Makeover on my Mom!

Happy Easter weekend!
My family came over for Easter this weekend, so I thought it was a great opportunity to do a makeover on my mom!  Her name is Riki, short for Maryke ;)
My mom never wears makeup and if she did, it would be a swipe of blue eyeshadow over the lid, that's all.
As you can tell by the before photo she has beautiful skin!
Maybe that's where I get my good skin genes :)

Before I started, I asked her what she wanted and most importantly, what she didn't want!
She said she sees women wear makeup and it doesn't match their neck, so...I only put foundation where she really needed it, the centre of the face.
Because she doesn't wear makeup at all, I kept it soft and simple. I used grey eyeshadows on the lids.
She has the perfect eye shape for winged liner, I was tempted, but I didn't want to scare her on her first makeover ;)  Next time!!
I love how her eyebrows turned out.
She didn't want bright lipstick either, so I kept that neutral.  Although she could totally pull off a bright peachy lip!

 before

 after (fresh and glowy)

window photo to show her face is the same as her neck ;)

My momma is beautiful before and after makeup!

 products used left to right starting at the back
rimmel scandaleyes mascara - black / rimmel match perfection concealer - light  / l'oreal true match foundation - W3 / mac lipliner in stripdown / mac lipstick in blankety / mac eyeshadows in brule, retrospeck, scene, typographic / maybelline dream mousse blush - rose pedal
mac eyeshadow in omega used for eyebrows

5 Favs + a Brush for February

Okay is it just me or did February fly by!!

February favs

mac mineralized blush in warm soul
mid tone beige with gold pearl

beautiful colour to warm up your skin and give a little shimmer during these cold months

great neutral colour if you're doing a smokey or colourful eye

 mac eyeshadow in tempting

a medium brown shade with a lustre finish

this is my go-to colour for a daytime smokey eye

looks great with every eye colour especially blue and brown

 swatch of tempting

nars laguna bronzer

this seems to be a staple in every makeup artists kit

great bronzer for winter when your skin is lighter

because of the colour not being too red or orange it's great for contouring

I use it under my cheek bones and in my eye crease for more definition

 mac studio fix fluid spf 15 in nc20

I always go back to this foundation!

lately I have been having a lot of breakouts due to the cold weather

this is a great foundation that covers well so I don't have to use as
much concealer but doesn't look or feel heavy on the skin

I would recommend it for oily to combination skin

mac brush cleanser
cleans, disinfects and conditions the brush fibers so that brushes will last longer
I fill a small travel spray bottle and take it with me everywhere!I
I have a bigger spray bottle I keep in my kit
very important to keep your brushes clean and bacteria free!

sigma tapered blending brush e40
I use this brush so much I have 2!
great for base eyeshadow and blending out edges of darker shadows
I use the other brush to sweep setting powder under my eyes, perfect size!

 close up of e40 brush

Estee Lauder / MAC Warehouse Sale!

A friend of mine I work with was able to get me a "golden" ticket to the MAC warehouse sale! 
I have been to warehouse sales before but I rarely purchase anything. 
This was my first time going to an Estee Lauder and Co. "invite only" and wasn't expecting much except big lineups.  But, I quickly realized there was a lot of MAC stuff that I loved or couldn't get anymore! I ended up getting a lot more than I thought and I can't wait to go again! 

Here is the stuff I purchased and closeups of what I think will be my favs!

left to right starting at the back
cute bag for $2, MAC bag (great for eyeliners), mac volcanic ash exfoliator, mixing medium, lustre drops, all woman eye shadow quad, eyeshadow in sparkle neely sparkle! estee lauder eyeshadow base, dipdown gel liner, blush in pink swoon, blush in poised, blush in taupe (great contour colour), bronzer in bronze, brush #'s 184, 272, 311

 I was so happy when I saw this #184 fan brush!  I wanted one for awhile

 I didn't know MAC had a angle shading brush, so naturally I got it

 I was keeping an eye on this one, perfect for lip or eye lining

cute $4 bag for eyeliners!

great eyeshadow palette, called All Woman and colours I don't have!

 

thought of my Aunt when I saw this colour, she looks fab in warm browns

this one is called Sparkle Neely, Sparkle! 

great for fall

 Estee Lauder double wear stay-in-place eyeshadow base

I am always a sucker for eyeshadow base, I hope it holds up!

Mmmm lustre drops! great for a highlighter on tanned or dark skin

already have this Volcanic Ash Exfoliator and love it!! I think I should got a couple more

 always wanted to try this, it's a Pro product so only available on Queen St in Toronto or online

now I can play! 

Formula to dilute and mix with M·A·C powder or liquid makeup. Used to create effects from sheer to opaque. Perfect to decorate the face or body. Mix with pigments and powders to create a number of custom shades and colours. It offers sheer, even coverage and long-wearing attributes. Create custom body lotions or use to thin down heavier foundations such as M•A•C Full Coverage Foundation. Use alone to give the skin a satin glow.

Coloured Eyeliner!

I got a new eyeliner from MAC from the Archie's Girls collection. 
This perfect purple eyeliner was part of "Veronicas" makeup.
I loved it so much it inspired me to do a blog on coloured eyeliner!

I love coloured eyeliner, and have been wearing it for years! 
It's actually just in the past 5 years that I have been wearing more neutral colours like black and brown.

The Do's of wearing coloured eyeliner...and making it work for day!

The trick to wearing coloured eyeliner and making it the focus, is to keep the rest of the face neutral.

On my face

Garnier BB Cream for combination to oily skin in Light/Medium / Garnier Skin Renew dark circle eye roller / Make Up For Ever HD Foundation in 120 / Maybelline concealer in 20

favourite powder! MAC Studio Careblend in Medium

When wearing coloured eyeliner I like to keep my cheeks neutral by using bronzer as blush and a highlighter on the top of the cheekbones. These work well together!

MAC Bronzer in Refined Gold  / Extra Dimension Skinfinish in Whisper of Gilt

close up of the highlighter, very pretty with bronzer or tanned skin

neutral eyeshadows by MAC 

(left) Shroom used all over lid / (right) Wedge used in the crease

MAC Pearlglide Intense Eyeliner in Designer Purple

this is really purple...love it!
BONUS...it lasts all day! perfect for hooded eyes :)

When using a coloured eyeliner make sure you really load on the mascara top AND bottom! 

favourite eyelash curler Shu Uemura / L'oreal Explosion Mascara / MAC 205 fan brush

close up of my 205 fan brush...gets every single lash, perfect for lower lashes!

MAC lipglass in c-thru...perfect neutral

The end result!

face and lips are kept neutral so coloured eyeliner stands out!

close up! with this bright colour you want to line your whole eye!
imagine this purple on green eyes!

Mini MAC Haul

I went to MAC today to get a few things to add to my ever growing makeup collection.
I am actually doing makeup for 4 ladies this Saturday.  I got a call back from a wedding I did in February 2011.  It's always a good feeling when someone remembers you and wants their makeup done again!  This time they are not the wedding party, they are just attending a wedding.
Here are a few things I got today...

blush palette, lingering eyebrow pencil, blue swan eyeliner, crosswires lipstick, nicki minaj lipgloss, vex and typographic eyeshadow, mocha blush

It's been awhile since I have bought a new pro palette.  I was happy to see they changed it to a clear lid.
Now I can see what's inside!  Awesome!  Now I am tempted to buy all new ones for all my eyeshadows!  But that will come in time ;)

Here are some lipsticks I have been collecting for my kit and especially for weddings...

 brave, cherish, cosmo, crosswires, modesty, hot gossip, velvet teddy