Eyes as Black as Night

Lancome Design 9 Color Eyeshadow & 2 Color Blush Makeup Palettes

Hottest look around right now is dark charcoal eyes.  From the runway to celebs-carbon colored eyes are all the rage! According to L’Oreal makeup artist Collier Strong- black eye shadow goes well with every skin tone and eye color!  You can’t go wrong with this one ladies! As grungy as black eyelids may seem in theory, they really can look sexy and chic when applied correctly.  Start by investing in a good quality shadow/eye pigment. My Beauty Match insider’s pick Lancome’s Color Design eye shadow in The New Black. Add a little eyeliner and you’re ready to go!

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Get Kim K’s Glow!

Hourglass Cosmetics Veil Fluid Makeup – No. 1.5

Wondering how Kim Kardashian got that flawless skin look at her wedding?  Well, yes maybe it has something to do with Kris Humphreys but it also has a lot to do with her foundation! According to Celebrity Magazines, Kim wore Hourglass Veil Fluid makeup for her big day and boy did it make a difference! Hourglass provides long lasting coverage while fighting the signs of aging thanks to the ingredient Matrixl. This luminous foundation contains no parabens, no sulfates and no synthetic dyes or fragrances. Hourglass comes in a variety of shades so there is a color for everyone!

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No Muddy Eyes – Smokey Eyes!

Shany Professional Makeup Kit, 78 Color (See all Makeup Sets)

How many times have we tried to get the perfect sexy smokey eye only to end up with a muddy mess? There is definitely a ‘science’ to getting the perfect smokey eyes. Insiders at My Beauty Match swear by an easy 3-step process. Choose two complimentary colors, one lighter than the other. Use the lighter color on the lid, fill the crease with the darker color blend up with a small brush.  To top off the look add a dark liner along the lash line. For an extra smokey look you can line the bottom of the eye and smudge.

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Feature by Celebrity make-up artist and NARS Cosmetics trainer Norman Sands

What is your take on office-appropriate make-up? What does that mean exactly?

Office make-up is about being polished, professional and fresh!

Think about make-up the same way you do about clothing.  At NARS we call this “Wardrobing”.  With make-up you have basics, modern classics and accessories.

In your opinion, what should be a woman’s basic face at the office?

For most women it’s about effective products and time saving applications.  In the morning you want to keep it simple and easy.

>>> Where to start with your office make-up:

***This is another great post from a celebrity makeup artist giving you step-by-step instructions on makeup application. Norman Sands has taken runway trends and has delivered them in an easy way for everyday women!***

A lot of women are NOT going to hire the services of a professional makeup artist for their 2009 weddings because so many of us are trying to be more conservative with our money during these difficult times. When celebrity makeup artist Norman Sands, one of my favourite makeup artists and the makeup stylist and trainer for NARS Cosmetics, offered to give some wedding makeup tips to my readers, I jumped at the occasion because it doesn’t matter if you’re getting married in your 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s … you still want to look glamorous and outrageously beautiful on your big day.

Not that I’m into name-dropping, but let’s face it Norman worked with some pretty big Hollywood names. He’s worked with Leighton Meester (“Gossip Girl”), on the set of “Entourage” and he worked during the September 2008 New York Fashion Week shows (for the Spring 2009 collections) for designers like Chris Benz, Max Azria, Marchesa.

*** This is an exciting post because Norman Sands will share some of his makeup tips for the holidays that were featured in a recent edition of OK! magazine. As with all of Norman’s tips, this is as detailed as can be ladies!***

How to add sparkles to your holiday makeup by Norman Sands

Let’s start from the beginning, here are three mistakes women make when they use sparkles:

1) I think women get overwhelmed with all the options and they don’t know how to wear sparkle makeup.

Spending time with Senior Artist Jane McKay from MAC cosmetics is like sitting down with an encyclopedia of makeup.

Her knowledge is so vast that I could barely keep up writing all tips she was sharing with me.

I hope you read part one of this incredible feature and here’s part two!

5) What about ethnic beauties? How can Asian women, Latinas and darker skin beauties work with makeup trends as they age?

* It’s very important that you choose a concealer and a foundation that will help achieve an even look. Ethnic beauties usually have a hard time at it with dark spots on their face and it makes such a huge difference when you even out the skin.

* Ethnic beauties MUST invest in the right foundation and the right texture for their skin.

* Ethnic beauties usually have a yellow undertone and using pink will seriously brighten and open the face.

I’ve been wearing MAC Cosmetics for a long time now. I mix some MAC colours with my other makeup items and I cannot remember when was the last time my makeup bag didn’t include at least three to four MAC products.

Lately, I’ve been wondering if MAC Cosmetics was a line that was still appropriate for women over 35. When you look at a cosmetic line like Bobbi Brown where all the colours are greyed down it’s easier to see how women of a certain age would gravitate towards that line.

MAC Cosmetics has much brighter and bolder colours and I wanted to understand how women needed to approach the line as they age.

