Fire your photographer

If this is the head shot you choose to go with (implying, in my mind, that this is the BEST photo of the photo shoot), then please fire your photographer and also your makeup artist.

A GOOD photographer should have been able to come up with 3/4 profile or even full profile poses, like these, which minimize the paralyzed side of her face and emphasize the other side:

• http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-73682080/stock-photo-woman-face-with-beautiful-makeup.html?src=p-8034115-2 
•  http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-8034115/stock-photo-beautiful-woman-face-side-view.html
• http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?lang=en&search_source=search_form&version=llv1&anyorall=all&safesearch=1&searchterm=woman+side+view&search_group=#id=88260271&src=QNWFm18-hNN4rrxZ_ROkQQ-4-49
• http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?lang=en&search_source=search_form&version=llv1&anyorall=all&safesearch=1&searchterm=woman+side+view&search_group=#id=50664190&src=QNWFm18-hNN4rrxZ_ROkQQ-5-72

Dressing in the dark

Poor Emma Watson!  For the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards, she dressed in the dark and did her hair in the dark!

Check out her tragic look in the fourth picture of this slideshow, as she poses with equally tragic Ezra Miller.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/06/showbiz/gallery/mtv-video-music-awards-2012/index.html?hpt=en_t1

10 minute evening look

Classic Smoky Eye

For a classic smoky eye look:

1. Highlight just the brow bone using a soft, shimmery beige such as Spun Silk.
2. Apply midtone (a shade slightly darker than your skin tone) starting from the base of the lashline, across the lid, and up to the brow bone.  So pick a neutral that is a bit darker than your skin.  Put on two layers of midtone if you want a deeper/darker look.
3. Blend the two colors together well.
4. Apply your dark shade (your contour shade.  Pick one: Black Pearl, Coal, Copper Glow, Ivy Garden, Midnight Star, or  Sweet Plum.) Start at the base of the lash line and work your way up to the crease of the eye...and then blend it out.
5. Use black eye liner across top lashes.
6. Apply a black shadow (Coal) directly over the top of the pencil liner you just put on and start to pull up with the color to smudge it out.  Add a little more Coal into the outside corners of the eyes. Blend, blend, blend.
7. Apply midtone shade again, right against the base of the bottom lash line.
8. Apply contour shade over the top of the midtone shade that you just applied at the base of the bottom lash line.
9. Use two coats of black mascara.

5-minute face

Poetic Eyes

Makeup Artist Robert Jones calls this look the Poetic Eye.  By having a very soft eye, you can have a bold red lip.

How to get this look:

Step-by Step Poetic Eyes

1. Conceal your eyelid with concealer and set it with powder.

2. Using an Eye Definer Brush, place a creme shimmer shadow (Mary Kay Beach Blonde) on your eyelid from lashline to where the crease of the eye begins. This will make the eye shadow much more intense and it will stay on much longer. Now with the same brush, apply a shimmering champagne powder shadow like Mary Kay Moonstone. Remember people...it's all about layering!

3. Apply a subtle brow color to create a soft statement with the brows.

4. Using your Eye Crease Brush, apply a matte taupe shadow like Mary Kay Hazelnut in the crease, from the outside corner toward the inside corner. Using your Eye Definer Brush, apply a layer of midtone like Mary Kay Cinnabar to the outer outer third of your eyelid. Leave the lower lid completely void of color.The contrast between the shimmer and the matte is what makes the poetic eye POP. 

5. To give the look an editorial flair, skip the eyeliner and limit mascara to the top lashes only. 

6. Finish off the look with a super soft cheek using only a bronzer like Mary Kay Sandstone Bronzing Powder and then apply a matte red lipstick. 

How to clean your makeup brushes

Racing Stripe Blush

This is a classic example of applying your blush wrong and then not blending blending blending!!

See that dark red stripe that goes all the way to her hair line? ACK!!!!

Good Housekeeping mentions Mary Kay Luminous-Wear Liquid Foundation

Good Housekeeping's recent article, "Best Anti-Aging Makeup" recommends Mary Kay TimeWise Luminous-Wear Liquid Foundation.

Other wrinkle fighters are making their way into makeup, too. Among the most
promising, say some dermatologists, are peptides. "These small proteins are key
actors in collagen synthesis, and they enhance the performance of antioxidants,"
says Dr. Colbert. Speaking of antioxidants, he notes that these can also boost
the performance of your makeup: "They act like molecular garbage collectors,
absorbing the toxic byproducts of skin's ordinary functions that otherwise
accumulate and damage cells." Try Mary Kay Timewise Luminous-Wear Liquid
Foundation ($20)

Contact me if you want to try it yourself!

