The Perfect Summer Night Look and How to Get it

Yesterday we were all about looking your best during the dog days of summer, today, it's all about the night. Those sexy dates, fun with friends, even just time with family catching up. There's no excuse not to look your best and have I got the perfect look for you. It might look complicated but I assure you it's as easy as they come.

1). Again, it's best to start with a clean, moisturized face if possible. Pay special attention to the eye area as it's sure to get lots of attention with this look.

2). Foundation and concealer play a big part in making this look gorgeous. For the lucky ladies who can skip it, go ahead and rub it in my face, I can't even workout without applying foundation directly afterward. Make sure to cancel out any discoloration around the eyes to avoid looking like you got beat up, that would be a story to tell your friends and family.

3). Apply a light layer of blush. Here Lily Donaldson's wearing a matte blush in the hollows of her cheek to act as a contour but you can wear whatever makes you most comfortable. Personally, being so damn pale, I'd have to add more blush than this to avoid looking washed out with such bright eyes.

4). This look calls for a light hand with the lipgloss or lipstick. Pale pinks or nudes (depending on your coloring and preferences) would look excellent and keep the attention on the eyes. If you're daring (more daring than me) you could also get away with a slick of balm.

5). The eyes! I highly recommend Urban Decay Deluxe Shadow in Fishnet. For reference here are some pictures to give you an idea of the shade and although it looks dark here applied with a brush you can really sheer it out to work for this look.


Look at how gorgeous the packaging is. How could you resist it? Or if you're in the market for a palette why not check out the Urban Decay Deluxe Shadow Palette? At only $38 it's essentially the same price as just two UD Deluxe Shadows that retail at $18 (which might seem steep but A. they are gorgeous and pigemented and B. they really are huge and should last you a long time)!


If you're looking for a slightly paler shade, or one with a little bit of sparkle, how about Urban Decay Stardust in 54.

These retail for $20 each and even though I haven't tried them, hopefully by this time tomorrow I will have as I'm headed on an outing to both Sephora and Ulta to celebrate my birthday and do some research for DOC.

Apply shadow in thin layers until you reach your desired shade. No need for multiple shades with this look but you could always add more at the upper lashline for a cool smoked out effect. For a more wearable look I recommend applying no higher than the brow bone and no closer to the nose than the inner corner of the eye. Most importantly the look is not complete without a smudge of purple under the eye plus as much mascara as you can tolerate without getting clumpy. That's what makes it a night look. To really light up your eyes you can add the same sparkly lighter than skintone color you used in yesterday's look to the inner eyes to brighten them to the max.

What do you think? Is this a look you'd rock on a night out? For me, a makeupaholic, this screams perfect date makeup. Or it could be that I have a preference for purple shadow which happens to look amazing with an eyecolor. I probably own at least 20 in varying depths and formulas. Sigh!

PS- I have to see pictures if you try out this look!

Rain Rain, Go Away: The Perfect Summer Day Look and How to Get it

I'm so sick of all this rain! When will it end? Although we've had a few pretty good days here in the Northeast, most days have at least the ominous threat of rain. Personally I wish it would just pour and get it over with, until then I'm going to enjoy the weather for what it is, working around the dampness and humidity.

It's not easy to lighten the load of my makeup bag in the summer, not for a girl who loves makeup so much. I want to pile it on like I do in the winter and honestly, sometimes I do. For those day-at-the-beach days I have to go a little lighter and leave my makeup bag at home, just toting SPF lipbalm (preferably tinted) and a mirror for reapplication. This year I'm preparing myself, researching looks I'll want to wear all summer long. I found two perfect looks, one for day and one for night, on gorgeous model Lily Donaldson. Read on for the perfect daytime look and check back tomorrow afternoon for the evening style.

As you'll see this is a repeated look and it is so for a reason, it looks gorgeous and very low maintenance. I guarantee your friends will think you look low maintanence and pulled together while guys will just think you look hot wearing so little makeup. My how easy it is to fool the simpler sex. This style can be worn by any age, skincolor and lifestyle with a few minor adjustments.




For this classic look you'll need a few items, ones that you probably have in your stash already. That's the beauty of it. It really couldn't get any easier.

1). I highly recommend washing you face and applying moisturizer to still damp skin. You'll lock in moisture and help makeup glide on quickly. You may also apply a primer if you need your look to last particularly long on those hot sweaty days.

2). Next apply foundation and concealer. If your skin tends to get shiny mid-day I recommend going with something matte and for those of you who, like me, have dry skin I'm always a fan of a satin or velvet finish, not too matte but not exactly dewy either. This is totally up to your discretion and won't alter the look no matter what you choose. Make sure to cover any dark circles or blemishes to give your skin a perfect look.

