since many of my clients come to my home studio, I've been on the hunt for a lighted table-top vanity mirror. I'd heard about Vanity Girl but now that I've done some online research, I'm pretty much chomping at the bit for this amaze-balls mirror. My fingers are literally shaking with excitement at the thought of having this mirror in my home, standing in front of it and dimming/raising the lights while doing a future bride's trial run. After moving in with my fiance, I haven't really had the time to paint the walls and redecorate the room my studio is in. This mirror is inspiring me in so many ways, I could barely sleep last night just thinking about it! I know...what a nerd. But seriously...As soon as the wedding planning is over I am going to whip up something amazing with this mirror and that room! The question is...can I wait that long?

Broadway Lighted Vanity Mirror, $399

How cute is this bedroom look with the mirror?!

Cobwebs and Glitter

2011-10-17T16:28:00.000-07:00

Is anyone really surprised that did this look? A) I love Halloween and B) I am obsessed with glitter on everything so I thought, why not do both on my digits? Now, anytime I look down at my hands I smile with Halloween glee (whatever that looks like). The cobweb was done with a long, skinny nail art striping brush using silver, and highlighting with white. This particular glitter is my favorite in my collection, with chunky pieces of gold, blue and hot pink glitter (my heart beats for thee!) I wanted to do the glitter on the rest of the nails but I figured this would be quicker to remove. Nothing's worse than sitting there for an hour with your poor fingers drenched in remover and cotton ball-hairs stuck on every piece of glitter!

Boo!

PRODUCTS USED:

Milani's Black Magic

OPI's Sparkle-icious (from the Burlesque line)

Sephora by OPI in Social Climber

Inglot's Nail Art Enamel in # 29

October Survey

2011-10-12T12:31:00.000-07:00

1. Mood: Inspired. I'm been plotting mine and Dylan's Halloween looks as well as my Halloween tutorials and I'm SO excited to see how everything comes out!

2. A children’s book that brings back fond memories for you? Adventures with Huckle Cat and Lowly Worm. Does anyone remember this precious series? I learned how to read on them. Love!

3. If your life were fictionalized and made into a movie, what genre would it be? It would be a dark comedy. I constantly laugh all day long, and like most people, I've been through many tragedies that have helped shape me to who I am today.

4. Are you saving up to buy anything? Ugh when am I not saving up to buy something? I'm currently saving up to "buy" us our next vendor for the wedding, haha.

iWish

5. Where was your first kiss? Spin the bottle at a party in 5th grade. What...a scandal.

6. A book you started reading but never finished? The Catcher in the Rye. Bo-ring Zzzzzzzzz

7. Do you have a good luck charm? Does Cappy count?

Cappy sun bathing in our backyard

8. Your favorite place to grab cheap eats? Fresh & Easy has great to-go salads for like $6 each.

Fresh & Easy's Chinese Chicken Salad

9. Which celebrities or other famous people have you seen in real life? Too many to count. I work in entertainment and live in Hollywood, so I'm always around the famous (and the Z listers, lol) I did almost lose my shizz when I saw Michael Jackson walk past the restaurant I worked at on the Las Vegas strip about 8 years ago!

The Sunset Strip

10. Weekly goals: Research Florists and Coordinators, tape my next Halloween tutorial and hopefully post it on Youtube, hit up Costco and make it to church and LACMA with D on Sunday.

LACMA

Brazilian Waxes Feel Better than this Brazilian Peel

2011-10-12T12:22:00.000-07:00

Advanced Home Actives Brazilian Peel: $78 --- This product touts itself as "An at-home, professional-strength peel with four once-a-week applications" and they weren't kidding. The second the peel touched my skin my eyes started burning. It was worse than cutting into a room temperature onion. My skin felt tingly, and not in a good way. I lasted maybe two minutes before splashing cold water all over my face. I don't have sensitive skin, but for some reason, this peel was way too strong, and didn't do squat for my skin. It looked exactly the same as before, with the exception of feeling a little burnt and sore. For the steep price, I'd rather just cut into a juicy onion and rub it into my skin for torture. Never again.

I'm giving this product an O for Ouch.

Dia de Los Muertos

2011-10-10T02:04:00.000-07:00

Boo! Here's my Day of the Dead look for my Halloween series. I wanted to do a feminine take on the traditional Dia de los Muertos mask, so I added glitter and made the eye sockets turquoise. It's different than the one I did last year. Click here to take a look. This look was so much fun to wear, I actually waited a few hours to take it off! Below is my tutorial on how to create this look for yourselves. Enjoy!

Here's the photo I got the inspiration from

MAC PRODUCTS USED:

White Chromacake

French Violet paintstick

Invisible set powder

Hyper Real FX white powder

Blacktrack Fluidline

Jade Fluidline

Plumage eye shadow

Fuschia glitter

Teal pigment

Teal glitter

Eyeliner Mixing Medium

*All the products above are Pro-only. Plumage eye shadow and the Fluidline eye liners are sold at every MAC.

Runway-Inspired Ombre Nails

2011-10-05T16:57:00.000-07:00

Ombre nails are all the rage right now (see my previous blog). I was inspired by this model's nails from Jen Kao's Spring 2012 runway show for my next nail look...

...and a Refinery29 article sent to me by the lovely Electra (Electric Eel) Earl...

PRODUCTS USED:

Sephora Collection's Chic and Rebel (black) and Curacao (bright turquoise). Buy them here for $4 each!

You-won't-believe-how-easy-it-was-STEPS:

Start off with clean, dry nails. Sweep a thick, heavy amount of the black polish on the bottom half of your nail. Then immediately following, swipe a thick, heavy amount of the turquoise on the top half. Quickly swirl the two colors together before they dry using the end of a toothpick, nail brush or dotter.

The only tricky thing here is that it takes a bit longer to dry since you are drenching your nails in thick layers of polish. I stood in front of our fan for about five minutes letting my digits dry, then topped everything off with a fast-drying top coat. Ta-da!

Don't mind my tattered cuticles :(

My Love for Teal

2011-09-28T16:42:00.000-07:00

I may -or may not- have an obsession with the color teal. The calming blue tones with the cheery green mixed in just lights me up. Makeup-wise, teals (or blue-greens) look beautiful on literally every skin tone. I have a whole palette of eyeshadows dedicated only to my first love, teal, and let's not even talk about my teal nail polish collection. So last night, when I opened the ever-growing nail polish drawer to select a color to paint my nails, I just couldn't decide which darn teal polish to choose. Then I remembered the popular trend we saw on the runways this summer and also for fall-- hello, ombre!

I picked five shades of teal and came up with this look below.

PRODUCTS USED:
Thumb: Get in Lime! by OPI
Pointy Finger: Mermaid's Tears by OPI
Middle Finger: Ocean Love Potion by OPI for Sephora
Ring Finger: Turned Up Turquise by China Glaze
Pinky: Alpine Gree (Without the N) by L.A. Girl Matte Finish
The little green flower gem is from Sally's Beauty Supply.

Lime Crime's My Beautiful Rocket

2011-09-27T10:26:00.000-07:00

Orange lip color is so overlooked. I'm not talking about coral or peach, which is what most people lean towards. I'm talking about true, tangy happy-go-lucky orange. Even I am guilty of it. For the mounds of makeup I have littering two thirds of my house, purse and car, I had zero orange lipsticks. What the heck was I thinking? Was I too distracted by the classic reds, hot pinks and nudes that I completely forgot the rainbow had an orange splash in it? Woopsie. Lucky for me, Lime Crime had a discount special for their Facebook followers and I snatched up their My Beautiful Rocket shade of lipstick. It's described on the site as True, luminous orange without red undertones. Now, before you say "Well, Christine, you're a makeup artist and do colorful crazy looks all the time. I'm an everyday gal with an office job, how am I supposed to rock orange lipstick without looking out of place?" let me show you how to wear it in a "normal" way.

