Category: Mac Cosmetics

Makeup For Ever: Aqua Miami

~ Lady C ~ Leave a comment
Makeup For Ever’s Summer Campaign Ad



My Version



Lips: To achive that super matte look, I lined and filled my lips in with MAC’s Magenta liner, then went over it with their cream lip liner in Cranapple, and dabbed Passionate (hot pink) eye shadow over the entire lip with my finger
Eyes: I used a thin line of Wet N Wild’s waterproof black liquid eyeliner, followed by a thicker sweep with MAC’s Liquid Last Eye Liner in Aqualine (it looks like liquid and stays ON like nobody’s business!)
Beach Ready!

Peter Rabbit Maternity Painting

~ Lady C ~ Leave a comment
I can’t express enough how much fun it is to paint mommy bellies! It’s probably my favorite thing to do. Here is Corine, one of my brides from 2009, preggers with her first baby. She is 8.5 months along, and was a total trooper for the 2 hours (total) it took to do all of this. I adore first-time moms. They are always so happy and…glowy! LOL Corine is doing a whole Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit motif for their baby boy Jackson. In honor of this, we did a little Peter Rabbit on her belly, complete with a white picket fence and an apple tree. I did my signature banner with the baby’s name across the bottom. Little Jackson was a curious baby who kept elbowing my hands and brushes as I was painting. It’s one of the coolest things in the world to feel an unborn angel poking around in their mom’s belly! I can’t even describe what a blessing it is. I am always in awe of how life begins and how amazing the woman’s body really is.
 
SIDE NOTE: In case you are interested in belly painting for your pregnancy, all the products I use are water soluble and completely safe for baby and mom. I use gently pressure and always make sure my moms and babies are comfortable.
I took this after we wiped Corine’s belly art off, of Corine, hubby Alex and baby J. Not bad for an amateur, huh? 


Lady C’s Makeup Must Haves

~ Lady C ~ Leave a comment
We are finally at Part 4 in the four-part “Must Haves” series! Here, I’ll be talking about what makeup I use on a daily basis. Below is my “makeup station” at home, complete with my chalkboard gardenia-scented soy candle (I scrawled Japan on it in leu of the disasters that have affected the people there).

Pictured here are my “face” products from L-R:

Jouer Essential Matte Touch
MAC Fix + Spray
Philosophy Hope Oil-Free SPF 30
MAC Prep N Prime
MAC Fix Fluid Foundation
Application: I apply the SPF 30 all over and let it sit while I walk my dog outside. It’s important for your SPF to settle into your skin before you put your makeup on, or else everything will look oily. Then, I rub some of Jouer’s Matte creme  (Thanks Jen C!) onto my T-zone: down the bridge of my nose and forehead. Next, I mix one pump of the primer with one pump of my foundation, to create a super matte, long wearing, sheer application that will last all day. I apply all this with my fingers. Next I apply concealer to the whole eye area, lids included.  After everything is applied, I spray the Fix + to set the makeup.
Below are all of my “highlight & contour” products clockwise from the top:
MAC Cheek blush
       MAC Springsheen shimmer blush
   MAC Ladyblush Blush Creme
MAC Lune Creme Highlight
        MAC Mineral Skinfinish Powder
     MAC Refined Golden Bronzer
    Application: I dust the Skinfinish powder all over to set my foundation. It’s not really my favorite powder, but since I have it around, I’ll make it work. Next I contour my face with the bronzer.
I apply the creme blush with my fingers to the apples of my cheeks, then set it with a mix of Cheek and Springsheen, which looks like a lovely pink-coral on my skin. I apply Lune to my highlight areas: cheekbones and brow bones. Lune was a limited product. If you would like to get something similar, try Pearl or Shell Cream Colour Base by MAC.
Pictured below are my various eye/face products:
Diorshow Blackout Mascara
MAC Eyelash Curler
MAC Select Coverup in NW25
MAC Fluidline in Black Track
Fresh Sugar lip balm SPF 15
Tarina Tarantino Sparklicity Pure Gold
Makeup For Ever Waterproof Eyebrow Corrector
Application: I always apply concealer AFTER foundation, and before powder. I fill in my brows with this amazing gel from MUF with an angle brush. I warm up the lash curler in my palms before giving a quick squeeze. I look down into a compact or a swivel mirror and apply my mascara by wiggling up and out. If I have time, I’ll line my eyes with the Fluidline and an angle brush. I will lightly dust the Sparklicity (LOVE) over the areas that I applied Lune, as well as the inner corners of my eyes. A swipe of Fresh’s lip balm with one of my million lip glosses, and I’m ready to leave the house! LOL

Tools: I’m going to save which brushes I use for another blog post, but I’ll share the tools I use on the daily here: A pair of safety scissors to trim my crazy Armenian eyebrows, slanted tweezers to groom absolutely everything on my body, and a palette to squirt various products on. I got mine from a pro store, however you can just get an artist’s palette from Aaron Brothers for around $3 and it will do the trick! 

