My makeup storage!

As a makeup artist I have a ridiculous amount of makeup... it's not as bad as some people but definitely worse than others! Haha, for a while I didn't have so much that I couldn't keep it all laid out on my makeup desk but in the blink of an eye I literally had covered my WHOLE desk with cosmetics! I didn't know what I did have or where half of what I knew I had was. Finally I decided enough is enough and made the trip to IKEA to find the perfect storage solution to my problem. I walked around for a while and found a few things that would work but all of them were free standing dressers or cubes with bins, the problem I have with those is that I don't like my makeup to be out of reach. I don't want to have to get up and walk to a dresser type set-up to get my makeup each time, I wanted it on my desk but contained enough to where it wasn't taking too much space. Finally, walking through the kids section (which I always avoid! haha, I always skip it through the little skip doorways) my mom said hey, will this work? Sitting there, hung on the wall was this frame with 6 pull drawer bins. It's meant to be hung on the wall but fits ever so perfectly on my desk! I'm in love with it, only problem is I might need one more, haha. The bins weren't so deep that stuff would get lost at the bottom but they were big enough to hold what I had (for the most part.) I will post the video below so you can kind of see my set-up and I will post the links if you want to find out about how to get this storage system!
Happy Storage!!!


Storage Bins
Storage Frame

BTW- My frame is white, not the natural wood color, also the bins can be purchased in other colors, but white worked best for me!
xoxo Daniela

Kristen Stewart Makeup Tutorial Inspiration

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Haha, I didn't purposefully find the "Krisbian" clip but I couldn't find the whole series on MTV.com and this was the only clip that OTHER sites had embedded on their sites. It's still pretty funny though. Not the best view of her makeup but funny still.
And my tutorial....

My favorite makeup look EVER!...

When it comes to makeup everyone has their favorite look. So when my sister asked me to do her makeup for a wedding I thought "aha... favorite look time!" What is my favorite look you ask?...

A grey smoky eye with a pop of color and a pink lip. Most people like to pair smoky eyes with a nude lip but I like to liven it up with a pink lip, why not right? I think smoky is very sultry and and sexy but the pink lip adds a touch of beauty and softness to an otherwise edgy look. Top it of with a flush cheek and OHMAHGAWD!!!

I DIE!

Yes, I have been watching too much Rachel Zoe Project, hehe...

Anyways, here it is, my sister in all her glory. Let me tell you, when I show people this picture they say, "who is that?" I love that she is so glammed up that no one can recognize her! I did her hair as well, it's super easy and WAY red carpet! Sort of a romantic modern retro look. I love it.

 

Michelle Williams & Ryan Gosling Cover W Magazine

I absolutely love this picture. Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling are 2 of my most favorite actors. Both have been in extremely popular movies but I love them for their more un-known roles.
 My favorite Michelle Williams move would have to be a film called "I'm not there." I'm not there is a movie about Bob Dylan's life, it's a very... confusing movie. In this movie 6 actors depict different facets of Bob Dylan's life, Michelle Williams plays Coco Rivington , a "representation of Andy Warhol 'it girl' Edie Sedgwick." I think I have never seen Michelle more beautiful in any other movie than she was in this movie.

Ryan Gosling, of course starred along side Rachel McAdams in The Notebook. We have all seen and I'm sure love this movie but my favorite Ryan Gosling movie is called "Lars and the Real Girl. In this movie Ryan plays an extremely shy and awkward man named Lars who strikes up a relationship with a doll he ordered off the internet. Basically the people of the town thinks he is crazy and delusional but go along with it because Lars is such a sweet natured, good guy. The relationship with the doll is not sexual at all, it's deeper then that, I think he is using the doll as a way to come out of his shell because before he never established a relationship with anyone in the town. I love movies where actors go outside of the box and play roles that are not expected of them. "Lars and the Real Girl" is that movie for Ryan Gosling.

Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling are starring alongside each other in a new movie called "Blue Valentine." I'm beyond excited to see 2 of my favorite actors share the big screen together. In promotion for that new movie Michelle and Ryan covered W Magazine. Pictures Below.

Paramore

Hello ladies and gents... Last night I was lucky enough to attend the Paramore concert! Actually it was the Honda Civic Tour with Kadawatha, New Found Glory, Tegan & Sara and of course Paramore. It was one of the best shows I have ever been to. I danced, screamed, sang, and basically rocked out to one (some) of the best bands ever. Now I bet you are wondering what this post has to do with beauty or fashion but actually it has everything to do with it...