Here, I forgoed lip liner and used gold, dark brown and coral shadows to accentuate the look. I even skipped eyeliner. The gold shadow is a frost, but I kept the dark brown and coral matte. Add a touch of matte peach blush and voila! A sweet and simple look with a slice of orange to brighten up your day.

Halloween Look: Vampire

2011-09-26T15:37:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I'm excited to show you the first of many Halloween looks I will be doing this season. Halloween is my FAVORITE holiday, for obvious reasons. Every week up until October 31st, I will be posting tutorials on Youtube ranging from spooky to sexy for your Halloween outings. Let me know if you have a costume idea in mind and would like to see a video. Make sure you subscribe to my Youtube channel so you don't miss the looks! Watch below for a learn-fest on Vampire makeup.

Here are some stills from the look:

Clearly, I was having too much fun.

Disclaimer: I just wanted to warn people that almost all the colors I used had some kind of red pigment in them. If you have sensitive skin, or allergies to red dye, you should probably just skip this look.

PRODUCTS USED:

Face

Makeup For Ever HD Foundation

MAC Concealer stick in NW 15

MAC Pro Super White FX Pressed Powder

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Lightscapade

Eyes

Urban Decay Primer in Eden

MAC Foxy Lady Eye Kohl

MAC Fluidline in Dark Diversion

MAC Pigment in Blue Brown

MAC Eyeshadows in Passionate (hot pink) and Sketch (maroon)

MAC Mascara in False Lashes

Lips

MAC Creme Liner in Velvetella

MAC Lipstick in Wild About You

Cinema Secrets's Blood Gel

Widow's Peak

MAC Pro Paintstick in Black Black (also used on the corners of the lips)

MAC Fall Launch

2011-09-21T12:01:00.000-07:00

My good friend Jen and I attended MAC's Pro event at their Hollywood and Highland location last night, where we got to see and play with their three fall launches.

POSH PARADISE- Click here to view

This launch features 8 paint pots in neutrals, blues and plums. I don't love the paint pot's formula as a base for eyeshadow, but I did like the range of colors it came in. Also included were 10 slim Mattene lipsticks. These lipsticks promise a semi-matte, velvety finish without drying your lips out. I adore them and wish I had a reason to rock the deep dark purple one, Potent Fig. Two frost-finish nail laquers complete this launch, a gold and a dark purply blue. Not a fan of frost nail polishes, but they did compliment the trends we saw during NYFW.

MATCHMASTER SPF 15 FOUNDATION- Click here to view

This new foundation comes in 14 shades and features a different shade-numbering system than the typical MAC "NW15" or "NC30." Instead, the colors are numbered 1-10. This new foundation is made of translucent pigments to enable "a fully personalized finish influenced by the subtleties of your own skin's undertone." It's a demi-matte, medium finish. I tried a little on my hand. It has a velvety soft texture which leads me to believe it's a line-reducer, but not sure how/if this "new technology" really works. I like the pump-bottle. Although I can't wait for MAC and Makeup For Ever to start making foundations with higher sun protection- SPF 15 is like wearing a bridal veil: the sun can still see and get to your skin! Either way, if you like medium coverage, Matchmaster is worth a shot.

STYLE DRIVEN- Click here to view

This launch showcases 15 Pro Long Wear eye shadows which came in the old-school bigger size. The colors were all lovely and seemed to stay on well. I'm sure you will still need a basic eye primer to go underneath them, but still, that's just a fact of life. The only thing I didn't understand was why on earth they were so...big. Everyone knows a regular sized MAC eye shadow lasts forever, are you supposed to bury this one in the grave with you?! 12 ProLong Wear LipCremes join this launch. Again, the colors were gorge, but I didn't try any on, so I can't comment on how they feel or wear. They did look creamier than the normal ProLong Wears which you paint on with a wand, and seemed more user-friendly. 9 ProLong Wear LipGlasses accompany the LipCremes and might I say I am in love. They are super creamy, incredibly pigmented and look like vinyl on the lip! I bought one in Whoops! Let's talk about the ProLong Wear Lip Pencils- I wish I could have bought all 10 of them, but I settled by getting What a Blast! Long wearing and creamy. It's like the creme liners, except it doesnt smudge or move.

Shop & Tell- With Video!

2011-09-12T15:49:00.000-07:00

Hi bloggers! Over the summer, I bought a ton of beauty supplies, etc and thought I'd share with you. A haul of sorts, but I'm calling it a "Shop and Tell." Below are my reviews for each product, as well as a video. Enjoy!

1) Organize-Her by MEAD - Sold exclusively at Target I am obsessed with this entire line of notebooks. I have the grocery shopping notebook that comes with tear-out shopping lists and pockets for your grocery cards and coupon clippings. If you're like me and have a million planners and schedules all filled with the exact same information, all because it makes you feel as if you have some kind of control in your life, than this is for you.

2) Nail Tool from Sally Beauty Supply I wasn't really a huge "Sally" girl, but they have the best selection of nail polishes and nail tools. I got my little tool (one side is a dotter, the other is a thin art brush) for about $6.

3) L'oreal Lash Serum Since I filmed the video below, I have applied the Lash Serum nightly for about 2 weeks. Do I see a difference? No. #worthless.

4) Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara Not really a Revlon girl, but ever since the old Opulash formula from MAC made some of my lashes break and fall out, I was desperate to restore them to their original glory. For $7 this is literally a miracle worker. My lashes are flowing and extending. The gentle formula is great for sensitive eyes and feels nourishing, without being sticky or clumpy. I like the fat brush it comes with too. Fan for Life.

5) Crest 3D White Strips- 5 Minute I'm a coffee/soda/red wine drinker and so whitening my teeth every six months is a must. For those of you, who like me, have zero patience and time to wait for those half-hour formulas to work, this is a great alternative. It does the job. I mean, my teeth aren't blindingly white, but I did notice it cleaned up some of the staining and gave my smile a brighter look. I apply the strips to my teeth at night before bed. Put on my PJ's, do my nightly OCD routine of making sure everything is organized for the next day, then remove the films and brush my teeth to get rid of the extra gel. Five minutes. Done. I would totally do it again.

6) Halloween Lashes- Rite Aid Haven't tried these yet, but I adored the teal colors feathers popping out at the ends!

7) L'oreal Ever Strong Conditioner- In love with the entire line. Its sulfate-free formula is gentle and your hair is shinier than Whitney Houston's forehead when she performs onstage. Amaze-balls.

8) Aveeno Face SPF 30- I like trying out different SPF formulas each time I run out, and I always stick to SPF 30 or higher. So far, this formula is great. Not too greasy and stays put under my foundation. I do get a little shiny later on in the day, but let's face it, it's been like 100 degrees in Los Angeles. I'm lucky my makeup stayed on my face at all.

9) Fresh Sugar Honey SPF 15- At $22.50, it's the most expensive lip balm on Earth and I would buy it again and again. I get compliments on the new Honey shade daily "Is that a lipstick or gloss? It's so natural, what are you wearing?" I literally just wear this alone on a daily basis for work, and it's SO soft, has SPF to protect your lips, tastes great and gives off a lovely flesh toned color. It's butter for your lips, without the calories.