Mary Kay on Tyra Banks show 2008

Fall for Fashion Sweepstakes

Let's face it. Life happens, and sometimes it's almost impossible to feel pretty. So, here's an invitation for you! Take time out and go to your pretty place. Better yet, rescue your friends by hosting a party with a purpose. Give yourself and them a reason to escape the everyday and focus on looking fabulous. They'll love you for it! And you'll get the VIP treatment with FREE stuff and more.

Free product! Getting together with the girls! Sound like fun? Contact me to plan your party now.

Sign up to host a party for a chance to win the Mary Kay® Fall for Fashion Sweepstakes!

One Grand Prize winner will be selected at the end of the month to win $1,000 worth of Mary Kay® products of her choice sent directly to her and a $5,000 shopping spree with a personal shopping consultation to find the season’s fashion must-haves.

Every week one First Prize winner takes home $500 worth of Mary Kay® product of her choice sent directly to her.

250 weekly Second Prize winners will take home an exclusive Mary Kay® Buzz Kit full of Mary Kay® product samplers sent directly to them.

Hurry! Only hostesses who sign up to host a party can enter to win in September. Contact me in September to host a party and enter to win! Click here for complete official rules.

Mary Kay colors that mimic Luna Twilight compacts

MTV has pictures of the compacts of the Luna Twilight colors that are due in September. What you see in the compact: upper left is lip gloss; upper right is lip stick. Middle row are two eyeshadow shades. The big square in the bottom is blush.

Can't wait till September? Use these equivalent Mary Kay products NOW!

The Bella Color Palette is “soft and subtle with nude shadows, warm nude blush, nude lipstick and the sheerest cherry red gloss.” To convert this look and get it right away, try:
Mary Kay NouriShine Lipgloss in Coral Rose OR
Mary Kay NouriShine Lipgloss in Sweet Raisin
Mary Kay Creme Lipstick in Apricot Glaze
Mary Kay Mineral Eye Color in Sweet Pink and
Silky Caramel
Mary Kay Mineral Cheek Color in Shy Blush

Here's what these Mary Kay items could look like:

Alice is themed “eclectic and spunky with shimmering blue and silver shadows, rosy blush and sheer hot pink lips.” To convert this look to Mary Kay products and get it right away, try:
Mary Kay NouriShine Lipgloss in Pink Diamonds
Mary Kay Tinted Lipbalm SPF 15 in Rose
Mary Kay Mineral Eye Color in Blue Metal and
Granite
Mary Kay Mineral Cheek Color in Strawberry Cream

Here's what these Mary Kay items could look like:

Rosalie is “regal and refined with peach toned shadows, a coral blush and apricot lipsticks and gloss.” To convert this look to Mary Kay products and get it right away, try:
Mary Kay NouriShine Lipgloss in Melon Sorbet
Mary Kay Creme Lipstick in Pink Satin
Mary Kay Mineral Eye Color in Precious Pink and
Spun Silk
Mary Kay Mineral Cheek Color in Sparkling Cider

Here's what these Mary Kay items could look like:

The edgier Victoria is “bold and fiery with shimmering jewel-toned shadows and deep wine colored lipstick and gloss.” To convert this look to Mary Kay products and get it right away, try:
Mary Kay NouriShine Lipgloss in Berry Sparkle
Mary Kay Creme Lipstick in Raisinberry
Mary Kay Mineral Eye Color in Dusty Lilac and
Raisin
Mary Kay Mineral Cheek Color in Cherry Blossom

Here's what these Mary Kay items could look like:

Go here for Bella's natural looking school day makeup look.

Go here to get Bella's makeup look on the cover of Entertainment Weekly!

Salute Beauty Sweepstakes

Enter Daily in the Salute Beauty Sweepstakes for a chance to win a Trip for two to Hawaii, brought to you by Mary Kay and Lifetime!

One grand prize winner will win a trip for two to Hawaii, $5,000, plus fabulous Mary Kay products and Lifetime merchandise.
A six-night/seven-day Hawaii vacation for two. Prize includes:
$5,000 cash
Round-trip coach airfare for two to Oahu, Hawaii
Ground transportation
A Naupaka junior suite at the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa
Arrival dinner for two at the Naupaka Terrace
Daily meals at the resort
Final night dinner at the award-winning Azul restaurant
One Hawaiian Lomi Lomi Massage each for winner and guest
One Pineapple Body Scrub treatment each for winner and guest
One sea-water Thalasso treatment each for winner and guest
A Pearl Harbor day tour for two to see the USS Missouri and USS Arizona
A Grand Prize Beauty Prize Pack of Mary Kay® products

