Perfect Brows

Eyebrows are one of the most important elements of the makeup! They can totally change expression of your face in a good or a bad way... Great shaped eyebrows can make makeup routine much easier. That's why people pay a lot of money to specialists to get they eyebrows done.

As a professional makeup artist I always start makeup with prepping skin and analysing eyebrows. Most of my clients do need help with their eyebrows. Usually, people don't get them done often enough. In this situation I have to clean them up and shape them before using any makeup.

Twezerman sent me an amazing Brow Kit that I really like and I don't know how I could live without it before. The kit has everything to shape and maintain the perfect eyebrows! The tools are professional, sharp, and beautiful.

- Slant Tweezers - the standard tweezers. It has a perfect angle, sharp tips that grab every hair very well to shape any eyebrow without breakage. Plus I use this tweezers to apply single lashes. I can grab a lash and place it exactly where needed.

- Pointed Slant Tweezers has a unique design that combines both, a slant and a point, and allows you to pluck the finest and growing close to each other hair.

- Satin Etched Zebra Slant Tweezers - award winning tweezers with the original zebra print (it's always good to have extra pair in your kit).

- Point Tweezers is extremely pointy, remarkably precise, and very sharp they are perfect for getting ingrown hair out (don't forget to sanitize it before).

- Special Edition Pop of Mini Slant Tweezers is a mini version of the slant tweezers. Perfect to care in your little travel makeup bag.

- Mini Eyebrow Comb is a brush to comb eyebrow during and after tweezing. I also use it every time before and after applying makeup.
- Brow Shaping Scissors is sharp scissors with a perfect body shape cuts easy and precisely.

- Eyenhance Brow Definer and Highlighter Duo is a dual-ended pencil with a brow definer on one side and a highlighter on the other. Brow color is taupe brown color that works for most of the eyebrows. Creamy highlighter's texture blends very well leaving soft glow.

- Brow Mousse is clear and very strong gel that will hold your eyebrows in perfect shape all day and won't flake.

- Folding ILashcomb is the most perfect comb I've ever had! Closely spaced teeth will separate every single lash and remove excess mascara.

- ProCurl Eyelash Curler. I have tried a lot of different band of curlers but Twezerman still is my favorite! I do curl my own lashes every day and always use it on my clients. This amazing tool curl lashes nicely and softly upwards.

Every tweezers in the set has a plastic case that protects the tip from damage. Also, Tweezerman does have a Sharpening&Repairing Service where you can send your damaged tweezers and they will return to you looking brand new! Notice, it takes about 2 weeks, so you better have extra pair of tweezers for that time.

Overall, I love Tweezerman Tools. They look professional, made well and work amazing!

Perfect Products for Holliday Look

Past 2 weeks were full of makeup events and introductions of new collections. Unfortunately, I couldn't make it to all of them but those I visited were amazing! I can't wait to share with you some new great products perfect for Holiday season makeovers!

Chanel had a preview of Holiday Collection 2012 and a preview of Spring Collection 2013.

Holiday Collection 2012 will be released this month and will joint permanent range.

2 new Variation Eyeshadow Quadra introduce new shade harmonies with complementary colors and give you opportunity to create countless looks. New blush is soft peachy-pink color and can go from light touch on the cheeks to bright color.

Here is 2 of my absolutely favorite products from new collection:

Illusion D'Ombre in gold - intensely shimmering long-wear eyeshadow with glittery-metallic finish. It gives illusion of liquid metal full of diamonds on your lid. You can use it all over eyelid or as eyeliner. A brush that comes in a package makes application really easy. It's perfect for creating fun looks for holidays parties!

Rouge Coco Hydrating Creme Lip Color in  Rouge Noir 

Very deep, dark berry color is my favorite for the fall season. If you want to experiment with the makeup but don't have too much time for creating full face - dark lipstick is the decision. It looks perfect on a clean face, all you need is mascara and some light blush. This color looks great on most of the skintones. Easy to apply without necessity of a lipliner. Velvet matte finish gives rich color and the lipstick hydrates the lips. It does move on your lips so you need to reapply to keep it polished.