10) Clinique Acne Spot Healing Gel -At $14 a pop, this little miracle worker will last you at least a year, if not more. It contains salycic acid and softly murders your pimples without burning your skin.

11) Skintimate Cream Shave- Great substitute for shave mousse, which can dry out your skin and is costly. A little bit goes a long way, and you don't even need lotion after.

12) Secret Natural Mineral- I sweat like the cops are after me, and this is the only deoderant to date that has held up to the job. I'm always on the look out for deoderants, and this one will do... for now.

13) Lime Crime Eye Shadow Helper- This is Lime Crime's eye primer. It comes in a cute Tiffany blue container. Since the video, I have tried it and well..it's a little oily. Not my fave, and no where near as good as Urban Decay's Primer Potion in Eden.

14) Lime Crime-Mint To Be- Awesome sea foam green lip color perfect for editorial and Halloween looks! Such a creamy formula too. Here I am rocking it below at the Katy Perry concert. Chantal has D'Lilac on.

15) Lime Crime- My Beautiful Rocket- a lovely bright orange that looks beautiful on olive and dark skin tones. A must for my makeup kit.

16) Orbit Sweet Mint- Best flavor of gum out there. Enough said.

Watch the video to see the products and more thoughts!

Peace and Hair Bleach

2011-09-08T15:30:00.000-07:00

Let's be honest ladies: we all have some kind of facial/body hair issue. Whether your Middle-Eastern, African American, Latino etc, you suffer from some form of Hairy Monster-Ness. I'm a huge fan of bleach. Whoever Jolen is really hit the nail on the head, because this is the best quality, low-price face/body hair bleach I have ever used. Talk about cheap and easy to use! For about $6-8 bucks, you can find Jolen Hair Bleach almost anywhere: grocery stores, Walmart, Target, Ulta, and even Rite Aid, CVS and Walgreens.

Growing up, I was always embarassed of how dark, thick black hairs would grow all over my pale skin, showing up even worse than on other girls my age. I used to cry out "Why, God...WHY?!" Then, a few years later I took control. I've been using Jolen on my fur-spots since that fateful day in fifth grade when my mother brought out the cheery little turquise box from her cosmetics cabinet and said "Your mustache is darker than your father's, honey. It's time."

Nowadays, I don't really have to use it as often, but every once in a while, whether it's my lower back, sideburns or back of my neck, I'll whip it out. For those of you who are bleach virgins, here are some easy steps below:

1) You will need: a Jolen kit, a bowl and rubber gloves.

2) For myself, I use the little spatula it comes with and pick up a heaping scoop of the cream. For each "heapful" I add two little scoops of the activating powder. The powder is what makes the bleach strong. Since I have super dark hair and my skin is not sensitive, I add a lot of the powder to quickly lighten the hair. If you have sensitive skin, I suggest doing a test run on your arm and seeing if your skin reacts before applying. You may want to go easy on the activating powder as well.

3) I mix the cream and powder activator in a small bowl (I use an old Lush container) and mix it together with my fingers. I should point out that wearing rubber gloves is a good idea here.

4) You can immediately apply a thin layer of this mixture to the "affected" areas and let it sit for at least 5 minutes.

5) Rinse off with warm water and soap and apply a gentle face lotion.

Ta-da! You will feel like a new woman!

Happy September!

2011-09-07T18:12:00.000-07:00

1. Mood: It's SO hot here in L.A. And before anyone waves the "I live in Vegas and it's way hotter" flag, might I mention that in Vegas, it's a dry heat. The humidity here, mixed with the pollution, makes it atrocious.100 degrees in Las Vegas feels like 85 degrees here. My makeup and hair are melting. My thighs are stuck to every chair and the leather seats in my car are burning my ass. The air is thick with smog and oven-like heat. My deoderant stops working sometime around 11:00am and my feet start sliding around in my sandals from sweating. By the time I come home, my forehead and nose are so shiny I could signal planes to land in our backyard. GROSS

2. Which lip colors do you wear least often and why? Let's talk about dark brown lipsticks. I don't even like them on darker-skinned girls. When doing my clients' makeup, regardless of their skin tone, I'll pick a berry/plum or burgandy shade over blah poo-poo brown. Seriously...SO pointless. It makes people's teeth look yellow too.

Let's face it...it looks like someone smeared.....dirt... on her mouth.

3. What’s one thing you do to simplify your morning routine? I skip the eyeshadow. Eyeshadows (the blending, the layering) takes the longest for me to do, so simply swiping on a waterproof liner, mascara and eye primer to smooth out my eyelid does the trick.

No eyeshadow here

4. When was the last time you groomed your brows? It feels like I groom them every other day. My eyebrows are a growing machine. They crank out long, black, coarse Armenian hairs that take up about half my lifetime to groom. Realistically, I would say that I "groom" them once a week, but pluck them every other day. I long for the days when I am old and gray! Maybe then these crazy brows will stop growing so fast! They'll probably just be super thick and gray, inside of super thick and black. Great.

My eyebrows have been every shape and size throughout the years.

5. The last thing you treated yourself to? This amazing gelato shop near my home created a Nutella flavor of gelato. I'm there about twice a week scarfing it down. No shame. It's worth it.

Yes, those are Nutella streaks on the gelato. I live for this!

6. Something that recently surprised you about yourself? Throughout the wedding planning process, I've realized that I'm a very controlling person. I'd much rather pile on too much than delegate what needs to be done. I just need to chillax a little.

Anxiety City

7. S’mores? Yes please! I actually just made some the other day. I call them City Smores. I spear a marshmallow with a fork and burn it on my gas stove. Then I smash it down in between some graham crackers and Hershey's chocolate blocks and enjoy. MMmmmmmmmmm. Again, no shame.

How cool is this little smores maker?!

8. What’s one good thing that happened to you this weekend? I got my wedding dress and booked a venue! We hosted a "Meet the Parents" night too and all went well. Here's a pic of some of the Armenian engagement candy that is customary to bring to the bride's house that my mom gave us:

9. If you could star on a reality TV show, which one would would it be? While we are on an Armenian note, I would star on the Kardashians' show. I would teach them how to speak Armenian and teach those spoiled fame whores to give back to the motherland. There are starving orphans and villages in Armenia that could really use some of their millions.

10. Weekly goals: Book our church for the wedding, swing by a MAC store to pick up some supplies for my appointments this weekend, order my hair brooch and make it to the gym at least once!

What's Your Makeup's Shelf Life?

2011-09-01T13:45:00.000-07:00

Do you know when to throw out your makeup? How old is that mascara? Wondering if you should hold on to that eyeshadow you stole from your sister in 1998? Look below to have all your beauty shelf life questions answered.

Liquid makeup: 6 months – Liquids have water in them that give bacteria a great, humid place to grow. Try to store them in a bedroom drawer at room temperature, right side up. The bathroom is probably the worst place to store your makeup, since it can get rather humid during showers. Gross. This isn't to say that liquids can't last longer than six months, but you will notice a change in the color payoff and wearability. Just sayin'.

Stick Makeup: 1 year – Stick makeup (such as concealers) contains less water than liquids but is still considered an emollient (water-based). If you do notice your stick makeup is starting to change in texture, swipe the top layer onto a paper towel to reveal the fresh makeup underneath.

Powders: 2 years – Powders can last a pretty long time since they are dry. My biggest nightmare is when people use the same unsightly sponge the powder came with for years. CHANGE OUT YOUR SPONGE, PEOPLE! A dirty sponge will transfer oils that are on your face back to the powder and create unsightly "hard" gunk on the top layer. If this happens, simply take a spoon and "scratch" the gunk off, then swipe the entire top layer of the powder with a clean tissue to reveal the softer, new layer of powder underneath. I recommend using the same sponge for about two weeks. You can buy cheap replacement sponges pretty much anywhere, from beauty counters and makeup stores to Rite Aid and CVS. This means you have no excuses.

