How To Use Two Shades Of Eye Liner For Brighter Eyes

I am thankful for eyeliner.  Why? Because it immediately makes ones lash line look fuller, no matter what color you use.  For those of you who think that you can't wear two colors of eye liner together in one look, think again.  It can actually be a very wearable combination if you pick the right shade combination to make your eyes appear bigger and more noticeable. 

 {My AFTER, with black liner on top, brown liner on bottom.}

{My BEFORE, no eye liner.}

TIP : If you love the look of eyeliner on both lash lines, but feel the same color looks too harsh, try using a darker color onTOP and a lighter shade on the BOTTOM.

I chose to go more neutral (black and light brown) with my color choice duo. My two liners used are,  L'Oreal Infallible eye liner in carbon black ($8) and Avon Glimmersticks waterproof liner in copper ($7).  I also used Cover Girl Lash Blast Volume mascara in two colors as well, black mascara on top and a brown mascara on the lower lashes.

 {1. Just shadow and one coat of mascara applied.}

 {2.  Get your liners as close to lash line as possible. 

Flick liner up slightly up at the end on upper lash line.}

3.  In between the black and brown liners and additional mascara coats, add a white or flesh colored liner along the lower waterline for whiter eyes, like Stila's kajal liner in "topaz" ($18).

4.  After applying the brown along on the lower lash line, use your pinky finger to smudge it underneath to make it appear soft and more natural.

{5.  Finish with black mascara shade on upper lashes, 

then matching brown mascara on lower.}

{Ta Da! Wearable liner all around!}

You don't have to just stick with neutrals like black and brown to make this idea work.  This concept of wearing a darker liner on top with a lighter color on the lower works for any color scheme:

~ Use a navy blue on top with a light grey on bottom, or 

~ A forest green liner on top with a taupe liner underneath, or

~  try a deep charcoal on top with a lavender liner on bottom.

The color combos are endless and very wearable!! 

Would you try wearing two colors of eye liner in one look??  

Battle Of The Celebrity Skin Care Lines

The older I get, the more I obsess over my skin and how it is changing.  And by change, it's not in a good way.  It's getting duller by the day, pores are getting bigger, fine lines are becoming deep lines, and smoothness has been replaced by rough.  It's not pretty.  My bathroom counter top is covered in skin creams and treatments, however none seem to truly make a significant difference.  So in my search for the perfect skin care line, I've been reading up on three celebrity designed and endorsed lines that have peaked my interest.

{Salma Hayek Pinault, age 45, via}

Salma Hayek's skin care line, Nuance, which was inspired by her grandmother, is designed to help every woman enhance the nuance's that define her individual beauty.

*The skincare part of this line has moisturizers, serums and treatments, plus cleansers available.*

In addition to skin care, Nuance also offers cosmetics, body care, and hair care products.  After reading Salma's article in Lucky Magazine's May issue, I was very intrigued by some things she brought up about her line and personal skin care experience. No, she's never done Botox (really?? in Hollywood?!), and she spent her childhood "swimming" in face creams and potions alongside her grandmother who created them for family members.  She apparently was 96 years old with NO wrinkles.  I need to drive to CVS where this line is sold right now and maybe start applying my face creams 4-5 times a day as opposed to twice!!

{Cindy Crawford, age 46, via}

Meaningful Beauty by Cindy Crawford is tauted as a complete European anti-aging system.  When I first read about this, I didn't quite understand what Europeans had to do with anything. But then I read more into her story of creating this line, and her personal secret to defying the aging process has been anti-aging specialist, Dr. Jean-Louis Sebagh.  And he is French- so there you go:)

*This line is purchased as a complete system comprised of 5 products, as opposed to separate products you buy.*

I actually like this idea because I usually get confused as to how many products or what types to use at once.  Cindy has been using his youth enhancing treatments for over 15 years, so she's the perfect spokesperson, because you don't get much more radiant than this ultimate supermodel.

{Christie Brinkley, age 58, via}

Christie Brinkley Skincare  is an easy line to remember because it's just her name + skincare.  Simple brand recognition huh?  Her line of only two products is derived from all natural, vegan, and paraben free ingredients, obviously no animal testing, and all of the packing is environmentally conscious.

*There is a daytime treatment and a night time one, pretty cut and dry. *

She's using her many years in the beauty industry of working with dermatologists, makeup artists, and nutritionists to help her design the perfect line to deliver skin care products that work.  Another amazing celeb endorsement by a woman who seems to have found the fountain of youth and is using it to her advantage.

