ARRIANNE & BRYCE SEALING

Arrianne is one of my best friends, and I was so fortunate to be able to be apart of her sealing. Bryce and Arrianne were married 05.03.13 and were sealed for all time and eternity on their one year anniversary 05.03.14 I love that they chose their one year anniversary to be sealed in the Bountiful Temple. Not only did I get to do Arrianne's makeup, but she also allowed me to be her escort in the Temple (pause for immediate tears) I was able to sit right next to her and hold her hand for a brief moment just before she and Bryce made the biggest commitment a person can make. I loved everything about that day. Now before I cry all over my keyboard let me jump into the look we decided to go with.

//Avi Stoddard Photgraphy 

After talking with Arrianne a little bit and trying to get an idea of what look we could create I got started. Arrianne is one of those lucky gals who gets to wear little to no makeup and still look absolutely gorgeous. She handed me the reigns this time and told me to just go for it. For her wedding, we went for a light look, and as much as I loved that, I wanted more of a POW for this. So we went with a subtle brown smokey eye, with her brown eyes the look was so complimenting and turned out just how we both wanted it to.

lets get started! 

Face:

Foundation: Revlon Colorstay Whipped 

I mean did you honestly expect anything else? This is my absolute favorite foundation, my holy grail. In #220 'Nude', I applied this using my Sigma F80 Flat Kabuki Brush

Concealer: IT cosmetics bye bye undereye concealer
I applied this using my Sigma P84 Precision Angled Brush under her eyes to brighten up the look and also to cancel out any dark circles. I absolutely love this concealer not only is it waterproof, but it is also an anti aging concealer with hydro-collagen and vitamins C&K! aka: best concealer period. 

Contour: Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder 
Using my MAC 109 Small Contour Brush I lightly applied #1 'Natural' to her cheek bones, her jaw line and gently applied to the sides of her nose adding dimension to her face.

Blush: MAC Powder Blush
Taking my Bobbi Brown Blush Brush, I applied the color 'Melba' lightly to her cheeks 

Lips: Revlon colorburst lip butter 
When doing makeup, I immediately think of what colors compliment each other, with this brown look on her eyes, I brainstormed a few ideas throughout the process and came to the conclusion that a soft pink lip was the winner for this look. Once I had applied the lip butter in 'cupcake' to her lips, she immediately asked what color it was, and had mentioned that she loved it. score! 

Eyes: 
 I applied MAC Painterly Paint Pot to the entire lid, this will make your eyeshadow bullet proof. ALWAYS use a primer for your eyelids, especially for big events!
for her eyeshadow, we chose to go with the Too Faced A Few Of My Favorite Things (it was a limited time only item :( don't hate me) for her eye look.

using the E60 Brush from Sigma I applied 'woolen mittens' over the entire lid up to her crease, and continued applying until I got to the desired color that I wanted for the look. 

using the MAC 217 Eyeshadow Blending Brush  for a transitional color, I applied 'Chocolate Milk' using windshield wiping motions back and forth through the crease to blend the colors together and give it that smoked out look. 

I then took my clean Sigma E40 Blending Brush with no color, I blended over the entire eye to blend all of the colors together, to avoid harsh lines, and give it a more effortless look.
I then went back to the color 'Chocolate Milk' and with my Sigma E30 pencil brush, I blended it under her lash line to smoke it out on the bottom as well.
for eyeliner, we stuck with the long lasting Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner in Black Ink using the Sigma E05 eyeliner brush, we went with a thin line on the lid and extended out just a smidge to give her eyes an extended look.

Lashes:

applied Sephora Full Action Extreme Mascara to her upper and lower lashes

Brows:
 using my E65 Angled Brush I lightly filled her brows with Anastasia Brow Duo in Medium Brown

Finishing up:

 I  dusted some MAC Mineralized Skin Finish Natural in Medium over her entire face to set the foundation, and then once that had set I decided to add some glow to the look, so I finished up by taking my MAC Mineralized Skin Finish in 'soft and gentle' and applied this to the high points of her cheeks, the inner corners of her eyes and dusted the smallest amount to the top of her nose, as well as her cupids bow. spritz'd some Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray  to set everything in place for the day and voila! 

SO happy for you guys! thank you again for letting me apart of your big day, it meant the world to me! 



loves.