Eyeshadows: 2 years- But let's face it, we have all kept shadows way longer than that. I actually still have some cool eyeshadow that belonged to my mom in the 80s that I still use from time to time. I think it really just depends on the quality, and that you keep it dry in a cool place.

Mascara: 3 -4 months - Another reason why I hate spending more than $10 on a mascara: they dry out faster than a tree in the Sahara Desert. A mascara tube is a dark and wet environment, which is the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. The last place you want any irritation is your eyes. Try not to "pump" the wand, as this dries out your product by pushing air back into the tube.

Lipstick: Some experts say 1-2 years. Others say up to 4 years. What everyone agrees on is that if it smells rancid, throw it out, it's spoiled.

Lip Gloss: 2-3 years- Similar to lipsticks, you can keep these as long as they don't smell. I've kept glosses for longer, then regretted it as I twisted the cap open and singed my nostrils with the smell of death. You have been warned.

Pencil Eyeliners: 3 Years- These should be sharpened regularly, and should last you a very long time.

False Lashes- Honestly, it depends on how you take care of them. If you rip them off coming home late in a drunken stupor and forget them somewhere between your bed and the wall, then chances are they are bent out of shape and unwearable again. However, if you carefully peel them, pick off the excess glue and store them back in their containers, these babies will last you 10- 12 wears. False lashes are synthetic, so technically they can never "go bad."

Gel/Cream Liners: 6 months - It will be about six months before you start noticing your gel or cream liner has started to dry out. I truly hate when this happens. It doesnt' mean it's gone bad, it just needs a little TLC. To revive a dry gel or cream liner, simply add half a drop of face lotion to the container and mix it well with a brush.

Brushes- Again, depends on the quality. If you are using brushes from E.L.F. or Revlon, the hairs will start falling out within the first year. If you are going to spend any money on makeup, the area you should splurge is on brushes. High quality brushes will last you 10, sometimes up to 20 years. Wash them every two weeks with warm water and hair shampoo (I use $1 Suave on mine). This will help keep them and your skin clean from bacteria, as well as keep the brushes in tip top shape.

Nail Polish- It definitely depends on the quality. Hello Kitty $2 polish will last you about a year. I know my personal collection from brands like Essie, OPI, China Glaze and MAC have lasted me years upon years. If you are wondering whether your polish has "gone bad," take a look at the texture in the bottle. Has it changed? Is it gluey or sticky? Chances are, you should throw it away. If you have an impressively-and unneccessarily- large collection of nail polishes like I do, and you know for a fact that you won't get through them in two years or less, just shake up each bottle from time to time to keep it fresh. I know it's hard to remember that neglected orange glitter polish in the back of your drawer, but if you want to get the most out of your products (and your money), shaking or rolling the bottles between your palms every couple of months will ensure they last a little longer. Another trick is adding a few drops of clear top coat to any old nail polish to give it a little life.

Mid-August Poll

2011-08-16T13:01:00.000-07:00

1. Mood: Bored. Restless. Annoyed that I've been trying to upload videos on Youtube and for some reason every upload keeps crashing.

Hate you, mean it!

2. What’s your least favorite vegetable? Boiled carrots. Such a bitter, squishy taste! I like raw baby carrots just fine, though.

Barf

3. When was the last time you took a midday nap? Sunday, while trying to upload my videos on my sister's MAC at her house. They took so darn long, I fell asleep!

Zzzzzzzzzzzz...

4. Do you ever/still rock scrunchies? No. My hair is too thick for scrunchies. Even as a kid, my mom had to first tie my hair with a ponytail holder, THEN put the scrunchie in for "decor." And even then, the scrunchie would be sagging at the end of the pony by noon.

Worst invention ever

5. What’s the best piece of relationship advice you ever received? "Always make an effort to look good for your man. Don't just give up and walk around with dirty hair, no makeup and chipped nails, even when you're an old lady." Salpi, Age 50. Well said, Mom, well said. Especially since she's basically the only person I know whose marriage has lasted 28 years (and strong).

Hi mama!

6. I love it… That literally every home on my street has at least one dog. We get to meet all kinds of furry friends and their owners on our walks. Dogs are total conversation starters! Capuccino even knows exactly which pup lives where and goes up to each gate/window to bark and say hello. It's too stinkin' cute.

Woof!

7. Sleeveless denim vests: yea or nay? Not unless you're a member of NSync and it's 1998.

My eyes still hurt from this

8. Have you ever given yourself highlights at home? Nope. I always leave that to the experts! And I suggest you do too.

No.

9. What would you do if a first date asked you to split the check? Luckily I won't ever have to worry about first dates again. Ladies, if this ever happens to you, I suggest you pay your half, and never go out with the guy again.

You can do better!

10. Weekly goals: Meet with a wedding coordinator to discuss the budget, drop the pup off at my sister's and pack for Mammoth!

Not my dog, wish he was.

Happy August 10!

2011-08-10T13:31:00.000-07:00

1. Mood: Overwhelmed. I have a terrible headache and my chest feels tight. I'm drowning in wedding planning and I totally hate it. No wonder people elope!

2. Favorite Summer hairstyle? I've been doing a french braid on one side of my head and bringing it around to the other side, then doing one long braid. It looks cute messy and stays put all day.

3. How often do you exfoliate? Daily. But I use different levels of exfoliants. I switch between a gentle one like St. Ives Apricot Scrub to deeper-clean ones Lush's Dark Angels and Fresh's Sugar Face Polish .

4. Do you enjoy cleaning? Oh yes. Especially if I have a lot on my mind.

I literally clean the entire house with these Swiffer dry cloths. They work wonders, especially if you have a ton of dust and allergens in your home!

5. One of your weird quirks? Well, according to my fiance, he thinks it's quirky that I scramble eggs in the frying pan, as opposed to scrambling them before in a cup, then pouring them in. lol

I mean...they still taste great.

6. One of your oldest pieces of jewelry? Probably my grandma's Cartier bracelet and matching ring. She gave them to me as a graduation present when I completed college. I'd say they are about 25 years old, at least. I don't have a photo of them, but trust me...they are amaze-balls!

7. Are you a card shark? No. But I am a drinking game-shark. Ha!

Beer pong, anyone?

8. Would you ever get a tattoo of your pet? This one's a toughie. I've already considered getting Cappy's portrait, name or paws tattooed on me. The only thing is, I've had many pets growing up and they all meant something to me. And I am sure I will have lots more in the future. So do I get tattoos of everyone's paws on me? I have to say though, that I share a very special connection to my current bundle of fur, and perhaps will get a tattoo should the day that he leaves us for Heaven ever arrive (ugh, I can't even think about that!)

My little angel... how I adore him!

9. Eyes/lips/cheeks? Eyes: Tarina Tarantino's Gold Sparkalicity powder with Lime Crime's Eyeshadow Helper underneath. Lips: Fresh's Sugar balm in their new color, Honey, with Chanel's Scintillantes Gloss in #118 (a gorgeous pinky gold). Cheeks: Desirious blush by MAC with a tinge of the Gold Sparkalicity on top. I'm literally glowing from eyebrow to lip.

10. Weekly goals: Try to keep a calm head when it comes to wedding planning. Instead of racking my brain, I need to give my worries to God and let the solution come to me when His will allows it. I want to give 100% to my job as well as keep up on my blog and Youtube Channel, which I neglected this past week.

