Tag Archives: eyeliner

NEW! Cover Girl Makeup & Hair by Sunset Blonde

31 Jan
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Makeup and Hair for this VIVA GLAM MAGAZINE cover shot by SUNSET BLONDE

The December 2012 Issue of Viva Glam Magazine features Mariza Prince  the “Fit Chic.” She is glammed up with hair and makeup by Viva Glam Magazine’s own Beauty Editor & in house Makeup Artist Sunset Blonde. Gorgeous blonde locks overflowing with soft waves are the ultimate Viva Glam look, with neutral toned lips and cheeks, the defined smokey eye is inviting and sultry.

A few of the behind the scenes/instagram photos taken on set of the photo shoot:

photo 2

A gorgeous behind the scenes iphone photo of Mariza Prince in the makeup studio, almost ready to shoot!

photo 1

A few of Sunset Blonde’s beauty tools & makeup used on the set of the photo shoot.

To view more visit Viva Glam Magazine’s website at www.vivaglammagazine.com

Love,

Sunset Blonde

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Wedding Day Makeup DIY

10 Dec

I’ve always preferred doing my own makeup over how anyone else does it. I have always felt like I do it best, even if it wasn’t always the best. Now that I’m a Makeup Artist, after getting professional training, experience, and learning industry secrets, I feel like I can do my makeup better than any one else can for my wedding day. And so can you!!

My wedding is taking place in Norway. A beautiful country that I have fallen in love with, but also a country that is still unfamiliar to me in so many ways. I know already, that I wont be able to find a local makeup artist that can do a better job than I can on my wedding day. So, I decided right away, that I would just do my own hair and makeup. I also recently gave some advice to a friend that was having a destination wedding, who asked me about doing her own makeup.

Here’s my advice for doing your own wedding day makeup:

Don’t stray too far from the makeup routine you usually do, just perfect it by having the right tools and products. You can even higher a professional makeup artist for a private lesson to help and give you pointers. The best wedding makeup, is still looking like yourself! Youtube also has many how-to makeup videos to help.

Do not wear SPF on your big day; it doesn’t photograph well. It tends to reflect the light, even when worn under makeup it can make you look pale or shiny in flash photographs.

Use blotting papers to soak up excess oil during your wedding to avoid caking on too much powder.

And, especially for this day, even though it’s a pain to remove at night, use waterproof mascara and eyeliner!

Find inspiration for your wedding day makeup look. Whether you are experienced with applying makeup or new to it, keep it simple, classic and as natural as possible.

Practice this look on yourself. Many times. I suggest beginning to practice the final makeup choice on yourself at least a month before the wedding.

Get the right products for the look. Long wearing formulas, waterproof, high quality formulas, and the right shades are essential for creating that perfect wedding day look. Buying the right products and shades will help you to look your best on the big day.

Have the right makeup brushes. A great way to not only ensure proper makeup application on your wedding day, but a great investment for your makeup collection everyday. High quality makeup brushes last longer than any makeup, they also ensure easier and more natural application. You can buy great ones I have designed at sunsetblonde.com.

If it’s an option, ask a friend to help you on the big day. Ask someone with a steady hand to help you apply that liquid liner, or apply the false lashes on your big day to relieve some stress and any mistakes. It’s a great idea to ask them before the big day, and do a trial run. I recommend waterproof mascara and individual false lashes, because they will look more natural and you wont run the risk of them coming unglued if you tear up.

Bring touch-up Makeup. Things happen during the wedding that can mess up even a professional makeup job. So expect to touch up your makeup every bathroom trip you make. At least try to look at it and make sure everything looks ok. Crying, hugging and kissing, dancing, and even eating can cause your makeup to disappear. Bring a compact with powder to cover shine, lipcolor, and Qtips as the bare minimum. You even ask a bridesmaid to hold it in her purse.

The most important part of your makeup for your big day is evening out your skintone for that flawless bride look, using foundation, concealer under eyes and on blemishes (apply over foundation), and a translucent setting powder.

Remember that a natural look is always best for your wedding day, so NO harsh/super bright colors or extreme sparkle.

Here are some inspirational makeup photos that I found for my wedding day makeup look, which might help you too:

Love,

Sunset Blonde

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How To Keep Your Makeup Fresh All Day

9 Sep

There is no secret to keeping your makeup as fresh as when you first applied it.

