{Beauty Bloom} Parisian Frills and Spring Pastels

Audrey Hepburn gave us all a gift when she coined "Paris is never a Bad Idea!" She could not have been more on target. It's the perfect place to feel the gift of life, to feel gorgeous and embrace all there's to enjoy. The Seinne. The vintage flats. The lights. The crepes. The macarons (especially a white truffle and hazelnut from Pierre Hermé). The fashion. The Eiffel Tower. The Opera Garnier. The parfum houses. Chanel. The art. The history. The tulips.

It's all perfect. Even on rainy day, it's a great city to be in.

But when spring breaks and all is bright and sunny again, the air evokes a completely different feeling. You feel lighter, more energized, and most definitely inspired to seek all things beautiful.

With winter having been so rough, at least on the East coast, and spring in full effect, pastel colors are inviting and keep us in happy places. Yea, bold reds and dark plums are fabulous, but soft pinks, nudes, mint green, light turquoise and the whole gamut of more genteel colors, are the way to go when the wheather is warm. Plus, the softer palettes complement the bucolic walks you'll fancy on a perfect morning.

{Read: A Fall Day in Paris}

If you can't get to Paris this year to frolick in the mood and textures, relish in some of the this season's prettiest makeup and beauty products in softer hues. A few for the liking, and very reasonably priced are from the luxe counter brands.

Lancôme takes the Paris theme the farthest with their Paris Innonence collection, perfectly designed to keep you flirty. Soft grays, pinks, poppies and greens are embedded in metallic casings picturing Parisian gardens. The eyeshadow pallete with 9 colors is pretty enough to refill down the line. It's one of those things you keep forever and pass down to your granddaughter.

The collection is full with nail lacquers, eyeliners --  which actually stay on for more then 4 hours and lip sticks in colors dainty but mature colors like Rose Victoire. 

Bobbi Brown lovers will not part with her latest Face and Body Bronzing Duo in 'Antigua' and 'Golden Light' from the Sandy Nudes collection: one to illuminate and one to give ambiance. This long-lasting marriage will complete your soft daytime look without looking too dollish. You'll shine and glow into the evening poolside fetes.

Michael Kors has lovely nail lacquers in 'Blush' and a lightly shimmery 'DayDreamer' for the classic girl. They're absolutely perfect for French manicures.  And, the Fire Coral is my new lip crush. Doesn't stick. Lasts long. Blends well. Plus, what's not to love about a gold metal top case? They take glam to the next level with small details like that.

And if your'e ever looking for the perfect, take-everywhere-you-go lipgloss, look no further than L'Oreal's latest duo gloss and balm in 'Rose Tatoo' and 'Lasting Ginger." Wear over your fave matte color or simply rock on its own for a really subtle look.

The market's saturated with all kinds of luscious and beautiful looks this spring and summer, but I've tried all of these and love them. Pretty for now and great for pulling out on not-so-sunny days. Because even Paris has plenty of those!

Throw on a lovely skirt, your best heels, fabulous sunglasses, wear some teal eyeliner and enjoy the day!

Find a carousel.

And eat a fancy macaron. Life is so much better with a macaron in hand.

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{Beauty Bloom} Defining Eye Shadow Palettes & Bronzers/Powders

 

Yes, spring is there, thank our good God, and yes soft colors and hues are begging to be worn! I'm in love with just about every spring collection most of my fave brands have rolled out. I've yet to try a single one, but when I do, I'll make sure to clue you in. But I'm also a fan of non-conventional approach to beauty and trends. While everyone else is rocking pastels and neutrals, I'm still looking at bolder, more pigmented colors. I mean, we all still have fiestas and dates to go on, right!? 

And, while the sun is still hiding but around the corner, we could all use a bit of brightening in a sexy way. Bronzers are the easy and much cheaper way to accomplish that. No fake tanning, no unhealthy baking in the sun and much more of a natural look. I've been swearing by Laura Mercier's Matte Radiance Baked Powder in 02 so much, I've gone through two in 3 months. It's sheer, clean, super light, but has a beautifully natural shimmered color with decent coverage. Used on top of my L'Oreal true match concealer creates a perfect day look. A bit of light can hit your face and you can easily feel like you're having that J. Lo glow!

But, I'm digressing! Here are some recently new palettes and bronzers/powders I'm lusting this spring for evening looks and a more sultry day look. 

