Showing posts with label OCC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label OCC. Show all posts

Fall Into Beauty!



Professional makeup artists are always on the edge of their seats this time of year! The fall season begins right after New York Fashion Week ends and the beauty manufacturers are bringing out this seasons “must have” products!



The Pros here at IMPO love this time of year and can’t wait to get our hands on all the gorgeous colors the fall season brings. This is the perfect time of year to update our kits and personally rock the latest in lipstick, eye shadow, blush and eyeliner!



Just like a new coat of paint brings an instant lift to the walls of your home, a new season’s makeup collection can renew your spirits and revitalize your confidence. Here is what we love…

Jewel tones are all the rage this fall and holiday season. Think hues of purple, teal, and deep red, not only for your wardrobe, but incorporated into your makeup bag. Achieve that luxurious satin finish using a combination of matte and shimmer eye shadows; best seen in a smoldering smoky eye. Deep chocolates, pewter and soft grays compliment skin tones and are versatile year round.



Bobbi Brown’s Nude Eye Shadow Palette is perfection when it comes to the ideal warm neutral shades. The palette is divided into three matte shades and three corresponding shimmer shades with a satin finish. The darkest matte shade can also double as a liner. Chino is a neutral matte that can be used as contour color for cheeks and forehead.

Combine this palette with Nars lipstick in Fast Ride to complete the sultry "fall" look. The deep mulberry shade is a semi-sheer wash so the color is buildable. Layer it with one of Smashbox’s Nude Lip Pencils (medium or dark) for a darker, more matte lip.

Make sure you snag up that Bobbi Brown Nude Palette and in October, grab Bobbi’s Earth Metal Lip and Eye Palette as well from her Holiday 2009 Collection. Meshing both palettes together by combining the matte shades, shimmer colors and metallic’s will give you hundreds of eye-popping options along with gorgeous creamy lip colors that can be layered and blended together to create a custom look!



Smashbox has unveiled the Reign Collection, featuring two truly decadent eye shadow palettes with three shades, each in a matte and shimmer. These shadows can also be worn wet for a more intense application.



The Majesty Palette from the Reign Collection has a warm vanilla, deep burgundy, and a black shadow. For dual use, apply the burgundy shadow to the high points of cheekbones using a fan brush for a gorgeous blush color. Avoid burgundy eye shadows with too many red or orange undertones, as it will bring out the redness in your eyes. Steer more towards the berry shades.

Pump it up a notch by dabbing gold eye shadow on the center of the eyelid to make the look even more regal. Our favs: Goldmine and Amber Lights by MAC, Ambient by Smashbox, and the Cheyenne Duo eye shadow by Nars, which combines gold and plum in one compact. Add a touch of Lancôme Virtuose Black Carat Gold Mascara, it is a rich inky pigment that coats and curls lashes to spectacular lengths and the formulation contains tiny gold particles!


If you love wearing a dark lip color, try OCC Lip Tar in Plum or Vintage. The stain will stay on all day and you can apply a clear lip gloss for added shine and va-va-voom!



Pair the dark lip with another hot, seasonal trend: gray eye shadow. Mix a matte slate gray like Illamasqua’s Feline with a satin charcoal color like Drama or Incubus, from the same line. Complete the soft look with the new Volume Effet Faux Cils Mascara from Yves Saint Laurent, which is gray mascara.



Insider Secret: If suffering from puffy eyes, apply eye shadow in a darker shade under your bottom lashes. Because dark colors recede, it will give the illusion of a well-slept, bright-eyed beauty!

The red lip never goes out of season, but this fall the colors have more of a red/blue undertone. Don’t know where to purchase the best red colors? Try Lipstick Queen! Feeling innocent? A sheer wash across your lips makes for a pretty pout, in colors Rouge, Wine or Red from the Saints lipstick collection.


