BlushPretty: Make-up Artistry Weblog

Welcome to BlushPretty ...

 

fun, flirty, fabulous: a fresh.beautiful flush

I've never met a girl who doesn't like blush.

A swirl of colour wakes up every lady's complexion when they need a little help at 8:00 am in the morning. A good dose can lift the face, add definition, and create a soft glow. It's all about how you wear it!

Fun: You can get away with a lot as a fun. (I hate you) Bright pops of pink, rose and other fun and bright colours only serve to play up your youth. And don't be afraid to mix in and use products that contain shimmer.  Just keep the shimmer to the temple and upper cheekbone area to avoid like you are heading to a rave at 8:30 in morning (or heading home from one).  If you're still carrying a bit of a baby face, use contouring to your advantage ... apply a darker shade under the cheekbone and your brighter, happier shades on the apples. Rosy cheeks and bright lip colours or eye colours will look right on you as long as you keep everything in moderation.  So don't be afraid to use colour on other areas - BUT always keep balance in mind!

Flirty: At this stage, you want to start experimenting with blush placement that will enhance your look. Maybe placing it only on the upper cheekbone works for you instead of the apples of the cheeks. Or maybe vice versa! You will also want to start investing in sheerer shades with a bit of a deeper hue. Keeping it sheer will keep your blush from looking to heavy - which can be aging. A deeper hue will give you more colour when you need it. As always, you are at an in-between stage so you can still play with highlight and shimmer too, just test different products first to see what gives you the best look.

Fabulous: You may be used to powder, powder, powder - but at this stage, you may be experiencing a bit of moisture loss with your skin. It would be a fabulous time to try out gel or cream blushes. These will provide all the colour you need, but also look soft and moist. Try to avoid heavy contouring and too dark blush which will look unnatural. Unnatural = aging. Also, throw out that little brush that comes with the compact. You need to blend your blush to keep you looking youthful and proper. Invest in a nice big fluffy brush so you can swirl your blush up and out to lift the face! (Yes, you can use a blush brush to apply cream colour)

-bp-

from runway to real way: the unfussy chignon

I don't think anything looks more effortlessly chic that the "unfussy" chignon ... when done properly.

By properly, I mean actually creating a chignon. Not half looping a ponytail through a Goody elastic and calling it a chignon - that's a "gym time" chignon or the "must clean the house" chignon.

The unfussy chignon actually require a bit of fuss, as in perfectly imperfect. (You know what I mean).

For me, executing this look and making it work with a cocktail dress or jeans and a tee is about volume and texture.

Before I even start to work the hair back into a tail to coil into the chignon, I like to spread a bit of Aveda Pure Abundance into the root of the hair to give it a lot of volume. Then, I tease for some rumpled up texture.  I tease at the crown and if I am bringing the hair in the front straight back, tease there too.  (Use a fine tooth comb to do the teasing. You can get all the backcombing you need, but not of the ratty look it causes).

With a bristle brush I start working the hair back and smooth it into a ponytail. As I twist and coil the hair I pin securing it into place. You may choose to twist a partial part of your tail and then leave the end and any short strands sticking out, which is totally cool! If you do, I would suggest adding some gloss and shine to the ends. I prefer a big chignon and tucked ends, so what I do is I secure the first quarter of the tail and then tease the rest of the hair for a bit for size, texture, and rumpledness (I don't know if that's a word - but I'm using it!). Then I continue to twist and secure it until I get the right size, shape and look.

Always finish the look with a bit of fine mist spray. Make the look your own by playing with placement. Low, high, side - you can't go wrong if you do it right (you know what I mean)!

-bp-

ms. pretty: lazy days make you pretty

fresh.beautiful friday: a different way to spend ...

Is it really the last long weekend of summer?

Say it isn't so ... ah ... unbelievable.

I hope many of you managed to get today off for an extra long weekend away or that you are at least ready to work hard so you can leave the office, store, studio, etc.  by noon in order to make friends in nearby cars during the traffic jams caused by people travelling to cottage country.  

And then there are the unfortunate few who have to stay in the city. Or have to work throughout the weekend (like me!)

Whereever you are spending the weekend ... or whatever your plans are ... here are three ways to spend your time during the last long weekend of Summer 2010.

Spend thirty minutes running through the community splash pad! Yes, you can do this whether or not you have children, though splashing around with children (whether they are yours or borrowed) may reduce the amount of odd stares you'll receive from surrounding parental units. Either way, nothing brings back good memories of summers past than running through super-juiced sprinklers.

Take a trip to Dairy Queen and order a Blizzard, or even better, a dipped soft serve cone. Forget Coldstone Creamery or Marble Slab ... kick it old school and hit up DQ. Nothing reminds me more of my family trips to the Bluffs or the Beach than seeing that red roof along the way and convincing my parents to stop and buy me a cone.  BONUS: its cheaper. (Score extra summer points if you grab a soft serve cone from an ice cream truck!)

