Color your holiday...

Inspiration in make up can come from anywhere. What I love about my fashionista clients like Simone Smith, is that they get inspired by their wardrobe. When we discussed her look for her SIS Jewelry Trunk Show at Bloomingdale's, she immediately wanted me to see her green blazer. I love color, but I am NOT a fan of matching your make up with your clothes. I will, however, think of a creative way to compliment your pop of color. Take a look at what we decided to do with her eyes...

I took MAC Artjam Paint and applied it to her lids first. I then took MAC eye shadow in Sketch and placed it on the lid with Bronze eye shadow on top. Blackberry in the crease. I applied Tarnish Green eyeliner under her bottom lashes, then coated the line with YSL Green Shimmer Eye Shadow. Stila Kajal Liner was heavily applied in her water line. To keep her look as natural as she likes, she has on no foundation, no lashes, and no top liner. We finished the look with Bronzer on her cheeks and YSL Rouge Pur Couture #5 with MAC Plum Lip Liner on her lips.

This can be a great look for a holiday party with any black, gold, beige or emerald green dress! Enjoy! xo

Fabulous Frenchie Davis...

I had the pleasure of working with talented songstress, Frenchie Davis recently for a red carpet appearance. One of my good friends, make up artist Cynthia Rivas, normally does her make up, but she was out of town, and she trusted me to her client's face. I am always happy to meet a new face:)

I remembered the name Frenchie Davis, but it wasn't until I saw her in person and chatted with her that I really remembered. This woman's voice is amazing, speaking of  her sound, she was even on "The Voice" showcasing her skills last year. Not to mention her powerful roles in classic musicals like Rent, Dreamgirls, and Ain't Misbehavin'. Now working to get her new music to her fans, you'll be hearing more from her very soon. She is super cool as well, and a force to be reckoned with! I was ecstatic to say the least.

Behind the scenes...

She LOVES makeup, so I wanted to make sure I did her, and her long time makeup artist friend Terrell Mullin, proud! We decided to go with the natural eye, bold lip combo since her dress was animal print. 

FACE TIME: I used MAC Pigment on the lid, with MAC eye shadows Swiss Chocolate and Texture in the crease. I lined her eyes with Stila's Kajal black eye pencil, and finished it off with my favorite Wispie Lashes from Ardell. Her cheek color was a combination of Smashbox blush in Smashing Flare, and Luster shimmer from NARS. Her lip was lined with YSL #7 Lip Pencil and her lip color was a red by YSL Rouge Pur Couture #1, with Milani golden gloss in her pout. Needless to say, she rocked the carpet that night!!

Much success to you Frenchie Davis, and I do hope to work with you again soon! xo

Viv's Killer Look...

After checking several blogs...Vivica Fox wow'd the masses with her look on the red carpet for Byron Allen's Entertainment Studio's Daytime Emmy Launch event in Beverly Hills. Vivica was in attendance for the new show she landed on one of Byron's networks called "Mr. Box Office". Check out some behind the scenes shots of how we got the look that killed!

 We wanted to go with something edgy to match her new short hair, and we did! I talked her into a bright orange lipstick from MAC called Morange, to make the statement. I used Mahogany lip pencil from MAC to line her lips, then I went with a YSL Golden Gloss in a bright red in the pout. The makeup look was actually pretty natural, as not to take away from the lip, but we did intensify the eyes with my favorite Stila eyeliner in Kajal. I added slight contour and color to her cheeks using MAC Raisin blush and NARS New Orleans pressed powder. Her eyeshadow was a shimmery gold from a YSL summer palette they no longer make. This look definitely was a winner!

Candid shot before she left

What's in my kit??...

People are always asking me what's in my kit. I just say a little bit of everything, because it's the truth. Starting out at Prescriptives, working 7 years with MAC, 2 years with YSL, and freelancing in Barneys New York....I have way more products than I actually use. My MUST HAVE staples are Koh Gen Do Foundations, NARS powders, YSL Touche' Eclat concealers, MAC eye shadows, and blush from anybody I like at the time. I am a huge fan of YSL lipsticks as well as Milani lipglosses for that hint of shine! I am obsessed with Mally Roncal's Poreless Face Defender, and Eve Lom Skincare for under my make up. If there are any new products on the market, I'm always willing to try them once on a test shoot first to see how the product responds. I never try new things on clients, especially red carpet clients.....I fear unexpected surprises once the cameras go off:) I like to mix it up, but I'm pretty much a creature of habit when I do make up...so although I have LOTS to choose from, I can get a face camera ready with only 7 items!

