Makeup Monday...Tempted by Temptu!

I spent a lovely Sunday afternoon yesterday with the oh-so-talented Rachel Galey. We signed up for an airbrushing seminar to see what all the fuss was about over this Temptu product. Supposedly one of the best air brushing systems out on the market. We wanted to see for ourselves. 

As I sat thru the three hour seminar I found myself constantly doubting the teachers claims about the magic this product could produce. The stories she told about her experiences using the Temptu would make one think it must be an unstoppable device with superhero powers. She reminisced about a shoot she worked on when her models were submerged in water six different times throughout the day. She said that thanks to the Temptu, every time the models emerged from the water the only thing she had to touch up was their lipstick!!! Apparently their faces remained completely unfazed by the chlorinated pool and the Temptu product never failed to be anything but flawless. Now....I am one of the bigger skeptics I know so there was no way I was going to buy this bill of goods hook, line, and sinker. Too good to be true, I kept telling myself!

Fortunately for me, I must have been looking exceptionally underwhelming which drew the instructors attention straight to me. I was picked to be the guinea pig. As I approached the front of the room I had many doubts. I sat through the ten minutes it took her to apply my newly airbrushed face. And I would say that after it was complete, I was left with quite a lovely even skin tone. The circles under my eyes had vanished and all of the redness I normally see in my face was erased.  While I didn't look like I had been airbrushed in a Vogue magazine, I will say, there was a very nice, even, natural look given to me by the Temptu. At this point I would say I was rating the airbrush around a 6 on a scale of 1 to 10. 

It wasn't until I went home after our seminar and spent the evening examining my face every hour, that I began to see why this product could be quite amazing and worth every single penny. My makeup never moved. It never shifted. It never faded. It never shined. I literally looked the exact same from the moment it was applied to me at 1 in the afternoon until I washed it off my face at 11pm at night. I was shocked. The instructor was right!! The staying power of the Temptu makeup combined with the application thru the airbrush is a winning duo. I have never seen another product last so well. I have never seen a finished face that needed zero touch ups throughout the day. I must say....I have become a believer. The Temptu IS all it's cracked up to be. 

Because the product is really as good as they say it is, it is gaining popularity quickly. Now it is not only available for industry professionals. Consumers can purchase it at Sephora's across the country or on their website, www.temptu.com. It is a modified version of the industrial Temptu. It is more compact and easier to handle and comes with your skin tone already individualized into tiny capsules for easy use. 

HAIR THERAPY SUNDAYS =)

Therapy is now in session...

Wow can I say" Finally a woman wins BEST Director"--not only did that rock but she looked

amazing doing it!!! Her hair is down,natural and very understated. Sometimes the best action is

a very simple look without all the fuss and glam. Now I am not saying that she did it herself..on

the contrary that kind of simple style takes work...and possibly we can look to last week for

some hints...extensions and an amazing blowout ?? I would have to say yes...well no matter what

steps she took she looks flawless...

The lesson this Sunday is if at first you don't succeed try again ,

that's how she won her Oscar and that's how you will achieve amazing hair...

sorry for the short & sweet blog but I have had a long day making celebs look fab for the

Oscars and I need some sleep.

Therapy complete.

Ahou

Friday Factoids for your Face!

Get an Oscar ready look this weekend!

Not only are the Academy Awards exciting in the realm of celebrating theatrical talent, they are also the mecca for glamour.

This is what the nominees are really in competition for-the gift of glam. Follow these easy tips to snag a classic hollywood look.

Step 1: This is the most important step to flawless skin

A. Prep the face with a gentle moisturizer and primer.

B. For a moisturizer, I prefer Caudalie Vinexpert Riche Radiance Day Cream. It's free of parabens and has an SPF 10. This product will quench your skin's thirst making it radiant, rich and ready for a perfect makeup app.

C. For eyes I suggest something to fend off your biggest concerns...

1. Caudalie Pulpe Vitaminee Eye and Lip Cream. I like this product because it is a two-in-one, which means TIME SAVER. It makes your eyes AND lips feel replenished and revived. Not to mention it despises wrinkles, puffiness, and dark circles :)

2. **TWO BIT TRICK: For a quick, easy and cheap eye de-puffer dab a little Preparation H around the eye to calm swelling. Trust me, it's not just for 'roids.

D. Once your moisturizer is absorbed apply Makeup Forever HD Microperfecting Primer. This product will smooth the skin's surface for your foundation to lay on gracefully. It comes in various formulas according to your complexion goals. I use Blue to perk up my fair skin tone as well as conceal minor skin discoloration and imperfections.