Disclaimer!! I have yet to personally use any of these products, so I have no opinions on any of them at the moment.  But I do have a CVS nearby, and I'm really tempted to go buy one of Salma's products to see for myself.  I will just have to make some room on my bathroom counter for yet another anti-aging product...

How important is a celebrity endorsed skin care product to you and does it sway you one way or the other to try it?  Have you used any of these three ladies products before?  If so, what was your experience like?

Memorial Weekend Inspired Beauty

It has been a busy Memorial weekend so far filled with three weddings I've done makeup for, cookouts with friends, and getting ready for some pool time and relaxation tomorrow!  We can all thank the brave men and women of our U.S. armed forces for the ability to have a 3 day weekend to enjoy.

{Patriotic pin up girl sunbathing in thigh highs and white pumps. Why not right?!}

In honor of celebrating Memorial Day, which used to be known as "Decoration Day," here are a few  things I'd love to have to have to decorate myself with!

I've heard this "Cruella" matte pencil from Nars is one of the best scarlet colored reds around and would certainly give a cool pin up vibe like the image above!  I love espadrilles, and this white version from Seychelles that wraps around the ankle would be perfect with tan legs once I get a little sun during my beach time.  And since I'm headed to the beach very soon, I'm really wanting to treat myself to a royal blue swimsuit.  Of course I can't afford this Miu Miu one at $245, but it sure is fun eye candy to look at.

I love the colors red, white, and blue.  It's very Americana and I'm proud of this color combo.

Happy Memorial Day to all of you!!  

Are "Violent Lips" Temporary Lip Tattoos Wearable For A Mommy Like Me?

I pride myself in my "mommy with a makeup problem" motto, to provide you all with approachable and realistic makeup looks, techniques, and products.  I'm not into special effects makeup transformations where I apply prosthetic noses and 4 layers of false lashes to turn myself into a sexy alien creature.  I leave that to other makeup bloggers.  However, rules are made to be broken sometimes, and I couldn't resist trying a sample of the printed temporary lip tattoos, Violent Lips, yesterday and sharing it with you.  

 {My sample of Violent Lips. A pack of 3 are usually $14.95}

I received this sample in my goody bag from my visit to the Sassy City Chicks Bash in Atlanta, and let it sit there for a couple weeks until I decided to give these crazy looking things I try.  I was going to a playdate that afternoon with my kids to a really good friends house, so I figured what the heck, if they turn out cool, I wouldn't feel so weird keeping them on and showing the printed look off!

 {My application process tells you to open up and say "ahhhh" in order to fit them!}

Their website and YouTube has all sorts of videos showing you how to apply these things, so I didn't bother with making one for this.  Mainly because, it took me forever to get the right size cut out and I have really thin lips so the templates are hilariously large for my tiny mouth!  And once I got the first lower lip done, I knew, this was not something I was going to be able to pull off at my playdate!!

 {Finished product.}

Obviously, I didn't get the template cut exactly correct because there was a little folding around the edges.  I've applied enough temporary tattoos in my life having 2 small sons, so I had figured I would be an expert when applying these things...Not so much.  

But I will give Violent Lips the benefit of the doubt, that if I were to try these a few more times, I'm sure I'd get the hang of it with how wide to open my mouth, cutting, and then being still enough to apply the water to get it to adhere.  Now would I actually buy these printed things to wear out in public (not a carnival or for Halloween), no.  My four year old, came in after I had applied them and was completely intrigued though! He thought they looked really cool...of course he did.

{He wanted us to make a "funny face."}

{Aren't these things funny enough??}

I would certainly never be able to pull these printed tattoos off in public, but I will say this, once it was on, it was super hard to get off. Which is great when it comes to a lip color right?!  I had to scrub scrub with my eye makeup remover to get it off.  I wish my normal tubes of lipstick would have this kind of staying power!

Their site does offer a few solid colors, so maybe that would be more of the way to go for this mommy who wears more approachable looks.  The two toned lip look I did awhile back, is about as adventurous as I get when towing the line between wearable and crazy looking! The Violent Lips website is super fun though, and each print has a real person shown wearing them, which I got completely sidetracked looking through!  I mean, they've been able to make patriotic and animal prints for your mouth- kind of amazing!  So did I sport these things to my playdate...no:)

Have you tried Violent Lips or would you?  If so, did you go print or safer with a solid color?  