Check back to my blog as I compare beauty supply and drugstore brands with higher end brands. The look is just as flawless...just you wait and see!

Music to love...

This past week I had the pleasure of working on a project with my beautiful friend/client, Korrina Rico. Korrina was the lead in a music video for the song "Valentine", by Canadian rapper King Klutch. The video was directed by the talented Tony Swansey, and his crew was on point! I titled this blog music to love, because this song wasn't a typical rap song, it reminded me of LL Cool J's, "I Need Love". It was a song for a special lady, and that's missing in today's music. Klutch's rap style is unique, and he was an all around nice guy:)



Korrina was supposed to be just waking up, so the make up used here was pretty simple. I used the Smashbox Artificial Light in the lighter color all over her face, and I contoured and highlighted her face by using YSL #2 and #3 as her foundation. I set with a little loose powder thru her T-Zone, and added bronzer and mascara. Lip balm was used for the lip for a natural shine.



The director wanted to keep Korrina as dreamy and as natural as possible, so we kept her make up pretty soft up until the final scenes. I lined her eye with the YSL waterproof black pencil, and added more bronzer with a corner lash to finish the look. Her eyes are intense, so it doesn't take much to add drama.



All in all, the day was super fun and everyone on set was amazing to work with. As you can see, Korrina had many costume changes...check her out below rockin' out. Go Korrina!! I will post the video once it's available...I hope you enjoyed the peek behind the scenes:)

If looks could kill...

Boy o boy, the day of the 'Joyful Noise' premiere was crazy! I had so many clients to do, and right before Vivica's appointment, my car was towed in Hollywood (long story). Anyway, I made it to her with just 35 minutes to get her ready...and the outcome was gorgeous! She glowed on the red carpet, and obviously the press thought so, because they took a million pictures of her. If they only knew, lol! Her look was simple, but this time I used a new component to my process. Vivica's east coast make up artist, Elena George, uses the Smashbox Artificial Light in the deeper color under foundation. So I did just that, and applied my favorite Koh Gen Do foundation right on top. I used YSL Touche Eclat #3 under Vivica's eyes to brighten, with Bobbi Brown stick concealer in #6 blended out. On her eyes, I used MAC Artjam Paint with the YSL #1 Chromatics Palette blended into a light smokey eye. We used our favorite Stila black eye liner in the water line, and Kevin Aucoin's nude lip pencil was her lip color with Chanel gloss #41 over it! Way to sparkle Viv!

A Holiday Treat...

Each year Hollywood kicks off the holiday shopping season with a star-studded parade along Hollywood and Sunset boulevards. This was the 80th year of the parade which benefits Marine Toys for Tots organization, and of course Ms. Fox was invited to participate!Vivica's look for this event was all her idea. She wanted color, she wanted sparkle, she wanted full on glam for this Christmas parade. She wanted to use purple in the look, but she left it up to me to make it all come together. I started out doing a smokey eye on her using the MAC Paint Artjam, then I added MAC's Blackberry and Swiss Chocolate eye shadows to warm up the look. I then took a flat brush, and added a soft touch of MAC Pigment in Lilac, on the inner corner of the lids. We did 2 pairs of lashes for added glam, NARS blush in Desire (discontinued), NARS highlight in Luster, and YSL Rouge Volupte #8 and #2 lip gloss for a pale pink pout. I contoured her slightly and we finished the look with YSL Black Waterproof liner in the water line and smudged on top. To add a little more drama, I lined the upper lid with Shiseido Creme Liner and brought it out at an angle. This looked sparkled on the red carpet! She definitely knows her stuff, and I'm so glad she wanted to go with this make up look. It made everything come together:) I thought this was a great way to showcase variety in your holiday wardrobe. It doesn't have to be red, black or silver this year....you can light up the night in pink!:)

Healthy, Wealthy & Wise...

