Makeup Tips from a Pro

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24716_10100235082923814_8321491_62230960_1129464_n

Tina Burnham and I met through the brilliant world of blogging. After finally meeting face to face one afternoon in Starbucks, we realized we should have met each other a lot sooner because we had been going to the same church for a long time. haha.

Since our first meeting, Tina and I have collaborated on several projects. Some shoots where she has been the hairstylist, some where she has been the photographer and some where she has been the makeup artist. Tina is SOOOO talented (obviously), and today she is sharing some makeup tips and her favorite products with all of you.

1. What is your favorite overall makeup brand and why?

Mac Eyeshadow
Mac Eyeshadow

Well, I am a little biased because I have a Pro Account, but I am a M.A.C girl. Even without my pro perks, it is mid-price range and affordable.  I love how vibrant their shadows and pigments are, and the wear longevity of them. So many fun colors in mattes and shimmers. I used to be a Lancome girl because my mom was, and I am still a die hard Definicils girl when I am not wearing my falsies! Yes, I wear fake lashes and I LOVE it :).

2. Right now, what lip product do you use the most often - lipstick, lip stain, lip gloss, lip pencil or Chapstick?

how-to-get-soft-kissable-lips
how-to-get-soft-kissable-lips

For everyday natural day look I use M.A.C tinted spf lip conditioner. I used to use the clear lipglass, but it can get sticky and my hair would always get caught in it! I still use lipglass to finish off a lip application. Just a dab in the center of the lips, not to the outer edges, gives the lips a pouty look.

3. What is the biggest mistake people make with their makeup?

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id-11-10-10

Hmmm.  I don't know about mistakes, but there are lots of tips to applying. Probably the one I would say is a "mistake" is what I call the clown brow. And I have to be honest and say I have done the clown brow back in the day!!!

Many women use a lighter shimmery color or even white shadow right under their brows to highlight them. When you look in the mirror it looks great! Now go take a picture......with a flash.  You look like a clown!!!  When picking a color to highlight use an irradescent shadow, that is subtle however catches light.....NOT shimmer shadows or matte white shadows!  My favorite is M.A.C vanilla pigment.  A MUST in your makeup bag! I can not live with out it! It is the perfect highlighter. Dust it along under your browline or dab your inner eyes and it highlights them perfectly. I often dust some down the bridge of my nose and add some contouring on the sides with some shadow and I just gave my self a "nose" job :).

4. What is the one thing you NEVER miss in your makeup routine?

clip-image001
clip-image001

Probably darkening my brows. I use M.A.C. firm angle brush and some brown shadow to gently fill and line my brows.  I like to use shadow versus a pencil because it is much softer and more natural.  Brows are one thing many people do not realize can really make or break a face. A well shaped manicured brow can open up the face and draw attention to the eyes. If I am doing a au naturel look, I would maybe do a little powder and line my brows!

5. What's your favorite makeup look right now?

Well since we are entering into fall I am inspired by the two looks I recently did for two photo shoots that we worked on! One being the Marie Antionette inspired very classic look focusing on a bright lip. On the shoot since it was for bridal I chose Coral. However for fall I often go RED! Sometimes with bright lips, when applied they look great but within half hour it doesn't look quite right and you can reapply and still doesn't look like when you first applied it. But M.A.C. Pro Long wearing no smudge lip color is my fave. One side is the lipstain, the other is the gloss. I have tried other "smudge" proof and not a fan. This one really doesn't come off, and you don't need to reapply the color only the the gloss. However,  I don't line my lips when using this product because the oils react a little different than the lip color since it is long-wearing formula.  My favorite, Lasting Lust Red! I would also like to trya dark plum lip too for fall :).

rby-makeup-leighton-de
rby-makeup-leighton-de

The other look that I did  was just a very natural pinky "cold" cheeks and lips with a neutral eye or light eye. Many women do the smokey eye with various color combos. Instead with this look you would use lighter colors, which will brighten and open up the eyes giving a softer look. Light foundation, pink blush and maybe an overall dust of shimmer. A very dewey, fresh and clean feel.

Part 2 - Melissa Jill's Photo Reveal

So, as I mentioned yesterday, I got to style Melissa Jill with an Anthropolgie feel for a photo shoot with Promise Tangeman.

We went with three looks to give MJ a range to work with for her promotional materials - very casual, casual feminine and sophisticated dressy.

All of the clothes were MJ's, and I just added three of my scarves for the t-shirt and jeans looks.

Tina Burnham, whom I have worked with on Marie Antoinette and Lindsay Garver's shoot, did the hair and makeup and executed the inspiration to perfection!!! Tina is also a photographer with Live. Love. Photography, and I think it's such an asset to have the knowledge of the camera when you're styling hair and makeup.

Biggest tip for those of you getting family portraits done - WEAR FALSE EYE LASHES! If you can, also take the time to spend the money on getting your hair and makeup done.

Of course, I would also like to think that having someone style your clothes would also be worth the time and money too. ;)

Part 1 - MJ's Photo Shoot Inspiration

This past week I had the opportunity to style Melissa Jill, a very well respected photographer across Arizona and the country.

MJ and I first met when I was HER client - she photographed my wedding day. =) Since then we have reconnected through Promise Tangeman, and now she's MY client. haha.

When MJ decided to get some photos taken for her website and promotional materials, she asked if I would come on board and create an Anthropologie feel for her. I obviously jumped at the chance.

Here's the inspiration I used for her hair, makeup and clothing.

Photos to come soon!

Part 2 - Equestrian Glam Revealed

I'm so excited to finally reveal this photo shoot to you all!

I mentioned in Part 1 Equestrian Glam that this shoot is a collaboration among amazing friends. It's so cool to be able to produce art with people that love and support you. Need I say more?

To see what inspired the looks for this shoot, see my Part 1 blog post.

There were two locations for this shoot. The first was the gorgeous home of my friend Julie Bode. Her Great Dane Ziggy is the dog above. We didn't have access to horses, so why not use the next best thing - a dog the size of a horse. haha! The second location was a little historic house turned recording studio in Gilbert, AZ.

These photos were captured by Session Nine Photography. You can visit their blog for even MORE photos. =)

The hair was styled by Kim Cornwell of Triple Threat Studios.

The gorgeous model is Amaris Kress.

The makeup and clothing were styled by me, Alexandra Evjen.