 NOT PICTURED:
Eye Primer– Urban Decay Primer Potion in EDEN
Eyeshadows– I don’t wear shadows every day, but when I do… I use MAC. Nobody makes eye shadows and pigments like MAC Cosmetics. Period.



Lady C’s Nail Polish Must Haves

~ Lady C ~ Leave a comment

Essie — $8.00 each. Essie is known for their pastels and “softer” colors. I basically lived in the brand’s greige color, “Chinchilly,” all winter long.

OPI — $8.00 each. In my opinion, OPI is the top dog in the nail world. I’ve been rocking their Katy Perry “Shatter” polish for the last month.

China Glaze — $5.00 each. I really love the brights and neons in this line. My personal go-to every summer is “Shocking Pink”

MAC Cosmetics — $14.00 each. These polishes have UV ray protection and staying power. Im always on the lookout for the limited colors! I’m currently wearing “N Colour” and “Rose Topping” from MAC:

Chanel — $25.00 each. “Pearl Drop” is a white frost with greenish-gold iridescence from the Spring 2011 line is to die for. These are at the top of the price range for nail polish, but I still think every girl should have at least one Chanel polish!

Deborah Lippmann —  $16.00 each. “I Know What Boys Like (periwinkle) and “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” (coral) I am kind of obsessed with “Some Enchanted Evening,” a sparkling pink glitter particle polish, thanks to my friend Kristyn M. She sent me a pic of her nails week and my heart hasn’t stopped palpitating since!

Black (Armenian) Swan

~ Lady C ~ Leave a comment
Hello Beauty Lovers. 
My boyfriend and I watched Black Swan on Friday night and let me just say the movie lived up to all my expectations. The psychological change Natalie Portman’s character goes through is so interesting -and difficult to watch- at the same time. Everyone has been asking me to do a Black Swan, and even though it’s not the prettiest look, seeing the movie convinced me to do it. Chantal and I crack up at how every look I do is the “Armenian version” I guess there is just no way to hide my big ojos and ethnic nose LOL! It’s cool…I wear them proudly. Here’s the movie poster and a pic of me. Below is my tutorial. Don’t forget to subscribe! *wink

Here are some of the MAC products I used to create this look:

White Chromacake (Pro)
Strobe Cream
Velvetella Lip liner
Viva Glam 3 Lipstick
Platinum Pigment (Pro)
Black Paintstick (Pro)
Invisible Set Powder (Pro)

How to Contour

~ Lady C ~ 1 Comment

Happy Tuesday! Here’s a quick video on how to contour your face using makeup. Below are the products I used:

Contour: Taupe Blush (MAC)
Blush: Goddess Blush- Limited (MAC)
Brushes: all used were from Crown Brush

Make sure you subscribe to my Youtube channel so I know that people care! LOL

~ Lady C ~ Leave a comment
                    

Ok, Chantal is going to kill me for posting it, but I really don’t care. The image on the right is a look from Makeup For Ever. I recreated it on my favorite guinea pig, my little sis. I also call this look “Pretty Cholla” 😉

The White Queen

~ Lady C ~ Leave a comment
I had some fun over the weekend with an idea Chantal actually came up with. She found this photo below of the Anne Hathaway as the White Queen from Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. I recreated the look and thought I’d share. This was super fun to do, I just wish my wig wasn’t so haggard. Let me know if you have any suggestions on what I should try next! PS I hemmoraged a ton of money at Sephora’s over the weekend and I have ZERO buyer’s remorse…is that bad? I can’t wait to share all my new product reviews with you!

Zombie/Dead Mermaid

~ Lady C ~ 2 Comments
Everyone has been asking how I did the Mermaid Zombie look this past Halloween, so I’ll try to explain. (I know…I need to start doing YouTube tutorials).

