TheMakeupGirl

Get This: Prescriptives All You Need+ For Eyes...

I love a good eye cream.  I've been using them since I was 18 and I honestly believe they are a contributing factor to the lack of lines around my eyes.  This latest edition from Prescriptives is one of the new hybrid gel-cream formulas that is great for people that don't like anything that feels super heavy around the eyes.  It also is awesome at helping ot get rid of the puffies around your eyes.

Fight the first signs of aging, dark circles and eye puffiness with Prescriptives All You Need+ For Eyes, a luxurious new eye gel-cream that delivers all the benefits skin needs to stay looking healthy, hydrated and radiant for a full 24 hours. A combination of vitamins, plant extracts and time-released ingredients work together to help the eye area look younger, fresher and more rested.

Key benefits:
- Helps reduce the appearance of dark circles, puffiness, lines and wrinkles
- Provides 24-hour moisture to delicate eye area
- Helps improve skin texture and radiance
- Antioxidant protection

Non-acnegenic. Fragrance-free. Ophthalmologist/Dermatologist tested. 0.5 oz.

Available now at all Prescriptives counters nationwide, www.prescriptives.com and Holt Renfew in Canada. SRP: $29.50 U.S./$38.50 Canada.

Stay Pretty!!

How To: Bobbi Brown Soft Plum Eye...

One of the most underused shades in the palette for eyes is plum.  I hear people all the time say they don't know how to use it, or they are scared to use it when in reality it is one of the most friendly shades out there (far more forgiving than blue or green) and it can work on everyone as long as you keep it soft and not heavy.  The main way to do that is with application and the KIND of shadow you use.  For the softer eye, I prefer to start with a cream shadow as a base, you can control the depth of the color better and if you want to take it more dramatic, you can just by building on top of what you already have like I have here.

Here, I have used a cream shadow with a very light dusting of shadow on top for some shimmer.  All products by Bobbi Brown.

The Rundown:

• Longwear Cream Shadow in Sandcastle (applied from the lashline just beyond the crease)
• Naked (dusted all over), Velvet Plum Metallic (crease), & Espresso (along the lashline) Shadows from the Velvet Plum Palette
• 3 coats of No Smudge Mascara in Black

A fresh look for daytime and if you apply a little more of the espresso and add some Longwear gel liner (I would use black mauve or black plum ink) along the top lashline you can easily take the look to evening.

Stay Pretty!!

Holiday Smokey Eyes...

Everything you need to create a smokey eye for a holiday party...or just because.

Stay Pretty!!

Get This: Urban Decay Loose Pigments...

Always want to try potted pigments but were afraid to because you were intimidated?  Here is your solution.  Urban Decay's Loose Pigments are powdered pigment in a spill-proof tube (FAB!)

No dyes or synthetic pigments are used the packaging uses a special internal funnel to keep pigment inside until you're ready to use it (even MORE FAB!) There are 12 shades so you can find one (or several...LOL) that you love.  The brush is super easy to use as well...

The Rundown:

• Asphyxia (bright pink w/purple iridescence)
• Baked (rich bronze) (TMG Fave)
• Goddess (midnight blue w/electric blue micro glitter)
• Graffiti (bright green)
• Gunmetal (gray in charcoal base w/ iridescent micro glitter) Sephora exclusive
• Protest (dark green in charcoal base w/ iridescent micro glitter) Sephora exclusive
• Rockstar (dark purple in black base w/ silver/purple micro glitter) Sephora exclusive
• Shag (pale bronze) (TMG Fave)
• Shattered (bright greenish blue)
• Smog (medium brown) (TMG Fave)
• X (gold w/ peach iridescence)
• Yeyo (bright white)

Loose Pigments retail for $20 each and can be found at Ulta.com or Sephora stores nationwide.

Stay Pretty!!

Subtle Smokey Eye: NARS Cordura Shadow Duo....

Looking for a shadow duo that can give you a smokey eye but not make you look like you got socked??  NARS Cordura Shadow Duo from the Fall 2008 collection is just the ticket.  I have used this duo on many an eyelid from pale to dark and it is quite frankly one of the best duos of recent memory from NARS (or any other brand quite frankly).  The pigment and color are both rich & it had tons of staying power, especially when I put Urban Decay's Primer Potion underneath!

I used the lighter brown all over almost up to the browbone and then the darker color in the crease and just along the lashline.  Subtle and very smokey...the duo is available for $32 at Sephora stores nationwide.

Stay Pretty!!

Celebrity Makeup: Kim Kardashian's Gunmetal Smokey Eyes...

Fall is right around the corner and I for one am SO happy!!  I love fall AND fall makeup.  This fall we are seeing more browns and grays and gunmetal, smokey silver eyes are back for fall in a BIG way. I showed you back in 2006 how to get the look with a great video by Tricia Sawyer (LOVE her!) and now the trend is back but instead of silver, it's gone more grayish....a little smuttier if you will!!

Kim Kardashian made this look popular over the past year and say what you will about her, but her shameless self promotion and makeup are KILLING IT.  She looks amazing.  Here are some product picks to help you get the look on your own...

Bare Escentuals Rocker Eye Kit

NARS shadow Duo in Paris

MAC Shadows in Carbon or Knight Divine

NARS Powder Blush in Orgasm

Finally lips....everyone wants to know what Kim uses and she actually blogged about her whole makeup routine INCLUDING products and colors that she uses here.  She uses NARS gloss in Turkish Delight BUT remember to stick with a shade that is good for YOUR coloring.  If your skin is darker I would go with NARS Stolen Kisses or if you are pale, try NARS Orgasm.

This is a GREAT look for evening and here is a GREAT tutorial to get you started.

Stay Pretty!!

photo courtesy of Frappelattes

Beauty By Josi: 3 Minute Face-lift With Brow Guru Anastasia!

So we've all heard that "eyes are the windows to the soul...(and so on, and so forth..)..but as a professional makeup artist who has worked on every woman from your grandma to your 5 year old, believe me..it's true!

The correct brow shape and thickness gives the eyes (and face) a visual lift....while highlighting cheekbones and really showcasing those peepers! There is nothing more aging or dated than a pair of those super-thin GretaGarbo-ish brows of the past (been there, done that)..or the super flattering "tadpole lash" (been there, done that as well!).

One of the quickest and most effective ways to get the most bang out of your beauty routine is by creating and maintaining beautiful flattering brows....and I have to tell you that getting my brows done by the Anastasia esthetician at Nordstom a few years ago changed my life! (Last I checked I think it was $25)...Well, lucky me just happened to be working a Beauty Trend Show for a line right next to the
Anastasia counter.....and when things slowed down a bit the Anastasia gal was like "wanna get your brows done?" Ummm..YEAH!

Perfect timing because I had just hit 30...and since I heard that nothing ages you more than thin brows had abstained from my magnifying-mirror "pluckfests" for a few weeks (one of Anastasia's NO-NO's btw..). Before I knew it I had the most beautiful gently-arched eyebrows....totally changed my entire look! At the time I was "super-broke" and was all "oh man..you're gonna get me hooked on $25 brow waxes..." But here's where the miracle was....she explained what she was doing as she went along....and when she was finished....she taught me how to maintain them on my own!

Now here's where the 3 Minute Face lift comes in.......now that your brows are in check and you only have to "maintain" them it takes no time to add that little extra "ooph" to your face everyday....and of course, Anastasia has the products to get the job done right.....

Exclusive right now to Sephora...Anatasia's GoBrow ($21) is THE tool to get you on your way...the universally flattering brow pencil (think a neutral medium-brown) is the perfect consistency...a few sharp strokes and your brows are as plush as an 18 year olds....and then this is where the real miracle happens...

The other side is a universally-flattering highlighter...matte and COMPLETELY natural looking for those low-maintenance types (whatever that is...hee hee)..a swipe of this directly under the eyebrow visually lifts the brow....and it even works wonderfully in the inner corners of the eyes and directly on top of dark circles..(be sure to blend carefully if you go there..).

Next, finish off your new lift with Anatasia's Brow Gel (Clear or Tinted) ($19-$21)..lightly brush brows to seal in their new shape for the day. In the past I was really sold on cheap, drugstore clear mascaras as a setting gel.... but Anastasia's Brow Gel is worth the splurge...the really nice thing about her stuff is that the wand automatically has the perfect amount of gel.....I CANNOT tell you how many times I have done a client or model's makeup w/o wiping off the wand of my cheap stuff first resulting in goopey, nasty brows that I have to re-do entirely!!!! Well no more....

So there you have it! My long-winded, (probably more info than you needed to know)... way to a 3 minute face lift!  Anastasia products and brow gurus can be found at Nordstrom and her Go Brow @ Sephora...

Be Beautiful....

Get This: Long lashes with Marini Lash!!!..

