Monthly Archives: April 2013

please excuse my absence …

Posted on April 30, 2013 by stephanie

I know … I’ve been a little bit of a bad blogger as of late. My apologies.

But I have a really great excuse, if you will accept it, which is that we are in the midst of preparing for The Beauty Board and it’s keeping us quite busy.

I promise … things will be back to normal soon … promise!

-s-

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studio news: we’re on board with Tweezerman

Posted on April 23, 2013 by stephanie


While its always exciting to try out new products and brands, something has to be said about your tested and true beauty staples. When something works for you – it works! Stick with it and love it forever. (As they say, if it ain’t broke, why fix it?)

And that is how I feel about Tweezerman.

I am very happy to announce that BlushPretty is an ambassador for Tweezerman starting … today! We are truly over the moon about this since I have been using a pair of green zebra print Tweezerman tweezers in my kit and on clients for a few years now. I am totally game to tug and tweeze with their newest and latest tools and plan to share all my reviews with you. In the meantime, you can follow along with myself and my fellow ambassadors on Twitter via @TweezermanCa. And don’t forget to follow BP and our eyebrow adventures on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

-s-

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makeup artist monday: clear the clutter, part 1 …

Posted on April 22, 2013 by stephanie

So here’s a simple and easy trick for makeup artists who like to carry a lot but are trying their best to keep the clutter to a minimum when it comes to their kit.

Remove the cardboard insert from your fake eyelash containers for
more compact and stackable storage.

I bet plenty of artists out there do this already, but I also believe there are several out there who do not. In fact, thanks to our Freelance 101 course, Back to Basics: Paring Down Your Kit, I know there are artists who do not do this. And it’s not that it’s wrong … it’s just a hassle.

If you work with the Ardell lashes, you don’t need the cardboard insert to tell you anything important. You’re already a pro, so you KNOW how to apply lashes. If you need to know the lash style number and/or name, it’s printed on the plastic shaper that the lashes are adhered to so you always know what style you are picking and what you’re placing on your client. Foolproof.

So there you go! Spend a few minutes tonight re-organizing your lash stash and removing all the cardboard inserts. Your kit will thank you!

-s-

 

Posted in makeup artists in Toronto, makeup kit | Comments Off on makeup artist monday: clear the clutter, part 1 …

beauty kit: brows and blush

Posted on April 11, 2013 by stephanie

My go to trick for looking like a naturally pretty kinda gal is too focus on my brows and blush. I personally think you an get away with a lot just by filling in the brows and adding a bit of sheer glow to the cheeks. No need for the extras: shadow, lipstick, liner! (On the flipside: properly done brows and blush complete all looks: statment lip, smokey eyes, bronzy glow).

Filling in your brows doesn’t require much: a brow powder or pencil is all you need and a spoolie or brow brush to blend it all together. Fill in sparse areas with light upward strokes and if needed, extend the tail a bit by using a sharp point of a pencil or the tapered end of a slanted eyeliner brush with some powder. Comb through to soften your application and blend your product strokes with your natural hairs.

You should know me by now – I favour cream blush for the most natural look but I am also keen on sheer, satin or matte finish blushes. I avoid using blushes with heavy shimmer unless its a major event for the sheer fact that nobody glows shimmer! If I want an ethereal glow, I will add a drop of a pearlescent or gold toned liquid highlighter to a cream blush and that’s it. I apply the mix to the upper area of the cheeks,and then if I need some intensity, I’ll dust on a hint of a complimentary powder blush.

These two things on any morning leaves me feeling polished and ready for the day. I will swipe on some clear gloss or balm and head out the door.

Products from top left: Becca Beach Tint; NARS Cream Blush; Laura Mercier Brow Definer; EcoTools Slanted Eyeliner Brush; smashbox Halo Highlighting Wand; MAC Veluxe Brow Pencil.

-s-

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test lab: pure+simple minimalist collection

Posted on April 10, 2013 by stephanie

If makeup is what makes my world go round, then skincare is what created my world in the first place. Skincare is where I would be more than happy to throw my dollar bills at.

My complexion has gone through many changes in life, but never has it been as good as it is now. Sure, I have redness and a couple of trouble spots, but for the most part my skin is healthy, normal, and rarely breaks out. Thank goodness. It only took 36 years to get here …

Recently in the test lab I’ve been playing with Pure+simple’s Minimalist line. After dabbling with their Cleansing Milk and Rejuvenating Face Oil in the past and seeing amazing results, I was keen to try out this new line when I received it.

The new minimalist line focuses on improving the hydration and texture of the skin through key ingredients that incoude essential oils and fatty acids. There are four products in the line that can be used as a collective or individually mixed and matched for a routine that works for you!

I started with the Exfoliating Cleansing Milk and the Face Lift Serum. I introduced the cleanser first for three days on its own, then introduced the serum. Immediately I saw some promising results. I had a few random hormonal bumps on the face which cleared up after the first two days of using the cleanser. With the Face Lift Serum, the dry patches around the healing bumps disappeared significantly by the next day; after five days, I had softer skin, a healthy glow and I actually stepped out of the house makeup free.

This week, I will add in the Face Cream and Face Elixir. The only reason I haven’t tried them yet is because I have been pleased already with the current routine – but I am excited to see what results I can get when using all four products together.

You can check out the entire Minimalist line at www.pureandsimple.ca. The products range between $40-$100 and in my opinion are well worth the investment!

-s-

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