Rainy Day Skin?

It's inevitable...those days when no matter what you do, your skin still looks terrible Unlike hair, you can't twist it up in a bun or cover it with a big floppy hat. Most of the time, makeup just makes the situation even worse, leaving you with skin that doesn't look any better, just covered up. There are of course tricks that you can do at home if you absolutely need to leave the house, such as splashing cold water on your face, rubbing it gently with sugar, and going for a quick run. There's also pinching your face as hard as you can, wearing a veil, and tactfully making your hair cover over the parts that you would prefer not to show. But sadly, none of these things actually make your skin look better in the long term. Whenever I'm having one of these "rainy day skin days" when my skin just wants to hide inside the house, I depend on the NARS Brightening Serum. One pump of this (or two if for a very bad day) mixed in with my moisturizer and I feel like jumping for joy. It illuminates with a pink hued pearlescence that instantly makes my skin look more awake and refreshed. The texture is not sticky and light enough to wear under makeup and concealer, helping me fake a quick jog or 8 hours of sleep. Love this product, I just wish they would come out with a travel size for on-the-go perking up.

The Most Asked For Lips...

Much like at a cosmetic surgeon's office, I get requests to "make me look like her!" Usually it is a picture of a celebrity with hours of makeup done and a completely different skin tone than the customer has. But if she wants a specific look, I can make a specific look. There is one lip style that I constantly get requests for; and that is the "Kim Kardshian light pink lip." If the customer is very fair, the style won't work of course, but if she has a great tan or medium skin color, this is one of my most popular and favorites.

-First I scrub the lips with The Lip Scrub so that there is no dead skin on the lip area. Just rub some of the scrub on and wipe off with a tissue-


-Then I apply ColorSave Renu Your Lips which is a great, non sticky lip primer. This is actually a drugstore product that i was turned onto by accident and I am addicted to. I have drier lips that lipstick always cakes on, and this is like a great barrier between my lips and the lip color


-Using a liner is an important step because you don't want the color fading or bleeding, and I only use NARS Velvet Matte in Roman Holiday. The nice thing about these pencils is that they are competely matte, so they won't disrupt the lipstick color that you wear on top. Also, you can wear these alone as your lip liner and lip color, or use them as a lip color base-


-Next is the lipstick. I use NARS lipstick in Roman Holiday because it is a sheer, delicate pastel with a creamy consistency that doesn't disappear on lips. When you work with sheer colors like this, they need to be very smooth and soft-



-And the final step is a very sheer, sorbet colored gloss. I use NARS lipgloss in Turkish Delight or just a clear gloss will work just as well.




If you prefer a more nude lip with a little less bubble gum pink, I would substitute a nude lip pencil such as NARS Velvet Matte in Belle De Jour and NARS lipgloss in Greek Holiday. It imparts a pretty sand color with a hint of gold sparkle. Gorgeous!




As far as eyes go, this lip style is perfect for a more dramatic eyeshadow/liner look. Play with a rocker/smoky eye in a dark navy or smudgy gray for a total glam grudge look (Gucci Fall 2009)