To be completely honest, I don't like going to concerts. I'm always scared of being disappointed by the show and the performers and like the "luster" of who I'm seeing will be diminished if they don't live up to my "expectations." I had NONE of these fears when I bought the tickets to the Paramore show. Being somewhat of a review freak I had to get online and watch some videos of Paramore live, and let me tell you... it was the deciding factor. Not one video was bad, every single one I seen Hayley (the lead singer of Paramore) gave her all, every single show she gave 100% and I thought wow... that's amazing.

Now Hayley is not a conventional beauty. (This is where the beauty & fashion part come in) She has bright red... orange... yellow... who knows ;) hair, she is not a long legged bombshell nor does she have curves for days but she, up on that stage, was one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. Just her passion for the music, what she was doing, and her ability to be herself was amazing. She was where she wanted to be, doing what she loved to do,& wearing what made her comfortable. That to me, is a beautiful person. 

The point of this post is to encourage you to be more like Hayley. Wear what you want, put on the makeup you like, dance around, sing, laugh, be yourself even if it's not what everyone thinks is acceptable. That is what is beautiful. 

(I will upload my own pictures from the concert once I get my computer back, enjoy these for now)

About Face

For some strange reason I've just come to realize the beauty of instructional makeup books... does that make sense? Anyways, after many rave reviews from fellow bloggers, YouTube Gurus, and people that I just all around admire, I finally decided to purchase the book About Face by Scott Barnes. Scott Barnes is an AMAZING makeup artist who has worked on celebrity's such as Jennifer Lopez, (hello cover girl!) Beyonce, and Kate Hudson! Scott's specialty look is "the glow" and that is what I was hoping to learn by reading this book. His technique is amazing and one that once you learn it you think... "Why didn't I think of that?" So I skimmed through it, then went back and back some more and decided to do a sort of... first impressions type video. With basically no practice, this is what I came up with... and let me tell you, if this is just the start I can't tell you how amazing these techniques will work once given some time and practice. If you are a makeup artist, please go buy this book. Read it, learn it. 

Ashley Greene covers ASOS Magazine!

So if you haven't already seen on basically all of the (gossip) sites and blogs, Ashley Greene was recently the cover girl on ASOS Magazine. The pictures are gorgeous and the makeup is pretty darn beautiful as well. What most people don't realize though is that a lot of the makeup that you seen on the covers of magazines is really pretty attainable and easy to re-create! Case in point- Ashley Greene's cover. So, after coming home from Los Angeles I was eager to do some more tutorials and after I seen these pictures Of Ash, I knew this was the look for me! It's sultry, sexy, and great for a night out, OR you can go a little bit more light handed and it becomes a glamorous daytime look. Whichever way you decide to rock this look, I tell you how to achieve it in the video down below!
ENJOY!
xoxo Daniela

(CLICK THE 4 WAY ARROWS TO VIEW FULL SIZE!)

Glamour Magazine 5 Miracle Workers UNDER 5 Dollars!

When it comes to beauty and fashion, Glamour Magazine is the way to go! I recently purchased the June 2010 issue and inside I found an article titled 5 Miracle Workers Under 5 Dollars. If you frenquently buy makeup from places such as MAC or Sephora then you know how expensive it can be! So when I seen this article I thought Whoa! I can go buy all 5 of these items for less than 30 bucks (I've spent more than that on 1 item... shhh) and 5 "Miracle Workers" no less! So it took a little while but I finally got all these little beauties in the same place at the same time and this video is the product of that...

Rihanna Old vs. New

So I was browsing JustJared.com and came across these really OLD pictures of Rihanna... So my question is which do you prefer? Old Rihanna or NeW Rihanna?

Let me know in the comments down below!

How to get the fiercest eyebrows!