Please. Like that's gonna happen...

Aqua Sun Tan- Product Review

2011-08-01T13:35:00.000-07:00

I received this product in an Emmy party bag a couple of years ago, and totally forgot to use it until last week. Aqua Sun Tan is basically a do-it-yourself airbrush tanning system. The Aqua Sun System costs $50 and includes a can of their sunless tanning mist, the barrier cream (to rub on your elbows, knees and in between your fingers and toes), the patented application wand that attaches to the sunless tanner can, eye goggles, a shower cap, and scrub gloves.

The Process:

1) Scrub your body down pre-tan in the shower with the gloves on, using any shower gel/body scrub your own. Make sure you shave as well.

2) After you have toweled off and are dry, wear either a bathing suit, or like me, a tube top and boy shorts.

3) Apply the barrier cream between your toes, fingers, on your actual finger and toe nails, and a little on the elbows and knees.

4) Put the shower cap on, covering your hair, but exposing your ears and forehead. Wear the eye goggles.

5) Go outdoors (a backyard will work) to avoid spraying and breathing it in.

6) Attach the wand to the spray can (super easy) and spray away. The wand is bendable and allows you to get the hard-to-reach areas like your back and shins!

The Result:

The color will slowly appear over a few hours. I took a shower about eight hours after I applied this stuff, and I have to say, the color was SUPER even and gave me a great glow.

Survey Says: THUMBS UP! And refills of the cans are only $18. Way more efficient then slathering on bad smelling tanning lotions.

Half Moon Nails

2011-07-21T11:50:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows how excited I am about Nail Art being a big trend this summer, so imagine my stoked-ness when the reverse half moon trend was introduced on the runways this year. Thanks to Miss Maven for bringing these to my attention!

A photo from Vena Cava's runway show

Mine

YOU WILL NEED:

Black nail polish

Beige/Skin Tone nail polish

A small, thin art brush

I did my nails by painting two coats of beige, then took a nail art brush and hand drew the black half-moons. It's not exactly the easiest way, and since I'm right handed, my right hand nails needed some extra time to not look wobbly. If you want to try this look, an easier way of doing it could be using reenforcement stickers 'a la Good Taste. All in all, I LOVE this look and will probably be incorporating fall colors in September.

OPI Silver Shatter Here I Come!

2011-07-19T15:48:00.000-07:00

I had a lot of new experiences over the weekend. First, I got engaged to my superhero/best friend/ fiance, Dylan. Second, I bought a car. And third, I won a contest, for the first time in my life!

The Gloss Menagerie was having a contest to win a bottle of OPI's Silver Shatter nail polish. I enter dozens of beauty contests a week, and never actually think I'm going to win. Lo and behold, I come home and check my email on Sunday to find out I actually won! I'm SO excited, and feel so blessed to have so many good things happen to me at once. I'm definitely crediting the good Lord for all my good fortune. Check out The Gloss Menagerie's post about me winning here .

How to Contour Your Lips

2011-07-19T15:34:00.000-07:00

Happy Tuesday!

Here is a tutorial I did a while back (but completely forgot to post until now) on how to contour your lips using lip liner. This is a great way to prep your lips for lipstick and gloss that will last all day long. Just change up the colors to fit your needs and skin tone :)

Don't forget to subscribe to my Youtube channel! Click HERE

How to Line Your Eyes- VIDEO Tutorial

2011-07-18T15:59:00.000-07:00

Hi all! I got a few requests from Youtube for an eyeliner tutorial, so here you go. These steps will work for any kind of eyeliner- gel, cream, liquid, pencil, etc!

Products Used in this Video:

MAC #266 Angle brush

MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack

Katy Perry-Inspired Nails

2011-07-13T12:02:00.000-07:00

Happy Hump Day! I'm back on Youtube with a nail tutorial. I saw Katy Perry rocking this look during one of her TV performances last year, and it's so easy to do yourself, you won't believe it. Enjoy!

PRODUCTS USED

a bobby pin

OPI- Mermaid's Tears

China Glaze- White on White

Milani- Pinkest Pink

July- It's Hot Out!- Poll

2011-07-11T15:43:00.000-07:00

1. Mood: Frozen (is that a mood?) the AC is cranked up way high over here and I can barely type lol.

A still from Madonna's Frozen video- I figured it was appropriate.

2. Wearing flip-flops to work: yea or nay? Absolutely not. Under any circumstances. Even on Casual Fridays. And let's face it, we have all be guilty of doing it at least once. I LIVE in flip flops at home, but I don't love my feet and certainly don't need to expose each toe at work like it's the freaking beach.

3. Last outdoor concert you went to? Kanye West back in April 2008 in Las Vegas. He killed it at the Red Rock Casino's outdoor venue! We all wore shutter shades and were right up at the very front. Lupe Fiasco opened, one of my favorite artists. The weather was perfect, and I was with all my best friends. Thanks again, Gel and Twone for the tickets!

From Left to Right: Antwone, me, Angelica, Nathan and P.E.

4. I’m secretly terrified of… bodily waste. I guess not "secretly," I make it well known lol. I can't stand boogers, poop, sweat, farts, burps coming from grown adults. Sickening! Knowing that I am breathing in other people's filth disgusts me. My worst nightmare is always when I'm on the treadmill at the gym and the person next to me farts. Kill me now.

Blegh!!

5. One day, I’d really like to _____. Buy an acre or two of land out in Santa Barbara for a sanctuary and rescue horses and dogs. I would just let them run around and live out the rest of their lives in peace, away from the evils of the world...

This photo cracked me up!

6. I’d like to sing a duet with ____. Michael Jackson. How jealous was I when he sang "I just can't stop loving you" with Judith Hill in "This Is It"?! That should have been me, darn it.

"I just can't stop loving yooouuuuu"

7. Have you ever tried to hide a tattoo with makeup? Not my own, but clients, yes. Might I say that full coverage concealer and airbrush foundation are the ways to go.

Look Ma, no tears! Yep...that's me.

8. Things you say/sing to your pet all the time: I make up songs for Capuccino all the time. I guess the "all-time favorite" one is a little medley that goes like this: "Batchig, batchig, batch-eeg, gimme gimme kisses" (Batchig= Armenian for kisses)

He may or may not be a Belly Rub whore

9. Do like the taste of raw cookie batter? Why yes, yes I do. Funny you should say that, I had some delicious Breyer's Mrs.Fields cookie dough ice cream last night.

10. Weekly goals: Buy a car (stressful!), create a video for my boyfriend's work, and take care of my sicky-poo sister.

I'm looking for a used Rav4, preferably red. Sport or Limited. Leather seats and a sunroof are musts. Wish me luck!

Smashbox Makes It Easy to Find Your Primer & Foundation

2011-07-11T12:25:00.000-07:00

Have you been confused by the million different primers that Smashbox has, wondering which one is right for you? Well, now they've made it easy by posting a little questionnaire on their website that helps you narrow down exactly which face primer is right for you. Click HERE to try out their Primer Guide.

Also: need help figuring out which foundation is right for you? Now you don't have to go to a counter for assistance. Just click HERE to try the Foundation Guide.

Hope this helps, XOXO

Rave Makeup

2011-07-06T11:51:00.000-07:00

With all this EDC and Nocturnal Wonderland talk, it got me reminiscing about the good ol' high school days when I would go to raves and dance all night long. A few years ago, I attended a few raves here in L.A. to watch over some of my younger cousins, and let's just say, I really can't hang anymore. I was yawning by 2:00am while the music thumped and thumped, and people (clearly under the influence) kept asking me for "light shows" (I was littered in glow sticks). The worst part about raves is that the bathrooms are sickening. I had to hold my pee for fear of using the port-o-potties. I should just rock Depends next time. Anywho, I'm getting off track...

