Makeup For Ever: Aqua Miami

Makeup For Ever's Summer Campaign Ad



My Version



Lips: To achive that super matte look, I lined and filled my lips in with MAC's Magenta liner, then went over it with their cream lip liner in Cranapple, and dabbed Passionate (hot pink) eye shadow over the entire lip with my finger

Eyes: I used a thin line of Wet N Wild's waterproof black liquid eyeliner, followed by a thicker sweep with MAC's Liquid Last Eye Liner in Aqualine (it looks like liquid and stays ON like nobody's business!)

Beach Ready!

Monday Beauty Poll- May 9

1. Mood: Well-rested and content. I got a good 6.5 hours last night (HUGE for Sunday nights, I'm usually up til 4am) and took two giant naps during the weekend. I nap hard, folks. And the pup doesn't make it any easier to get up from them, since he's usually cuddling the crap out of me.

2. One great thing about getting older? You get to stay up as late as you want on school/work nights. I still love the fact that no one makes me go to bed when I'm not ready LOL


3. What color do you use most in your eye makeup and why? Peach/corals. I have olive undertones that the peach really works beautifully with. Some of my faves from MAC are-

Coral Cream Colour Base
Soft Brown and Coral eye shadows
Springsheen Blush
Pink Bronze Pigment

4. What’s one thing your mom was right about? She was right about a lot of my so-called friends growing up. I can't tell you how many times I would introduce her to a new friend, or a boyfriend, and she would instantly know that they were bad for me. At the time, I thought she was being judgemental, but now I look back and realize she was right 99% of the time.

5. What’s your favorite book series? Growing up I was hooked on Sweet Valley Twins and Goosebumps. Now I adore the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris and Chelsea Handler's bios crack me up. I have 2 autographed by her already, and I'll be out to buy the third this week. I've read every book by Amy Tan, the entire Harry Potter series, and of course the Twilight series (who hasn't?!) I finish books by the hours. Im a major bookworm. I just finished a book called "Inside Of A Dog" that explains what the world is like from a dog's point of view, and how their brain works. If you're a dog lover, this book is for you!

6. Your last sweet treat? A shorter answer would be for what wasn't my last sweet treat. I gave up chocolate for Lent, and by the time Easter came around, I was salivating at the mouth. I have been knocking back every kind of chocolate every hour of the day like you wouldn't imagine! I was good today though. I had greek yogurt with strawberries and honey for breakfast. YUM

7. Do you collect anything? I accidentally starting collecting nail polishes. I think I have over 100. It's sickening. Here are two more I feel the need to buy from Deborah Lippman's Summer Collection:

8. Seersucker clothing — yea or nay? Not a fan...it's too casual/frumpy for my taste. :(


9. Your go-to eye cream? Ok, this stuff is ridiculously price ($298 per bottle!) but I was given a free one and I am in LOVE with 24K OroGold Intensive Eye Treatment Cream !With ingredients like 24 Karat gold flakes, Caffeine, Vitamin K and Green Tea, this stuff really delivers. I wake up every morning with puffy, "allergy eyes" and this stuff instantly lifts and deflates all the bags. I like to apply some after I pluck my eyebrows to reduce the swelling, and it feels like a cool, refreshing swimming pool on my eyes. *sigh* I will be so sad when I run out...

 10. Weekly goals: Do one of the makeup looks on my list, do an oil change, save money and stay focused on the Self Magazine diet I've been doing (I've lost 4 lbs so far!)

May Monday Beauty Poll

1. Mood: Do you ever feel like your brain processed too much information in too short of time? I'm totally crashing.

I am notorious for staying up on Sunday nights. I am just not sleepy. So I lay awake in the dark, with my mind racing, thinking of all the things that need to be done and oh! That would be a cool video to do, and oh! That would be a great makeup look and oh! I have to buy groceries this week and oh! The list goes on... I had a very busy weekend with family in town and stressful moments so I'm really just exhausted.
 2. Something you’re coveting at the moment? An airbrush machine and a Clarisonic. I've never been a big fan of doing airbrush makeup on brides because that stuff moves so easily. But I'd like to get back into it and have it as an option for my clients. I've narrowed down my options to the Temptu or Dinair. Any suggestions? I would like to be able to use products with different brands with the machine, so that will play a big factor in which one I will choose. The Clarisonic is pretty pricey, however they just came out with the Clarisonic Mia, which is a mini version of it for $149 and I'm in love with the lavender one. There is a cheaper option from Olay called the Pro X Cleansing System for just under $30 if anyone is interested! But I'm going to hold out for the Mia.