DARIENNE & DEVIN WEDDING

Today, I was casually looking through Facebook and stumbled across some of my good friend Darienne's wedding pictures, I was clicking through them with a GIANT smile on my face because well how could I not? She seems SO happy, and deserves to be. As I was clicking through them, I kept thinking to myself, dang! she looks flawless - her dress, her hair, her makeup... and it hit me! Darienne was easily one of my favorite clients. I don't know why it has taken me SO long to finally get some pictures up and show you guys some of the work that I've done, but by golly I'm doing it now alright? I was so fortunate to be able to work with Darienne, and I had fun doing it! I've known this family for years, and they've always been so welcoming and loving to me, which made it all worth while, but especially hard to get my work done when they had me constantly laughing, and reminiscing on old times. It's a miracle we ever got her to the wedding after all the tears from laughing so hard.

after talking to Darienne, it was simple. she wanted a natural look that highlighted her eyes, and made her face appear flawless. aaaaand this is the combination of products that we used to do just that: 

Face:

Foundation: Revlon Colorstay Whipped 

I'm obsessed you guys! Its easy to assume that the higher the cost, the better the foundation, which in some cases may be true… but not this one. This foundation is one of those where the longer you wear it, the better. Its long lasting, and it gives you a flawless finish, perfect for brides. I applied this using my Sigma F80 Flat Kabuki Brush

Concealer: MAC Pro-Long Wear
I applied this using my Sigma P84 Precision Angled Brush under her eyes to brighten up the look and also to cancel out any dark circles

Contour: Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder 
Using my MAC 109 Small Contour Brush I lightly applied this to her cheek bones, her jaw line and gently applied to the sides of her nose adding dimension to her face.

Blush: MAC DollyMix
Taking my Bobbi Brown Blush Brush, I applied this softly to her cheeks giving her a pop of color.

Lips: e.l.f. Matte Lip Color in Praline
This was the perfect color for D, it was one of those 'color of your lips but even better' colors, giving her the perfect pout for her pictures.

Eyes: 
using my fingers I applied MAC Painterly Paint Pot to the entire lid, this will make your eyeshadow stick, also avoiding creasing.

we chose to go with the Urban Decay Naked Palette for her eye look.

using the E60 Brush from Sigma I applied Virgin over the entire lid

using the MAC 217 Eyeshadow Blending Brush I applied Naked to the crease, using a windshield wiping motion, going back and forth until it blended.

and then applied Buck in the outer corner using the same brush.
I then took the Sigma E40 Blending Brush and blended over the entire eye to blend all of the colors together to avoid harsh lines, and giving it a more effortless look
for eyeliner, we stuck with the long lasting Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner in Black Ink using the Sigma E05 eyeliner brush, we went with a thin line on the lid, and then added liner to the water line and a smidge to the lower lash line.

Lashes:

Darienne didn't want to commit to eyelash extensions, but didn't like the look of the eyelash strips either, she wanted this natural, so it was easy for me to recommend we try the Ardell Individual Eyelashes we went with long on the outer corner, and medium for the rest of the eye. I applied the lashes using the Duo Lash Glue in Dark

Brows:
 using my E65 Angled Brush I lightly filled her brows with MAC eyeshadow in Espresso

Finishing up:
I dusted some MAC Mineralized Skin Finish Natural in Medium over her entire face to set the foundation, and then once that had set we spritz'd some Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray  to give her that dewy bridal glow, and to leave her makeup set for the entire night! 

aaaand Voila! 

I love that these two found each other and are able to now, be together for all eternity. I love you Dar, and thank you SO much for letting me be a part of your big day! 

loves

beauty on a budget

hi lovelies!

 here is a list of products that i use all of the time and absolutely love and guess what? their all from the drug store!  instead of you guys testing out products you're unsure of and wasting money - here is a list of products that i love, and hopefully you'll love to! also, there are some products that are only limited to certain stores/locations for the products limited to target i put a [t] next to, and those that are limited to ulta i put a [u] next to!

 enjoy! 

foundation//

 i use liquid foundation - with my dry skin, powders do nothing but enhance that and it just drives me crazy. i also love a dewy finish, i hate it when my face looks caked on or powdery. depending on what foundation i'm using, i will sometimes set it with a powder, but that's as far as the powder + me relationship goes! i do know that there are some of you out there who refuse to wear liquid makeup and thats okay - i just have to be honest and admit that i've yet to find a powder from the drugstore worth mentioning. however, if you're looking for an amazing powder i recommend splurging a little and going with bare minerals its powder is moisturizing and will give you that flawless look! my current favorite foundations are:

$10.97 - Revlon Colorstay Whipped Foundation//

medium to full coverage

long lasting - looks better throughout the day/longer you wear it

blend-able

matte/dewy finish

i apply by dotting product on face with finger than blending with flat top kabuki brush

$8.97 - L'oreal True Match Foundation//

medium to full coverage

large selection of colors

blend-able

dewy finish

BB creams-tinted moisturizer//

BB creams have got to be one of the greatest products in the world! BB creams are amazing for those of you who prefer not to wear makeup, but want to even out your complexion, or you just want a little glow to your skin without going through the process of putting actual makeup on.  they prime, correct, hydrate, and perfect your skins appearance. all in one product.. amazing right? a tinted moisturizer is well, just that. a tinted moisturizer - they have SPF to keep your face away from the harm of the sun and give you that same glow all while evening out your skin tone. 

