Happy New Year!

Wow! What a year. It sure has been an eventful one! Our wedding was in June and it turned out beautifully. I married my other half and my best friend. The planning pushed my creative side to the max to say the least. I had some beautiful brides this past year to make glamorous for their special day. It's a special job to make a bride feel their best and to know you have such a big part of the day is really rewarding. I feel like I got out of the box this year with creative coloring. It's not a world of getting a million foils anymore, which I am thankful for. Haha. And lastly, I was proud of stepping out of my "fear box" and joined the choir at my church. It's been a long time coming. I grew up singing and I had pretty much put it aside when my life was in a direction that my confidence was low. I'm glad I can start singing again and help be a part of an awesome worship team.

I hope 2014 is full of awesome beginnings for you and that you can discover that you are given talents for special reasons. I hope you find that some of the best rewards are free, and to love your family and friends fully because they are a blessing to you even when they aren't perfect. Know that you are worth it and you deserve to be happy, everyday, for your whole life.

To the best year yet.
   -  Jen

Urban Decay products!

I am pumped to be an Urban Decay Pro now! If you are a makeup artist they give you an opportunity to be a part of their special program which is awesome. I think the most recognizable product of theirs is the NAKED eyeshadow palettes. They are awesome and they last forever. I couldn't wait to get some new makeup to try! So here's what I'm trying out and I'll let you know what I think about it!

Merry almost Christmas everyone!

http://www.urbandecay.com

Super saturated high gloss lip color in "Naked", Whoa these are like butter. 

"good karma" foundation brush blurs your makeup to an airbrush finish

This primer Is The Best. The original is fantastic. This is "Sin" which is a golden tinted primer

Razor sharp finishing powder. This is the cherry on top, makes your skin look flawless.

These dual end eyeliner pencils accompany their best selling palettes. They last all day. 

Lip junkie gloss. Peroxide is a lovely light pink, smells great. Not sticky. 

Drugstore makeup: Wet n Wild

 How can you resist the makeup area at CVS or Walgreens? I can't that's for sure. I am a forever fan of a Revlon grow luscious mascara. It makes your lashes grow, I'm serious. I quit using it a while and they were short again. I grabbed a few things today and I may have a new favorite lipstick. And shocker.... it's from wet n wild. I wish they would change their name, it's creepy. Lol. But this Fergie lipstick "Fergie Daily", is the bomb. It's creamy and has a good amount of pigment.
I also got the Perfect Pair eye wand which has an eyeliner and shadow in one stick. I'm interested to see the staying power on that one. Normally cheaper liners aren't strong enough to last all day, but some can with primer.

I can't believe Christmas is two weeks from today! I'm not done shopping! Eeek!

Fergie Daily is a great dupe for MAC Honeylove 

New product to try! Fake Bake Face Self Tanner

I have not had much luck finding a great face self tanner that will give you great color without being greasy or that isn't good for sensitive skin. Most can break you out with the oils and fillers that may be ok for your body, but not your face. I've used Fake Bake products in the past and liked them so I'm giving this a try! Face tanner is perfect for the winter because I get super pale and look sick. Haha.
It's nice to have a little healthy glow!

I'll give an update after I use it about a week!

UPDATE- I'm obsessed. It gives you a glowing complexion And my skin looks really smooth. It seems like it has better clarity and more evened out texture which is lovely. I wouldn't recommend re-applying throughout the day because you don't want to look like the only thing that's tan is your face.
So far I haven't had sensitivity either. LOVE!

http://fakebake.com/home.html

The description from the Fake Bake site!  A Breakthrough in Anti-Aging! Featuring Apple Stem Cell Technology*  The Face by Fake Bake Platinum has combined our award winning self-tanning formula that contains  premium DHA and Erythulose for longer lasting, natural looking results with the latest anti-aging  ingredient - *PhytoCellTecTM Malus Domestica - created from stem cells extracted from the rare  Swiss apple Uttwiler Spatlauber. With age, the number of skin stem cells decreases and their ability  to maintain and repair the skin diminishes. Plant cells are totipotent, meaning that every cell has the  ability to regenerate new organs. It is this characteristic that has been harnessed within The Face by  Fake Bake Platinum to ensure the longevity of your skin stem cells, essentially delaying biological  aging of your essential cells.  * Long lasting self-tan * Gentle formula suitable for sensitive facial skin * Delays biological aging of essential cells * Preserves youthful look & skin vitality  * Contains anti-aging peptides * Combats the effects of oxidants * Free from artificial preservatives So basically it's a self tanner that has anti-aging properties and is great for sensitive skin. And  If it keeps your skin from aging too then Wonderful!!

The Importance of Brushes

We have all used them.....those plastic eyeshadow applicators with the sponge tip. Thinking of using one to apply eye shadow makes me cringe. I'm not gonna slap your hand if you love them, but graduating to a great eyeshadow brush will Change Your World.. I'm not calling anyone out but (cough cough, mom.) :)

You don't have to spend a fortune for great brushes. ELF and has some great ones in their studio line. If you can catch the CYBER monday deal tomorrow ( December 2nd ) the whole site is 50% off with the coupon code CYBER50. That's an awesome deal, especially since they are already cheap. I'm planning on getting some myself. Why is it when you're Christmas shopping, it's hard to not buy things for yourself too? Haha.

I know most makeup artist are partial to MAC and Sigma brushes, which are awesome, but I personally think the affordable ones are just as good for the everyday woman and makeup artist too.
Here's some of my favorites!


Happy December!

Eyeslipsface.com 

nyxcosmetics.com 

ecotools.com

Soniakashuk.com

E.l.f. Small angled brush 

Great for applying gel liner or eyebrow powder 

One of my favorite eyeshadow brushes of all time. 

Sonia Kashuk pointed blending brush 

Ecotools airbrush concealer brush 

Great for applying under eye concealer 

E.l.f angled blush brush 

For applying powder blush or contouring with bronzer 

E.l.f. Angled contour brush 

Great for softening lines on a smokey eye

E.l.f studio Stipple brush 

Great for applying liquid foundations 

E.l.f. Studio contour brush 

Great size for blending in crease