3. An overrated beauty product? Dior mascaras. Big price, mediocre effect. Don't waste your money, ladies.


4. An underrated beauty product?
Head & Shoulders shampoos and conditioners. Seriously. They work miracles! People always ask me how I get my hair so shiny, when all I do is use good ol' H&S. Their eucalyptus formula is addicting...it leaves your head feeling minty fresh.

5. Your best birthday party? My 10th birthday party, hands down. We still lived in West LA in a big beautiful home, and my parents got a moon bounce, magician and a kareoke machine. The entire fourth grade was in attendance, and people talked about it for months. It was the party of the year. Well, at least for us 10 year-olds it was lol. I don't have a photo from the party on hand, but here's a photo of me around 10 years old, so you get an idea. Yep, that's little sis I'm reading to. Apparently she's not paying attention!

6. Where do you go when you need to clear your head? It always makes me feel better to go to the gym and just run-run-run. Going for a walk around the neighborhood with the pup is pretty therapeutic too.

 7. Your favorite local eatery? Los Angeles has some amazing mom-and-pop, non-chain type of restaurants. Below I've listed my recent favorites with links.

Hollywood: Prado
Downtown: Yang Chow
West Side: Fritto Misto


8. Guys in jeans shorts — yea or nay? *Sigh. This is a toughy. Do I want my boyfriend wearing jean shorts? Not necessarily. But do his legs need to breath from time to time? Yes. Not the best option, but I guess I don't mind them...


9. Favorite post-hangover meal? Back in my early twenties, nothing settled my stomach after a night of tequila shots like a 4am trip to IHOP (Rooty Tooty Fresh & Fruity!). Nowadays, a Dr. Pepper in the morning with 2 Advil does the trick. DP really is a God-send!

10. Weekly goals: Try not to be so A.D.D., take one day and one task at a time. I need Jesus! I'd also like to take some time out this week to either draw/paint or do a makeup tutorial. But we will see what this weekend brings...

Throwback '02

I never got to go to Prom in high school, but I did go to my Homecoming dance senior year. I was in student council, had all honors classes and held down a part time job at BCBG MaxAzria, where I got my amazing vintage-style dress for the dance. I actually have this dress and still fit in to it --not sure how that happened! The photo doesn't do this dress justice. It's black with multi colored sparkles and a deep plunging neckline-haltertop with a beautiful black broach. I added a black boa and crimped blonde bangs for extra flair. Nothing says 2002 like a feather boa and a crimping iron!

                                            

Q: What makeup did you wear?My mom helped with me with my makeup, and I got to use all of her fancy stuff: Chanel liquid eyeliner, Chanel Lip and Eye Liners, Benefit Makeup Sealer "SheLaq", Dior mascara. I wore some fierce metallic gold lip gloss but I don't remember what it was. Something pricey, knowing my mom's collection. I probably had the most expensive face at Homecoming that year.

Q: How did you choose your makeup for the big day? Did you think about the hair and the dress too?
I was always into makeup so I put a lot of thought into this look. I wanted a gold cat eye with gold cheeks and gold lips. Basically, I stole this look from the Oscar statue.

I got my hair styled that day.. I was going through my "experimental phase" when I dyed and bleached my hair all kinds of colors, and Homecoming happened to be during the "brassy blonde bangs" phase. I had short layered hair at the time, and it looked like a crimpy, little bob. I didn't want the typical up-do that everyone else got. To be honest, it was pretty rad for the time. I just wish I left my poor, fried bangs alone.

Q: Did you have any school dance beauty mishaps?
I have to say I always ended up oily at the dances from sweating it out on the dance floor. I so wish I brought blot film and powder in my tiny clutch from Charlotte Russe. Oh and I'm pretty sure my foundation was too light for me freshman year all the way to graduation. My head looks like Casper the Friendly Ghost in all my photos from 1999-2002.


Q: If you could change your school dance beauty style, what would you have done differently?
Umm... I would have definitely added LASHES! Who the heck goes to a school dance and doesn't wear falsies? Don't do it girls...wear some lashes, they will make you look so much better in the photos.


