Sequins and Glitter and Sparkles, Oh My!

That's right, it's that time of year again when we can get away with all the glitter and lashes we want! It's New Years Eve!!!

I love love love getting ready for NYE. It's the perfect opportunity to really go outside the box with your makeup routine and try something truly eye catching. I try to change it up year to year.. Just to recap...
*pardon the poor lighting/photos*

2011

I went with a gold glitter eye with cat liner and big wispie lashes! I polished it off with a classic, matte red lip :) 

2012

I worked in a different color palette for 2012-- Using silvers and opalescent glitter on the eyes, a smokey black liner and glossy red lips. 

2013

The year our heat went out during a big snow storm... ie; no time for makeup! Simply added a red lip out the door! 

2014

This one may be my favorite! I went for an electric blue cream shadow that I topped with blue/green glitter, all around my eyes. I tight-lined with a black liner for added definition and of course big lashes! I kept the lips soft and natural. 

So what does ringing in 2016 bring to the table? So many options! Here are some fun product suggestions if you're still undecided...

Start small... 

Not ready to jump into the disco lids?! Try starting with small details like this Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner from Urban Decay. 

*image c/o Ulta.com

They come in a variety of colors so you can coordinate and personalize :) One swipe of this will escalate your regular makeup routine to top notch New Year fun. 

The best part about this? No additional adhesives required! It's a great way to get that holiday flair without the extra fuss. 

Glitter Shadows... 

Before diving into the loose glitters, you can always start with a metallic or shimmer shadow. Bobbi Brown's Sparkle Eyeshadows have some beautiful metallic/neutral shades... 

*photos c/o Sephora.com

Colors (L toR): Sunlight, Allspice, Mica

If you're looking for some more color options, try Urban Decay Moondust Shadows. 

*photos c/o Urbandecay.com

Colors (L to R): Intergalactic, Scorpio, Shockwave

These shadows are a great way to add an understated sparkle. Pop on your lids and add a dark liner and lashes to get that extra drama! 

Die Hard Glitter Fans... 

Like myself :) 

Most of you know Makeup Forever is one of my FAVORITE makeup brands! They have an amazing artist line and have a killer glitter selection! From Subtle to outrageous, you can find one that works for you! 

They have a wide assortment of colors in their fine grade Glitters. 

*Photo c/o Makeupforever.com

Colors (Top, L to R): N5 Blue, N14 Orange, N7 Red

These fine grade glitters are beautiful topped over eyeshadows! They add sparkle and dimension to a regular eye shadow (see 2014 New Years Eve Makeup Above!)

They can even be used on the lips and body :) 

If you want some really crazy, fun glitter, be sure to check out Makeup Forever's Graphic Glitters and Star Glitters. 

How to... 

Wondering how to adhere that glitter so it will last you through your night of dancing and drinking champagne? Try this amazing Glitter Glue from Too Faced. 

*Image c/o Toofaced.com

It's waterproof, creaseproof and holds glitter and shimmer for 24 hours. I have always used their Shadow Insurance Primer to lock down shadows and it works amazingly well. So if you need a way to apply your glitter that isn't uncomfortable, or too sticky, give this a try! 

I hope this inspires you to try something daring this New Years Eve! Remember, it should be fun, festive and full of sparkle :) 

Share your NYE look in the comments section- I'd love to see what inspired you. 

Have a Great New Year's Eve, and be safe! 

Nora's Makeover

Hello friends--

I'm gonna take us back a few weeks, to New Years Eve!

On NYE I had a very light work day. 

That said, I put out a text to a few lady friends as I was feeling festive and inspired from my one client earlier that day! 

My good friend Nora immediately jumped on board. She of course brought some pink champagne with rock candy lollipops for an exceptionally fabulous glass of bubbly-- 

and we made her up!

Here is the lovely Nora:

Let me just start by saying that Nora is just stunning without makeup! She has a beautiful face with gorgeous features (umm, how can you not notice those peepers?!), and an even more beautiful heart. She is incredibly real, fun(ny), smart, giving and thoughtful. I am truly grateful to have her in my life.

She is also quite a talent! While she won't own up to it, she is an incredible photographer and has a knack for styling. 

You can check out her blog HERE!

On to the makeup!

The Look
Before and After

Nora takes incredibly good care of herself. 

Seriously. 

I could learn from her. 