How To Protect Your Hair Color From Fading This Summer

It's always drilled into our heads by the media, tv, and magazines, to slap on the SPF so that our face and body doesn't get burned by the sun.  But very rarely do we get reminded to protect our locks!  Now that I've been paying to get my hair professionally dyed, the last thing I want to do is flush all that money down the drain from letting my hair color bake and fade in the suns rays!

 {Davines Protective Moisturizing Sun Creme, $17.}

Since we are heading to the beach in less than two weeks, I asked my stylist what to do about protecting my new rich brown hair color to keep it from ruining in the sun, salt, and chlorine. As much as I like the ease of wearing hats while on the beach, I don't always want to keep my new cut and color covered up!  So she suggested this Davines protective sunscreen with argan oil for me to put on my dry hair. 

 {It's a lightweight cream that comes out of a pump. Non greasy!}

Since it has argan oil in it and smells so lovely, I've started using this daily to protect my hair.  It's super lightweight and actually gives my hair a pretty shine.  It even helps tame fly aways and static electricity, which I get all the time for some weird reason?!  

{My locks after applying my hair sunscreen.}

I've been coloring my hair for a looong time, since I was in high school (even though it was usually just out of a box).  But it is just this year, that I've realized I probably could have prolonged that color by protecting it with hair-screen!  Better late than never to figure that out I guess!  As much as I'm outdoors with my kids and running errands daily, my head is constantly exposed, which  means my color is getting beat down by the sun!  At least now I have a new way to protect that pricey dye job.

I looked to find a current percentage of  how many women dye their hair, and only found an answer done with a survey by Clairol from 2008 (old, I know!), that said 75% of American women dye their hair.  That's a bunch. I'm gonna bet 4 years later, that number has increased!  So there's lots of us who should be protecting our beloved fake hair color!!

Do you color your hair?  If so, do you protect it with a hair sunscreen?  Have you ever even thought about it?

How To Get Julianne Hough's Makeup Look From The 2012 Billboard Music Awards

The best part about awards shows are not actually who gets what award, but who looks the best walking the red carpet.  Who really remembers who won Best Video at the Grammy's in 2000?? Probably not many of us. But we ALL remember Jennifer Lopez's green Versace dress cut down to there along with her date P. Diddy!!  Well luckily for Julianne Hough, she had one of the most memorable and prettiest makeup looks of the night at the 2012 Billboard Music Awards in my opinion.

{Julianne on the red carpet via.}

When I saw her, I thought, this would be a simple and approachable look any one could pull off.  And y'all know how much I like approachable makeup looks! It actually takes very few products and techniques to create. She and I are complete polar opposites in many ways - her ridiculous body, sparkling blue eyes, and blonde mane, but despite all those things, I can still rock out her color palette just as easily...Ha!!  

{JennySue in my bathroom on white bath mats.}

Products used:

• Eyes - Too Faced Shadow Insurance eye primer, matte ivory shadow, Urban Decay Naked Palette, black eye liner, Stila kajal liner in "topaz," black mascara.
• Skin & Cheeks - L'Oreal True Match foundation in N2 (this is for my skin tone, not hers!), matte bronzer, Sonia Kashuk blush in "flamingo."
• Lips - L'Oreal Infallible lip gloss in "bloom." 

 {Eye closeup.}

{My 6 year old pointing out your 1st two colors to apply!}

Eyes first.  Cover your whole eye lid with your lid primer followed by your matte ivory or cream shadow as well from lash line to brow.  Next, take a small shadow brush and mix together "virgin" and "sin" (both champagne type shimmers) from the Naked palette and apply from lash line to crease and in the tear duct area.

{Your 2nd two colors to use.}

Next take the color "smog"(bronze) and work just in the crease area in a sideways V shape like I showed in this V tutorial.  Connect it from lash line to the crease.  Then, mix both "smog" and "half baked" (a gold shadow) together, and with a small fine tipped brush, sweep along the complete lower lash line.

{Last shade to use for eyes.}

End by adding black eye liner starting just from the center of the upper lash line towards the outside of the eye with a slightly winged look.  Add color "creep" (a soft black with shimmer) along that liner to smudge it and pull it out to follow on top of the liner.  Line the inner waterline of the lower lash line with the Stila "topaz" liner to make whites of eyes appear water.  Finish with two coats of black mascara on upper and lower lash line. 

 {Light pink is key for getting matching cheeks and lips.}

Skin and Cheeks next.  I used my L'Oreal foundation all over then applied my bronzer around the perimeter of my face and in the hair line.  Don't use in the center of the face or tzone as it makes you look too muddy for this look.  Use the "flamingo" blush in small circles right on the apples of the cheeks for that youthful fresh faced look!