Step 2: Build your Foundation.

1. Use a foundation and concealer you know will not slide off of your face by the end of the evening. You want to fool both the naked eye and the cameras into believing you just naturally have perfect skin.

A. Makeup Forever HD Invisible Cover Foundation does just that.

B. Post Application, dust with Makeup Forever HD Microfinish Powder to set the makeup. This stuff is a serious lifesaver and you'll feel forever indebted to this product by the end of the night.

Step 2: All the trimmings!

A good makeup artist is like a good carpenter. You've built a solid foundation and details are key. It's time to take your tools and really get to work in creating a finished look.

A. A classic Hollywood Beauty doesn't need much to make an impression. **TIP: LESS IS MORE.

B. Dust a cheek color that matches your natural blush tone. To figure out your choice shade, clench your paw into a fist for a few seconds. When you release, the reddish hue that remains is the color in which you should choose.

1. For a more glamorous look I prefer a cheek color with a hint of shimmer to add a subtle radiance.

2. Try Orgasm Blush, by NARS. This shade is so versatile, it looks amazing on most skin tones.

3. With a blush brush apply in a circular motion at the apples of your cheeks and then swoop up and away at an angle toward your hairline to add contour.

"She had Bette Davis Eyes"...

**SIGH** those utterly seductive bedroom eyes of old hollywood, so many women would kill for... No need to go that far ladies, it's easier than you think!

A. In order to achieve dramatic daggers, it is crucial to MIND YOUR L's: Lashes & Liner.

1. Since the Lashes & Liner will be doing most of the work here, there is no need for a crazy shadow. Open up those peepers by highlighting the lid, inner corners of the eye and just under the brow with a champagne shimmer. Deposit a taupe in the crease to add definition.

2. Use a pencil liner to line the inside "waterline" of the eye.

3. Curl your lashes and apply false strip lashes. This is the dealmaker.

4. Bind your real lashes to the false ones with mascara. **TIP: Place your index finger on your lid just above your lashline, then apply mascara. This will prevent it from transferring onto your beautiful eye shadow job you did earlier and it will also make the lashes fuse together for more realistic lashes.

5. Once the mascara has dried, apply to the bottom lashes and your ready for Butterfly Kisses.

6. With a liquid liner, create a perfect fluid line to seal the top set of lashes. To hype up the glam make the line thicker. Start at the inner corner and in one stroke trace the lash line and end with a wing tip like Marilyn Monroe used to do.

7. Fill in your brows to frame and enhance the eye.

A. The final touch for that Oscar-worthy look? You guessed it! A Classic [RED LIP] of course.

1. Cherry or berry it's your decision in accordance to your couture, but the red lip is the golden rule to accomplishing that old hollywood glam look.

Final Touch? Model in a Bottle does wonders in keeping your red carpet look going all night long. This is the perfect potion to setting that award winning makeup masterpiece. Sprits a few inches from face and your makeup will stay put until you decide when it's time to retire.

"And the Academy Award goes to... (Insert Your Name Here)!"

Congratulations, now it's time for a killer acceptance speech, please give me a shout out. Until Next Friday!

Makeup Mondays....Let Your Eyes Benefit from Benefit Creme Eye Shadows

Benefit Creme Eye Shadows are an instant solution to that annoying crease often left on your lids from powder shadows. Benefits line goes on smooth and stays put all day. Apply with a brush or your finger tip. The colors are amazing and the consistency is flawless. 

For day looks check out Birthday Suit or Flatter Me. For a more dramatic night time look try Stiletto. And for a smokey look try Skinny Jeans. 

These creme pots are perfect for a quick eye fix. Since they go on perfectly with a finger tip they are a great option to keep in your purse for quick touch ups or last minute morning makeovers in the car. Since powders can get so messy, these pots will surely come in handy and keep your purse free of any makeup residue. 

Buy them at BenefitCosmetics.com or any Benefit Cosmetics store. Also found at Sephora! 

Hair Therapy Sundays

Therapy is now in session....

To Extend or not to Extend that is the question?

Have you always wondered what you would look like with hair Extensions?

What if you could finally have that Victoria Secret hair and walk around bouncing it from side to side??

Well before you run to your local salon and ask for a full head of glorious extensions lets talk shop..shall we.

There are as many hair extension companies as there are fast food franchises so let's see what works best for you.

When choosing extensions always go to a certified stylist who can answer all your questions...what type of hair you have will play a huge part in what type of extensions work best for you. Not all hair is created equal so you should be aware that this is all about individual tailoring.

Many stylist will chose one method over another and this is all about experience and personal preference.

