Easy Makeup : How to Create a Rosé Inspired Makeup Look

Rosé is super trendy right now - we're seeing it everywhere - and as usual, things that are on trend always seem to find their way into our skincare and makeup. Rosé has all different variations in color but all have that gorgeous peachy pink color that is so fun to drink {and to photograph}! Peaches and peachy pinks tend to be universally flattering and a great way to wear makeup that looks easy and effortless {and not over the top}. I want to show a few simple steps to create a rosé inspired makeup look that is super wearable during the day and show-stopping at night!

SKIN

You always want to start out with fresh, glowing skin, which is the perfect palette for any makeup look. Make sure you wear a foundation that really evens out all of the redness in the skin so that when you add color it doesn't end up looking uneven and excessively pink {we all tend to have extra redness in the nose and mouth area, so give extra attention to making sure those areas look flawless}. You also want to make sure you use a concealer that really brightens the under eye so the makeup on the eyelid is what steals the show {and not any tired, red eyes!}.

CHEEKS + LIPS

Hourglass Illume Sheer Color Trio palette in Sunset is one of my favorite options to achieving a rosé glow on the cheek. It has a cream bronzer, blush and highlighter, and the blush is the perfect shade of rosé. {I'm a lover of cream products, they always give a natural, dewey finish to the skin.} Hourglass Girl Lip Stylo in Dreamer is also a great color option for a soft and wearable peachy pink lip color {and you could even blend it onto the cheeks for a blush color as well - I love to make a product work double duty}!

EYES

To achieve a gorgeous rosé eye, I adore the Stila Liquid Eye Shadows. They have a striking, intense color payoff that comes from just one product. There is a color called Rose Gold Retro that looks like liquid metal and gives a striking, rosé-like statement eye. If you're wanting something a bit more understated, Tom Ford Cream and Powder Eye Color in Golden Peach is a still stunning and less intense alternative. Finish the look with a deep brown liner {like an espresso or a walnut shade} very close to the lash line with as little or as much intensity as you prefer. Top it off with a few coats of mascara and then call up your girlfriends to meet you out for a glass of rosé!

3 Bridal Makeup Tips for Brides Who Don't Like Makeup

Photo Credit: Natalie Watson

I often have brides contact me about their wedding who confess that they’re “not into makeup” but know that they need to wear it for their wedding.  They experience a lot of apprehension about the process and are nervous about not looking like themselves.  My advice to you natural ladies : stay calm!  There is a makeup look for everyone. Here are my 3 wedding makeup tips for women who aren’t into makeup, and honestly, even those who are :

1. You need to wear makeup.

It’s your wedding day.  I know you say you don’t wear eyeliner on a daily basis, but this isn’t your usual day!  You’ve bought a stunning wedding dress and you're having your hair done; your makeup needs to look as special as the rest of you.

This doesn’t mean you have to be unrecognizable.  Lightly playing up your features will elevate your look from ordinary to extraordinary.  Adding some radiance to your skin and evening out skin tone will make you look flawless and dewey in pictures. Making sure your eyes stand out with a little eyeliner and mascara is so important; if you can be convinced to wear individual lashes, your eyes will be spectacular!  Framing your eyes by filling in your eyebrows will make a huge difference.  And a pop of blush on the cheeks and a soft, natural pink lip color will make you glow in pictures.

You hired a photographer to capture every special moment, you need to make sure your features are accentuated in them and that you feel gorgeous in the photographs - and it takes a little bit of all of the above to make that happen!

2. Make sure you have a makeup trial.

Doing a trial ensures that you and your makeup artist are on the same page and that you both know exactly what makes you feel beautiful - and what doesn't.  If you have makeup inspiration pictures or pictures of your dress, now is the time to share them.  This is where you consult, discuss options, where she gets to know you better and has the opportunity to show you what she thinks would be a good look for you based on all this information.

You want to be comfortable and feel like yourself, but now is also the time to experiment and allow her to maybe take you a little outside your comfort zone and try things you wouldn’t normally try.  Clients often end up surprised at how gorgeous they feel in something they might never have attempted on their own.

But generally speaking, your artist needs to listen to your likes and dislikes and make sure that the makeup is an authentic representation of who you are.  As I often tell my clients, I might think a red lip would be stunning on you, but if your idea of makeup is tinted chapstick, chances are a red lip isn’t going to make you feel beautiful.  So this is REALLY important : your wedding day isn’t about what your makeup artist thinks would be best for you, it’s about making you feel like the best version of yourself.  That being said...

3. Make sure you hire a makeup artist who listens to you and understands your style.

There should be dialogue about how much makeup you usually wear, what you like, particularly what you dislike, and just your overall thoughts about the wedding day look. If your artist is focused on you, she will take all these things into consideration.  Her job is to take your everyday look and elevate it to the most beautiful version of yourself.  This doesn’t mean there has to be an over-the-top amount of makeup involved.

The important thing is that you speak up when you don’t like something so she can adjust it.  If you don’t tell her, she won’t know!  It’s an easy fix.  Remember, it’s about you, not the makeup artist, so your voice needs to be heard!  This is why hiring someone who's makeup you like and who's work you identify with and gravitate towards is so important.  