The truth is, if you want your makeup to look good all day, you either need to periodically check your face and do touch ups, or you need to start fresh and reapply. There are certainly things that you can do to help it last longer on your face, but your skin is a living breathing thing, that moves, gets touched, gets sweaty, gets oily, and so on. Even simple things like using your phone and eating are guaranteeing you a touch-up. Try to avoid touching your face as much as possible throughout the day, it keeps it cleaner and prevents your makeup from getting messed up for longer.

So many magazines, articles and ads try to tell you otherwise, and list off simple tips to staying flawless all day. But I find that it’s mostly irrelevant tips, or bs.  I’m sharing with you the reality of makeup, which is that makeup is temporary. There is NO way to make it “stay.” The only solution is touch-ups/reapplying.

“How do you keep your makeup looking so flawless and last throughout the day?” So many girls ask me this question, and I figured I would share my secret for a flawless face . . . TOUCH-UPS!

Now, that I have shared this information with you, don’t freak out! It’s really very easy to do touch ups and reapply. It may seem like a hassle, but it’s just a necessary part of you making the choice to wear makeup. Even “long-wearing formulas” are still temporary.

If you wear a full face of makeup, the parts that you will most likely need to touch up most frequently are, your lips, and your foundation. Keeping a powder compact with a mirror and a lip color with you at all times, is not to difficult and can be kept in your purse.

Another way that I keep my makeup looking fresh, for example after a long day if I want to look fresh for a dinner date, I use a makeup wipe to clean off all of my foundation/powder on my face, leaving my eye makeup on. It is easy to just reapply lotion, foundation, concealer and setting powder and blush in only a few minutes to give my face a fresh look. Eye makeup tends to last longer on me, so I don’t have to touch up on it.

I like to use Comodynes Convenient Cosmetics Make-up Remover Sensitive & Dry Skin wipes from Trader Joe’s. They remove makeup well, and stay really moist.

I recommend keeping a few items with you in your purse or a tiny makeup bag. Whatever you think wears off the quickest, and will help you to look fresh is what you should put in it.

Here are some basic suggestions:

To-Go touch-up kit:

Pressed powder compact with a mirror in a translucent shade, or matching your skintone.

Small travel sized powder brush

Eyeliner (I recommend using a waterproof version so it doesn’t bleed or wear off, but if you love eyeliner, it’s a good idea to keep an extra pencil with you to touch-up with)

Blotting tissues (to remove oil and shine if you have oily skin)

Lip color (something that is easy to apply and natural looking for everyday) (Or that fun color you applied before leaving the house, throw that in your kit/purse)

Small container of concealer, or spare concealer (just in case those dark circles or zits start showing through your previously applied concealer)

I always keep some sort of mineral powder compact for touch ups because it gives great coverage to cover blemishes, to blend streaks, and blends well with the foundation I already have on. I use “Sandy Lane” by FRESH or Almost Poweder Makeup by Clinique in “04 Neutral”

Even during photoshoots, makeup artists are constantly doing touch ups to keep makeup and hair looking fresh, and they usually stay on set all day “just in case.” Unfortunately, we can’t all have our own personal makeup artist with us all day, so be your own personal makeup artist, touch up when you make a trip to the rest room, or whenever you have a minute and a mirror.

Love,

Sunset Blonde

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Day 2 On Location: Hawaiian Beach Bikini Photo Shoot

11 Jun

Day 2 On Location: Hawaiian Beach Bikini Photo Shoot

Below is a photo of all of the crew setting up the shot. You can see me with my set bag perfecting the model’s hair before she starts shooting.

The weather starting out this morning didn’t go as well as hoped on day 2. Up at 4am to start hair and makeup on the new model, only to get to our location at 6am, and wait around for an hour to see if the sky would clear up  to get some nice sunlight to shoot.

I took a photo of the sky around 6:30am, the sun is just barely visible through the oncoming clouds. The ground below is dark, and there isn’t enough natural light to properly shoot the model with.

Our model of the day was Julia Docherty. She was a great sport running back and forth in and out of the pop up changing tent to stay dry from the rain. Below in a photo of the pop up changing tent. It’s convenient but rare to have a tent like this on location. But it is great for model’s to change inside of when on a public beach for some privacy and rapid outfit changes. Just wanted to show you this because it’s kind of a neat invention that makes on location shoots more comfortable for a model.

