Showing posts with label glam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label glam. Show all posts

Monday, November 10, 2014

Bridal Makeup featuring Loverly...

Hello loves!
So many exciting things have been happening since I last wrote. One of which, is the inspiration for today's blog. 

The folks at Loverly asked me to create 3 bridal makeup looks for some of their featured dresses! If you aren't familiar with this bridal site, you should definitely take a minute to check it out! You can see all the beautiful inspiration here

I have to tell you, I was so excited to do this post, not only because I love creating such special makeup looks, but also because I'm newly engaged myself! 

Yes! 

Jesse popped the question on our 5 year anniversary, and we couldn't be more excited! 
So the idea of perusing hundreds of wedding dresses on Loverly's site to find inspiration was quite dreamy...

Whether you're a bride to be, a friend of a bride, a bridesmaid, or artist, I hope you find inspiration for your next bridal look!

Soft and Romantic

This dress has a grecian inspired draping. Very clean, simple and effortless. For a dress like this, I imagine a very polished yet soft and romantic makeup. 


Soft and Romantic Bridal look




This dress inspired a clean look due to it's sophisticated style. The clean lines and the soft flowing fabric are what inspired this polished, barely there makeup look. 
Imagine soft taupes on the eyes, a barely there liner (either brown powder or a tight line with a pencil), fresh pink cheeks, and subtle highlights. And don't forget the lashes! Just because this look is supposed to be effortless, these individual lashes add just the right amount of flair for those romantic doe eyes. Not to mention, it looks fabulous in the photos! 

Hint of Vintage

This classic bridal dress is definitely vintage inspired. From the lace to the sleeves, all you can think of is 1940's glamour. So that's what I want to carry on through the makeup to create a clean, cohesive look. 


Hint of Vintage




Starting with a lightweight, full cover foundation for that matte look. The eyes are lined with a little cat flick of liquid liner (black of course!), adorned with some corner lashes to emphasize that cat eye flair. I also love the antique gold eye shadow popped right on the lid! Just to add a little extra sparkle and sophistication. 
Instead of opting for a bold lined red lip, I'm going with a softer, berry stain. Still has that drama, but carried out in a softer, romantic way. 


Chic and Glamorous

A ball gown is glamourous on it's own.. make it blush and Oh my! It's a show stopper! I wanted a makeup look with drama that could hold up to the dress, but still had a pretty and feminine vibe.


Chic and Glamorous





The flowing taffeta of the gown inspired those long, feathery lashes, and the color of the dress was replicated in the cheeks and lips.
With a gown like this, you can get away with so much more!
I wanted to make the eyes pop with something a little more dramatic and smokey without being too harsh or distracting. Remember, you want to complement the dress, not compete with it :)
So I'm opting for chocolate brown shadows. Still making an impact with black pencil in the waterline and lashes of course. Sometimes with darker eye makeup, you lose the lashes, so adding some falsies help prevent that.
Because this look is a little more couture, I'm adding some shadows and contouring throughout the face with a soft bronzer. Finish off the look with a glowing blush (this one has gold flecks that catch the light), and a soft lipstick that is a hint above your natural lip color. I used Nika Vaughan's forever matte lipstick in Prosecco. 

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I hope this was inspiring to you! It was so much fun looking through all those beautiful dresses and coming up with a customized look for each pick.
For my beautiful brides to be, if you're intersted in booking me as your artist for your big day (I travel all over!), you may view my bridal portfolio below.
www.nikavaughanbridalartists.com

Have a beautiful day!!


Tuesday, August 26, 2014

2014 Emmy's Best

Hello loves,

Last night was the 66th Annual Emmy Awards! 

I was completely caught off guard, and was very unprepared! I didn't realize it was even showing last night until 4pm yesterday when I saw Giuliana Rancic's post on instagram! Turns out, I was justified in that, as this is the first time they've aired an Emmy's show on a Monday in over 30 years. 
YES! 
AND, they decided to push it up a month early so it wouldn't interfere with Sunday Night Football. 

But let's get back to the beauty shall we? Luckily I caught the red carpet action and drank bubbles as I enjoyed the award show. It was lovely. 

Here are my top beauty picks of the night…

Sara Hyland

image ℅ hollywoodlife.com

I loved Sara Hyland's look! It was so fun, young and fresh. The loose bun at the top of her head is both chic and playful. Her makeup is bronzed and rosy with lots of lash! Very soft, pretty and glowy-- all good things! 

Sticking with the Modern Family theme…

Julie Bowen

photo ℅ hollywoodlife.com

Julie Bowen looked amazing. I loved the hair with the soft, effortless waves and side part. It was formal, yet casual. Her makeup looked beautiful! Glowing skin, soft pink lips, and bold, sexy eyes pulling inspiration from her gown. 

Julia Louis Dreyfus

photo ℅ hollywoodlife.com

Julia. You are amazing. 
Aside from being hilarious and talented, she is beautiful! 
I thought she looked stunning last night- from the dress to the perfectly blown out hair, she looked glowing and fresh faced! Her makeup was soft, some emphasis on her eyes with neutral tones kept this look classic and clean. 