Feeling a little more adventurous? Pick a matte finish lipstick from the Sinner collection in Rouge and Red and really step out in style by layering the Hard Core gloss to your pucker. It has an intense pigment and huge shine payoff. Red Sinner and Wine Sinner are our picks.



Lipstick Queen’s creator, Poppy King, says you don’t need much else when wearing a red lip. Opt for a sheer wash of foundation to conceal skin issues, powder to a matte finish, a little pink flush on the cheeks, tight-line the upper lash line only, add mascara and that is it!



The Pros love the look of a "teal" eye and can't wait to get our hands on the shades that Amanda Seyfriend is wearing in the September issue of InStyle Magazine. She has a classic smoky eye, but with a fresh mermaid twist; green! Create the look by using Cle de Peau Beaute Satin eye color in Emerald No. 109, which is a deep pine color that would be amazing layered over a teal Bobbi Brown eye shadow like Bash Metallic. Makeup Pro, Mariel Barrera says, "the key to this look is to blend to death! That way the two colors will melt together!"



The latest edition of Allure Magazine says "cobalt" eyeliner is hot for the fall season and the Pros love this look combined with dark brown eye shadows and a nude pink lip. This eye look is sultry and sexy, which means a filled-in, sculpted brow would be essential. Try Giorgio Armani Beauty’s Smooth Silk Eye Pencil in #3-Blue. It is a silky formula that allows for precise and easy application. Use to fully line both the upper and lower lash line!


Bump up that gorgeous blue eyeliner or a classic black liner by layering Givenchy’s Parad’Eyes Fluid Eye Liner in Elegant Pearl. It is a soft metallic color that will make your eyes bewitching! This is an eye opening liquid with major pigment and it contains a sprinkling of mother-of-pearl particles! Long-lasting intensity that will not run or flake!



Peach cheeks are a must and will work with any of the above mentioned eye looks. This season a bold eye or lip is all the rage, which means a toned-down warm cheek color is necessary to avoid looking overly made up!

We love Julie Hewett’s Cheekie + Shimmy Duo in Peachie/Goldie! This product is so versatile and can be used to highlight your face, eyes, lips and body. Gives a sheer hint of color that will warm your cheeks and freshen up your face. You can apply with your finger; sponge or the Pros recommend using Julie Hewett’s Chubby Cheekie Brush for perfect blending ability!


Don’t forget those nails! The IMPO Pros fell in love with OPI’s deep purple Black Cherry Chutney and shimmery pewter, My Private Jet. Go bold and wear navy blue, purple, gray and even taupe polish.


Whatever products you choose to add to your current collection don't forget that jewel tones add sparkle to any look. They are deep pigments of color not neon or bright! Purchase the right colors and your look will be up-to-date well into the upcoming Holiday Season!

PRO TIPS AND TRICKS:

Our "tip" for this post is to make certain that our readers see The September Issue! A film by R.J. Cutler featuring Anna Wintour and the making of Vogue! "Fashion is a religion, this is the bible!" "Juicy...A great on to watch," Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times, "Immensely enjoyable," Krista Smith, Vanity Fair. Don't miss it!




STAY TUNED:

Up next on IMPO: It's "back to school" time so listen up!!! You are purchasing new clothes and school supplies, but how about new cosmetics and skincare? It is time to clean out and throw out those nasty products that are "so last year!" Get your teen in tip top beauty shape and help boost her confidence at the same time!



Backstage Pass with Cathi Singh!




Recently I had the honor of heading up a team of artists for a fashion show celebrating The Year of the Rabbit and the gorgeous alluring makeup of Geishas.



I had never done a full Geisha makeup before, and so I began researching feverishly. I watched videos of actual Geishas preparing their makeup and was in awe of their application, which is done with such a strategic, graceful and flawless motion, that I realized that the preparation of their appearance is just as important as their overall presence.



