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for Anthony Vaccarello

for Rodarte

for Salvatore Ferragamo

Oscar de la Renta

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The first eyelash curler hit stores in the early twenties and sold for about $5. Since then, the handheld crimper has been reinvented many times over—in precious metals, with built-in heaters, in designer hues, and for much more than a five-spot. But ask any makeup artist and most will crown Shu Uemura’s Eyelash Curler the reigning champ. Beloved for its ability to lift and curl hairs without causing any pinching, the sleek tool hasn’t had much competition to contend with. Until now, that is. Enter Chanel’s new Precision Eyelash Curler, designed by the house’s visionary creative director of makeup Peter Philips. This chic contraption gets a few bonus points right off the bat, seeing as how it is stamped with the house’s iconic logo, but to see if it could truly unseat Shu’s gold standard, we put both to the test:

The Peak Performance: We can safely say that both tools worked extremely well during our mirror analysis, giving our lashes a nice whorl that lasted all day with a few coats of mascara. We found the looped handles super comfortable and experienced zero skin pinching between the two.

The Physical Form: Upon further inspection, we did notice that the Shu curler is heavier and has a rounder head, while the Chanel version is lighter with a broader and wider head. Why this matters: We found it easier to work with less bulk, and the extra inches in width helped capture those stumpy lashes at the outer and inner eye corners. Also, Chanel’s silicone pads seemed to be cushier than Shu’s, which allowed us to apply more pressure to squeeze and bend our lashes.

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Comes with a mini slant tweezer, brow brush and brow highlighter.  Cleverly packaged to fit in your smallest  clutch.

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It’s Called “Foundation” for a Reason
“Foundation is important for flawless-looking skin in photos. It doesn’t need to be applied all over the face. If you need less coverage, try spot-applying foundation to even out skin tone. Stay away from foundation with SPF, which may reflect the flash in photos.”

from New York Magazine Wedding Guide

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Chloé Fall 2011 | Into The Gloss.

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1. Designate a bridesmaid to be in charge of letting you know when you need a lipstick touch up.  She will also be in charge of your beauty essentials for the wedding and reception.

2. Always purchase the lipstick, lip liner and gloss your makeup artist will use on you.  This should be pre-determined at the trial run.  Tuck these away in a beautiful bridal clutch for your bridesmaid to take with her everywhere.  Don’t forget to include a mirror!

2. A week before the big day, find a mid sized, waterproof cosmetics bag.

3. Fill it with: breath mints, deoderant, Q-tips, eye makeup remover in a small refillable bottle for travel, a travel pack of tissues, eyeliner pencil (if you choose not use waterproof eyeliner), 2 safety pins, travel tooth brush and tooth paste, eye drops.

4. These are a must!

at Sephora: Bare Escentuals Liquid-Filled Cotton Swbas $5 for 24 swabs

Bare Minerals On The Spot Makeup Remover Swabs:  24 soft cotton swabs are individually filled with a pre-measured amount of gentle, skin-conditioning solution. Simply “snap” the swab at the colored ring to release the liquid into the tip. Easy, goof-proof removal and an alcohol-free formula complete with aloe vera and vitamin E for sensitive eyes.

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think definition, color, and shine,

and you’re guaranteed to have

a perfectly framed smile

in photos.

Give Lips Shape
Pick a lip liner that matches the pigment of your lips for the softest look. Trace just inside your natural lip line, not outside of it. Fill in lips with liner, too, so lipstick won’t wear off as quickly and the pencil outline won’t show. Apply lipstick afterward; blend with a dry, clean lip brush.

Choose the Right Lipstick
Select sheer cream lipsticks rather than matte, which can look flat and dry in pictures. You’ll want a shade that provides enough of a color difference between your lips and the skin around them. Avoid nude hues, which may cause your lips to recede in photos, as well as certain colors, such as hot pinks and corals, that can look too bright.

Apply Some Shine
Gloss gives lips a fuller look. But use it sparingly; it can reflect light and draw too much attention to the mouth. Try accenting just the center of your lips with a sheer gloss that’s in the same color family as your lipstick.

