Long Beach Ice Dogs

The makeup I did for the Long Beach Ice Dogs swimsuit calendar took place in Avalon on Catalina Island in 2004. Between four makeup artist, thirteen Ice Dog cheerleaders and two photographers, it made for a fun and crazy weekend. We toured the island to find the perfect locations for each girl and here is what we turned out!

Karissa and Mike’s Wedding

I had the honor of being Karissa’s makeup artist on the day of her wedding. I love working with brides like her, she knew what she wanted, and made it easy for me as an artist to collaborate and enhance her idea for the perfect look.

During the trial run I decided to airbrush her foundation for a gorgeous photo finish and use cranberry colored shadows to enhance her blue eyes which was exactly what she was looking for.

As an artist it was rewarding to create something perfect for her in which she felt beautiful, comfortable and confident on her wedding day.  Here are some fantastic pictures from photographer Jeffery Neal .

Vintage Bridal Shoot

Tracy Dee Photography invited me to be a part of a Vintage Bridal shoot this week set at the beautiful La Maison Rustique hidden in the hills of Temecula’s famous wine country. While the sun was setting behind the hills, the natural light really caught the essence of what was about to be captured on camera.

My idea for the makeup was to create a soft glow to the skin and elegant eyes showing off the natural beauty of the models as well as complementing the dresses created by Sherry Mattia-Welch.

Photo By: Nikki Evans

LA Shoot This! photos

Here are just a few photos for the LA Shoot This! Event sponsored by the Los Angeles Photography Group headed by Joelle Leder. Event took place at Jody Domingue Studios.

Thanks to models David Liggett, Brian Bosen, Chelsea Ravitch and Megan Bibbo.

Hairstylist:  Shannon Ely and Michelle Cheng

Photo by Mitch Rossi

Got Lashes?

What woman doesn’t want fuller looking lashes?  We all see the ads on TV for longer thicker lashes and there are tons of false lashes on the market in all shapes and sizes.

Did you know that a film director invented false lashes in 1916. D.W. Griffith wanted his actress to have lashes that brushed her cheeks to make her eyes look larger than life. Go figure…a film director coming up with one of today’s biggest selling makeup accessory.

Which leads me to the question…what if you don’t want to wear false lashes everyday, what would you do? So here is an easy solution! Line your upper waterline!

This technique has done wonders for creating the illusion of fuller looking lashes. Just take your favorite kohl eyeliner pencil and apply it all the way across the upper waterline of your eye. ONLY use a kohl liner, this is very important! These types of liners are formulated to be safe to apply in the waterline.  After you are done, apply your favorite mascara. It is that easy!

If you are looking for a great volume mascara, I am a huge fan of Bourjois Cosmetics Volume Glamour Mascara sold at Sephora or Plush Lash from MAC Cosmetics.

Try it out! Its easy, quick and the end result is fabulous!

What an event!

After only 8 hours of sleep and driving all over Southern California for the last three days, my weekend comes to a close. Makeup for Katie’s wedding and Jessica’s trial run in San Diego, then took off to Melrose for LA Shoot This! It was a long weekend but well worth it!

LA Shoot This! sponsored by the Los Angeles Photography Group headed by Joelle Leder was a DEFINITE SUCCESS!!! Lights were set, video was rolling, music was pumping and over 40 photographers clicking away at 9 gorgeous models at Jody Domingue Studios off Melrose. Best part about it…I got to work with my friends, see familiar faces and meet new photographers and models. WIN!  I’m eager to see what everyone shot today. I peeked at a couple cameras while the photographers were hard at work and from what I saw they are going to be stellar. What an event!

Joelle Leder put on an amazing workshop! As tired as I am, if she called me tomorrow for another one, I would be there in the morning makeup case in hand!

Stay tuned for pictures…

LA Shoot This!

I’m heading off to San Diego this weekend! Makeup for a wedding and for a bridal trial run! Then Sunday I’m off to LA for an event with LA Shoot This! Sponsored by the Los Angeles Photography Group headed by Joelle Leder. Here check out the link. http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=195821567245&ref=ts

Phewww I have a lot of stuff going on this weekend!

