Makeup and Hair Fall Trends 2014

 

A look with Subtle Edginess.

I love Fall season fashion. This year I see a lot of influence from the late 60’s and early 70’s but with a modern edge. The color palette this season is a variety of shades of green, grays, mulberry burgundies, coopers and rich browns.

What I saw on the runway for NYC fashion week was a very natural, subtle, non–makeup look. Luminous, flawless, and even skin with slightly sculpted cheeks, contrasted with a very graphic defined brow.

There were two looks that stood out, the first is a smudged eyeliner in rich colors that almost looks like it was left over from the night before. Heavy liner surrounds the entire eye with deep browns, grays burgundies, or shades of forest greens. The second look had no eyeliner at all, with just a wash of cooper or burgundy across the eyes. Both looks appeared sporty and edgy with barely any color on the lips. Lip Balm or a very light color would suffice. Even lighter than your natural lip color.

The latest trend in hair is loose textured hair in slouchy ponytails with strong middle or side parts. The hairstyles are very nonchalant, like you woke up with it looking tousled but it still looks good anyway. The look you get when you don’t have time to dry your hair completely and you wind up with air dried waves.

The Fall 2014 make-up and hair trends seem so easy to do, and I’m excited to try this effortless, yet edgy and mysterious look. It’s so simple that you barely have to pull out your drier or have the tedious task of curling every inch of your hair. All you need is a power ponytail or wind swept curls that happen naturally and you’re on your way. For makeup you just need to invest in a couple key items. A luminous foundation that has a good amount of pigment to cover well, a staple smudgy eyeliner, a shadow that adds a wash of color to your lids, and some lip balm. Voilà! Your fashion forward look is complete.

What is your skin's undertone?

 

Finding the right foundation color is key to your flawless face. Trying to match your perfect foundation can be difficult. The first step to finding your perfect shade is to know your skin’s undertone. It is the color that lies beneath the skin. It is almost like a shadow below your skin color. While your skin color changes depending on the season or exposure to the sun, the undertone never does.

There are three basic skin undertones. Cool, Neutral, or Warm.

There are a couple tests you can do to help you be clear on your undertone is.

Your Cool if your undertone is: Blue, Red, or pink.

When your out in the sun your skin will appear bluish

If the veins on your wrist appear blue or purple

Silver jewelry will look more flattering on your skin.

Foundation should be pink or neutral based

Blush: cool rosy or pink look best

You’re a Neutral if your undertone is:

Neither pink/red/blue/ nor yellow/ gold / or peach but somewhere in between

The veins on your wrist are blue-green or olive looking.

When you look at your skin in the sun, it appears greenish

Both gold and silver jewelry look flattering on your skin

You’re Warm if your undertone is:

Gold, Olive, or Yellow

When your out in the sun your skin appears yellowish

If the veins on your wrist appear greenish or olive

Gold jewelry is more flattering on you

Foundation: Peach or yellow based

Blush: warm coral or peach look best

When matching your skin for foundation look not only at your face but your neck and decolletage. We typically use so much sun block on our faces to protect our skin from aging, that often times our faces are much lighter than our decolletage.  To even that out you may want to warm up your foundation so that your face looks even with the rest of your body.  Your neck gets next to no sun so you may want to bring down your foundation to blend into your neck. It’s best to match your foundation to your skins undertone if you feel pale using bronzer and blush always gives color back to your skin. Being in Natural light helps when matching your foundation so you can see in the best light see what undertone your skin casts.

Even makeup artists that have been in the industry for years sometimes have problems with this when it comes to working with new foundations colors so I hope these tips helped.

Here is a fun quiz to help find your skin's undertone: http://www.popsugar.com/beauty/What-My-Skin-Undertone-Quiz-34403268

Master Class Read more about it!

 

A Classic smoky eye never goes out of style, yet so many women are afraid to try it in fear of looking too dark.  I have heard some clients say I don’t want to look like I have Panda bear eyes, which always makes me laugh. Today I’ll show you how to pull off a smoky eye that will work for an everyday woman.

To start, you want to define your brows. Your brows are what frame your face and once defined you can really see the shape of your eyes.

Next you will need a natural eye shadow base. I use wheat eye basic from Laura Mercier since it holds shadows on all day.

Over that I typically use a light vanilla color or shimmer to add light to the inner corner of the eye. Line the entire eye with liner, building the liner up to the outer lid, and smudge with a smudge brush back and forth into the lash line.

From there use a dark shadow and brush along the top of the liner, blending using an eye color brush. Blending is the key to an elegant smoky eye.

In the crease, I use a ponytail brush to blend a medium matte colored shadow. You want to create a cloud effect where the color is darker towards the eye and blend it out softer towards the crease.

Curl your lashes and add two coats of Mascara and you’re on your way from meetings to martinis.

For more in depth demonstrations, I am holding a class Wednesday evening on the 25^th.  The flyer with more details is below. I have two spots left so reserve your spot before they’re gone!

What to Expect at the Makeup Counter.

The cosmetic department is a fun place to be. It’s a playground of beautiful products to play with and try on. The Makeup Counter for some can be a bit overwhelming so, as requested, here’s a post on what to expect when you visit the makeup counter

Research

I recommend starting by doing your research first. There are so many different makeup lines and you want to choose a line that fits your lifestyle and that’s age appropriate. If you have a specific look in mind, bring some photos.  If you want to go over the products that you own to see if they are still current, bring in your makeup bag and let the beauty expert go over what you should keep, what you should get rid of and what you might want to add. That way you don’t have to figure it all out on your own when you get home.

Appointments

If you have an event it helps to make an appointment. That way the counter will set aside a half hour to forty- five minutes to spend time with just you and you won’t have to wait between customers. Just call the counter ahead of time to let them know what you want to get done. The more specific you are, the more smoothly the appointment will go. Don’t be afraid to ask questions as this helps with the consultation. If it is last minute don’t worry, walk-ins are welcome.

Consultations

No need to fuss with putting on any skincare or makeup since your beauty expert will do all the work. Just sit and relax. Come to the counter with an open mind, beauty experts are trained to translate the latest trends into everyday wearable looks. You might find some new products you would have never picked out yourself that really work for you. If there is something that you don’t like, let us know so that we can fix it. I promise it won’t hurt our feelings since we want you to feel confident and beautiful in your makeup. Have the beauty expert make you a face chart so you have directions on how to do your makeup when you get home. Sometimes you might get home and realize you really need the brush to go with the eye shadow and the chart will have the details of what was used.

Touchups

Just want a little mid-day touchup? No problem. Makeup artists are typically itching to do somebody’s makeup and would much rather be doing makeup than standing there. Of course we hope you find something you like but if you don’t, don’t feel guilty about not buying anything. We will send you off with some samples and hope you will want to come back. Your beauty expert will do demos of products that will only work for you and your skin type.

Come in! It can be exciting to have your makeup done by a pro and come out with a fresh, new look. It’s like getting a new hairstyle, it can be invigorating.

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.