-trick: take a little bit of your favorite foundation on the back of your hand and dot some SPF face lotion swirl those together to make your own concoction of tinted moisturizer.  that way you're not using as much foundation which makes it last longer and you don't have to spend on a tinted moisturizer. 

$11.97 - Garnier BB Cream//

$13.69 - Sonia Kashuk Tinted Moisturizer [t] //

concealer//

you know those bags under your eyes from not getting sleep the night before? finding the right concealer can not only hide those but can bring your entire look together. just dab some concealor under your eyes and blend with ring finger, or a small brush.  

-trick: you can also use concealer to hide blemishes, just dab a tiny bit over the top of blemish and lightly push down with ring finger to blend, dab some powder to seal the deal - and voila!  

$10.49 - Sonia Kashuk Hidden Agenda Concealer Palette [t] //

$7.99 - L'oreal True Match Concealer Crayon//

$4.99 - NYX HD Concealer [u] //

cheeks//

i love baby doll pink blush, like the brighter, the better - is that weird? okay, maybe a little bit, but if you use just the right amount it will give you the most beautiful pop of color. as for bronzing, or contouring you just have to find the right color for your skin tone - but i've found some products are pretty neutral for all skin tones.

-trick:  use lipstick instead of purchasing new cream blush, take it on your finger and dab it on your cheeks if blended correctly it will give you the most beautiful flush of color.

-trick: if you've applied bronzer/blush too heavily, take a lose powder and blend over the top of your cheeks to blend away the harsh lines and color giving you a more natural look.

blush//

$6.00 - NYX  Rouge Cream Blushes [u] //

colors that i love: Glow & Natural

$3.00 - ELF powder blushes [t] //

colors that i love: Candid Coral & Pink Passion

bronze//

$2.79 - NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder//

color: Sunny

$3.00 - ELF Contouring Blush & Bronzer [t] //

mascara & eyeliner//

i like my mascara to have the rubber wands and not the fat, thick bristles  - am i the only one? i've found that whenever i use a mascara that has the thick bristles - my eyelashes always clump together, i hate that. so i've stuck with the same mascara for years, it is,  and will always be my favorite. i'm not too picky with eyeliner - it just has to last, is that too much to ask for? sheeeesh. i've had questions about the difference between the different eyeliners, and well to me - its all about the look you're going after. if you want a winged eyeliner - go with a liquid eyeliner, they always seem to last the longest, if you're going for just a general eye on your lid you can use any kind of eyeliner. as far as gel liners go, you can use them as a base on your lid, as well as a liner. pencil liners you can use for generally anything - but i tend to use them most for my waterline. 

-trick: if you're out of eyeliner, or don't have the money to spend on it - take your mascara wand and twist some product off on the back of your hand - take an eyeliner brush and use it as eyeliner.  

$7.78 - L'oreal Telescopic Mascara//

$5.97 - Maybelline Line Stiletto Liquid Eyeliner//

$8.47 - L'oreal Gel lacquer Liner//

$8.47 - L'oreal HIP Pencil Eyeliner//

eyeshadow//

eyeshadows are the one product that i'll never, ever get sick of buying. i honestly feel like you can never have too many eyeshadows. i love the fun colors, i love a good smokey eye, but i also love just a neutral eye. i feel like when it comes to makeup the most creative you can get with a look comes from how you use your eyeshadows - you can get festive, and creative all you want and then you can do it all over the next day - isn't that fun?

-trick: if an eyeshadow comes off more chalk-like than you wish, lightly take your brush under some water before dipping into eyeshadow to get the color to appear more vibrant. 

$4.97 - Maybelline Color Tattoos

$6.97 - L'oreal Infallible Eyeshadows

lips//

i love a bold lip, it can pull everything together in your look and give you that edge you've been looking for... but i also love a neutral lip, as well as just wearing gloss for the day. just like eyeshadows, you can be so creative - and you can do something totally new every single day. 

-trick: use concealor on a small brush, to clean up around the edges of a bold lip.

$5.99 - Milani Color Statement Lipstick [t] //

colors that i love: hot pink rage, best red, fruit punch, 

$6.48 - Revlon Lip Butter Lipstick//

colors that i love: cupcake, and creme brulee

$4.97 - Revlon Matte Lipstick// 

colors that i love: pink pout - dupe for MAC's 'snob'

$4.99 - NYX Butter Gloss [u] // 

colors that i love: creme brulee, peaches and cream, strawberry parfait, merengue

thats all folks! i hope you enjoyed - keep sending requests you guys, i'm loving this.

love y'all!