I know that I have written a post about eyebrows before but now that I have created a tutorial over it I think it's a lot more easy to follow and understand!
Products Used:
Eyes Lips Face Tweezers- Eyeslipsface.com
Tweezerman Tweezers- Sephora.com
Eyebrow shaver- Drugstores
Razor Blade (not quite sure of the name, lol)- SallyBeauty.com
Eye Brow Kit in Dark- Eyeslipsface.com
Ardell Eyebrow Pencil- SallyBeauty.com
Great Lash Clear Mascara- Drugstores

Aqua Blue Summer Look

When I do my makeup I usually stay away from any sort of color. I'm not afraid of it, I just prefer more neutral colors like tans, browns, and especially bronzes (hello Urban Decay YDK!) But recently when playing around with my makeup trying to brighten up my look for the warmer months I tried out this Aqua Blue look, and MUCH TO MY SURPRISE I got tons of compliments from my customers at work. I was very pleased but went back to my neutrals, well about 2 weeks later I wore the same look and AGAIN I got tons of compliments! Anyways, the moral of this story is colored eye shadows get noticed much more then the neutrals, and they definitely get more compliments (and I like those ;) After I came to this realization I decided to go ahead and do a tutorial over this look, not only is it great for the summer but it is insanely easy to create! Below is the list of products I used to create this look and the tutorial itself!

Products Used:

MAC Painterly Paint Pot MACCOSMETICS.COM

Sephora Jumbo Eye Pencil in Blue SEPHORA.COM

Urban Decay Eye Shadow in Sellout EBAY.COM (Book of Shadows II) or UrbanDecay.com (Single)

Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Flipside EBAY.COM (Book of Shadows II) or UrbanDecay.com (Single)

Maybelline Eyeshadow Ivy League Trio in Gold Drugstores

NYX Eyeshadow in White Pearl NYXCOSMETICS.COM or Drugstores

Maybelline Eye Studio Gel Liner in Black Drugstores

L'oreal Paris Double Extend Tubes- Primer Only Drugstores

Maybelline Colossal Volum Express in Black Drugstores

E.L.F Eyebrow Kit in Dark EyesLipsFace.com

MAC Creme Blush in Posey MACCOSMETICS.COM

NARS Blush in Orgasm SEPHORA.COM

Victoria's Secret Lip Gloss VICTORIASSECRET.COM

Deals and Steals

“If you can, you will quickly find that the greatest rate of return you will earn is on your own personal spending. Being a smart shopper is the first step to getting rich.”

- Mark Cuban

I'm am forever on a hunt for deals and steals... Sometimes I find them, other times they find me. For me it's not the product I buy but how much I saved buying it. Haha, I'm not sure if that is good or bad. It's a good thing as long as you 1. Never sacrifice quality for price and 2. Never buy just because it is on sale (which I'am guilty of quite often). BUT as long as you can stick to those 2 rules then shop away! I'm a firm believer in shopping freely as long as you search for the best price, make sure their isn't a coupon offered or some sort of discount. I do this so much so that I consider myself an expert and even wrote a speech and put together a power point presentation for my B&P communications class (that's Business & Professional for those who don't know.) Now that is hardcore! LOL :)

So today I will impart some of my shopping wisdom on you...

Designer brands at a fraction of the cost:

The 4 sites listed above are all exclusive members only sites that offer designer and luxury brands at up to %80 percent off the cost. I'm talking Juicy purses for way less then 100 bucks and those BCBG heels you been dying for wayyyy cheap! You do have to sign up for these sites to be able to shop but let me tell you, it'll be the best 60 seconds you ever spent!

Discount Codes:

If i'm shopping on line then it is not without a discount code! There are tons of places to find these little gems and we all know shopping online you need to save money to compensate for shipping costs... UNLESS you find a code for free shipping!

Some of my favorite sites to find discount codes are:

These sites make it so easy to save money, just go to the site and search whatever website you are shopping at. The site will then tell you all the codes out there and their "success rate" which means if the code worked or not when people tried to use it. One time while shopping on victoriassecret.com I got a hoodie and a perfume set for like $13.00 including shipping all because of 2 codes I found on retailmenot.com!!!

Another website I love to check out is peoplestylewatch.com. I'am a subscriber to the magazine People Style Watch and in there is a tear out page that has select websites that offer discounts (usually 20%) to People Style Watch readers. BUT you don't have to be a subscriber to take advantage of these discount! If you go onto peoplestylewatch.com and click the link that says "SHOPPING", scroll down and find the link that says "EXCLUSIVE DEALS."

There you will find about 15 to 20 different stores that are offering discounts to YOU!

Another AMAZING thing I just discovered is on one of my favorite places to shop's website...

I know that you all LOVE Forever 21!

Recently while browsing their website I discovered (at the bottom of the page BARELY noticeable) a link that said "Daily 21 Specials" this link will take you to a page that has 21 items at 20% off! The fun thing about this is that these items change daily!

