Real Life Rapunzel

Jen is like a tiny little doll with this amazing mane of long shimmery red hair.  When I held the hair in my hands I thought "Wow, I'm sure this  is worth more than my car!"  She made excellent choices for her wedding day look that really emphasized her natural beauty.  Her hair cascaded down her back in big loose waves and her makeup was peachy and natural toned and sheer enough to show off her beautiful freckles.  Come to find out, she was living right down the street from my old house in Alexandria, VA, so I got an update on the old 'hood and found that we had many favorite places in common.  I really enjoyed seeing all of the details of her elegant wedding unfold. 

 

Her organized and cheerful bridesmaids were not only beautiful but seasoned professionals that anticipated her every need.  I was assisted by Nancy Geldres who did all of the bridesmaids' makeup and tag-teamed with me on their hair.  I love these fun group portraits of them.

 

Jen has the SWEETEST mother you could ever know.  She was so nervous about getting her makeup done but I was able to talk with her at length during the trial and assure her that I would keep it natural and light.  One of my favorite moments of the day was seeing her mom's astonishment as she looked in the mirror. She hugged me and asked if I would come and do her makeup like that every day for her.  Another favorite moment was with her brother.  I know when I got married I was so worried that my brother would show up in a concert t-shirt and jeans (whew - he didn't).  I'm guessing her brother gave her a hard time about wearing a tux (see how brothers are!?) and she had resigned herself to seeing him in something else.   So when he stopped by the room that morning to deliver something she was absolutely stunned and overcome with emotion at seeing him in his tux.  He just smiled like "heh heh!"  

 

I want to wish Jen and her husband the best of luck as they start their new life together in a new place (Texas, no less!).  I know it will be a wonderful adventure together!  Thank you very much to The Artist Group for sharing these lovely photos with us.  

New Hampshire Beauty Haul

I'm just back from a GLORIOUS vacay in New Hampshire where I enjoyed a refreshing trip to the beach and loaded up on some new beauty goodies.  The source of my treats was none other than New Hampshire goddess Joanne McDonough of Joya Beauty.  Joanne is my "it girl" and I want to be her someday when I grow up!  Not only is she super talented and generous with all of her knowledge but she has this amazing studio where she does all kinds of things like makeup lessons and spa treatments.  One of the things that sets her apart is her custom makeup blending.  Knowing that I have a product that's made especially for me that no one else has gives me such a little thrill.  Ok, I am really LOVING the souffle' she whipped up.  They are little frosted glass pots of whipped jelly cheek color that give off this gorgeous luster.  Such a nice way to freshen the face and offset the powdered down t-zone.  I'm also trying her shimmery eye creams that dab on ever so lightly with a wand to wake up tired eyes.  Joya Beauty also carries other hard-to-find lines like Three Custom Color and I scored two of their Mood Lighting Shimmer Cremes. I am totally obsessed with the paler color Afterglow, although the golden On Fire color is great for the times when I'm more tan or for those with medium to dark skin tones.  The problem with highlighter creams is that they tend to be overly frosty or shimmery.   The pale ones  often have a pinkish tone that I'm not a big fan of. You want one that just blends into the skin and makes it look glowy without anyone detecting a streak of frost.  The cream-to-powder feel of it is exquisite and these are sheer enough for anyone to use with ease.   I think I like how light it feels and how it really isn't too powdery after it sets.  Thanks Joanne!  You never steer me wrong :)  People, if you are in New Hampshire or even passing through, you need to set aside a little time to visit Joya Beauty!

 My favorite vacation photo of the kiddos...

Polish Beauty

We may have been in Brooklyn, but getting ready for Edyta's wedding was like a mini trip to Poland.  Polish parents and relatives, polish language (which sounds really hard to understand by the way), Polish breakfast, and even Polish water (fizzy and refreshing).  I loved this family so much and Edyta was one of the most relaxed and down to earth brides that I'm sure I will ever meet.  When I saw a photo of her drinking a can of Miller Lite in the limo on the way to the wedding I just smiled and thought "That's my girl!".  Edyta's face has a kind of beautifully intriguing and mysterious quality about it that I can't really describe.  I really enjoyed studying it and collaborating with her on the look for the wedding. 

She wanted her eyes fully lined in grey but we did it in a light and shimmery way that would look fresh for a daytime ceremony and pictures.  Her skin and lips were softly flushed and just happened to match one of my favorite bridal bouquets of all time.

 

She wanted a nice voluminous updo with movement and texture- something that looked like she had a lot of hair - with intricate curls in the back.  The relatives loved it and said it looked very "aristocratic", which made us chuckle.

