By Nita J., Virginia, Makeup Artist

Nita J is a strong advocate that true beauty lives in each and every individual. To her, makeup just enhances beauty and should never be used to mask the beauty that a person was born with. With her knowledge of makeup, cosmetic brands, marketing and the beauty industry, Nita J hopes to contribute as much as she can and instill in the minds of others that confidence and true beauty is soul-deep. You can check out her portfolio and her blog!

Transform Your Glow by Mixing Illuminators with Foundation

No matter what time of year it is, I find that most clients always want to accomplish a natural “glow” with their look. I personally have always liked a nice healthy, glowing complexion when doing my makeup on a daily basis, so I love trying out new products that would be me achieve this. An awesome tip that I tried once, fell in love with and kept it within my normal routine, is mixing a good illuminating product with foundation.

When you think of “glow,” most would reach into their beauty bag for a bronzer, which is perfectly fine. I tend to use an illuminating lotion rather than a bronzer because, for one, it blends into your foundation for a more seamless glow, and two, it looks more natural and tends to look a little more radiant.
When choosing and illuminating products, it’s best to use something that is sheerer (so that it doesn’t alter the color of your foundation), light, and doesn’t have a ton of shimmer, to give a more natural effect.

Think about it; when you “glow” naturally, your skin doesn’t produce large particles of glitter, right? Something with just a hint of shimmer will do the trick. There are many products out there that would help with this trick, but after trying numerous products, there are two in particular that I just love and can’t get enough of:

Smashbox Artificial Light Luminizing Lotion ($26.00) comes in three shades: Diffuse, which gives off a nice pearly effect, Flash, which has a hint of soft pink, and Glow, which is a soft, golden bronze. These are all great shades because of the lightweight feel and consistency of the lotion.  They also do not change the color of your foundation. I have found that “Flash” works on many of my clients, no matter their skin tone, and I reach for it all the time. All you need is just one to two pumps of the product and you get an awesome glow. I like to mix the lotion with foundation before applying to the face. This is definitely something that I keep in my personal kit as well as my professional kit.

This is another great product that will beautifully transform your foundation and give you a subtle glow, but make a great statement. This NARS Illuminator ($29.00) comes in four shades; a soft pearl shade called Copacabana, Laguna, which is a soft brown with golden shimmer, the best-seller, Orgasm, which is a peachy-pink lotion with a little shimmer, and Super Orgasm, also peachy-pink but with more of a golden, shimmery finish. All of these are great, but I have discovered that Copacabana and Orgasm looks amazing on just about anyone I apply it to. Just a very small amount of this product is needed to achieve a beautiful glow. Again, mix with foundation before applying to the face for maximum results!

With all of the illuminating products out there, what are some that you have tried and fell in love with? I’d love to know!

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With its wearable pink and nude shades for eyes, lips and cheeks, part three of the MAC x Cindy Sherman Color Collection is for those are too color-shy for dark/bright colors.

US Launch Date: September 29, 2011

Mineralize Skinfinish ($28)

• Lightscapade – Soft candlelit beige with multidimensional shimmer
• Porcelain Pink – Soft pinky coral with gold veining

Lipglass ($14.50)

• C-Thru – Peachy beige with shimmer
• Pink Fade – Pale pink
• Orange Tempera – Pale peach
• Good Times – Pale mauve

Angel Flame Quad ($38)

• Chamomile – Creamy pale yellow (satin)
• Feather Pink – Mid-tone pink (satin)
• Angel Flame – Coral that flashes pink/yellow (frost)
• Gravel – Blue-grey (matte)

Jumbo Penultimate Eye Liner ($19.50)

• Rapidblack – True black

Brush

• 168 Large Angled ($34)

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Make Up For Ever Alliance Artist James Vincent served as key make up artist for the Luxe by Lisa Vogel show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim in Miami last weekend. The make up featured a strong eye and soft lip, a perfect match for the modern beach sophisticate inspired swimwear.

Complexion & Cheeks
The skin was sheer with a natural Miami glow. James added Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Blush #13 in pale pink to the cheeks for the most natural looking glow.

Eyes
The smoldering eyes boast a combination of blacks, browns and metallics for a classic look that is young and modern. James first applied Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream #14 (warm satin brown) to the lids, then blended Make Up For Ever Eye Shadows #17 (espresso) and #165 (dark taupe brown) with Make Up For Ever Diamond Shadow #312 (dark copper shimmer) up into the crease. He added Make Up For Ever Metal Powder #1 in sunflower gold on top for added metallic dimension. James then lined the inner rim of the eyes with Make Up For Ever Khol Pencil #1K in black for a bit of rock n’ roll glam.

Lips
The lips were subtle with no hard lines or edges. James applied Make Up For Ever Lab Shine #S6, a soft peach, for a glossy look.

Image: Zimbio.com.

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5 Eyeshadow Looks for Red Lips

Last week, a reader asked for suggestions for eye makeup to pair with red lips, as they are so bold. Though you can certainly wear a bold lip with bold eye makeup, softer eye makeup tends to be easier — these looks reflect five softer looks that work well with red lips.

1. Neutrals with Urban Decay
2. Soft Browns
3. Slightly Smoky
4. Barely There
5. Soft Bronzes

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Giorgio Armani Spring 2011 Collection: Transluminence

Giorgio Armani introduces colours of nature, awakened by the morning light.

Light and nature are two major themes that have infused Giorgio Armani’s aesthetic and vision of makeup since its creation.

The Armani makeup collection for spring 2011 plays with transparency to ignite a woman’s face. Bright colours that allow infinite layering and blending create a new landscape of tones. There is a new smoky look for the eyes produced with radiant colours. From soft to dramatic, the look seen at the Armani spring/summer 2011 fashion show was a fresh interpretation of “La Femme Bleue”.

This season the must-have look utilises a perfect harmony of diaphanous forest green and purple iris on eyes, contrasted with frozen pink light on skin and lips. The inspiration: fresh morning dew on a wild bunch of flowers.

Makeup artist Linda Cantello, who worked on the Armani spring/summer 2011 fashion show, says: “Imagine the richest purple and the deepest green both enlivened by a frozen silver. A soft black completes the palette, to be worn alone as liner or to add depth to smoky eyes. Freshened by the softest baby lips, a beautiful frosty blush completes this new way of facing spring in the depths of winter.”

Transluminence Eye Palette ($58.00)

Blend and layer the four full, rich, colour-intense translucent tones. Apply rich purple iris with an eye brush to the eyelid and add dewy forest green. These will fuse together into a vibrant blue turquoise. Render the effect even more luminous with a layer of frozen silver. Open up the eye with a touch of silver on the inside corner. Outline the under eye or the eyelid with soft black eye colour, applied wet or dry.

Transluminence Face Palette ($49.00)

Sculpt the face with frost bitten Sheer Translucent Blush presented in the spring signature face palette.

Rouge d’Armani ($30.00)

• Dawn Pink (518)
• Early Morning Rose (508)
• Petal Pink (503)

Availability: giorgioarmanibeauty.com and at Armani Fifth Avenue and select fine department stores, including Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales, Nordstrom and Barneys in Spring 2011

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