Is Your Makeup Wardrobe Ready for Spring & Summer 2014? - Part 1
If you live on the East coast like I do, you have experienced a wild ride with the weather. We have had snow stroms, ice storms, mild tempertures and freezing weather. With temps below zero, we usually like to wear more clothing and MORE makeup. More makeup is trendy in the Fall and Winter: fuller coverage on the skin, stronger contours on the cheek and deep colors on the lips. Autumn and Winter are the seasons when we can over-accessorize in clothing AND in makeup and get away with it. However, the reverse concept applies for Spring and Summer (S/S 2014). IT'S THE SEASONS TO WEAR LESS CLOTHES AND LESS MAKEUP.
For S/S 2014, the skin looks healthy, the eyes have a very feminine detail. Think of eyeliner that is blurred and thick. The cheek is all about arrangements of highlights and shadows using color. There is a definite change in makeup! RECHARGING SIMPLICITY -thats what this season is all about.
Let's talk about skin first because there is a global obsession with obtaining beautiful, natural-looking skin. When approaching the face, its all about the nuances. The details of the skin goes back to how well it's hydrated and prepped BEFORE foundation. When the face is hydrated with serums and moisturizers it allows the skin to look supple, plumped and radiant. Priming the face allows for an optical diffused look and a smoother canvas. Imagine how paint looks on walls primed vs unprimed. The walls are smoother, the paint adheres better, and you can use LESS product. Now here is the trick for acheiving S/S 2014 skin: ITS ALL ABOUT USING LESS COVERAGE! SHEER FOUNDATIONS AND POWDERS. Think of how your legs look in sheer pantyhose vs. tights.
The texture of the skin this season is matte with a seemingly glazed finish. The skin almost looks "photoshopped" without the Instagram filter. There is alot of detail in clothing this season so the MAKEUP IS MORE OF A WHISPER. You won't see a lot of shading and sculpting on the skin, but you will see spontaneous, yet strategic placement of highlights. Flashes of gold and silver, glitter and shimmer. Its beauty that looks diffused yet real.
As we say goodbye to the prominent contour, we are saying hello to blush. YES, there is a return to BLUSHing. The color palette is pinks and peaches. Many of us are used to styling the face by adding dimension with bronzers. However, cream blushes have emerged this season to help stylize the face. The structure of blush flushes up and out. If you start down in the hollow of the cheek, where you would normally contour, pull the color up onto the cheekbone.
Its more of a sporty yet feminine look. Its not about matte bronzey-browns on the cheek but more about a dewy pinky-peach on the cheek. Here's a tip: When wearing a "skin and cheek" look (like described above), there is sheer color on the eye and lip. The lip and cheek should harmonize to create a monochromatic color story.
But maybe you are more of an eye and lip girl?? Want to know what should be in your makeup bag to be prepared for this Spring and Summer? Stay tuned for MAKEUP WARDROBE PART 2!
Tips on How to Take Your Makeup From Day to Night
So you tried on that pastel-colored sequin blouse you purchased 4 seasons ago, stood in front of the mirror, and then wondered if it's still as trendy as it was when you first bought it? Some mornings I struggle with that very answer. For that reason, all black clothing is my go to. It's chic, modern, and ageless. It's the same idea with makeup. Classic beauty looks are timeless.
NEUTRAL EYE + NEUTRAL LIP
Let's talk about an easy way to go from a day time look to an evening look in one easy step. In the world of makeup, you have 3 techniques that will never look outdated! There is:
neutral eye + bold lip
bold eye + neutral lip
neutral eye + neutral lip.
Now we all know about the bold (smokey) eye and neutral (nude) lip made popular by the Kardashian's - but let's talk about the neutral eye + neutral lip. This look is one of the favorites amongst our everyday working women. It's a great way to look professional and effortlessly chic while at work or out running errands. Maybe this is the type of makeup look you wear everyday at work. But it's finally time to punch out, 5 pm, and you have a date with a new guy or maybe just meeting the girls at happy hour. Either way, you need to figure out a quick way to take your makeup from day time SOFT to night time GLAM. This can easily be done by keeping the eyes neutral and adding a bold lipstick and liner to your look. Whether it's red, purple or coral, a bold lip is your accessory, it's a way to dress up your look.
NEUTRAL EYE + BOLD LIP
Want to go a step further?? A great tip is to add a shimmer powder lightly to the tops of the cheekbones to highlight. Then create definition by adding in bronzer just below the cheekbone to contour.
Have fun accessorizing your makeup!!
New Year, New Color, New You!
The Christmahanakwanzika day (or maybe for some, the Noholidaycelbutory day) is finally over. But don't pack your glitter liners and sparkly highlighters away too quickly! The New Year is approaching and what better way to bring in the New Year than on trend and in style. If you haven't heard, the Pantone 2014 Fashion Color Report has declared Radiant Orchid the official color of the new year.
When it comes to Pantone, they have been the leading fashion color authority for the last 20 years. They're the reason you accented your living room with emerald green last year, bought that bright tangerine pillow for your couch in 2012, and wore your favorite red-pink honeysuckle lipstick with everything in 2011.
Here's some tips and techniques on how to create fun and trendy makeup this New Year's Eve. Even if you don't celebrate the holidays, you still have to be in trend for 2014 right?!? So pay attention;)
Maybe you're finishing up the final accents on your New Year's Eve outfit OR you want to get a jump start on the trend and impress your friends. Either way, why not go all out with a dramatic makeup look!
Let's start with the eyes :)
A sultry and flirty purple smokey eye is just what you need to stand out in the crowd. Young Punk by MAC is a beautiful black shadow with flecks of purple and pink sparkle. Highlight the inner corner of your smokey eye with NYX's Loose Pearl Eyeshadow in Light Purple.
Young Punk eyeshadow (left) and Light Purple loose eyeshadow (right)
Traditionally, most smokey eyes are accompanied with a soft nude lip. But since it's the New Year, be bold and do a purple lip to complement the eye. Both Darling and By Starlight from Melt Cosmetics prove to be perfect for the occasion. Line your lips with MAC's Vino or NYX's Purple rain lip liner.
Its a lot of color on the eyes and lip so make sure to balance your face out with great contouring and highlighting for the skin. Lorac's TANtalizer Contour and Highlighter duo is great for most shades and gets the job done.
TANtalizer Contour + Highlighter
No look is complete without lashes! Try Ardell's Demi Wispies Lashes for even more drama to the eyes.
Demi Wispies
HAVE A RADIANT ORCHID 2014!
Tips, Tricks & Techniques- Winter Trends 2014
LAST SEASON, MAKEUP WAS ALL ABOUT A SIMPLE, UNDERSTATED, UNFUSSY MAKEUP! For 2014, makeup has a more moody and mysterious feel but still has a soft side! This season is more punk and grunge, yet still very alluring. If you haven't noticed the direction makeup is going in, it's not your everyday, pretty pin-up makeup we are used to. The trend isn't about putting your face through a metamorphose, yet it's about magnifying and amplifying the person that's wearing the makeup!
If you're playing up your eyes this season, they should be strong, tough, dark with ALOT of blacks and blues.
At the same time, the eyes can also have a very ghostly feel to them.
When it comes to your lips, if it's not red - don't wear it. Whether matte or glossy, a deep rich ruby or a bright red-orange, it's all about that RED lip.
Finally, the lips and eyes have to be pulled together by perfected skin. It's all about that luminous-glowy skin with seamless highlights and a glossy sheen texture.
Just in case you didn't know, makeup is BACK this season!!!!!