With raves making somewhat of a comeback these days, it made me miss the fun I used to have with my makeup. So here's a look you can all try at your next rave/concert/show.

Products Used to create this look:

Makeup For Ever's Lavender Camoflouge Cream, with MAC's Beautiful Iris shadow on top for the mask

MAC Glitter, including Reflects Red all over

MAC Kitchmas Pigment

Eyes: Pale green MAC Shadestick, Bitter and Aquadisiac Eyeshadows with Electric Eel and Plumage

Dots: Wet N Wild Waterproof black eye liner

MAC #35 Lashes (Pro only I think)

Lips: MAC Eye Kohl in Ola Viola with Lime Crime's D'Lilac lipstick, MAC Kitchmas pigment in the center

Braided Headband: it's actually just my hair! I braided it from one side, brought it over my forehead and pinned it on the other side of my head. Super easy!

Lime Crime Lipstick- D'Lilac

2011-07-05T17:38:00.000-07:00

I have to say my favorite "up and comer" makeup line right now is Lime Crime. I had a chance to meet the creator, Doe Deere, at the IMATS and she is so stinking cute. She looks like a real-life fairy, and her makeup line reflects her style.

I purchased these two lipsticks below at the trade show, and through Lime Crime's 35% Facebook Flash Sale last Friday, I purchased a bunch more. What's great about Doe's line is that because she is an animal lover like myself, none of her products are tested on animals, are PETA-certified cruelty-free and all of her lipsticks are VEGAN! Everything is moderately priced (same price range as MAC, Urban Decay or Makeup For Ever). Let's not even talk about the adorable-ness of the packaging! Light purple? Yes please. Unicorns? Of course.

Pictured here are CosmoPop (a buttery, soft coral) and D'Lilac (a sweet lavender shade)

The other night I got a chance to play around with the D'Lilac shade. SO pretty!

I so wish I could wear this every day.

KollegenX Face Mask

2011-07-05T17:18:00.000-07:00

I picked up this awesome 24K Gold Collegen Mask at the International Makeup Trade Show last month from KollegenX's booth. They come four in a pack. Click HERE to find out which salon near you carries their brand.

I don't look as glamorous as the girl in their ad, but I still felt like a rock star.

The mask is a silicone, rubbery texture covered in liquid. The liquid consists of Collegen and 24K Gold to boost your skin's cell renewal process as well as reducing wrinkles and puffyness. I laid down while wearing the mask to keep it from falling (my face is pretty small, apparently, because the mask was sliding all over the place and the holes were way too big). 20 minutes later, I threw away the mask and gently rubbed the remaining liquid into my skin. It dried in about 10 minutes total and man, did my skin look radiant and even-toned! Love this stuff...I'm so glad they were at the IMATS!

A Pretty Doctor

2011-07-01T11:20:00.000-07:00

My client Lisa is a dentist in West L.A. and her daily look is pretty toned down for the office. She was looking for a simple -but definitely different- look for the weekends and special events, so we came up with some easy black eyeliner and bold coral-pink lips. Below are the products she has on:

Dinair Airbrush foundation in Honey Beige and Dark Golden Beige
MAC Studio Careblend Powder in Lush Light Bronze as her blush.
All MAC lips: Soar and Magenta lip liners, Lady Danger lipstick, with Neo-Orange pigment in the center of her bottom lip
MAC Penultimate eye liner in Rapid Black
Revlon Grow-Luscious Plumping Mascara mascara in Blackest Black

I know what everyone's thinking: airbrush foundation? How is she going to do it by herself? Here's a little makeup artist secret: you don't actually need an airbrush gun to apply the airbrush makeup. Just use your fingers! For these photos, I did use my airbrush machine. However, at home, Lisa can do this with her fingers. Airbrush foundation has alcohol in it, so it dries down fast and stays put all day. The alchohol also kills bacteria and extra oils that gather on your skin, so it will control your shine as well as improve the look of your skin. It's a sheer, but buildable coverage so you can control how much you want. It's great for someone like Lisa, who is a dentist and wears masks and goggles all day. No goggle-marks on her nose, thanks to this strong hold foundation! The eyeliner literally looks like a felt-tip pen, so it's easy to guide on your eyelids. When applying mascara, I had Lisa look down, with her eyes open, as I wiggled the wand up from the base of her lashes to the tips. You can do this on your own while looking down into a swivel or a compact mirror.

Live in the Los Angeles area and need a good dentist? Contact Lisa's office for an appointment here.

Style Haul

2011-06-29T11:49:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard yet, Style Haul is a brand-new Youtube channel show which features different Youtubers showing off their fashion/beauty hauls. Style Haul was at the IMATS this year. Watch for me at the 3-second mark!

To subscribe to Style Haul, click HERE

IMATS Haul

2011-06-28T12:35:00.000-07:00

Are you ready for my "biggest haul ever"? ;) Here's all the fun stuff I got from the International Makeup Trade Show that came through town this past weekend.

NYX 3 Tier Stackable Makeup Artist Train Case

I got this baby at the NYX booth. It's originally $200, but at the

IMATS it was only $95! On my makeup jobs, I was dragging around two heavy, fire-proof train cases and a messenger bag. I just did a wedding on Sunday and I can't tell you how much easier it was to get around with this suit case! I was able to throw everything (including brushes, cleaning supplies, etc) in there and set it up where ever my client needed me. WINNING

I don't remember which booth I picked up this brush belt one, but it was only $12. MAC's is $40, and I had noticed that the pleather material had started wearing away and my brushes were littered with little pleathery pieces. This brush belt is made of a more synthetic, stretchy leather and I'm happy to say it did the job.

From L to R: MAC ProLongWear concealers, GLEAM BY MELANIE MILLS shimmer lotion in Rose Gold, CosmoPop and D'Lilac lipsticks from LIME CRIME (in the cute pink bullets), LISE WATIER Apricot Primer (along with samples of the pore minimizer & SPF30), four sets of NYX Lashes. Basically everything here was half off!

I got the cutest Dinair airbrush machine! I purchased the Foundation Deluxe Kit which comes with 4 foundation colors, a tanner, a dewy setter, and 4 shimmer bronzy highlighters for get this: $129. Normally this kit runs on the Dinair site for $199, and even that felt like a steal. I had my boyfriend airbrush the tanner all over my body the second I got home, and I'm happy to report I am two shades darker now. This kit should really come with a slogan: "So easy, your boyfriend can do it!"

Oh, and how cute is the hot pink compressor?!

I forgot to take photos of these cool 24K Gold Collegen face masks that I picked up for my mom from KOLLEGENX. They are originally somewhere in the vicinity of $100 for four masks. I picked up 16 masks for $120. I'll be doing a review on these soon... stay tuned!

I did good, right? Didn't spend too much money...

IMATS: L.A.

2011-06-27T13:31:00.000-07:00

Hello my fellow makeup mavens! This past Saturday, I attended the International Makeup Trade Show when it made its Los Angeles stop. I. Was. Floored. I didn't even have time to attend any of the classes because there was so much going on on the actual floor! Talk about sensory overload...all the makeup giants had booths: MAC, Makeup For Ever, Naimie's, Crown Brush, Dinair, Ben Nye, NYX and more. I was also pleased to see some of the new beauty lines that I was interested in like Lime Crime and Kollagen. Everything was priced at around 40-50% off! I was getting steals left and right. I couldn't even move through the crowds because every person had at least two full-to-the-brim shopping bags in each hand. It was like anything that a female would be interested in-- makeup, hair accessories, wigs, nail stuff, sparkles, glitter and skincare-- had landed in one room and there was nothing left to do but dump your whole paycheck into the place.

