Wedding Makeup

My day with the genius that is Tracey Rappaport.

I had the privilege of following my friend, fellow makeup artist, and blog co-contributor Tracey around last week while she did the bridal party's makeup for my dear friend Heather's wedding.

Right away I was learning new things.  Nothing excites me more.  Here are some highlights and must-haves for your kit:

Foundation

Tracey started with Marie.  Marie doesn't need makeup.  Something about putting makeup on people like her makes the task more challenging and exciting; she has naturally strong, beautiful features that you don't want to overwhelm or distract from with spackle, but you do want to be able to deliver that fresh, finished look. The hardest thing to do in makeup is to create the illusion that you're not wearing any.  Take it from someone who has learned the hard way!

Marie!

I looked over at Marie and immediately noticed how dewy her skin looked.  As you know by now, I love a dewy finish!  Tracey introduced me to this phenomenal new foundation palette that is made specifically for HD cameras - Cinema Secrets 5-in-1 Pro Palette ($28, Amazon.com).  This was our best friend in front of the camera.

Source: Amazon.com

One of the bonuses about this palette is that it can multitask as a tool for contouring.  I watched Tracey use the darker shades to contour under our cheekbones with a foundation brush.  Brilliant!

Brows

Tracey blew me away next with the drugstore favorite Brow Fix by Milani ($10, Amazon.com).  I couldn't believe the texture and potency of this stuff  - I love when a little bit goes a long way. This palette is foolproof  - the purpose of each color is spelled out for you, literally.  You can even apply with the adorable little tools that come with it.

Source: Amazon.com

Blush

The best blush I've come across so far, especially for a wedding, goes to Lorac's Soul.  This is sold out on Lorac's website (which goes to show you how spectacular it is) and I can't find it on any other trustworthy sites online - if you find it, please leave a comment!  Anyway, Soul is a magical harmony of bronzer and blush.  It's so easy to misuse bronzer as blush and blush as bronzer. While I am a fan of finding new uses for things, this is generally not one of them. Miraculously, Soul makes it work.

Wallah! A perfect wedding look.  #nofilter

A very, very special thank you to Tracey for letting me annoy her all day for the purposes of this blog. Can't wait to do it again!

Another special thank you to Heather for letting me make a few minutes in her special day about me.

To book an appointment with Tracey, click here.
To check out Tracey's website, click here.

On Trend: Floral

I am loving the floral trend right now!  I've always been a fan of floral, but this season I'm seeing a lot of dark, edgy patterns and silhouettes that transition seamlessly from day to night.  Yesterday (on my daily lunch break trip to T.J. Maxx across the street), I gave in to the trend and picked up these beauties for a whopping $20 USD!  Talk about a #fabfind!

Bathroom selfie! 

How awesome are these pants?  They pull on, which means they are super comfortable - so much so that I could wear them to bed.  I don't know about you, but I can't get anything done at work if I'm uncomfortable, especially when I'm confined to my cube all day.  Oh, and they have pockets, which I can never get enough of - even my wedding dress had pockets!

The fabric has a black background juxtaposed against a beautiful, sort of romantic white rose pattern, which cranks the alpha of this risk-reward calculation up a notch in my opinion.  Most of the florals I've seen this season combine dark, rich, typical fall colors; while beautiful, I'm always looking for something unique. To everyone that says I can't wear white after Labor Day, I say, "Watch me!"  

Adventures in Portland, Oregon

We spent a couple of days this week in beautiful Portland, Oregon and the Hood River Valley. Without a doubt, one of the most beautiful places I have ever been and one of the best weekends of my life.

Whenever we travel to a new place, I spend so much time scouring the internet and sites like Trip Advisor and Yelp to try to plan out our days.  Unfortunately for me, I can do all the planning in the world and still completely strike out.  Luckily, we spent our days with two of our best friends who doubled as tour guides, Jim and Allie.  

Here is Portland in 500 words:

NW 23rd Street

We took the Trimet into Providence Park.  Walked a couple of blocks and ended up on NW 21st, which is basically the equivalent of Newbury St. in Boston.  There is a good proportion of shopping to bars, which was great for me and Jeremy because, when he got sick of shopping, we would pop into a bar and try one of the microbrews on tap (Oregon is all about the microbrew).   

Some highlights:

• Platform. Cute, unique and affordable little place (equipped with sofas for Jeremy).  I got a necklace that has been dubbed my "Portland necklace" for $20.00.
• McMenamins Rams Head. Jeremy and I shared a flight.  Jeremy described the decor as "country meets Alice in Wonderland" and I couldn't agree more.  
• Goorin Bros. Hat Shop. Such a cool store with an even cooler staff.  Jeremy and I both bought a hat and got a free shot of delicious rum! How's that for a marketing mix?
• Salt & Straw. Ice cream shop with unusual, but fresh and delicious flavors.  
• Huckleberry Pub. We shared a flight of their beers on tap and ordered a burger and their mac and cheese.  Amazing.

