I am an aspiring makeup artist working as a FT beauty advisor while freelancing on the side. I have a degree in public relations; however, the bulk of my experience is in journalism. Someday I would love to combine my knowledge of beauty with my background in writing. I have big dreams and this blog is one step on my journey of achieving them.
I would like to introduce the world of Tumblr to the band, Beyond Daylight. One of my best friends is the lead singer and gave me the privilege of being on set as their makeup artist. It was a 12 hour day; however, seeing the finished product was certainly worth all the time we put it in. These guys are good. I’m not just saying that because I know them either. I have known plenty of musicians; however, if they aren’t good - I won’t promote them. Common sense.
I see good things happening for them so keep your eyes and ears open and please - take a listen and spread the word to friends if you like them.
Ok, we skipped Friday, but today’s GIVEAWAY is a freaking amazing one. If you’ve ever want to experience Fashion Week in NYC - from front of house AND behind the scenes - or if you already do, and just want some more - take a second to enter to win this super fun prize package.
The luxury beauty brand Le Métier de Beauté is partnering with Ainsley to offer you and a friend tickets to the Ainsley FW12 presentation on the evening of Saturday, February 11th at Exit Art, including backstage access to watch the hair & makeup happen, plus a motherlode of goodies.
Here’s the complete situation:
Tickets to the Ainsley FW12 presentation on from 6-8pm 2/11 at Exit Art (in the heart of Chelsea) for you and a friend. This unique show includes a healing gemstone walk, and obviously a bunch of amazing clothes
Backstage access for you and said friend, starting at 5pm, to watch the Le Métier de Beauté team at work
A $100 Ainsley gift card for you AND your friend! And a goody bag full of Le Métier de Beauté products … divvying up with your friend is optional!
TO ENTER YOU MUST COMPLETE BOTH OF THESE STEPS … PLEASE READ EVERYTHING BELOW.
1. Do ONE of the following…. reblog this post OR follow Cult of Pretty on Bloglovin’ OR follow Cult of Pretty on tumblr OR subscribe via email.
2. Leave a DISQUS comment below [click through if you’re reading this in tumblr] and tell me WHY YOU WANT TO GO! Aspiring designer or makeup artist? Just want to see what Fashion Week is all about? Gonna be in the neighborhood anyway? Etc. Don’t comment in “Ask Me Anything.”
Contest ends next Friday February 3, 2012 at 11.59pm Eastern. If you subscribe or follow to enter, you must be subscribed or following at the time of the drawing. Multiple comments DO NOT increase your chances of winning but love ya. Winner is drawn at random.
OTHER IMPORTANT NOTES SPECIFIC TO THIS GIVEAWAY -> You must be 18 or over to win this particular prize, so if you’re under, have a parent/guardian enter and they can bring you as their guest if they win! Transportation + accommodation will not be provided so please either live in the area or be prepared to provide your own transport etc.! Winner will be informed by Monday, February 6!
Friends are pretty much everything, the squish in our organs, the crinkles in our smiling faces, the decadent fun in shared adventures and secret promises. .:Lisa Kennedy Montgomery:.
I have met a lot of people in my life. They always start as strangers until something clicks and we realize we had no idea how we lived so long without this person. This person who understands you so well and has so much in common with you. This is an ode to the people who accept me exactly as I am and support me and love me unconditionally. You have all saved my life at one time or another.
The people I have met in my life are beautiful. I may not talk to them as often as I like. I may not be able to meet them every Friday afternoon for coffee, but there is a corner of my heart where they all live. They keep my heart beating because they have fixed it so many times when I was feeling sad, dejected or angry in any way; however, they have also filled it with so much life. My friends are my cardiologists. They keep my heart pumping.
I am not always an easy person to be around. I am stubborn and sometimes I don’t want to hear what is best for me. Sometimes I hurt so much that I can’t hold my tears in any longer. Sometimes I have no fight left in me and all I want to do is give up. Whether it be a broken heart or a setback on following my dreams, the people in my life pick me up when I am broken and put me back together again.