Q: What's your best tip for someone doing their own makeup for prom?
Wear foundation with a primer underneath. If you are wearing fake eye lashes, have a friend or a mom apply them on you. Don't do it yourself, it's too hard. Carry with you: powder, lip gloss, gum and blot film. Skip the "too big for my fingers" acrylic nails -- no guy your age actually thinks that looks good. Wear lots of deodorant (haha) and have FUN!

Peter Rabbit Maternity Painting

I can't express enough how much fun it is to paint mommy bellies! It's probably my favorite thing to do. Here is Corine, one of my brides from 2009, preggers with her first baby. She is 8.5 months along, and was a total trooper for the 2 hours (total) it took to do all of this. I adore first-time moms. They are always so happy and...glowy! LOL Corine is doing a whole Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit motif for their baby boy Jackson. In honor of this, we did a little Peter Rabbit on her belly, complete with a white picket fence and an apple tree. I did my signature banner with the baby's name across the bottom. Little Jackson was a curious baby who kept elbowing my hands and brushes as I was painting. It's one of the coolest things in the world to feel an unborn angel poking around in their mom's belly! I can't even describe what a blessing it is. I am always in awe of how life begins and how amazing the woman's body really is.

 

SIDE NOTE: In case you are interested in belly painting for your pregnancy, all the products I use are water soluble and completely safe for baby and mom. I use gently pressure and always make sure my moms and babies are comfortable.

I took this after we wiped Corine's belly art off, of Corine, hubby Alex and baby J. Not bad for an amateur, huh? 



Njambi, Santa Barbara's Bridal Beauty

Last May, I had the pleasure of doing all the makeup for Njambi and Kevin's Santa Barbara wedding. Here are some of the professional photos taken from their special day.

Here is the Mrs. touching up in the mirror-- this is my favorite photo of her!

Njambi and Kevin with their lovely moms. All makeup used on these ladies was via MAC Cosmetics.

What a fun bunch these girls were! The Brunette Beauties. All of them had amazing skin. It was a makeup artist's dream.

Here are some shots of the speeches:

A guest shot of Lisa (I did her eyes)



Beauty Blog Survey Poll- For FuN

1. Mood: Well, let's see: I gave up chocolate for Lent, I'm PMSing, everything is stressful at work, the lease on my car is up and I have to pay California's DMV a bajillion dollars for registration this month. I am thisclose to having a pity party. Nope, not winning. Plus, my cramps are killer: even my kidneys hurt.
2. Food you’re craving *right now*? Chocolate. Thanks again for reminding me that I can't have it :(

3. Favorite eye cream and why? Fresh's Lotus Eye Gel. It's SO refreshing and smells delicately beautiful. Too bad it's $48.00 *sigh

4. Ballet flats – yea or nay? NAYYYY to the max! I am so sick of seeing hipster girls walking on Sunset Blvd. wearing tattered, smelly looking ballet flats. Enough is enough, people. If you are going to wear flats, make sure they are clean or at least in good condition. Even Jesus had better ones back in the day. I'm the daughter of a shoe repair man. I know for a fact that ballet flats can look like new if you bother to fix them. Hit up http://www.shoelabworld.com/ to treat your dirty, disgusting flats! (I'm serious)

5. Which of your makeup brushes do you use least often? The fan-shaped one. It's almost completely useless. I'll remember to use it every once in a while on clients to dust off flecks of fallen eyeshadow, but that's about it.

6. What’s favorite eyeliner and why? This is like asking me which child is my favorite. Each eye liner has it's own strengths and things I love about them! LOL My faves are white or cream colored eye kohls (creamy pencils), black waterproof pencils, and gel cream eyeliners. From all brands, drugstore or high end.

7. Would you rather spend your Friday night alone or with others? Not necessarily alone, but I do like to have some down time on Friday nights. Whether it's seeing a movie with my boyfriend, or cuddling with the pup and watching TV, I just try to keep it simple and laid back.

8. What colors would I see if I looked in your closet? Black, white, grey and LOTS of bright colors.

9. Can you ride a bike while wearing a dress? What...a stupid question.

10. Weekly goals: Try to keep sane and stay away from everything chocolate.