Friday, February 27, 2009

Highlights

As promised, I have a sparkly new post about some cosmetics items that I recently tried out and loved.
I know finding new and exciting makeup probably isn't the most difficult thing in the world for me...but finding products that make my life easier on set truly is. And one of those little goodies is Sugar Cosmetics Sweet Cheeks Baked Blush in Cupcake.

Not only is it a lovely pinky-plum color, perfect for a lightly flushed look, it has a silvery pink highlighter on the left side that is a perfect color for light to medium skin tones. It's actually a very close match in color to Benefit's High Beam only in a powder version. So, having a great blush color AND highlighter in one cute compact that fits in the palm of my hand...makes life easier, check!

Second on the list is actually an eye shadow color. Lancome's Color Design Shadow in "Mannequin" This is a gorgeous coppery beige-y slightly shimmery (but not glittery) shadow that is perfect for the lid color when creating either a subtle smoky eye or even for a not so natural neutral eye. My new favorite for medium-dark skintones. *Love!*
Lastly, the mascara brush thats easiest for me to use on models lashes that I have tried to date has to be Rimmel London's Lash MAXX mascara. It's a little comb that's not too thick and allows me to get right to the base of the lashes and get a nice full look. It cuts my time in half for doing lashes when compared to those horrific disposable brushes. While it takes a littel time to clean, it's sooo worth it for me.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

On Set

So lately I have been doing more and more commercials. On average, it comes out to about one per week (and I am SO not complaining!). Once the hair and makeup is done, there is quite a bit of downtime in between powdering a shiny nose or fixing that rogue hair. Because of the massive amounts of downtime, I took a tip from one of my fellow artist friends and started taking "behind the scene" shots. Here are a few from the past couple of commercials for Superior Grocery Stores.


And what are some of the products that make my life a little easier on set?
Cinema Secrets Light Touch Powder in Soft Custard. A universally flattering shade for anyone, this super soft powder soaks up any oil and gives a matte, almost airbrushed apperance.


Graftobian Setting Spray. After the initial makeup look is completed, I spray a fine mist of this all over the face so the makeup doesn't smear or smudge and helps to prevent the talent from sweating their makeup off. Definitely makes my life easier!

I'll actually be shooting another commercial Thursday so if anything out of the ordinary happens, I will definitely post it here. Tomorrow I will review some new makeup finds :)

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

A shoot with Allie

A few weeks back when it was still nice and sunny here in L.A., Courtney and I did a shoot with Allie Sims. She's a really sweet girl and was loads of fun to work with. What made the shoot even better was the fact that we got to choose wardrobe from a clothing designer just down the hall from Courtney's studio.

We picked out some lovely feminine dresses, and to compliment the wardrobe I created a look that was soft and delicate, yet sexy at the same time.

I first lightly curled and set Allie's hair. Once the curls cooled and I brushed them out, I sprayed a mist of shine gloss to bring out her highlights.

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As a foundation (literally) I used my beloved Make Up For Ever HD foundation
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For the eyes, I choose to create a smokey eye using a peachy-gold pearl paint from my beloved YABY palette Photobucket

false lashes and a lightly smudged line on the top and bottom lids with Rimmel London Kohl Kajal Liner in Sable *love these liners!*
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For Allie's lovely brows I couldn't use anything else but my trusty YABY brow powder
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And Bourjois' Sourcil Animation in Brun *I have these in every color*
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To Give Allie's cheeks a healthy glow, I opted to use Tarte's Cheek Stain in Tipsy
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To top off the look I wanted a flirty pink pout and reached for my much loved Face Atlier Lip Glaze in Flamingo *seriously some of the best lip gloss I have tried*
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As always, whenever I get to play with my makeup I have a great time and even more so when when it's my favorite all-girl team :)

Friday, February 13, 2009

Product Love

I recently did a fun test shoot with one of my favorite photographers (who also happens to be a good friend) Courtney Dailey. It was a really quick and laid back shoot and I got to test out a couple of new products and and re-discovered an old favorite.



For this look my main focus was on the skin and lip and I am now *in love* with NARS lipstick in Captiva
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I also used Make Up Forever 's Shine On Compact Powder to give the skin a nice glow
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For this look, I wanted a smoldering and smoky eye. I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to try out my new Urban Decay Potion Primer in Sin. My thoughts? Wow! It is the same Primer Potion we have come to love, now with a nice shimmery champagne color base to work with. *swoon*

One of the things I abhor about working with loose pigments is the fallout. (Well, with my shadow shields that's not much of an issue anymore but I hate carrying those pesky pigments around!) so using something that eliminates a step is a huge plus in my book.

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I also have to just comment on how much I love my Make Up For Ever eyeshadow in #004 (matte black). It is just a rich, deep, highly pigmented matte black. *love*

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For those who know me, I am a huge brow person. I adore brows. So I just have to mention that my favorite brow powders ever are made by YABY cosmetics (thank you for creating such an awesome product / line Liz!) and I used bp004 for Mariel's brows
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The shoot also reunited me with an old flame. I fell back in love with what is now a permanent fixture in my kit, NARS lipgloss in Chelsea Girls. How did I ever stop using it? I guess paring down my kit to the very basics has brought out only the best in my vast cosmetic inventory :)
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*phew* so those are the newest additions/loves of my kit. I wonder what fabulous new product(s) will catch my wandering eye next...

Thursday, February 12, 2009

New Beginnings


So I finally got around to creating a separate blog entirely dedicated to my freelancing as well as throwing in reviews, rants and raves about beauty products, fashion and general pop culture that relates to beauty somehow for good measure. I know I'm late to the whole blogging game but it's ok...better late than never, right?

Fun news! The latest issue of Coco Eco Magazine is out. I am fortunate enough to have not only done the cover, but an editorial as well.

On this particular shoot I had the chance to work with the lovely Summer Rayne Oakes. Being the very green and environmentally aware model that she is, Summer has just released a new book entitled "Style, Naturally: The Savvy Shopping Guide to Sustainable Fashion and Beauty". Very exciting news and I wish her all the best :)

Without further ado, here are the pretty pictures. This was shot by the fabulous Courtney Dailey on-location in the beautiful Hollywood Hills.




Makeup: Rebecca Liceaga
Hair: Brian Bowman
Styling: Robin Garvick