Sunday, September 15, 2013

Top 5


At last month's Beauty Meet Up meeting, our lovely Mel Wilson had the idea to make our theme, "Artist's Top 5 Kit Essentials." 

I thought it was a great idea! 
It's pretty fun to see what products/tools are go to, must haves for these pro, working artists! There are a lot of similarities, but some curveballs thrown in an as well :) 

Sara Jean Stevens 
Hair and Makeup Artist Chicago
*Since she was the only Hair stylist turned makeup artist of the group that night, we made her do her top 5 makeup products as well as hair products!

Makeup: 
Eve Pearl Cream Blushes
$25 for individual 


$52 for Trio

Tarte BB Cream
$34
Nurturing Force Blot Out Offensive
*Ah-mazing mattifier/primer for oily or normal skin types*
$24
Boscia Blotting Linens in Lavender
$10 for 100 sheets
Maybelline Eyebrow Pencils
*Precise with a good variety of colors*
$6.95

Hair: 
Rusk Being Sexy Hair Spray
$10 on Amazon!
Kevin Murphy Beach Resort
$35
Teasing Comb 
(found anywhere, but here's a good one from Sally Beauty)
$3
Enzo Milano hot iron tools
$80-$200
Rusk Grooming Cream
$11.50 on Amazon

Mel Wilson
Makeup and Hair Artist Chicago

Nurturing Force Blot Out Offensive
$24

Graftobian Foundations
$18.99 ea. 
*lovely to use as lip balm as well as dry elbow and hands!*
$6
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in MILK
*used as an eye primer for the purest pigment*
$4.50
Dr. Bronners Castile Soap 
(for cleaning her brushes!)
$2.99-$16 depending on the amount

Kat Dejesus
Makeup and Hair Artist Chicago

Kett Foundation Palettes in Ruby and Olive (for a good range in tones)
$105 per palette
$15 per individual pan
MAC Airbrush Cleaner-- claims "it's the best!"
*I couldn't find a link to this product anywhere! So if you find it, consider yourself lucky :)*
- mattifies and fills pores


$30

Lorac Pro Shadow Palette
(via Sephora)
$42
$19

Angela B. Hall
Makeup and Hair Artist Chicago

*Color correcting creams to mix with foundations*
$10
Cream eye shadows
*No specifics were given, just a favorite medium :) *

$11



$24

$28

Cristina Gomez
Makeup Artist Chicago

*Perfect for brows or stray hairs*

$6.40

$6
*Makeup Sealer*
$12.99

(YES! AGAIN!)
$16-$28 
depending on the size

Martina Sykes
Makeup and Hair Artist Chicago

$16-$28
$7-$12

$99
$7.29

$48 ea. 

Nika Vaughan
Makeup and Hair Artist Chicago

Yet again! 
$25
$32
Shiseido (original formula) Cream Eyeshadows
$25
$4.99

Iris Guevara
Hair and Makeup Artist Chicago


$39

$48 ea. 
$20 or 2 for $28!

$3 ea. refill
(via Camera Ready Cosmetics)
$49 for a palette of 12

Andrea C. Samuels
Makeup and Hair Artist Chicago

$16-$28


$12

$32

$9



$80

Tell us what your favorite products are! I know this group would love to hear it! 

XOXO JEN


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Friday, September 6, 2013

Bears Fans

Hey Everyone!

I had the opportunity to showcase some fun Chicago Bears Fan looks for the WCIU morning show, You & Me This Morning! 

You can view it here:


We wanted to show people that it's easy to show your Bears pride without going overboard (see below).


You can wear your pride in a subtle yet beautiful way.
Our 1st look is a more wearable look-- something that showcases some current trends and doesn't feel as costume-y, while the 2nd look is a little more fun, but still glamorous!

Below is some product information and a step by step process of how to achieve these looks.

Look #1
Subtle Bears Fan

For this look, we pulled a couple hot trends for Summer to wear. The first one being Colorful Cat eye liner. You can find blue eyeliner ANYWHERE nowadays. There are so many shades, it may be hard to choose! 

You also have the option of what type of liner you'd like to use--- so you can opt for a classic liquid, or you can use a gel (a little more control), or you can do what I did, and use a mixing medium with any colored eyeshadow, and create your own liner! 

Here's what I used: 
Kryolan's Satin Powder in #771. 



