New Year's Eve Makeup

Want to create a dramatic New Year's Eve makeup look inspired by the runway? Mix uptown and downtown influences. Experiment with metallics and more daring colors for shadow. Think metallic silver and gold to add drama to the eyelids. Caviar liquid liner gives eyes a smoldering, smoky eye effect that stands out by candlelight…or strobe light. Don't skip (or skimp on) foundation, which creates a seamless complexion and lasts well into the wee hours when misted with a can of Evian water, held 8 inches from your face. Apply powder for extra staying power. Lips get accented with shiny red this season. False lashes and a touch of bronzer give the final accents for evening

Read more: http://www.taaz.com/beauty/special-occasions/parties/new-years-eve-makeup-ideas.html#ixzz19hyQYPqF

Trends for next year!

Dior Spring 2011 Makeup Collection
Dior Spring 2011 Makeup Collection
It seems that the most refined grays pop up on the market as the most inspiring tones for the next year. The Dior Spring 2011 makeup collection is based around the endless shades of this color that radiates a high class aura as well as elegance. Take a closer peek at the complete line of makeup products that furnish you with all the key items that should feature in the makeup kit of a real beauty bunny for 2011.

Minimalism meets elegance in an outstanding way in the next makeup collection launched by the over-popular beauty brand Dior. The collection indeed is sculpted around the visual effect of gray in combination with pink which has a deeper essence than just the matching of two complementary and harmoniously vibrating hues. Indeed as creators claim the main source of inspiration for the Dior Spring 2011 makeup collection is a little town in Normandy where Christian Dior spent his childhood. Moreover pink and gray are some of the colors the fashion guru associated with those years.

Therefore the line echoes the old time atmosphere mirrored by the classy packaging as well as the eye shadow and lip makeup color palette. Additionally designers also claim that the very first Dior store on Avenue Montaigne also had a tremendous impact on the creative process of the makeup sets envisioned for the arrival of the spring. Gray was never this elegant and overwhelming as it is presented in the unique and charming makeup products for the first half of 2011.

makeup for the holidays

In general, most holiday events happen in the evening. Even if they don't, as special engagements, you can follow the basic evening makeup advice. The essence of an evening look is to darken up your favorite daytime colors. In general, there is no need to take a step away from your own personality just to look spruced up. If you are most comfortable in your current look, enhancing it for a little extra evening contrast creates a nice holiday makeup presentation.

Here's your chance for a do-over!!

I was contacted by a casting director at WEtv. If you are what they're looking for, give her a call!!
Do You Have The Ultimate Wedding Disaster Story?


Did you suffer a wedding disaster that put a damper on your big day?

Does your wedding video play like a blooper reel?

Do you wish you could do it all over again and have the wedding
you originally dreamed of?

WEtv WANTS TO HEAR FROM YOU!!


WEtv is casting dynamic Los Angeles-area couples who deserve the ultimate DO OVER…a dream wedding celebration planned by an acclaimed LA-based wedding designer.

What happened to ruin your big day? Did your ex show up and object in the middle of your ceremony? Did a storm knock out your power or prevent most of your guests from attending? Were you forced to elope instead of having the great white wedding you dreamed of? If you live in LA and have your disaster caught on tape, you could get a second chance to have your dream wedding!


Contact us today with your story!

Danielle Gervais
Sr. Casting Producer
212-377-4543
IshTVCasting.Danielle@gmail.com

See...?!

2010 Natural Looking MakeUp



Natural Looking MakeUp is a hot makeup trend come 2010. Flawless skin and little mascara, bare lips and a mineral foundation completes this look. It doesn't get much simpler than this!

Finally, the trend I've been talking about for how long?! Now we're in ladies!!!

Going against the grain

So one question that I'm asked a lot is "What colors should I wear?" I always ask back "Well, what colors do you like?" Usually those colors are the ones that look the best on us. However, some people have an idea what they like but think they "should" wear something else. I say "abandon such thoughts!" Go against the grain!! If you love purple and you think you shouldn't wear it maybe try a deeper shade of eggplant swept thinly just above the lash line. If you love pink, there are beautiful cream blushes that can pull beautiful color on everyone. You just need to experiment with tone and application. I always say "start small and build up" until you feel comfortable.

My New Fav

So I have had the great pleasure of working with Youngblood Cosmetics lately. Love them!! They make beautiful mineral cosmetics that are paraben free and easy to use. My favorite product is their new liquid mineral foundation. It's perfect for summer because it's lightweight, full of 20 marine extracts and calendula oil so it hydrates, heals and protects your skin all at once.
With all of that goodness who needs anything else?!