 

Another beauty I got to work with was Edyta's mother. She wanted to keep hair and makeup simple and natural which I thought was a great choice.  I mean look at that amazing skin - why cover it up?!

I got such a kick out of her Maid of Honor who happened to live in Japan during the same years that I did.  We spent time during the trial and the wedding day reminiscing and trading wacky tales from our unforgettable time there. She is also getting married this year so it is wedding mania for these two friends.

I heard everyone had a wonderful time at the wedding and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the photos.

Thank you very much to Kimberly Salem for sharing them with me. You can see a few more details from this wedding such as the yummy Polish cookie favors and the gorgeous flowers on her blog.  Good luck to you Edyta! And you too, Misato! I wish you both all the best in your marriages and in life.      

Double Happiness

Helen was a breath of fresh air - relaxed (even on her wedding day!) and so fun to hang out with.  I loved how she and her friends couldn't keep a straight face for very long.  There were too many stories and clever quips floating around.  My kind of people.

She had a traditional Jewish wedding ceremony with elements of Chinese culture throughout the day to really represent the couple and the two families coming together.  I thought she looked absolutely beautiful in her lace gown.

I also had the pleasure of doing the mother of the bride and the bridesmaids' makeup.   

And speaking of makeup, I have to credit the mother of the groom (a real makeup junkie!) for urging us to try a brighter lip color at the hair and makeup trial run.  I really love how it photographed.

Mazel tov, Helen! I wish you and your husband a lifetime of double happiness.  Thank you very much to Michael Brook and his second assistant Anthony DeCarlo who took these lovely photos and even took time out from moving to send them to me!

Bobbi Brown Beauty Photography Workshop

One of the worst ideas I ever had was to try and save money by not taking any classes for a whole year, even though I am living near some of the world's top artists.   It was a kind of torture that I don't care to ever repeat!  I'm a big believer in continuing education - no matter what field you're in - and one class I'd been waiting over a year for is the Bobbi Brown The Studio Makeup Photography Workshop.  For every stunning image in a magazine or portfolio, there is a team of people behind it - planning and executing every aspect. This workshop brought makeup artists and photographers together to talk about common vocabulary, roles and responsibilities during planning and on-set, handling delicate situations, conceptualizing a shoot and assembling a team, and loads and loads of technical nitty gritty stuff.  Participants also got to network with each other and form groups that carried out actual photo shoots on day two.

 

We started out at Bobbi Brown The Studio, a gorgeous loft-like place in Montclair, NJ that is part intimate retail setting and part classroom dedicated to the study of makeup. This is also the place that those in the Professional Makeup Artist program such as myself go to buy products.  We were met by The Studio manager Kim Richards (love her!) and one of our instructors, Bobbi's brand ambassador and professional team member Gregg Hubbard.

We then took off to the site of our workshop at nearby Unique Photo, which hosts lots of similar workshops and had the perfect space for both the makeup artists and photographers to learn and collaborate.

There we met our co-instructor and photographer extraordinaire Claire Rosen  of North 7 Studio.  Not only do Claire and Gregg have GORGEOUS portfolios, they are both excellent and taking what they know (which is a lot!) and sharing it with others.

Claire and Gregg proceeded to pack our brains with all kinds of information - from different types of lighting to different types of concealing.  "You don't take a photo, you make a photo."  They talked to us about different ways to tap into our own creativity and how to channel it,  map it out, and translate it through planning. 

The photogs and makeup artists later split up to talk more in-depth about their craft.  Gregg rolled out his kit ("You guys have to be able to do this in seven minutes or less!") and let us snoop around in all his stuff - which we loved.

He demonstrated one example of a classic Bobbi Brown-style face: pretty, flushed, polished.  We were free to ask his advice on any aspects of his work and he showed us how he handles various application details such as false lash fittings and liner options. The thing about Gregg and Claire is that they are both so generous with what they are offering.  There was not a sense of "we are here to impart our knowledge unto you" but more a sense of them inspiring us, teaching us, encouraging and building us up, helping us take ourselves to the next level.  I would like to thank everyone involved who helped put this workshop together and to the participants who were such a great group of folks.  I hope to be seeing many of you again soon!

Get Glowing: Tips from an Expert

As a makeup artist, I love giving people that flawless "lit from within" glow.  But what a difference when the person sitting in my chair already has glowing skin to start with.  We all want it, but how can we get it for REAL? This was the topic of discussion at an exclusive Beauty Influencers event I recently attended with Dr. Jeanette Graf, renowned and well-respected dermatologist and former NIH fellow.   Beauty bloggers, tweeters, and vloggers (yes, that's a term!) were treated to cocktails overlooking Manhattan while learning about Dr. Graf's research, which has become quite a hot topic in the beauty world. It all started with some frequent flier patients at her dermatology office.  You know the ones - botoxed, plumped, peeled, lasered, and slathered with all of the best serums and creams - but STILL that glow eluded them.  The scientist in her decided to investigate and got busy researching and testing.  What resulted her groundbreaking premise that "our cells, and consequently our skin, can only function best when the pH balance of our bodies is at its proper level".  