1) FACE– I applied a sheer layer of MAC Chromacake “White” all over with Fix + Spray to wet it and a big buffer brush (think Kabuki). Followed by a LIGHT LIGHT dusting of Landscape Green Chromacake.  I then took a clean blush brush and buffed in Swimming Eye Shadow (a grass green shade) over all over it. I topped everything off with Invisible Set Powder. Highlighted with Lavender FX Hyper Real/Pressed Powder and contoured with Taupe blush. I went over all the contours with Femme Noir (a black-green eyeshadow) and a crease brush. Be sure to get the inner parts of your eyes, from the top of your eyebrows to underneath the eye. Go around your nostrils and under the lower lip. 

2) EYES– Um, what didn’t I have ON my lids?! I’ll skip the little stuff here. Various Fluidlines used as bases. Blue Brown Pigment on the top lids, applied WET, with like 5 different shades of dark greens and purples in the crease. Under eyes were also a variety of purples and reds, and I lined the inner rim with Foxy Lady (a true RED eyeliner). Lashes from Sally’s, believe it or not.

3) LIPS– Velvetella creme liner (my FAVE) with Cyber lipstick, and a shimmery burgandy lip glass that was limited. Blood Gel by Cinema Secrets was carefully “dripped” on each corner of the mouth, but not before drawing it out with Velvetella first.

4) CHEST– I applied the same Chromacake technique to my chest and shoulders as I did to my face, including the contouring. Then I drew a stencil out of canvas paper for the “ribs” and used Femme Noir eyeshadow with a big fluffy brush in between it. You can also get this look from an airbrush machine but A) I was too lazy and B) Who has time to clean an airbrush machine?

5) SCALES– I used some fishnet stockings as a stencil and patted Ostentatious Fluidline on. Viola! 😉




*All the products (except for the lashes and blood) used for this look are from MAC Cosmetics, many from their Pro line. Click the link in my other mermaid look to find a Pro store near you.

TGIF: Beauty Survey

~ Lady C ~ Leave a comment
1) MOOD – My morning started off with a lot of sad feelings. Everyone deals with grief differently, and mine just kind of creeps up on me at a moment’s notice. I’m feeling a little more balanced now, but still…not the greatest.

2) EYELINER- Auto de Bleu Technakohl  by MAC Cosmetics

3) FRAGRANCE- CoCo CaBaNa by Bath & Body Works. Limited item that I had leftover from a few summers ago. This is a yummy concoction of coconut and pineapple and smells sweetly of sunscreen. Nothing’s beats the smell of summer!

4) INSPIRATION- I truly feel a connection to the Virgin Mary and collect all kinds of religious memorabilia. I am currently looking to purchase a statue of her for our balcony. Here’s a photo my boyfriend took of a beautiful statue in a church in New Orleans during his trip.

5) LOVE of the DAY- I just can’t get enough of my little survivor Capuccino. He has been through so much, and continues to fight through his physical ailments with a wag in his tail and and smile on his face. Love my little Mush-Mush!
6) Makeup Crush- Obviously, my current Lush obsession. I’ve spent nearly $100 in 3 different locations in the past month. Don’t judge me. LOL

Products Shown:

GeoPhyzz Bath Bomb: Sea salt, Cypress and Sandalwood, smells like Hawaii
Bathos Bubble Bar: Violet leaf and Jasmine, turns your water sexy purple!
Sandstone Soap: Sand, Gardenia and Lemon, smells like a Brazilian beach
7) OUTFIT-  Well, folks, it’s Cajshy Friday so I have on a blue and white striped “nautical” dress, blue tank top, and gold heels. Because that’s just how I roll.

8) HAIR- I am really digging the French braid trend right now. I just learned how to French-braid (my mom doesn’t know how, therefore, I never learned), and that’s basically all I have been doing for weeks. Pigtails, side pony tail, just-the-bangs, you name it.

If you are like me, and need to learn how to do it, click this link: How To French-Braid Your Hair

9) SONG OF THE DAY- I am not ashamed to say I have been rocking out to Ace of Base lately. Oh how I miss the 90’s! All That She Wants is in constant rotation. Remember the “remix” version at the end of the cd with the Indian twist? Kinda lovin’ it!

10) GOALS FOR THE WEEK- Seeing Hot Tub Time Machine with my man tonight, going to a Tupperware party hosted by a Mexican drag queen tomorrow as well as an 80’s themed bday party that evening, and a possible gig on Sunday. Then preparing my body for the hell the trainer at 24 Hour is going to put it through twice next week! 

 
 

(Yep, that’s Kay Sedia!)