Tory Burch D'Ombres a Paupiers. Love the color scheme and silky feel of the shadows in this "Catch" box. They've not creased and blend so well with each other. Not to mention the casing is just too pretty with the floral pattern. Try Wild Card and Morning Glory together! Check out the "Cat's Meow" box which I think is even better with golden espresso notes; you know me! Anything that reads espresso makes my heart flutter.

Laura Mercier Radiance Baked Body Bronzer. This is everything. Just everything. If you want to extend the pretty, sexy feel beyond your already lovely face, go with this (using their bronzer blush which I need to share, too!) to apply to your shoulders and décolletage. The gold shimmers are noticeable and last a long time. You can't go wrong this one.

Urban Decay "Smoked" Palette. This was made for haute MUAs and travelers. I've been taking this with me on recent long trips but haven't played with it enough to figure out which combination works best. Though, if you're a cult UD fan, then you know this will work. I'm feeling Loaded and Asphalt a whole lot.

Lancome Color Design Illuminatrice du Regard is for the classy lady that doesn't really have time to figure out color combinations.  These mini 3 in 1 are great for learning. The Rosy Flush and Jacaranda Bloom are fabulous colors for transition from day to night. Save the neutral palettes for really hot, steamy days when you don't even want to think about makeup!

COURRÈGES/ Estée Lauder Illuminations Face Powder. Who knew the popular beauty brand, once led by a protége of the Spanish power house, Balenciaga, would make a come back and partner up with Estée Lauder, using Kendall Jenner as their muse. Their new capsule collection "Pop-timistic" embodies a futuristic aesthetic with some 3-d elements. I'm digging the face powder --- not to wash me out like the white eyeliner may do -- rather to equalize and brighten up some of my sleepless night look I'm experiencing lately. There's a fix for everything, I swear! I'll report back on the other yumminess from this all white collection -- especially on the kabuki brush.

All are available on counters now. If not, order online is always an options.

* This an editorial in which I was provided samples to write this. All opinions are my own, true and honest! I only write about things I truly do love and think you should know about! ;) 

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{Beauty Bloom} TV Prep Makeup Looks

Host of CBS's "Atlanta Plugged In" and me after our 1st set

Every now and then I have to do my own makeup for appearances. Just every now and then. And when I do, I tend to freak out, tho only initially. I love having my makeup up done, but over the years I've come to quasi master a technique and look that works for me for any situation. I try my best to go light, but I've mentioned before how much of a makeup junkie I am.

I follow trends, new looks, runway face charts, colors, etc... but when I'm stuck on something, there's little that'll get me to break from that regiment. And with all the reviews I get to do, I always find something that screams "amazing!" Mostly, it's a foundation that did a super magical trick...that's been L'Oreal's True Match line for the last 2.5 years or so.

But a break is good. Real good. So when my MUA in Atlanta had to cancel last minute before 3 appearances, I threw a little sparkle dust, thanking myself for always, always carrying a bountiful stash of goodies JUST.IN.CASE.

For a simple look but natural look that would cover up the blemishes (that monthly "attack"is such a mother!") I quickly played around with a few new prods which I'm now fully loving on. They did every bit of the trick and more.

For priming, I stared with Lancome's 'La Base' primer. The bomb.dot everything! Silky and just perfect. If I had to, I'd wear it everyday. It literally gives you (at least the wrinkle-free, closed pore skin type) a lovely smooth canvas to work with.  I'm obsessed.  Laura Mercier's foundation primer was everything, too. Creamy, but light with a noticeable slither of shimmer created a lovely starting base of makeup. It was fluffy soft and evened really well. Much lighter than L'Oreal's True Match which I never thought I'd be able top. I applied with my index and middle finger an it was good. Wondering if a foundation wedge would work better. But, it worked so well, I didn't need foundation, per se. L'oreal's True Match Crayon remains to be my daily go-to for under eye coverage and any one rebellious brown spot that won't lighten.

For that segment, I used Laura Mercier's Golden Bronze pressed powder. It's not mineral based, but it also applied super evenly and didn't cake up. It's funny how we stick to what know and is easy but not until we try something totally different, do we realize so many other options can work well. I'm loving this combo by LM. Their blush brush is perfect for any of their bronzers. I used a lighter bronzer just to touch up some areas that needed some highlight.

I'm still good and faithful to Estée Lauder's eye shadow palette form about 2 falls ago. Love it. Great colors that won't ever go out of style. But their latest Pure Color palettes are great for every day w/out looking intentional. This shade set worked well since I wanted to go bolder on my lip. So the eyes were tamed down but still I created a bit of creasing.

