Products of the Month - September

Is it Fall already?  The Pros at IMPO think it still feels like summer, at least it does in So Cal!  Fall is our favorite time of the year because not only is it time to add to our boot collection and put up our Halloween decorations, it’s also time to shop for new makeup!

This is a good time of year to consider purchasing a new bottle, tube or compact of your foundation because the stuff you have been using since Spring is getting old and skanky!

It is also not a bad idea to invest in a new concealer and powder too and if you have a powder puff in your pressed compact…it is way past the gross, stinky stage and has collected enough of your DNA to make even the most sturdy FBI agent or crime scene investigator cringe! Time to chuck that and invest in a powder brush and blot papers for on-the-go touch ups!

So to help you embrace the Fall Season (even if you still have summer weather in your neck of the woods), here is a list of products the Pros love for the month of September:

Orlane Paris Anagenese 25+ Serum – statics show that aging begins at age 25 and becomes visible towards age 35-40.  By effectively fighting against signs of aging, you can delay the transformation of the skin.  The youngest member of the IMPO Pro team, Cathi Singh, swears by this product and thinks that it is an ideal product to begin your morning skincare routine with, plus it gives off an immediate healthy glow effect.  This serum will also help to even out skin tone and texture.  Try mixing it into your liquid foundation and then apply, Cathi swears this application trick works to minimize large pores!

Osmotics Blue Copper 5 Firming Eye Repair – another favorite in Cathi Singh’s Pro skincare arsenal is this creamy-gel formula product that contains peptides and anti-aging proteins that help boost collagen levels lost due to aging.  Big bonus: it even helps makeup around the eyes stay put!

Smashbox Eye Beam Double-Ended Brightener – this innovative brightener delivers the look of big, bright eyes quickly and easily!  Use the “highlight” end inside corners of the eyes and beneath the brow to make eyes appear bigger and wider.  Use the “rim” end on the lower waterline to brighten the whites of the eyes and make them pop!

Senna Cosmetics Eye Shadow – in Fixation and Blend are amazing colors from Senna’s Fall 2010 collection.  IMPO Pro Celeb MUA, Melissa Street, can’t get enough of these colors!  To achieve Senna Cosmetics' creator, Eugenia Weston's bold eye look below apply Fixation (a deep green hue) to the outer corners and in the crease, while using Blend to blur edges, infusing the colors together.  Gorgeous, sexy, sultry and perfect for Fall!

Illamasqua Precision Ink – this liner is incredibly pigmented and long lasting!  The fine tip applicator allows for perfect line drawing along lash line, waterline areas (tight lining) or for creating artwork on the body.  Totally waterproof and dries in seconds, this product comes in two colors a deep black called Abyss and an antique gold called Alchemy.

Smashbox Cream Eyeliner Palette – in Proof this palette is packed with 10 shades of mini cream liners.  Colors include: Lava (deep slate shimmer), Picasso (deep ink blue), Midnight Purple (deep violet), Midnight Brown (dark chocolate), Putty (medium brown), Caviar (true jet black), Thunder (mossy gray), Midnight Green (deepest chalkboard green), Deep Bronze (chocolate shimmer) and Cameo (russet brown).  Great for all eye colors!

Maybelline The Falsies Volume Express Mascara – all the Pros agree that Maybelline has knocked it out of the ballpark with this mascara.  We love a false lash and this product helps create length without the hassle of applying an actual full-strip false lash.  Two coats on upper lashes are recommended and check out the unique brush!

Smashbox Brow Tech To Go – the geniuses at Smashbox created this amazing portable, travel-friendly version of their iconic Brow Tech.  Double-ended component includes an angled, longwearing, waterproof pencil for precise filling and defining of the brows and a soft hold gel with a brow brush applicator to groom brows perfectly into place.

NARS Douceur Blush – another Pro fav, this blush is a flawless soft pink-brown hue that can be used to pop the cheeks, contour or warm up the forehead, jaw line and nose.  Sheer, natural hint of color that gently adds a delicate kiss to the cheeks!

Bobbi Brown Lip Color - in Black Maple from Bobbi's new Black Velvet Collection is a stunning, deep, rich shade of black, red plum!  This lipstick is Bobbi's original formula that treats lips to color with a soft-matte finish.  This is a limited edition color so stock up!

OPI Lincoln Park After Dark nail color - to match those sensuous lips try a dark plum nail color for both your fingers and toes!

OSIS by Schwarzkopf Freeze Super Hold Pump Hairspray – we don’t normally talk about a ton of hair products on this blog, but we just had to let our readers know about this product.  A very high performance hair spray that is long lasting and can perform under adverse conditions of temperature and humidity.  It won’t leave your hair feeling crunchy or leave you with a layer of white build up when you brush it out!

TIGI Wax Stick – do you all get those crazy flyaway hairs from static or when there is low humidity or when you pull a sweater on over your head?  Us too!  The Pros have found the perfect hair wax that, when used sparingly, concurs bed head, static head and unruly hair in general!

PRO TIPS AND TRICKS:

We know we don’t need to keep telling our readers this, but…you should be cleaning your personal makeup brushes at least once a week or more.  IMPO Pro, Melissa Street, keeps ColoreScience Brush Cleanser right next to her brush holder for a quick and easy clean.  Sanitizing your brushes means that your skin will be healthier too and this product will help prevent build-up of bacteria and makeup residue on brush bristles!

* Photo credit - V Magazine Fall 2010

Runway To Real Way!