This is a loose powder that has a bit of shimmer to it. You can use it as a shadow or you can add a mixing medium like Kryolan's Cake Eye Liner Sealer. Simply drop a bit of the sealer onto the eyeshadow you're using, and take a thin brush to draw it on as liner. I chose to do this because I loved the brightness of this shadow against Summer's skin.  

If you're looking for something that takes less work, you can try... 

Makeup Forever Aqua Liner in #6 Navy
This liquid liner has a felt tip applicator, making the application seamless and easy! The color is beautiful and its waterproof formula makes it so you don't have to worry about it budging while you're at the hot stadium! 

Taking the eyes one step further... 
If you want to really make that blue liner POP, you can add a thin white liner at the base of your lashes. This adds a degree of separation between the colored liner and your lash line, making the colors really stand out! 

I used..
MAC Cosmetics Eye Kohl in Fascinating. 


For the lips, we worked with Makeup Forever's Aqua Rouge in Orange. 


I decided on the Aqua Rouge because of it's long wearing ability. It'll last through all the beer drinking, cheering and eating you'll do during your game or tailgating party! 

I chose to use this vibrant shade, but you can use a more subtle tangerine lip gloss or lipstick if you prefer. These tones are easy to find right now, as they are very much on trend!  If you're looking for a less severe lip you can try... 

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti
This packs color in a sheer, moisturizing way. Very light, and an easy transition for those who don't sport bright colors on their lips!

For our Extreme Bears Fan... 

Look #2
Extreme Bears Look
This look was a little more bold-- definitely for that proud Bears Fan! 
Here's a breakdown of the look we did on Melissa... 

For the eyes, we started with a base of orange. I used Kryolan's Aqua Color in #32.
I LOVE the Aqua colors! They are lightweight, water activated, and the colors are amazing! you can use this product on your face, eyes, body, and hair! 
So versatile, fun and very affordable! 
To activate, you just need to spritz with water and dip your brush! It's like working with watercolors. 

I applied the bulk of the color on the lid to the crease, and then used a fluffy brush to soften the edges of the shadow. 

You can always use a standard orange eye shadow in place of this :) 

From there I actually topped the aqua color with Kryolan's Satin Powder in #571.


This is an extra step you can take-- the satin powder has that iridescence to it, so I laid it on top to add some dimension. 

For the fun accents...

Blue Mascara!
Colored mascara is a huge trend right now as well. I actually used Kryolan's Aqua Color in #510.

I mentioned the aqua color earlier for the orange base on the eyes-- this product is SO versatile, that I just decided to use it for everything! Obviously, you can use blue eye liner and blue mascara if you have it or can find those easily--BUT if you do have or decide to purchase the aqua colors, you can use it for just about everything :) 

To use it as a mascara, I spritzed the product with water and coated both sides of a flat eyeliner brush. You can then paint it on those lashes! 
I used...
But you can also use, 


*Tip* 
IF you do decide to use the aqua color as a colored mascara, be sure to put on your regular mascara first! It will bulk up those lashes and give you all the benefits of the mascara-- the aqua color will only alter the color. 

Because I'm using the aqua color for EVERYTHING, I used it as an eyeliner as well. I followed Melissa's natural eye line, while extending the line at the outer corner a little. Do this on the top and bottom lash lines. 

Cheeks: 
For the cheeks, I took the blue aqua color on my flat liner brush (photo above), to draw on the thick lines to emulate eye black on the players! 
I topped it off with a dry brush of the Blue Satin Powder to add some sparkle and dimension. 

Lips: 
I was sure to follow suite with orange tinted lips. I also added a dab of our orange satin powder on the center of Melissa's lips (as opposed to gloss), for a matte, yet iridescent effect. 


I hope this inspires you to get out there and play with color! Just remember that there is always a fun, glamorous way to show that spirit! 

Thank you...
Big Thank you to the Chicago Kryolan Store for all the help in choosing these amazing products! 
Kryolan is a pro makeup line that actually manufactures their own products-- what does that mean? It's more affordable, but high end product :) Check it out! 

And of course, many thanks to the lovely producers of WCIU's You & Me This Morning, Summer Jackson and Melissa Perez for the fun segment! 

Feel free to post your sports fan looks! Would love to see what you come up with!
xoxo Jen








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