This is the
time when most people are getting ready for family functions but I'm usually looking for the beauty spreads from all of the Fall magazine issues that 
I've worked on. This year I was able to work on 2 spreads, so I was elated. I not only did the makeup design but I also did the creative direction so I was able to have a little more control over the over all theme of the shoot.
For one spread I wanted the look to be wearable for the everyday person not just for the photo shoot, but I still wanted to include an evening look to it since most people are doing special dinners with family and business colleagues. So I used the rich red on the lips but kept the eyes to a minimum by using browns and soft grey. For one of the other looks I created more color on the eyes with shades of green and deep brown, but kept the
lips more neutral with a shimmer based beige. All of the looks were definitely wearable no matter what age or what skin tone.
For the second beauty spread I wanted to go all out sexy! Winter is the time when everyone is snuggling up isn't it? So I used a variety of colors for this spread but I made sure the looks weren't too made up to keep them very approachable. No one wants to think you are sexy and then wonder who you are when the makeup is washed off the next day. Right?!
For this beauty spread I did 3 different looks. The first was also the classic red lip and I used Sorme for this look but I really made the skin pop by adding some highlights to the cheeks after I added the blush. Red lips were the Fall staple this year so I had to include it but I think glowing skin is always seductive so it was the perfect element for the spread.
For
the second look I did a complete look of beige and browns with MUD cosmetics. The sexiness of neutrals is perfect for the shy person who is waiting to just unleash. It's not too abrasive, yet it still grabs you hard!
I did smoky eyes for the last look. Typical hugh? Well....you can't do sexy without adding some smoke right?! Instead of the usual heavy smokey eye I decided to be a little more structured by keeping the rest of the lid really simple and rimming the eyes in black liner and softly smoking it so the color stayed by the lash line. I used makeup by the Julie Hewett collections.
Beauty Questions
Beauty
question: "I have very sleepy eyes. In fact, I'm always told that I look tired or sleepy. Is there anything I can do to make my eyes look more awake or larger?"- from Kim in Indiana.
Answer: To make eyes look more awake avoid lining the top and the bottom of the eye in the same color. Line the top eye in a rich dark color like charcoal or black and line the bottom eye with a sofer shade like taupe or sable. Then line the inner rim with a white or off-white to make eyes appear more awake.
On days you are truly tired avoid shades that have red in them like burgundy if you are trying to look more awake because the red undertones will highlight any red in your eyes and make you look sleepier. Instead use shades that have a cooler tone to it like the blue in the Neutrogena Nourishing Eyeshadow Quads Blue Smoke. It will make the white in your eyes appear brighter.
Beauty question: "I am 49 yrs old, and have thinning hair on top. What are the best products to use to get more volume/thickness and lift?" from Eileen in Illinois.
Answer: There are a lot of hair care lines with volumizing products that can make your hair appear thick and fuller but there are few lines that actually stimulate and restore your hair but Lanadil can.
They have a complete system of shampoo, conditioner and serum to make it easier to get your hair back and their 30 day money back guarantee it makes easy to try it.
Beauty question: "I have big pores, and acne. My skin is dry when I put coverup on. Do you have any tips on what kind of foundation is good and long lasting, and how to apply."- from Alaa in Illinois.
Answer: The first thing you should do is start with proper skin care like a moisturizer. Cover up doesn't make your skin dry....lack of moisture makes skin dry. So even though you have acne you should still apply a water based moisturizer to balance your skin.
I suggest a moisturizer that will also help to minimize your pores like DFF Wrinkle Plus Pore Minimizer Moisturizing Serum. It hydrates and exfoliates to make skin look younger and pores look more refined so they will look smaller.
Oil-free cream to powder foundations or silicone based foundations are great to use when you are trying to get the coverage that you need and make skin appear more smooth. Stick with a matte finish instead of a dewey or satin finishes to keep skin from appearing greasy.
Foundation Application tips:
To make foundation appear as natural as possible start with a primer to help make product last longer and spread better. Then apply foundation with the center of the face and blend outward towards the edges with a thin layer of foundation. This will give your skin an even look.
For ares that need additional coverage like blemishs, apply concealer on top by patting. Remember....don't rub! Rubbing just thins out the effect of the concealer then you won't be able to ...well...conceal your areas.
Make sure the concealer is also the same color as your skin, instead of lighter, since you are applying it on TOP of your foundation. If you are using a cream to powder foundation, feel free to pat on the same foundation over areas that need additional coverage instead of using concealer. Usually cream to powder products have a lot of pigment, so they are able to give a bit more coverage if you need it.
This application will give you the coverage that you need without making skin look heavy and mask like. After you have all of your imperfections corrected, then finish with a light dust of powder all over to set it. Take a makeup sponge or velour puff and press powder into skin, then dust the excess powder off your face with a clean powder brush. If you are using a cream to powder then just skip this step.
Now your skin looks even and you are ready for color!
Next month will be more beauty answers so keep sending me those questions!