So it's something new everyday!

Check out www.forever21.com to check out these specials!

Well it's about 5 am and I'am OFFICIALLY exhausted! I hope this post will help you to save money! If you know of any other great sites that I don't have listed please let me know!

Happy shopping! xoxo Daniela

Happy Mother's Day

Me, Steven James (in my lap), My Momma, Emily (in Mom's lap) Jennifer and Destiny

This is me and my mom 2 sisters niece and nephew...

We went out to eat to celebrate mother's day. This blog is just a little shout out to Mommas! My mom and my sister are 2 of the best moms I know and they taught me how to be an amazing mother as well (one day). Those ladies are 2 of the strongest and smartest women I know, and a lot of the reason I' am who I 'am today. Mother's singlehandedly shape and mold the people of the world and without them NONE of us would be here today.

Thanks!

Kristen Stewart June Elle Cover Girl!

It's no secret that I love love love Kristen Stewart! So when I seen on basically ALL the gossip sites/blogs etc. that she was on the cover of the June issue of Elle I was excited. The photos are amazing, and this one was one of my favorites! Sitting in a room that has your face plastered all over it?!?! Loves it!

The Met's Costume Institute Gala: My Favorite Look!

So after browsing through picture after picture on website after website, it was finally bellasugar.com who had pictures close up enough and high quality enough that I could actually pick a favorite look out of ALL of them! Now I don't know if it's the warm weather and the yearning for summer and swimsuits, or if this look was really just something that was so fun and suited her so well... BUT, the winner is... *drum roll please*.........

Blake Lively!

Her makeup here is so fun! She looks so bronzey and healthy, her cheeks are glowing! She couldn't have picked a more perfect blush (or atleast her makeup artist couldn't have! KUDOS to him or her!!!) The coral pink lipstick gives her the beachy vibe and that golden shimmer underneath the eyes is absolutely stunning!

Fashion Icon

When I hear the phrase FASHION ICON the first person who pops into my head is Sarah Jessica Parker. Her style is INSANE! No one, and I mean NO ONE can pull off half of the looks she does and make it look so effortless. I'm sure I am just one of many girls who watched (watches) re runs of Sex and the City just hoping some of her fashion wisdom will rub off on us. This post doesn't really have purpose except to motivate you to push the limits with your style, wear what feels good and not what you think OTHER people will approve of. The sexiest thing about a person is their individuality and confidence, so push the limits! Have fun with your clothes, just like makeup, fashion is an art form and a way to express yourself... Now... Sarah Jessica Parker...

(PLEASE CLICK ON THE PHOTO TO ENLARGE!)

(After clicking, you can click again to zoom)

All that glitters

I must admit... back in my dance team days GLITTER was a regular part of my makeup routine... as was the bright red lipstick... and the peacock blue eyeshadow, haha. But now that I'm not trying to be seen from the 50 yard line on a football field glitter is not even in my Caboodle. In fact, I always thought that wearing glitter was a little tacky... BUT then came along Ke$ha. This girl is the glitter queen! Now I wouldn't go as far as calling her "Baby Gaga" as some people do, but I will say this girl has a unique sense of style that is all her own, and I must admit, I love it, and maybe... just maybe... I will start wearing glitter again o_0

Good and Bad Makeup

The difference between good and bad makeup...

More is not always better and less is not always more, it really just depends on the person and what suits them best. Sometimes when putting on makeup, the more I put on the less I like it, makeup should bring out and emphasize your better qualities and in some cases mask and hide your not so good qualities, lol. Below I will show you some examples of the good, the bad, and the downright UGLY!

(NOTE: You can click on any of the pictures to enlarge ;)

Example number 1: Leighton Meester

I love love love Leighton Meester, she is GORG! She is one of the very lucky girls that does not need a heap of makeup to help a sista out!

Leighton is the PERFECT example that too much makeup can ruin a pretty girl's face. Normally apurple smoky eye would bring out brown eyes, and alone, I'm sure it would have had that effect, but with the added gold and the bright red lip, it is just TOO much!

For some girls the less is more motto does not always work, some ladies look amazing and downright glamorous in full on makeup, this brings us to...

