Top 10 Wedding Makeup Tips

Everyone knows a woman’s wedding day is one of the most important and why not learn a few tricks on how to make that gorgeous face radiate even more!

Here are a few of my favorite tricks to help the bride look her best on that special day:

1.       Prep – The base of your beauty is your skin.  Be sure to always stick to a good skincare regimen, i.e. cleanse, scrub, tone and hydrate!   To get your skin really looking its best for the big day, treat yourself to a professional facial service that includes a light peel or microdermabrasion about 1-2 weeks before the actual wedding day, that way your skin will be glowing and fresh!

2.      Groom – Shape brows to give an instantly polished look!  Visit a professional esthetician to obtain a basic brow shape.  This will also clean up any stragglers underneath the brow.  If you have naturally thinning brows or have gone overboard with tweezing at home, you can fill them in with a pencil or powder.  Choose a color the same or one shade lighter that your hair color, using natural thin brush strokes to fill in any needed areas.

3.      Conceal – Shh, we won’t tell!  Use a concealer on any blemish marks, scars, under eye circles or other areas that might need a bit more coverage.  This will act as a great base on those imperfections under foundation.

4.      Base – Test foundations beforehand that best fit your skin needs.  For dry skin, look for creamy hydrating formulas with light-reflecting particles for a more luminous look.  Combination skin should try oil-free or cream to powder foundation which can fight shine but also leave a soft finish to the skin.  Oily or acne-prone skin tones should try an oil-free liquid foundation or tinted moisturizer.  Avoid heavy formulas which will create an overabundance of oil on top of the skin.

5.      Emphasize – Highlight a few key areas by dusting a light colored powder with a hint of shimmer (avoid real glitter) on the tops of the cheekbones, underneath the brow bone and the inner corners of the eyes.  Also great on the collarbone area for those brides with strapless gowns.

6.      Shade – Sweep a bronzer a shade or two darker than your normal skin tone underneath your blush.  Use a “C” motion while applying, blending well, to define the cheekbones. 

7.      Define – After applying eye shadow, use dark eye liner (creams are best for staying put) on the upper lash line to really thicken the lashes and open up the eye.  For smaller eyes, you may also want to line the inner rim of the lower lash line with a white pencil.  This will give the illusion of bigger brighter eyes!

8.      Mascara – Apply a waterproof thickening and lengthening mascara to the top and bottom lashes.  Wiggling the brush from root to tip when applying will ensure every lash is coated creating a feathery look.  Use a clean mascara wand or plastic lash brush to remove any clumps.

9.      Falsies – Adding false eyelashes are a must for any event where photos will be taken.  Make sure the length of the strip lashes is a few millimeters shorter than the length of the eye; trim the strip with brow scissors if needed.  Starting from the outer corner of the eye glue lashes at the base of your natural lash line and let them set.  Reapply eye liner if needed and add a coat of mascara to really blend the falsies in with your naturals.  This will enhance the eyes and give the bride an absolute wow factor!

10.  Finishing Touch – Add a pop of color to the lip!  For long-lasting wear, line and fill in lips with a lip pencil, followed by a layer of matching lipstick.  Blot the lips lightly on a tissue to remove any excess product and finish with a coat of clear or same shade gloss. 

Voila!  Here comes the bride!

Wish to see more of my bridal makeup work? Visit CarlyJonellMakeup.com/Bridal.html

Throwback Thursday!

My first official “Throwback Thursday” post!

Let’s go way back to when I was attending makeup school at Westmore Academy!

My lovely classmate, Lauren, all done up with a GREEN avant garde makeup by yours truly. (:

Have a lovely night bloggers!

From Day to Night in Under 5 Minutes!

Easily transform your makeup from day to night in under 5 minutes!

Next time you need to quickly amp up your daytime look, try out one of these tricks.

Add a pop of bright lipstick like red, coral or pink. If you also have a clear lip gloss on hand, swipe a coat on top for an extra luscious lip!

Dab on a vivid blush! Apply from the apples of the cheeks upward toward the hairline for the most dramatic look.

Dazzle everyone with a hint of shimmer! Loose, cream, pressed, any form of shimmer! It can always be fun, but use it sparingly and pick one place to emphasize with it such as; the top of the cheekbones, center of the eyelids, collarbone, a little on the arms or legs.