One of the best things about traveling with a celebrity client is being exposed to many different things, meeting different people, and really being involved in more than just the make up. I was fortunate to go with Vivica Fox on a trip to Detroit, MI for a FAB event for black women. It was for the Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise Tour. Since Ms. Fox is all of the above, she was a special guest at the Black Women's Empowerment Luncheon. She spoke about her career as an actress, her business endeavors, and even her hair line for some beauty tips! Women who owned businesses, as well as women who worked in politics, and fitness were in attendance. I was at the table sitting by a former Congress woman who loved Vivica's make up:) I look up to women in positions of power, and it makes me want to work harder to achieve the level of success I seek in this beauty industry.

It was a great lunch, great people, and the room was filled with such positive energy. Of course everyone was asking about her make up, so I will share what I used on her!
She wanted to go for a more warm fall look since it was cold and rainy while we were there, I used Eve Lom Serum to prep the skin. I then used my mix of Koh Gen Do foundation, NARS stick concealer in Toffee, NARS Tahoe powder to highlight, and NARS New Orleans powder to contour, Sue Devitt Pointe-Noire eye pencil, MAC Raisin blush, with Orgasm blush from NARS, and YSL #12 Lip Pencil with #33 Rouge Pur Shine Lip stick also from YSL. She looked amazing!

First of many...

It wasn't the first time Vivica Fox attended a premiere, but it was the first time she took my 4 year old son, Emanuel Christopher as one of her guests:) It was the "Puss In Boots" premiere in Los Angeles, and Viv wanted to share the experience with some kids she knew. My son, and her manager's son Landon, were the lucky ones to go!! The red carpet was a blast for them with all of the fun characters in the movie. Vivica looked great, and the boys had so much fun!



Since this movie was a family movie, we decided to keep her make up light and fresh. The tones were warm and natural. As usual I used Koh Gen Do foundations, which Vivica loves, in #301 and #302 mixed. I also used MAC Antiqued Eyeshadow, Smolder pencil, and our favorite Demi Pixie lashes. Her lip color was YSL #14 Rouge Volupte Lipstick and Chanel #41 Gloss. Simply gorgeous:)

A Face I Love....

I have some clients who just love to let me do whatever to their face, and Eboni is one of them! We play when it's time to get her ready....from glitter to triple lashes....there is no boundaries:) Any new techniques I learn, I practice them on her to master it.

This time we wanted smoky glamour, and we created it using Chanel's #85 cream shadow, YSL #1 Black Waterproof Eye Pencil, NARS Goddess Eye Pencil in the water line, MAC Texture Eyeshadow, and double lashes. (Demi Wispies)

She loves the nude matte lipstick pencil from NARS called Caliope to finish the look. It's the best neutral lip with any gloss on top!

How Sweet The Sound...

I love Gospel music, so I was more than happy to lend my talents to the beautiful Michelle Williams while she hosted segments for reality show, "How Sweet The Sound." Choirs from various cities battled for the chance to be named the BEST!! I worked on the LA and Oakland shows, and we had a blast!

Michelle is a natural beauty, so my job wasn't that hard. I used my favorite mix of Koh Gen Do foundations #301 & #302, very matte eye shadows, and neutral lip shades for a fresh faced look. We changed her look so many times, and she looked fantastic! Special shout out to China Upshaw on the hair quick changes! :) Check out the behind the scenes shots and let me know what you think!

In The Hive...

Vivica had to go to DC to promote her new movie, "In The Hive", directed by Robert Townsend. The movie has not been released yet, but it has such an amazing message. A few members from the cast were asked to come speak at Duke Ellington School of The Arts about the movie, after all the students had a private screening.

I was also able to see the movie, and meet the woman who inspired the movie to be made. This screening took place at the US Navy Memorial building during Congressional Black Caucus week, so many greats were in attendance. Loretta Divine was also one of the cast members there, and she was as sweet as the characters' she plays. We had an awesome time, and afterwards our dinner plans were at a restaurant right across from The White House:) What a fabulous trip!!!

We chose a classic fall look for her wardrobe of beige and browns, so the make up was natural with a red lip to brighten and contrast.

MAC Bronze eyeshadow on the lid, Orgasm blush from NARS, YSL Touche' Eclat #3 to highlight, Koh Gen Do Foundations #301 & #302 blended for her perfect match, and YSL #7 Lip Liner with #1 Rouge Pur Couture lipstick. I love this look on her, and the hair is jammin!! I guess her fans thought so too, she could barely walk without someone stopping her for an autograph or picture. We did good:)

All dolled up...

