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

Proper Skin Prep

I always tell my clients, Good makeup starts with Good skincare.

Seen in one of my first blog posts HERE. 

It's true! 

If you neglect your skin or don't properly prep the skin, applying makeup can be extremely difficult and sometimes almost impossible!

Before I put any makeup on my client's face, I make sure their skin is prepped.

Why is this important? 

It assures a smoother makeup application, long lasting makeup, and an all over better looking application.

So while you're taking care of your body and skin, be sure to follow these tips on how to prep your skin for makeup :) 

Here's how I prepare the skin for all my clients, listing some favorite products along the way.

Step One: Moisturize

I think I've written that word 600 X's on this blog! It is so important to make sure the skin is properly hydrated before applying makeup. I actually make sure to moisturize the face until it feels dewy/moist.

  YES! 

No matter if you're oily, or dry, I make sure the client's skin feels moist to the touch.

Here are a couple moisturizers I favor: 

For oily skin clients: 

Mario Badescu Oil Free moisturizer

Retails at $20

(You can purchase it HERE)

I enjoy using this Mario Badescu Oil Free moisturizer. This line is incredibly affordable and has products for EVERY need! You can even fill out a skin survey HERE to try some new products. Plus, they give away samples with every purchase :)

For Dry Skin client's (or combination with dry patches):

Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre

Retails at $16-$28

(You can purchase it HERE)

I love this Embryolisse moisturizer. It is incredibly hydrating and a little bit goes a long way.

*Additional tip:

 I usually do the eye makeup first-- so after I hydrate the skin, I'll do the eye makeup, and then re-access the skin-- so I'll gently feel the skin and if there is still some dryness (if the skin is really dry in some areas, it can absorb into the skin quickly), I'll re-apply some moisturizer where needed and then finish the face prep. *

Step Two: Lip Balm

Your lips need love too! Be sure to apply a hydrating balm onto the lips so that when you go to apply a lipstick/gloss, it is a smooth application. If you have chapped lips, be sure to take a little sugar and a warm washcloth and gently rub off the dead skin. Then follow with balm/chapstick.

One of my favorite balms is the Rosebud Salve.

Retails at around $6

*You can get it in it's original cute tin, or they now make tubes!*

(You can purchase it HERE)

This has been around forever and is a favorite amongst artists and makeup mavens :) Not to mention, it is multifunctional! It can be used for your dry feet and elbows :)

Step Three: Eye Primer

I will almost always use an eye primer. Its purpose is to even out the tone on your lid, create a solid base for the eye shadow for even color, and to prevent product from creasing.

It is GREAT.

A little goes a long way, so take a tiny dab and apply a thin layer evenly on your lid with your finger, a brush or a sponge.

Here are a couple favorites that work remarkably well!

Urban Decay Shadow Primer Potion

Retails at $20

*also comes in a variety of shades! I love the understated shimmer I get with SIN!*

(You can purchase it HERE)

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Retails at $18

(You can purchase it HERE)

Step Four: Primer

I apply a primer after I've done the first 3 steps and have done the eye makeup. If the face is no longer dewy and moist, after the eye makeup is finished, I'll apply some more moisturizer where needed and then apply the primer.

A primer is used to create an even base for makeup. It is generally silicone based, which helps makeup adhere and prevent it from moving around too much. It also helps the products to wear all day long! I like using primers (especially for a full face makeup application) because it kind of creates a barrier between your skin and the makeup.

You can apply this with your fingers, a sponge, or a brush.

Some primers I love: 

Smashbox photo Finish primer.

Retails from $17-$49

(You can purchase it HERE)

This is a great universal primer for any skin type. Smashbox has a collection of different types for different purposes-- all of which are great! For example, they have some for color correction (redness, blue undertones), hydrating, and even one with an SPF!

Laura gellar makeup spackle:

Retails at $27

(You can purchase it HERE)

I feel like this primer is very hydrating- It works on all skin types, but if someone is extremely dry-or if I'm doing makeup on more mature skin, I'll use this.

Extra Step: If you want, I also highly suggest using a light eye cream. There is little/no oil production underneath your eyes, so applying a product that is gentle, moisturizing and firming around the eyes, is great!

If you experience excessive dryness around the eyes, I highly suggest this step! It will make any makeup around your eyes (foundation/concealer) look better and prevent it from sinking into fine lines.

Here are two good ones:

Burt's Bee's is a STEAL!

Retailing at $18

(You can purchase it HERE)

Dermacyte is a major SPLURGE!

Retailing at $95!

(You can purchase it HERE)

So remember! Before you apply a full face of makeup on a dry face-- think back to this post and AT LEAST apply a good moisturizer :)

Check out my TV appearance with WCIU's "You & Me This Morning"-- talking about the golden globes, and some makeup tips every woman should know-- INCLUDING skin prep! xo

I Love My Job: Jen Brown, Make-Up Artist

XOXO JEN