A lil Va Va Voom {Caught on Tape}

If you haven't seen the new Amazing Spider Man yet, I highly recommend it. When Spider Man grabs Gwen's face and passionately kisses her my heart melted. It was simple, yet so romantic. What type of love scene gives you butterflies when watching a movie? Most movies have them, but its those special innocent ones that give my arm's goosebumps.

My hubby surprised me the other night and took me to the movies on a weekday. It was a simple evening that called for a comfy and playful outfit, so I wore my Free People Denim Bustier Dress with my Tory Burch Flip Flops. Denim can pair well with any other color in the rainbow so I was open to my makeup options. I wanted to be sweet and sultry...just like my outfit. I used a variety of Bare Escentuals products, all in the burgundy family to complete this look.


I prepped my eye lid with Stick Around Eye Primer first, and than layered on Ready Eyeshadow 2.0 in the color The 15 Minutes. The darker shade, Most Requested was pressed near my lash line and swept under my eye to create the sultry look I wanted. The lighter shade Page Six was used to soften the darker color as it faded into my crease. Most Requested helped my hazel eyes transition to a brighter green-it's amazing what a little color can do.

 
The past few months I have wanted to get a raspberry hue for my lips...When I first saw the color Caught on Tape I was ready to keep this new color on a heavy rotation. The Buxom Lip Tarnish is something I now always carry in my clutch (there is a built in sharpener hidden in the lid). It was exactly what I was looking for...a beautiful bold berry color. It's shaped like a pencil, which makes it convenient to line the lips, it hydrates like a balm, shines like a lip gloss, tints like a stain, and it plumps up your pout (with a tingly sensation)!

After, I added my Buxom Full Bodied Lip Gloss in Va Va Voom for some extra shine. There is a gold fleck in this pomegranate colored gloss so for accessories I would recommend using warmer tones (stray away from silver). This Buxom has the same plumping technology without a tingle...so it is perfect for anyone who is not a fan of that type of sensation.


Bronzer is normally a more comfortable cheek color for me... But I really wanted to embrace my pomegranate lip color so I went a little matchy matchy and used Buxom, True Hue Blush in Shangri-La-La. To make the cheeks appear refreshed, they added rhodiola, an arctic plant root!!


Ok, so go see spider man and see a lil Va Va Voom Caught on Tape!!

XOXO
Priscilla Francine

Product Junkie

Before a product goes into my "client" kit... I test out many options, formulas, and companies because I want to guarantee it will do what it says before I trust it. Or maybe I just have a makeup junkie problem... either way here are a few new things to love:


1. Eyebrows make or break the face, and most women have over plucked throughout the years. Brow powder can add length or fullness where needed, or completely change the shape which could alter your entire look. Bobbi Brown's Brow Kit has 2 color options which will offer you a more natural look.

Take MAC's 266 Small Angle Brush and draw one single line for a guide on the bottom side of your brow. Next, blend the lighter color with Smashbox's #12 Angle Brow Brush into the rest of the brow shape.


2. Nail polish can be used to create some serious art work now days. There are so many options in formulas, hues, and patterns to paint...if you are a collector of nail polish-I hope you already have at least one limited edition from the Nars Thakoon collection. It was no question that I needed Kutki.  (This color lasted on the nail bed, but when time to remove it was super easy to get off)

3. I'm a sucker for any type of mud masks...and Whole Foods. Yes To Tomatoes Clear Skin was such a great price it was worth the gamble to test it out! $14.99! The key ingredient is obviously (Organic) tomatoes, which contains Lycopene, a potent antioxidant found in red fruits and vegetables. Mud masks are great for oilier skin types, they will clear out any clogged pores!


4. Remember my last experiment at Target? Keep it Red was a bit too bold for a bride and I wanted to add a few color options to my kit for my clients. Say hello to thee most amazing bridal hue by Maybelline...Perpetual Plum 055!!! It's the same color as the lip just intensified, with a slight golden shimmer in the right lighting.

5. Concealers under the eyes are tricky for some skin types. Hence my post on eye creams. While I love Bobbi Brown's concealer and correctors, they can sometimes crease on drier eyes. When I am working with a bride or model I need the product to last the entire day. I trust that Estee Lauder's Double Wear will do what it says. It promises to last 15 hours and is perspiration resistant! I have these in every shade because they work!


