Check out my latest wedding beauty article featured in Beauty Etc. Magazine. I spoke with celebrity makeup artist Julie Harris about what tools and products you'll want in your beauty arsenal when you're preparing for your big day. She talks about her favorite products and what's most important to look for when preparing your wedding prep kit.
For more of my wedding tips and tricks check out my other articles featured in the magazine:
I tend to overstuff my makeup bag with cosmetics and products. That way I can dash out of the house sans makeup and expose my under eye circles and uneven skin tone to only a few innocent bystanders on my commute to work. Then, as soon as I get to a secure location I whip out my face transformation tools and magically add on youthful rest, bright eyes and flushed cheeks. It basically looks like my version of a superhero costume change or in 80's iconic girl power cartoon childhood obsession terms: Jerrica Benton to Jem and the Holograms-with only slightly less spiky pink hair and cheezy fashions!
Lipstick Queen Oxymoron in Minor Crisis (a long lasting beautiful light pink convertible lip and cheek color that's natural and feminine looking)
L'OREAL Paris Voluminous Mascara in Blackest Black (Not actually one of my favorite mascaras. The wand is a bit too big and the mascara smudges on my eyelids as I apply it on. I definitely don't think this tube is as good as DiorShow Blackout or Maybelline Great Lash but it really does separate the lashes and gives them plenty of volume)
Lipstick Queen 15 Minutes of Fame Lip Gloss in 9 Minutes ( a pink/raspberry tinted unsticky gloss with an easy to use one-click brush from one of my true favorite lip brands. You'll never get more innovative lip colors and applicators than you will from Lipstick Queen)
I'm a little fickle when it comes to product loyalty in my makeup bag. It's just not in my nature! I'm loving one blush one week, (cream blush is great when the weather is dry, a cheek stain works well when it's rainy out). I'm always adding new products and taking others out to change up my look and try new things out but right now these are some of my beauty staples. What's in your makeup bag and why would we love it?
Check out the edgy manicures seen at the Gareth Pugh Fall 2010 Paris Fashion Week collection. CND nail master Marian Newman helped the designer pair an out of the box manicure with his heavy metal line.
Newman also created the Chevron theme nails. Loving the nail art people. Newman says, she wanted to use Gareth's chevron theme and team it with the 'black blend to nude' seen in the makeup". The collection had a lot of angular silhouettes with only a hint of softness. So the nails reflected that cutting edge style. This is a trend I'm probably going to admire from a distance, but loving the fashion forwardness!
Sorry I’ve been a little MIA in the past few days! As it turns out airplanes aren’t that conducive to blogging! I just arrived in India and will be here on vacation for the next ten days! But don’t get too sad peeps! I’ll be blogging from the new Beauty Buff headquarters (e.g my grandparents home) and checking out all the latest beauty trends, products and happenings from the Motherland. I’ll also be covering Lakme-India Fashion Week and checking out the latest designers from this side of the Globe. So keep reading and get ready for some serious international beauty reporting!
Have you already marked your calendars on March 5th as a very important date; a very important date that you don’t want to be late for? I have! It’s Alice in Wonderland Day! Tim Burton’s remake of the beloved story is being released and if the movie posters and stills are any indication it will be a cinematic spectacular that only Burton could pull off.
I’m not gonna lie, I’m beyond excited! I’m “release of Harry Potter Book Seven” excited, I’m “just got a lifetime supply of Pez” excited, I’m “I just got gussied up to watch the Oscars on my couch with fancy appetizers” excited. You get the point.
It’s a dream cast (yet another role Johnny Depp was born to play) and no one can make sensory overload look so good as my favorite eccentric haired director.
Minor tangent: Charlie and The Chocolate Factory was a little too out there for me and I’m not sure the masterpiece that is Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory needed to be updated.
Anyway, before I make this a full on movie review, let me also say how equally thrilled I am by the Alice in Wonderland-inspired accoutrement.
The always edgy Urban Decay has come out with a palette of eye shadows called The Book of Shadows. The sixteen eyeshadows, two mini eyeliners and one travel size bottle of the cult classic Eye Shadow Primer Potion come neatly packed in a trippy "hidden" drawer. The shades are all classic Urban Decay colors like Twice Baked, X and Chopper (these only sound normal if you're a UD regular) but renamed for this special occasion in "topsy turvy names" like White Rabbit (actually Polyester Bride), Jabberwocky (Oil Slick) and Queen (Last Call). The top of the palette has a pop up scene of Alice in the Mushroom Forest after imbibing the "Drink Me" bottle and becoming entranced by her surroundings, she encounters the hookah-smoking caterpillar. The scene makes you feel like your watching the movie, but the mirror placed inconspicuously in the picture makes you feel like you've been transported into the movie. Um, yes please!
Swine Flu (ahem...H1N1 rather) isn’t just a threat to your health, it’s also hazardous to your hands.