To finish holiday look I want to introduce you to my new favorite Face Illuminator and Luminous Mineral Blush Duo by Victoria's Secret! VS is not known for makeup. But they do have a makeup line which grows and upgrades consistently. Face Illuminator and Luminous Face Blush Duo were used to create makeup look for VS fashion Show 2012 that will be on TV December 4th.

This Illuminator is really soft and creamy yet it is powder. Neutral color won't show on your skin and gives just beautiful soft shimmer that reflects light perfectly. You can build it up to a really dramatic effect. Use on cheek bones, nose and chin.

VS Luminous Mineral Blush Duo is amazing for creating natural soft pink chicks. 2 colors work perfectly together and can be mixed or used separate. Minerals give just enough shimmer on your cheeks  and makes you look fresh and young. To create angel's glow apply on the apples of your cheeks and blend away to hairline.

How could you create a perfect look without good tools? Absolutely MUSTHAVE - Tweezerman ProCurl Eyelash Curler. 

Rose gold curler became my favorite thing the second I tried it! Perfect shape of the curler works on any eyelashes and thick soft silicon pad creates soft crimped-free curl. You need just one squeeze for your lashes to curl and stay that way all day long. 

It feels nice and weighty in your hand like a luxurious expensive tool. Doubled handle gives you more control and makes it easy to use. 

I got mine straight from the tree that looked like a Christmas Tree only instead of decoration they used Pro curlers!!! It was made special for Tweezerman event! Don't you love it?

Flaunt Magazine Editorial

Finally Flaunt magazine is out with amazing editorial! Photography by Nicolas Padron, hair by Osmane De Chunha and Kimiyuki Misawa, makeup by Mari Shten

Editorial was shot back in July in Williamsburg/Greenpoint, NYC. It was one of the hottest days of the summer (around 110F)  and we all were "melting" outside. Since it was for Fall issue girls were wearing layers of cloth! (Who said modeling was easy?) 

How to make makeup stay in this conditions? My decision - use as minimal makeup as I can. Plus the look for the shoot was natural glow with defined features (but looking like girls don't have any makeup on).

SKIN:

I used Radiance Primer and Camouflage Concealer (where needed) by Laura Mercier. For counturing I chose Face Sculpting Kit by Senna Cosmetics + MAC Harmony blush on top. Loose powder only on T-Zone area and Urbanglow cream hihglighter in SIN by Urban Decay. 

EYES:
I used Paint Pot in Painterly by MAC as a primer and Make Up For Ever eyeshadow in Metallic Taupe, Chocolatte and Beige Brown in crease and under the eyes to creat sculpted look. Waterproof mascara by Make Up Fpr Ever. Groomed eyebroes with a bit of Lash and Brow clear gel mascara by Essence.

LIPS:

8 hour cream mixed with a bit of foundation to mute the lip color. To get sheer glossy effect for some looks I mixed 8 hour cream with some lip colors from Ultimate Pallet by Eve Perl.

BODY:

I used one of my favorite products for body - RCK Luminous Body Glow mixed with light body lotion.

 

November's Beauty Icon: Bo Derek

I have decided to choose a Beauty Icon every month. It can be anyone: actress, celebrity, model, writer or a person I work with.
This month I looked at the list of famous people who were born in November.

November's Beauty Icon - Bo Derek
Her story was classical for Hollywood - romance with a actor/director/cinematographer and photographer John Derek that made her his muse and later his wife.
Best-know for her role in film "10", the scene of her running in one-piece bikini made her a sex symbol of 1980s. 

Bo played the ideal woman - a perfect 10! Beautiful skin, blue eyes, amazing body and cornroad hair helped create that fantasy woman look. That braided hairstyle became iconic! Even now, 30 years later you can still go to the beach and get your hair done like Bo's. 

Bo Derek, 55 still stunning and in perfect shape. She maintains her age-defying physique and wholesome good looks with a vegetarian diet and an active, outdoorsy lifestyle. Instead of workouts she does horseback riding and caring for her 10-acre ranch in Santa Ynez, California. 