I love focusing on my eyes, though. So if I don't go hard on the shadow, I'm all about some great eye liner and mascara. No can do without mascara. Bobbi Brown's Kohl liner and Aerin's new fall '15 collection has a lovely liner in "Essential Brown" -- more on her new line later... it's gorg. L'Oreal's mascara never fails me, even if I wear falsies, so I stick to that! I went with their butterflies effect one. Loved it, but not as much as their Voluminous stick.

And for lips, EL's Pure Envy full line is robust and rich-colored. The "Intense Nude" was great as a base was a bit too matte for TV...Thank goodness for I happened to be carrying Artistry Beauty's "Plum Glaze" lip gloss. Love that stuff. Nice amount of shimmer; not too much to interfere with with studio lights. Stays one for a least 2 hours. Just enough time to go live twice and can another!

It was a good look over all. Not cakey at all; lasted the entire day -- at least enough to carry through to an early dinner. And felt honestly clean. Now I'm looking for the next look I'll play with, especially  since my makeup look is dictated by how I wear my hair. I went curly this time, but my winter/holiday segments I'm going all the way straight. Still not used to this short curly do... but that's another story!

Wash your face, girls. So key in keeping a healthy glow, especially after a day of "heavy" makeup.

Check out the segment here! And the taped will will air on Monday the 10th! If you're in Atlanta, check it out at 12:30 pm!

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Getting TV Ready

(Eyebrow tinting at Wink Brow Bar -- all natural, vegetable dye)

(The super chic, quoted wall at Wink Brow Bar)

Last segment's makeup selection via my Instagram

There's a method to getting camera ready. As much as I'd like to think the approach is the same every time, I just can't seem to stick to the same method. What I do before I get to the Green Room, if there's one avail, depends on the amount of sleep I got, how much water (or coffee) I've had, and how my skin woke up feeling --- in a happy, bright mood or a dull, "let's beat this" affect. I wish it more more often the former than the latter but, hey a girl can't have it all! 

But I'm always prepared! You already know I tend to overpack.... whether it's shoes (don't ever get to half of them) or makeup, I'm always overloaded with extra stuff. You know, just in case things change up last minute... or in the event there's no Green Room... those times aren't so fun, but I gotta make it work. And so over the years, I've learned really well how to do my makeup and over the last 2 years, refined my look to be camera ready... a whole other kind of application. 

There's lighting to consider. A lot of movement, especially when I'm taping several segments back-to-back for later airing...and of course the look for what I'm talking about. If for fashion, I like an edgier look. If I'm cooking, I like a sexy but natural look. Ultimately, it really depends on how I'm feeling. 

But there are some basics. Like priming. And falsies. And great lip color. And in my case, coloring-in my ultra thin eyebrows. Ugh, the worst thin things ever. That's another story, but I have to color them in a bit to get a fuller but natural look. 

On my 1st Today show segment, I was invited by the super sleek Wink Brow Bar in the Village for an eyebrow tinting. That went super-well and we ended up adding eyelash clusters. The tinting was great but didn't stay on as long as they said, which should have been at least 3 weeks. Mine lasted more like 5 days. But the vegetarian dye was nice and had a great hue. Love the difference it made. It as extremely natural looking but definitely made them look thicker and fuller than they really are. The clusters were the best I've ever had applied but they also fell out after one day when they should have lasted at least one week. 

I won't say a complete fail since they definitely augmented my look the next morning for live TV but not sure how effective the tinting really is. 

And then of course I have the night before ritual which is about 3 glasses of water, washing, cleansing, and applying Orico London Superico Face Oil. Best.stuff.ever. And some of my beauty friends in NY dropped off a lovely good bag filled with goodies to help me prep. I was all over the Lumene Bright Now for my eyes, which I struggle a bit with b/c of lack of sleep -- every hard-working woman's pet peeve. 

But for the day of, I put so much more into it... Green Room or not!

It goes like this:

Moisturize: Love washing with a simple Neutregena grapefruit acne cleanser... especially when it's that time of the month. Been swearing by that for about 6 years now. I move on to toning and moisturizing. I love a variety of moisturizes I'm using these days. For perky eyes, I stick to lotion, cremes that focus stricly on the yes. For vibrancy, Lumene 'Bright Now' and Erno Lazlo eye creams. I use the Erno one at night and the Lumene in the morning. The combo works well! I finish with a few misty sprays of Caudile Beauty Elixir -- the travel size, of course. It's perfection.

