YB Skin's Moulin Rouge Debuts August 1st

Hi beauty lovers! Today I bring you a brand-new, not-yet-released product by Youngblood Cosmetics. Debuting August 1st, Youngblood presents the Parisian-inspired Moulin Rouge eye shadow quad. Moulin Rouge features three nudes and a gorgeous burnt orange. Can-Can is a caramel peach and a great "in-between" shade that works well in the crease and for blending the other colors together. Revue is a brightening shell shade, great for the brow bone, inner corners and lid. Cabarets is a dark chocolate with a hint of red shimmer (heart stopper!). Red Light is that show-stopping, matte orange-red.

These eye shadows are made with finely milled, pressed minerals that sweep on like silk and last for hours. I love using them with my Urban Decay Eye Primer. Don't be intimidated by this palette, this is  actually a pretty tame quad. I amped up the look with the Maybelline 24 Hour Color Tattoo in Fierce underneath (to give it that pop of orange). 

WATCH THE TUTORIAL BELOW

Moulin Rouge will go on sale August 1st on www.YBskin.com

Katy Perry's Summer Vamp look with YB Skin

Hi peeps! Sorry it took me so long to post, I just got back from my bachelorette weekend in Vegas and I'm less than two weeks away from being married. Needless to say, my mind is on complete overload and I'm scatter-brained for life. 

Anyways, has anyone seen the post-divorce look Katy Perry has been rocking? I'm in love with the purple hair and vampy makeup. She doesn't quite look goth, it's more teetering on the edge of "dark pinup." It's like the goth from high school grew up and got a job. Katy's face is a makeup artist's dream: big, round, blue eyes, long lashes, strong brows and smooth complexion. So anytime she does a new look, I basically die. 

What's special about this tutorial is that all the products I will be using are from Youngblood Cosmetics. I really love that this company was created by a dermatologist who cares enough to make all of her products cruelty-free and paraben-free. Why not highlight a brand whose products are harmless to animals and whose products are actually good for your skin, right?

Here's my take below:

This look was a very clean, simple eye with strong eye brows and a deep dark lip. 

Click the video below to watch the tutorial

YOUNGBLOOD PRODUCTS USED: 

Ultimate Concealer (medium)

Pressed Mineral Foundation (warm beige)

Crushed Mineral Blush (Rouge)

Eye Illuminating Duo

Crushed Mineral Eye Shadow (Alabaster)

Pressed Eyeshadow (Merlot)

Incredible Wear Gel Liner (Eclipse)

Brow Artiste (Dark)

Mineral Lengthening Mascara

Bistro Lipstick

You can find all these awesome products on www.YBSkin.com

IMATS L.A.- June 23, 2012

It's that time of year again! Every June, the International Makeup Trade Show makes its way to Los Angeles. This year, I took my fellow makeup artist and BFF Allyson Stagg of the Las Vegas Style Sirens  along. With my wedding looming in the near future, I really couldn't go berserk like I did the previous year and buy everything I wanted. I walked out of there with only $50 worth of products, can you believe it?! The IMATS were a little less crowded this year, with exhibitors ranging from makeup giants like MAC, Urban Decay, and Ben Nye to boutique lines like Lime Crime and Sugar Pill, to up-and-comers like Youngblood Cosmetics and OCC. Naimie's Beauty Supply took up an entire aisle, which I like to call "Heaven," with products otherwise unreachable to us L.A. girls like Lise Watier and Smashbox. I'm happy to report that the theme among most of the booths was paraben-free, cruelty-free products. The only thing that bummed me out this year is that I literally saw NONE of the beauty bloggers and Youtube gurus I follow there. I was so disappointed, I love meeting other people in the beauty industry and I have no idea where they were and why they weren't there. I was super sad that Kandee Johnson didn't make it out this year as well, due to her father's recent passing. Your presence was missed, Kandee, and our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. 

Here's Ally and I at the entrance

My fun collage of some of my favorite products at the IMATS

Clockwise from the top: the IMATS signage outside of the Pasadena Convention Center, OCC Lip Tars, Lise Watier Lip Stains and Lime Crime's Carousel Gloss and Eye Liners.

The Youngblood Cosmetics booth, where I ran into friend Adriana Perez of the PR crew :)

Youngblood Cosmetics. I love their primer and eye cream

Some of the special effects makeup being done on the floor 

I bought Too Faced's 3 Way Eye Liner at the Naimie's booth...great stuff!

Ally and I are wearing Lime Crime's Mint To Be and Cosmopop lipsticks.We had so much fun looking at the products at their booth!

I found THE Eve Pearl doing makeup on the floor of the trade show. Amazing!

I absolutely adored these Sugarpill girls. I love how bright and fun their makeup line is.

I chatted with Doe Deere, creator of Lime Crime, again. I like to pick her brain about Lime Crime's products and just what goes on in that blue-haired head of hers. Not only is she super creative, BUT she is also a savvy business woman, something a lot of artists in this business lack.

As usual, it looked like My Little Pony threw up glitter  and rainbows on my hand.

Always testing products.

 We swung back around to the Lime Crime booth and ran into the inspiration behind Doe's "Aquataenia" line, real live moon mermaid Traci Hines. 

She's just so darn magical!

A cool body painting by Mehron Cosmetics. I love how good the painting came out on the fabric of the bra, it really looks like she's wearing nothing!

Here's my stash from the IMATS: South Seas Airbrush Tanning Solution, South Seas Coffee Body Scrub, Too Faced 3 Way Lash Lining Tool and a sample of Kollagen's 24kt Gold Eye Serum. Not pictured: Ardell Lashes and Duo Black Lash Glue.

Phew! Two happy but tired makeup artists who may as well have spent the day in Disneyland. 