Working with new artist K. Briscoe is always a great time! She is always open to trying new looks, and with her pretty face, it's not too much you can't do with her. We like changing her brows up, and contouring lightly for a soft face.

She had a performance, so I wanted to make sure I played up her features. I like bright colors on the lip when I keep the eyes neutral. YSL Rouge Pur Couture lipstick in # 27 is what we chose for this night! Love this color!

Singing her new single "Dishes", she definitely brought the house down!

And the winner is...

Yes, I was in Brazil sitting in the third row when Miss Angola was crowned Miss Universe, and it was the most unbelievable experience ever!!! Vivica Fox was asked to be one of the judges for the pageant, which took place in Sao Paulo. This event was televised worldwide. So she took me with her to make sure she was camera ready.

I must say that this trip was over in a blink, we were in and out so fast. We spent most of the day at the venue getting her ready to work, so there wasn't a lot of sight seeing. The good times didn't stop though because we had a great time! We ate at this fabulous Italian restaurant, and I was able to try Brazil's most popular drink, the Caipirinha. It was delicious!

The pageant was a beautiful representation of many countries, and it was a great live show to watch! I had to get Vivica dolled up for a few quick changes each day. It's always easy to just change the lip color for a new look once proper foundation is in place. YSL's Rouge Pur lipsticks and YSL lip pencil were best for pops of color throughout the trip. I also used a lot more burgundy's and berry colors since it was already feeling like fall while we were there. Her look was much warmer in Jamaica:)

It was a blast....I will be back!

K. Briscoe Music Video...

Take a look at some behind the scenes footage of an artist who is slightly new in front of the camera, but she's been a very popular songwriter behind the music for many years. Some of her clients have included Keri Hilson, as well as Britney Spears for whom she wrote the hit "Womanizer". So, K. Briscoe is no stranger to the spotlight, but now it's her turn to shine. I had the pleasure of doing her make up for her first video "Dishes" featuring Busta Rhymes, and directed by the legendary Benny Boom. It was a great day of shooting, great location, and a great team She is definitely one to watch! Special thanks to YSL and Koh Gen Do for sponsoring my kit for this video! Her skin looked amazing!

Click link to watch a sneak peek....shhh!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUv2UR-WYsc

Genevieve Jackson.......one to watch!

Singer Genevieve Jackson has been my client since she was 14. Her mother, Alejandra Jackson, is a fashion designer that I've pulled clothes from to dress many clients. As a fashion stylist and make up artist, her mother and I worked together very closely to make sure Genevieve was always at her best. I've worked so closely with the Jackson family that I've naturally become a family friend over the years, so I'm just a phone call away to do make up for any event.

Genevieve was asked to be a presenter for the 4th Annual Rock the Kasbah Gala in support of Virgin Records. Everyone has been asking me what I did to get her make up ready for that night, so here it is!
To start Genevieve has great skin, so all I used was a small amount of Temps Majeur face creme and Matt Touch primer mixed together throughout her T-zone. I then used Touche Eclat highlighter #3 to mixed with a # 3 concealer under her eyes. Perfect Touch Foundation, was then lightly blended out around her highlight. I used a darker powder first to contour her skin, then a powder a little lighter than her skin to blend it all together. Her blush is the # 3 Blush Variation, her eyes were done with a mix of YSL shadows , and her lips were lined with #13 pencil blended with Rouge Pur 143 Lipstick. This lip color was perfect, and when wearing a red dress, less is more! All products mentioned are from Yves Saint Laurent Beauty.

This look definitely shined on the red carpet, way to "Rock the Kasbah" Genevieve!

Yves Saint Laurent Beauty....

I've recently been hosting a series of beauty events for Yves St. Laurent Cosmetics! What an exciting line to work with! Coming from a MAC Cosmetics background, I must say that the pigments in some of the YSL products are the best by far!! I am in love with their lipsticks, bronzers, nail polishes and mascara. My own lashes have never looked longer. The mascara is called Volume Effet Faux Cils, and their staple product is this miracle highlighting tool called Touche' Eclat. One of these is sold every 40 seconds all over the world. They even have a product called Gommage, and after only one use, your skin will glow to perfection. I will possibly be at a YSL counter near you, so please stay tuned! In the meantime, check out the brand and the products on their website.

http://www.yslbeautyus.com/