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!

holiday shine

So while the holiday's are a crazy time for everyone, it seems our skin can be the worst. Between the cold outside, the heat indoors, and all of the yummy treats and stress sometimes breakouts occur. The most important thing to remember is don't pick. Keep your skin really clean and moisturize daily. Also, applying a omega oil to your skin at night can keep it ultra hydrated. Try Philosophy's When Hope is Not Enough 3.6.9 serum. Cheers!

starting again

to all my blogger buddies, I'm proud to announce I'm writing again. Just been bombarded for advice so I feel so compelled....
Anyway, was told earlier today about a makeup artist who was good, meticulous but took a painfully long time doing someone's makeup (like over 2 hours). Wow, totally unnecessary!! I say "keep it simple." Find a few good products that work for you and stick to them. If you need more drama then add more color but keep it simple in terms of what you're using. Always remember-less is more!
Aaahhh...glad to be back!