Join me at the IMATS in Los Angeles next year on January 18-20th! Tickets are already on sale: https://makeupmag.com/imats_tickets/cPath/239/

Summer Smoky Eyes - with VIDEO-

Hello my Summer Sweethearts! I wanted to create an easy-to-wear smoky eye look for those sexy summer nights. I went with a taupe/grey eye combo and juicy, rosy lips using some of my current favorite products below.

Too Faced Beauty Balm- Nude Glow 
This stuff is great! BB creams are the "jack of all trades" of beauty products. They provide:

1. Sheer coverage
2. SPF Protection
3. Anti Aging Benefits
4. Primer
5. Prevent breakouts

Maybelline Color Tattoo in "Tough As Taupe"
These babies are great on their own or under an eye shadow. They truly last 24 hours!

Youngblood Cosmetics  Luminous Creme Blush "Pink Cashmere"

Youngblood just came out with two more shades in their luminous creme blush. I love Pink Cashmere because it's matte (while STILL a cream blush, crazy right?) and gives you a healthy, summer glow. This product is oil-free and contains Vitamins C & E (to protect skin), Allantoin (an anti-irritant for those with sensitive skin) and Jojoba (moisturizer).

Youngblood Mighty Shiny Lip Gel in "Exposed"

Exposed is the dark grape one on the right. It's incredibly sheer and great for all skin tones. I love that these babies don't dry down or get sticky. They remain "juicy" and feel amazing! Some of the key ingredients are Momordica Grosvenorii Fruit Extract (this is a MAJOR antioxident that fights free radicals and wrinkles) and Sweet Almond Oil- YUM!

Watch the video below to see how to use all these fantastic items: 

Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics- New Spring Colors

I recently snagged some of Youngblood Cosmetics' spring line goodies and wanted to share these gorgeous products with you. 

Luminous Creme Blush in Taffeta and Lipstick in Tangelo

Everyone knows that orange is this spring's "it" color and it certainly showed on the runways during Fashion Week as well as every makeup and nail line that has launched recently. Youngblood has stayed on trend by offering up these two beautiful coral colors.

Tangelo ($19) is a sheer coral-orange lipstick that is flattering on all skin tones. This product is super sheer and can be worn by itself for light coverage or layered over pencil (which I prefer) for a bold orange lip. I love its versatility! With ingredients like Sunflower Oil and Vitamin E, all I can say is this stuff feels soft, soft and more soft. Tangelo is on sale for 20% off RIGHT NOW on the YB Skin site! Hurry, $15 is a fabulous price for this lipstick!

Taffeta ($27) is a pinky-coral cream-textured blush that combines a shimmering glow with sheer, long wearing color. I know a lot of people are scared to wear cream blush, but I promise, it's actually easier than powder blush! I swirled two fingers in this cream and dabbed in the center of each cheek, then gently patted the color outward and towards the my temples. I was actually surprised at how saturated the color was. I was ready to pack on a powder blush on top when I realized I really didn't need it. The camera didn't capture the boldness of it, but trust me, it's there. I'm wearing it now in fact, and I even wore it through a yoga class- it's still on! The new "Luminous Creme Blushes" by YBSkin all boast an oil-free formula containing Vitamins C & E, Allantoin (an anti-irritant) and Jojoba Esters (an emollient that makes applying this product smoothly easy)

With flash, lipstick on top, blush on bottom

Without flash, lipstick on top, blush on bottom

Here's a coupe of outdoor shots of me wearing both. See how sheer and beautifully blended the cream blush looks? I did that with my fingers!

I wore Soar lip liner by MAC under Tangelo to make it pop. 

I paired the coral cheeks and lips with this spring-inspired green and peach eye

Here's what it looked like indoors

I'd like to also point out that Youngblood Cosmetics does NOT test on animals (yay!)

Sindulge Goody Bag Review

A couple of blog posts ago, I talked about Sindulge.com's beauty event. We each got these awesome little beauty gift bags filled with innovative items and after trying them all, I decided to share my thoughts with you. Click the video to watch my mini-haul!

Sindulge at Culver Hotel

On Wednesday evening I attended Sindulge's event at the historic Culver Hotel. Sindulge is a great new website that sends you a selection of luxury samples for $12 a month. What's really cool is that they also offer personalized consultations via video and text chat with an expert staff of makeup artists and beauty experts! When I asked Ami Desai, Sindulge makeup expert, what set Sindulge apart from other "swag bag-a-month" companies, she informed me that every monthly sample bag is different for each customer, depending on their skin type and style needs, which will be determined after speaking with the customer via video and texts. Cool, right?! I wasn't able to take photos of everyone who was there, but I met SO many awesome ladies and gents who genuinely were nice people and loved all things-beauty. Here are some of the highlights of the evening....

Ami Desai, left with a fellow Sindulge expert (sorry, I didn't catch her name)

How cute was the little swag bag? 

Youngblood Cosmetics, a mineral makeup company was there with all their new products

Youngblood cream blushes, highlighter and lipstick

The goodies we got: LA Fresh waterproof makeup removing wipes,  Pop Beauty nail lacquer  (mine was Tangerine Toste), Youngblood lip gloss in Pink Hope, Youngblood Mineral Primer, Youngblood Eye Impact Cream, and ME natural eye pencil in Emerald City.

I was in love with the upstairs bar area at Culver Hotel- so fun to shoot!

I absolutely adored this detailed column

At the Pop Beauty nail polish station

Having fun with the Vanity Girl mirror- oh how I'd love one in my home!

Miss Vanity Girl herself, Maxine on the red carpet with celebrity makeup artist Jeffrey Paul

From L-R: Beauty blogger Gloria Yang, TV host Jennifer Chan, my PR girl Jennifer Castaneda and me.

Apparently, we all love small, quilted purses with gold chains. LOL!