Spectacular Simone Smith...

Being a wife, mother, entrepreneur, and cancer survivor aren't the only qualities that make Simone Smith an inspiration to me...she's also extremely talented. She creatively came up with a way to share her message about her life experiences with the world in a glamorous way. Her jewelry line SIS by Simone Smith was brought to life to raise cancer awareness after two years of recovery from her own bout with a rare bone cancer in her legs. A portion of the proceeds from select pieces of her collection will be donated to charities supporting the ongoing fight against cancer.

Many celebrities have earrings, bracelets, or lollipop necklaces from her fabulous line...I actually own a pair of the Precious Fruit Rose Gold hoops myself:) She has recently developed a more affordable collection of mini-lollipops to sell on QVC, and I was enlisted to do her make up for her appearance on EXTRA to promote it! It was mass chaos at The Grove when she announced that she would be giving away some jewelry to the audience!!

Simone is an amazing woman to know. I love what she represents and what her message is with her pieces. This line of jewelry is fun, sassy, and available soon at a Macy's or Neiman Marcus near you! Check out more of the pieces online at http://simoneismith.com/

Beautiful Bria...

Bria Myles and I go way back. I was the make up artist on some of her earlier shots that still get millions of hits online worldwide. Well, it was only fitting that she come and see me for yet another simply clean and flawless makeup. Known for my "less is more" approach to beauty, a model's natural face can still be seen with the make up on. She had a video shoot with the popular photographer from Indos Place, but she stopped at my studio first!

Here are a few of the shots from behind the scenes.

FACE TIME: I prepped Bria's skin with Kiehl's Rare Earth Pore Minimizing Lotion (my new favorite), mixed with a little of Murad's Skin Perfecting Primer. As that combination settled onto her skin, I worked on her brows. I used MAC Expresso Eye Shadow to fill in her brows, and NARS concealer in Toffee as her brow and under eye highlight. I then used MAC Bamboo Paint on her eye lid, adding Texture Eye Shadow through her crease. I lined her eyes with Shiseido Creme Black Liner and Kajal Black pencil by Stila. For her skin, although it's already flawless, I blended Koh Gen Do foundations in #301 and #302 into her perfect match. I set the foundation with NARS pressed powder in New Orleans and Benares, with Tahoe as her highlight. Raisin blush from MAC warmed her cheeks, and YSL Rouge Volupte in #14 with YSL #7 Liner gave her mouth the perfect nude.

Bria is always a pleasure to work with, and her smile is contagious. Keep an eye out for her hosting one of your favorite entertainment shows very soon. She's a natural in front of the camera.

Check out another natural look I did on her for J'Adore Magazine back in the day. I still think this photo shoot was one of my favs...timeless! xo

The award goes to...

Emily Gerson Saines is a client of mine who is no stranger to winning awards for her many accolades in the entertainment industry. She always calls on me to make sure her make up is clean and pretty, and I am happy to deliver. Here are some of her most beautiful and winning moments...

Emmy's 2010

AFI Awards 2010

Golden Globe Awards 2011

Low cost GLAM...

I have so many women asking me which lipstick color will work best for their skin tone. I can always give a general answer, but it's always best to try ANY make up on...especially lipstick! Spending money on cosmetics can be frustrating if you find yourself taking the wrong colors home, then having to exchange or return the products.

 I always say, experiment with new lip colors sold at drugstores or beauty supplies. The cost can be anywhere from 1.99 to 8.99, but it's much cheaper to by five or six of those versus one lipstick at a department store. This way if you try it and hate it, it's not a huge loss. Not to mention, you can always mix colors, or put them with glosses to change the look.

So the next time you're out and about, pick up a few lipsticks from Jordana, Milani, or even Wet N' Wild and try them out on the town! Good luck! xo

Korrina Rico Rocks...

I've known actress Korrina Rico for about six years, and it's always a pleasure to work with her. I met her as a model, which should be no surprise since she is absolutely stunning...but her acting career has definitely been taking off. She's been in several major films, and it's only a matter of time before she is a house hold name. I'm so excited to be working with her on her upcoming projects!

I dolled her up for a charity event for Lupus here in Los Angeles, and she wanted a natural look with a pop. She has amazing eyes, so it wasn't that hard to find the "pop" feature:) I played up her eyes with MAC Jardin Aires pigment, and Texture eyeshadow. I added Stila Black eyeliner in Kajal to her water line to create a more intense look. I used a mixture of Make Up Forever HD Foundation #125 and Koh Gen Do #301 for her foundation, and I highlighted and countoured her face with NARS pressed powders. I used YSL Bronzer in #2 to give her a sunkissed look. Her lip color was #7 YSL Lip Pencil, Rouge Volupte #14 Lipstick, and MAC Nymphette Lipgloss.

Needless to say, her total look was a success on that coralcarpet. Stay tuned for more from this beauty. She is one to watch! xo

Oya...Beauty In Motion

Check out a great video that shows the process of bringing a concept to life in front of a camera. My client, singer Oya Thomas, shares her experience behind the scenes of her CD photo shoot. See the many makeup and wardrobe changes as we glam her up! Her album is dropping Sept. 23rd, so make sure you pick it up! Her debut single 'Love' is playing in the video and is also available on iTunes.

"Prank My Mom" Beauty...

Vivica Fox is looking better than ever, and hosting a new show that's sure to make you laugh and wonder if you're ever being pranked. The original woman's network 'Lifetime' has ordered 10 episodes of the hidden camera show. The show puts you in the mind of Ashton Kutcher's "Punk'd", but on a different level. You know how people are about their kids...lol! Check out some of her fab looks created by myself and her hair stylist, Dr. Boogie...

We had to change her look  many times, so I wanted to change the tone of the make up as much as I could. In the above picture, I went with a warmer golden look. In the below two pictures, her look is much cooler. Changing the tone in make up also makes clothing look better on. If you have on peaches or browns, gold jewelry and warm make up will make the entire vision flow better.

If you have on blues, purples, or magenta's....going with silver jewelry and cooler colors in your makeup will have the same effect on the look. Warm colors include shades like MAC Raisin blush, MAC Peaches blush, coral or orange lip colors, and any bronzer. Cool colors include shades like NARS Desire blush, MAC On Hold lipstick, MAC Sable or Patina eye shadows, and any berry color.

"Prank My Mom" is a series that features children pranking their moms, and from what I've heard, it's hilarious!!  The series is set to premiere on Tuesday, Oct. 9th, so stay tuned! In the meantime, if you're a mom....stay on your toes:) xo