When some of the most creative and artistic designers are all put under one roof (or tent), an explosion of fabulous fashion and mind blowing makeup are the result. In other words, Fashion Week!

New York Fashion Week is the mecca for all things fashion and beauty related. It holds artists at such a high standard and allows for a true expression of art, whether it be with a needle and thread or a makeup brush.

Pro makeup artists like me keep an “idea” folder that contains a wide array of beauty looks, colors and trends. It’s my Look Book that I go to when in need of inspiration. A lot of the pictures inside of my folder are from past Fashion Weeks and I pull from these looks whether I am working a photo shoot, film or television show.

While some of the looks sported on the runway are not exactly everyday wear, they are excellent examples of ways to flex your artistic muscles and not be bound by the day to day routine. Here are samples and how-to info from a few recent runway shows that we love:

For the sleek, clean and polished look above, which would be gorgeous for a night on the town, it’s important to start out by perfecting the skin. Matte skin is in this season, and this model has a flawless finish played up by fiery red lipstick.

Achieve this look by using a matte finish liquid foundation, like Nars Sheer Matte Foundation. Using a foundation brush to apply it, start from the middle of the face and work out. This will give the most coverage where needed, while still giving your skin a bright radiance that looks healthy and natural.

Red matte lipstick is definitely a product you want to stay put. Blend Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer around your lip line for a smudge-proof, waterproof, long wearing lip color that won’t feather or bleed. Lipstick Queen has a waterproof Lip Liner that is still moisturizing to your lips. Colors Red or Rouge applied all over the lip will ensure a long lasting pout.

Want a little sheen on those lips? Apply Lipstick Queen's Chinatown Glossy Pencil in Thriller over the lip pencil. It is a draw-on gloss packed into a chubby pencil that is great for touch ups.

You should also leave the eyes simple by using one color shadow in a neutral vanilla shade and add a few coats of black mascara, then contour the cheekbones with a light bronzer to define and help structure the roundness of the face.

High fashion makeup always pushes the limits when it comes to bold colors. To wear one of these looks, refer back to your handy color wheel. Wearing complimentary colors on the eye, cheek and lips will fuse the look together and actually bring out the bold bright colors even more.

Overblending can be the downfall of a dramatic look. Blend with the brush containing the color and then take a clean blending brush, preferably smaller, and sharpen up the area. Using a clean brush will help keep the lines of color clear and more defined. And the smaller brush also helps you get in those nooks and crannies of the eye.

Get high impact color by layering cream liner or cream shadow under powder shadows. Nars cream shadows in Zardoz and Nomad would be great bases for the eye look above. Pack on color using a dense and full, flat brush and pat color into the cream before blending.

I prefer cream blushes under powder blush because not only does the color look more vibrant, it lasts longer, especially for those with oily skin. Eve Pearl's new HD Foundation Cream Blush Trio are three gorgeous colors (a peach, pink and bronze) that can add instant warmth to any cheek. These blushes are packed with pigment and are buildable on the face. Blend Gingersnap powder blush from Smashbox Cosmetics over the cream blush to achieve a warm cinnamon glow.

If you want to try a hot pink cheek, like the Marc Jacobs model below, go with the just re-launched Radiance blush from Smashbox. It’s a bold color in the container, but can be worn lightly for a soft flush, or packed on for a "doll" like pink. It is also perfect as an eyeshadow to compliment this look.

Draw out that long liner to the hairline using a liquid liner to create a border. Nars makes a felt tip liner called Eyeliner Stylo that gives a perfect line with ease. Match up M.A.C’s Sketch eyeshadow in the crease with Make Up For Ever’s Lavender 9 eyeshadow as a base.

At the other end of the spectrum, the clean, fresh face sometimes graces the runways. Some may think this requires virtually no makeup or time, but its quite the opposite! It can take longer because any flaw or unblended concealer streak will show.

The model above has a dewey bronze finish. Start out by using a sheer foundation to even out skin tone like DiorSkin AirFlash Spray Foundation, which is a foundation in an aerosol can that gives an airbrushed effect to the skin. Set lightly with a translucent powder in the t-zone.

The naked makeup face is nothing without being contoured. Use a matte finish bronzer, like Orlane Paris Bronzing Powder or even a nude tone eyeshadow two shades darker than your skin and contour below the cheekbone, around the hairline at the forehead, under the chin, tip of the nose, and lightly on each side of the nose from the brow. Complete the look by brushing the brows upward in a natural form and keep in place with brow gel like Anastasia’s Clear Brow Gel.

If looking for a bit of color or shimmer to add to this look, try a light cinnamon toast color washed acrossed the eyelid and a matte lip stain just one shade slightly darker than your natural lip. Try Kevin Aucoin’s Expert Lip Tint in Falon for a perfect nude shade.

PRO TIPS AND TRICKS:

To remove all of the above makeup looks in a "flash" use M.A.C. Wipes! Swipes away makeup, dirt and grim in a red hot minute! These wipes contain a M.A.C. cleanser and toner along with Vitamin E to help protect and hydrate the skin.

STAY TUNED:

Up next on IMPO: Think being a makeup artist is all glitz and glam? Well...we've got news for you! Tag along behind-the-scenes of recent music video shoots and see what products the Pros use and how they handle doing makeup in "odd" places!

Post written by Cathi Singh - freelane makeup artist, Smashbox Cosmetics representative and Contributing Pro for In My Professional Opinion blog. All cosmetic product listed above was purchased by Cathi for her professional kit or given as gratis for her to use on her clients.