Switch Up Your Smoky Eyes For A Bold Pout

Wanna switch up your usual smoky eye, evening look? Try bold, red lips with inky, black liner to get a sophisticated, chic look that's actually pretty low maintenance. My deal friend Lindsey has the fortune of a gorgeous face that can pull off a dramatic smoky eye and nude lip or a bold pout with subtle liner. For our evening out, I decided to play up her full lips and outline her deep blue peepers.

Here's what I did to create her look:

Skin: To even out her already gorgeous skin, I poured out some L'Oreal Paris Visible Lift Foundation in 147 Creamy Natural onto the back of my hand and applied it evenly on her face and neck with a sponge. Next, I dotted her under eye area with NYX HD Studio Photogenic Primer. I then mixed together and applied Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in 10 Light with Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Eye Cream using a foundation brush underneath her eyes and on her lids and brow bone. I then dipped a big powder brush into NYX HD Studio Photogenic Grinding Powder in Medium and swept it across her face to set the makeup.  To give her a warm flush, I applied Kanebo SENSAI Cheek Blush in Sohi with Guerlain Terracotta Bronzing Powder in #3. I highlighted her cheek bones with Bobbi Brown's Shimmer Brick Compact in Bronze. 

Eyes: I first swept a neutral shade, Philosophy Pure of Heart, on her lids and brow bone to create a base and added a more taupe-based color, Philosophy Down to Earth, to the crease. Both shades are from the brand's Supernatural Coloring Book Palette. I then took the lightest shade from Bobbi Brown's Shimmer Brick as a highlighter and traced it lightly underneath her eyebrows with an emphasis directly below her arch. I filled in her brows using the same taupe shade I used on her crease. I then took a slanted eyeliner brush, dipped it into a Bobbi Brown Gel Liner in Black Ink and traced her lid, closest to the lash line, with the liner. I swept two coats of Lancome Defincils Mascara in Black to her lashes. 

Lips: To prep her lips, I added a dot of concealer to even out the color and create a neutral palette. I then lined her lips with Stila Long Wear Lip Liner in Passionate and added YSL Lipstick in Le Rouge to her lips using a lip pencil brush. 

Her gorge look lasted all night (through a humid DC summer night) and made her look even more glamorous and gorgeous than she already is! Try it for yourself

Putting Together Your Pre-Wedding Beauty Arsenal

The time between when you get engaged and when you get married can be the most exciting, exhilarating and stressful time of your life. There's so much to plan and so many events and opportunities to celebrate with your loved ones. Between all the engagement parties, bridal showers, bachelorette weekends and photo shoots, you'll want to look your best. The memories and photos will last forever and you'll definitely want to look back at that time fondly, not stressed over your appearance.  

Unfortunately, it's not always possible to have a professional makeup artist or beauty advisor on hand for each event. Sometimes it's hard to know what you need and what's gonna be essential to your beauty routine. Luckily, you CAN have a celebrity makeup artist dispensing some helpful advice on what products to put together for your pre-wedding beauty arsenal.    

Celebrity makeup artist Julie Harris has worked with some of the most beautiful celebrities around. From Anne Hathaway and Julianne Moore to Eva Mendes and Jessica Alba. I spoke to her about the products and tools every bride should use to get ready for the all events surrounding the big day. There's no better time to revamp your makeup wardrobe than immediately after you get engaged. Restock your favorites and find out here what new gems you're gonna need to look your most glamorous.  

Beauty Tools:

Harris recommends investing in a great set of brushes. She has three favorite brands: M.A.C., Shu Uemura and Sephora brand. 

She recommends the following brushes:

-A large powder brush and blush brush that are soft and full. 

-A fluff brush for blending in the crease.

-A small fluff or shading brush for close to the lashes to give a soft shadow line. 

-An angle brush for applying shadow close to the top lashes or shading the eye brows to give more arch. 

-A lip brush.

-A liquid liner brush, which you want to be thin and pointy.

Skin Products:

"Bridal makeup should be natural and have a healthy glow," says Harris. She recommends using a cleanser, toner, and moisturizer such as Fresh Soy Cleanser, Rose Marigold Floral Water and Soy Face Cream. Harris also loves their Black Tea Eye Cream because it's soothing and moisturizing.  