 
Soon after we changed locations to shoot at the Aqua Nui House. This is the photographer’s house that we are staying at. This is a shot of the back of the house, the ocean & beach are the backyard, which makes it a perfect shoot location!
 
 

This is the gorgeous model for Day 2, Julia Docherty, a D cup swimsuit model that fills out the Sunsets Inc. swimsuits nicely. She was stunning, and had amazing eyes. In the photo below you can see how I styled her hair and did her makeup for the shoot. I played up her eyes, contoured her cheeks and gave her a nude/natural lip. Her hair was styled with soft beachy curls and sexy side swept bangs. This hairstyle was hard to keep looking fresh and perfect on her because of her fine hair type. 4 touch-ups where required to re-curl her hair throughout the day, and lots of hairspray was used!

Her eyeshadow was a Metallic Eye shadow in a green shade from Bobbie Brown called Sage which I blended into her creases and under the outer corners of her eyes. I used Bone also By Bobbie Brown and blended it onto her lids and brow bone.

In Julia’s hair I added some clip-in hair extensions to keep her hair looking fuller and curled, since hair extensions hold curl really well.

I used a combination of all 3 of these hairsprays throughout the day for controlling frizz and flyways, as well as for hold during re-curling.

Below is a photo of me touching up her hair in between shots, standing behind as shade panel that is known as a scrim. Photographers use a scrim to shade the model from direct sunlight, it’s basically a lighting tool.

She is wearing faux lashes, and Loreal Voluminous Mascara in carbon black, and Kevyn Aucoin The Eye Pencil Primatif in Black on top lashline only and blended.

I applied Makeup Forever HD Foundation in color #123, with a custom powder to set it that I made with yellow undertones to match her tan.

I used MAC Bronzer in GOLDEN under her cheekbones and jawline for contouring with the FANCY CHEEKY BRUSH from SUNSET BLONDE, and Kevyn Aucoin blush in Dolline on her upper cheeks.

Kevyn Aucoin The Pure Powder Glow – Dolline which I find to be the perfect matte apricot shade:

Julia needed a long lasting lip color for her lips so I made a custom color for her from Loreal Infallible Lipsticks in #812 Opulent Organza & #423 Perpetual Peach. These have nice staying power and go on creamy. Both of these colors are great to use by themselves and look great if you want a natural color for many skin tones. #812 is more of a matte berry color, and #423 is a shimmery peachy pink. I think that a combination of the 2 makes a perfect shade.

An on-set trick from Sunset Blonde:  It might look weird, but works great! I like to take a small amount of lipstick with me to go in a Disposable container when on location, instead taking the entire lipstick with me and risking a meltdown in my “on-set” bag in the blazing sun.  I’ve come up with a great idea for those plastic containers that false lashes come in, I smear a small amount of lipstick straight from the tube onto the plastic & Go! This not only keeps my lipsticks sanitary, and from melting, but it allows me to keep a separate tray of lipstick for each model that is portable. Great idea to reuse an item you might normally trash.

At photo shoots there are usually racks of bikinis, stacks of accessories and it can get pretty messy. This company is great in that they neatly hang up the bikinis with matching cover-ups, and attached to the hangers in plastic bags are the accessories nicely matched up for each outfit change that have been selected prior to the shoot day. This organization strategy speeds up the changing time in between shots, and makes it easy for the stylists and models to know what the complete next outfit is. I love it when designers are super organized and time efficient!

As I described in Day 1, I love my on-set bag, so I thought I would take some photos of my actual bag so that you can see me wearing it, and what I am able to fit in it! I like to wear it across my body so that I don’t have to worry about it falling off my shoulder. As you can see, I have a lot of useful items for touch ups, brushes, hairspray, compacts, bug spray, even a favorite of mine… coconut water for hydration.  This bag also makes a great travel toiletry bag for the travel lovers reading this!

By late morning the sun was shining high in the sky and we pushed through a lot of shooting. I had to blur out the model on the far left, so that you can’t see her bikini, because they will not be released until July, so I have to keep them a secret ;)

I will be modeling on day 3 & 4…so stay tuned for more photos and info!

Love,

SUNSET BLONDE

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Long Lash Problems: MASCARA MISTAKES!!