Bring on the most seduction with a little eyeliner. Outline your eyes on top and bottom with a dark color such as; kohl, black, dark chestnut or even a jewel tone such as purple or blue! Use your finger to lightly smudge the eyeliner just a tad to give a smoky sultry eye. Apply a coat of mascara to the top and bottom lashes if you didn’t already have some on from the daytime.

 

Bangstyle Hair Care Video

Awhile back I had the lovely pleasure of working with some very talented people on Bangstyle’s hair care product instructional video!

Here are some behind the scenes from the video:
(Makeup by me!)

Hair Model: Laura

Hair Model: Melissa, Hair Stylist: Steve

Hair Model: Laura and Melissa, Hair Stylist: Steve

Hair Model: Stacia

…And of course we had a photo booth!
Photos taken by photographer Tiffany Kyees.

Hair Model: Laura

Hair Model: Melissa

→ Check out Bangstyle’s website for more information on their products, promotions, education and more!

Blackheads Be Gone!

Skincare Trick: To minimize blackheads, use sugar with a few drops of lemon juice as your facial scrub! It works well and it’s a  Saver!

Why these ingredients?

Lemons contain Alpha Hydroxy Acid, which is a key ingredient in most acne medications. Lemon juice offers a natural and effective remedy for blackheads.

Sugar is great for gently exfoliating the skin and it is a natural ingredient. Perfect for those DIY body/facial scrubs!

That was my quick tip of the day. Have a good one!

Skin Brightening Tricks

As the weather heats up and the sun starts to shine brighter, why shouldn’t your skin be just as warm and bright?

Here are a few of my tricks to beautifully glowing skin!

1. Exfoliate your skin with a scrub. I do a light exfoliation every day, because my skin is prone to excess oils. If your skin is on the dryer side, I would recommend exfoliating every other day or maybe even just twice a week.
 Saver! – I use natural sugar with a few drops of lemon juice or a few drops of almond oil as my scrub. (View the Skincare Tips category for scrub recipes and benefits)

2. Be sure to moisturize after cleansing the skin. Without moisture, skin can tend to look dull. I am currently using Garnier Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel Cream moisturizer. Gel moisturizers are great for oil/acne prone skin. If you have severely dry skin, you may want to invest in a hydrating serum to mix with your moisturizer.

3. Eye cream and primer are also steps to achieving glowing skin. I am currently using Aveeno Positively Radiant Eye Illuminator (which is around $10 at Target or local drugstores) and MAC Prep + Prime Skin. I apply my eye cream before moisturizer and the face primer after moisturizing, but before any makeup is applied.

4. Before applying foundation, I highlight my face with small amounts of concealer in specific areas such as; under the eyes (a popular place for concealer!), tops of the cheekbones, eyelids and blend up under the brow bone, down the sides of the base of the nose (the area between the base of the nose and where you start your blush), and occasionally down the center of the nose and even around the mouth for a poutier lip! (View Guide to Highlighting & Shading the Face for more in depth instructions)

5. Next, I apply my usual daily makeup and finish with a pop of cream shimmery highlighter on the tops of cheekbones, under the brow bone and for nights out, I also add some highlighter to the collarbones and down the centers of my arms and legs for gorgeous glowing skin all over!
 Saver! – Mix your own cream highlighter using a small amount of natural tone shimmer eye shadow (champagnes and golds are my favorites) with a small amount of your daily moisturizer.

6. Finish off your look with a spritz of MAC Fix+ which will add hydration to the skin and help set the makeup.
Saver! – Don’t have the budget for another MAC product this month? You can also use regular water instead. Fill a small 2 oz. spray bottle with water, spritz onto a makeup sponge and lightly dab on to areas you want to look dewy and hydrated!

Stay beautiful!

Made for Television

I had the opportunity to work on another television show!

Here are a few behind the scenes shots from NatGeo’s, “I’ll Buy It.”
Makeup and hair by me!

Talent (from left): Malcolm Varner, Shelley Rodriguez, James Hill, David “Spunky” Halpin
Shot for the opening credits of the show. Filmed in the Culver Hotel. I love the beautiful marble floor!

Continuation frame from the shot above. The talent throws $100s into the air to make it rain! Slow motion playback on the camera for this shot was amazing!