Makeup-Foundation: 

Harris says to use a foundation that will work well to combat shine and smooth out your pores. 

She recommends: 

-Make Up For Ever Foundation. Celebrities love their HD formulas because they look great on camera and make your skin look flawless.

-Giorgio Armani Foundation. Another celebrity favorite because of its creamy formula and full coverage. 

Makeup-Primer

"I would also recommend using a primer to keep the skin looking flawless all day and to make your foundation last," says Harris.

She recommends: 

-Giorgio Armani Fluid Primer, a luxe liquid solution and makeup artist favorite.

-Lancome LA BASE PRO Perfecting Makeup Primer, a light formula with a velvety texture.

-Tarte Clean Slate Primer, an all-natural and paraben-free option.

-Jouer Mattifier, which works well under makeup or over top of your foundation to combat shine in the T-Zone.  

Makeup-Powder:

"I love Laura Mercier powders," she says.  She prefers their translucent formula because it's finer and lighter on the skin and likes the color tone selections available. Their brightening powder is great for under the eyes to make you look like you've had a good night's sleep.

Other powder recommendation:

-Make Up For Ever's HD Microfinish Powder which look great on camera and video (a bridal must). 

Makeup-Blush:

"For blushers I would recommend softer colors for wedding events," says Harris.

She likes:

-Cargo, which has an HD line with a great, subtle blush hue that goes on soft. 

-Bobbi Brown, which has a nice collection of pretty, punchy colors that make you look like you've just come back from a workout. 

Makeup-Concealer:"My favorite concealer is Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage because it has the two tones that are great for mixing to get a perfect skin tone match. The warmer is good for blue undertones and to match the skin's depth of color and the lighter is meant to match your undertone," says Harris. Harris loves the blendable concealer palette so a bride can mix her perfect shade depending on the day and her current skin tone.  You're skin tone might be lighter one month and darker the next depending on your sun exposure and time of year. 

Makeup-Mascara:

Harris recommends using both waterproof and non-waterproof mascaras. She uses a non-waterproof mascara first to get the fullness of the lashes and then seals it with a waterproof mascara for the last coat so the formula won't run if you cry. 

Her favorite: -Lancome Custom Volume Hypnose. 

Makeup-Eyeliner:

Harris swears by Kanebo Sensai Liquid Eyeliner because it has a great felt tip liner that is so exact and fine, you can get really close to the lashes. "I can't live without it and use it all the time," says Harris. 

She also likes Smashbox Waterproof Cream Liner because it doesn't smudge and gives a great line that makes the lashes look fuller. 

Makeup-Lips:

Harris recommends applying a lip balm like Fresh Sugar Balm first to moisturize the lips.

She says to use a soft liner color depending on the lip color you chose and recommends shading the lip first with a pencil, then applying a lip color and finally blotting the lips with a tissue and then applying again. Smashbox The Nude Lipliner is great liner option and YSL lipsticks are luxurious, pigmented and have a great satin finish. "I would stay away from too much gloss, frosted lipsticks or glittery colors. They don't photograph as well. The more matte the lips the better it will stay and the better it will look in photographs," she says. 

Final Touches:

For evening weddings or candlelight settings, Harris recommends applying a little highlighter on the cheek bones or in the inner corner of the eye which will reflect nice in the lighting. Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick, NARS The Multiple or Benefit High Beam are all great options. She also recommends investing in blotting papers to help keep the shine at bay for pictures and help from keeping the foundation from looking too powdery. 

Keep The Spirit of Summer Alive With Faux Glows and Beachy Blues

Summer may be winding down but you don't need the warm weather to look post-vaycay bronzed and beautiful. In my mind (and technically speaking), September still falls under summer and I like to take full advantage of that. Don't be afraid to rock warm weather-inspired shades all month long and keep a faux glow going on as long as you need to.

Here is a summer-inspired, multi-hued look I've been sporting lately as I desperately cling to the ephemeral  notion of beach days and flip flops. I've been testing out several new products in the beauty laboratory and come to the conclusion that they're awesome and great makeup for any season.

Disclaimer: Please excuse the fact that I look like a total loser in these photos. All in the name of beauty right!? I guess I'm comfortable looking like a massive tool with my super serious "makeup model" face on. Err… Whatevs! Just go with it.

