Backstage Beauty: Monique Lhuillier Spring/Summer 2012

Makeup

Val Garland, for MAC Cosmetics,created “fast, urban graphic liner” to fit with Monique Lhuillier’s athletic and graphic collection.  The skin’s dewey look was achieved by using MAC’s Face & Body Foundation (applied with a 187 Brush).  The face was slightly contoured under the cheekbone with Sand Brown and Malaysia Contour Creme.  Lips were kept natural with Lip Conditioner and the brows were groomed with Brow Gel.  The “double color liner” was created with Pro Black Creme Liner applied in a “very straight and aerodynamic way” followed by a thin line of Chromacake in Marine Ultra that was taken back into the crease in a straight line for a “sporty Nike let’s do it kind of a thing” vibe.  To recreate the look at home, Garland suggested using a black and a blue eye pencil.  Start off with the black, then have the black bleed into the blue liner.  Use a q-tip to clean up the lines.

Nails

Wanda Ruiz, for CND, created an “athletic and elegant” look for the nails using different colors on the hands and feet:

For Monique Lhuillier, Wanda Ruiz designed “Soy Milk” manicures on active, oval shaped nails using semi-sheer CND Colour in Cream Washed topped with CND Super Shiney Top Coat for a glossy finish. Pedicures were reminiscent of a cloudy night sky using custom blended blue (which can be duped at home using limited edition CND Violet Shimmer Effect layered on top of CND Colour in Midnight Sapphire). Sporty eveningwear pieces (ie: Anna Kournikova from gym to gala) in pops of cobalt, black and yellow were complemented by slicked back ponytails, and matching dreamy blue eyeliner and toes.

It was very cool to see how much the Violet Shimmer Effect transforms a color by adding a very pretty purple glow to the polish.

Hair

Odile Gilbert for Kérastase created a pony at the crown to show off the models’ shoulders in Lhuillier’s coktail dresses.  Hair was prepped with Kérastase’s Fiber Architect, which seals split ends and is coming out this fall, to both treat and style before blow drying and straightening with a flat iron.  The pony was secured tightly with a hook elastic then teased to create volume.  Double Force Hairspray was used to finish off the look.

View more of my behind the scenes pictures after the jump:

Wrap Up: Week 1 of 30-Day Challenge

I am only one week deep into my 30-day YouTube challenge, where I will attempt to post one video per day starting July 1st, and I am proud of myself for posting 6 videos in the first 10 days of the month.  I am not sure how the rest of the month will fare since I am going on vacation for a week starting on July 25^th to visit my family that lives near Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where there are no words for how many years it takes to load a single web page.  My sister assures me that it is still possible to have decent internet access, since she does not intend to spend a day without connectivity, through some shady arrangement that involves bringing in a wire through our bedroom window.

Let’s save the worrying for later and let’s recap what I have posted so far:

Makeup Haul: MAC Bloggers’ Obsessions Collection

My purchases from the collection created by beauty blogging heavy hitters.

Shoe Haul: Waren by Steven

I have worn these twice and the verdict is that these were great for wearing to a BBQ but not so great for commuting.

Beauty Obsessions: Top 10 MAC Lipsticks

My most used lipsticks from their permanent range of colors.  Bonus: my favorite limited edition color is Brave New Bronze from the Style Warrior collection.  It is a rosy nude that does not wash me out when I am at my pasty best and also works when I am tan.

Nail Tutorial: Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips

The nail polish strips make DIY manicures more convenient since you need zero dry time.

Hair Tutorial: Dry Shampoo

I emptied half of the can of dry shampoo on my scalp to make sure I got my money’s worth, just in case the spray nozzle stopped working before the next use.

Seventeen Ultimate Guide to Style Inspired Hair Tutorial

Seventeen sent me their new Ultimate Guide to Style book for review and I was inspired to do my ode to Gwen Stefani hair style that I used to rock in high school.  I can’t do a Gwen look without the obligatory red lip so I wore on Stila’s Long Wear Liquid Lip Color in Fiery, which has been a hit in the video’s comments.

