Here's to You! {Ms. Elaine Robinson}

With wedding season in full bloom, I have my eyes on the prettiest makeup trends for those blushing brides. I watched The Graduate this past weekend & became enamored by Katherine Ross' look {& Dustin Hoffman's boyish haircut/grin}.

To create those soft, innocent doe eyes, pile on the false eyelashes, add two coats of a voluminous black mascara & finish with a deep, black eyeliner. Next, dust a barely-there pop of pink blush right to the cheeks for a subtle lift. A nude, natural lip will complete this 'summer-of-love' glamorous bridal look. Check below for the complete shopping list!!

Shopping List:
Eyes:
Falsies: shu uemura False Eyelashes in Slant Black
Liner: Le Metier de Beaute Precision Liquid Eyeliner, Noir
Mascara: DIORSHOW, L'Oreal Voluminous,
YSL 'Everlong'
Face:
Blush: NARS Orgasm,
Bobbi Brown Apricot, Nectar or Pale Pink
Lips:
Juicy Tubes Smoothie Ultra Shiny Lip Gloss in Spring Fling {An Angelina Jolie staple}
or
Lancome Color Fever Lipstick in Old Flame {worn by Kate Winslet at the Oscars}

Photo Creds: from all across the internet/flickr- photo #2 is from Vanity Fair.

Getting Gorgeous: Copper + Mauve Smoky Eye

It's been awhile since I actually posted about makeup & I have received several requests to bring it back. I saw this photo of Michelle Trachtenberg {or Gossip Girl's own resident psycho, Georgina} on the Glamour Beauty Blog & thought she looked quite stunning.

I pulled together some of the things you will need to get her look. I think it's such a glamorous smoky eye. I can't wait to try it myself!

Who wants it?

Lid:
MAC, Satin Taupe
Stila, Kitten
Liner:
1. Lancome Le Crayon Kohl, Black
2. Stila, Bronze Smudge Pot
Mascara:
DIOR, DiorShow in Rich Black
Face:
Armani Luminous Silk Foundation
NARS, Orgasm Blush
Lips:
Estée Lauder Pure Colour Lipstick, Honey Pink

*Trick is to first line eyes w/black. Then apply bronze color with slanted brush over it.
Smudge, smudge, smudge...smudge, smudge, smudge*

Photos of Michelle Trachtenberg via Glamour: Girls in the Beauty Department

Teal Appeal

In the warmer months I love to switch out my dark eyeliners for shades of bright blues and greens. Captivated by Shu Uemura's Palm, a perfect teal color for that subtle undereye line, I scouted out additional products. Luckily, this look really translates well on every skin tone, hair color & eye pigment.

These colors transport me to my travels to Costa Rica where bright colored birds, flowers & plants flourished among the most incredible creatures on earth...

My eyes as done on aforementioned trip

Couldn't resist posting pics from trip...
{pic of gorgeous bird seen through binoculars in Monteverde Cloud Reserve,
Spa at Tabaccon Resort in Arenal}

From Top Left:
1. Guerlain Terracotta Loose Powder Kohl in Lagon Bleu, $34
2. Bobbi Brown Ivy Shimmer Ink in Deep Emerald Green, $21
3. Makeup Forever AquaEyes in Blue With Green Highlights, $17
4. Rimmel in Jungle Green, $3.19 (on Ulta)
5. Ulta Automatic Eye Liner in Teal Blue, $7
6. Shu Uemura in Iridescent Green 550, $20

Other great color suggestions are Laura Mercier Kohl Eye Pencil in Black Turquoise and NARS
Eye Liner Pencil Kaliste.

Ole Bluish/Green Eyes

This gorgeous color(directly above), Neptune, from "Too Faced" really gets me excited for summer. It's sold at Sephora & Douglas (such a fun store!!) & is just what I want to be wearing either as a fun bottom liner or all over my lids come June!

These three shown here are also so much fun & worth checking out. They have a LOT of color pigment, similar to NARS, & have the cutest names like, "Jealous?" Reminds me of the Kardashians, & I LIKE it!!

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (but it's a good thing!)

