Hey, Bright Eyes

Every year there's a new "IT" color trend for each season and sometimes it can be a little scary to play with. Anything outside the neutral color spectrum for most people is sketchy at best. Well, won't be frightened of bright colors ever again.

For eyes this winter season, the trend is a classic: The smoky eye. The cincher to make it updated is giving it a colorful twist! Instead of using your black and brown… you'll use color. You'll soon be proclaiming that blue and purple is the new black.

Blue and purple?! Don't panic. I'm sure you’re flashing back to the 70’s Barbie doll eye shadow or the iconic image of Mimi Bobeck from the Drew Carey Show, right? Maybe you’re stuck on thinking of a giant bruise. Well toss those nightmare images out the window. I’m talking about a more sophisticated use of bright colors. Remember: Classic smoky eyes. No Fear.

Again, bright colors can be downright scary if they’re just slapped on randomly, but we're almost at the dawn of a shiny new year. It’s time to make a change! It's time to be daring! You want to make a statement. If you’re not into the full burst of color—start slow and tone it down. Work with your classic smoked look in your brown or blacksand add a splash of color over the top to mute it down or maybe just use the bright color in the very center of your lid. Remember the key to a smoky eye is blending. Well, your key to color is the same thing: BLENDING.

Above are a couple of examples of a colorful smoky eye that I did with some of my favorite bright colors by Ben Nye. The tones I used were Ben Nye's Lumiere Grande Colors in Cosmic Violet, Amethyst, Royal Purple, Ice Gold, and Cosmic Blue. These colors have amazing pigment that stay bright through out the day or evening. They come in large cakes and are a steal at about $9.00 a color.

Now you can finish off your look with a nice gloss or nude lips and add a bright spot to your drab, gray winter. Don't be bashful... go on and flash those bright eyes.

Light Up Your Holidays with Hollywood Lights!

Yes, more thoughts on the holidays.  It's everywhere.  You can't escape it. Television's swarming with ads and heart-warming family movies... and you're still wondering how to add a little festive flare to your look just before the next suare. 

The Holidays should be about fun. When we think about December, images of glistening snow is usually one of the first things to come to mind, even if you live in a warm climate.  Why not add a bit of that shine to your look this season?

Now it's true that as we mature too much shimmer and glitter can be a scary thing, but done just right, it can give you a fresh glow.  I like to use Cinema Secrets Hollywood Lights Shimmers to give a soft hint of shimmer in a few key places: top of the cheekbones, browbone, and inside corner of the eye.

My favorite colors to use for this stay close to natural skin tones such as: Pink Lace, Flamingo Gold, King Midas, or Opal.  This way you suddenly don't have random bursts oddly placed color all over the face.

Why these three spots?

Top of Cheekbones
The top of the cheekbones is a great place for a hint of shimmer because it accents your natural bone structure.  Your blush acts as a natural contour giving the shadows and hollows of your face definition and a highlight right on top emphasizes the look lifting your face upward for a more youthful appearance.  A small amount of shimmer can give a dewy fresh effect.

Browbone
The browbone (the area just beneath your eyebrow and before you hit the crease of your lid) never really gets crepe-y.  It's another high point of your face that's always a great place to add some focus.  A bit of shine in this area catches the eye and draws it up away from the evil gravity that we're all trying to avoid. 

Inner Corner of the Eye
This is usually the place people go "What?!"  So allow me to explain.  Our nose likes to cast shadows so by adding a small dot of shimmer to the inside corner of the eye it brightens things up.  Rather than casting a shadow, you placed in a highlight.  A perfect little trick to give you beautiful bright eyes.

Now you can use one trick, a combination, or all three.  Just experiment with it and remember, with shimmer less is more.  Too much and you'll be shining like the big ball on New Years Eve.  Enjoy yourself, that's part of the beauty of this time of year.

Breakouts of Holiday Stress

Ah ha, she returns! Yes, I have been missing in action the last few months due to the Halloween Horror that is my busiest time of the year. Now that I can relax, everyone else seems to be scurrying around for the Holiday craziness.

It can be a stressful time: decorating, shopping, cooking, family gatherings, parties, presents... and on top of it all you need to look stunning! That seems to be when the inevitable happens. Yes, the worst thing that could happen when you're dashing to an event: the breakout.

It happens the best of us, but fear not, because I have got a brilliant little strategy for just such an emergency. It involves two simple little products treat the problem and keep you looking cool, collected, and fabulous.

TREAT
First thing's first. It's there there staring at you. You need to get rid of it yesterday and you'd rather not make it worse. Well, there's this fabulous little product by Murad called Acne Spot Treatment. Now you don't have to have "acne" to use this little gem. What it is, is a sulfer based gel that you put directly on the blemish. It'll dry that baby out in no time flat and the zinc oxide in it helps sooth the redness. A little dab will do you and at less than twenty bucks, you can still shop till you drop on Black Friday.

CONCEAL
So now we've treated the problem but even soothed a little you still feel like Rudolph's red nose is glowing from that spot on your face. Time for a real concealer. This is when I whip out my handy dandy Cinema Secrets #1 Corrector Kit. This little kit has all the corrector colors I need to not only cover that little bugger; but, you can even brighten up under your eyes the morning after the office party before you have to meet the family.

The first three colors in the kit are your "red correctors". They look a little yellow or even a little green. What this means is that they're meant to cover up the red from blemishes like that nasty breakout you're concealing. Green is the oposite of red on the color scale so it cancels out the the irritated red color of the blemish.

Depending on your skin tone, or possibly the season, you'll choose one of these colors and dab it directly on the blemish. Be sure not to apply this corrector like a foundation or you'll wipe off what you're trying to cover. Now that you've applied the color powder the concealer and apply your foundation as normal over the top. The powder is important, this will not only assure your concealer stays in place, it'll keep it from mixing with your foundation color.

*IMPORTANT NOTE* Be sure you don't pick or squeeze at the blemish. Not only will this make it harder to conceal, makeup can infect it or make it worse. If you've already done this you get a slap on the hand and may need to run to your local pharmacy for liquid bandage. While I don't choose this method if you have to apply makeup over it, this will give you a reasonable barrier to keep away infection or issues.

Now you've still got two colors in your kit. The last two colors on the right of the kit are your "blue correctors". This means they're meant to cover of blue on your face such as undereye circles, five o'clock shadow, or veins. You'll notice they're a bit more orange or pinkish in color. Again, this is becase the oposite color of blue is orange on the color spectrum, so it's meant to cancel that out. Dab a bit where you need it and follow it up with powder, and you'll be all set to go!

There you have it, a quick and easy solution to the most common of beauty emergencies. Keep it handy, and you'll never need to panic again!