Tricky Treat?

Happy Halloween! I love, love, love this time of year and the whole production of deciding on a costume, getting the accessories and putting it all together. Halloween doesn't need to be difficult though and you can pull together a look with makeup alone; just depends on how creative you want to get, but YouTube has awesome pictures and video tutorials to help you on your way.

I personally like to go for the sexy costumes where I still look like me without war paint covering my face, but regardless of what my costume is, I still try to incorporate my makeup with the look. When I was Medusa one year I airbrushed my face gold and attached green and blue jewels around my hairline to mimic abstract snake skin. This year I am going retro and will be a 1960's Playboy bunny and will do period hair and makeup to tie it all together. The fun of Halloween for me is getting dressed up and seeing how creative people get with their details.

Me as Wonder Woman & Medusa

When deciding on a costume, go all out on the makeup and hair because if you are going to do it, do it all the way. Still stumped on what to wear? Why not create your own costume with a painted face by Googling 'halloween makeup idea' images where you will get some amazing examples of costumes you can create around your makeup. Whatever you decide, have a safe and festive Halloween and hope you get the option to either trick or treat ;) .

Winter Brides Get Glowing

Not every woman getting married wants to be a summer bride, so winter brides don't need to sacrifice that bridal 'glow' just because it's not 82* outside. The winter months don't pose any obstacles to looking phenomenal on your wedding day, but getting your skin ready and your makeup just right is the key.

Taking care of your skin is always important, but the months leading up to your wedding date is most essential, no matter what time of year you are getting married. You need to remember if you baked your skin all summer, you will have to deal with (possible) sun spots, faded tans, dry skin (on top of already winter dry skin), and a overall un-even skin tone to cover, so if the damage has already been done, don't fret, there's an app for that.

Spray tanning is a great way to even you out, but it needs to be a fairly light 'natural' color so you don't look fake and sprayed. Orange is not a good color on anyone, even an Oompa Loompa. Airbrush makeup is another great way to get even looking skin that is custom blended to match your skin tone (not paint it a different color), and regular foundations work well on the face but can't be used on the body (shoulders, arms, back). So depending on what you are dealing with will determine which option is best for you. Whatever you decide, you definitely need a trial-run to test it out first before the wedding.

If your skin is fair, you still need a little color on your face with a shimmery blush in a color that is 1-2 shades darker than your natural blushed state. A light bronzer is another perfect alternative to getting that 'glow' when applied sparingly. Despite the richer fall/winter colors you may be having at your wedding, you don't need to go dark on the makeup or lips if that's not your style. Finding makeup looks in bridal magazines is always a great tool to envision the look you want and help your makeup artist create.

A lot of my brides (year round) will spray tan their bodies but airbrush their face to blend it all together. If you have severe dry skin, spray tanning is not the route to go because showering will exfoliate the color and leave your skin looking dirty, and more difficult to even out. So scrub, scrub, scrub that skin (gently) to remove all dryness and then moisturize, moisturize, moisturize to keep it supple before you determine which route you are going to go. Any canvas can be painted into a work of art, and your bridal day look is no exception.

OMG Lashes

I try to mix up my posts but admit I fall back on lips and lashes a lot because, 1) there is always new products/colors coming out to try, and 2) it's the finishing touch to any look. I am always buying makeup for my kit (and myself) and this weekend I purchased Hypnose Doll Lashes from Lancome, and have to say it's pretty damn cool.

Granted I am a huge fan of Maybelline mascara for all the right reasons (cost, effect, availability, end results) but sometimes I like to splurge on the pricey mascaras too just to see (prove myself wrong?) that pricey doesn't always mean better. In this case however, Hypnose is well worth the price and did give amazing results. The wand is cone shaped and no matter how many coats (wet or dry) I reapplied to my lashes, I didn't have lumps. None. Zero. Zilch.

I don't appreciate the fake ads of any cosmetic company showing sky-high lashes if you use their product (with the tiny disclaimer that the photos are 'enhanced') but Hypnose did deliver on 'doll lashes' as claimed in the name and I definitely will be including this in my routine, along with my other Lancome splurge of Definicils mascara. That stuff just lenghtens your lashes like crazy! Doesn't give you fullness like Hypnose does, but pick your battles, right?

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