Here are the products I used to create my multi-color summer face:

Sephora created the Beauty In A Box Summer Goddess Palette ($36, Sephora) to help you master stunning summer makeup. The palette comes with a gorgeous bronzer, turquoise eye pencil, two eyeshadows (in Swimming Pool Blue and Coppery Summer), black mascara, a powder brush, and a slanted eyeshadow brush. Plus there are easy-to-follow instructions with great visuals to help you achieve the summer skin you're after. I definitely had a  J.Lo moment after using it. I give the bronzers two thumbs up and love how the blue and copper shadows brings out the brown in my eyes. I brushed the copper shadow all over my lid and smudged up into my brow bone, applied the blue shadow like a liner on my lower lash liner and added the turquoise eye pencil in the corners of both lids. I then swept the bronzer all of my face in a very non-sparingly manner. I love me some bronzer.

To add extra drama to my eyes and because sometimes I just want to keep playing with colors,  I added one of my favorite new shadow duos: L'Oréal Paris Studio Secrets Professional Metallic Shadow Duos in shade Ignited ($8, drugstores). The plummy purple and luxe gold shadows complimented the blue and copper shades I had on surprisingly well. L'Oreal's latest metallic shadows come in really beautiful shades and don't crease at all.  I love the collection and highly recommend throwing a few in your shopping basket the next time you're at the drugstore.

To add volume to my lashes and make my eyes pop I swiped on a coat of SENSAI 38ºC Eyelash Base ($38, Bergdorf Goodman) and Mascara ($25, Bergdorf Goodman) in black. By adding the base primer, my lashes were coated with a formula that makes mascara look even longer and thicker on. It's sort of genius. I also like the size of SENSAI's mascara wand as it makes it easy to get the hard to reach-barely there lashes in the inner corner of your eye.The humidity and tear resistant formula doesn't budge but washes off easily with water at 38°C or higher. Love it.

Finally, I added SENSAI's Deep Moisture Shine Rouge in #104 KURENAI TSUTSUJI ($40, kanebo.com) to draw some attention to my pout. SENSAI's latest lip line is super soft and creamy on my lips and I loved the neutral-pink shade. I tend to usually go for more dusty-rose pinks but really liked how the lighter hue worked with the myriad of colors on my eyes.

For me, my colorfully eclectic eyes, super bronzed skin and pouty pink lips evoke the bright, cheerful feelings of summer. I love experimenting and mixing together different eye colors and I absolutely adore any and all shades of blue. Blue is one of the most versatile shades and blends easily with many other colors. If you don't have at least one shade of blue, make sure you put that on the top of your beauty to-do list.

I'm also a big fan of mixing department store makeup with drugstore brands. There are so many great products out there in both categories. To recreate a similar look pick up some of these great finds in shades that work for you! Don't forget summer isn't over yet! Keep wearing bright summer shades as long as you possibly can! 

Excess Baggage? Eye Opening Eye Cream Reviews

I recently discussed why we get puffy dark under-eye circles and some ways to treat them but I also want to review some of the eye creams I've been using lately. Eye creams work differently on different people. Everyone has a different skin type and need and there are plenty out there that will truly help address your issues. It's just a matter of finding the right one for you. Here are some of the latest eye creams I've tried out and liked:

Sampar Eye Rule ($78 at www.Beauty360.com) The cream comes in a massaging ball applicator. Click it to the right and the solution neatly comes out in a circular formation on the ball. The cream is packed with adenosine and peptides, which hydrates, refreshes, and smoothes the skin. It definitely feels refreshing on and I look forward to using it after a long day out and about. It seems to calm down the aggravated delicate skin and there's no doubt the cream has softened the area.

Sensai Recovery Concentrate For Eyes ($180 at bergdorfgoodman.com) This luxe serum is thick, creamy, and extremely moisturizing. It helps boost cellular enery metabolism and minimizes the appearance of wrinkles and dark circles. My skin definitely looks radiant after using it and it's very gentle on the skin. I kinda wanted to lather it all over my face.

Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Eye Treatment ($52 at us.shiseido.com & sephora.com) This award-winning cream addresses both melanin formation and poor local microcirculation. Two major causes of dark circles. The treatment brings a brightness to the eye area and diminishes the appearance of melanin pigments. I've been using this for a few weeks and while I haven't seen any radical changes yet, I still really like how it feels on the skin. It's also made the skin under my eyes feel incredibly soft. Not sure about the dark circles yet but am still holding out hope!

