Makeover / Tips for Mature Skin

I recently had the pleasure of being able to do a makeover on my Aunt!
I thought it would be a great opportunity to blog about tips for women with mature skin.

Tip#1  Foundation.
As we age our skin begins to dull and fine lines/wrinkles start to show.  You want a foundation that helps moisturize and brings a glow to your skin.  Look for foundation that is for dry skin and will give a dewy finish.

Tip#2  Concealer.
As with foundation, you want to find a concealer that is moisturizing.
Make sure you use all around the eye area including the lid to conceal any veins.
If you have very dark circles, try using a peachy corrector first.

Tip#3  Powder.
The less powder you use the better.  Use a light dusting to set foundation and concealer.

Tip#4  Blush.
Use a bright blush to add a nice flush to the cheeks.  I think blush is a very important step to show youthfulness.  Apply to apples of cheeks and blend out and up!
Make sure you blend well, no clown cheeks please!

Tip#5  Lipgloss.
Lips thin as we get older.  Using a lipgloss instead of lipstick will help moisturize and make lips look fuller.  Look for a plumping one!

Tip#6  Lash Curler.
Everyone should use an eyelash curler. Curling your lashes will open your eyes so you look more awake.

Tip#7  Eyeliner.
Lightly lining the eye is a must. I suggest browns and greys, blacks can be a bit harsh.
It's more flattering to wing your eyeliner up.

Tip#8  Eyeshadow.
Matte shadows are a must.  A touch of shimmer eyeshadow can be worn but only near the inner tear duct and just under the brows.  Never wear shimmer or glittery eyeshadow over the whole lid.

Tip#9  Eyebrows.
Eyebrows naturally thin as we get older.  It is very important to find a pencil or shadow that closely matches the natural shade of your brows.  Drawing in your eyebrows will frame your eyes which makes them stand out.  Use short strokes to mimic hair, never draw a solid line.
A very youthful and important step!

My Aunt Herma before and after

Thank you to my Aunt Herma for being my model and thank you to my sister Candace for taking all the pictures!
If you are interested in a makeover including photos, give myself or Candace a call to set up an appointment.  http://candacenaidoo.com/home.html

Maybelline Colour Tattoo Review

Dare to wear 24HR shadow

I was able to purchase 5 of the 10 available colours.
Here are my thoughts....
I love them!  They are easy to work with, buildable and they last all day...just like they say in their ads.
I am not sure about 24 hours though, as I do wash my makeup off before going to bed ;)

How to use:

Use finger or a stiff brush to pat colour on to lid ( I used the 239 MAC brush), blend out edges with a blending brush ( I used the 217 MAC brush).
You have lots of options for different looks.  You can use as a base for regular eyeshadow, which will help intensify the eyeshadow, or use on it's own. 

The neutral colours make a great base for an everyday look or intensify for a smokey evening look.
I just used Bad to the Bronze here with a darker shimmer brown liner.

The brighter colours are great on their own.  I used a bit of MAC black fluid line to define my lashes.  Eyeliner or liquid liner is another great option.

These could have been built up for a more intense look, but I was going out grocery shopping ;)

I am still thinking of purchasing some other colours, Bold Gold and Pomegranate Punch.
I have been hearing a lot of bad reviews on the Painted Purple, as the colour is not as intense and hard to blend.

Price:  $7.99 - $9.99.
For this review I give Maybelline Colour Tattoo Eyeshadow 4 out of 5.
The only Con is that I wish there were more neutral colours, as they are comparable to MAC paintpots.

http://www.maybelline.ca/products/122/eyes/eye-shadow/eye-studio-color-tattoo-24hr-cream-gel-shadow/fierce-and-tangy/10?shadeId=634

Trash/Rock the Wedding Dress

The idea behind Trash the Dress is simple - instead of letting your gown fester in the back of a closet, slip it back on for a photoshoot where the bride transforms herself into a villainous or perhaps mischievous character and heads out one last time wearing her beautiful (and expensive) gown – to none other than, destroy it or rock it one more time.

My sister Liz and I were still able to fit into our wedding dress, so we planned for a shoot on Thanksgiving weekend.  The weather was awesome!

I mostly rocked mine, while Liz went a step further and actually went into the Muskoka River.

If you are interested in trashing or rocking your dress let us know!  Liz is a professional photographer and I am a makeup artist, we would love to help trash or rock yours too!

