Soft Summer Bridal

With wedding season in full-swing, I decided to do a bridal tutorial using soft-pink tones. Always a fan of color, I find myself instinctively wanting to throw some tasteful teals or pretty purples on my own lids... but I resisted! LOL A lot of bridal make-up is kept very simple, most brides request a "natural" or more "beautiful" version of themselves. Often times their request is due to a comment made by the Groom, as we all know that most men claim to not like a lot of make-up on women, but here's a secret between you and I... most men can not differentiate between what is make-up and what isn't!

With that being said, here is a bridal look that I put together using the Harajuku Hunnies "Babydoll Bride" Menage-a-5 Palette. I kept the application fairly light and focused on more neutral tones so that the make-up would still be pretty, yet not overpowering to the point where it would compete with your natural beauty or the glam of your wedding gown.

Product List

Face:
Maybelline Dream Liquid Mousse "Sandy Beige"

MUFE HD Powder

Brows:
Harajuku Hunnies Brow Quad "Brunette"

Blush:
MAC "Plum Foolery"

MAC "Harmony" (contouring)

Eyes:
Harajuku Hunnies Eye & Lip Primer
Harajuku Hunnies Menage-a-5 Palette "Babydoll Bride"
MAC "Haux"
MAC "Shroom" 

Harajuku Hunnies Pick-Up Lines Gel Liner "Black Out"

Lips:
MAC Lip Liner "Dervish"

Harajuku Hunnies Lip Slick "Strip Search"

MAC "Deliciously Rich" (layered over "Strip Search")

Smokey Purple & Plum Tutorial

Hey Glamouristas & Fexies! :) So, some of you know that back in February, Rod purchased a new Canon SX20 IS camera for me as an anniversary gift. I couldn't do any videos or tuts with it because whack-@ss Windows Movie Maker doesn't work with "mov" files... grrrr! LOL So, after months of procrastination, I finally found a video editing program and was able to "produce" my first HD tutorial for my YouTube channel! :)

The look I did was a dark purpley/plum, I actually get a lot of compliments on this look when wearing it out and since I get a lot of requests for purple looks... here it is! :)

Product List

Face:
Temptu Airbrush SB foundation (004- Sand, 006- Toffee)
MUFE HD Powder

Brows:
Temptu Airbrush SB formula (062- Deep Taupe, 063- Light Putty)

Blush:
Temptu Airbrush SB formula (047- Raspberry)

Contouring:
Temptu Airbrush SB formula (009- Natural Mocha)

Eyes:
MAC Greasepaint Stick (black)
"Nocturnelle" e/s
"Very Violet" e/s
"Beautiful Iris" e/s
"Dovefeather" e/s
"Shroom" e/s
(Harajuku Hunnies) "Black Velvet" Quickie e/s
(MAC) "Blacktrack" Fluidline

Lips:
(MUFE) Rouge Artist Intense "15"
(OCC) "Hoochie" Lip Tar

April Photoshoots

Hey Glamouristas & Fexies! Hope you are all having a fab summer so far. I haven't been doing much in the way of photoshoots lately due to my intense work schedule and keeping up with the business. However I did want to share a few pics with you from a photoshoot in mid-April.

I had the pleasure of working with a very skilled photographer by the name of David Eckert. He along with another photographer, Charles, booked two models. This was the second time working with one of the models, "Twiggy Bladez", from Model Mayhem. Twiggy was one of the models for the fashion show Ashleye and I did in early April, Ashleye also accompanied me on this photoshoot as well... I love having her company and help, she's great!

Twiggy has a very unique look about her that's both unusual and captivating at the same time. Her eyes are piercing and she's the type of model who takes the lead while in front of the camera. I've worked with models before that needed coaching during the shoot; not Twiggy, this girl's got it.

Here's some of the photos I recently got back from the shoot... the first showcases what else, but her amazing eyes! The photographer requested a smokey, dramatic eye and super glossy lips. There's no telling how many coats of lipglass I applied that day! LOL

Twiggy is also sent clothing by designers, this is one of the animal-print jackets she was asked to model in exchange for the clothing. This look was tamed down a bit to flow with the more neutral tones in the fabric.