Prime: This is key for TV. It equalizes your face and allows your makeup to apply evenly and be more stable. I used Lancome's La Base primer which feels like silk! Love that stuff. And then like the best beauty find ever, I apply L'Oreal's Miracle Blur. That stuff there! It's like airbrush for your face in real life. It's amazing. It mattes the face without matting the face, if you know what I mean. And finally, I finish off with Smashbox's Photo Finish. It has as similar affect as the Miracle Blur, but it's not as matted and has a lovely light colored bronzy and metallic finish which illuminates beautifully. I try not to use it for every day, but it's sooooo good!

Conceal: This is the fun part. L'Oreal's True Match Crayon has been my obsession since they came out. I go through them in about two weeks. I use it everywhere: under eye, blemishes, neck, etc... it does the magic trick of evening out discoloration. And it's not cake. I've put on about 10 girlfriends on this God-sent product.

Foundation: Since I don't always trust MUAs in Green Rooms can really get my complexion right, especially if I'm having a month of brown spots, I start my makeup myself and let them touchup and finish with their really good stuff. I use a few foundations, but L'Oreal's True Match foundation is the best.com. This is liquid goodness. I used that for just about any time I'm wearing makeup. Shiseido and Laura Mercier have great foundations I use, too.

Eyes: Actually, this is my most fun part ever. I travel with one eye palette only, mostly Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess from last summer which is still a charm for me and a two year old Bobbi Brown one.... they're magic. I dibble and dabble in newer ones I have, but not unit I've completely figured out how their blend worlds, I go with what I know well. I still use single colors in little pots. Eyeliner go-to is either Bobbi Brown Khol versions, Smashbox  3D liner in French Navy or Artistry Beauty's metallic.... my absolute favorite. And for mascara, a woman's best beauty friend, Smashbox's Full Exposure is naaaaasty good! Try it out, ladies. It's everything in mascara. But I apply that after faslies! And I've recently been loving on Lancome's Hypnose wand. It's super light and gives great texture. Finally, I finish with a touch up under my eyes again... Lancome's liquid concealer pen is great. It's small enough to take anywhere.

Powder: Lancome's pressed powders are good. Super light... probably the lightest I've ever used but it does the job... A really good job.

Blush: I've been using Artistry Beauty's coral blush from last season. But it's so pretty and the round gold compact makes it great. It have lovely shimmer but not too much which could interfere with studio lighting. I also use my good old faithful MAC but I'm not sure of the color.

Highlighter: I have several highlighters I used depending on how badly I need it! his last appearance, I told the nicest one I've worked with yet, to hook up my upper cheekbone, chin and forehead. If I do myself, Urban Decay's Naked Illuminated powder and Laura Mercier illuminizing bronzers give that last touch of "I'm ready!"

Lips: I let the MUAs do this part, but sometimes I like arriviting on set fully done... And if so, I always have a good stash of glosses and lipsticks. My go-tos are Laura Mercier 'Peony' (this entire summer), Artistry Beauty lip glosses, like Plum Glaze, NYC color crayons, and Estée Lauder pure envy matted sticks. Matte lips with a simple dip in the glitz jar is key!

And that's how it goes! I love doing my own makeup but sometimes a girl needs those amazing MUA hands' tools an tricks to finish it all off. God bless them!

Stay tuned for my look on the last Today show segment where the gorgeous Jennifer Lopez and I hung out.

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{Beauty Bloom} Best Foundations & Powder

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Coverage

Smashbox Photo Finish Luminizing Foundation Primer

Lancome Translucence Pressed Powder & Dual Finish Powder 

You see these 6 products here? They give me life! Not every day, but for the days I have to wear makeup and look flawless, these are my go-to friends I love most. There's nothing like being able to create a pretty look that's soft, subtle, and natural. Surely, there have been times when we've all looked way too caked up.

Unless you're my sister who has baby butt skin in her mid-30s, you've looked into foundations, powders, concealers and everything in between to cover up not-so-pretty blemishes, scars, redness, unevenness or anything the environment (and stress) brings us. Even if you have great skin, applying some pressed or loose powder, at minimum, can enhance anyone.

I'm not for wearing foundation every day at all, rather leaving it for TV, photo shoots or really special events, but when I do, I've found a combination of liquid goodness that do that trick.