She decided to write the book Stop Aging, Start Living (which I am really enjoying BTW) about this and detail exactly what people can put in their bodies to get their cells and skin on the fast track to glow central, while slowing down the things that make us age.  She challenged us to give her program a try and promised us we'd see immediate results.  I like the sound of that!

Most people experienced a complete life change in terms of skin glow, energy, healthful feeling, and brighter eyes in two weeks.  We were all given a set of pH testing strips (high school science class flashback) and were told not to get depressed if we had a low score because hers was quite low the first time she tested.  The goal is to get a reading between 7 and 7.5 and I rang in with a 5.5.  This is lower than the bad case cited in her book. Yikes.  [Note: The next day I grabbed a neighbor who has been looking radiant these days.  Everyone, including me, thinks she looks fantastic. She has reduced stress in her life and and only eats healthy stuff.  I forced her to put a pH strip in her mouth and it was a perfect 7.0! Maybe there's something to this...] 

Dr. Graf then outlined the three main things we need to do right now to try this. 

1.  Buy some greens powder which is sold in health food stores (her favorite brand is Greens First) and mix it with a scoop or two of fiber.  Yeah, it may look and taste nasty but it's the antioxident  power equivalent of TEN servings of fruits and vegetables.  So pretend you're on a  Beauty Survivor show, mix it with some 100% fruit juice, and down the hatch!

2.  Start taking mineral supplements with lots of calcium. We need it big time! Did you know that because of commercial fertilizers and acid rain, the veggies we eat today have up to 75% less minerals than they did 50 years ago? Even things like table salt have had all the minerals processed out of them (so you gotta use sea salt).  When she brought up salt I raised my hand to ask about my beloved sugar.  We all know it's bad, but why?  Alas, it is one of the big acid-producing age accelerators - especially refined sugars.  I was afraid she'd say that :(  Better to stick with raw honey (the kind that you scoop out) or alternative sweeteners like stevia, agave, fruits.  Even splenda and raw sugar is better than refined.

3.  Start taking probiotics - 5 billion colony-forming units per day to be specific (she prefers the refrigerated kind).  Wow, that sounds a lot but we actually need a lot of good bacteria in our gut to keep our immunity up.  Did you know skin issues like psoriasis (I have this myself), dermatitis, and acne are immune-related skin disorders?  These good bacteria also help keep the bad ones and yeast from producing too much acid in your stomach.There goes your pH reading if they do!

As for overall eating she had a lot of tips and the book is chock full of them too.  Think cave man and eat more like our early ancestors did: leafy greens, fruit, seeds, and roots, with occasional wild game (organic meat for us modern hominids). Eat real food, not from a package.  Eat organic food - remember those higher mineral contents.  Colorful food is good, beige food is bad.  Dr. Graf left us feeling inspired and I actually felt like this is doable.  And as I mentioned, I like the immediate results.  In the coming weeks I'm going to report about this.  Does anyone want to try it with me?  She also gave us a great swag bag full of products she uses in her dermatology practice.  Of course I will report back on those too.

As you can imagine, this was stylish crowd and  I had a great time putting faces to names I had already been following on-line. Hello The Informed Makeup Maven and twitter juggernaut  This That Beauty .  I was also introduced to new artists -hey Vintage Soul Beauty- and some young mavens of the video world.  

Chloe Beauty NYC and her BFF kept me completely entertained while we waited for Dr. Graf to inscribe our books.  And Musings of a City Girl told me about her surprising 25,000 YouTube followers who check in regularly to learn different makeup looks.  

These ladies were as smart as they are beautiful and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them.  Good luck to all!  Thank you to Gorgeous on the Go's PR Goddess Genevieve Santos for rounding us all up. And most of all, merci beaucoup Dr. Graf!