I met with Senior Artist Jane McKay for a little MAC education.

During my meeting with her, I had some precise questions and she in return had very precise answers. She also managed to give me a 15-minute face that completely hid all of my hyperpigmentation spots (you’ll see the photo at the end of part 2).

Senior Artist Jane McKay from MAC Cosmetics makeup and beauty tips:

***Procter Gamble Beauty is offering their Fall 2008 Look Book … you can download it at the end of this post!***

I still remember my reaction at a summer P & G Beauty function when I found out that famed makeup artist Pat McGrath (and P & G Global Creative Design Director) had created the fall 2008 runway looks for a number of big designers and that we’d be able to get a sneak peak.

When I heard that, I gasped and for about a few seconds I stopped breathing because U.K. base Pat McGrath is one of the biggest international makeup artists and she’s worked on pretty much every single big fashion show you can think of and she’s been responsible for creating memorable faces for designers such as Prada, Miu Miu and Dolce and Gabbana.

I know that the age difference between any of the young stars of Gossip Girl and most of my readers is quite different, but I cannot pass the opportunity to share tips from an exceptional makeup artist from NY fashion week.

I think the idea is to use these tips along with your NARS Cosmetic beauty expert to create a look that works for you and that’s age appropriate.

As you’ve noticed this is my third feature on celebrity makeup guru Norman Sands. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, from all the makeup artists that I’ve interviewed Norman has made the biggest impression on me for his passion for his craft and his dedication to educating women on how they can look their best.

Norman created a face-chart for Leighton Meester, who is one of the actresses from thew smash-teen series “Gossip Girl”. Norman was responsible for given Leighton a perfect-fresh-look for her front-row seat at the 3.1 Phillip Lim show during New York City’s recent Fashion Week events.

I kid you not, these types of insider’s makeup tips are very valuable, and even if you’re over 35 … you can still find a way to make this work for you. Since we are talking about NARS Cosmetics then you know that it’s all about glamour and chic and never about gaudy or tacky.

*** A quick warning to my readers, this is one of the most in depth interviews I’ve done about makeup tips with a beauty expert … I hope you’ll soak in every word!***

Norman, was so incredibly generous with his tips that I really had to cut this post into two parts and I really want to make sure you read all the information he provides because most of us will never afford the luxury of having an expert makeup artist on speed-dial.

You can read part one of my interview with Norman Sands here: My interview with Norman Sands Makeup Stylist and Trainer for NARS Cosmetics

I’ve interviewed a number of makeup artists in the past, but Norman is surely one of the most passionate and also one of the most detailed experts I’ve had the pleasure to sit down with. I knew volumes when it comes to makeup, but this discussion with Norman allowed me to learn so much more.

I also hope you’ll enjoy this interview with Norman Sands makeup stylist and trainer for NARS Cosmetics:

1) Beauty Match: What are the fall 2008 makeup trends at NARS?

Norman Sands:

1. Kohl Rimmed Eyes
2. Clean and Simple
3. Bold Lips
4. Luminous Skin
5. Sunset Hues

I really have to say that I’m quite excited about the new makeup colours for fall 2008. I think these new fall colours will be very easy for most women to play with.

Like every beauty editor, I have my favourite colours for the fall and I also have my favourite brands. I have to say that since “discovering” NARS earlier this year, I cannot get enough of their colours.

I made a bad assumption when walking by the NARS counter in the past in assuming that the bold colours were suited for 10- and 20-something girls. In reality the colours are true colours … meaning that what you see is what you get. This means that you don’t need to pack on your makeup in the hopes of getting the colour that you originally thought you bought.

You know how you buy certain makeup and get home and try it on to disappointing results because the colour was quite lighter than you expected and you had to pack on many layers of the colours to achieve the desired look? Well, this is NOT a problem you’ll have with NARS.

For a very long time, it was all about Bobbi Brown for me, but from one collection to another I was getting increasingly bored by the repetition of different-shades-of-neutral. Don’t get me wrong, there are still incredible seasonal shades that Bobbi Brown creates, but as a whole, I find the colours quite demure.

When I was offered the opportunity to interview Sandy Linter, Lancôme Beauty at Every Age Expert and makeup artist, I could barely contain my excitement!

Every time I have the opportunity to speak to beauty insiders, I never miss out on the chance. How else are you going to get those beauty secrets that you cannot get any other way?

Lancôme is coming out with a beautiful summer 2008 collection called ‘Summer Bronzing’ … don’t you love the name?

*** Beauty Match in Paris ***

While I was in Europe, I had my fill of magazines at a more reasonable price than I would buy them at home. Not only did I buy every possible magazine, but I also raided the archive files of all my girlfriends.

While flipping through an old edition of Elle France, I found a really enlightening article titled (when translated): VIP Guide to Aging-Well. This definitely caught my attention.

So how do French women seem to age so effortlessly?