fresh looking skin

A friend asked me how I keep my skin so fresh looking. It's very simple Always, always, always, wash and really clean your face every morning and night. It sounds a bit gross but there are people out there that don't clean their face enough! YUUKKK! 

If you ever have time, please go to a steam room.  It is very important that you clean out your pores.... after or during a shower, a bath or the steam room. One great way to do this is by using a scrub.  A very inexpensive scrub is simple baking soda. I use that all the time! If you want to take it up a notch add a drop of tea tree oil to your baking soda paste. Tee trea oil is amazing... not only does it kill germs, it's anti fungal and has healing properties that help get rid of black heads.

Use a softening lotion (toner). "Witch hazel" is very inexpensive and it works.  Always moisturize your face, try using products that are antioxidant like (Jan Marini) face cream, use eye cream that are anti wrinkle, and neck creams that are anti aging. Moisturizing is probably the most important part in keeping your skin looking fresh and young. At night I actually use oil...Girlie Girl Oil,  an Olive oil based moisturizer. I absolutely love it! It feels so good on my face and it give me so much hydration. Also take into consideration all the healing properties that olive oil has. Can't live without it!

Moving on to makeup.... try to pick a foundation that is not too thick... if you have clean beautiful skin you probably just need a tinted moisturizer or a sheer foundation. I like "MakeUp Forever HD" because it covers well and it's not too heavy and it gives you a little bit of a glow all around.  If you have skin that needs a bit more help then you need to buy a foundation with a bit more coverage a little more on the heavy side or  using a concealer over blemishes also works to help hide the troubled areas... you can keep a sheer foundation when you correct the hyper pigmentation and the blemishes with a concealer, "Pro Long Wear Concealer" from Mac is amazing! If you have an airbrush machine, use It!  it's  so light and it goes on very sheer, you can layer of course if you need more coverage. A Dinair airbrush machine is perfect to have at home or when you travel, it's very light and small enough to fit in a large makeup bag.

Don't forget to use a loose powder to set your foundation.  Otherwise your foundation wont stay on all day. Use a blush like the  "MAC’s Mineralize Blush duo" that has shimmer so it gives you a healthy Glow (NOT glitter).  Or you can also use a powder or cream highlighter to give you a glow in conjunction with your blush.

And that my friends, is how I keep my skin clean, fresh and glowy!  :)

 

smoky and sexy!

You don't have to have the most amazing eyes in the world to make them look sexy!... NO,NO,NO, But what you can do... is create amazing smokiN eyes! just by adding a few color.
One of the easiest way is by simply using 3 colors.
1: your basic off white or white
2: soft brown or any color you prefer it can be pink, peach, ect...... my fav color is a peach or orange

3: a dark brown, gray and or a simple black

when creating a smoky eye there are two way to begin.  One is by doing your eye's first than cleaning off all the excess shadow that has fallen on your cheeks.... then finishing off with the rest of your makeup.
Second, you can do your entire face and add lots of loose powder under the eyes so that the excess eyeshadow doesn't stain your concealer and foundation.

You all know I absolutely love and cant live without my Paint tube from MAC in bare canvas. I use that as a primer. Start with that! Remember it dries pretty quick so you have to work fast!  you can start by adding the soft brown or peach on the crease of your eye lid.... then move on to the dark brown , black or what ever color you decide to pick.  Cover the bottom part of the lid and under the bottom lashes with your dark color.... you can expand your eyes as much as you want, "don't be afraid!"  Blend as much and as many times you need until you achieve the darkness preferred... go back with the previous color used to blend.  We never want to see any lines so blend as much as possible....  to finish of your smoky eyes add a tad of you white to the top of the eye lid to add highlight under the brow bone.  Don't for get to add my favorite eyeliner fluid line in Black track from Mac on top and bottom of your eyes. Add mascara to finish and For a more Dramatic effect add some thick & long eyelashes.

 

REMEMBER: You have to use a brush for each color this will help you have more control when it's time to blend the colors together. 

Photos of Andrea's and mathew's wedding

http://www.vpphotography.com/blog/los-angeles-wedding-photographer-cicada-restaurant/

Makeup and Hair by me :)

keeping your skin young!

Hello and Sorry for not being around been very Busy with lots of work and Traveling.  I was recently in Playa del Carmen for a wedding and of course because I am the Makeup artist I always get asked tons of questions. So, I decided to share a few things with Y'all.

The most important,  in case you didn't know is....  to drink lots of water, It will rejuvenate your skin in every way. Making sure your face is always clean and refresh. Meaning you have to wash your face and clean off your make up before going to sleep.  Using a Toner is very important.... Use one depending on your skin type,  Witch Hazel work great on almost any skin and it's very reasonable in price.

Eyes are probably the most important!  Trying to keep them young is not an easy task.... no one want wrinkles..... Right? well a great way to reduce puffiness and dark circles is by using serums before applying your eye cream.  Another  great way is in the Morning after washing your face is to take ice and rubbing it around your eyes, this will tighten & firm your skin. Another great things is Potatoes YES Potatoes! How to use potatoes you may be asking..... Grate a raw one and put a hand full over each eye at least once a week for 15-30 min. a great way to relax and pamper your self . Use a gauze to prevent any liquids or starch from going into your eyes. Trust me it works! I saw it on Oprah ;) hehehe

To me the entire Face is very important! That is why I try to go to a steam room at least every other week, if that is not possible once a moth.  Steam room will open your pores and it will make it so much easier to exfoliate and get rid of those nasty white & black heads. Baking Soda: one of my favorite things to exfoliate my face with.  Another one of my most Favorite things is Tea tree oil, not only is it an anti bacterial anti fungi oil. It heal practically everything!!!! I absolutely LOVE IT!!!! Cant live with out it! you can add a drop of tea tree of the baking soda paste  to get a deeper cleanse when exfoliating.
Girlie Girl Oil: It's the most amazing face oil Anti Aging & Anti Wrinkle ...  with all the great properties the olive oil has to offer how can you go wrong.... I use it every night.....  works great for me!
www.girliegirloil.com

Sun spots:  very common as we start aging :(   Well If you've ever hear of Noni juice... not only does  it do great things for your inner body by drink it. Now they have discover that if you apply it directly on your sun spots with a Qtip every night in 3 month you will see them disappear. Doesn't hurt to try! anything for beauty ;)


Well Thats all for now! Until next time ;)