With flu season officially here and especially ominous, people are taking extra precautions everywhere they go to protect themselves. For me, this means washing my hands after every encounter with a rogue door handle or suspicious public space.
Between trying to preemptively scrub away the flu with as much soap and water as I can handle AND drowning my mitts in the vats of hand sanitizer I’m constantly surrounded by, my poor hands have been suffering the ultimate seasonal setback: crippling beyond relief dryness. If your skin is anything like mine, once it senses any kind of dehydrating substance (water and sanitizers being the biggest culprits) on the skin, it screams out in discomfort. So as you can imagine, hand lotions are not only a necessity, they're a lifeline for my poor pores.
With that said, I do have a few favorites that allow me to cleanse to my liking and yet still moisturize my hands with a lasting, loving fervor.
One dime size drop of this potent hand cream/miracle tube and your skin will feel rejuvenated again but in no way greasy. I not only swear by this product, I pray for the day when I'll be able to order tub size version of it. I'll then get four or five at a time, at least.
-Yu-Be Moisturizing Skin Cream ($15.00, drugstore.com) This glycerin-based salve is the number one selling medicated, vitamin-enriched skin cream in Japan. The Camphor scent fades after a few minutes only to reveal smooth, warm and healthy skin. It's so effective that it's even used by Japanese mountain climbers on their expeditions to the top of Mt. Everest.
This luxurious lather softens dry hands and cuticles and preserves their youthful appearance. Devotees rave about how infrequently you need to reapply this solution (even after washing your hands) and how non-greasy it feels on. Bonus: the pricey tube now has a travel-size counterpart that's a third of the cost.
This European brand boasts rich oils in Avocado, Jasmine and Mango (my favorite) scents along with glycerin to emulsify the skin. The yummy fragrances are long lasting and only add to the appeal of this incredibly lush skin softener.
There isn't one product in this line that doesn't smell heavenly (and that's an understatement). The balm contains candlenut oil, which not only smells like a tropical breeze but is revered in Indonesia for it's "supremely moisturizing properties and velvety touch". The natural cream is paraben-free and a great organic alternative.
Scoop up one of these treatments and you'll avoid the feeling of dry, dehydrated skin while you attend to more pressing matters, such as avoiding The Swine Flu!
Thank you for your patience while the new site was under construction! It's finally ready and I am very excited to share it with you!
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The Beauty Buff is ready to be seen by the world but please excuse us if you encounter any issues. We're still working out a few kinks! Enjoy the site and feel free to participate in the conversation!
These young ones are my “Choice” for their stand out appearances at my nine year old cousin’s favorite awards show!
Last week was the 2009 Teen Choice Awards. While the show can err on the side of corny from time to time it always brings a star-studded turn out of heartthrobs, starlets and A-listers. The slime induced younger sibling of awards shows calls for a much more casual, family-friendly wardrobe from our young fashionistas. Hair and makeup tend to be more polished, pretty, and girl-next-door. Lil’ Kim pasties and purple wigs are banned and sent away for the little one’s rebellious older sister, MTV’s Video Music Awards. This year the looks were especially demure yet decidedly sophisticated and fresh. Here are a few of my favorite looks:
Amanda Bynes
Amanda Bynes looked gorgeous with her Lauren Conrad-waves, soft pink, glossy lips and subtle silvery shadow that encased her va-va voom lashes and liner.
Emma Roberts
Julia’s niece looked like age-appropriate perfection. Winged-out cat eyes and a neutral color palette for the rest of her face let her sleek side bang ponytail and amazing bib necklace-dress do the talking.
Ashley Tisdale
I love Ashley Tisdale’s dark to light chestnut locks with hints of honey dangling delicately around face. The High School Musical bad-girl looks so much better as a brunette as it allows her to experiment with a much more flattering color palette. Her tan skin and chestnut eyes compliment the aubergine-navy smokey eye makeup and nude-pink lip shade she’s sporting perfectly.
Lea Michele
Lea Michele, the Glee star and nominee for Choice Female Breakout TV Star, looked like a Grecian Goddess with her dark chocolate, romantic waves and bronzed glow. Her hair was the definite winner in this look but her subtle yet totally glamourous makeup was the perfect balance to her cascading waves and beautiful cannery yellow dress.
Keke Palmer
While most looks on the grassy green carpet played up the eyes and toned down the lips, one actress chose to go against the grain and it paid off. Nickelodeon star, Keke Palmer, sported a crimson pout, coppery brown shadow, a dash of coal liner, and a deep peachy blush. The emphasis on her lips complimented her sparkly shrug, slicked hair and megawatt smile. Although the teen’s look was less subtle than most, she still managed to look young, fashion forward and the ever important age-appropriate.