Summer Lovin'

Splash into summer using less makeup but bold color choices. I love the idea of tinted moisturizer like Laura Mercier's to even out skin tone and protect it. Over that apply a bold creme cheek color. MAC makes some great ones and use a thin line of aqua on your eyes. Add mascara and lip gloss and you've got an easy, beautiful look that's perfect for any summer day!

back to basics

So not only am I back writing on my blog but I am getting back to basics. Since summer is a time of stripping down of clothes and school I thought I'd strip down on the makeup as well. Keeping the skin clean and hydrated is the key. Also, using a spf all over including your decollete is tres important! I love Aveeno's Continuous Protection Sunblock lotion with an spf of 100+. It's lightweight and waterproof without that nasty spf smell. It probably is the the most important product you can use during the summer months!!

Creating Glamour Simply

So I had the great pleasure of working with a beautiful actress named Dianna Agron. She had gorgeous, creamy skin so keeping to my philosophy I used very little foundation on her. All we had to do was accentuate her eyes to give her that glamourous look. Always remember, less is truly more. If you want glamour use a thin brush and black or dark brown eye shadow and draw a thin line just above the lashline. Extend out and up just a bit. Apply a few coats of mascara and that's really all you need!!

lubed lips

This time of year I do so many people's makeup who have incredibly dry, chapped lips. Besides drinking water there are a couple of things you can do. Philosophy makes a great sugar scrub for your lips. Only one use for two minutes really makes a difference. Another great treatment I've found is lipp lube. They are all natural lip balms with the highest concentration of vitamin E. The beeswax is a natural spf and they taste good in great flavors and have nice sheen. There is no excuse now for cranky lips!!

Tinted Moisurizer

So one simple way to protect skin and create even skin tone is tinted moisturizer. I love this product because if you have nice skin you really don't need a heavy foundation you just need a little something. It keeps your skin looking fresh and clean and perfect looking. My favorite is Laura Mercier's because it also gives you an spf of 20 which everyone needs everyday!!

Capturing Beauty

Ever walk by a mirror and catch your reflection in it and say "damn, I look good!" I'm sure you have. What was it about your appearance that you liked. Was it your hair? Your skin? Your eyes?
Take time today and look at yourself. I want you to find one thing about your appearance that you like and I want you to play it up. If you think you have a nice glow about your skin,don't cover it with foundation just even out the color. If you like your lips, apply a shimmering gloss. If you like your eyes add a contrasting color to the lid to bring them out more. Every day make what you got even better and what you don't got, let it go!!!
That's the way to personalize your beauty, simply!

mascara

One sure fire way to really give your eyes a boost is applying mascara. And the number one question I get is-what is my favorite kind? Well like anything else, we all have our opinions, but speaking from experience and experiment, Voluminous by L'Oreal is my favorite. Better than Lancome or Chanel. It goes on really smoothly and doesn't clump. What's great about it is that it is very natural if that's the look or can be built up for my drama. It doesn't flake either. And the price is so nice.!!
Real Simple, Real Beautiful.

The Importance of Blush

So, feeling sick is no fun. Looking sick is just plain unattractive. One must have this time of year when the weather keeps us indoors and illness takes over is blush.
Look in the mirror, smile, and notice that rounded area next to your nose. That's the apple of your cheek. That's where the color goes. Apply either a bright pink or apricot to really give a natural,healthy glow. I like Vincent Longo's "Innocence" and MAC's " So Sweet, So Easy," which is actually a cream blush so you can even use your fingers.
Creating health has never been so simple. And you have never looked so beautiful.

Luminant Skin

So I have the great pleasure of doing Camille's makeup on a pretty regular basis. She has the most gorgeous skin of just about anyone I know. She uses amazing products by epicuren(one of my favorite skincare lines). We also love to add a bit of shimmer to her skin when I do her makeup just to give an even healthier glow. My recommendation for illuminating skin is daily exfoliating, a nice moisturizer and when applying your makeup, use a light foundation. You can then add highlight to the cheekbones and bridge of the nose. I love MAC's new mineralized powder. It really creates beauty quite simply.

Shine Control excitement!!

So, I have found Mecca. Well not really, but close. I was working on a job yesterday and tried a new HD powder from Youngblood. So amazingly light and sheer that you couldn't even tell the woman had powder on!! That is my kind of makeup. Great for daily, mere mortal use as well because it mattes skin without that heavy cakey look and feel. Exactly what you want your powder to be!!
Beautiful, flawless skin.....simply!

luscious,long-lasting lips

Luscious, long-lasting lips. Say that 5 times fast!! When I'm working with a client and I don't have time to constantly touch up their lips I take a nude or natural lip pencil and cover their whole lip with it. When using a color like this, if you want to create fuller lips just over draw the lip slightly especially from the peak of the top lip to the outside corner. While gently keeping your mouth closed. Once that's done, I just take a nice pretty gloss and fill in the center or pucker spot. That adds dimension and depth.
Voila, beautiful full long lasting lips.!!