Example Number 2: Kim Kardashian

Kim Kardashian is someone I admire for her ability to look completely pulled together at ALL times, whether it be at the airport, leaving the gym, or on the red carpet, homegirl is ALWAYS fierce! (and to be completely honest, I prefer Kim in a full on makeup look)

I couldn't bring myself to call the picture of her without makeup "the ugly," us girls gotta stick together and I know I look a lil scurry without makeup too! Haha

Anyways, you must admit, Kim looks amazing in a full on makeup look, but unlike Leighton, Kim knows to focus on one area at a time, meaning if she has a full eye (which is 99% of the time) then she goes for a nude lip.

Finally, there is the girl we all love to hate... the girl who looks good no matta what! She can go glamor and wear heavy makeup like Kim or she can tone it down and emphasize her natural beauty a la Leighton... Which brings us to...

Example Number 3: Kristen Stewart

Honestly, in my opinion, this girl can do no wrong! She looks good in makeup on the red carpet but she looks just as good walking around in her jeans and t shirt with no makeup at all! In fact one of my biggest complaints about New Moon was all the makeup they put on her, in Twilight her face was so natural and pretty and in New Moon you could tell they used A LOT of makeup to make her look"natural." Haha, Anyways...

Kristen Stewart's look is so versatile and she can pull off anything! The key is to know what colors look good together. Although she does a heavy eye and lip, the smoky black does not compete with the red. In addition, the sea blue/green shadow compliments the coral/pink lipstick.

I hope this helps you find the perfect look for you!

...all of the photos are courtesy of JUSTJARED.COM...

The site is amazing if you want large high quality photos for makeup and hair inspiration!!!

What I'm LOVING...

CLICK ON IMAGE TO VIEW FULL SIZE!

Quick Fixes

Have you ever just had one of those days... one of those days where nothing goes right, from work to love, and makeup to hair... Well, yesterday was one of those days! I have been sick for... going on three days now, I was off of work yesterday and like so many foolish sick people, thought going out would help me to feel better. NO. I was wrong, today I feel worse, lol, but, like I said before, I just could not get anything to go right yesterday, my hair was wrecked, I fell asleep with a towel on my head and I looked like a lion, then I put this shine spray on my hair that made it look like I didn't even bathe at all, THEN, I was trying to do my makeup, messed up my liquid eyeliner and then decided screw it and got a makeup remover wipe and just started completely over!... exhausting!

The moral of the story? This next Chapter is called "Quick Fixes"

And lo and behold, this chapter actually covers...

The Problem: Hair product overdose

The Fix: If the product is an oil based product, ie: serum, styling cream, pomade, shine spray, etc. and you over-applied onto dry hair, douse the spot with baby powder or a dry shampoo. If you have used too much hairspray or gel, the best thing to do is to zap it with blow-dryer heat. TIP: If you see smoke, don't be alarmed; it's just the product burning off.

Who woulda guessed???

There wasn't a tip on how to fix over applied liner, and I do think my hasty move to just take all my makeup off was because I was sick and fed up. A moist wipe to the lid would have been suffice.

Another cool section in this chapter?

Double Agent Quick Fixes

• Toilet paper instead of blotting paper
• Nail polish to prevent a run in your stocking
• Toothbrush as an eyebrow groomer
• Hair conditioner as shaving cream
• Match book cover as a nail file
• Brow tint to cover grays or as a root touch up
• Powder on roots of hair to absorb grease
• Hand lotion to fight frizzies

The Quick Fix chapter is full of interesting ways to solve everyday beauty dillemas such as "foundation face," clumpy mascara, and caked on concealer.

Try this at home.

Hello my lovelies... Today I'am feeling a little down, maybe not down but, stressed, stressed is a better word. Anyways. I decided to keep moving ahead and get straight into chapter 3! This chapter is called...
"Try this at home"
The introduction to this chapter made me laugh because it describes the type of person I've always wanted to be... "We've all seen her. You know the type. Her hair is never out of place-or, if it is, then it's artfully tousled just so. Her brows have that sleek arch to them. Her eye makeup is always sultry, feminine, and chic. She's Ms. Perfect. We kind of hate her, but even more than that, we want to know exactly how she does it."
I've always felt like I was never quite pulled together enough. It's always bothered me, but now as I get older (22 haha) I feel like I'm coming into my own and feeling more comfortable in my own skin. It's a great feeling and I want everyone to experience it. I think that's why I love makeup and fashion so much is because whether people want to admit it or not, when you look good you feel good!
If I had to choose one person that I really look up to and who I feel always looks put together I would choose Kim Kardashian. Her style is one I really admire and her hair and makeup are always on point!
Anyways this chapter tells different ways you can achieve "daunting beauty feats and classic makeup looks you've always wanted to try." You will learn how to wear red lipstick and keep it on, how to give yourself a salon-style blowout, how to achieve the perfect smokey eye, and the always scary, how to apply fake eyelashes! In addition to the above the book will tell you how to shape your eyebrows. This to me is the most important thing on a face. Eyebrows anchor the face and if they are groomed it will make your whole look go down the drain. The book suggests using an eyebrow stencil, but, to be honest... all of the eyebrow stencils I have ever bought were terrible and extremely hard to work with, so I use my own method which I will tell you about below...
Although shaping your eyebrows might seem really scary, the good thing about it is usually, once you do it the first time, (as long as you keep up with them) then you won't have to do it again.

