November 30, 2010

The Little Mermaid of Tappan Hill Mansion

Courtney's wedding was one big party. When I arrived the morning of the wedding, it was still going on from the night before!  I don't think I've ever had so much fun... 

We had a tight beauty schedule that day mixed in with lots of shenanigans and crazy stories.  Since I did all of the makeup and hair for the whole party (including mom) we had to get started pretty early.  Coffee and red bull helped pump up the gang for the beauty fest. 

We were aiming for makeup and hairstyles at 8AM that would still look good at 8PM and beyond.  It can be a challenge for people to asses evening makeup in the bright morning sun, but as the evening set in and they donned their black dresses, everyone looked perfectly glamorous.

The bride chose a simple nude, flawless face with an espresso lined and smudged eye and an emphasis on lashes. We added waves and body to her straight hair with a touch of retro inspiration to the shape.
 
Her gown had this gorgeous body-hugging mermaid shape and we were all in awe when she put it on.  When she turned around and said "Well, what do we think?" her attendant and uber comedian Joey burst out into spontaneous song with the theme from The Little Mermaid.  Another bridesmaid joined in and then another and then another. I've always loved the song so I sang along as I touched up her hair.  As it echoed throughout the rotunda, more people stepped in to join the chorus and by the end there were about twenty people belting out this Disney song at the top of their lungs.  Courtney laughed until she cried as she surveyed the scene that was really like something out of a movie.
The wedding took place on the former estate of Mark Twain at the stunning Tappan Hill Mansion of Tarrytown, NY. The entire place is one big photo op and the superstars from J. Ferrara Photography captured the day so beautifully.  Thanks for sharing these images with us!  Good luck Courtney.  A lot of great memories were made that day!
 
 
 
 

November 19, 2010

Winter Nude Palette Inspiration Board

With all of the twinkling lights and holiday displays, how you can you resist adding some sparkle to your makeup?  The nude-colored fashion offerings of the season consistently attract me so it's no surprise that I chose a nude gold shimmer for my little wintertime treat.  Tarina Tarantino's Sparklicity Pure Gold shimmer powder, with its shiny gold top and box, is a sophisticated and finely milled (no glitter chunks here) powder.  It's SO shimmery that a fluffy brush tapped lightly before applying helps keep it toned down.  I like adding it to the inner eyelids of a grey smoky eye, alone on lids with lengthening mascara, or mixing it into a plain nude gloss.  It can even be used on the body (again - fluffy brush is key).

Speaking of nude glosses, if you have a friend who is also attracted to sophisticated nudes or loves high fashion, Burberry Lip Glow in No. 9 Nude Beige would make an outstanding little gift.  The Burberry packaging is some of the best I've ever seen: heavy, patterned gunmetal, classic and sleek.  The gloss color is universally flattering (a good thing when buying makeup for someone else) and is thick enough to have substance while still feeling light and smooth.  It's almost as if the texture were universally flattering too.  

November 12, 2010

The Best Concealer and Primer I've Ever Used

Right before I got married I asked my boss at the time if he had any advice for me before I ran off and tied the knot.  "Don't drink the Dom" he said.  Come again? He explained that someone was bound to give us a bottle of Dom Perignon as a gift and that I'd better not even try it because I'd love it and I could never go back to drinking the cheap stuff after that.  I've found his advice to be true with a lot of things including beauty products.  Sometimes they're so amazing I wish I'd never tried them. Cle' de Peau concealer had intrigued me for ages, winning Beauty Best awards left and right, but I steered clear due to the whopping $70 price tag. 


I mean, it's concealer - how great could it be? But one tiny swipe of the beige color while perusing a cosmetics boutique and I was stunned.  The saleswoman actually laughed and said "Perfection, isn't it."  I had been mixing two concealer colors together for years and I still never felt like I had a perfect  color match like I did on this day, let alone the feeling.  The texture is so interesting.  It's light but it covers.  It's solid, but one touch turns it into a smooth-gliding cream that's moist enough to use under the eyes but dry enough to use on the face (usually you have to use two separate concealers for these areas).  After I took it home I realized that I needed to prep the eye area with a lot of eye cream for it to look smooth.  Still the finished look was worth the extra step. Then I read a tip in Lucky Magazine by the fab beauty editor Jean Godfrey-June who said to try using L'Oreal Studio Secrets Professional Magic Perfecting Base under the eyes before applying concealer and it will look "1,000 times less crinkly."  I was already obsessed with the L'Oreal primer but had never tried it under the eyes.  That combo really is perfection.  

Two years ago I spent countless hours scouring every makeup and skincare line looking for a primer that was thick (think spackle) that I could pat into the deep wrinkles of my mature clients.  The best I could find was that smooth silicone-feeling stuff but it was too thin and barely washed over lines and bumps.  L'Oreal's primer is thick and scoopable.  It's velvety texture gives the skin a diffused soft-focus look, even without makeup on.  I use this on almost every client and definitely on myself.  Try a light touch if you just want makeup to go on smoothly and stay on longer or use more to fill in nooks and crannies.  It's perfect for all skin types and luckily sells for around $12!

November 8, 2010

At Last...A Website!

I am very excited to announce the launch of the Cassandra Kennedy beauty website! So many friends helped me while putting it together and so many generous photographers were willing to share their work with me.  Thank you all!