Last but not least, Lips!  This is the simple part- just sweep on a coat or two of this L'Oreal Infallible gloss in "bloom" (sheer true pink with a hint of shimmer in it) to get a pretty understated lip.  Lip liner would be too fussy!

How easy was that??  A look I'm sure Ryan Seacrest would be impressed by.

Who was your favorite face at the Billboard Music Awards this year?

I Made The Pages Of Allure Magazine

There are very few moments in life that would cause me have an inner high pitched scream of excitement!  But this weekend I had one of those moments when I ripped off the celophane from my June issue of a magazine I've been a subscriber to for 10+ years.   I am still pinching myself that my  tiny head shot is printed inside the pages of one of the most highly respected fashion and beauty magazines out there...Allure Magazine!!!!  Whaatt??!

{Is this an excited face or what?!}

Now of course it would be cool if they had actually written an article on yours truly or hired me to do makeup for their cover model or an inside editorial shoot, but alas, one can't be too greedy.  So, I'll take them just publishing my little ole tweet and profile picture...

{Page 34 at the bottom to be exact ladies and gentlemen.}

This might not seem like a super big deal to some, but to me, Allure Magazine is like the Bible for beauty and style fanatics.  I believe and trust pretty much everything they print.  So for them to reach out to me to see if it was "okay" for them to publish one of my tweets in their magazine, well, OF COURSE IT WAS!!  Honestly, if it weren't for Twitter, someone at the this highly regarded magazine would never even known about a mommy with a makeup problem in Georgia.  Thank goodness for the wonderful world of social media!  I have never been included in any sort of magazine before in my life, but now it's been two months in a row, last April in Atlanta Magazine and now Allure Magazine.  I'm seriously pinching myself and have been honored by everything.  This type of publicity is priceless for a working makeup artist and mom like myself!  

In addition to the magazine love, I just have to share some recent pictures of two beautiful ladies I have had the pleasure of working with.  My makeup business IS one of the main reasons I started this blog you know!!  The first picture is of my friend and bride, Bailey, whose makeup I did the day I got my magazine in the mail - hence the same hat and shirt look:)  Bailey went for a retro 1940's vibe with the wavy hair, red lips, and thick lash line combo.  

 {Her lip look is a combo of :
 Palladio lip ink in "rose," MAC "lady danger," and L'Oreal Infallible gloss in "fiery."

This second photo is of a singer/songwriter I worked with a few months ago, Bobbi J. Wilson, who is putting out her very first album soon and I just got some of the shots from our work together.  We went for an old school Hollywood glam look, think Sophia Loren, again really focusing on the eyes and lash line with winged liner and sculpted cheekbones.  This is just one of many beautiful shots taken from which her album cover will be chosen.  I love the use of black and white photography - it really sets the mood for her look.

{Photo courtesy of Jason Thrasher Photography.}

It's faces like these that I get the opportunity to work with, that make my job feel so un-job like!  I get to work with the neatest people and on the coolest projects, and do it all with a makeup brush!!  This is my chance to thank all of my past clients for allowing me the opportunity to work with them.  So thank you thank you to you all - every single one of you has a special place in my heart.

Guest Blogger :: Emily Loftiss of LoftissSays.com

Every once in awhile, I get approached by another fellow blogger (bonus - fellow southern belle!) who I just thank my lucky social media stars for!  I am proud to share a fun entertainment post done by the fabulous Emily Loftiss of LoftissSays.com who is from the South, has been a real life Radio City Rockette (gah, I would DIE to have been one!), and now calls the big city of NYC home.  

Today she is sharing with us her most recent brush with a celebrity filled event held in New York hosted by the Robin Hood Foundation. It's fun living vicariously through people like Emily and her blog, while also seeing the great things Hollywood can do with their celebrity status and pocketbooks!  Check this out - take it away Emily!

"Loftiss Says "Robin Hood Foundation + Rihanna?!?!"

One of the best things about living in New York City is having the opportunity to attend incredible events.  Like I've always said, I've very passionate about many things: Dance, the color orange, great bronzer, animals, and giving time and energy to charities. I had the extreme honor to attend the Robin Hood Foundation Event on Monday.  

{Holla! Can't wait to see Rihanna!}

My darling friend Jasmin, whom I've known since college days at Bama, now works for this organization and reached out to me with a ticket.  The Robin Hood Foundation mission: To fight poverty in NYC.  It was a star studded event with everyone from Martha Stewart, Tiki Barber,The Roots, Jimmy Fallon, Kate Upton, Tyra Banks, Michael J Fox, Deepak Chopra, Chelsea Clinton to many many more. 