Daily winners will also receive Mary Kay products valued at more than $200.
A Mary Kay® Beauty Prize Pack, including:
One Vacation Getaway Set
One TimeWise® Microdermabrasion Set
One Satin Hands® Pampering Set
One Mary Kay® Compact
One Mary Kay® Mineral Eye Color Palette
One package of Eye Applicators
One Mary Kay® Eyeliner
One Mary Kay® Ultimate MascaraTM
One Mary Kay® Nourishine® Lip Gloss
Two Mary Kay® Tinted Lip Balms Sunscreen SPF 15*
One "Army Wives" Season 2 DVD

Sweepstakes ends July 5.

No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Open to permanent legal residents of the 50 states of the U.S. and D.C., 18 or older as of the date of entry. Instant Win Game ends and Grand Prize entries must be received by 11:59:59 pm (ET) on July 5, 2009. Prize restrictions apply.

Makeup shelflife

The news article linked in the title of this post has a few tips about how long you can keep an open cosmetics item before you should toss it. So, once you open an item:

• Liquid foundation: 3-6 months. (If bottle has wide mouth, toss sooner)
• Cream foundation: 4-6 months. "You'll know it's time to purchase a new bottle when the ingredients begin to settle or separate, the texture thickens or thins, or the smell changes."
• Concealer: 6-8 months.
• Powders, pressed powder, eye shadow, blush: 12 months.
• Mascara: 3 months. "Never keep it longer than that (air pushes bacteria back into the tube). Never "pump" your mascara."
• Lip gloss and lipstick: 12 months.
• Eye pencils, brow pencils and lip pencils: 12 months or more, "but you should sharpen pencils at least once a week to prevent bacteria from being transferred to your eye area. If the material dries or crumbles, replace it."
• Facial cleansers and moisturizers: 6 months
• Facial toners: 12 months.
• Natural cosmetics, 6 months ("all-natural body washes," etc.). "Among other cosmetics that are likely to have an unusually short shelf life are "all-natural" products that contain plant-derived ingredients (which are conducive to bacterial growth) or products with no preservatives."

Allure's "Bronze Goddess" look

The May "Allure" look focuses on cheeks, and keeps lips and eyes minimal.

Apply Cinnabar all over your lids, blending up to the brow. Also apply under the lower lashes (as a lash liner), and skip mascara.

Dust a bronzer over your forehead, cheeks and chin. Apply a rosy-pink blush like Pink Petals on the apples of your cheeks. (Bold Berry blush for African American model)

Finish with a lipstick that is one shade darker than your natural lip color (Shell shown here on all models).

"One Tree Hill" character-inspired looks

You'll want to be sure to tune in to The CW's "One Tree Hill" on Monday, May 4, May 11 and May 18 at 9/8 c, when key makeup artist, Tym Buacharern, shows you how to get primetime perfect with the Mary Kay® products he used to create each character-inspired look.

Urban Chic
Inspired by Brooke's uptown girl character with a high sense of fashion. See how to get the dramatic effect of a smokey eye look with liquid eyeliner and rich purple colors:
Mineral Eye Colors in Crystalline, Iris and Sweet Plum
Liquid Eyeliner in Black
Ultimate Mascara in Black
Mineral Cheek Color in Shy Blush
Lip Liner in Neutral
NouriShine Lip Gloss in Melon Sorbet




Bohemian Chic
Mix Peyton's rocker attitude with her free-spirit style. Check out how to get this version of a modern natural look with wow-worthy lash-lengthening mascara and a simple but not-so-subtle trick with Plum lip liner:
Mineral Eye Colors in Sweet Cream, Sienna, Raisin and Coal
Eyeliner in Black
Lash Lengthening Mascara in Black
Mineral Bronzing Powder in Bronze Diva
Lip Liner in Plum
Satin Lips Lip Balm

Trendy Mom
Showcase Haley's natural glow with a hint of glam, using Mary Kay beautifiers like the facial highlighting pen and mineral bronzing powder:
Facial Highlighting Pen #1
Eyesicles in Island Bronze
Mineral Eye Colors in Honey Spice and Chocolate Kiss
Eyeliner in Deep Brown
Ultimate Mascara in Black
Mineral Bronzing Powder in Desert Sun
Lip Liner in Chocolate
Creme Lipstick in Dusty Rose
NouriShine Lip Gloss in Pink Diamonds

Eye cosmetics and contact lenses

In a press release here for April’s Women’s Eye Health and Safety Awareness Month,

Prevent Blindness America advises cosmetic users of all ages to:

• Never use eye makeup testers in stores or share eye makeup with others.
• Dispose of eye cosmetics three months after purchased, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO).
• Always apply makeup outside the lash line to avoid contact with the eye.
• Never store cosmetics in extreme heat or cold conditions (such as a car), as this can break down preservatives, allowing bacteria to grow.
• Never apply makeup while driving or riding in a moving vehicle.
• Never apply eye cosmetics if eyes are already red, swollen, or if you have recently undergone eye surgery until an eye doctor has given permission.
• Never dye eyelashes or eyebrows. No color additives have been approved by the FDA for permanent dyeing or tinting of eyelashes or eyebrows.