Read more at Marthastewartweddings.com

Nars Rouge d'Enfer (a creamy cranberry)

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flawless full coverage

3.  Have you spent a chunk of your wedding budget on your photographer and videographer?  Pictures and video, after all, are going to be the only tangible memories of your  affair.  To get the best outcome in your pictures and video you need to seriously consider airbrushing since by its very nature it works in tandem with today’s technology.   It has, in fact,  become the preferred method for professionals.  Here’s why: these days, hi-def, digital photography and video detects every imperfection. Conventional makeup can look great a standard TV screen, but in hi-def  flaws are highlighted.  In technical terms, when my compressor blows air through the drop of liquid makeup, what is actually happening is that the color of the liquid microdots of foundation sprayed onto the surface of the skin imitate the pixel color used by hi-def technology. Now your image appears smooth and flawless on camera and off.

drops of uniquely formulated foundation are dropped into the "gun"

4.  Worried about last minute break outs?  Airbrushing is perfect for removing blemishes without smothering your natural skin tone and color.  The airbrushing system itself is completely hygienic and nonirritating: nothing actually touches the blemish-all I am doing is spraying makeup onto it.

5. Worried about heat and humidity causing you to sweat off your makeup?  Worry no more-I have a waterproof formula that is  truly amazing.  Not that you’ll be doing this, but I have put it to the test by showering in it-it stayed on perfectly!

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Happy New Year!

Often when January rolls around again we women turn to thoughts of self improvement.  Going to the gym ascends to #1 on the priority list,  healthy snacking becomes a new, positive option, & therefore bad habits are gradually replaced by better ones and on and on.  Most often, self improvement starts with a change in the way we think resulting in the desired physical changes.

I believe that easily achievable, small changes on the outside can affect change by keeping you on that positive track.

• A quick glance in the mirror as you rush through the day can really be uplifting when you see that indeed, the dark circles that have always bothered you have been lessened and improved with a new concealer you finally tried. I loveBobbi Brown’s miraculous correctors and concealers. You can even chat with an artist while you’re online if you have questions or need help.
• A brightening shade of lipstick and gloss can brighten up your face and your mood.
• A blue/red or blue based pink lipstick makes your teeth automatically look whiter.  Wearing a shade like this can help you get through the weeks it takes for those Crest White strips to kick in!  Here’s an informative piece about one woman’s journey through the daunting world of red lipsticks.
• Have you ever tried filling in your eye brows? Your eyebrows frame your face. Subtly filling them in with a shadow and brush highlights your eyes and subtly transforms your face.
• Have you recently given up smoking and want to get rid of that dull cast to your skin? Or how about sun spots and freckles that you’ve been wishing would disappear?  Get to the makeup counter right now.  The new brightening products do really work & can make your skin look years younger.  Remember to look for products containing sunscreen.
• Lifeless locks?  Next time you go to your hair stylist why not try highlights?  They can add shine and body to your hair as well as a glow to your face.

So what has been bothering you about your beauty routine? I’ll bet you can fix them more easily than you think.

Most concerns can very easily be remedied with the help of a makeup artist like me or by talking to an aesthetician.

What do you have to lose?

It’s worth a try…and don’t forget that makeup washes off!

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One of my brides introduced me to these a few weeks ago.  I applied them with no hassles and they looked really beautiful, especially in the photo I snapped afterward.  They’re $18 and worth every cent.  If you are going to go the false lashes route, invest in some nice ones.  You can re-use them, and there is enough glue for a few applications.  I still stand by my preference for individual mini lashes, but I was pleasantly surprised by how  good these looked!

With the holiday season fast approaching, this might be something for a debutante to consider adding to her makeup routine for the night of the ball.

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LORAC’s – Little Black Palette Eye Shadow/Eye Primer Palette.  $32.

The season’s updated smoky eye captures the light with amber metallics. Fall 2010 eyeshadows flatter in warm shimmery coppers, javas and burnished chestnut tones.

Bobbi Brown's rich warm shimmers for updated smoky eye $70

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False Eyelashes by Shu Uemura

Jennifer Lopez sporting controversial mink eyelashes

Lately I have had a lot of requests for false eyelash application.  They are great in many respects: They can make your eyes look bigger and if applied tastefully they can really make a difference without being noticeable.  People will ask what you’ve done differently.  The only ones I use are the ones below and I still trim them to help them look less uniform.  Individual false eyelashes take longer to apply but they look the most natural when applied after mascara.  These eyelashes can even last more than a day or two if you are careful in taking off your eye makeup at night and use waterproof adhesive.
Eyelash strips are the easiest to detect and in my opinion are only great for Halloween, fun dress up evenings and costume parties.  On the other hand, they look appropriately avant garde on the fashion runways and really do add an edge to your look.

On the down side, false eyelash application can cause your real ones to fall out, they can randomly fall off during the evening and they can feel heavy and awkward.

Basically, my advice is to use a light hand, start at the outer corners and work in towards the nose, not applying them past the mid point of the upper lash, trim them if necessary, always apply after you mascara and never on the bottom lash line.

Duralash Individual lashes for the most "natural" look

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