To start, you'll want something light that offers sunscreen. It's crucial. I fell in love with Laura Mercier's broad spectrum Flawless Tinnted Moisturizer. The tone I went for was so perfectly matched, it literally didn't look like I had anything on. Oh, but I did. It feels great on and doesn't weight your face down. A super thin application of Smashbox's Photo Finish Primer is excellent for a bit of added shimmer and bronzy color without looking like you've been tanning. But it's actually actually great alone if you just want a bit of luminosity, glow, and nothing else.

If I did wear foundation makeup every day, L'Oreal's Truematch is the bomb.com. It's everything you need to perfectly match your skin. The entire Truematch collection really does what it purports, so if you've ever had bad luck lining up makeup with your skin, this is your inexpensive option for department store quality. Seriously.

And, I love Shiseido's Sheer and Perfect Foundation for a super clean, smooth, high-end look. It's quality coverage with great matching ability, too. Next L'Oreal, this is my 2nd go to for more frequent use. It is a bit greasier than the rest but with a good matte powder, you'll be good. Go light, though.

To top it all off, Lancôme's pressed powders are now my new thing. I swore by Clinique's pressed powder (and still use on ocassion), but I truthfully like the lightness and duality of two of their powders. The Translucence is definitely every day use for me.... no foundation, just apply this silky powder with a brush. It mattifies your complexion and completes a lovely fresh, younger looking face. The Dual Finish powder is what you want for a bit more coverage than the translucence version. Still, without looking like a dolled up for a modeling booking, this one gives a super fly complete ultra-matte finish. I don't use the sponges they come with. I've always found powder brushes to create a smoother, not too obvious looks. And more even.

If I didn't have to do 5 different looks, I would have showed you what these look like. But, trust me girlie swirls on this one. I'm a master at finding good makeup that really works. If you're close to my complexion... (example would be Clinique's 'Stay Matte Honey'), these are respective colors from these brands that work well:

Foundations: 

L'Oreal Truematch: N5.5
Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer: Almond
Shiseido Sheer and Perfect: B60

Powders: 

Lancôme Translucence: 400 Bisque (for winter when I'm a bit more pale)
Lancôme Dual Finish: Matte Honey III (for now and summer when I stay naturally tanned)

So! These are my true finds and recs! What do you use that works lovely for you? Do share!

Will share the best under eye and eye luminizers next! Because, well, our eyes need some love with all the lack of sleep we endure .

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Get a Sexy Glistening Look With Clinique Powder Bronzer

I took a fantastic nap today on our lovely handmade hammock from Mexico because I wasn't feeling well. My goal was to kill off some of the germs I think I got while hanging some with friends with a cold. My 90 minutes of pleasure were suddenly interrupted when my father pulled up in his cruiser. Grrr. I stumbled off the hammock and dragged myself inside to shower. 

I grunted for all of 5 minutes for having been woken when I remembered I had to shoot a super quick video for a huge network (more on that later)! That meant hair and makeup application during daylight hours and I was on a time crunch. I picked out my outfit, fitting for the background I had set up and scoured through my makeup collection to see what colors would go best. The camera always waters down everything (except for weight), but I decided to go with an all natural look. 

And, because the natural look for me during summer involves a glistening tan which I've not been able to enjoy just yet (not even the hammock nap fancied my interest) I needed to appear as if I had bathed in 100 degree weather. I grabbed my newest loose powder by Clinique which happens to be a bronzer -- exactly what I needed! The new powder is perfect in that its for full face application and instead of just offering a great even look, you get a fascinating glow as if you'd been at the beach and applied a light layer of translucent polvo. 

A gal like me likes to stay natural as much as possible, avoiding tanning salons at all costs and slathering myself with high levels of SPF's, but I do enjoy the look of a shiny caramel complexion during the stifling summer months. The beauty affects of the sun, if done properly can only be enhanced by fab prods like the Powder Bronzer. Its super balanced chemistry also provides a 3D contouring system which lets you shine from any angle! That's the kind of glowing I love to do, especially when I'm in front of the camera. 

After we shot the demo, I entertained myself by taking some shots through my vanity mirror in hopes of giving you a closer look at how fabulous the evenness and color are! 

Kinda crazy, cool, right!?! 

Check out your Clinique counter for the right shade for you. I'm wearing No. 1. 

How do you get your summer perfect bronze look?

* Bronzer c/o Clinique in order to write this review.  However I was not compensated.  All opinions are my own, always sexy and chic. 

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