MY FAVORITE THINGS
My favorite thing this month is the Fig body cream from The Soap and Paper Factory. It slides smoothly on your skin like butter. My knees and elbows especially get really dry this time of year so I really wanted something that would soothe it without making it feel greasy. This did the trick!...and the yummy smell didn't hurt either!
time when most people are getting ready for family functions but I'm usually looking for the beauty spreads from all of the Fall magazine issues that 
I've worked on. This year I was able to work on 2 spreads, so I was elated. I not only did the makeup design but I also did the creative direction so I was able to have a little more control over the over all theme of the shoot.For one spread I wanted the look to be wearable for the everyday person not just for the photo shoot, but I still wanted to include an evening look to it since most people are doing special dinners with family and business colleagues. So I used the rich red on the lips but kept the eyes to a minimum by using browns and soft grey. For one of the other looks I created more color on the eyes with shades of green and deep brown, but kept the
lips more neutral with a shimmer based beige. All of the looks were definitely wearable no matter what age or what skin tone.For the second beauty spread I wanted to go all out sexy! Winter is the time when everyone is snuggling up isn't it? So I used a variety of colors for this spread but I made sure the looks weren't too made up to keep them very approachable. No one wants to think you are sexy and then wonder who you are when the makeup is washed off the next day. Right?!
For this beauty spread I did 3 different looks. The first was also the classic red lip and I used Sorme for this look but I really made the skin pop by adding some highlights to the cheeks after I added the blush. Red lips were the Fall staple this year so I had to include it but I think glowing skin is always seductive so it was the perfect element for the spread.For
the second look I did a complete look of beige and browns with MUD cosmetics. The sexiness of neutrals is perfect for the shy person who is waiting to just unleash. It's not too abrasive, yet it still grabs you hard!I did smoky eyes for the last look. Typical hugh? Well....you can't do sexy without adding some smoke right?! Instead of the usual heavy smokey eye I decided to be a little more structured by keeping the rest of the lid really simple and rimming the eyes in black liner and softly smoking it so the color stayed by the lash line. I used makeup by the Julie Hewett collections.
Beauty Questions
Beauty
question: "I have very sleepy eyes. In fact, I'm always told that I look tired or sleepy. Is there anything I can do to make my eyes look more awake or larger?"- from Kim in Indiana.Answer: To make eyes look more awake avoid lining the top and the bottom of the eye in the same color. Line the top eye in a rich dark color like charcoal or black and line the bottom eye with a sofer shade like taupe or sable. Then line the inner rim with a white or off-white to make eyes appear more awake.
On days you are truly tired avoid shades that have red in them like burgundy if you are trying to look more awake because the red undertones will highlight any red in your eyes and make you look sleepier. Instead use shades that have a cooler tone to it like the blue in the Neutrogena Nourishing Eyeshadow Quads Blue Smoke. It will make the white in your eyes appear brighter.
Beauty question: "I am 49 yrs old, and have thinning hair on top. What are the best products to use to get more volume/thickness and lift?" from Eileen in Illinois.Answer: There are a lot of hair care lines with volumizing products that can make your hair appear thick and fuller but there are few lines that actually stimulate and restore your hair but Lanadil can.
They have a complete system of shampoo, conditioner and serum to make it easier to get your hair back and their 30 day money back guarantee it makes easy to try it.
Beauty question: "I have big pores, and acne. My skin is dry when I put coverup on. Do you have any tips on what kind of foundation is good and long lasting, and how to apply."- from Alaa in Illinois.Answer: The first thing you should do is start with proper skin care like a moisturizer. Cover up doesn't make your skin dry....lack of moisture makes skin dry. So even though you have acne you should still apply a water based moisturizer to balance your skin.
I suggest a moisturizer that will also help to minimize your pores like DFF Wrinkle Plus Pore Minimizer Moisturizing Serum. It hydrates and exfoliates to make skin look younger and pores look more refined so they will look smaller.
Oil-free cream to powder foundations or silicone based foundations are great to use when you are trying to get the coverage that you need and make skin appear more smooth. Stick with a matte finish instead of a dewey or satin finishes to keep skin from appearing greasy.
Foundation Application tips:
To make foundation appear as natural as possible start with a primer to help make product last longer and spread better. Then apply foundation with the center of the face and blend outward towards the edges with a thin layer of foundation. This will give your skin an even look.
For ares that need additional coverage like blemishs, apply concealer on top by patting. Remember....don't rub! Rubbing just thins out the effect of the concealer then you won't be able to ...well...conceal your areas.
Make sure the concealer is also the same color as your skin, instead of lighter, since you are applying it on TOP of your foundation. If you are using a cream to powder foundation, feel free to pat on the same foundation over areas that need additional coverage instead of using concealer. Usually cream to powder products have a lot of pigment, so they are able to give a bit more coverage if you need it.
This application will give you the coverage that you need without making skin look heavy and mask like. After you have all of your imperfections corrected, then finish with a light dust of powder all over to set it. Take a makeup sponge or velour puff and press powder into skin, then dust the excess powder off your face with a clean powder brush. If you are using a cream to powder then just skip this step.
Now your skin looks even and you are ready for color!
Next month will be more beauty answers so keep sending me those questions!
MY FAVORITE THINGSMy favorite thing this month is the Fig body cream from The Soap and Paper Factory. It slides smoothly on your skin like butter. My knees and elbows especially get really dry this time of year so I really wanted something that would soothe it without making it feel greasy. This did the trick!...and the yummy smell didn't hurt either!