All pictures taken by Elizabeth Louter http://www.elizabethlouter.com/

Wedding Makeup August 20th, 2011

I had a great time doing Karen's makeup (the bride) and her 3 bridesmaids.
They wanted something really simple and natural as they don't wear any makeup!
I kept Karen's makeup simple using lights browns and beige, just a bit of blush and some lipstick.  I think she looks great with lipstick!
Karen was a referral from another wedding I did back 2 years in October! 
Thanks for the referral Emily!

 

 

thank you to Sarah Wiggins, the wedding photographer, for giving me these photos for my blog!
Please check out her website, she is awesome!!
http://www.swphoto.ca/

Favourite Makeup Brushes

Here are a few of my favourite makeup brushes....meaning the ones I use regularly!
Most of my brushes are MAC brushes but I also use Quo.  I have recently been trying out Sigma Brushes, which are a great alternative to MAC and a great price!

FACE BRUSHES:

MAC 109 small contour brush


This is my favourite brush!  I use this every single day.
It's labeled at MAC as a "contour brush"  It is definitely a multi-purpose brush.
I have used it for powder, blush, liquid foundation applicator and of course contouring. But I mostly use it for face powder.  It works great with mineralized skinfinish products.
I don't leave home without this brush.

MAC 150 large powder brush



This is my fatty brush.
It is a great multi-purpose brush too.
I mostly use this for dusting access powder from the face, but it works great for blush and bronzer.

MAC 129 powder/blush brush



This was the first brush I ever bought from MAC over 10 years ago!
It's still in excellent shape!  I take care of my brushes ;)
Back then I used it as a multi-purpose brush, now it's used for blush and mostly for bronzer.



 





 
MAC 138 tapered face brush



This is a new addition to my face brushes.
I wasn't too sure about it at first, but I started figuring it out.
The pointy end is great for blush, bronzer and highlighter, gives a more contoured look.
I am using this brush more and more.

MAC 116 blush brush



This is my blush brush.
It's great for small faces or a more precise blush application.

MAC 130 short duo fibre brush


This is my ultimate favourite brush!  This brush changed my life!!
I cannot apply foundation without this brush...forget sponges, the flat top brush, the flat foundation brush, even the duo fibre brush.  If I don't have this brush I would rather use my fingers.
I do not leave home without this brush!!










EYE BRUSHES:

SIGMA E40 tapered blending brush

I wanted this brush from MAC but wasn't sure if I would use it, so I got it from Sigma for fraction of the price.
I LOVE IT!  I use this brush the most out of all my eye shadow brushes.
It's perfect for applying a base eyeshadow to the entire eye.
It's also good for blending in the crease.  
I use it for both.
MAC 224 is a bit smaller but I prefer the size of the Sigma one.

MAC 217 blending brush


All makeup artists swear by this brush.  I think it is the most popular eye brush ever!
I have 2!  One I use for creamy eyeshadows and eyeshadow base.
The other one I use for powder eyeshadow, it fits perfectly in the crease for applying contour colour and easy blending.
This brush is a must!

MAC 239 eyeshader brush



This brush is popular too.  It's great for packing colour onto the lid.
I like to use it for darker colours for the outer part of crease and then use the 217 (above) to blend.

MAC 219 pencil brush



I use this brush everyday too!  It's perfect for blending eyeliner pencil.
I use it to smoke out eyeliner and add shadow under the eye.

QUO angled eyeliner brush



If you have problems applying liquid eyeliner then you need this brush!
This is the perfect eyeliner brush.  It is angled to make application a lot easier.
Try it, you will see what I mean!





LIP BRUSH:

MAC 316 lip brush



I like this lip brush because of the metal cover that you store on the end of the brush to make the brush full size.
The brush is the perfect size for precise lipstick application.

New Business Card Design!

I finally got my new business cards today in the mail!  Now I can start getting serious ;)
Thanks to my sister Shmoo for designing it.  You can check out her website here:  http://www.amandapickford.com

Wedding Makeup February 25th, 2011

A friend of mine Krista (from makeup school) set me up with her best friend Mary's wedding.
I was able to snag some pictures from the photographer's website...

The Beautiful Bride Mary

Krista

This is my favourite!

Wedding Party ( I did all 5!)