Have a swing contest. Really.  Grab a friend, a partner, some random punk kid already hanging out at the playground and challenge them to a swing contest. Swing high, swing fast.  Then jump off and see who made it the farthest. Loser buys winner that cone from DQ!

There you go, three ways to spend your time before its back to the grind. And because this is a beauty blog, I suppose I should include some beauty tidbit: wear sunscreen this weekend. 

Have a fresh.beautiful. long weekend!

-bp-

tres jolie: annie

I think I have the most beautiful brides on the planet ...

If I do say so myself.

Check out the beautiful Annie. Stunning. Gorgeous. And most importantly, a gracious and thoughtful bride.

Her wedding was picture perfect. Held at Graydon Hall in East Toronto, she had a beautiful backdrop, beautiful weather, and beautiful style. What more can a bride ask for?

I heart the look that she asked me to create for her. Very fresh looking makeup for a natural ethereal glow and her hair ... inspired by Jessica Alba.  Originally during her trial we tried something a little more Eva (as in Longoria, the Desperate Housewife), but afterwards, Annie asked if we could create the Jessica (again, that would be Alba). I gladly obliged, and I have to say - good decision Annie - the hairstyle complimented your petite frame and totally rocking evening dress much better!

Much love and happiness to Annie and her husband. I wish them all the best!

Tres jolie!

-bp-

expert advice from anastasia achilleos: tap. press. sweep.

Kind of sounds like you're using your new iPad, right?

Well, since this IS a beauty blog, I'm referring to the way you apply your moisturizer or serum and NOT the way you navigate your way through your 100,000 new apps.

Just last week, I had the opportunity to mix and mingle at Sassafraz with some of Toronto's top beauty bloggers and to meet with Olay's celebrity facialist, Anastasia Achilleos. P&G, makers behind Olay, invited Anastasia to show us her three-step massage routine for applying Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Serum for maximum benefits and results.

Anastasia is a firm believer that our skin is waiting to be touched by us. Too often do we just smear on our moisturizer and serums in two seconds flat, not really encouraging our skin to reap the benefits of the product. This is where her tap, press, sweep system comes into effect.

Now I do remember when I was a tween, my mother purchasing me my first bottle of yellow moisturizer. I recall her teaching me to dot a small glob on my forehead, nose, chin and cheeks.  Smush it all in, and I'm good to go. Anastasia taught me a much better routine that can be done in the same amount of time.

Tap: Use two pumps of the Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Serum, warm it up in the hands and tap the product over the forehead, the contours of the eye, the cheeks, the lip, the chin and down to the decolletage.  This will stimulate the blood flow to the skin.

Press: Repeat the pattern from the forehead to the decolletage, but this time pausing and PRESSING for three seconds at the centre of the forehead, the temples, the inner contour of the eye, the cheeks, and the centre of the decolletage. This will help plump fine lines but also allow the serum to penetrate the skin.

Sweep: Give yourself one more pump of the serum to the tips of your fingers and start to sweep the product over your face and chest again focusing on all the areas where fine lines are a concern. This will again encourage stimulation of the skin cells, blood flow and oxygenation of the skin.

This technique will not only push the product well into the skin, but it will also pump up the blood flow bringing a healthy glow and flush - ain't nothing wrong with that!

Tap. Press. Sweep. - more than just a way to get to your favourite app.

-bp-

from runway to real way: long and loose

I admit it.  I watched only the red carpet coverage of the Emmys - nothing else. Sorry, but I  really couldn't tell you which actor or actress won which award ... (but I do know that my favourite, Jane Lynch, won).

What I can tell you is that I really enjoyed seeing long and loose hair on the runway thus proving that sexy waves are just as chic and sophisticated for the red carpet as the typical same old same old sleek updo.  Claire Danes, Sofia Vergara and Lea Michele all wore their hair out and about and they all looked super good (at least I think so!).

The key to nailing this look without looking like you just rolled out of bed revolves around three things: volume, wave, and high shine!

For gown worthy volume, work a bit of volume-inducing product into damp hair and set your hair in large rollers - the velcro kind will do just fine.  You can let it air dry, or blast with your hair dryer at mid-heat. Let it set.  (This would be a good time to start on makeup, lotion up, or take some time to choose your accessories!)

Once you take the rollers out you'll have lots of volume and a nice flip to the ends. Give your hair a tousle, and comb through it a bit with your fingers.  Style your part and bangs (if any). While your hair may already have a wave to it thanks to the rollers, it doesn't hurt to take a 1.5 inch curling iron and add a little bit more!  Take large sections from the front of the hair and twist it around your curling iron - this will give you a bit of face framing waves (a la Sofia Vergara!). Set with a light mist hairspray to hold your style.

Last but not least, do not forget the shine! Whether you use a finishing cream or a shine spray, work the product over the hair, focusing on the ends so as not to de-pouf your volume and weighing down the roots.

Ta-da - red carpet va-va-va-vooooom hair!

-bp-