BEAUTY LOOKS FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Well, its now almost October & soon Christmas will be here!  Have you decided on a new look for the upcoming Holidays?  It is the time of year when we see friends and family we rarely see.  Why not greet the season & your friends & family with a new fresh look!

In this tough economy perhaps a change of hair or makeup is all you can afford.  If your'e lucky enough (or to the point, hard working enough)  to have the money to invest in some new wardrobe pieces, start with a pencil skirt.  This is a big trend for the season!  The skirt can be conservative or have a slit all the way up your thigh!  Its up to you & how you plan, rather where you plan to wear it.  The office would not be a good choice.  For a pencil skirt suitable for work, try one with a pleat in the back.  Another trend is boots that fit loosely around the calf instead of fitted.  Great for those who have larger calves!  Pair the pencil skirt with a new pair of boots!  However, be sure to pair the skirt with a loose fitting blouse or sweater that skims the waist.

If you are like most of us, adding to our wardrobe is not an option.  Luckily a makeup or hair change is affordable to virtually all of us!  I love Hair Extensions!  Yes, I know they are an investment but there  are options.  Clip on synthetic Hair Extensions are an affordable choice & really enhance & change your look & without the long term commitment or costs.  If you are looking for a more permanent Hair Extension, be sure to do your homework!  If someone is offering a cheap price for either their time for application or their Hair Extension or both, RUN!  The old saying, "you get what you pay for" is all too true!  When it comes to your hair & scalp, why would you trust a cheap price?  Realize that a experienced, licensed, certified & trained stylist spent a lot of money & time becoming an expert!  If a stylist is offering a lesser price, that is a huge indication the stylist is either not licensed, not certified, not professionally trained or worse, all!  You wouldn't trust a doctor or a dentist who offered a cheap price. So why do so many trust a cheap price when it comes to your hair?

The truth is you really do not get something for nothing.  You end up paying much, much more to try to repair the damage  the cheap price got you, if you can even repair the damage!  The lesson here is, do your research!  Ask questions.  Trust only an experienced stylist who has references.  If the price for Hair Extensions is too good to be true, well its not...true that is!

Bad!  Too much & way too close to the brow!

Lastly, lets talk about makeup.  So many women I have worked with, yes celebrities too, have no idea how to apply their makeup!  They tell me how they have learned one look & are still wearing it!  Going to work, same look, going to the store, the same look, on a date, the same look.  Boring!!  You should be aware that men love & need variety & also are visual creatures.  Does that mean your man will leave you?   No!  If a man is truly a man & loves you, he will not leave you just because he is growing bored with your look.  But wouldn't it be great to treat both yourself & your man to a variety of looks?  I hear virtually daily, how much I change my looks.  People comment on my appearance all the time!  I change my eyeshadow colors, my eyeliner application, my hair.  These changes energize me and make me feel more attractive.  Yes, because I am a professional it is easy for me!  With a few small changes, a bit of time and practice, you too can learn at least 3 different and most of all, flattering looks.  All you need is the time to practice, its worth it!  Try going very soft on your eyes, perhaps just a bit of brow pencil, a taupe eyeshadow & a coat of mascara with a dramatic lip.  Red, all sorts of shades, wine, browns, deep plums, all look fantastic and finished with soft eyes.  Especially with groomed, shaped, enhanced eyebrows!  The reverse is a bit harder to master.  The dark, dramatic smokey eye, paired with a nude lip.  The lip is easy, it is the eyes that can look horrible if done wrong and not blended.  So take your time, practice with a friend.  Its fun & after you get the hang of a few looks, add a few hairstyle changes & see how the world & your man look at you differently!!  

This is a good smokey eye look & tips!

I am happy to answer any questions!  Feel free to join & I'll guide you towards the looks, how to get them & styles I've created for numerous celebrities & Award Shows!  I'm your "Studio Makeup Chick"!

Beautifully Yours,
Lisa

A SHORT INNER BEAUTY REMINDER...

Being a dog (animal) lover is a big, important part of my life.  I have never had a moment since I was born without a pet. 

Me & Klhoe (American Eskimo)

 Caring for these sweet, innocent & sadly at our mercy, little creatures is a part of me.  I truly believe and know animals have a soul & feel emotions.  They feel physical pain as we do.  It drives me insane when I hear people remark that their dog is "fine".  "Oh, he's fine outside in the over  one hundred degree temperature.  He has a water dish & shade most of the day in the corner."  Yeah!  A tiny bit of shade in a corner only during certain hours of the day & a hot, stale, dirty dish of water!!  That sounds "fine" to me!  NOT!  Or the other end of the weather, cold!  The same goes for very cold weather!  Just because a dogs breed is Husky, for example, does not mean that this dog who was raised in say, Southern California is fine all day/night outside during winter in Big Bear, CA!!  The dog is only used to the environment they lived in.  It's not a magic switch the dog can turn of or off!  Some people actually believe that a dogs fur coat is magic.  It keeps them cool in hot weather and warm in cold, no matter how hot or how cold!  Really??!! True, a dogs fur coat is there to insulate, but not to extremes. If it is too hot for you, yourself to stay outside all day with little to no shade and a water bottle with warm water, then the same goes for your dog!  Cold weather the same.  If you get too cold with your thick winter coat & hat on outside, so does your dog!  Dogs don't have shoes or gloves either.  Yes, they have thicker skin on their feet then we do, but in between their toes is hairless pink, skin!  No fur!  The skin on their feet is not so tough as the soul of a shoe.  They cannot take walking along the street or sidewalk on very hot days!  Cold days as well.  We need to use our common sense!  I really cannot stand to see some thoughtless person on their bike pulling their poor dog along with them!  The person gets to coast and sit down.  The dog (no matter how active the dog is) must run the entire time with no break like sitting or coasting on a bike.

