Mascara ... Don't leave home without it!

Well girls, it's official. The winner of our poll is Mascara! I agree, I won't leave home without mascara either. Something about darkening the lashes does so much for the face.

So now the question is regular mascara or waterproof?
First of all, waterproof mascara should only be worn for short periods of time. It tends to be very drying and damaging to the lashes. I recommend only using it for weddings or other special occasions where you think you will be crying. If you think you need it for a day at the beach or the pool I would suggest tinting your lashes. This lasts about 3-4 weeks and the more often you tint the darker your lashes become. Lash tinting can be done at most salons and runs about $20-$25 This should only be done by a licensed Esthetician! A local salon that offers this service is TEK Salon-Spa in Costa Mesa. 949-515-8351

As far as mascara goes, there are many good ones out there. The most infamous would be Maybelline Great Lash (the good old pink and green tube) Stila and Shel Cosmetics also offer very good thickening and lengthening mascaras that don't clump or flake. Whichever brand you choose just make sure you go with BLACK. Even the blonde girls should always wear black mascara... and remember to bat those lashes girls!

Wedding Season...

Well girls we are in the height of wedding season. However, more and more brides are getting married in the fall so keep those old bridesmaid dresses... you never know when you may need to use it again!

With bridal makeup trends going back to the natural "glowing bride" look clients often ask me if they can just do their makeup themselves. Being a makeup artist who makes her living by making brides beautiful on their wedding day, this is often a difficult question for me to answer. It's not that you can't do your own makeup, but there is truly an art to applying makeup so that it looks good in photos as well as in person. Not to mention water and tear resistant!

So my answer is hire a professional and let yourself be pampered on your special day. If money is a concern and you just can't see yourself spending any more on yourself; then I recommend having a private lesson so that you can learn a few of the tricks that will make you look and feel even more beautiful that you already are!

A photo shoot in 90 degree heat...

Well, it's true. You can wear full photo quality makeup in the heat and still look good. Last Sunday I did a shoot with Kelly Lynn Photography at the Balboa Pier and was happy how well my makeup lasted and looked in the pictures... considering it was 90 degrees outside!

So I thought I would share the secret with all of you. The key is to wear a makeup primer. By doing this the makeup adheres to the primer and won't run or roll off your skin. I wore a liquid to powder mineral foundation; which is a little lighter than the normal liquid foundation. I didn't feel like I had a lot of makeup on and looked very natural ... not cakey!