B.Kamins Bio Maple Eye Cream ($60 at b.kamins.com) I love this skincare line. The cream is meant for dry skin (like mine) and its glossy finish soothes the skin and relaxes the eye area. It's formulated with Episphere-Blue™ technology, which is made of heat-activated, time-released tiny blue capsules of anti-oxidant vitamin E to help moisturize and repair the skin.

I'll be adding to this list as I continue to try eye creams, so keep looking out for my reviews. I will not stop till I find the perfect eye cream!!

Check out some of my other under-eye tips and the benefits of using primer with your under-eye concealer.

SENSAI COLOR Liquid Liner & Bronzing Powder

A while back I gushed over Kate Hudson's glamorous new look at a gala celebrating Chopards' 150th anniversary. The actress displayed a new found "confidence" along with her flawless face and sexy stare, courtesy of makeup pro, Julie Harris. The celebrity makeup guru transformed the usually boho chic actress into Old Hollywood hot that night and I loved her smoldering eye makeup. Harris dished on the liner she used to emphasize Hudson's lids: SENSAI Color Liquid Liner.

I myself, was in the market for a fabulous new liquid liner and since I'm a big fan of Harris's work I knew I had to try what she was using. I wasn't familiar with the Japanese luxury skin and makeup line when I tried their liner and bronzer but I definitely am now! The brand has a slew of amazing creams, moisturizers and lotions on top of their amazing lipsticks and liners. Kinda obsessed with the brand.

The liner is easy to use and the precise fine point draws effortlessly over your eyelids. In fact, the pointed brush was crafted by calligraphy brush designers in Japan and the pump applicator emits the perfect amount of liquid liner in each use. 

I also wanted to try their Summer 2010 Bronzing Powder (since I've kinda been on a bronzer binge lately). I was wowed by how perfect the glow from the powder looked on my skin. It was Purrrrfect!


The bronzer and the liner were great finds and really boosted my beauty regime. I've been using both on the reg. and loving how easily both products go from a natural day to a dramatic night look. By adding a few extra layers of both, I instantly added glamour and va-va voom to my look.


Check out pictures of me sporting the bronzing powder and liner! Don't judge my goofy mug peeps!

Kate Hudson Debuts A New Look

Kate Hudson looked head-to-toe glamorous at last night's gala celebrating Chopard's 150 years of excellence at the Frick Collection. The actress exuded her usual bubbly charm and dare I say radiated a new found confidence in her clingy body-hugging lavender dress and cream colored Casadei heels.

Celebrity makeup pro, Julie Harris dished what she did to achieve Hudson's subtle yet gorgeous look. The makeup artist started by applying Fresh Rose Marigold Tonic Water on her skin, Fresh Lotus Eye Gel around the eyes and Dr. Perricone Intensive Moisture Therapy all over her face and neck.   

Skin: Harris then applied Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation 6 on the face. "I only used a little with a foundation brush to give sheer coverage," says Harris. She then used Laura Mercier Camouflage Concealer #3 under her eyes. To add a warm flush to her cheeks, Harris shaded the cheekbones with NARS Tuomota and applied Bobbi Brown Pink Blush on the apples of the cheeks.

Eyes: "I wanted her to look dewy and fresh with the emphasis on the eyes," she says. She did that by applying SENSAI COLOR Liquid Liner close to the upper lashes and two coats of Clinique High Impact Mascara on the top and bottom lashes. To highlight Hudson's features, Harris applied NARS Multiple Copacabana Highlighting Cream on the brow bone, cheek bone and the inner corner of the eyes. She used NARS Maracaibo Cream Shadow with a fluffy brush to blend on the lid and in the crease and Lancome's Prune Eyeliner which was smudged close to the lower lashes and blended the Maracaibo shadow over the top of the liner closer to the lashes. 

Lips: Hudson had a beautiful, soft pink tint on her lips. Harris outlined her pout with NARS Tonga Lip Liner and filled them in with Giorgio Armani #11, a pink mauve hue lipstick. Finally, she added a hint of glimmer with Armani's #1 lip shimmer in a soft pink.