6. Yes, it's another Yes To Tomatoes product... I went at little crazy because I bought more than I am showing you. My hubby and I are both trying the Daily Balancing Moisturizer. It's pretty hydrating which does leave my skin a bit shiny at the end of the day, but it is light weight so I do not notice the formula. (The pump gives you more product than you expect so press down gently!)

7. No 'zit' Sherlock. I'll admit the title got me. But can you blame me? With a name like that, it has to work! I really wanted the serum but had to settle with the spot treatment due to what was available. I apply this after my toner, before my moisturizer. I use it 2x a day, and have not seen any dryness in the rest of my skin. There is only 2% salicylic acid and I could go for 5% but am pretty content with the product so far.

As you can tell I enjoy trying new things... what have you tried lately?? Any recommendations?

XOXO
Priscilla

ModCloth: Making the Cut with Susan Koger



When ModCloth's creative stylist Annie asked me to do makeup for the Make the Cut SOO I was beyond excited because the model was their very own Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Susan Koger. She was very down to earth and really sweet. I loved watching her with Winston at the end (so cute!)

I played around with multiple lip colors, but was consistent in choosing pink hues for a fresh and youthful look for her... we went from pastel pink all the way to a fuchsia. The lighter the lip-the lighter the eye... we gradually increased the look of the liner as the outfits became dressier. Liz Callahan designed my personal favorite dress which was super girly.

What's your favorite look on Susan?

XOXO
Priscilla

Yes, Everyone Needs Eye Cream!

Girlfriends...you have to start using eye cream! If your mother never told you about eye cream, buy her one too! (...and let your man share with you too!) I'm not normally this bossy... but it's now my official rule for any age or gender. Especially if you are getting married, all soon-to-be Mrs. must start this daily routine today. Here is why you need to use this additional product day and night...we age the quickest around our eyes because the skin is thinner so fine lines begin to formulate. Dryness occurs which causes our makeup to crease. Our poor diets, lack of sleep, and genetics can give us dark circles. While you may have a facial moisturizer already an eye cream is still necessary. It has different ingredients and different concerns to target.

There is no need to invest your entire month's salary for a quality eye cream... and besides you can now get an Opal for half of what I paid :) try a few of my favorites first before breaking the bank: Avocado Eye Cream by Kiehl's or Contour Cream by Caudalie  and if price is no issue for you, try Chanel or La Mer.


Recently, I began using CytoCell Dark Circle Corrective Eye Cream by Kate Somerville . It has Vitamin C, Eyeseryl, and light diffusing pearls to target my main concern of dark circles. I am hoping I can be part of the 75% who will see results in this area. I have noticed a difference with the light diffusing pearls so I am pretty sure I am a believer in the product. It will also help hydrate and firm my skin with Peptide P-199 and Milk Peptide Complex.

I'd love to hear about your success stories after using an eye cream for the first time!! (Tell me all about it on Twitter!)

XOXO
Priscilla Francine

Painted Purple

There is one main concern my clients and dear friends seem to share, and are a little distraught about. I repeatedly hear the sentence, "My makeup disappears by the end of the day." Is this one of your struggles too? Most of the time we are getting ready for the day around 6am, so I have been on the search this month for the perfect long-lasting products on the market. We all loved my Keep It Red find with Maybelline...so let's talk about their Eye Studio Color Tattoo 24HR Cream Gel Shadow today.


Let's start with the good stuff first. Pros: 1. It does not crease. 2. It's hue is intense. 3. Because it is such a pigmented color, the product is really packed into the jar...which means it will last you a very long time. 4. I paid under $4 for Painted Purple on sale at Longs.

Raspberry Sorbet Flavored Lip Shine by Philosophy $10.00





Cons: 1. When applying the cream shadow, it may streak, leaving some areas without any product. 2. I needed to set it with a powder shadow 3. I had to layer the cream gel shadow to create the look I preferred.

Earrings by Francesca's
When using Painted Purple, use the color on your eyelid, stopping at the crease. Smudge the left over color on the brush on your bottom lash line for full eye definition. Next, press on a powder color that is exact in it's shade (I used a discontinued Nars matte shadow). Last, soften the crease with a beige or neutral matte shadow with a pony tail brush.

XOXO
Priscilla Francine