New York Fashion Week - Edgy Makeup Picks

Happy New York Fashion Week!

This is my absolute favorite time of the year .. besides Fashion Week it is the beginning of fall. The air is crisp and the trends and fashion finds are emerging. I have many new fall blog posts launching soon with many new products for you to learn about!

Today I posted a picture on Instagram - @PrettyInNewYorkCity 

I wanted to share some edgy fashion forward makeup pics for fashion week in my favorite color ... purple! You'll see below that the names definitely coincide with fashion week! With a pop of a contrast color. Product details are below:

NARS Duo Eyeshadow in Fashion Rebel (how fitting?)

NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Tender Night

Chanel Le Volume Mascara in Black - my holy grail

MAC Blush in Full of Joy

MAC Eyeliner in Designer Purple from the Archie Collection

LANVIN Eclat Parfum

Happy Fashion Week!

Fall Blog Posts to come soon.

Burberry Lip & Cheek Bloom Review and Swatches

Photo Courtesy of Burberry

My favorite Burberry flats with Peony and Purple Tulip.

Burberry Lip & Cheek Bloom launched in April 2015. These are so Burberry - very light, refreshing, luxurious, but also has a purpose. The Lip & Cheek Bloom's have a very creamy, velvet texture and are tints for your lips and cheeks. These are available in 6 shades:

Rose No.01

Hydrangea No.03

Peony No.05

Orange Blossom No.07

Poppy No.09

Purple Tulip No.11

The colors go on more sheer and blend out beautifully. They are great for layering or to wear alone. My favorite application is on the lips alone. It fills in any cracks, fine lines, and hydrates. On the cheeks you have to wear them on fresh clean skin or on top of a BB Cream - they are so natural looking that if worn on top of foundation it can become lost. 

Overall I say try one or two like I did - they are pricey at $30 each. However, a little goes a long way so the glass jar should last for a bit. These are perfect for those dry and cool fall and winter months. 

Left: Heavy Swatch          Right: Blended Out

You can find them at Nordstrom.com and if you click below they are having a FREE beauty gift! Order yours today with anything else you may need!

New Beauty Alert - Louboutin Lipstick

The iconic shoe designer who started designing handbags moved into the ever growing beauty business. Christian Louboutin first launched the brand Nail Polish last year - jaws dropped at how beautiful his new creation was. The attention to detail and the structure of the bottle was insane ... but would we ever expect less from Mr. Louboutin?

Well I have the newest and latest beauty news - Christian Louboutin will leave us breathless again with the new lipstick line. Said to be coming out this Fall 2015, the line of 36 colours comes in a bullet that completes destroys any lipstick tube I've ever seen before. Inspired by the Egyptian queen Nefertit, these bullets are black or gold and contain jewels and crown top that has a loop at the top. But it doesn't stop there that loop is there for a reason - you can make into a fierce statement necklace when your lip shade is finito. One tube will set you back a whopping $90 but can you resist? Let me know your thoughts!

I salute you AGAIN Christian Louboutin - you are an inspiring and innovative man.

Day dreaming of these beauties until September which then I will be able to match my lips with my nails to the bottom of my shoes.

Brow Transformations and Eyebrow Tips

Brows are everything - they can make or break you. Each and every person has their own shape that frames your face, this is why stencils don't work! Here are some helpful tips for having amazing brows ...

1. STOP waxing - seriously stop the madness. You don't know how many clients I know that have had their eyebrows ruined from waxing. Waxing always takes off more hair than it should and isn't as accurate. 

2. Let your brows grow at least 3 weeks before your first shaping.

3. Get your brows shaped every 2-3 weeks. If you have fast hair growth you will need to go sooner. Don't wait too long though because then you start to lose the shape you wanted so badly.

4. When filling in your brows waxes and pencils are great for creating an illusion of hair that isn't there. Powders are good just to enhance what you already have - no matter what you should ALWAYS fill in your brows.

5. Not growing?? Try using castor oil or coconut oil

Here are some of my before and after shapings ... 

My Top 3 Sunless Tanner - Self Tanner Picks!

In New York the weather has been so up and down - one day 90 and sunny the next 70 and raining. With the hectic lives that we all live just to pay our bills who honestly has time to sit in the sun for hours upon hours trying to get that perfect glow? Solution - Sunless Tanner.

Benefits of sunless tanning -  won't damage the skin or cause wrinkles, UVA/UBA free, look thinner, and gives confidence.

I have been an avid user of self tanners since I was 16 years old .. so after 10 years I guess you could call me an expert. I also was a spray tanning technician for a few years. In my younger (more stupid) years I also used to go in a tanning bed everyday for a few years. Now I am paying for it and have had multiple pieces of skin taken off, let's be real ... actually cut out, that were pre-cancerous. The picture below was one of those times ...

 

So I promised my Mom, who has always worked for Oncologists, that I wouldn't go indoor tanning and haven't in a few years. So let's be clear ... my skin is basically ... well clear. I am being dramatic but I am pale, very pale. I have tried EVERY self tanner there is out there. The 3 I am going to share are the best of the best (in America.) I gave you a choice of a spray, a mousse, and a cream depending on your preference. 