Sweltering Summer Skin Care

I meant to post this before going on vacation in early July but time got the better of me.  Now I'm back in the hottest and muggiest part of the year and am thankful I have these products on me. What I've learned through the years of testing summertime products is that there's no silver bullet that "feels like nothing at all".  When you're hot and sweaty, the last thing you want to do is put something on top of that.  Even so, if you want to prevent burning and aging, you've just got to.  And remember, if you don't moisturize your skin, your body will produce its own moisturizer and the only kind it can make is oil.  That's why you'll wake up with an oily sheen on your face even if you didn't put anything on.  Moisturizing will tell the skin there's no need to produce oil. Sometimes there is an initial breakout with a new product regime as your skin adjusts to everything.  This is quite normal so give things a good two weeks before you make up your mind.  Here are my top summer picks:

DAYTIME FACE - DDF (Doctor's Dermatologic Formula) Mattifying Oil Control UV Moisturizer SPF 15.  I had been using their Ultra-Lite Oil Free Moisturizing Dew in SPF 15 for about seven years but I saw they had a new similar product and decided to give it a try.  I could find very little difference between the two and recommend them both.  Using these in a humid climate still feels like product on the face, but still they're the lightest feeling ones I've found.  I was surprised to find the mattifying one actually felt matte when I was on vacation in a drier climate.  No weird perfume-y smells either.  Two thumbs up!

NIGHTTIME FACE - Dr. Brandt's Pores No More Anti-Aging Mattifying Lotion.  Back in the day my only summertime concern was keeping breakouts at bay,  but now that I'm getting older I need something that also combats aging.  My go-to product for years was a sheer coat of Murad's Skin Perfecting Lotion, an oil-free super light moisturizer that did amazing things to my face overnight.  But a sample of the Dr. Brandt led me astray and I decided to give it a try.  It feels a little more matte on the skin and is producing great results.  It has an earthy smell which might be from the alpine extract used to control the oil.  I hate flowery scents but this seems doable. I highly recommend both of these.

NIGHTTIME HELPER - Clean & Clear Advantage Acne Spot Treatment.  I always have a little tube of gel that contains 2% salicylic acid on me.  It dries up little breakouts in a day or two and is great for prevention.  I often trace it along my hairline and dab it on my nose before I go to bed when I feel a breakout coming on.  I've tried several brands and they all seem basically the same to me so I've just resorted to buying the cheaper ones.  Clean & Clear has reformulated and repackaged theirs and it seems to blend into the skin better.  However, it now has more of an alcohol-y feeling.  I don't want to use the word "burn" but you definitely feel it on the skin at first. 

DAYTIME BODY - Neutrogena Ultra-Sheer Dry Touch Sunblock SPF.  I love this whole line and have the SPF 30, 70, and 100.  What's amazing about this line is that it is thicker and more "hard core" than anything I've ever used but once it's dry it is truly dry to the touch.  Kudos to the chemists who came up with this.  My mommy duties take me to many outdoor parks where I'm basically baking in the sun and these have really been a savior.  When I worked in an office and spent very little time outside in the summer, I always used my beloved fragrance free hypoallergenic Coppertone Oil Free Lotion SPF 15.  

Experts say you need at least an SPF 25 if you are spending much time in the sun but I have yet to find one for the face that is bearable.  Not giving up hope on it though.  Last but not least, don't forget your lips - any lip balm with SPF will do!        

California Love

When I first talked to Dale on the phone about her wedding, I could tell that this native of the New York area had crossed over and adopted the laid back cool California style of her new home. We wouldn't have a chance to do a trial run beforehand, but just chatting with her put me at ease and we were laughing about wedding madness together in no time.  She decided on some loose waves pulled casually to the side.  Although I curled the hair sections in various directions, they seemed to have a mind of their own (hair just does sometimes!) and looped around each other naturally when pulled together.  That and a last-minute addition of flowers were such a surprising and beautiful touch.  As for the makeup, all she said was "I don't wear makeup. Ever.  Like any."  Her sister Jill put in a request for a smoky eye but I thought that might be too big of a leap for someone who doesn't wear any makeup.  We decided that a light touch of neutrals was the way to go. She had such beautiful skin that I barely touched her face with sheer foundation. Softly glowing cheeks and sheer shimmering pink semi-permanent lip color and gloss topped off the look.

These gorgeous sisters, along with their mother and photographer friend had me dying laughing over their uproarious stories that included full volume re-enactments.  I love a good storyteller so being with this family is like winning the storytelling lottery (definite reality show material!).  The girls talked of warning past boyfriends before bringing them home for the holidays - where the whole house would be filled to the brim with family and friends who were just like them.  I imagined a ruckus of 20 people shouting crazy stories at each other all at the same time.  Knowing not every guy made it out alive, Dale cautiously warned her man before his first visit.  It was a major sign when he not only survived, but said he quite enjoyed himself.  The rest, as they say, is history...           

Good luck you two!  I hope we meet again somewhere down the road and then let's try that smoky eye! Thank you very much to Mike Losquadro for the photos.