Tag Archives: makeup

Simple, natural look

Face: make sure your foundation matches (your neck) correctly. I have to adjust my color sometimes because I may be tanner or paler (too dark and it can look muddy; too light and you will look ashy or tired) but matching is the first most important step in having a clean, fresh canvas.

Cheeks: bronzer to contour a bit and a bright pink blush! When I do a natural look I like putting more emphasis on my cheeks for a youthful, glowy look. Try a bright shade and apply, brushing up towards your upper cheekbones.

Brows: you want them to look groomed but not “done.” For a natural look, go for a brow color only a few shades darker than your skintone. I use a light taupe color.

Eyes: I apply a white shimmery eyeshadow on the inner corners of my eyes. Not just on the inner undereye but on the whole inner eye, to bring the light toward the center of your face.

Lips: lipbalm :) if you want some color, rub some lipstick on your finger and pat on your lips.

Also see:
Makeup Looks

Green eyes & peachy cheeks

This is a great spring look! I think green looks great on just about anyone.



Starting with a fresh, soft matte canvas is important. I used YSL Teint Radiance #7. On the cheeks I applied a shimmery light pinky peach (Smashbox “Chiffon”) on the upper cheekbones and a matte peach (Shu Uemura Peach 47) on the apples.

The eye palette is from Tony & Tina and basically has a shimmery lime green and a shimmery dark black-green.



Also used: MAC Refined Golden bronzer, Too Faced Shadow Insurance primer, L’Oreal Voluminous, lashes, NARS glitter pencil Area, Shu Uemura lipstick BG 907.

Also see:
60s Doll
Strip the face: Brows

How to: Natural fake lashes

Sometimes false lash strips can look too “perfect” with their synchronized order of lash length and lash amount. In turn, it can look fake defeating the purpose.


What I like to do, depending on the look I want, is cut the lashes into pieces. Anywhere from 3-5 pieces. Then I apply them one by one but in a different order and overlap them. Sometimes I put the longer pieces in the middle. Sometimes I put a short piece, long piece, short. The result looks “fluffy” and natural.


I drew a small sketch of what I mean:


Here are the lashes. On the left are the cut pieces and the right is the original strip.


1. Before. Bare skin.
2 + 3. I added two pieces. The longest in the middle.
4 + 5. All 5 pieces attached.


I hope this helps! I thought I would do a giveaway of 5 various fake lashes. Just subscribe to my blog (on the right side of my blog underneath the big gray arrow, enter your email address) and I’ll pick a random winner next week :)

My first photoshoot

March 2011 issue Inked Mag


A big Thank You to Warwick Saint (photographer), Garret Gervais (who did my makeup), Seth Mikel (did my hair) and Todd Weinberger (creative director for Inked Mag)! Such a talented, friendly group of people! They made me feel so comfortable and feel beautiful.


Totally unplanned and I was a nervous dweeb but it was such an awesome experience!


It made me think about how, although modeling appears like a surface performance, it can be a very stripping, vulnerable, exhilarating moment. I admire how models can be so in touch with themselves. Raw, real, in the moment. Feeling emotion completely, stripped of everything else. To capture that moment is so beautiful and inspiring.

Makeup minimalism

We cannot see our reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see. -Taoist Proverb





I try implementing the zen, minimalistic practices in every aspect of my life, including my approach to makeup. Letting the natural beauty shine through and enhancing what is there. I mold the products I use, using my fingers to blend, add, remove and layer products as I go. I avoid a planned, step-by-step process and go with what feels right with what’s in front of me.



Life can be a reflection of this… sometimes we have to make adjustments, add, remove and work with what we have. Sometimes we’ll have to change a thing or two or even start from scratch. Sometimes we’ll have to declutter, refocus, and maybe then, underneath it all, we will see the beauty.

Canvas: Extreme smokey eye

Photo by Michael Yates.


For this dramatic, high fashion look I sheered out her foundation with a moisturizer (to let her lovely freckles show through!), blocked out her brows and used a matte black eyeshadow.

Tip:

When you’re using that much eyeshadow, it can get messy. Put moisturizer underneath the eyes and wipe it away after you’re finished. It’ll grab the fall-out and hydrate the undereye with moisture.


A few products I recommend: NARS Sheer Glow foundation, Khiel’s Ultra Face Moisturizer, L’Oreal Voluminous mascara, Make Up For Ever eyeshadow.


Strip the face: Brows

One of my favorite looks is the “no brow look.” You can really manipulate the face by removing such a distinguished feature.



My favorite model: Lara Stone


Can you guess who this is? (Adriana Lima!)


I decided to try this look out on myself. It is really easy to do and makes such a great blank canvas to mold and create any look. Here are two great Youtube tutorials that I watched: How to Conceal Eyebrows With A Glue Stick, Concealing Brows Using Gluestick.



I used a glue stick, Shu Uemura Face Architect foundation 345, Joe Blasco Neutralizer 2 and a powder.

Also see:
60s Doll
Green eyes and peachy cheeks

Canvas: Plum wine lips


Hair & Makeup by me. Photo by Sade Williams


Pale skin with lightly enhanced eyes and a bright pop of dramatic color on the lips is such a fun look.

To get this look: I used Face Atelier Ultra Foundation in shade #1, Chanel Eyeshadow Quad in Dunes on her lids and lined with Stila Kajal Liner in Onyx. For her lipcolor you can use Yves Saint Laurent Lipstick in 7 Le Fuschia to get a similar look.


Resisting self


One of my favorite books that influenced me and moved me toward a dramatic positive shift is a book called “Working on Yourself Doesn’t Work” by Ariel and Shya Kane.

 

I am so grateful they wrote this amazing book (they have other books that I’ve also read that are thoroughly amazing as well). It is about being in the moment and fully being in the present. You can only feel what you are feeling at that very moment. You can only feel one complete emotion at this very point in time. Once you let it complete itself, it will dissolve. Why is it that happiness seems to last a short while whereas sadness, anger or anxiety linger on?

Happiness is so fleeting because we accept it; we embrace it. Sadness stays because we deny it, we hide it, we fight it.Do we ever push away happiness? No. But how often do we push away sadness? The more you push, the more you get stuck.

Anything you resist persists and grows stronger.

With makeup we cover what we don’t like; what we consider flaws. We change what we want perceived by others. Makeup is only temporary. Sure, we can use it to camouflage and cover up but ultimately who we are is who we are left with. For it to be used to pretend we’re someone we’re not or to hide from ourselves only intensifies and builds on those feelings we resist. At the end of the day makeup washes off and you are left with your true, stripped, beautifulsense of self.

What things in your life do you notice you resist? Don’t let those things you resist define you.

 

Also see:
Decluttering your friends
Don’t multi-task

 

60′s Doll



One of my favorite eras is the 60′s. The lashes, fun eye makeup and matte skin. I made my look more modern by adding pink lips and highlighted skin.


I created this look with one eyeshadow (MAC “Carbon”, a matte black) and a pointed eyeshadow brush. I highlighted underneath my eyes, browbone, cheekbones, chin, down my nose and above the lip (Smashbox Softlights “Smashing Halo”). Bright pink lips (NYX Lipliner “Pinky”, MAC Lipstick “Lovelorn”) and of course, lashes on top and bottom!


Also used: Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation 6.5, MAC Blush Emote, L’Oreal True Match Powder C7, NARS Blush Desire

Also see:
Green eyes and peachy cheeks
Strip the face: Brows