Dreaded Dark Circles

I get asked about this problem often. It seems so many woman are afflicted with dark circles. For many people it is unfortunately hereditary. There are however things that can be done to minimize the appearance. Using an eye cream with retinol and vitamin K can help because many people who have dark circles have a deficiency of vitamin K in their diet. Philosophy makes an eye cream that actually works. Also, as I've talked about in an earlier post, we MUST all wear concealer!! The most important cosmetic you can own!!! Choosing a color that is slightly warm(having a tinge of orange)will counteract the blue hue under the eyes. Look at the mirror, tip your chin down slightly, now you'll see where to apply the bulk of your product. Then blend up towards the eye and voila! No more darkness!!
Remember putting the concentration of the product where it's needed most and blending out keeps you looking the most natural.
Keeping it Simple!

puffy eyes

So an old friend was asking the other day what to do with puffy eyes. I get this question a lot. The answer is the old fashioned cool cucumber trick!! Take sliced cucumber and place them on your eyes for 10 minutes. Lay back and relax and that should help. When I am on set doing someones makeup and they need help I use Cliniques All About Eyes. That helps the puffyness and dryness. Now if that doesn't work and you are extremely desperate Preparation H does work. Yes, you read correctly. Please only use this in moderation!!!

Working with small set eyes

I was working with a client the other day getting her ready for the Golden Globes. She is a very beautiful, mature woman with lovely skin and stunning green eyes. However her eyes are on the smaller side so I suggested we line them with a thin pencil. I used dark green instead of black to keep it softer. We then applied a light beige all over her lid and used lots of mascara to really give the illusion of opening the eye. By keeping the lid color light and simple, the eyes will appear larger and if your eyes are closer together make sure to pull that lid color to the inner corners of the eyes. If you want to get a little more dramatic apply individual lashes to the outer corners of the eyes as a final touch.
Simple, but truly magical!

cutting down on time

There are many tricks us experts use to cut down on time(shhhh) getting people ready for an event or photo shoot. One is only do what is truly needed. If a person has beautiful skin I will use concealer and blend out to even out skin tone instead of applying foundation which can be truly time consuming. The other is using a tinted moisturizer to balance skin tone and hydrate skin.
Philosophy make a fantastic one which also provides sun protection called supernatural. Check it out. You'd be amazed at the results!! It's also great under foundation, if you insist.

Beauty tip for a busy mom!!

So, Philosophy makes these great 3- in- 1 shampoo, body wash and bubble bath which are great for getting kids bathed in one easy fun step. My kids don't even know what's hit them!!
Check them out. They come in great, tasty flavors. By the way, you can use them too!

What happens on a photo shoot

So working on a photo shoot may seem glamorous. Have you ever wondered how we get that soft glowing skin? Simple. Try using johnson and johnson baby oil gel right out of the shower. Add's shimmer and smooth without that greasy feeling of plain oil.

another MAC product

So I am indeed endorsing MAC this week. Believe it or not because they kinda lost favor with me for some time. Anyway, they have two beautiful new products that create a light, airy feel but are super easy to accomplish. The first is their mineralize skin finish powder that is beautifully illuminating in day and night and evens out skin color by deflecting light with just one sweep of your powder brush.
The other is their warm and cozy shadestick. It's a creamy eye pencil that you use all over your eyelid to create highlight and illumination. So easy you could use it in your car on your way to work(I'm not endorsing putting makeup on in the car, I'm just saying it's that easy.)
Keeping it simple always,
Dedra

LA Times article

Read an article on the in the Times yesterday about skin care. It said that drugstore products are just as good as the more expensive department store brands or private skin care labels. I don't know about that. I love my philosophy and Sonya Dakar products. Anyone have an opinion?
Try Sonya Dakar blue mask. Totally purifies, heals and hydrates. Not sure Oil of Olay can even compete!!

New Inspiration

Check out mac cosmetics. Right now they are doing some beautiful creme shadow pots and sticks that make illuminating eyes super simple!

Welcome Back!!

Happy New Year everyone!!
Hoping everyone has a promising and fruitful year with tons of beauty!! We can be inspired by so many sources, our friends and family, nature, art. We sometimes just need to step outside of the familiar to find it. I get so much inspiration for my work from color and photographs. It always makes me want to try something new. If you are feeling at a standstill with your products and don't know what to do, try visiting the bookstore and browsing through magazines. There are always tons on beautiful colors and pictures to view. You can get tons of ideas of things to try!!
Always remember, keep it simple and try one thing at a time!