Jessica ParĂ©

photo ℅ hollywoodlife.com

I loved this makeup look because it was soft and natural but still striking. Her eyes have blush toned shadows which carry into the rest of the face-- soft berry stained lips are perfection! Her hair was swept back clean, leaving her beautiful shoulders on display. 

Claire Danes

photo ℅ eonline.com

Claire Danes looked really great last night. She had a beautiful classic red lip and lined eye, but her updo really stole the show! This fishtail bun was modern, interesting and truly beautiful. 


Kerry Washington

photo ℅ huffingtonpost.com 

Kerry always looks amazing. 
While I will admit, I was not totally crazy about the hair- it was okay. It felt undone to me. It kind of looked like she had her hair in a bun all day and then took it down and ran a comb through leaving all the little dents in there. I just wish it was either more straight or had a little more bend to it. 
On another note, her makeup was gorgeous- I loved that she went with a metallic blue on the lids, something bold and daring and oh so complimentary to that stunning orange dress. Paired with natural lips and perfect skin, it was gorgeous.



There you have it, my top picks from the night! Who were yours? Feel free to share! 






Tuesday, January 14, 2014

2014 Golden Globes

Hello lovelies! 
It's been a few months since my last post, but I swear I'll post about what I've been up to! 

In the meantime...
IT'S AWARD SEASON!!

Sunday night was the first of many glamorous award shows for 2014. I could not stop live tweeting, looking online, and flipping channels between every interview!

Here are some of my Knock Out Looks, Missed Looks, and even one that I found Boring! 

Let's start with a bang shall we? 
Knock out Looks...
These ladies REALLY kicked it out of the park with some super stunning looks.
Hair. Makeup. Perfection. 

Julianna Margulies
As my boyfriend said, "I swear she's getting younger." Julianna looks great, if not better now than back in her 20s! 
The talented artist, Molly R. Stern had the pleasure of working with Julianna. She managed to keep her skin glowing and fresh with a soft coral cheek, pretty pink pout and sultry cat eyes. Her side swept bangs and low tied do' were perfection. 

Emma Watson


I loved Emma Watson's look! 
It was fresh, young and clean! Her deep side parted hair, pulled back was  effortless and made a bold statement. It's not easy to pull off a bold lip with a bright dress, but she did it! Love the contrasting lip color against the red/orange dress. 

Lupita Nyong'o
I think EVERYONE was obsessing over this show stopper. Lupita is new on the scene, but she certainly looks like a pro on the red carpet. 
With beautiful clean skin, a bright red lip (and dress!), and a clean sweep of liner, this girl ruled! Look closely, the look is updated and brightened with a little blue liner on the bottom of her eyes. The perfect modern touch to add a little excitement. Her short hair was parted to the side for a sophisticated, on trend look. 

Mila Kunis
Mila usually wears a dark rimmed eye, but last night she made me OBSESS over her eye makeup! It was softened with soft grays and kept very neutral. I love that there wasn't any additional shimmer or shine on her eyes since her dress was so blingy! Paired with a slicked back, clean updo, the look is modern and beautiful. 
I can guarantee I will be wearing this makeup look very soon! 

MISSES
Here are some ladies that just missed the mark with me- Most are small mistakes that I think could easily be executed in a better way. 

Zooey Deschanel

Before you say anything... Let me explain! 
Girl looked amazing- super cute and charming (as per usual), but she landed on this list because the look could have been better. Her foundation is far too heavy for her-- she has beautiful skin and should let that shine through! You can see the excess makeup creasing under her eyes. It was just too heavy! 
I would have definitely added some slight definition (contours) as she begins to look like one white blob on camera. The girl is gorgeous! Let that shine! 

Lena Dunham

I thought Lena looked incredible in her yellow gown! But when it came to her makeup, it was a flop. The eyeliner is messy and harsh against her skin. I would have opened up the yes a bit more with some warm shadows, and then accented with a soft cat eye- probably with a gel for a softer effect. 
She's so adorable and pretty, but that wasn't captured for me with this look!

Jacqueline Bisset


What a beautiful woman. 
But if you are going to the Golden Globes, AND your NOMINATED, you should get your hair done. Full of flyaways and frizzies, this messy hair did not do it for me. Smooth it out, add some texture, but do it right! 

Boring
And lastly, here is my pick for my "Pretty, but not surprised," look...

Sofia Vergara


Sofia Vergara is always a knockout, but that's probably because she does the same hair and makeup look, over and over... and over
Hair always down, often parted to the side and on one shoulder. 
Makeup is always the same- soft bronzed cat eye, pop of color on the lip. It's all very pretty, she looks great all the time, but it's a little tired. I'd love to see her change that hair! Maybe pin part back, or do a low side swept bun. And makeup, I'd love to see her with a sultry smokey eye, just to change it up! 


Those are some of my picks that really caught my attention. 
Who are some of yours?! Anyone else out there who didn't surprise you? 
Have a favorite of the night?! 

I honestly had too many favorites to post! Everyone really looked amazing. Some could use a little tweaking, but overall, it was a night that was easy to watch! 

xoxo Jen

Photos sourced from, bella sugar, huffington post, getty images and Vogue.