Window to the soul...

Ready to talk about some eyes? The eyes are definitely my favorite feature to work on as an artist! I'll try to keep this simple as I could probably make this a 5 page blog with all the things I could talk about!

First things' first...Eyeliner! This is simple... ALL blue eyes should wear brown. Now whether it's medium brown or a black/brown. It needs to be brown. It is THE BEST compliment to blue eyes and will actually make them bluer! Hazel can go from black/brown to black. And all shades of brown can do black. For day I like to keep the liner on the lighter side and only do the lid or sometimes none at all. Also when lining the inner rim of your eye always use a 'kohl' liner. They are the safest. As far as brands go my repeat has been the Chanel liners in kohl and the waterproof.

Eyeshadow: All I can say for this is BLEND BLEND BLEND!!! My go to brand is always MAC. I love to try new colors from all brands but I always end up going back to MAC for their great pigments. Not too mention they have a huge selection of colors and finishes. They apply really easy and blend amazingly. Makeup Forever has great eye shadows too but not as big selection. My current everyday colors are Jest as my all over shadow and then I put Bronze in the crease and blend. For nights...the sky is the limit with me. I have so much fun trying and playing with color!

And lastly mascara: My favorite to use for myself and on my clients is by far Max Factor 2000 calorie lash in black. Mascara is ALWAYS black. (unless of course you are gonna play it up for night time out!) After going through drugstore, cosmetic counters, and even pro only mascaras I stumbled on this and haven't looked back! It's just too amazing!

I hope this helps kick start some new ideas and experiments! If you have any questions let me know and I'll help!
Good luck and have fun!!!
xo Kate

Sea of Shoes!

There is a great blog I follow called Sea of Shoes. I'm inspired by a lot of things of hers. She recently did her first shoe collection for Urban Outfitters called Sea of Shoes by Jane Aldridge. There are 3 different shoes/boots and in different colors. Being a bit of a shoe addict I immediately ordered 2 pairs and needless to say I was quite impressed! Now the heels I definitely needed to add some cushion at the ball of my foot but after that I was good to go! And the flats will need some breaking in but they are fab as well! They are extremely well priced and I am about to order the third pair!
Tried to get the hubs to take some pics...he did...well...ok. In his defense, I guess, I do have a new camera!

Nail polish quickie!

Just a quick post today on some nail polish I picked up at the mall! I saw this in a magazine and liked it from the pic so I decided to try it today. Put it on my toes and AMAZING!!!! LOVE IT! I'm not quite ready for fall and this is helping keep that summer feeling going! I'm so glad I have a manicure appt. tonight because I'm gonna take this and have her do my nails with it!

Double Kisses!
Kate

A few of my fave makeup products!

I've gotten a few requests from friends, facebook and the twitter community to post some of my favorite makeup products. Well being a makeup artist and loving everything makeup since I was a teenager (and before but I wasn't 'legally' allowed to enjoy makeup until jr. high! lol), I've really been through the ringer with products! And with the addition of trends and new products coming at us everyday it can be tough to keep up! Not to mention what it does to our wallet! Hopefully I'll be able to direct you to some great products that I love and use in my daily life and work life!

Now after some thinking about my products I want to post I've decided this will deserve multiple posts! So lets start with the 'canvas'! All face products. Then I'll follow with eyes, and all the other stuff!

Concealer: EVERYONE needs to use a concealer! My favorite to use on a daily basis is the YSL Touche Eclat. I use #2 for my cool skin tone.
Now sometimes when I'm going out I will go for a more waterproof one. In this case it is the MAC studio finish concealer. And at $16.50 is way more affordable then YSL.

Foundation: As I posted earlier, my everyday way to use a foundation is to mix a liquid foundation with my moisturizer and apply, then cover with a powder. My all time favorite foundation is by Make Up For Ever. For my oily/combo skin I prefer the mat+velvet. When I go out for an occasion I love it alone to give me a flawless canvas! Their HD liquid is equally amazing!
For the budget conscience I like L'Oreal Infallible at drugstores!