The methods include(but are not limited to)weaving in tracks, gluing, Keratin bonding and copper tubing. They all have their benefits and depending on the stylist they can be amazing or terrifying!

Here is an example of hair being too short &thecopper tubing too light.

My personal preference is the copper tubing method due to the fact that it allows the hair to grow without damaging it. I use Pure extensions.

PURE™ Extensions has revolutionized the hair extension industry with its eco-friendly cold bond, non-damaging system.

Developed by stylists for stylists, their extensions are made of 100% REMY hair and last up to 3x longer than traditional hair extension systems. Also, a full head of hair only takes about two hours to apply, compared to the 4-6 hour application process for traditional extensions.

There are no harsh chemical applications with PURE™ Extensions hair. This company is considered the number one source of eco-friendly hair extensions in the beauty salon industry.

PURE’s cold bond application is completely free of heat, waxes and glue, keeping you and environment happy and healthy=)

There is so much more to say about this topic and I will keep you all up to date and informed please email us with any questions you need addressed and we will do our best to answer them.

Therapy complete.

AHOU

I'll have the morning scramble, with a side of anxiety.

Friday morning, 7:00 AM. The "Snooze" button has been hit five too many times and by default, you're running late. The weekend still seems light years away and all you want to do is curl into a ball and whimper quietly until the clock ticks to 5:00 PM.

Instead, you scramble your groggy body in a hopeless attempt to make up for lost time. You're drying your hair, brewing coffee, and applying mascara simultaneously. You look at the clock...7:34 AM....you were supposed to leave four minutes ago and you still have a lot of work to do in the "face department". All of your products are scattered across the counter and there's absolutely no time for lollygagging. Panicked, you look at yourself in the mirror. It's down to the wire and you'll do what it takes to get yourself out that door in three seconds without scaring the neighbs.

*With the following tips from your fellow AM scrambler, you can start your day sunny side up. I have personally tried all of these secrets in certain moments of morning madness and they have been a complete success.

1. Take a deeeeeep breath and stretch, it's important to warm up and get the muscles working before you begin your morning obstacle course.

2. Combine a drop of your foundation with your moisturizer, blend together and apply with fingers to moisturize AND even out your skin tone.

3. Knock out lip and cheek color with one product---lip stick! A rosy tone tends to complement most skin colors and enhance your natural glow. After applying to your lips for its intended purpose, dab a little on your finger tips and blend in a circular motion on the apples of your cheeks.

4. Find yourself caught up with the clock? Dot the inner corners of your eyes with a white or cream shimmer to give your eyes a more "awake" appearance.

Ta daaaaaaah! There you have it....a model look in under a minute!

Wait a second!

On your way to work, you're checking your purty self out in the rear view mirror. *SCREEEEEECH* your car comes to an abrupt halt. You forgot the brows!!!!!! AAAAAH!

Don't freak out. Here's the trick...

As you shuffle through your purse in desperation to find SOMETHING...ANYTHING to fill in those eyebrows. You reach out of your bag and your hand tightly grips a BIC pen. Hand shaking, you ask yourself..."Do I dare?!?!" There's no time to consider the tragic possibility of giving yourself Eddie Munster brows and you do it.

Very lightly with the pen at an almost sideways angle you create incredibly fine strokes inside the brow to fill in the gaps. Surprisingly, your look is complete and you tell ABSOLUTELY NO ONE you took a ball point to your face this morning. Just make sure the pen is not blue. This trick works for most brown to black brows. For lighter brows...keep a #2 pencil handy. :)

Tailored Tuesdays - Perfect Products

In this day and age time is everything - we're in a constant state of GO, GO, GO! The faster you can get out that door the better, so here's two products I'm recommending for all you guys out there that will save you a couple extra minutes and make your life a little easier - or at the very least it'll simplify your morning routine.

Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Shaping Cream:

This is my personal favorite when it comes to men's hair - it's a wax based product so you'll get a nice, firm hold out of it while still having the added bonus of flexibility. The other advantage? You get the fresh, clean scent that is all tea tree (a nice change from the weirdo chocolate axe mascot).

Paul Mitchell Re-works:

Re-works is a great texture cream that's easy to apply and allows for some quick restyling throughout the day, should the occasion call for it. The light cream base of this product contains wheat-derived conditioners that will give you flexible texture as well as a little added protection from daily wear and tear. If you're looking for a soft finish, apply to damp hair - if you want a slightly firmer hold with some added texture then work it in when the hair is dry.

Both of these products can be found at any salon that carries the Paul Mitchell line.