They’re all an inspiration to me. They’re starting their own happily ever afters, working 5 jobs, pushing for dreams in Brooklyn, recording their first music video or simply being exactly who they are meant to be no matter what anyone says. I feel like they all have sprinkled a little bit of themselves onto me. It’s like no matter what, they’re always with me and that keeps me calm at times I really need it.
So to my friends, I may not see you as often as we would like but that doesn’t mean you aren’t constantly in my thoughts.I wish you all happiness in love, life and work.Remember, when you are beaten or sad, someone is thinking of you always. Do not let your past dictate your future and remember that every morning is a new day to start anew. I love each and every one of you without fault and unconditionally always.
Ah, the smokey eye. A concept that many of us love, but very few can grasp. We either end up looking like we got punched in the eye or the episode of “Sex and the City” when Carrie got deemed “Single and Fabulous?” QUESTION MARK! The horror!
Ok, a smokey eye. Let’s take this step-by-step.
Step 1.) Determine what shades you would like to use. Natural shades like browns and taupes will look softer; non-skin tone shades like greens, blues and plums will stand out more. It’s up to you but you may want to keep it natural if you are still learning.
Always consider your skin tone. If your skin is light, choose a lighter version of a shadow color (like a lighter plum); the deeper your skin, the darker you need to go. A swatch test on the back of your hand will help you decide the best shade for you.
Step 2.) Know what texture you want to work with. Shimmer is much easier to work with because it blends better to make for a more subtle look. Mattes look great, but require a little more skill.
Step 3.) PRIME! It is very important to use a primer. I use a concealer. I then use the flat end of a small, double-ended shadow brush to apply a base shadow all over the lid area. Your base shadow should be a neutral, matte shadow. This will also help the color shadow grab on and stay put.
Estée Lauder makes a great cream eye shadow that I also use as a base. It comes in a variety of colors and you can layer shadow on top to intensify. It runs around $18.50.
Step 4.) Pick up a little of the colored shadow with the flat end of your double-sided eye shadow brush. Blend the shadow from the upper lash line up into the crease to open and lift the eye.
Step 5.) Use the pointy end of the brush to apply the colored shadow to the lower lash line. Begin your application in the center of the lower lash line, just below the iris. Move the brush slowly from side to side to give you more control in placement, so you can catch any overshading.
Smoky liner under the eye will make your eyes look bigger, but it can also exaggerate flaws like close-set eyes or droopy corners. For close-set eyes, don’t go too far into the inner corners. For droopy eyes, keep the line extra thin in the outer corners, widening in the centre and toward the inner corners.
Step 6.) Experiment with the thickness of the line below the eye. If you get a hang-dog look, take a Q-tip and lift up the line. You can even take your finger and blend-smudge the line if it looks too solid. Once you have learned what placement works best for you, it’s a breeze.
Step 7.) If you prefer a little extra definition, use the pointy end of your double-sided brush to add a shadow on the top lash line. Choose a color that is a step darker than your lid color but still within the same color family.
Step 8.) Always finish this look with a generous helping of mascara on the top and bottom lashes.
The important thing to remember is to have fun! Makeup is all about practice and learning what works best for you. I am going to link a video of my favorite online beauty gurus. They will lead you the rest of the way if you are still nervous to take a smokey leap.
When it comes to makeup removers, many people wonder, “Which one should I use?” Should it be oily? Is a towelette better? Do I rub? Will this irritate my eyes? There are many questions that can be addressed when looking for one that is perfect for you. Let’s do a rundown of what you can use that is fast and effective. Because in this world, who has time for anything but?
SPLURGE
I personally use a makeup remover for my eyes and also one for my face. My HG of eye makeup removers is Bi-facil by Lancôme. Shake the bottle to activate and the lipid phase lifts off eye makeup, while the water phase contains special emollients to refresh and condition skin without a greasy residue. This one is pricey at $26 so I will also do a comparable steal.
STEAL
Sonia Kashuk is an artist who has a line of products at Target. Her makeup remover is seriously just as good as Lancôme’s and is much cheaper for only $9.99. You shake to activate and it takes off waterproof eye makeup and conditions the skin.