#1 Quick Tan by Body Drench Spray in Medium to Dark

I recommend using this outdoors because of the mist that it causes. However, I spray myself in my shower. It creates a bit of a mess but it is well worth it. It gives you the most dark, natural, rich tan. It is my absolute favorite for the face. Did I mention it has a Cocoa Vanilla Scent and doesn't smell like self tanner at all. It can be tricky to spray your back or the back of your legs so you might need some assistance. The trick is to hold the can 6-8 inches away from the targeted area and stay in a constant motion. The photo below was the Quick Tan Spray on my arm and the Quick Tan Cream on my leg .. you can see how perfect and different the two are! This was after one application on my very pale skin.

This product is a little hard to find but you can find it online, Harmon's, or CosmoProf. Around $15 Overall Product rating: 10

#2 St. Tropez Bronzing Mousse

This product is my second favorite! It applies as a dark mousse so you know where you have placed the product and where you need to still apply. It is literally fool proof. It also has a very dark, rich color that lasts me about 5-7 days. It dries completely in around 60 seconds. The innovative Aromaguard™ fragrance technology eliminates the tell-tale self tan aroma by a minimum of 70%. You can find this product at Sephora for $32. I scored this product a little lower just because of the amount of tanner I go through it is pricey.

Overall Product Rating: 9

#3 Coppertone Sunless Tanning - Gradual Tan Cream

I love love love this self tanner! It has a similar smell to the other Coppertone products which I love. In just one application you will achieve a beautiful golden glow. This product also contains moisturizers, because it's a cream, that the other two don't so it actually helps lengthen the life of your tan. The only downfall is that it goes on clear so you just have to pay attention as to where you need to apply. It is absolutely not streaky at all!!! You can find this at any drugstore or Wal-Mart for around $8

Overall Product Rating: 9

I hope this list will help you get the color that you are looking for. I will have another post soon about how to prep and maintain your sunless tanning. 

This meme is literally me.

My secret to whiter teeth in just 5 minutes and on a budget!!

So I drink a lot of coffee .. well let's keep it real - I drink a lot of Starbucks. I recently received a gift card for $50 for my college graduation and I think it lasted me 2 weeks. It's a real problem; I'm aware. So if you are an avid coffee or tea drinker like I am, if you are super nasty and unhealthy and smoke, or you just want to have pearly whites - I have just the trick.

I have had some free time on my hands and have decided to work on myself. Teeth are very important to me; the first thing I look at on someone is their smile. I bet I've never told you I was originally going to school to be an orthodontist then switched to fashion and beauty marketing - but that's neither here nor there.

I began hunting for the best teeth whiter I could find at the drugstore. You don't have to go to the dentist and spend a couple hundred dollars - you don't even have to spend $40-$50 on Crest White Strips. I recommend Plus White 5 Minute Premier Whitening System. I bet you can't wait to hear what is costs? Well I found it at Harmon for $8.99 - I also had a 20% off coupon (which you can find online or use the Bed Bath & Beyond coupons) and the total was $7.20.

All you do is put the gel in the tray and wait anywhere from 5-20 minutes. I recommend doing it once a day although the package says twice a day because any whitening makes your teeth sensitive. You will notice a big difference after just 4 days!! It also comes with a Stain Guard Rinse that removes plaque and prepares your teeth for optimal whitening.

Happy Whitening Beauties!!

Recap: Top 5 Best Instagram Beauty Posts From Last Week

Happy Spring! April showers really do bring on May flowers. This whole week in New York it is raining. At least I'll get some use out of my favorite Stewart Weitzman rain boots!

Enough about the rain, let's talk about beauty! I love finding new inspiration and new pages to follow on Instagram. The talent that others have is incredible. It's also fun to see a product photographed beautifully. Most accounts that I follow are beauty, health, or fashion related. Even if I am not following them, I check so many makeup artists and bloggers daily. If you want to see who I follow head to my page @prettyinnewyorkcity

These are my top 5 beauty posts from last week

1. @_dose_of_beauty

When I saw this I was in awe! Everyone's version of art is different - this is mine! This was hand done using only makeup on her forearm. It amazes me how talented someone can be to recreate an entire eye and look at that brow!

2. @elymarino

I am obsessed with the new Anastasia Beverly Hills liquid lips.They are so creamy yet so pigmented! I love this picture of the shades from light to dark with the bright blue pool in the background. 

3. @sarahmcgphoto

This reminded me of a look I did for Halloween at the MAC counter. My client was being some sort of super hero but I contoured her face in color! I love contouring in color for runway, pictures, or parties it's so fun and avant garde!

4. @ingalala_

@MakeupByAriel worked her magic. The lip color and the brows are amazing. But seriously though, lash game on FLEEK! There are @LillyLashes in Milan and Sky. 

5. @beautylookbook

Beauty Look Book is a smaller blog that often has really cute pictures. I chose this picture because I hand selected these colors for the blog and mailed them to her from Burberry! I love how she photographed them over the flowers but you are still able to see the lipstick shade. Plus, it's always nice to see my work online!! These lipsticks are from the Kisses collection and can be found on Burberry.com