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. 

MTV Movie Awards Beauty-Whitney Port

Whitney Port looked fashion forward in her statement Yigal Azrouel dress at Sunday's MTV Movie Awards. The star of 'The City' has been riding high on the success of her debut collection, Whitney Eve, which launched at New York Fashion Week. Makeup artist, Amy Nadine wanted to create a soft look to contrast the yowza! factor of her dress.

Here's what the makeup artist did to create Port's gorgeous look:

Skin: Nadine applied Giorgio Armany Face Fabric Radiance in #1 and Giorgio Armani Loose Powder in #0. Nadine sculpted her cheeks with COVERGIRL Simply Ageless Sculpting Blush

in Plush Peach on the apples of her cheeks

Eyes: Nadine used the lighter shade of COVERGIRL Smoky ShadowBlast

in Bronze Fire all over her lid, then contoured her crease with the darker shade.  She says, " I drew a thick and heavy line on her upper eyelid with COVERGIRL LiquiLine in Black Fire for a 60's Madmen-inspired eye and paired it with extra coats of COVERGIRL LastBlast Fusion

in Very Black on the top lashes,".in Very Black on her bottom lashes for added definition.

Whitney then applied  COVERGIRL LashBlast Length

Lips: Nadine finished the look with Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Hush.

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.

Oscar Beauty 2010-Beauty Tips from Oscar Makeup Man

The Academy Awards is always the perfect venue to showcase all the latest beauty trends on our favorite starlets. Even the cascading curls in the most well coiffed hair style looks shiner and more resplendent and even the most perfectly glazed pout looks more glamorous and sparkling on Oscar night.

Bruce Grayson, Head Makeup Artist for the 2010 Academy Awards, has every trick in the book up sleeve to get stars looking Oscar gorgeous. He gives us the scoop on how to achieve Hollywood’s hottest red carpet looks at home.

Tip 1: Prep Your Skin.

In addition to a healthy diet and drinking plenty of water, Grayson recommends sticking to a strict skincare regimen. He says to try a firming treatment on your skin like Olay Professional Pro-X Intensive Firming Treatment kit. It comes with a hydrating mask and tightening serum to bring moisture to the skin and rejuvenate the skin cells. Grayson says he likes it because it helps restore your skin’s natural fullness and elasticity with its effective mixture of anti-aging ingredients. It’s important to use effective skin care treatments before getting glammed up for the evening.

Tip 2: Glowing From Within Skin

Grayson believes “fabulous makeup begins with a flawless canvas (aka your skin)”. To get an even looking, blemish free complexion use the tried and true favorite, Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation. Grayson says it’s important to apply foundation with the a foundation brush and use short, quick strokes to brush on the skin. Try a foundation brush from Giorgio Armani

Tip 3: Smokey Eyes: Tired-Free and Fabulous

Grayson combats dark circles and puffiness with Olay Regenerist Anti Aging Eye Roller. It’s cooling and soothing around the eyes and seriously works to fight wrinkles. Be sure to wait till the eye gel has properly dried to add any more makeup, powder or concealer to the area.

Grayson then uses a double-ended shadow stick like CoverGirl Smoky Shadow Blast, which comes in several rich shades, all over the lids. One side of the stick is rounded and perfect for painting over the eye, while the other side has an angled edge, which is great for creating bold definition along the lash line.

Tip 4: Pinch Your Cheeks!

Create a contoured look with plenty of definition and depth using a soft blush in a pink or a peach like the perennial favorite NARS Orgasm Blush. If you prefer to skip the shimmer, Grayson recommends trying Cargo in shade Catalina. It’s the same price and looks natural and sun-kissed when dusted on the apples of your cheeks with a big fluffy brush in an outward stroke towards the hairline.

Tip 5: Kissable Kissers

Grayson says great lips are created with prep work and diligence. Lips prepped with a conditioner will help hydrate your pout and keep the color on longer. Grayson loves Karite Lip Balm, an all-natural shea butter formula that moisturizes and protects your lips. For modern Hollywood lips, apply a red lipstick like YSL Rouge Volupte in Red Temptation or a coral shade like MAC Lipstick in Vegas Volt. Grayson then says to define lips even further using a liner like NARS Lip liner pencil in Jungle Red. Finally, setting the color in place with a high shine gloss like MAC Clear Lip Glass or NARS Lip Gloss in Triple X will give that extra dash of movie star glamour.

Grayson has worked with tons of stars at the Oscars and beyond and I love his fab tips and product recommendations. Hopefully some day, Bruce will be doling out tips and helping me prep for the big day IN PERSON! Ha! I can dream, can't I!? Enjoy!