What you need:
Eyebrows
Tweezers
Stick (ie-end of makeup brush, thin and long)
White eye pencil
eyebrow brush/comb
scissors (small)
First, you need to sit infront of a mirror in a well lit environment, preferrably a mirror where you can see your face up close. Basically the trick to finding your shape is playing connect the dots. What you are going to do is get your "stick" and put it on the side of your nose, keep it straight up and mark with your white eye pencil where that line falls, if you have hair outside of that line, you will need to tweeze that away (not yet) and if the hair is on the inside of that line then you may need to consider letting that hair grow back. Next get that pencil and from that same point on your nose, look straight ahead and tilt it to where it is on the outside of the colored part of your eye, (that is the arch) mark that point with your pencil. Next, from that same point on your nose tilt the pencil to where it is on the outer corner of your eye, mark that point (this is the end of your brow) Next you will connect the 3 dots drawing a line from dot 1 to dot 2 to dot 3. This will be your eye brow shape, any hair below that white line should be tweezed away. After you are done tweezing next you will get you brow brush or comb and brush your eyebrows up away from your eye, trim away excess hair. Trimming your brows is essential to getting that polished look, just be careful to not trim anything other than what is sticking above your eyebrows.
Good luck, you're gonna love your new brows!!!
(Sorry there are no pictures for this blog, the picture function was not working for some reason!)

Faking It

So on to chapter 2 we go...
I was going to wait a week to do this chapter but I needed a break from school work and nothing relaxes me more than talking about beauty! Lol.
So anyways, this chapter is called "Faking It"

As one would probably guess, this chapter covers various ways you can fake an attribute that you may not have (and who doesnt love that?!) It talks about how to fake long legs, fake 8 hours of amazing sleep, fake a gorgeous glow, and even how to fake plump lips! We could all use a little help in these areas but my favorite is faking high cheek bones. Right now I'm totally obsessed with contouring and this definetly helped me in my quest for a more defined face.

The books version of creating high cheek bones is pretty much exactly the same as mine, so I will tell you how to do it below!

The first thing to know when it comes to contouring is that "lightness brings out and darkness draws in." That means the areas on your face that you want more prominent you want to highlight, such as the top of your cheek bones and on the brow bone, by highlighting "light will reflect off that area and lift it up."

When I'm countouring my face I use MAC Blunt, you should use a powder that is a couple shades darker than your skin tone (I know in the picture it seems a little dark but it goes on beautifully.) I don't reccomend using a blush or bronzer with any sort of shimmer in it because when contouring it is supposed to look as natural as possible and having shiny cheeks in NOT natural, so use a matte color (in addition shimmer enhances pores, and we don't want that!)

You are applying the powder to the hallows of your cheek so to apply you want to suck in your cheeks. Next you'll sweep the powder from the ear down toward the mouth, don't go all the way to the mouth, you should end below the apples of the cheeks.

Next, I pick a blush, (whatever color I'm feeling like that day) depending on your skin tone will determine what blush you should use, right now I use Coralista from Benefit. The book suggests a baby pink blush, but baby pink won't show up on my skin all that well, it shows up more white than pink, so you be the judge of that. This blush should be applied to the apples of your cheeks. One point that the book stresses and that I stress is BLENDING! You want this to look very natural and as if you are truly blessed with the wonderful cheek bones, so blend blend blend!

Last but not least, I highlight. I use a highlighter that has no color just shine (if that makes any sense.) I sweep this color right above the apples of my cheeks, over my brow bone, down my nose, and on my cupids bow (right above my top lip.)