{My dates!  Amber & Janine}

At the end of the night the organization raised $60 million!!!!! Then to make the night even more of a success there was a private concert by Rihanna. Yes...this happend. And I was there.

{Jas being very professional and important. Obviously- she has a headset.}

{Rihanna sporting an egyptian makeup look and ensemble!}

You can catch a glimpse of Rihanna's performance and creative makeup job in this video clip from the evening here.

{Having an absolute BALL!}

What an awesome night. Not only did I get to rock out to Rihanna but this night raised around $60 million to fight poverty in NYC. Again, I am honored to be a Southern Belle turned New Yorker. I left with my heart being happy because not only did we dance the night away but we made a difference in the world. Thank you Robin Hood Foundation for everything you do! (link Robin Hood Foundation- www.robinhood.org)

Big thanks to Emily for sharing such a fun and entertaining post!  Y'all definitely need to check out her blog as it's full of other celeb filled events she has attended, plus beauty and style posts galore. 

You might also enjoy:

Loftiss says "Fashion, Beauty & Charity" 

Loftiss says "My Fabulous Event with Henri Bendel" (Hometown fave post she hosted right here in Georgia!)
Loftiss says "Victoria Secret Fashion Show: On & Off the Runway" 

  About Emily!!!

Emily is a Former Southern Belle, Radio City Rockette, Pageant Queen, Professional Dancer, Model turned TV Host, Fashionista, Image Consultant, Beauty Fashion Expert, Spokesperson who loves her life!!!!! To learn more about her go to:www.emilyloftiss.com and visit her blog: www.loftisssays.com. Emily is always here to fill you on what's hot in Fashion, Beauty and everything happening in New York and in the world of Entertainment! Come visit! xoxo, Loftiss


Keep Up With Emily Everywhere!!


                 

You're Never Fully Dressed Without...

We just purchased and watched the 1982 movie/musical, Annie, with our kids last night. The hubby and I both remember enjoying this movie over and over again when we were kids with all of the singing and dancing.  But little did I remember what great one liners and messages this feel good movie had in it!

Here are two of my favorite lines that Annie and I want you to remember during your day today...

{Annie and dog Sandy with their smiles!}

"You're never fully dressed without a SMILE!" 

"It's what you wear from ear to ear, and NOT from head to toe that matters!"

And if you're having a rough day and things just aren't going your way, you can also remember...

"The sun will come out tomorrow. Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow, they'll be SUN!"

Besides the singing and dancing, I had forgotten how extremely hilarious Carol Burnett's character was as the evil drunk orphan owner, Miss Hannigan!  And Bernadette Peters was actually kind of glamorous in her own sleezy way with her crazy bleached blonde curls and china doll face.  If you haven't seen this 30 year old film, you should.  The songs will get stuck in your head and you'll be cheering for little orphan Annie the whole way through the movie.  You'll also find yourself fantasizing about living in Daddy Warbucks mansion like I did when I was a kid.  Hey, I'd take that house today too!!

Have you seen the original film, Annie?? What was your favorite thing about it- singing, dancing, message, wardrobe, or the actors?  

Multi Levels Of Celebrity Makeup

I find it very interesting in Hollywood what levels of makeup certain stars are comfortable with on the red carpet.  Here's a look at a few famous faces and various levels of makeup generally worn by each.  

The MIMIMALIST:

{Tilda Swinton via}

{Giselle Bundchen via}

The MODERATE: 

{Halle Berry via}

{Jennifer Aniston via}

The MAXIMUM: 

{Katy Perry via}

{Kim Kardashian}

Of course these are all generalizations and my personal opinion.  I know each one of these ladies probably ramps it up more at times or plays it down at other times, but this is how I would personally categorize their makeup levels from what I've seen of each on TV and in the magazines.  If I had Giselle's cheekbones and lips, I'd probably not bother with as much makeup either!!
Wait...no, applying makeup is too much fun for me to go au natural!! Ha!!

And just for fun, here's a makeup look that I'm not even sure how to categorize.  Gonna leave this one up to you to describe...

{Lynn Yaeger via.} 

{Fashion contributor and writer for Vogue...hmmm.}

What level of makeup and celebrity look is your favorite?  What category do you fall into on a daily basis?

*Confession - mine is always moderate during the week and sometimes maximum on the weekends!  Rarely do I fit into the minimum category:)*