So, don't be afraid to be a little picky! It's your day to feel the most beautiful, and your makeup artist should understand that and be willing to do everything in her power to make you feel that way. Check out some of my favorite bridal looks here in my portfolio, I'm always taking on new clients and would love to hear from you! Visit my contact page to get in touch with me, or leave a comment below!

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console + conceal{the joys of motherhood}

I have a five month old son.

Here are some of the things I’ve learned about makeup in the last few months :

1. God created undereye concealer for new moms. Everyone else merely benefits from its existence {you’re welcome}. But I’m quite certain that it was created for us {we are unarguably the least rested creatures on the planet}. As a new mom, it's not imperative that you have on a full face of makeup, but it is imperative that you have concealer on. It has the transformative power to make you feel {and appear} somewhat human during the months of sleep deprivation.

2. If you have a baby that absolutely will not nap and demands to be constantly held, you must take advantage of the very tiny window of opportunity during the early morning hours {you know, the time of day when the last thing on your mind is makeup} to put something {anything} on your face. If his fleetingly brief state of self- contentedness passes you by, you will most assuredly end up going the entire day with no makeup on whatsoever.

3. When your baby has a complete and total meltdown in public, you will feel infinitely less self conscious {as everyone stares at you} with makeup on than without.

4. If you manage to get out of the house and successfully make a run to the store without the aforementioned meltdown, you will feel like a supermom. If you are unsuccessful in this venture, you will still feel like a supermom because you at least have makeup on. It's a win - win.

5. While your child doesn’t know or care {nor will he remember} whether your face had makeup on during the months comprising his first year, there are a great many cameras flying around these days. You will get caught in pictures. And you will see the pictures and wonder why you couldn’t have at least put a little concealer on. 

{im}perfection

My favorite photograph of my mom was taken circa 1968 in Carmel, Indiana.

I don't love it because she looks perfect {although to me, she does look perfect}. I love it because she looks beautiful and confident and unbelievably comfortable in her skin. I remember looking at this picture as I grew up, wanting to look just like her. I longed for her delicate Audrey Hepburn-like features. I desperately wanted to trade in my green eyes for her rich, brown ones. I wanted her {always flawlessly} stylish, coiffed hair in lieu of my boring, predictable cuts over the years. I think though, more than anything, what I’ve really always wanted was to be as relaxed and accepting of myself as she appears in this picture. This is undeniably gorgeous on any woman : the quiet confidence that comes from knowing your strengths and your shortcomings and living in peaceful acceptance of them both.

What stands out to me in this photograph isn't perfection, it's beauty. When did we stop distinguishing the difference? I look at this picture and decide with certainty that I don’t want to be perfect {it’s so uninteresting...and what is it, even?}. I want to be the woman who is so comfortable with herself she can stare down the lens of a camera and smile with this kind of self-assuredness. This isn’t perfection, it’s beauty. And beauty is infinitely more interesting.

I think about the women I esteem as absolutely beautiful, and it’s never perfection that draws me towards them. It’s their life experiences that make them so engaging : the way you can tell that they’ve been through crazy adversity and come out the other side, stronger and so much more breathtaking than any supermodel. Not just the woman who thinks she’s strong, the woman who knows she’s strong.

Perfection is just so limiting. There aren't many {are there any?} of us who can be described as perfect. But, honestly, {forgive this cliche} every face I touch is beautiful. Perfect? Never. But always beautiful. However, in all my years as a makeup artist, there’s never been one woman to sit in my chair, hold up a mirror to her image and respond in any way other than disdain and / or disgust to something {if not everything} on her face. "I've got to get a face lift," or "I've got horrible skin." "I need Botox," and "I've got to have my eyes done."  I get it, of course - none of us look as fresh, rested, or youthful as we want to {I can’t remember when I was last fresh or rested, even in my youth.}. We all need a fabulous undereye concealer and a healthy dose of blush on the apples of our cheeks. But when in the world did we determine that perfection was our standard? Ladies, we’re rapidly moving towards leaving a multi-generational legacy of discontent and self-loathing, and we’re passing this on to our daughters, who will continue to carry the torch...

I’m quite certain that my mother has never considered herself to be ‘perfect.’ But when I look at her photographs through the years, when I think of her as I was growing up, with a face of impeccable makeup {in the early 80’s...I remember shiny, black Lancome duo compacts neatly lining her bathroom vanity}, she was perfection. It was her own uniqueness that came to represent real femininity to me, mysterious and powerful. She was what I aspire{d} to be, feminine and commanding at the same time, smiling with her deep, mulberry colored lipstick. Who needs perfection when I have this?

This is my siren song to women everywhere. We need to relieve ourselves of this duty to perfection, and we need to redirect our goal : to be confident in our own beauty, comfortable in our own skin, and to be pretty in our makeup. It’s time to collectively blast Alicia Keys’ “Girl on Fire” as loud as our car stereo will play it, and for the first time, for even just one moment of the day, believe in our own fabulousness.