Don’t underestimate the power of brows!

Trust me, a good brow can give you a facelift.  If you do nothing else, perfect your brows since they can really make or break your look.  Laura Mercier always taught us that a sculpted and polished eye brow says a lot about your look

Brow Pencil:

There are many products and tools to help you get the perfect brow. One of my favorites is the brow pencil with a brow groomer, this tool looks a lot like a mascara wand. Before you get started, you’ll need to sharpen your pencil to get a precise point. This sharp point will help create fine, hair-like strokes in the areas that need to be filled in or extended. I recommend using one shade lighter than your hair color so that if you’re going for a fuller brow they won’t stand out. First, use your brow groomer to comb your brow up and out to give them a lift.  Then, use the brow pencil to give your brow shape and definition and add brow powder if a softer finish is desired. 

Tip: Set your brow with translucent powder before any application to remove any residue.

Brow Powder:

You can always use Brow powders by themselves for a quick soft look but you will need the right brush. I am a fan of Laura Mercier’s double ended brow brush because the brush has two sides, a small one for detail and a larger side for the main application. Typically brow powders can be used wet or dry. Use wet for intensity. The key to using brow powder is to begin in the center of the brow with the most pigment, and then blending towards the outer corners. You can see this being explained in the video of Laura Mercier which I have provided below.

Use the lighter color of your brow powder first to apply where needed, to shape and fill your brows. Then you can add a couple strokes of a slightly deeper shade with the smaller end of your brow brush. Filling in your brow with varying shades of color will give the appearance of natural hair.

Brow Gel:

Brow gel can be used alone to control any unruly brow hairs that won’t stay in place, or it can be used as your last step to set your brow for 8 hour wear. It gives the brow a nice conditioned look.

Brow Wax:

I typically suggest wax for clients who already have great full brows and just want to add definition and shape. The brow wax tints and coats the hair in place. Use a synthetic angle brow brush with brow wax products.

Tip: Use a light shadow or eye base on the brow bone to give the brow a lift and open up the eye lid. 

Life is Fashion Packed!

 

This spring on the runway, the concept has been Bright Poppy Lips and Crème Cheek colors to match. With barely anything on the eyes and flawless dewy skin, the look needs very defined brows to compensate.

Electric oranges, Miami pinks, and Raspberries are the jam this spring and summer. Right now I love gel lip colors because they give a light pop of color and they look fresh and youthful. If you’re going for bold and aren’t afraid of color, try a matte orange-red lip color.

For Flawless skin, I have been using Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer, Laura Mercier has the best tinted moisturizer on the planet. If you don’t want to commit to dewy all over, try Radiance primer or Golden Pink highlight from Laura Mercier and place on the high points of your face to give touches of glow. You don’t need to layer powders, instead use a couple of crème products to keep your skin looking natural with a touch of translucent powder on your T-Zone to absorb any excess oil.

This look is so effortless, it cuts your makeup time in half in the morning by not having to spend so much time on your eyes. If you choose to add an eyeliner, add some color instead of brown or black, like a teal or shade of blue. This might take you out of your comfort zone, but many times it can be a better fit that enhances your eye color. My clients tell me all the time they would have never chosen that color but they love the way it looks on. If you’re going out, chic cat-eyes are especially big for spring.

Backstage Fashion Show

The moral of the story is keep your skin raw, natural, and dewy rather than using makeup to contour or completely transform your face. You can always throw in some attitude with your bold lip color or rebel eyeliner.

Waterproof Tattoo Cover-up

On special occasions like your wedding day or a job interview you may want to cover up your tattoos.

There are so many over the counter products for tattoo cover up, but I haven’t found any that are truly waterproof and that can be a waist of time and money. What I found that works best is Temptu’s Dura airbrush makeup. Dura is an alcohol-based formula and it is completely waterproof and can last for days with proper care. It does take some skill and practice to get the technique down, but the results will be better than other methods.

Preparation:

 

• Make sure the tattooed area and the area around it is shaved the night before to prevent irritation and because you don’t want to see hairs from the airbrush makeup.  

 • Prep the tattooed area and at least 3 inches around with alcohol.

First step is color correction:

A color wheel is helpful. You want to use the color opposite the color of the tattoo. So for Lena’s tattoo in the image the red needs to be neutralized, so I take that and her skin tone into consideration. Green is the opposite of red and she has a lot of orange/red in her skin tone so to neutralize that we went with a green yellow based color. The tattoo will be completely covered and extended out an inch past the edge of the tattoo. At this point you should not see the tattoo only the corrective color. It may take a couple layers and sometimes I use a blow dryer with cool air to dry between layers.

Conceal:

Now much like matching foundations you will conceal the whole area with the persons skin-tone. You may need to mix a couple colors to find the perfect match. I suggest doing some test patches to make sure you have the right shade. Remember to clean your gun with alcohol so there is no blockage when you use your airbrush again next.

Set:

Lastly you will use a setting powder. Buff it into your puff and roll onto your covered-up area to insure the longevity of the makeup. It can look a little dry but it will stay on. If the cover-up is on your arm it can look texturized if you twist your arm too much so you want to be careful but it looks amazing in pictures like you never even had a tattoo. To take your cover-up makeup off, use rubbing alcohol to remove all the layers.

I am always learning as I go so if you have any questions or anything to add, please leave a comment.