Her skin is practically flawless-- a blemish or two-- but overall her skin felt hydrated, supple and was pretty much even in tone. Making my job incredibly easy! 

Whenever I see Nora she usually has a pretty laid back makeup look-- she generally keeps it simple. On occasion I've seen her play up her eyes bit. 

She gave me complete freedom to do what I wanted-- and while I wanted to do something fun for the evening, I also didn't want to stray too far from her personal comfort zone. 

I've played that game before...

X "you can do whatever you want!"

ME "Really? great!"

X "oh, I like it but... "
Sidenote--
While having creative freedom is FABULOUS-- what's even more fabulous is being honest about what you want/like/dislike, so I can do my job :) Don't be shy to tell your artist what you want! 

Back to the look--

Here's what we did...

Skin Prep:

I applied a small amount of an intense moisturizer to her skin. Nora favors to the dry side, and while she felt pretty hydrated, I wanted to make sure her skin felt dewey (as described in my post about skin prep, HERE). 

From there, I prepped her lips with a balm and applied an eye primer from the lash line to the brow. I used Urban Decay's in SIN, which is a champagne shimmer. 

Eyes:
I started out by using MAC's Deep Damsen (a beautiful dark maroon) Matte eyeshadow from her lash line to just below her natural crease. I packed it on with a flat shadow brush. From there, I took a blending brush and softly blended the color into her crease.

I then took MAC's soft shimmer tones Shroom and Naked lunch, and applied them on the inner corner of the eyes.

From there, I took MAC's eye liner in Smolder and applied it on the inner rims of her eyes (both upper and lower lash lines).

I then took a black gel liner with a thin pointed brush and lined the top of her eye-- extremely thin on the inner corner and getting thicker as I move towards the outer corner.

I go over this liner with an angle hair brush coated in MAC's carbon eyeshadow, softly blending the black shadow up into the crease.
Buff the black shadow and the original maroon shadow gently in the crease.

Next, I took Makeup Forever's Flash Palette (which I LOVE!), and took a little of the gold on my finger tip and placed it on the center of her lids.

I added a nice coat of mascara--
Nora has CRAZY amazing lashes so I didn't feel the need to apply falsies. Not to mention-- for NYE she was keeping it low key-- headed to a small gathering with close friends. If she was going to a concert, or a venue with dark lighting-- I would have added them :)

That's pretty much it for the eyes! 

For the rest of her face, I actually airbrushed her. She hadn't experienced the airbrush foundation before, so I figured, why not :)

That said, I cleaned up any fall out and mess from the eyes (that's why I do eyes first :)), re-hydrated where necessary, and then primed her skin.

From there I used concealer to cover what little discoloration she had. Pretty standard places (under eyes, around the nose, chin).
I then took a very dark brown concealer and used it to contour her face. Contouring adds some dimension and helps to enhance features. I did this on her cheekbones, the nose, and around the forehead.

Then I airbrushed the foundation.

I gently filled her brows with a powder.

Set her foundation with a light dusting of Makeup Forever's HD powder.

Applied a soft pink/peachy blush, a soft pink lip liner and some gloss, and she was good to go!!

Yay for Nora letting me post these photos!!

Hope you enjoyed the look!

XOXO JEN

Post NYE Beauty secrets

Yes yes, New Year's Eve is all about celebrating with friends and family, creating new resolutions to better yourself, blah blah blah..

For most of you it's a good excuse to drink loads of champagne and party like it's going out of style! I intend to partake in some celebrating myself :) 

In case some of you need to work the next day, or have a brunch date, or just need to leave the house-- Here are some helpful hints for that puffy, exhausted face :) 

Things to help the night before...

1. WASH YOUR FACE! 

No matter how tired you are, it is so important! Especially since more makeup is typically worn for the occasion (as stated in my previous blog post here), and you've been drinking, dancing, eating, and sweating, it is a bacterial haven! 

Last NYE, I came home at 4am and before I even looked at my bed, I headed straight to the washroom to wash my face of the evening! It'll make you feel so much better in the morning and save your skin!

2. Take some aspirin.

If you've had too much alcohol, it'll save your life (and your headache). If you have some advil PM, it'll help you get that extra beauty rest you need!

3. Wash that aspirin down with lots of water. 

When I come home and if I've had more alcohol than I intend, I try to drink a quart of water (4 glasses) before bed. The aspirin is a lifesaver in itself, but if you hydrate before bed, you wake up feeling SO much better! Not only that, your skin will thank you. 