I am honored to be a part of this group. LA Shoot This! is a monthly shooting workshop for photographers to build their portfolios and work with me to make the models look fabulous. The theme is High Glam New Years Eve Party! I’m thinking lots of color, shimmer, and shine to create a seductive look that will captivate.

Shoots like this and meeting new photographers that have the same passion and drive as myself is inspiring.  Although we are different types of artists, we can come together to make some beautiful photos. We are going to rock it out!

Thanks to Joelle Leder for bringing me on board and to Chris Diset for introducing me to Joelle!

Stay tuned for the photos and check out the links below. Amazing work by amazing photographers!

http://joelleleder.com

http://chrisdiset.com

Make it last

My girlfriends are truly amazing women, all unique and fabulous in their own way. They are hairstylist, graphic designers, publicists, county managers, photographers, marketing consultants, and students.  Oh and I can’t forget my mom’s out there!

As much as they are all different, they do have one thing in common, they love their makeup.  And there is one question that they all have asked me, “How do you keep your makeup lasting all day!” So I thought why not answer here!

There are so many products out there to choose from and there are two products in particular that are my personal favorites.  As some of you know I worked for MAC cosmetics and they carry the two products that every women should have!  Drum roll please…..FIX+ and PREP + PRIME Skin!

FIX+ and PREP + PRIME skin has done wonders for the longevity of my makeup and works great to hydrate the skin throughout the day. Just prep your skin with your favorite moisturizer then apply a pea size of PREP + PRIME skin all over and let it sit for a minute.  Apply your foundation and/or powder then spray your FIX+ to set.  Finish applying your eyes, lips, and cheeks then spray FIX+ one last time and done… you are ready to go!

You can use FIX+ throughout the day to hydrate and freshen up your skin or makeup without messing up your beautiful application.

I love these products! I can’t do a photo shoot without them!

Loving the movies

Being a makeup artist, I am constantly looking at different mediums for inspiration. High fashion magazines, stylistic music videos and of course, my favorite, the MOVIES! Going to see a great film is my other love. Anyone who knows me can tell you I have pretty much seen everything. But the artistry that is on the big screen…wow. Wether its crazy prosthetics in a zombie flick or taking a journey through the years with aging actors, it’s inspiring for me to see what can transpire. What’s most exciting is to see one of my favorite makeup artist Ve Neill transform Johnny Depp into his famous characters and not only that but win multiple oscars for her work. Makes me think if I work hard enough one day I will be there too.

With that being said, thanks to my friend Ursula, I saw a screening of Fantastic Mr. Fox tonight. Although I can’t really comment on the makeup because it’s filmed in stop-motion animation, I can say that if you are a fan of  Wes Anderson you will LOVE it.

The casting of the movie is perfect and the animation is like nothing I have ever seen. You will be delightfully surprised by the dry wit and endearing characters in the film. It is obvious that Anderson keeps to his usual style of  movie making just transforming it into animation.  Jason Schwartzman who plays Mr. Fox’s son Ash steals the show with his dry delivery of humorous one liners. But I love Schwartzman, so I might be a tad biased! Its 87 minutes of fun that will keep you smiling and laughing throughout.  Go see it! The movie is FANTASTIC!

First

I remember when I was about 12 years old coming home from school one day to find my mom waiting for me at the door with a mischievous smile on her face. Unbeknownst to me we were headed to that fabulous and glorious place….the cosmetic counter at the Brea Mall. We shopped all the counters filled with beautiful colored eyeshadow and blushes until we found what she was looking for, my first Clinique lip gloss and Chanel eye shadow. Every 12 year olds dream right? Or at least I thought so! From what I remember those were the days of just Clinique, Lancome, Estee Lauder and Chanel. Now it seems that there are hundreds of lines to pick from!  Foundations for every skin tone, eyeshadow colors that could match a 80’s flourescent t-shirt, packaging that is so unique you’re not even sure what the product is inside, and lip glosses galore! A woman’s own private playground and how fun is it that I get to play with all that everyday!

I have been a makeup artist for 8  years and I love love love my job. Everyday I get to learn different techniques, try new colors and products, and work with fabulous clients and photographers from all over southern OC and LA. I am grateful to have found my passion and many thanks to my family and friends who have supported me along the way.

So I am excited to finally have a this blog up and running with my first post. This has been a tough process for me…took me an hour to pick a color scheme!

Enjoy