Forest Park

From NW 23rd you can walk through Forest Park (wear your walking shoes) to the Royal Rosarian Garden.  If you love roses like me, you'll have a field day here.  

Portland Japanese Garden

Keep walking and soon you'll be at the Portland Japanese Garden.  There is a $10 admission fee here, but it is well worth it.  When we saw "garden," we thought blossoms and color.  How naive of us. This garden is all about experiencing a sense of peace and tranquility on another level.  

Hood River Valley

If you're in the area and the weather permits, do not skip this.  We spent an entire day vineyard-hopping and each view was better than the last.  We hit Marchesi Vineyards, Wy'East Vineyards, and The Gorge White House (we saved the best for last).  Gorge White House knows exactly what they're doing: they have wine and hard cider tastings, a food cart, flower and berry picking, and sacred views of Mt. Hood and St. Helen's all in one place.  We were there in the late afternoon and had the privilege of watching the sun set.  Good food, good drink, good company - I'm not sure it gets much better.  Oh, wait a minute - it's dog friendly! Here's Grover (a.k.a. Grovie, a.k.a. G baby):

We topped off the day in Downtown Hood River, with a visit to Double Mountain.  We were informed beforehand that we would be having the best pizza we'll ever have in our lives, and they weren't lying.  We enjoyed their seasonal specialty pizza - the Heirloom tomato pizza - and the salami pie.  They also brew their own beer - try the Kolsch!

Night Life

• Stormbreaker. Yet another microbrewery with good food and a cool ambiance.  You eat at picnic tables here; sometimes with complete strangers and it's all good! 
• Prost! Cool pub. That's all you need to know!

I can't end this post without mentioning how stupidly happy we all were this weekend.  I don't think I ever stopped smiling, even when I was nursing a hangover (thanks to a great night at Prost! and drinking beer out of a boot).   Special thanks to Jim, Allie, and Grovie for their hospitality - can't wait to visit again soon!

Brows. Brows. Brows!

Your eyebrows.

If you were to only read one post in this blog, this would be the post.  That is how important your eyebrows are to your beauty regimen.  The brows are the only facial feature that equates to symmetry. Facial symmetry (or lack thereof) is what the human eye perceives as attractive (or not).  Once again, it's science.  Don't fight it - embrace it!

No one has two eyebrows that are shaped exactly the same.  One thing I was told that really drives the point home is that "your brows are sisters, not twins."   That is why God created eyebrow pencils and powders!

I must say that out of all of the products I have used, I keep coming back to Wet 'n Wild's Color Icon liner and brow pencil in taupe.

What's fabulous:

• Taupe is a universal shade.  Wahoo!  One less decision for you to make.
• The pencil gives you the control that a powder or mousse might not.
• The texture is divine.
• It's yours for a whopping $0.69.
• The pencil should last you three to six months (if it doesn't, you're doing it wrong). Which means you can get a year supply for the same price as a Dunkin' Donuts iced coffee.

What's not:

• Sadly, this pencil doesn't come with a brush to tame your brows.  For this price, you can buy 10 brushes and still be spending less than you would be for some other fancy brow pencils.
• Wet 'n Wild is a pain to find these days!  I can typically find it at Walgreen's.  If you're not as fortunate, you can always buy it online.

Technique:

The general rule when it comes to filling in your eyebrows is to use short, light-handed strokes to mimic the look of natural hairs.  This is where I come in as there are no rules when it comes to makeup.  I agree with the short stroke technique for beginners because it gives you a chance to get comfortable using a pencil and to get to know the shape of your brows.  Once you feel confident, I think it's perfectly fine to ditch those wimpy strokes!  Start at the inner edges above your nose and define the shape.  Trace the lower arch first - I like to drag this line out a little further than my natural brow while following the same curve.  Then trace the the upper arch and fill in between the lines as needed!

Symmetry equates to beauty.  Make it your mantra.  Now go get gorge!

Giving Thanks

This post is for my family and friends that have reached out to congratulate, encourage, and share the love of this blog with me.  Even though this is only the very beginning of my blogging journey, I feel the need to thank you and let you know that I owe any success of this blog to you.

Success?  What success?  The fact that this blog exists and that I have (sort of) overcome my fear of sharing my opinion with the world is success enough for me.  The fact that a few people like it and a couple hundred have clicked on it is an added bonus.

I need to thank my sisters Lauren, Kristen, and Nicole for being my biggest cheerleaders.  Thank you for making me feel as though I am an authority of some sort, even though I'm the baby and I don't have any authority whatsoever in our family hierarchy.  Thank you for faithfully sharing my posts and reminding me that you're proud of me and you believe in me.  It's easy to lose sight of those things even though they are the most important.