Whether contact lenses are used for vision correction or simply to change the appearance of eye color, they should never be considered merely cosmetic. In fact, in 2005, the FDA stated that all contact lenses are considered medical devices and therefore can only be used under the direction of an eye care professional. Contact lens users should:

• Visit a licensed eye care professional to be fitted for contact lenses.
• Use pressed eye shadows in conjunction with an eye shadow base to help makeup stay in place.
• Always insert contact lenses before applying makeup and remove them before taking makeup off.
• Never share or trade contact lenses with others.
• Before handling contact lenses, wash hands with soap and water, then rinse and dry them with a lint-free towel.
• Minimize contact with water, including removing lenses before going swimming or in a hot tub.
• Contact lens cases should always be cleaned with fresh solution – not water.
• Leave the empty case open to air dry.
• Do not use cracked or damaged lens cases.
• Lens cases can be a source of contamination and infection.
• Keep the contact lens case clean and replace it regularly, at least every three months.

Spring's color trend: ocean colors

"Dip, don't drown in makeup's ocean-inspired shades" gives some tips about this quarter's ocean theme.

"Matching makeup to your clothes isn't necessary, with many beauty experts advising against it." Jewelry is an accessory to you. Makeup is an accessory to you. They need to coordinate, but they don't have to match. And don't overdo it between a busy outfit, lots of jewelry and lots of makeup. Keep it balanced.

The Mary Kay Mineral Eye Color Palette: Coastal Colors is in line with this ocean-theme color trend.

Women with blue eyes will focus on the green and brown shades, but can use a touch of the blue too. Don't put any blue shade above the crease of your eyelid though...looks too dated. Use the limited edition Tahitian Gold eye liner, not the Bahama Blue one.

Women with brown eyes will focus on the blue and green shades, again keeping the blue below the eyelid crease. Women with green or hazel eyes will focus on the blue and brown shades. All of these women can use either color of eye liner.

To finish off the look, the Coastal Colors collection has three lip gloss shades. If you're wearing a dramatic eye, be sure to pick a lip gloss that is sheer and neutral on your lips. If you have Ivory skin, you'll probably choose the pink Polynesian Petals; If you have Beige-toned skin you'll probably like the bronzy Hawaiian Sunset lipgloss; and if you have Bronze skin, you'll probably want the deeper Carribbean Coral lipgloss.

Makeup tips to look grown up

This article on MSN is about a 27-year old who was asked at a wedding reception if she was in high school. She decided she needed to update her makeup to look more like a grown up. Here are the tips that she was given:

• Start with a tinted moisturizer all over your face. Then add more coverage on any problem areas by adding a second layer of tinted moisturizer or a regular foundation.


• Apply matte bronzer (Sandstone for ivory/beige skin tones; or Bronze Diva for beige/bronze skin tones) and a peachy blush like Shy Blush to cheeks.


• Subtle smoky eyes for day: tan colors like Silky Caramel across the eyelid and white shimmer like Crystalline just under the arch of the brow.


• Turn the day look into a night look by simply adding a deeper brown like Espresso around the outer third of your lid creases and along the outside corners of your upper and lower lash lines.


• Bold berry lips using Apple Berry which works on almost everybody. With a subtle eye, you can go more bold with the lip, but never have both a bold eye and bold lip.

Result: "stronger cheekbones, fuller lips, and eyes that are Bette Davis big".

Here's the virtual makeover using these tips, for a model that looks pretty young on the left and more grown up on the right.

Kate Hudson makeup

MSN Entertainment gossip had this photo of Kate Hudson (from AP):


This is a classic dramatic eye with a soft lip. You should never have both eyes and lips be dramatic. Here's my virtual makeover recreation of Kate's look:
Eyes: highlight color: Sweet Pink; midtone: Granite; accent: Coal; thick black eyeliner; black mascara (and possibly false lashes)

Cheeks: Sparkling Cider

Lips: no lipliner; Sweet Nectar lipstick.