3 Jun

“I have long eye lashes and always tend to get mascara on my eyelid when applying mascara. I do this after my eyeshadow so it then ruins my eyeshadow when I try to get it off with a q-tip. Any tips on how to avoid this??

Thanks

-Jessica “

Jessica,

The best way is prevention! I never run into this problem personally, because my lashes are short, and there is a lot of space between my eyelids and my eyebrows. But my sister has this issue and so I interviewed her this morning on how she deals with this problem, and what she does to prevent a mascara mess. She has become good at it because she loves wearing eyeshadow and mascara.

This is also a great tip, not only for women with Long eyelashes, but also women that have a small eyelid, with not a lot of space between their lash line and their eyebrows.

Here is how to prevent getting mascara on your eyelids after you have already applied eyeshadow and eyeliner:

First of all, my sister said that a CURVED MASCARA WAND is a MUST to avoid mascara mistakes! You have to use a curved brush! Helps to be more precise and hugs your lashes, preventing mistakes. It also gives you a little lift and curl. You will have a lot more control with a curved brush.

Straight mascara wands tend to make a big mess when you have long lashes. Using a curved brush you have more control and also helps to curl and shape your lashes in the correct direction.

She recommends using:

Maybelline GREAT LASH Mascara, CURVED BRUSH.

She likes this mascara because it not only has a curved brush that helps her prevent mascara mistakes, but is lightweight and doesn’t clump. It gives her a natural look on her long lashes.

Here are steps to help you achieve applying mascara without mistakes:

1. Tilt head back, open mouth slightly as you look straight ahead into the mirror. Almost like you are looking down. This puts more space between your lashes and your eyelids.

2. While tilting your head really far back, begin applying mascara and try your best not to blink while applying your mascara. Immediately look down and relax while allowing your mascara to dry.

3. To speed up the drying process, use a blowdryer on a cool setting (always use a cool setting) to dry your mascara.

4. Another tip, if you want to curl your lashes is to curl your eyelashes gently AFTER applying mascara. Please don’t press the curler closed all the way, otherwise you will get a hard crease. Plus you run the risk of the mascara sticking to the lash curler and ripping out your lashes. So try to avoid pulling out your lashes. Curling your lashes after applying mascara prevents your lashes from hitting your lids even more.

5. Another option, if simply leaning your head back doesn’t work try this:  When you tilt your head back, use your index finger in a hook shape in front of your eyelid, resting your hand on your cheek to steady your hand.

Try to avoid pressing your finger against your eyelid so that you don’t mess up your eyeshadow. But use your finger to block the lashes from touching your eyelid. It is much easier to remove mascara from your finger, than using a q-tip after to fix mistakes and retouch eyeshadow on your lids.

Girls, try this and let me know if you have any other techniques or tips on how to solve this issue!

Special thanks to my beautiful sister Shaina (left) for your input and answers to this common LONG LASH PROBLEM!

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Sunset Blonde Beauty Brushes

31 May

Buy them while they are still on SALE!!

CLICK HERE to purchase : http://www.sunsetblonde.com/#!__page-0/store

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Jennifer Stano’s Blog

17 May

If you like my Blog, also check out my gorgeous & incredibly sweet friend Jennifer Stano’s Blog

Isn’t she so gorg? She also has some really great fashion posts!! Check it out!

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COMING SOON!

14 May

SUNSET BLONDE BEAUTY 

Introducing our

SEXY SIGNATURE EYESHADOW BRUSHES

Making this Signature eye look even easier with these luxuriously soft & perfectly shaped shadow brushes.

Everything is a little easier when you have the right tools, and this look requires the precise tools to achieve the desired look! Sunset Blonde Beauty’s Signature Eyeshadow Brushes make your makeup routine a beautifully blended breeze!

Follow this blog to receive a special update & be among the first to purchase this

Signature Eyeshadow Brush Set!

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My Signature Eye Makeup Technique

4 May

HOW-TO

I have blonde hair, and therefore, blonde eyelashes, and eyebrows…this sometimes is not so pretty. So I have come up with a certain way that I like to do my eye makeup that really accentuates the shape and beauty of them.

Below is a photo of how my eye looks with no eye makeup on:

I love more of a cat-eye look and the almond shape, enhancing the outer corners of my eyes and keeping it natural and lighter on the inner corners. I place the eyeshadow in an UP & OUT technique.  I have come up with this special way to do my eye makeup that I have also tried on some of my makeup clients that seems to work well on a variety of eye shapes.