Powder: And finally the powder to set it all! Now I prefer the duo powders. Both MAC and MUFE make the best ones I've come across and I use both. It just depends which one I can get to first when I need it! MAC is called studio fix and MUFE is duo mat.

This may sound like a lot but if applied with a light hand it will give you a great 'canvas' to build on! And of course always modify to what works for YOU!!!

Good luck and have fun!
Kate

Celebrity look-alike!

I had a wonderful spa day yesterday! But I think the best part was when, not once, but TWICE I was told I reminded them of Scarlett Johansson! Now every once in awhile I will get a comment that I look like some celebrity but every time it is someone different. This was actually the first time that I got a repeat of a name! I was told a couple years ago by a hairdresser that he thought I looked like her too. Personally I don't see it but I'm more than flattered because I think she is beautiful!

Any thoughts?

My must-have 1 day list!

I have this running list in my head of things that I WILL own one day. Here are a couple at the moment:

I WILL own a J. Mendel fur!
and
I WILL own the famous Birkin handbag by Hermes!

It may take me till I'm 60 or 70 but they are just some of those things where life will feel a bit more complete. And how wonderful will that be for grandchildren to rummage through my things and come across those! They are collector pieces that will only get better with age. And the best part is they will never lose their value!

What is on your list?!

Just some great quotes!

Just came across some great quotes while reading and just had to share!

"There are no ugly women, just lazy ones."
-Helena Rubinstein

"I can resist everything except temptation."
-Oscar Wilde

"A waist is a terrible thing to waste."
-anonymous

Lots of Love!

Kate!

A super easy summer recipe!

I created this version of a tomato and mozzarella salad for dinner the other night. I wanted a healthy side to go with the very unhealthy but super delicious burgers we grilled! Also you can adjust really easy the number of servings.

5 strawberry tomatoes
1-2 thick slices of mozzarella
balsamic vinaigrette
(3 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tbsp balsamic vin., 1/2 tsp. crushed garlic, salt and pepper)

Slice tomatoes, cut up cheese and place in bowl,
drizzle with dressing
sprinkle with basil and oregano or sprinkle with herbs de provence
VOILA!

Oh and sorry for the blurry picture!

These boots were made for walking...

I received a couple of new pairs of shoes this past weekend! Oh how it feels like Christmas year round! The first were a great pair of nude lace up booties. They were perfect for an outdoor dinner party we attended. I wore them with a black and white, waist high skirt and it couldn't have looked better! I love how these are the latest trend to come around yet in a nude color they aren't extremely shocking. Plus the best thing about any nude color shoe is they make your legs look supermodel long! These will take you well into fall not only for the color but the style covers your foot more than a sandal.

The next shoe or boot I should say I just received today is a gray slouch boot. I immediately put them on and wore them with some jean shorts. I just love a flat boot since I can still be stylish yet do twice as much walking and running around than I can in my heels. Although I am limited in the summer time in wearing them, they will be well worn come fall and winter! Yes, this will ease my anxiety for the approaching seasons here in Pittsburgh...brrrrr.

Lace up shoes are by daniblack and boots are steve madden both from zappos.com

A quick makeup tip!

Being a makeup artist I have a Dior bag full of tips and secrets! This is a new one I created while trying to minimize my routine for both the summer and for my increasingly active boys! Now while I envy the ladies that can really go through their day with maybe just some gloss, I however, was never able to do that. I mean, hello, I put on gloss to take a shower! (just kidding!)
One of my favorite foundations is by Makeup Forever. Well a few of my favorite foundations are by them! But I really don't need that kind of coverage if I'm going to be spending my day around the house or outside. So to lighten it up but still get some coverage and spf while I'm at it I mix a little bit of the foundation with my daily facial moisturizer. I then just rub it on as if I'm just applying my moisturizer making sure it's even. This also makes my foundation supply last longer! A great bonus when trying to be as savvy as possible!
Hope you'll find this tip useful for the rest of summer and maybe longer!