Thank you to my friends, old and new.  To those who knew that this blog is a real representation of who I am and to those who are pleasantly surprised that this side of me exists.  Your response has been overwhelming and motivating beyond belief.

And to my husband Jeremy, who has absolutely no interest whatsoever in the things I have been blogging about as of late, yet continues to read, share, and support this thing. You are my best friend (I'm not just saying that because you're my husband - there is no one I would rather watch movies, veg out, and giggle with) and I love you.

Maybe this is premature or maybe this is too late - I don't know, and I don't care.  My timing with these things has historically sucked.  What matters is that my gratitude and appreciation exist in time and space and this post will live in the infinity that we know and love as the Internet.

With that, lets get gorgeous!

Power Products Series. Part II.

Eye Shadow "Primer."

Ever notice when putting on eye shadow that the color that ends up on your eye looks nothing like the color on your palette? Me too.  The reason behind this is simple: the color of your skin is added to the color of the eye shadow.  It's science.  In my case, I have fair skin with pink undertones.  The skin around the eye is so thin and delicate that you can also see veins, so factor some blue and purple into this equation.  So, say I want to apply a beige eye shadow.  What color will I get?  Beige (shadow) + pink (skin undertone) + blue/purple (veins) = not beige.

The solution?  Some will tell you to buy a good primer.  I will tell you to buy a M.A.C. Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Soft Ochre ($21, maccosmetics.com).  This little pot of gold will act as your concealer, your primer, and your base shadow.

To prove my point, I've taken Urban Decay's "Foxy," which is a matte sort of vanilla color ($18, Sephora.com).    It's a gorgeous color in the container.  Out of the container and blended onto my bare skin, though - now that's a different story.  Mixing it with my skin tone takes away from the integrity of the color, which is a sin!  I owe it to my Urban Decay eye shadow to provide it with a platform to be the best it can be and do what it's supposed to do (make me look awake, not old).  I owe it some Soft Ochre.

Don't see the difference?  I'm limited here by the pixels in my iPhone camera.  Look closer or just take my word for it!

What's fabulous:

• Multipurpose concealer, primer, and color in one.
• This pot will last you a year.  I'm not kidding!
• Twenty-three shades to boot.
• So easy to apply - no tools needed!  Just use your finger.  If you want to get fancy, use a concealer brush.

What's not:

• Nothing, really.  I will use this opportunity, though, to disclose that this stuff dries fast and once it does, your look isn't going anywhere.  Make sure you have a plan for color before you apply; otherwise, have some makeup remover handy.

Technique: 

Apply all over the lid where you intend to apply color.  Try applying a shimmer like MAC's Naked Lunch ($16, maccosmetics.com) below the brow and watch that shimmer come to life!  

Stay hungry.  Stay foolish.  Stay beautiful.

Power Products Series. Part I.

BB Cream.

So you're looking for hard-working products that do what they say they're going to do? Perfect!  You've come to the right place because that is precisely what this series is all about.  Why should you spend hundreds of dollars finding products that work when I already have?

While the rest of the world has moved on to CC and DD creams, I'm still reveling over beauty balm.  Ever since it's inception circa 2011, I have been obsessed.  I love all things makeup - I love applying makeup, I love wearing makeup, I love playing with makeup.  One thing I don't love is the fact that I have zero time to spend getting ready in the morning before work and unfortunately this means I have mere minutes to spend painting my face.  That's where BB cream comes in.  It's fast, it's low-maintenance, and it's life-changing.

I have tried many BB creams, from the least expensive to the most luxurious.  For me, this is an investment category, meaning you get what you pay for and, therefore, you better pay up.    With that, I present to you: Dior Hydra Life BB Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 30 ($56, Sephora.com).  

Dior - I love you, I love you, I love you!  You changed my life.

What's fabulous:

• Full coverage.
• Fool-proof application.
• SPF 30.  I love it when SPF is built in - one less step for me!  
• Unmatched dewy finish.  Trust me - nothing makes you look more fresh and awake than a dewy finish.  Learn to manage it to avoid looking greasy.
• Lasts forever.  This one 1.7 fl oz bottle typically lasts me six months.  Lets do some math just for fun: 6 months * 30 days per month = 180 days. $56 per bottle / 180 days = about $0.30 a day to get gorgeous! Now that's a bargain!

What's not:

• I suppose I have to list price point, but come on - this is Dior.  Haute couture, not ready-to-wear.
• Only three shades available. Sigh.

Technique: 

You can use a brush to apply, but I don't.  Two squirts in the palm of your hand, rub together and apply. Yes, it's that easy!  Please, please, please do us all a favor and remember to blend onto your neck, decollete, and - here's a trick - your earlobes. Nobody needs to know that you're wearing makeup.

And there you go! You can thank me later.