3). Choose a matte blush that works well with your skintone. Peach is universally flattering, light pinks work wonderfully on pale girls like me and berry tones look wonderful on those blessed with dark skin. Also, feel free to go for something sparkly-er if you so choose (you know that's what I'd do)! My personal favorite of the moment Physician's Formula Happy Booster Blush with it's not too shimmery finish, subtle violet smell (how awesome is that?) and beautiful design.


4). For the lips it's all about subtle shades with tons of shine and sparkle like those in Cargo's Voyages Lip Gloss Collection. Every single one of these shades could work on any skintone. I realize that in these pictures Lily's lips are mostly undone but we can't have that can we? I don't feel finished until I'm sporting a rockin' lipgloss. The point is to wear something close to your natural lipcolor or if you're lower maintenance than I you could always wear tinted lip balm, a personal favorite of mine is by Burt's Bees.



5). Onto the best part, the eyes. As you can see from the pictures it's important to have a shimmery shadow close to your own skintone as well as a lighter color to highlight the inner corners or the lashline, whichever you prefer. Those with cool toned skin(pink undertones) should sport shades of silver and those with warm skin(yellow undertones) should reach for gold, the darker your skin, the darker and more vibrant the shade. This is the key to the really wide-eyed look you see here. Apply the skintone matching shade to the entire lid. You choose whether to line the entire eye with the lighter color or just use it on the inner corners as both are really great options for opening up the eye area subtly.

What do you think? How beautiful do you look for a hot summer day. Email me the pics!

Erin Heatherton

See the theme of the week? I can't help it. These girls are just so gorgeous. While my man happens to disagree with me, I think Erin Heatherton is just adorable. I mean, the freckles, the smile, what's not to love? I thought I'd go for something completely different for her makeup look, for all you retro-red lovers. See how you can work this sexy look.

Again, for this look I'd go with a cream foundation and I forgot to mention one of my favorites, CoverGirl's Simply Ageless with Olay Serum. Just an FYI: The colors in this line run really light because of the serum so pick one shade darker than you would normally wear or be prepared to darken with bronzer. I like to use my slightly too light shade around the jaw and hairlines to blend in a slightly too dark foundation.

Choose a matte peach blush and apply only on the backs of cheekbones, avoiding the apple area. It adds a slight contrast to the face but should be subtle because the lips are so bold and the eyes are strong as well. I don't have a favorite matte blush but I'd love to hear your favorites.

Next, line the outer half of the lower lid and entire upper lid with dark brown or black liner. If you want a shimmery look I love Urban Decay's Oilslick 24/7 liner with small silver glitter or, if you're lucky enough to have it, Bare Escentuals Buxom liner in black. Use a white pencil or shadow on the inner half of the bottom lid and in the inner corner for contrast and to liven up the eyes. Coat lashes with curling mascara and curl those puppies, it's imperative to this look.

The lips are the star of this look, a look I could never in a million years pull off because A)I'm so fair, I'd be washed out and B)my skin is red/ruddy so red never looks good on me, but I'm still working on being brave enough to just go for it. If you're super brave pull out NARS lipgloss in Bloodwork and go to town. First, I would line the lips with either a red, clear, or exactly your lipcolor lip pencil. This will hold the color inside the lines. Aapply the gloss and add a coat of clear gloss (if you want a vinyl look) or blot (if you want something a little more matte). Then, take face powder and make a ring around your mouth to keep the color from bleeding. Make sure to blend but not to get any on your lips themselves.

Tell me, can you convince yourself to go this bold? Can you go out of the house with sexy red lips? Or are you chickenshit like me? And, what red lipstick do you wear? Inquiring minds want to know. I'm thinking about picking up Maybelline's Red Revival, supposedly the best selling drugstore red.

Miranda Kerr

Surely, if you're a huge Vickie's Secret fan like I am, you caught the fashion show last night. How gorgeous did everyone look? One of my favorite Angels, Miranda Kerr, obviously didn't walk in the show this year due to the fact that she's having Orlando Bloom's baby in just a few weeks. Still, I thought she deserved a little recognition and, since she's one of the most gorgeous women in the world, I know you're just dying to look exactly like her. That's where I come in. I mean, I can't give you the cute cherubic face, not to mention the killer body, but I can help you to wear your makeup exactly like she does. Here goes...