Coming up this week:

I have a makeup tutorial on deck featuring a Mineralize Eye Shadow from MAC’s Semi Precious collection and would also like to share the handful of items purchased from the launch.

-DRB

Musing of the Day: Ombré Hair Color

Rachel Bilson

If you want to take highlights to the next level, ombré hair will take you there.  The trendy style involves coloring your hair so that it is darkest at your roots and fades out into a lighter color as you work your way towards the ends (having multiple tones throughout = extra credit).  The transition should be seamless (if all goes as planned) so it looks more intentional as opposed to looking like you missed a couple of trips to the salon to get your roots touched up.  In the end you should end up with a bohemian chic mane perfect for ushering in the warm months ahead.  It has been popping up on some of the most stylish celebs in the scene and needless to say, I need it in my life.

Rita Hazan Salon Seeks Hair Models

Rita Hazan Salon

720 Fifth Avenue, 11^th Floor

New York, NY 10010    

A few weeks ago I had my hair cut by a senior stylist at the famous Rita Hazan Salon in NYC.  The salon is frequented by celebrities seeking some of the city’s top stylists who are consistently featured in magazines like Allure.  When my friend Amanda asked me to come in to model for a haircut lesson, I immediately accepted.  Before her call, I could only dream of having my hair styled at a salon whose services would cost so much more than what my pockets could handle.

When I arrived I just wanted my ends trimmed and was given a blunt hair cut.  A blunt cut looks simple because the goal is to have your hair cut to one even length without any fancy layers.  After modeling for the class I learned that the technique required for achieving that look is anything but simple.  The stylist went over everything with the students, from the basics of how they should hold their comb to analyzing the planes of your client’s head.  The lesson gave me a whole new level of respect for hair stylists whose jobs are not just an art, it is a science.

You can have the opportunity to have your hair cut or colored at salon.  Amanda is looking for models to book for upcoming Cut and Color classes that will begin in October. Pricing for a cut is $40 and color is between $40-65 with a blowdry included.  If you are interested, email a recent headshot to amanda@ritahazansalon.com so she can determine what class you would qualify for, as there are different objectives every month.  One cut class each month will be an observation class, meaning the assistants will watch while the model gets cut by the stylist. If you are the lucky one selected, you will be getting a fantastic cut by a celebrity/senior stylist for only $40!  Amanda will be keeping who will be chosen a secret so you’ll have to wait until you get there to find out.

If you have any questions, contact Amanda at 212-586-4343.

Glossy Kissez,

DRB

Tutorial: Add Colored Hair Extensions!

Haircut Dilemma

Katy Perry (and Perez Hilton)

I am thinking about chopping it off…my hair that is ha ha ha. I want to get what is referred to as a “collar bob,” similar to the cut Katy Perry (above) and Heidi Klum (below) are sporting. However I am having a difficult time deciding.

On one hand it will give me a more mature look. I’m going for that cutthroat executive look. My baby face does not say that at all lol. However, if I go short that means having to spend extra time on my hair each morning.

On the other hand my hair does not grow fast. If I hate it, I am stuck with the shorter hair. I don’t think I’ll hate it but I’m just concerned I’ll like my longer hair more. Short hair means no pony tails. I could still have one but it will look like the end of a broom, like a tiny bush sticking out of the scrunchie. Not cute. But no pony tails are good because wearing them constantly caused a lot of breakage.

Obviously this is ridiculous and not a real problem. I just don’t know what I want. I am so risk averse it is ridiculous. It is astounding that I was a finance major. You guys can relate right? Sometimes making drastic changes can be difficult. But I feel like new life chapter=new hair.

Heidi Klum

So what do you think? Should I stay or should I chop?

Glossy Kissez,

DRBrooklyn730

Katy Pic Source

Heidi Pic Source