James Hill’s shot was in this beautiful car!  Note Savannah as the “sexy girl” role in the car with him.  Savannah’s big sexy curls were styled by me!

Here is a close-up shot of her hair style.  Va-Va-Voom!

Brown Sugar Scrub Recipe

My new favorite all over body scrub can be whipped up in the kitchen!

That’s right!  I have always heard of sugar scrubs, but I had never thought of using real sugar to exfoliate my skin.  For some reason most, including myself, often have a mind set that products are better if they are formulated, packaged and bought from a store.

However, DIY scrubs and even other at home skincare remedies can work just as well.  Sometimes better!  DIY products give you the assurance of knowing what you are putting on your skin and face.  Down to each and every ingredient!

Now, on to my new favorite all over body scrub!

You will need:
Small tupperware container
1 Cup of brown sugar (yes, the brown sugar you use to make cookies!)
1 Teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 1/2 Teaspoons of almond oil <– Almond/Vanilla extract can also work

I use a small amount of this mixture all over the body, as well as, on the face.  When mixed with water, the scrub can dissolve fairly quickly so it’s hard to “over exfoliate” the skin, however the skin on your face is a lot more sensitive that the rest of the body, so be gentle when massaging.

Benefits of this sugar scrub:

1. Great for using before and after shaving for achieving the smoothest, closest shave possible!
2. Brown sugar’s granulated particles exfoliate and clear away dry, dead skin cells leaving the skin looking fresh and smooth.
3. Sugar is alpha-hydroxy rich to give a glow to the skin.
4. Almond oil is an excellent emollient and moisturizer which helps protect and condition the skin.
5. Since almond oil is an emollient, it can be really beneficial for dry or mature skin.
6. Vanilla is a powerful antioxidant.  Adding this ingredient helps prevent damage to skin cells due to pollutants.

I have been using this scrub every day for the past few weeks and I have noticed my skin looking brighter and healthier than any other product has left it.  Sometimes I use the scrub more than once a day and I never notice any “over drying” of my skin.

I know there are countless recipes out there for DIY cleansers, scrubs and masks.  Feel free to leave a comment sharing your favorite at home skincare remedy!

Have a lovely night!

SyFy’s “Hollywood Treasure”

I have had the pleasure of working on SyFy network’s Hollywood Treasure television series!! My work appears in all episodes of season 2!

Here is a behind the scenes photo on the set of Hollywood Treasure.

The cast and crew were all a pleasure to work with and I really enjoyed being on set.  Television and film is my passion and I can not wait to experience more!!

Soft Summer Locks

Summer is arriving quickly…
Here are a few of my quick tricks to keeping hair soft and touchable!

1. Do Not “Over Wash”
Over washing can actually cause the hair to dry out!  I try limiting my washes to 2-3 times a week. This may vary depending on how quickly your hair gets oily or if you do any strenuous activities you during the day; i.e. A workout where sweat can build up on the scalp.

2. Condition
I have thick curly hair which can easily dry out, especially during summer!  Even if I do not wash my hair that day, I make sure I condition every day!  These are my daily steps to conditioning.

• Run the conditioner through the hair from root to tip with fingers or a fine-toothed comb.
• Pile the hair on top of the head and let the conditioner sit for roughly 1-2 minutes.
• Rinse out the conditioner with cool water.  *Rinsing with cool water helps the texture of the hair.

NOTE: Leaving your conditioner on for longer may “over hydrate” the hair which ironically can dry out your pretty strands if the product contains too much alcohol.  Remember, everything in moderation and try to find products that do not contain alcohols.

3. Treat your hair – Conditioning Mask
Once a week, or even bi-weekly, it is good to use a conditioning mask on the hair.  These formulas are usually thicker and super hydrating which is why they are used less frequently.

I like to use Matrix Biolage Conditioning Balm.

                       

Biolage products can be found cheapest online or at most beauty supply stores.

4. Spritz on Softness
I also like to use a spray-on conditioner after I get out of the shower on damp hair.  Most products like this suggest to use on damp hair, however I also spray on my styled dry hair if I feel my hair is getting too dry/frizzy during the day.

I like to use Aussie Hair Insurance Leave-In Spray Conditioner.

 

This spray leaves my hair feeling soft, untangled and smelling amazing!
Found online at Amazon.com (Pack of 3) for only $11.09

Stay beautiful!