For once, in this pic, Miranda has a completely matte face and I like the look on her. To get it for yourself you'll need a good matte foundation and setting powder in a matching or translucent shade. Since I'm not a huge matte foundation girl, I'd suggest using what you love if you already have a fave (and do share, please) or, you could use BareMinerals matte and skip a step. You'll want a pretty heavy coverage to cover any freckles (not that I normally condone that) and a matte bronzer under the cheekbones for contour. If you're using a separate powder I suggest applying it after the bronzer to mattify it even more, I love Koh Gen Do's Maifanishi Face Powder. And, go light on the bronzer unless you're white as a ghost like me, then you can use a little more.

For the lips I would use a light pink gloss and blot some of the shinyness away or you could use a more full coverage gloss such as Avon's Glaze Wear or Revlon's Mineral LipGlaze. The coverage is more opaque and less shimmery and works perfectly for the look Miranda's rocking. Then, dot a tiny bit of white or champagne shimmer on the center of the bottom lip for fullness and, if you don't have that, you can always use a dot of eyeshadow or even the white liner you'll need for your eyes.

My favorite part, as always, is the eyes. This is such a soft yet sophisticated look. Line inner eyes with white or fleshtone pencil (white is more noticeable while fleshtone is subtle). Then, trace around the lower lashline with taupe or gold pencil. Use a light gold or champagne shimmer (love the gold shade of Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Eyeshadow) in the inner corner and a more matte version of the same color on the lids. Add a coat of lengthening mascara and comb those lashes to avoid clumps and imperfections. To top it off, define your brows with powder or pencil (my fave is by Rimmel and has a great brush attached to the cap for a natural look).

I just love this pic from JustJared.com, don't you? Miranda looks so gorgeous without trying too hard. Do you like this look? Did it work for you?

Candice Swanepoel

Oh my God! First of all, this girl is just gorgeous; I love her blonde hair/blue eye combo even though I usually go for brown hair/brown eyes. But... just look at her. As if that wasn't enough, the youtube videos I've seen of her are so cute, she's got the tiniest little baby voice and her South African accent just makes it all the more adorable. If I were into women she'd be on the top of my list. Here's my favorite look on her and how you can get it yourself.

First step is to cleanse, moisturize and prime the skin. My favorite primer is Smashbox photo finish (what's yours?)! I find that makeup goes on smoother on freshly washed skin, moisturizer and primer will just help it glide into the skin perfectly.

Next, choose a foundation shade that perfectly matches your skintone and blend really well along the jaw and hairline. It's so important to blend, blend, blend. In middle school I was the girl with the tan face and white neck and, even though I was using a completely wrong shade, I might have been able to pull it off had I blended better. My favorite formulas for a look like this are creams. There are so many great ones: L'Oreal True Match compact makeup, Covergirl AquaSmoothers and, at Sephora, while not exactly a cream it's close enough, Stila One Step Makeup (which I'm dying to try).

Then, a pinky peach blush (I'm sure you've heard it before, NARS Orgasm definitely fits the bill here but there are tons of other options, just go with what you know and love) on cheeks. You can also, to save yourself a step, use MAC's Mineralize SkinFinishes as blush (or drugstore alternative Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips) on cheeks as a blush and forgo the next step.

Apply LIQUID or CREAM highlighter on the bridge of the nose, cupid's bow (center of the top lip), brow bone and tops of cheeks if you didn't already use a shimmery blush. You can also carefully use it to brighten the inner corner of the eye and reserve a dab for the middle of your bottom lip after applying a non-shimmery candy pink gloss. Honestly, my favorite glosses are Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush and they come in a huge variety of sheer colors and scents that you're sure to find one you love. Plus, they're always on sale 5/$20! Can't beat that price.

For the best part, the eyes, line inner rims with a white liner such as Urban Decay's Yeyo or Jane's Gliding Liner in Ice Breaker. If that's too intense for you, you can also use a flesh colored pencil for a subtle look or silver, for a more funky feeling.

Trace around the entire eye with silver shadow. My faves are Ooh and Aah from the Too Faced Enchanted Glamourland Palette, which also comes as a single, and Strip from Urban Decay (though both are a little more blue than the one Candice is wearing in her pic). If you want something a little more exact I'd go for Urban Decay Vapor judging by the picture on Sephora.com.

Line the upper eye with black pencil liner (I love Urban Decay Zero, see a theme here?)! Stay really close to the lashline and use a skinny line. You can skip this step altogether if you're going for a more subdued look.

Last but not least, fatten them lashes up! Use your favorite mascara, as many coats as you can comfortably stand and if you can handle it, you can add falsies. I would, but I need a lesson on how to do it first.

Good luck! I'd love to see pictures or hear about your experiences if you try this look out. It's perfect for work, nights out, even the holidays. Then again, if I looked like Candice Swanepoel, I'm pretty sure everything would look amazing on me.