Bo doesn't spend a lot of time worrying about aging and won't to go 'under knife' yet. "When you look at women who had plastic surgery, they have lost something - usually an expression, something unique to their face."

Bo doesn't have many anti-aging secrets other than exfoliating her face every day and wearing hair pieces to camouflage her thinning hair. Her only beauty regret is that she spent way too much time in the sun when younger and also suffering sun burns that did long term damage to her skin. 

Bo always looks stunning. Her makeup and hair decisions are always simple and elegant. For her Red Carpet events she often chooses classical looks. 

How to get Bo's Signature Look?

1. Beautiful fresh skin. U can achieve that look using light foundation or tinted moisturizer and cream blush in pink or peach color depends on the skin color. Apply blush only on the apple of the cheeks.
2. Grey smokey eyes. Use black pencil really close to the lash line + blend line out with grey matt eyeshadow. Keep application light and only on the lid. Apply grey shadow along lower lashes all the way to the inner corner.
3. Groomed eyebrows. Make sure your eyebrows are in perfect shape and nicely brushed. Fill them in only if needed. 
4. Light lips. Bo's choice - light pink lipgloss that makes her look young and fresh.

Keira Knightley as ANNA KARENINA

Even with mixed reviews, most critics seem to agree that the film is beautiful, thoughtful and lined up for a boat load of Oscar nominations. I think Keira is a perfect Anna - alternately charming, haughty, and dispirited. She raises her game under Wright’s direction, as her work in Atonement and Pride and Prejudice have already confirmed.

Directed by John Wright, the film is one of many adaptations that have received the original work of Leo Tolstoy (1877), between film and opera. Anna Karenina, tells the story of an aristocratic Russian woman who lives a romance with a man not her husband, which will be bring her many problems. According to the actress Keira Knightley, this version will be “more dramatic”. Knightley has worked in the past with director John Wright with great achievements, which shows the chemistry between the two to give life to certain movies. 

Anna Karenina Make-Up

Anna Karenina is an iconic Russian beauty from Leo Tolstoy’s eponymous novel. Set in the late 1800s, a time when upper-class women avoded cosmetics almost entirely, the makeup look focuses on shadows rather than colours for a minimalist finish.

"I was delighted with the make-up on Anna Karenina…We were able to create a palette that both contrasted with and complemented the Russian backdrop," said Knightley. "It helped to make me feel like a Russian aristocrat, and at the same time a modern woman 
to whom we can all relate."

Knighley's make-up artist, Ivana Primorac, was usinf Chanel makeuo to creat the look. She was mizing Chanel's Vitalumiere foundations to create a darker shade for the star, who needed to appear more olive-skinned for the film. "We changed most skin colors of the actors in Anna Karenina for different reasons, so we had to find bases in many shades that were also very sheer and light reflecting wich is a look [director] Joe Wright particulary wanted. 

"We used Vitalumiere Aqua and Vitalumiere Creme which offer great coverage and a smooth texture, but also have strong light reflecting pigments. I used a lick of Le Blanc de Chanel on every character - it was the final veil of the make-up."





Primorac also explained how she created such natural-looking eye make-up looks for Knightley in the film.

"I used Chanel's Le Crayon Khol in Ambre liberally to elongate Keira's eye and create real depth - I rubbed it onto the back of my hand and then applied to the eye area with a brush to create very subtle shadow and also used it to create shape and real definition," she revealed."I used the Illusion D'Ombre shadows in an aubergine and a taupe/amber colour for all of the female characters to create the nude make-up look, but to accentuate their eyes. All the girls had full eye make-up on but we carefully chose the neutral colours to create shadow and definition with an authentic and not obviously made-up look." 

Editorials

Keira Knightley is on October Cover of Vogue.  Photographed by Mario Testino. Fashion Editor Grace Coddington. Makeup by Stephane Marais. Hair by Julien d'Ys

Keira Knightley is also on UK Bazar cover. Shot by legendary photographer Ellen Von Unwerth and styled by Cathy Kasterine. Makeup by Sam Bryant. Hair by Malcom Edward