Vintage Beauty Inspiration

Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis.

Her simplistic, seemingly effortless approach to style made her a fashion icon, and for good reason! Whether beauty, such as her classic winged liquid liner & matte pink lips or clothing like her perfectly knotted scarves, sleeveless sheaths and capri pants as well as unfussy accessories such as her gold and enamel bracelets, three strand pearls and of course later on, those ginormous sunglasses, her look was made up of clean lines and simple shapes. Her hair was sculpted and had the height that the 60's so loved, but it remained touchable and real looking, which I adore her for. She was smart, generous & philanthropic to boot, which makes her one of the most well rounded fashion icons in history.

The Goods:
*Black gel eyeliner
*Eyelash curler
*Volumizing mascara
*Brow pencil
*Clear brow gel
*Concealer
*Nude pink blush
*Matte nude pink lipstick
*1.5 inch curling iron
*Teasing comb
*Hairspray

Optional:
*Square scarf
*Oversized sunglasses

Makeup

*Conceal under lashline and throughout undereye area, as well as lid. This neutralizes any discoloration and brightens the eye to let the liner and lashes take center stage.

*Apply gel eyeliner with a skinny angeled brush to top lashline, with thickness increasing at outer edge with and upward "wing"

*Curl eyelashes and do a major mascara-ing. 

*Using short feathery strokes, fill in your natural brow shape to enhance fullness. Brush through with a brow spoolie to soften. Lift brows up and over with clear brow gel. 

*Apply a neautral nude-pink blush to upper apples of the cheeks and blend upwards and outwards.

*Using a lip brush for precise application, apply a matte nude-pink lipstick. 

Hair

*Use your curling iron to flip up ends of hair. Short, long, doesn't matter. Jackie wore her hair in various lengths throughout her life and of course we are looking to mimic her overall style, not go for spot on duplication!

*Tease the crown and smooth top layers up and over teased portions.

*Use spray to lock in fullness and flipped ends.

*If you have bangs, smooth them downward with a slight bend to one side.

Top off this look with your choice of a simple sheath, capris and a tunic, simple thick gold bangles, pearls . . .or my favorite, the scarf and sunglasses combo. Throw in impeccable posture and you are ready for a classy good time at the Cape, just as Miss Jackie herself often enjoyed.  : )

Have a Beautiful Day!! 

 

 

11 Accessories that Scream SUMMER!

We all have our staples . . . certain items we use over and over again to get us through the seasons enjoyably. The following are my 11 discoveries that make my summer feel FABULOUS!  Why 11?

Eleven is my lucky number/my birth month/my birth date so I figured, why do ten when you can do 11? : )

1) Button down chambray shirt. This works equally well with shorts, skirts & leggings, as well as making a great swim cover up. Cute and versatile, I wear this all the time.

2) Fishtail side braid. Messy and cute, perfect for muggy summer days. Works while at the beach or at cocktails, or anywhere else.

3) Bumble and Bumble surf spray gives mad texture and workability to your tresses for that summer beach look. I love messy summer hair!

4) Straw fedora. It just screams cool.

5) Ginormous tortishell sunglasses. Feel like a celeb wherever you go, and the oversize shades keep your eyes protected!

6) Black tee shirt dress. I don this simple, form fitting frock as a casual dress with flip flops and a tote, or a cocktail dress with wedges and a clutch. Perfection! Like my trusty button down, this baby works as a cover up, too.

7) Fresh Bronzer in Tunisian. Perfectly brown and bronzy with very little shimmer.  Looks so au naturelle.

8) The shoes of my summer. Fantastik by Steve Madden. High, comfortable, and neutral, which give my short 'lil legs some appeal. I wear these with EVERYTHING.

9) Red Shellac gel manicure. Summer really isn't the time for wearing a lot of makeup, so having my digits dressed up with this classic red shade makes me feel put together and glamorous.

10) Michael Kors leg shine.  Basically a shimmery bronze chapstick for your legs. Twist it up, smooth it on and enjoy gorgeous gams.

11) Market tote. I love filling this up with fresh veggies from Sherwood Farm.



What accessories put YOU in the mood for summer?





Have a Beautiful Day!

Makeover. . .for houses.

Whilst chatting somewhat recently with an interior designer, I was told I have a great eye for dimension and color. Thank God said I, because I am a makeup artist and it would be terribly awkward if I wasn't. It is also a good thing because I am soon to become a home owner, and oh the plans I have in store!

I have come to realize that my house hunting experiences and interior design plans are truly an extension of my work as a makeup artist. Why? Because it is all about seeing the potential and bringing it out, seeing the beauty and bringing it to life. Seeing an old home in disrepair can be a bit grody at times, oogy even, but I eventually find myself wondering how the home looked when it was brand new, and how proud the owners must have been . . .I even wonder what type of furniture they had, what type of car was in the driveway and what kind of clothes they wore, living it up in the 20's, 30's or 40's. As sad as it can be to see a home look unloved, I get excited about the potential to bring that home back to life and to instill in it the lived in glow it once knew. Hm, sounds like a makeover doesn't it? ; )

As I look at color and material swatches and contemplate how to balance rustic with romantic, I feel very much like I'm styling a photo shoot and creating a synergistic look between hair, makeup, accessories and setting, without sacrificing personality for the sake of cohesiveness. Is cohesiveness a word? It is now.
I sit sketching, cutting, pasting & tearing pictures out of magazines to "create" my dream home, and I feel eight years old again, playing with Mom's makeup or making jewelry with pasta. I am grateful that art has followed me my whole life through, and this house will be my biggest project yet.  I can't wait to get started!



Have a Beautiful Day!

Chilled spoons and eye cream, anyone?

This post will change your life. It is about frozen spoons. No wait! Please don't leave! This is good stuff I promise!

It's summertime. Between humidity making me feel grody and the heat making me feel, well, puffy. . .  my peepers on ocassion are less than smooth bright eyed perfection. I have an answer for that, and I think it is only fair that I share my home made beauty remedies for keeping the puff away.

Ingredients for de-puffing and brightening of the eye area:
Chilled ingredients:
Two average everyday teaspoons
One jar of Olay Regenerist Eye Serum
One average, everyday, plugged in refrigerator
Room temperature ingredients:
Benefit "Boi-ing" under eye concealer
Benefit "EyeBright" pencil
Eyelash curler
L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara

Insert clean spoons and jar of eye serum into designated spoon chilling area of refrigerator.  Let chill.  Remove spoons.  Use the curve of spoon "bowl" to gently press on puffy areas around the eye to re-distribute fluid retention and to eliminate inflammation. Apply chilled eye serum to further enhance de-puffing benefits.

Chilled spoon = magic de-puffing


Curl eyelashes.  Apply Boi-ing concealer to the undereye area and blend.  Apply EyeBright pencil to the inner corners of eyes and underneath the arch of the eyebrow. Blend.  Apply Voluminous Mascara to upper and lower lashes.



Eye Brightening Must Haves!
Eye Bright & Boi-ing by Benefit


DONE!

Enjoy a refreshed, bright eyed appearance and lavish in the many compliments you will receive through out the day.

Have a Beautiful Day!