Celebrity Sunday Spotlight - Lauren Conrad Allure Shoot!

Happy Spring everyone!

Hope you're finally beginning to enjoy some warmer weather like I am! So has anyone seen Lauren Conrad on this month's cover of Allure? Absolutely in love! She looks amazing, leaving her signature sweet, simple cat eye look for an edgier 60's inspired style (my favorite!).

 Her skin is fresh and dewy, but not overly contoured, just perfectly bronzed, which can be achieved by applying your bronzer where the sun would naturally hit you - your cheekbones, forehead, temples, and nose. It's a great go-to look for summer. Her brows are nice and full, but kept really clean and precise. The eyes are definitely the statement of the look, thickly lined on both the top and bottom of the eye. Using a black kohl liner and smudging it out really helps for this type of look as it gives that smoky effect. A thick line was also drawn just below her crease and then blended out with a grey cream shadow. Of course a smoky 60s look would not be complete without the lashes! Lauren wore full strip lashes to add thickness and drama. On her lips she just wore a blush-nude color, keeping it soft and subtle. The look is pulled together by Lauren's voluminous, softly curled retro hair.

Loving it! Definitely a fun look to do for a night out ;)
xxx, JM

PRO KIT PRODUCT FAVORITES: Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray!

Happy new year all my lovely beauty lovers and welcome back!
Now that the holiday craze is over and winter is in full swing here in New York (can you say "polar vortex"?), I've been thinking about some fun new ideas to share here on the blog. Although one of my favorite things is testing out new beauty products, I definitely have my tried and true main favorites, both in my personal collection and my professional makeup artist kit. I'm excited to start sharing them with you!

My first favorite I'd like to talk about is something I use on every single client, and is a must in my kit! It's the Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray.

 

Generally when someone hires a makeup artist, whether it be for a special event such as a wedding or a long photo shoot under hot lights, they're looking for the makeup to not only look good, but to LAST. Now, there are definitely other steps I do to ensure a long lasting application, but I always use this spray as my finishing touch. It works on all skin types and really helps makeup stay in place for hours on end both in hot and humid or cold and windy conditions. The product claims to "keep your makeup gorgeously just-applied for up to 16 hours without melting, cracking, fading or settling into fine lines". Sounds good to me!

I especially love using this on brides and bridal parties as weddings need the most long lasting makeup you can get! Especially for summer weddings, when everyone fears the dreaded makeup meltdown, this has certainly saved the day.

Have you tried All Nighter or have another setting spray you love?
Do share! ;)


Have a beautiful week!
xo
JM

Holiday Makeup Favorites - Colored Eye Liner!

Happy December my beauties! It's my favorite time of year again, not only for the decorations, the non-stop Christmas music, the foods, the gift-giving, and the excitement this warm and cozy month brings, but for the glamour (and glitter!) that come along with the holidays.

However, if you're the type of girl who's squeamish around eye shadow, runs from any type of glitter, and would never even attempt a red lip, you might be wondering how to turn your makeup look up a notch when it comes time for those annual holiday get togethers and new years parties this year.

Colored eyeliner is something I love to use all year round, but especially around the holidays. Purples, teals, and deep blues are my favorites and are an easy way to play up your eyes and liven up your look without being overly dramatic. In fact, I love pairing a very natural eye and lip with a pop of color on the lower lash and water line, as Jessica Biel recently did at the Museum of Modern Art 2013 Film Benefit. She looked stunning, and I just loved how the pairing of the turquoise liner and the chunky gold necklace just seemed to make her hazel eyes sparkle.

You can also switch it up and use colored liner on your top lash line or even extend it out into a wing for a more dramatic cat eye, as seen on the runways this fall.

Thinking about trying this look out? One of my favorite colored eyeliners, the NYX Slide On Glide On Definitely A Turn On Waterproof Extreme Shine Eye Liner in Azure, is a perfect match (and stays on all day!). They come in a variety of colors, so have fun experimenting this season!

Stay tuned for more holiday favorites this December! ;)
xxx
JM

MAKEUP NEWS! Fashion meets makeup! Top designers hit the beauty scene

If you've stopped into a Sephora lately or been keeping up with your fashion news, you probably already know about some new designer makeup collections that recently launched this Fall! Fashion heads Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, and Jason Wu are branching out from the fashion world with their own beauty lines, just as Dior, Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent have done before. Now makeup and fashion connoisseurs alike can have access to a "designer label" at a more affordable price point. Whether or not women are buying more clothes in our economy today, they never seem to stray from the beauty scene.