I wanted to pay homage to that graceful art, but also bring a modern element to the design. After seeing the wardrobe, I realized that bold and vibrant colors would be necessary to balance out the varied traditional and modern costumes. I also wanted to challenge myself to accomplish a modern Geisha makeup as a grand finale of sorts.


I used many different product lines on this show, but for this post I want to focus on two brands that were the shining stars...TemptuPRO and NYX Cosmetics.

I came into possession of a new TemptuPRO airbrush machine and shipment of extremely bold primary colored eyeshadows and lip colors from NYX Cosmetics and thought, "it’s as if these brands knew exactly what I needed!"








I’ve not mentioned this before, but this Pro has never airbrushed a makeup application. I am fully trained and experienced with spray tanning, but that is a slightly different element. This show was shaping up to be an exciting challenge for me in many areas, so I jumped in with both feet!

In prepping, I purchased a Hi Def color in White silicone (s/b) makeup from TemptuPRO for the Geisha skin, as well as the s/b All Blush color in Peony for a hint of pink on the cheeks.




Wanting to keep the makeup sharp, bold, modern and have striking angles, I also used a variety of textured feather false lashes, on the top and bottom lids, as well as bright pigments up to the brow for a dramatic effect.







With very limited time to completely block out the brows, I instead chose to leave them somewhat visible, but very clean. I applied several heavy layers of NYX Brow Definer Wax pencil on each brow and then smoothed with my finger. I airbrushed color over it, let it dry, powdered, and then applied more foundation. The wax did its job and those brows laid flat all night!



The eyeshadow colors are what took my interpretation of Geisha makeup into modern day, I used; NYX Lake Algae, Matte Turquoise, and Red Head, as well as the NYX Caribbean Collection Palette in I Dream of St. Lucia, which provided phenomenal pigment delivery.  So much so that my team used them all over the skin, over cream blushes, on top of lip gloss and under glitter pigments.











The end result of these powders was incredible and I also greatly appreciated the fact that they didn’t crumble and cause color fallout anywhere and they stayed put without creasing!




While we were blocking out the model’s natural lip tone and focusing on drawing a small triangle or heart on the lips for a delicate yet playful look, I reached for NYX Lipstick shades in #101 Hot Pink and #125 Berry. They gave the face more bright, bold color and left a nice sheen on the lips.






Upon arriving at the show location and walking backstage, I went immediately to check on my Geisha’s skin. It had been about two hours since I finished her makeup and wanted to make sure she was still pristine.


In the complications of wardrobe, she had accidentally smudged a small area on her nose, what looked like a button had grazed the skin. Realizing this was silicone makeup which can be difficult to correct, and I only had a few precious moments to fix the very obvious “boo boo,” I ravaged through my kit to find a quick solution. I found a $2 white pencil I have had in my kit forever and maybe used once.




I was actually joking with fellow MUA Pro Melissa Street not two days before then, that I was going to get rid of it (and others) because it was taking up space! But in that moment I was extremely grateful I was such a makeup hoarder!

I have to give credit to TemptuPRO because the silicone foundation application was quite easy, although time consuming, and it wore beautifully all night, without ever needing a touch up of powder (aside from the pencil dilemma). For body makeup, TemptuPRO is the one! I was highly impressed with the overall result and longevity of their product.


Other Product used on the show: Purely Cosmetics Silk Powder, Smashbox Cream Liner in Caviar, Yaby Color Palette, OCC Lip Tars, OCC loose color pigment in Clove and Elephantine, Ben Nye Sparklers in Gold, NYX loose pigment in Mink, and MAC loose pigment in Blackened Red and Pinked Mauve.

A special thanks to my team; Shelley Morgan, Josef Balandran, Heidi Mehl, Kat Hawley and Amy Rose-Matlock, who worked their buns off and it paid off because the show was a great success and the makeup was a hit!


I challenged myself in several artistic ways, and came out on the other side more knowledgeable, a bit braver, and even more in love with what I get to call a job!


Here are a few more behind-the-scenes photos: