August 23rd - Another beautiful day plus gorgeous bride and bridal party! See, I told you it's hard to make Hennie look bad...same goes for her knock-out bridal party despite a 5:30 AM wake-up time! Thank you guys for a great time.

Click here to view more from behind the scenes of Hennie's big day.

Generally, the most universally flattering shape for eyeliner application is a line that gradually increases in thickness from the inner corner of the eye to the outer edge. A good reference point for the outer edge is usually where your eyelashes stop. For an everyday, look you don't want to take eyeliner out too much further than that, unless your intent is to look dramatic!

The line should also be drawn right atop the lash line AND into the lashes - absolutely no gaps allowed between the drawn line and your lashes! Pressing the eyeliner into your eyelashes also enhances the lash line, helping your eyelashes to appear fuller. The final result should bring your eye 'forward' and make the eyes appear larger.

Where to stop drawing the line?

Usually it's best to stop the line at the outer corner where the lash line ends. I like to extend the line slightly and draw it slightly upwards to achieve an eye-opening look. Extending the line beyond the natural lash line also helps with eyes that are set closer together. This method helps to create the illusion of pulling close-set eyes apart, bringing them in balance with the rest of your features.

Having trouble?

If you're having trouble applying eyeliner, use pencil and start by drawing short strokes (see bottom photo. Use a connect-the-stroke like method to create a smooth flowing line.

To help with an unsteady hand, try to rest your elbow atop the counter/table of where you're getting ready, or you can try resting your hand on your cheek as you apply the eyeliner. These methods helps to give a shaky hand a steady surface to balance upon in order to draw on a smooth line. And remember, you can always clean up untidy edges with a q-tip. In the end, practice makes perfect so even if you don't master the technique initially, keep on trying and soon enough you'll be an eyelining make-up master!

Contouring with make-up is a fast and inexpensive way to skim pounds off the face. If applied correctly, contouring make-up can streamline the face, detract attention away from a 'double' chin and chisel the cheekbones. So for those of us who would rather not go under the knife in the name of beauty, here are some alternate (and less hazardous!) tricks to slim the face using make-up.

The basic formula is:

CONTOURING = HIGHLIGHTING + LOWLIGHTING (aka simply 'contouring')

To achieve a contoured look, there are generally two face products required:
1. A product that is one to two shades lighter than the client's skin tone (for highlighting and bringing areas of the face forward)
2. A product that is one to two shade darker than the client's skin tone (for lowlighting and making areas of the face appear deeper).

The manner in which you contour can depend on the products you use, but the pattern of application is generally the same:

i. Place/blend the lighter shade on the area of our face that you want to bring forward. Areas to highlight include:
• under the eyebrow and above the eyebrow just atop the browbone
• the skinny of the nose
• under the eyes
• atop the cheekbone

ii. Place/blend the darker shade on the area of the face that you want to ‘deepen’. These areas include:
• below browbone
• sides of the nose (instant rhinoplasty!)
• under the cheekbone
• under the jawline (slim the face)
• sides of the forehead (streamline the face)

Traditionally, make-up artists use two shades of cream foundation to contour the face. These two shades are in addition to the matching skin tone colour foundation that is used as a base and to blend everything on the client. But for the everyday woman, applying three different shades of foundation in one sitting is likely impractical. A better way for everyday contouring is to use a contouring powder and a highlighting powder. Applied in the same method, bronzing powder can be used to exaggerate the hollows of the cheeks, contour the top sides of the face, under the chin, and along the jawline for a defined look.

TIP: Avoid buying bronzing powders that have sparkle/glitter in them when looking for a contouring powder. If it does have sparkle, concentrate the application only on areas where the sun would hit to avoid glitter overkill. i.e. cheekbones, sides of the forehead. If your contouring powder has sparkle and glitter, skip the highlighting powder.

Now, to highlight try either a shimmer powder or a highlighting cream. Apply with a light touch under the eyebrow and then above the eyebrow atop the browbone, along the top of the cheekbone, and blend a dot on the inner corner of the eyelid. Remember the placement of the shimmer should be strategic - otherwise you can go from shimmer goddess to shiny mess!

If you’re anything like me, a page full of text just doesn’t cut it – give me pictures, videos, the works! So with that in mind, I did some extensive googling to find tips about contouring the face. Check out the links below for more details, pictures and even online video demos!
http://styles101.homestead.com/conhigh.html
http://beauty.expertvillage.com/videos/contour-makeup.htm
http://homegarden.expertvillage.com/videos/fashion-color-highlighting-contouring.htm

It's been a busy (but wonderful) week of make-up...make-up class at Ryerson is winding down with this past Monday and Wednesday being some of our last classes. Tuesday was Look Good Feel Better, where I had the best time yet. The energy in the room was amazing and I was captivated by this one woman who spoke of her battles with three different kinds of cancer: breast cancer, colon cancer and another type of cancer (that I fail to remember here)....I was captivated not just because of her amazing survival story, but because of her contagious human spirit. I know it's easy to feel like that in everyday life with school, work, etc. that we're getting the short end of the stick. At the end of the day, we actually have a lot to be thankful for. I'm trying to be better with that in my life.

Today (Friday) was another great make-up day with a bride-to-be beauty by the name of Carina. We did Carina's trial, as she preps for her big day on October 18th. It was great to get to know Carina, and I thank her for letting me rant on about my crazy week! I'm excited about having the opportunity to doll her up on her big day!

This weekend I'm looking forward to Hennie's wedding on Saturday. It will be an early morning for all with a 5:30AM go-time, but make-up always gives me a different kind of energy!

Can I mention that it's really difficult to make Hennie look bad? So this one is a no-brainer. I'll post up pics as soon as they become available. Can't wait!!

Yes, there is a longer version to attaining perfect skin, but for an everyday face, these steps will help make sure your skin stays fresh looking from day into night. A couple coats of mascara, blush on the apples of the cheeks, and some gloss and you're ready to face the day in 5 minutes!

1. Use a primer.
Using a pea-sized drop, apply primer all over face. See this post for more info on primer.






2. Stipple on foundation and blend.
Use a quarter-sized drop per application. I usually dot the large areas of the face with the product and blend from there. You can really start wherever you prefer (some people like to work from the outer edges inward), but just be sure to BLEND. Start in light layers (this allows you to control how much goes on) and build coverage if more is desired.

3. Apply concealer.
You can do this before/after foundation or both, depending on the area that needs to be concealed and how much coverage is required. I prefer to apply concealer after foundation - that way I don't have to use as much.

4. Set with a dusting of powder.
Seal the deal: use loose powder with a large dusting brush for when you first do your daily make-up routine. Use your pressed powder compact for touch-ups througout the day.