Natalie

Anne

To celebrate the arrival of the weekend, I have decided to pay a small tribute to my favorite going out look, the SMOKY EYE. Often replicated & never perfected, I strive each time to create the perfect one. For some reason I am particularly skilled at doing this look on other people, but have a hard time mastering it on myself. I blame my eye shape & therefore, genetics.

However, I did pick up some extremely helpful hints in a recent issue of In Style magazine, & felt the need to pass it on. Kind of like "pay it forward." Here's to great weekends with sexy, sultry, smoky eyes!!

But what colors should I use??:

Four blendable shades of eye makeup such as the Chanel Quadra eye shadow in appropriately named "Smoky Eye." I love this because when you buy a palette, whether it's Chanel, Laura Mercier, Bobbi or any other brand, you are paying a professional to hand pick the right colors to create your look. I have a light complexion with blonde-ish hair & green-ish eyes so I prefer to use the palette with more browns & golds, less silver & black.

Blondes & light redheads could try a lighter smoky look ( above). Ladies with brown, black or even dark red hair can easily do palette (below). The palettes are $56 each, but are a pretty good investment & you get 4 great colors!

But how do I do it??

1. Prep lid: Important step- just need some kind of base so the makeup stays put.
2. Some people suggest tracing the upper lid with a soft black pencil first & then smudging it. I typically do this last, but either way works, just remember to do a nice line on both top & bottom & SMUDGE away!
3. You will also need a medium dome-sized, soft brush to use in the crease & for blending down. Then, a smaller, stiffer brush to apply to browline. First apply your base color (the light one) & then using the dome brush apply the 2nd to darkest color on your crease. Blending is key with this look so blend away! Blend the color down to get it all over the lid.
4. Next, using brush #2, apply the darkest color along the lashline, pressing the color in to set it. Take the lightest color (with a separate brush) & apply to inner corners of eye & directly under brows.
5. Lastly, a great mascara (preferably black) to really make the lashes POP!
6. Optional- a sheer lip shine. Warning! Do not go for a heavy lip, this will be way too dramatic!

Click HERE for a great video tutorial to accompany you on your journey toward the perfect smoldering smoky eye!

Dancing into Spring

The changing of the seasons ushers in a slew of new, bright colors everywhere you look. Tulips, lavender plants, summery frocks, citrus fruits & of course, makeup. I am constantly reminded by Stefanie how excited she is to go try out the new spring colors [@ Bobbi Brown], yet I am resistant! Anyone who knows me understands I am not a big embracer of change especially with eye makeup colors....

LUCKILY I just read in Allure that their "Color of the Moment" is in fact, the very same one I picked out just a few months ago....PHEWWW! SO, I bring you my choice (& Allure's) for spring eyelid coverings:

1. Chanel Soft Touch Eyeshadow in Safari for fair skin *my pick*

They also suggest a few others & I will list them below:

2. NARS Egea for darker skin

3. Laura Mercier Santinee Creme in Stone Suede for medium


To make up for the lack of bright colors to honor spring, AND to celebrate my brother's 25th birthday (woo hoo!!!) I present a very cheery music video that always makes me smile. I can only imagine how much fun they had making this:

2009: In Film, Music & More Importantly, Eyelashes

Adele

Penelope

Each year, we tune in to watch the Grammys & the Oscars to see the most talented performers receive the world's greatest accolades. This year, I fell head over heels for Adele, who snagged two Grammy Awards, Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Performance for the single, "Chasing Pavements." The best part is that she is only 19. I have loved Penelope for years & watching her fly off the handle like a lunatic in "Vicky Christina Barcelona" only reinforced my feelings. While they both took home major awards this year, they deserve additional applause for their tremendous EYELASHES. Only if only I could manage to accomplish such show stopping lashes.

To honor them I am sharing my secret for killer lashes. I can't guarantee you will win a Grammy or an Oscar, but at least you can feel like you theoretically could & would look fab. Shown above, DiorShow Mascara, by Dior (in Black), has all the qualities of an award winner. Its design is flawless; the wand is super thick and allows for a gorgeous, volumizing while no-clumping, 360 degree application. It's the best volumizer & lengthener I have found out there & while it's not cheap ($24), it blows other products out of the water. It doesn't hurt that it smells like a bouquet of flowers either.