Ben Nye and MAC Haul

Hi Bellas!

It's the week of haul videos :)  I wanted to make sure and post this before it got too old, lol.  This is a haul from last week.  I headed to MAC on Thursday to check out the release of their Holiday lipglass/lustreglass sets.  Then I made a trek over to Atlanta Costume - Norcostco on Saturday.  They're pretty much the only location here in Atlanta that sells theatrical makeup brands.

Check out my video for the haul!


Here are the lipglass/lustreglass sets from MAC.  There is a deep, soft, and bright set.  They retail for $30 and you get 5 mini glosses.  If you're trying to expand your collection and want to try a bunch of new colors, this is a cheap way to do so.  It's great for stocking a makeup artist's kit as well.  Personally, I never finish a complete tube of gloss for myself or in my kit, so these cheaper and smaller glosses are great!  The packaging is also super cute and they make a great gift.  I have a feeling the soft/nude set will sell out since these are popular colors.

Here are some swatches...on top is the soft set, middle is the deep set, and bottom is the bright set.

Next I have my Ben Nye goodies.  This is such an amazing and affordable makeup brand.  I picked it up at Atlanta Costume...you can also order from them online at http://www.norcostco.com/.  If you're in the area and you have a makeup artist business card, make sure to show it to them for a 10% discount.

My favorite items so far are the peachy colored neutralizer cream crayon (works great on dark circles!) and the Ben Nye banana powder (amazing translucent powder which seems to brighten my skin!).  The rest are really cool FX stuff...check out my video to hear more.

Here are some swatches of the Ben Nye Cream Colors.  In total I have about 8 of these.  They're very similar to MUFE flash colors but they're only $4 a pop!  I like to use them like how I'd use a MAC cream colour base.  They're very pigmented as you can see from the swatches below.

That's it for now...have a great weekend!

Atlanta Makeup Artist

Wedding Updo

Hi Bellas,

This is a quick post I wanted to share with you.  About a month ago, many of you probably know that I was a bridesmaid in my BFF's wedding.  I didn't have any good hair shots to show you back then...so I wanted to show you my updo.

The hairstylist was excellent...he knew how to deal with a variety of hair textures.  Oftentimes, my hair doesn't hold well in updos because it's really thick and slippery.  He solved that problem by curling the entire thing with his little egyptian clicking hair curler thing-a-majig, and then placing it into several pony tails to hold the weight.  He then pinned and pinned and sprayed and sprayed.

Here's the back.

The side view.  I like how he gave me a little poof at the top so that I don't feel bald lol.

For the front he did a little swirl to the side.  My hair lasted the entire night...even through the soul train line and furious fight for the bouquet. 

That's all folks!

Atlanta Makeup Artist

FOTD - Fall Look with Smokey Eyes and Plum Lips

Hi Bellas!
I wanted to share with you a quick look I did before heading out to a gig Friday night.  It started out as a drugstore smokey eye tutorial, but my camera ended up dying on me, lol.  After that, I ended up modifying it a bit with some department store brands.

As you can see, it's a smokey eye with a bold lip...very fall appropriate.  I don't usually do these kind of lips, but I like how they turned out.  I'm loving Magnetique lipglass all over again, it's so pigmented!  I took these pictures in the hallway on my way to a gig, lol, I'm surprised they came out!  You can see the strap on my arm from where I'm carrying my portable makeup chair.




















Here's What I Used:

EYES
-PUR Minerals eyeshadow primer (not sure if this works well for oily skin, but it worked well on me)
-Maybelline Expert Wear Eyeshadow Quad in Natural Smokes ($4.99 on http://www.drugsture.com/!)
-MAC Young Punk minearlized eyeshadow (to darken it up a bit and add some glitter)
-NYX jumbo pencil in black bean (black base and liner)
-Anastasia Lifting Mascara (really love this mascara)
-Rimmel brow pencil in hazel (staple in my kit)
-Ardell Demi Wispies Lashes (love!)
-Jordana Liquid Eyeliner (pretty decent in terms of color and precise application...staying power isn't the best though)

FACE
-Revlon Colorstay Foundation
-Revlon Beyond Natural Concealer and Highlighter in Medium
-MAC MSF Natural in Medium Dark (to correct the beigeness of the foundie)
-forgot the blush, sorry!

LIPS
-MAC Magnetique lipglass
-Ben Nye wine colored lip liner

Atlanta Makeup Artist

MAC and Sally Beauty Haul

Hi Bellas!

Back with another video.  I actually recorded this a few weeks ago but I still wanted to show you guys some of the steals and deals I picked up.  I'm trying to be better about recording my hauls so I wait to film a video before putting everything away...the mess makes me want to film the video quicker!

Check out my haul video!


First off, I headed to Sally Beauty...I love going to this store...it's like a Toys R Us for makeup artists/junkies.  First I picked up some hair clips.  These are really good for keeping hair back while doing makeup.  I always keep this in my kit to give to clients so that I don't get makeup or foundation in their hair.  I got some regular ones as well as the Croco-Clip which are amazing for slippery, straight hair.











While I was there I also picked up some wedge sponges, not pictured here but you can see them in the video.  It was a huge bag for about $8...and the sponges were pretty good quality.

Sally Beauty was also having a sale on Ardell lashes, 2 for $6.  This is cheaper than http://www.madamemadeline.com/ where I used to buy them...it seems as if this site increased their prices, booo.  I picked up some must-haves for the kit.

The 110 are great for a natural lash with a bit of length...for those who are scared of falsies.  I like this for bridal work.












The 109's are a great option for a natural look as well.  They offer volume to the lashes but don't look super duper long from the side view.












120 Demi's are a fav of my mine...they give anyone who wears them a va va voom look!

Next I show you some items from the MAC holiday collection.

Here we have Shezam dazzleglass.  This silvery looking gloss actually reflects pearl and pink and looks amazing over any lipcolor to give a nude, sexy shimmery lip.  It's not like the typical dazzleglass...definitely get this if you haven't already!  I also picked up the soft sparkle pencil in night sky...great for those who want a glitter, smokey eye...perfect for the holidays.  Too bad I haven't used it yet, lol.

Here I am wearing Steelo Mocha liner and MAC Creamsheen lipstick in Modesty.  I topped it off with Shezam dazzleglass and it turned a plaino mauve lipstick into sexy J-Lo lips.

I picked up three of the Mineralized Eyeshadow Duos.  The colored side is very pigmented and smooth, the glittery side pretty much sucks.  Blue sorcery is a must-have!

Swatches!

Stay tuned for my next haul where I show off the MAC holiday lipglass sets!

Atlanta Makeup Artist