High end makeup just seems to quench that thirst for something luxurious, especially when it has the designer name to back it up. It's true, applying your lipstick with that gorgeous gold YSL tube can make any day feel just a little more special.


Marc Jacobs can be found at Sephora, select Marc Jacobs stores,
Sephora.com and marcjacobsbeauty.com
Products range from $18-$78

So what's so unique about these new collections?

Marc Jacobs created his 122 piece line with Sephora, featuring lipsticks, eye shadow palettes, mascara, foundations, nail polishes, brushes and more. He named many of the shades after film titles and characters, hoping to help make the collection more relatable and personal. I got a sneak peak at some of the palettes in Sephora and they're absolutely gorgeous! It looks like a really fun line.

Michael Kors can be found at Macy's, Michael Kors shops,
macys.com and michaelkors.com
Products range from $18 to $95

Michael Kors, one of my favorite designers, developed products for face, lips and nails with Estee Lauder as well as a fragrance. He emphasizes a bronzed, natural look in his collection with lots of neutrals as well as some pops of color, definitely complementary to his signature "relaxed jet setter" vibe in the clothing line. He divided the line into three categories: Sporty, Sexy, Glam.
Sounds like it has a little something for everyone!

Jason Wu's 15 piece line for Lancôme includes eyeliner, mascara, eye shadows, nail polish and more. "It's always been such an important part of my shows, and I felt like this was a really natural progression for me," Wu says of creating a makeup line. The collection carries some beautiful shades from Wu's recent shows, including the stunning indigo color in the Violet Streak palette used to create the violet cat eye on models in his fall runway show (a popular trend!).



Jason Wu can be found at Nordstrom, Bergdorf Goodman
and Nordstrom.com
Products range from $18 to $51

I'm definitely looking forward to trying out some goodies from these new lines.
Perfect timing for the holidays! ;)

 

 

Have you tried any items from these new collections yet?

 

xxx

JM

 

 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Happy Halloween my beauties! Thought I'd celebrate with a little "throwback" to one of my favorite movies this time of year - Hocus Pocus! Although the Sanderson sisters came back after three hundred years to steal the lives of the children of Salem (spooky!), the insatiable witches still seem to win us over not only by their charming comedic performance, but by their fantastic makeup (why, hello SJP!).

Of the three witches, the most interesting transformation is of Winnie Sanderson, played by Bette Midler. While Sarah Sanderson's (Sarah Jessica Parker) brows are quite strong and bushy, Winnie's brows are virtually non-existent. With her rosy cheeks and buck-toothed smirk, Winnie Sanderson's cartoonish features stand her out as "head witch in charge".

What a great group costume idea!

 

Have a very happy and bewitching Halloween! ;)

 

xxx

JM

HALLOWEEN MAKEUP - A scary/sexy twist!

It's about that time to start getting in the Halloween spirit, which means thinking about some costume ideas! I hate to admit it, but even with my interest in unusual makeup and special effects lately, I generally tend to shy away from very scary looks on myself, being the "girly girl" that I am...not to say I don't love my go-to "vampy witch" or "sultry vampire" (which I do!). However, it's always fun to step out of the box a bit.

I came across this look which gives a creepy twist to the glamour goddess herself, Marilyn Monroe. Half skull and half beauty icon, it's definitely the best of both worlds and a great option if you're looking to be "scary sexy", as I like to call it. Not sure if I'll be doing the full zombie attire any time too soon ;)

Have any interesting Halloween makeup looks you're thinking of trying out?

 

xxx

JM

Celebrity Sunday Spotlight - Selena Gomez!

Going a bit darker in everything, from eye looks and lipsticks to even nail and hair color, is something that I feel just happens naturally once the seasons change and the cooler weather is upon us. Fall and winter makeup steers away from the light, fresh sun kissed looks of summer and delves into the sultry, vampy colors that make this season so fun.

Dark lips are one of my favorite fall trends, as Selena Gomez showed us at Versace's Spring 2014 Fashion show this past Milan Fashion Week. Going for an edgier look, Selena paired her dark berry wine lips with a winged out smoky eye, proving you don't have to choose one or the other! Her "barely there" blush is very subtle, allowing her lips and eyes to be the spotlight.

Want to try out a dark lip for yourself? Some great lipstick colors include MAC's Rebel, Milani's Black Cherry, and Covergirl Lip Perfection Lip Color in Euphoria. Don't forget to line your lips when wearing a deeper color! The NYX lip liner in Plum works well with all three ;)




Have a beautiful week!
xxx
JM