Both of these are safe for contact-lens wearers and sensitive skin.
SPLURGE
If you want a makeup remover that is virtually not greasy at all, try Clarins. Their Gentle Eye Make-Up Remover Lotion contains soothing Rose Water, toning Cornflower and lash-conditioning Soy proteins to thoroughly remove light to normal eye make-up. It’s a splurge at $26.
If you want to avoid the greasy residue a lot of removers leave behind, try to find removers that say oil-free. Also, the ones that you don’t have to shake tend to be less oily. You’ll be able to tell by seeing if there are two layers to the formula.
STEAL
Now, let’s resort back to old faithful for this one. If you know anything, you know women have trusted Pond’s for over 150 years for simple, effective skin care products that work. Their wet cleansing towelettes are no exception. They’re easy to use and sweep away makeup without leaving residue or irritating. At $5 they’re a steal. I’d call that a win-win.
Both of these are safe for contact-lens wearers and sensitive skin.
I mentioned earlier that I also use a makeup remover for my face. I was using Lancôme’s Huile Douceur until I ran out and am currently using another. I really liked the Huile Douceur. It was an all-in-one cleansing oil with antioxidant White Lotus and moisturizing Japan Cedar Bud. It instantly dissolved even waterproof face and eye makeup. My skin felt soft and dewy, without a greasy after-feel.
It emulsified when I added water and turned into a milky wash. I would then follow with my regular cleanser. It was around $35 but so worth it.
I am currently using Shu Uemura’s fresh pore clarifying gentle cleansing oil for combination to oily skin conditions. I was intrigued by the fact that it boasted “pore-less skin” but so far am underwhelmed. The consistency isn’t as thick as Lancôme’s so it’s a little harder to get from hands to face but it works none-the-less.
It contains sakura leaf known to reduce inflammatory mediators that cause skin redness and also improves skin texture. It also has salicylic acid to help exfoliate skin and cherry extract that is a natural AHA to remove dead skin cells. It’s $29 for a 5 ounce.
There are unfortunately no steals when it comes to cleansing oils but they honestly are a great investment and last a very long time. I had my Lancôme oil for about 6 months before it ran out.
So, there you have it. My favorite removers. No matter what you use, make sure it works for you and that you always wash your face at night. Not doing so is very bad for your skin and clogs your pores. Wash on - wash off friends!
One of my friend’s resolution for the New Year was to wear more red lipstick. She asked me for some tips and I thought, “Hey! What a great blog entry.” Sure, this has been talked about time and again; however, people still manage to have questions. So here you go. :) 5 tips for mastering a perfect red pout.
1.) KISS. For anyone familiar with the world of COMM, you know this means Keep It Simple Stupid. When you wear a red lip, you want to keep the rest of your palette natural. My all time favorite look is a winged eyeliner with a red lip. Always classy.
2.) There really is a red lipstick for everyone; however, there are some color guidelines you should follow if you want it to flatter your skin tone.
Cools Blue-based shades (such as cranberry or wine) flatter women with pinker, rosier skin tones.
Warms Orange-based shades (such as brick red) are more appropriate for women whose skin has golden, peach or tan tones.
You can also have a blend of both. This means you are neutral.
Still having trouble deciding what your tone is? Then take a look at your eye color. If you have blue or green eyes, then there’s a good chance you have a cool tone to your skin. Do you have warm brown eyes, or hazel? Then it’s more likely you have a warm tone.
I will post some lipstick shades at the end of this posting as examples.
3.) Line the inside of lips. We love red lipstick but it has a tendency to bleed. Fill your lips in with a liner first and then layer the red on top.
4.) If you want a more natural, stained look, use the bullet of the lipstick and tap it on your lips. This gives you a subtle red without the full on effect. This is if you need to take baby steps.
5.) EXFOLIATE. Red will bring out any flake on your skin so use a good scrub first. My favorite? LUSH’s Sweet Lips.
Now, lets move on to some shades of red. I will start out with the splurges.