Fashion Week-Stephen Burrows-Beauty Breakdown

CFDA Lifetime Achievement Winner, Stephen Burrows has been creating lively, colorful prints and patterns for years. He's been an important staple in the fashion industry for several decades and mingled and partied with legend after legend. He was friends with Andy Warhol, dressed Cher and hung out regularly at Studio 54 at the height of it's disco days. This season he created a collection that showed off his traditionally vivid designs and knack for perfectly cut jersey dresses. Burrows said he looked at "Gustav Klimt and Tiffany Lamps" as the inspiration for his latest collection. His dresses had wonderfully abstract prints, rich colors and classic silhouettes. He also showed a variety of other styles like ultra-wide wool trousers, fur vests, black leather jackets and chunky cable sweaters.

Makeup Inspiration: The inspiration for the makeup was based on the look and feel of Biba-the iconic European fashion label and mecca in the 1960-70’s era. Head makeup artist, Quinn Murphy, said he wanted to enhance the style of the clothing and overall youthfulness and individuality of the time. The look was strong but not heavy. Murphy made the look special by balancing a smokey eye with red lips. He did this by creating a layered effect on the shadows. The lips were modern and bright.

FACE: He pared down the skin by making it youthful and fresh. He used minimal concealer and a minimal amount of Armani Luminous Silk Foundation. He used a Beauty Blender Sponge to make the foundation look as sheer as possible. He skipped the blush altogether to not overpower the face with color. After setting the skin with powder he added a dot of moisturizer to the cheekbone, bridge of nose, forehead and chin to add a youthful glow.

EYES: Murphy said the eyes were a “smoldering tornado of black charcoal shadow, more undone and bohemian than a traditional smokey eye.”. He applied a small amount of black cream shadow, Black Flash Color by Make Up For Ever, from the lash line to the brow. He then used a black Armani eye pencil to line the inner rim and top of the lash line and smudged it. He then took a matte black eye shadow with a sponge tip applicator and lightly dotted the colors around the eye. He used black eye shadow on the lower lash line and blended further with an invisible loose powder. Finally he brushed on Armani Maestro Mascara on the lashes. By using small amounts of the shadows he was able to layer and build the look.

LIPS: Murphy chose a moist red lip to complete the look. He used Ruby Woo by M.A.C. to the edge of the natural lip line and the applied a tinted lip balm (Benefit Benetint Lip Balm SPF 15) to give moisture without being glossy. The softer red lip countered the deepness of the dramatic charcoal matte eye.

HAIR: Hairstylist Michael Deunas created a modern, chic donut shape (an alternative to the classic bun) for the hair. "The modern shape added simplicity and beauty to Stephen Burrows collection." he said. He sectioned the hair off at the base of the neck horizontally across. He sprayed each section with OSIS Flatliner and a round brushing smooth and then flat ironed each section smooth. He brushed the hair into a tight ponytail on the right side behind the ear. Denunas took OSIS Wax and smoothed it over each ponytail and wrapped the ends of the hair with a hair doodle and rolled it to the head so the hair was wrapped around it. He then snapped the hair doodle into a donut shape and spread the tightly wrapped hair around it. Deunas then took small hairpins and secured the hair doodle to the head. Finally, he finished with OSIS Elastic Hairspray and OSIS Air Pomade.

Golden Globes Glamour: Sofia Vergara

'Modern Family' star Sofia Vergara is one of those women who would probably look great in a potato sack but she looked particularly gorgeous at this year's GG's. Don't you wish you could have the Sofia-Penelope Cruz accent for a day, when you go out for a night on the town!?

Celebrity makeup artist, Julie Harris, gave me the skinny on how she created the Colombian beauty's fresh look for the awards ceremony.

Harris said she wanted the former 'Entourage' star to have a pretty, soft and subtle look to accentuate Vergara's natural beauty. Soft being the key word. In describing how she painted Vergara's face, the makeup pro says she wanted all colors to look soft and give a sweet, feminine, girlie vibe.

Skin:

The actress (who famously dated Tom Cruise briefly) has beautiful skin and needed very little foundation. Harris used Giorgio Armani Silk Foundation in #6. She used Laura Mercier Secret Concealer in #3. Harris brought out the star's natural glow by " applying a little Lancome Star Bronzer on her temples, chin and neck and using a soft pink blush by Bobbi Brown [Pale Pink by Bobbi Brown] on the apples of the cheeks". Finally, a light dusting of Laura Mercier Beige Loose Powder was swept on the T-Zone to avoid shine.

Eyes:

Harris brought out the soft golden-brown tones in her eyes by "highlighting the brow bone with a soft champagne cream highlighter [which she also used on her cheek bones]". She blended Laura Mercier Mahogany Brown (a soft golden brown shadow) in the crease, under the bottom lashes and above the lash line. She then used individual lashes and two coats of Covergirl Lash Blast Mascara to create length and thickness. Harris shaded in her eyebrows with Givenchy's Eyebrow Show Powdery Eyebrow Pencil in a Taupe color.

Lips:

Her full lips were defined and filled using Nars Fantasia, a peachy-rose colored lip liner, and Nars Dolce Vita, a sheer dusty rose tint.