Here is the finished look:

Without eye makeup, my eyes look small and close-set. I try to make my eyes look larger and farther apart.

Dust a pale, light-reflective shadow across the inner three-quarters of each lid, then apply a dark shadow from lash line to crease at the outer corner using the small shader brush (see brush below). I use A bronze or brown color because it looks more natural than any other shade.

Next step is to add the same bronze color eyeshadow to the lower lashline starting at the outer corner and blending and tapering off half way only:

TIP: Please limit dark liner to the outer corner of your eye (top and bottom) if you are going to use it. But I recommend it at night, I think it tends to be too dark for the daytime. Here is how I apply the cream liner crayon, which I like in either brown or purple. In this photo I’m using the purple one, to give it a subtle pop so that you can see it. I apply it inside lower lashline and underlashes on outer corners only:

Next, BLEND!! Blend the shadow into the crease and outer corners with the larger blending brush.

Add mascara to top lashes, concentrating on outer corners and sweeping lashes out. It is also very important to get the mascara as close to the lash line as you can.

Add a light coat of mascara to the outer corner bottom lashes, and VERY lightly to inner bottom lashes:

Again, concentrate on putting the mascara thicker on the outer corner lashes:

Blending and placement of color are super important.

Sometimes I will add some liquid Eyeliner and False lashes for a more glamorous look for photo shoots or a night out. The photo pictured directly below has no liquid eyeliner and No false lashes. All mine baby!

ImageImage

Brush Up
Your fingers will NOT get the job done. You need good brushes which are dramatically better for blending and building color.
Here is what you need:
You can buy these brushes as a set or individually from www.sunsetblonde.com
From top to bottom:
1. BLENDER BRUSH
Long and fluffy, this tool is perfect for shading your creases, emphasizing the outer corners of your eyes, and blending shadows together. This is my favorite brush, and is essential to this soft shadow look.
2. DELUXE CREASE BRUSH
It’s ideal for applying your base color. Choose one made with super-soft natural hairs, like sable or goat, if you’re working with powdered shadow. I don’t like cream shadows, unless they come in the form of a thick eye pencil.
3. BABY BULLET BRUSH
 I love this brush for shading dark underneath the bottom lashes, outer corners and in the crease. Followed by the Blender Brush to really blend the shadow above the crease.

Some makeup products I recommend to get this look:

Available only for a limited time: Extra Dimension Eyeshadows from MAC in Rich Core (which is a shimmery wine color) and Havana (a pretty bronze), These shadows have high pigmentation and are easily blended.
Also, pictured above are my new favorite Jumbo Crayons from Sephora called Sephora 12H (12 Hour) Waterproof Jumbo Crayons. I have them in almost all the colors, but pictured above is my favorite bronze color in #07 Brown, and #01 White. And below is the Purple color that I used in the photos above.

These are the new shadows and jumbo Cream liner sticks that I’m using right now. I use the shadows on outer corners of upper eyelid and blend into the crease with the small shader brush, then blend with the Blender Brush. Followed by a swipe of the bronze Jumbo Liner pencil under bottom lashes on the outer corners only. Sometimes I will use a highlighter  or light shadow color on the inner corners.

I used this Bronze Essential Eye Shadow Single from Kevyn Aucoin Beauty in the photos above. This is a smooth Bronze color that blends well and comes in a nice compact with a tiny mirror.

The great thing about this look is that once you master it, you can play with different eyeshadow colors. It is really quick and easy to do, and has amazing results.

Let me know if you have any questions and how this look worked for you if you try it!

Also, stay tuned for the Darker & more glamorous night-time version of my Signature Sunset Eye look! With darker eyeshadow, Liquid Eyeliner and False Lashes!

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Sunset Smokey Eyes

7 Nov Sunset blonde smokey

LIVED-IN SMOKEY EYELINER

Smoky eyeliner is always sexy.  The trick is to take a cream liner (I love this stay put one from Makeup Forever Aqua Black Waterproof Cream Eyeshadow), and powder shadow and go to town around the eyes—trace the lashes inside the lid and out with an angled brush & cream liner, smudge the lines gently with a smudge brush or cotton swab, and then swipe black powder shadows from the lids to the crease with an eyeshadow brush,  blending as you go. Finish the look with a Very Black Mascara.

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