The amazing thing about contouring is that you can contour anything! It's basically pain free plastic surgery and much much cheaper. In additon to my cheek bones I like to countour my nose to make it appear smaller and my chin to make it more prominent.

The picture to the right is NOT how face contouring should look, haha, the colors on this face are more intense to show you exactly where the darker colors should go and where the lighter colors should go, If you need to contour all of the parts on your face then feel free, but don't feel obligated to do so if there is no need. The number one rule to mastering face contouring is practice. Once you contour your face once you will wonder how you ever lived with out it before! While contouring you can go as simple or dramatic as you want, so have fun and contour away!!

The Ultimate Guide to Makeup, Skin, and Hair...

About a week ago I was on fashionface.tv and noticed there was a link to reccomended books if you want to become a makeup artist, there were many amazing books but being a beginner I decided to start off slow, so I decided to buy the Sephora:The Ultimate guide to makeup, skin and hair from the Beauty Authority. The book is about 200 pages long so it's not something I can read in one sitting but I thought it would be fun if I gave an overview of the chapter and my take on what the "beauty authority" had to say...

Today we are starting off with...

Chapter 1: "What is Beauty?"

I feel this topic is a wonderful way to start off this book, beauty is something that is not easily defined but in this chapter some of the most well know names in the industry give their take on what they think beauty is. Two of my favorites quotes are from Cristina Carlino, founder of Philosophy (my favorite skin care brand) and Jean Ford, co-founder of Benefit (an amazing cosmetics brand.)

"Beauty is as beauty does. We're remembered not by what we looked like, but how we behaved and changed the lives of others."


-Cristina Carlino Founder of Philosophy

"Beauty is a state of mind. What's beautiful to one person isn't necessarily to another. Beauty stops you in your tracks. Engages your eyes. Away from the ordinary to the extraordinary."
-Jean Ford Co-Founder of Benefit Cosmetics





I agree with both of these women because I believe that everyone has their own idea of beauty, whether it be a beautiful face or a beautiful soul, or both. I find that individuality and confidence are 2 things that make a person beautiful. The only catch for me is that the 2 must work together in harmony because their are plenty of confident people who are not individual, yet I have yet to find a person who is individual that lacks confidence, because it takes confidence to stand out from the rest.

Makeup for me is away to not only feel beautiful but a way for me to help others feel beautiful.

What is your idea of beauty?...
Next Chapter: Faking it.

I hate acne!

I'm not exactly sure of the time that I developed acne, or even the reason why the annoying little guys would randomly pop up on my face. What I do know was that it was after I turned 20 and that I have NEVER had acne before. I never even had to wear makeup before because my skin was flawless, and then all of a sudden I started breaking out all on my cheeks, forehead, and chin. I can sort of pin point it down to the time that I became a vegetarian, I dont even think it was the not eating meat that caused the acne, I think it was the sudden and drastic change in diet that caused the acne. Either way, I, like many other people struggling with acne have tried EVERYTHING! I have tried proactiv, cosmedicine, clinique, regular drug store brands and nothing worked. I was so discouraged because I was not used to seeing all these blemishes and I litterally did not want to be seen by anyone.

In a last ditch effort I tried the Philosophy brand, and I was so impressed! Within a week the majority of my acne had cleared up, and not only that, the scars my acne had caused had been lightened or erased completely! I used 2 different kinds of Philosophy kits, the first one I used was the kit specifically for acne called "On a clear day."

This kit was great, it comes with the oil free foaming acne wash, an all over acne treatment, a spot treatment, and a retinol lotion. I loved this kit but It was a little much for my skin, and my acne wasn't severe so it was a little harsh and it dried out my skin. But it did get rid of the pimples, and if you have moderate to sever acne, I would suggest this kit for you. After I ran out of this kit I did a little research and found the advanced makeup optional kit.

I preffered this kit over the othe because it comes with an exfoliant wash and a moisturizer, which the other kit was lacking. In addition it comes with the Purity face wash, the "Help Me" retinol night treatment and the "When hope is not enough" lifting serum (because it's never to early for anti-aging). These 5 products combined will do amazing things for your skin!
To get an in depth explanation of each of these products and their purposes or to order either of these 2 kits please
GO HERE.
Hope this has helped in your hunt for beautiful skin! If you have any questions please ask in the comment box below.

Daniela