Oh yeah lovelies.....my time has come! I am so thrilled to introduce to you Marini Lash Next Generation Eyelash Enhancement!!! I foresee a future of eyelash batting and easy mascara applications....

I first witnessed the results of this amazing product a couple of years back....I was in Sephora free-lancing for LORAC and I saw a few of the "cast members" (I don't know why they don't call them "beauty advisors" or God forbid, "salespeople"...those French and their fancy titles..okay Josi, stay focused....)flocking around this dark-eyed customer...of course, me (being one of THE NOSIEST human beings on the planet)...I just HAD to go see what all the hub-bub was about. 

"Seriously, I have to CUT them they are so long and thick!"..said the women with a set of THE most beautiful, lush, dark eyelashes I had ever seen said. (and this woman wasn't 12...she had to have been..well I won't say numbers..let's just say she was old enough to appreciate her beauty...beauty really has no age...think Samatha darling).

Okay, moving on to my next exposure to this product...I was at a local med-spa here in Dallas for my microderm/chemical peel and one of the girls working the desk had these ridiculously beautiful lashes....of course, once I probed her for info she was like..."have you heard of Jan Marini?"..she assured me,..."no really, they are real! (as she demonstrated by pulling on them)"...she even told me their price and I wasn't phased...okay, well maybe a tad..($160)...BUT it didn't matter because...ahem, they were all sold out.

Seriously ladies..I am not exaggerating or "embellishing" one bit. AND, I am happy to say that I am now finally on my way to my first set of new, fully-enhanced lashes....it takes a few weeks for the new growth to start (the gal at the spa said it does feel kind of weird at first as the new growth comes in) but before you know it you are sprouting new hairs!!!!!

Well, no pain, no gain I always say!!!  Weird or not, I can't wait!!  Jan Marini (surprise,surprise) is THE skin guru and secret weapon to our favorite stars like Reese Witherspoon and Charlize Theron, who follows Jan's guidance to make sure they are always "camera-ready"...and now little old me gets to  join their ranks and I am just tickled pink!

Jan Marini products are only available via physician or a licensed skincare professional (music to my ears...I love it when skincare does what they say it will..) or you can also find  Marini Lash  @ www.skinstore.com !

Bat those Lashes Beautifully Y'all....

Beauty By Josi: Beautiful Eyes by Rohto....and a Makeup Artistry Tip!!!

Well it's official...I've been sold on a new eye drop..Buh-bye generics! I now bring Rhoto V. Cool eye drops to all my photo shoots...I usually have EVERY model freshen up with them before I start to prep their face for makeup...you would be amazed the difference it makes when your whites are their whitest...I am always amazed at how much I use these little guys (for myself and my models)!

And of course, don't forget my old standby when that last minute pimple pops up....applied with a Q-tip and held on the zit for 1 minute Rohto V majorly reduces redness....making fresh acne soooo much easier to conceal (remember eye drops are vaso-constrictors)!!!

So,I love these new Rohto Eye Drops in the V. Cool formula because they feel so refreshing! Kind of like a breath mint for your eyes.....while still managing to sooth and relieve that tired, heavy-eye feel you get going without enough beauty Z's.....and the little bottle is just about THE cutest thing I have ever seen!!!

Rohto Eye Drops can be found everywhere......Walmart, Walgreens and all better drugstores for under $7 bucks!

See Beautiful Ya'll!!!

Save Your Money: Spinlash...

Okay, I know everyone has been reviewing Spinlash and across the board opinions have been mixed.  Unfortunately I am going to have to say skip it to this contraption.  Now, if you really think that a motorized spinning mascara brush is for you by all means go for it.  I used it this morning and just could not see that it added any value or was helpful to my daily makeup routine.

Here are my reasons behind the "skip it"

• The brush rotates extremely slowly (I can do that myself...ya know??)
• You have to hold the button down while using it (my hand got tired after about 30 seconds)
• It didn't really offer me any time savings as I can usually put on my mascara in about 5 minute son my own.

Now the brush does rotate in both directions so you can use it on top and bottom lashes PLUS you can use your own mascara if you like, but again, the rotation is slow minute and slow I actually thought it was broken when I first turned it on.  The biggest selling point is that it helps you get rid of clumps, but I think that is largely due to the rubbery brush so you could get the same effect with one of the newer mascaras with the rubbery brush.

Stay Pretty!!
If I am going to spend $14.95 on something to help speed up my routine, it should actually speed it up.