IMATS DO's

DO wear a fun outfit, complete with colorful makeup and crazy nails.

DO network with other bloggers, Youtubers, and makeup lovers alike.

DO bring a friend for moral support -- I brought my PR guru, Jenn with me. She does publicity for beauty brands and fashion. You can reach her HERE.

IMATS DONT's

DON'T bring your husband or boyfriend. They will be miserable, and it's crowded enough without having to fight your way through bummed-out dudes. It's $40 a ticket anyway, what a waste!

DON'T bring your baby, or his/her stroller. Please see above. And may I add that every baby I saw there, no matter how cute, was distressed from being in the crowds and crying. Give your kid a break and leave him/her with a grandparent at home.

DON'T bring a jacket, or wear thick, heavy clothes. That place was a sauna! So many people packed into one place.

I ran into Iris from Youtube (LOVE her hair tutorials-- she does a mean fish braid!) and was honored to be a part of her IMATS review video. Watch for me at the 4 minute mark!

Pasadena Convention Center

My publicist (haha) and beauty PR guru Jen

Done with Dinair's Leopard stencils

Get your own airbrush machine here!

Gleam by Melanie Mills -- a body shimmer product

Doing a promo for Style Haul on Youtube!

I adore this new line, Lime Crime

With the creator of Lime Crime, Doe Deere

I just loved her style

Margarita break at Islands-- it was so hot!

I am sad that IMATS- L.A. is over... i wish there was a makeup trade show every weekend! But then I would be broke... and starving lol. See you all next time!

Funky Earring Trend

2011-06-26T20:48:00.000-07:00

I made earrings! They are made with recycled leather strips and metal chains. I'm thinking about adding feathers to them next time I hit up the crafts store, thoughts? If you want one, just leave me a comment below or tweet me @Ladyc_84. I can make any color combo you want. I'll only charge the cost of production and supplies: $10/each. You wear one at a time. :) Enjoy!

Leather/Chain earring

Lady Gaga- Viva Glam

2011-06-21T14:38:00.000-07:00

MAC and Lady Gaga came out with a new shade from their Viva Glam line of lipstick and glosses. It's a light, neutral beige that is universally flattering on almost everyone. Each are $14.50 and 100% of the proceeds goes to people around the world living with AIDS/HIV.

The two colors here are named VIVA GLAM GAGA 2.

Here's my version

Lady Gaga Lipstick and Lip Glass with Spice Liner

Upper Lid: Mylar (brow bone), Crystal Avalanche (inner), Gleam (lid), Soft Brown & Malt Shadows (crease)
Lower Lid: Fascinating Eye Kohl, Antiqued and Earthline liner
Lashes: #6 Lashes cut in half and used as demis.

Enjoy!

Big Bizzounce!

2011-06-20T02:36:00.000-07:00

MAC recently came out with a line of Big Bounce gel eyeshadows. I was extremely skeptical of this item, until my fellow artist, Bay Area-based photographer and friend Ashleigh (you can follow her @stayreddy on Twitter) pointed out their Trophy shade.

These gel eyeshadows are extremely sheer, which is why I initially didn't like them. Ashleigh swept the Trophy's champagne-pink shade on my hand and said to use it on my cheek bones and T Zone for a highlight, and my eyes lit up. It's now an everyday staple for me. I adore dabbing it on brides' collarbones and cheek bones for a subtle and long-wearing highlight that truly looks lovely in photos.

My Diamonds & Pearls Bride

2011-06-17T13:45:00.000-07:00

One of the most enthusiastic and genuinely happy brides I've ever had the pleasure of working on, Stephanie Nunez, married her long time love, Andy Faucett, last summer in Lodi, Calif. They had an outdoor wedding ceremony and held their reception in a winery barn. I was honored to be the makeup artist for her entire wedding party. I call this look, "Old Hollywood Latina Glam"!

June 2010

The funnest bridesmaids around!

Here's to forever lasting love

June FUN Beauty Poll

2011-06-17T01:06:00.000-07:00

1. Mood: Can sunburnt be a mood? Because I can't stop thinking (and feeling) about the one on my shoulders and upper back. I went to the beach last weekend and totally forgot to get my back. Thank goodness for Solarcaine Aloe Extra Burn Relief Gel. I have an emergency bottle on stand by in my fridge at all times. It has lidocaine HCI (a pain blocker) as the active ingredient and man does it take the pain away.

2. What are your favorite hair products at the moment? I guess this is more of an accessory, but I'm really digging those feather hair extensions. So cute!

3. How do you feel about Chanel No. 5? It reminds me of my mom in the 80s: super glamorous, blue eyeshadow on her lids, red lipstick and a big, bold perm. While she did look fierce for the time, Chanel No. 5 just too strong of a scent for me.

4. Do you ever wear sunglasses? Oh yes: I gotta protect my peepers (and the skin around them) from the sun! I have a ton of Betsy Johnson cheap-o sunglasses I got through some internet sales, and my prized possession: my black Chanels with mother-of-pearl C's on both sides. I have never spent so much money on one item before in my entire life (excluding cars and rent). And I probably never will again. Those sunglasses will literally be in my will.

5. Your preferred method of bikini line hair removal? Wax, wax, and oh...wax. Ladies don't ruin your bikini line by shaving. For the love of your choncha! Your skin down there is SO sensitive and razors create tons of ingrown hairs and irritated skin. I have a great wax lady at Radiance of Life (Lu) who does an amazing job with this special wax that hardens on its own, and it's eco friendly since she doesnt need muslin strips to remove it. She sprays the area down with Tea Tree Oil and I can't tell you how soft the skin feels afterward. If you are in the L.A. area, please hit Lu up. If not, it's always helpful to Yelp waxers in your area. You can read my review on there!

6. Three beauty products every woman should have? Some form of SPF, an eyelash curler and tweezers. I'm serious.

7. Three other things every woman should have? Self respect, an education and a large collection of shoes.

8. Do you consider yourself lucky? Very. I feel that most of the things in my life that have happened were from luck. And by luck, I mean God. If I didn't have God in my heart, I don't know where I would be right now.

9. Something you’re looking forward to today? Our show is nominated for an Emmy, and we find out tonight if we won....cross your fingers!

10. Weekly goals: Have FUN!!

June-Gloom Beauty Poll

2011-06-14T11:58:00.000-07:00

1. Mood: You know when you wake up one day and you just feel good about everything in your life? Like, you realize it's not a perfect life, but you're content with it anyway? #ImThere

2. Have you ever owned a record player? Pops had one. He used to play his disco songs on it when I was really little. I vaguely remember the BeeGees spinning on the 1s and 2s and watching him boogie with his gold chain and chest hair out. And yes, this was during the eighties. Good times, if you ask me.

Me and Popz in the early 90s. He retired the v-neck shirts earlier.

3. Do you plan your makeup looks for the week or wing it? I have a "day look" for each season. I'll change up the foundation, powder, blush according to the season. I try to keep it pretty basic for the office, then I go buck wild on the weekends with color, fake eyelashes, glitter etc.

Here I am, on a "natural" day with my boyfriend at the Dodger Stadium

4. A lipstick color that makes me you feel spicy? I'm jonesing for MAC's Crosswires lipstick. It's a bright POP of coral. Which reminds me, I need to take in my recyclables and snag that baby for free99.

Crosswires

5. Describe your favorite summertime dress. Maxi dresses all the way! I have a cute gray one from Old Navy that I pair with a yellow neon skinny belt and yellow neon gladiator flats. Fun-ness! I love this color combo...

6. Do you keep a journal? No. I used to when I was younger. A few years ago I went through my old diaries and realized how depressed and angry I was. It was like a scar being ripped open again. I shredded every single page and vowed to never journal again. I only "journaled" when I was going through bad times so to be honest with you, I'd rather not relive them. Maybe I'll start journaling when I become a mom one day...

No Thanks. (for now)

7. Your favorite makeup brush at the moment? I'm really enjoying the angled blush brush from Crown Brush. The angle on it is perfect for applying bronzer. And it's still stiff enough to apply the bronzer directly where I need it, without fluffing out all over the place.

Second one from the top

8. Last time you jumped rope? Please. I have asthma. I couldn't keep up jumping rope as a kid, let alone now.

9. Are you a heavy or a light sleeper? Incredibly HEAVY sleeper. I've slept through earthquakes, farts, my little dog howling at the top of his lungs, phones ringing, TV's blaring, and both of my alarms- every morning. I imagine this happened from being trained as baby to sleep through noise; my parents having loud Armenian relatives over for dinner. I just slept right through the disco-hummus-wine-laden nights.

10. Weekly goals: Keep up on all my phone calls to friends and family. I'm horrible at that. I'm much more a texter/BBMer but I know I need to make more of an effort.

Makeup For Ever's QVC Sale on Tuesday Night!

2011-06-13T11:46:00.000-07:00

Hi all! I have some exciting news for those of you who don't get a discount with Makeup For Ever, but would like to try some of their products. They are putting some of their best-sellers on QVC Tuesday Night, June 14 at 10:00PM (that's 1:00AM Eastern). Here's the flyer:

First of all, I adore watching QVC. They have some of the best sales hosts and make me feel like I really need that American flag quilted-on-the-oversized-cardigan sweater. It's like a trainwreck- I can't look away even though I know it's a disaster. So imagine my delight when I saw that Makeup For Ever (something that people living outside of the South would want) was hosting their very own night on this amazing channel!

Makeup For Ever will be selling some "Exclusive to QVC" items, such as the Aqua Eyes Trio, Lab Shine Gloss and Aqua Lip Liner Duo, HD Starter Collection and Uplight (a new product for luminizing the face and body).

Sally Hansen's Salon Effects: Real Nail Polish Strips

2011-06-10T12:47:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know everyone has already blogged and reviewed this item to death, but I just got the houndstooth print design and I'm excited to share. One of the down sides of living in Los Angeles is that there are 10 million people living here, which means every Target, Walmart, Rite Aid, CVS and Walgreens is out of everything. Literally. You walk in and the shelves are either empty or dangling with the last opened/broken item of a product. I had been looking for the Sally Hansen Nail Polish Strips, specifically in the Houndstooth design, for over four months. Every place I tried only had the solid colors, and really, who wants those? I can paint my nails with one solid color just fine, thank-you-very-much. Imagine my delight when my neighborhood Rite Aid finally restocked this item, and the adorable black-and-white print was shining like a beacon right at me as I mused the beauty section. Was this a mirage? My heart literally leapt out of my chest. I snatched that box so fast, it was like a frog grabbing a fly with its tongue.

Several hours later: I was home. I buffed and filed my nails to perfection, and wiped each nail clean with rubbing alcohol (to get rid of the natural oils). I took out a nail strip, removed the clear strips from both sides and shaped it onto my nail. The product comes with a nail file which you are supposed to file away the excess with, but to be honest, I found this to be wasteful. If you keep your nails short, then each nail strip, if you are careful, is enough for two nails. If you file them off, they come out ragged and unusable. Here's my way:

1) Place the strip on the nail and press it down, making it fit all over. Don't worry if the strip is too big for your nail.

2) Turn your blowdryer on LOW- HOT and blow on the nail strip for five seconds.

3) The heat from the blowdryer melds the nail polish strip to your nail, and then you can carefully rip the excess off the top of your nail off, saving it for your next nail.

4) This product comes with a little pointy stick that you can use to scrape off the extra if the strips end up too big for your little nail.

Here's another one of Sally Hansen's designs I tried. It lasted about six days (then again, I'm a major dish washer):

Sally Hansen Nail Strips in Gold Glitter

I've tried Sephora's version of this, Sephora by OPI Chic Prints, and while I think that Sephora has more variety in the prints, their product feels more like a sticker. It's not very flexible and doesn't last as long as these.

Chantal wearing Sephora's Chic Prints

Sephora's Chic Prints on my big toe

*Sidenote: My sister said her Chic Prints started peeling off within 24 hours. Then again, she works at Lush and constantly has her hands in water. The one on my toe lasted two weeks. I would say if you are going to purchase the Chic Prints, only apply them on your toes-ies. They are pricier anyway. $15 compared to Sally's $8.

June Bug Beauty Poll

2011-06-08T15:28:00.000-07:00

1. Mood: Full. I just ate at a great place for lunch with my coworker, Melia. Tender Greens is a healthy, California-style-salad-and-fresh-food-place that I adore. I had a bowl of chicken tortilla soup and fingerling potato garlic fries. Yum.

2. Do you ever apply your makeup on the train/bus/boat to work? NO. And I hate seeing women doing their makeup, especially eyeliner, in their cars on the road. It's so incredibly dangerous-- both for her and for everyone else!

3. List three of your best attributes. Loyal, hard-working and stubborn. LOL

4. Do you do bright eyeliner? Heck yea! That's a huge trend for this summer. It's all about Makeup For Ever's Aqua Liners and MAC's LiquidLast Liners.

5. How do you feel about clogs? I can't deal with them. They make everyone look geriatric. The worst offenders are the Croc clogs. A lot of people buy them for their kids, and I'm here to say that my future babies will NEVER set foot in a plastic Croc clog.

6. If you could have lunch with any celebrity alive today, whom would it be and why? That's easy--> Micheal Jackson. I have soooo many questions for him about his music, and his personal life as well. The man was a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. He was a creative genius and so troubled on the inside. What went wrong? Why did he have such low self esteem? What does he think about his mother raising his children in the Jackson compound? How did he come up with the beats to his songs? How did he dance with so much energy? Why couldn't he beat his addiction? I know I am not the only one to feel this way, but his death just doesn't sit well with me. I worry about his children, and feel like the world really lost an amazing prodigy. What a waste.

7. Complete this sentence: Have you heard about _____? Shell Gas Stations giving 10 cents off if you use your grocery store rewards card at the pump? Los Angeles Shell Gas stations have a partnership with Ralphs, while Las Vegas Shell Gas stations have a partnership with Smith's. Each are giving between 10 cents to $1 off PER GALLON, plus double points when you bring in your gas reciepts to the participating grocery stores. If you aren't pumping your gas from Shell, you are missing out on a GREAT deal!

8. If you were magically given a free day, how would you spend it? The beach! I went last week, and I always forget how wonderful the sand, sun and surf really is. I vowed to myself this summer I will go once every 2 weeks- AT LEAST.

Manhattan Beach, CA

9. What purse are you carrying today? My beige Nila Anthony tote bag from Baghaus.com that I was sent last year. It's perfect for everyday because there is room for everything and the straps are really supportive. Check under My Favorite Links for their website!

10. Weekly goals: I recently lost 7 pounds! So my goal is to keep being good about what I eat and stay on top of my workouts.