There was also a male model at this particular photoshoot. I will post his pictures soon... his shoot was fun, so stay tuned!! ;)

Mally Waterproof Evercolor Starlight Eyeliners

A few months ago I purchased two sets of Mally's Waterproof Evercolor Starlight Eyeliners from QVC. The first of the two sets included: "Midnight": deep black, "Lucky Penny": bronze/copper shimmer, and "Caribbean Sea": the site describes this as a 'teal blue' but in my opinion, it's closer to green than blue. The second set consisted of: "Royal Plum": beautiful, shimmery purple, "Milk Chocolate": smooth medium-shade brown, and "Ice Blue": silvery-blue shimmer, great for applying on the waterline to 'open-up' the eyes.

QVC offers the set of three liners for $25 + $3.97 s&h. It breaks down to about $10 each... still beats paying $18 for one Urban Decay 24/7 liner.

The consistency of the Mally liners seem to be smoother, creamier, and thicker. The liners are listed as waterproof yet they are creamy enough to blend (as long as you blend and smudge within 30-seconds of application).

I've been using "Midnight" eyeliner on a daily basis and have found it to have slightly better staying-power than Urban Decay's 24/7 liners on the waterline. I also tested the "Milk Chocolate" pencil for brow filling, and it's worked wonderfully, especially if you stroke a light dusting of brow powder over the pencil to help set it.

My favorite colors would have to be "Midnight" and "Royal Plum". I use those most frequently and love the "Royal Plum" liner when I want an alternative to black, but still desire a dark shade. I also like "Caribbean Sea" for a pop of color when using neutral shadows. Overall, I would recommend the Mally liners if you're looking for a long-wearing liner at a reasonable price (for brand-name cosmetics).
Below you'll find pics of the liners themselves as well as swatches... enjoy! :)

Fashion Show

Hey Glamouristas and Fexies! ;) It's been a while since my last post. April was a very busy month for us. It began with a fashion show at the Aruba Hotel here in Vegas. This gig came off of Model Mayhem (MM), from designer Alainah Marie for the Steven Paul Collection. It was a collaboration of many different and talented local designers as well as design students in the Vegas fashion scene.

I was set to do 5 girls, but it ended up being 6, all had to be done within 2 1/2 hours (designer was running 30-minutes late), talk about stress and high pressure! Luckily I had the help of Ashleye, an aspiring MUA, to assist me with brush cleaning, priming, etc. When it came down to crunch time, it was sink or swim, so I threw Ashleye a brush and prayed that she'd "swim"! LOL She was great and I couldn't have gotten everyone done in time without all of her help, she's awesome!

The designer was featuring a denim collection with bright tees, along with a dark fashion collection. The desired look was brightly colored eyes for some, with dark smokey eyes and dark lips for others. Here are some of the photos taken from that night, courtesy of Undone Photography...

Not the same 'ole MAC!

I began my MAC addiction about 10 years ago, but things got really "bad" in about 2005 when my ex was deployed. I needed something to occupy my time and thoughts. Now, when I say "bad", I mean I would spend hundreds of dollars at the store or online every week. Yes, I was a junkie and proud of it. I haven't counted lately, but I'd say I have close to 130-150 MAC shadows alone, not counting the countless other cosmetic brands.

Recently I have been noticing that the color pay-off has not been the same between the old MAC shadows and the newer MAC shadows. I have not officially heard anything released by MAC stating such, but I believe the proof is in the pudding.

Below you will see unedited photo two swatches. Both swatches were swiped a total of four-times each. No, they are not different colors. They are MAC's "Plum Dressing" eyeshadow. The swatch to the left came from a pan purchased in '05 or '06, whereas the pan on the right was purchased a few months ago.

That is an extremely noticable difference in color pay-off, even to the untrained artist-eye! I have found the new formulas to be not as easily blendable and lack the "wow" factor for which MAC has built a reputation on. Needless to say, I found this to be very disappointing and I can not help but feel somewhat cheated. Being a MAC customer for years, I have come to expect a certain unparalelled quality in their cosmetic products... Guess their downfall is where other cosmetic companies begin their rise. ;)

Photoshoot!

So a few nights ago, after a year of working with one of my photographers, I finally decided to do a photoshoot myself. I've been to shoots before, but always as the MUA, not as the MUA/model! LOL So I thought I'd share a few photos from the shoot... I was nervous as hell but we ended up having a lot of fun. Hopefully I'll be able to do a more risque boudoir shoot before Rod and I get married!! ;)

This was my make-up and hair before leaving the house...

Here are the few that I've gotten back so far...

Thanks for spending a few minutes with me... as always, nice to catch up with you all. Make sure you hit me up with any questions or comments. I will be adding more make-up postings soon!

OOOhhh! Please don't forget to add my newly created Facebook Fan Page! Click to become a FexiFan!! Gooooo Fexies!!! ;)