Rise and Shine...

1. More water!

First thing's first, start your day with another big glass of water! Hydration is key to feeling and looking better. Coconut water is a great source of hydration as well. 

2. Cold Spoons. 

Notice some puffiness around your eyes? Place some cold spoons over them and relax for 10 minutes. Another trick to remember to do, the next time you have green tea, save the tea bags. Placing cold tea bags on your eyes will help with the swelling as well. Not to mention the helpful antioxidants and caffeine boost your skin gets!

3. Hydrate your skin.

How'd you know I was going to say that? 

After your cold spoon remedy (or splashing your face with cold water if you don't have puffiness), use a good moisturizer followed by an eye cream.

And remember, my best tip to distract from tired eyes-- LIPSTICK! Throw on a bright lip color and put on some shades! 

Hope this helps you post celebration! You want to start the New Year right! Practice good habits for 2013! 

Happy New Year everyone! 

xoxo Jen

New Year's Eve Makeup!

NYE

The best reason for glitter!

NYE seems to be the most appropriate time for ladies to really experiment and play with their makeup looks! It's always fun to see what people do. 

I, myself am a lip girl. I always rock bright colored hues on my lips. It's what makes me feel good, sexy and fun :) 

But whenever NYE comes around I usually play up my eyes more as well. This magical night is a time when women can throw all the rules out the window and go BIG with their looks. 

Here's a sample of what I did last year: 

*excuse the poor photo- via iPhone :) 

Glitter lids with kohl rimmed eyes, lashes and of course, red lips :) 

It was SO fun to wear. It felt super festive and special because I never wear that type of makeup day to day. 

Unsure of what look you want to do this year? Here are some classic combos and other fun looks you which you can't go wrong!

Retro Lovely: 

*photo by Peggy Clements Hair and MU: Jen Brown

You can't go wrong with a classic Cat Eye and Red Lip. This look is timeless and will never go out of style. I feel like it's so simple, but for someone that doesn't wear a lot of makeup, it makes quite the impact!

Favorite Products to create this look: 

Mac Gel Liner in Blacktrack

Makeup Forever Aqua Lip Liner in 8C-True Red

Mac's Russian Red Lip stick

Ardell Lashes in babies black

Metallic Hues:

Soft Silver

*photo by Chris Rucker, Model: Stasia, Hair and MU: Jen Brown 

I LOVE metallics. 

I love gold, silver, glitter, copper, you name it, I'll wear it! 

The shimmery sheen you get from these shadows are perfect for evening and feel extremely festive! They catch the light beautifully and will work with any eye color. 

Favorite products to create these looks: 

Makeup Forever Flash Palette

Makeup Forever Aqua Cream in Gold Shimmer and Silver

Urban Decay eyeshadow in Maui Wowie

Glamorous Gold

*Photo by Chris Rucker, Model: Katie Jens, hair and MU: Jen Brown

*Photo by RB DelRosario, Model: Katia, Hair: Timea, MU: Jen Brown

Smokey: 

There are so many variations of a smokey eye it's kind of ridiculous! 

Whenever I get a request for a smokey eye, I decide the type by their eye shape, color, lid space, etc. 

Here are a few styles that have that smokey drama:

#1

*Photo by Bryan Whitely, Model: Isabella, Hair & MU: Jen Brown

Great example of a soft smokey eye. Keeping the darkest shadows on the outer corners and keeping it light on the lid. 

#2

*Photo courtesy of my iPhone :)

Example of a soft/subtle smokey eye. Keeping all the dark liner and shadow on the lid below the crease. 

#3a

*Photo by RB DelRosario Model: Brittney, Hair & MU: Jen Brown

 These two photos are great examples of very dramatic smokey eyes. The top photo incorporates shimmer tones and silvery hues, while the photo below shows a very dark smokey eye with a soft highlight on the inner corner. Both extend out beyond the natural eye. 

#3b

*Photo: Bryan Whitely, Model: Katrina, Hair & MU: Jen Brown

 #4

*Photo: Chris Rucker, Model: Allie, Hair & MU: Jen Brown

Here is a sample of creating a crease with a smokey eye. 

Favorite products to create a smokey look: 

Mac Gel Liner in Blacktrack

L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara

Mac eye Kohl in Smolder

Hope this helps to inspire some playful makeup for NYE! 

Have a fun, safe night out tomorrow! 

xoxo Jen