While most stars shined with their perfectly coiffed tresses and airbrushed mugs, some missed the mark on this occasion. Here are a few ladies that needed a little less styling and a little more au natural finesse:
Selena Gomez
Selena Gomez’s makeup looks ethereal and beautiful but her overly done hairstyle and matronly dress make her look unnecessarily old and well beyond her just turned seventeen years. It’s ever so important, especially at shows like this, to dress and look your age! Selena, enjoy being a fabulous teenager and don’t try to look or act any older than you are. Sage advice from such a wise twenty-something, right!? :)
Kim Kardashian and Audrina Patridge look gorgeous as always but their newly flaxen haired dye jobs and highlights take away from that exotic, dark haired mystique that separate them from all the other Hollywood blondes. They’ll look stunning no matter what but in our opinion they need to stop trying to look like everyone else in Tinseltown and start loving their signature looks just as much as we do!
Finally, here’s our worst look of the night. Kat Von D’s new stringy and straight blond (what we hope is a wig) ‘do is a mess. The color is ashy and looks horrible against her skin tone. Her eye makeup and lipstick shade looks clown-like and ages her. While this would have been a great opportunity to promote her Sephora-exclusive makeup line she seems to have missed the boat completely. We miss her usual rocker-chic mixed with pinup girl glamour. No matter how heavily rimmed with liner her eyes were, she somehow always managed to rock a scarlet pout with casual perfection. Kat we love your standard dark locks, dark eyes, and dark lips! Heck, I even dressed up as you for Halloween! We really hope this is a phase and you go back to being “you” really soon! Till then, we’re very sorry but you get a big frowney face from us! :(
Please note the Kat Von D “too cool for school” cool-chick snarl I’m trying desperately to embody!
Here’s the Kat we love! We know you’ll be back soon enough!
For general questions, media inquiries or PR firms wishing to have a product reviewed, email me at The Beauty Buff: thebeautybuffblog@gmail.com
I am also available to do freelance web and print writing, makeup application tutorials, product/service reviews and copy writing and editing projects.
I welcome your feedback and input! Feel free to get in touch with me if you have beauty questions, anecdotes, or want to share your experiences about products and services! The more I get, the better we all look and feel! If there is any area you would like to see more heavily discussed, let me know! This is as much your site as it is mine!
The Beauty Buff began her career in beauty at age four. What started as a love for drawing turned into a passion for making over the faces she was drawing with only the finest markers Crayola had to offer. Each color was seen as a tube, jar, pencil or pot of something that would magically enhance and transform her subject-and it did!
Since then, she has taken her makeovers to another medium - people. The Beauty Buff did theatrical makeup in school and has done applications for events, weddings and fashion shows.
The Beauty Buff is a kid in a candy store whenever she's around lotions, potions, concoctions and more!
She fosters this love by writing about and reviewing products, doling out insider tips, interviewing professionals in the field, and covering celebrity news.
The Beauty Buff has a love for colors, art and all things aesthetically fabulous. Beauty encompasses all of that and that's why she's lucky to have a forum that allows her to celebrate it!
Posts
The always edgy Urban Decay has come out with a palette of eye shadows called The Book of Shadows. The sixteen eyeshadows, two mini eyeliners and one travel size bottle of the cult classic Eye Shadow Primer Potion come neatly packed in a trippy "hidden" drawer. The shades are all classic Urban Decay colors like Twice Baked, X and Chopper (these only sound normal if you're a UD regular) but renamed for this special occasion in "topsy turvy names" like White Rabbit (actually Polyester Bride), Jabberwocky (Oil Slick) and Queen (Last Call). The top of the palette has a pop up scene of Alice in the Mushroom Forest after imbibing the "Drink Me" bottle and becoming entranced by her surroundings, she encounters the hookah-smoking caterpillar. The scene makes you feel like your watching the movie, but the mirror placed inconspicuously in the picture makes you feel like you've been transported into the movie. Um, yes please!
size drop of this potent hand cream/miracle tube and your skin will feel rejuvenated again but in no way greasy. I not only swear by this product, I pray for the day when I'll be able to order tub size version of it. I'll then get four or five at a time, at least.
This luxurious lather softens dry hands and cuticles and preserves their youthful appearance. Devotees rave about how infrequently you need to reapply this solution (even after washing your hands) and how non-greasy it feels on. Bonus: the pricey tube now has a travel-size counterpart that's a third of the cost.
This European brand boasts rich oils in Avocado, Jasmine and Mango (my favorite) scents along with glycerin to emulsify the skin. The yummy fragrances are long lasting and only add to the appeal of this incredibly lush skin softener.
There isn't one product in this line that doesn't smell heavenly (and that's an understatement). The balm contains candlenut oil, which not only smells like a tropical breeze but is revered in Indonesia for it's "supremely moisturizing properties and velvety touch". The natural cream is paraben-free and a great organic alternative.
The Beauty Buff began her career in beauty at age four. What started as a love for drawing turned into a passion for making over the faces she was drawing with only the finest markers Crayola had to offer. Each color was seen as a tube, jar, pencil or pot of something that would magically enhance and transform her subject-and it did!
