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!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

In honor of today’s Irish holiday, I thought I would suggest a few colors to enhance GREEN EYES!!

An easy tip to remember is to work with eye shadows that are the opposite color temperature of your eye. For example, colors with more of a reddish tint (such as a warm rust shadow) look beautiful on blue (cool) eyes! However, never say never! Sometimes one shade can look amazing on all eye colors.

Green eyes are paired well with warm browns that have yellow undertones and pure golds.

Try it on:
M.A.C. Amber Lights Eye Shadow (Medium peachy brown with shimmer)
M.A.C. Woodwinked Eye Shadow (Medium-dark brown with gold)
M.A.C. Goldmine Eye Shadow (More intense gold with shimmer)

Purples can look great too. Remember I said never say never! Try these out too..

M.A.C. Trax Eye Shadow (Burgundy-plum with shimmer)
Youngblood Wild Orchid Eye Shadow (Darker matte burgundy)
Youngblood Merlot Eye Shadow (Medium matte grape)

I hope you all have a lucky and beautiful St. Patrick’s Day!!!

An Old Irish Blessing

May love and laughter light your days,

and warm your heart and home.

May good and faithful friends be yours,

wherever you may roam.

May peace and plenty bless your world

with joy that long endures.

May all life’s passing seasons

bring the best to you and yours!

M.A.C. Pro Class

I previously attended a M.A.C. Pro Class in Los Angeles. Celeb makeup artist Gregory Arlt shared some techniques, trends and good advice with us while applying a red carpet makeup look to his model.

At the end of the class I was able to redeem $100 worth of product! Here is what I took home. 🙂

Studio Moisture Cream
I have been using this moisturizer for day and nighttime and so far I’m loving the formula. I have oily skin and this product is not too heavy or oily. Ingredients include; passion fruit, spinach leaf, green tea, algae, wheat germ and coconut.

• Gregory’s Tip: All M.A.C. products are water-based. He suggests to massage this moisturizer into the skin after a spritz of M.A.C. Fix+ spray.

Fast Response Eye Cream
This formula is great for under eyes at any age! It has a soft finish that helps soften fine lines and rid the area of any puffiness or dark circles.

• Gregory’s Trick: This product can also be dabbed on blemishes to reduce inflammation/redness.

Prep + Prime Skin
This is a great primer! The formula contains anti-redness properties and also minimizes the look of pores and fine lines.

• Gregory’s Tip: Suggested to use this product mainly on the T-Zone and as needed on any red areas of the face.

Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in “Medium”
Okay, so we all know there is an endless line of face powders out there, but one of my favorites is M.A.C. Mineralize! I love that it contains the mineral properties yet still gives me the coverage that I need. I use “Medium” on my skin tone.

• Gregory’s Tip: Apply face powder where needed, such as the T-zone where most women tend to get oily. If too much is applied and you end up with a chalky look then give the skin another spritz of M.A.C. Fix+ spray which will hydrate and soothe the skin while also setting the makeup you have applied.

Pro Longwear Eye Shadow in “One to Watch”
I have always loved M.A.C.’s eye shadows for their pigment, the many many many shades that are available and the overall way they sit on the skin. To top that off, they now have pro longwear formulas. You also get more product for your buck with the pro longwear shades.

• Gregory’s Tip: He used this shade “One to Watch” on his model which is a great brown/peach color for light-medium skin tones. It’s warm color looks great with colored eyes!

Amplified Lipstick in “Vegas Volt”
This product was not used in the demo of red carpet makeup.. it was more of a treat to myself. I picked this lipstick up in “Vegas Volt” for a great new spring lip color! The amplified coral shade holds great pigment for a nice POP of color!

Lustreglass in “Luminary”
M.A.C. lip glosses are my top faves. Their formulas always feel great because they are creamy and not sticky. I love Lustreglass for their opalescent reflective shades.

• Gregory’s Tips: Apply M.A.C. Lip Conditioner when prepping the skin before makeup. Before you apply lip color, have your client blot off any excess lip conditioner product since the moisture has already been absorbed during the rest of your makeup application. Gregory lined and filled in the model’s lip with a natural tone lip pencil and applied “Luminary” Lustreglass on top for a natural-toned glossy finish. Keeping a lighter shade in the center of the lip and on top of the cupids bow will create a fuller pout.

Heads up! There is now a Lip Conditioner within the Viva Glam line so every cent from your purchase of this prepping product goes toward helping people affected by HIV/AIDS.

I hope you enjoyed my overview of some key products Gregory used during his demo. Hopefully it inspired you to try some new techniques when enhancing your naturally beautiful face!