My point, and I do have one, is to remember your inner beauty and think of others (animals too) in the same manner you think of yourself.  If a comment you are thinking of saying or writing sounds mean or hurtful to you, do not say/write it.  If the weather is extreme one direction or another & you, yourself cannot take much time outside, then neither can your dog!  It is not that hard to think of others.  I believe throughout our lifetimes the kindness of our actions (key word: 'actions') have a direct effect on our beauty (male or female).  I'm a firm believer, and have seen the proof over the years in celebrities I have worked with(as well as others I have known), 'Pretty is as Pretty DOES'.  You will without a doubt, end up with the face you deserve.  Aging aside, the evidence is clear in the expression, the eyes and we continue to form the bones in our faces until age 25.  So 25 and up is the time to start 'facing up' to who you are, what you will be and the steps (actions, not cosmetics) you need to decide to take to 'face' yourself through the years.

What does your face say?

Yours in Beauty (Outside & Inside),
Lisa

MY THOUGHTS ON VARIETY IN HAIR & MAKEUP LOOKS

Have you ever noticed women who change their hair and makeup looks daily?  Or women who look the exact same every single day.  The former type of women I definitely prefer.  

Change is a part of life.  Embrace it!  By changing hair and makeup looks I don't mean crazy color hair or extreme makeup looks.  I mean small changes.  One day wearing your hair up in a loose bun, the next wearing it down and loose.  While changing your looks, take in to consideration the weather, the season, where you are going & what hair styles transfer nicely (without washing it) into the next look.  Example: Wearing your hair up in a bun transfers well into wearing it down the next day without having to wash it.  Most hair types take on a nice wave while up in a bun & look great the next day!
Washing your hair everyday is not healthy for it unless you've worked out hard and sweated or it smells like smoke.  Then washing your hair the next day is needed.

Me!

Selecting a makeup look to compliment a hair style is also key.  Wearing your hair up with a dramatic makeup look tends to look over done.  Unless your going to compete in a Beauty Pageant!  On an average day going to work, wearing you hair up in a bun should be paired with a soft, natural makeup. Sometimes hair up in a bun can look formal, by pairing it with a soft makeup look it goes well for most work places.  There are many styles of wearing your hair up in a bun.  I like to wear a sleek, low bun at the nape of my neck & compliment it with a classic makeup look.  Defined eyebrows, a layer of soft, matte beige eyeshadow across the entire lid and a swipe of light brown or gray shadow at the lid, extending out.  A strong, defined black liner across the upper eyelid & extending out past the lash line a bit.  Two coats of black mascara to curled upper lashes only, a hint of blush and a matte red or darker lipstick.  For me, this works well.

As a Makeup Artist its natural for me to recommend most women get a professional makeup lesson.  Making sure to hire a real pro that will truly teach a few looks & not focus on selling a ton of cosmetics.  I do not recommend the makeup counter or MAC.  Most are not truly trained & are under pressure to sell to you more then teach.  Try your hair salon & see if they have a makeup artist.  They are safer choices for teaching looks rather then only pressuring you to buy.  Investing in a quality makeup lesson is well worth it!  Do your homework in finding the right artist to teach you.  Ask friends, your hair stylist or your favorite Spa.  Included in your lesson should be at least 2 looks.  Day & night.  The artist should work with the makeup you already own.  That way you learn to use the tools and makeup you have without purchasing more, unless you really need it.  Sometimes I have found in teaching, that women have all the wrong tones and shades.  I go thru their cosmetics with them & keep what is best and works & recommend others.  Investing in a quality makeup lesson is worth it.  You can have great teeth, skin, be in good shape, have good fashion sense & still mess all these things up with boring one look makeup everyday and night or with the wrong colors or application!  Men may not know what the problem is, but they do see how something is not working.  Badly chosen or applied makeup can cause others to have a bad or wrong impression of you.  Beautiful, blended makeup tells the world you are a women of style and class.

So go thru your cosmetics, try on a few looks paired with different hairstyles.  Have a good friend over to give you advice or an opinion or help each other by doing this together!  Take a few pictures with these 2-4 different looks, both hair and makeup and see what looks best.  Pictures are a great way to see yourself more as others see you.  Be sure you have proper lighting!  The next weekend or weeknight you have time, try out some looks.  Experiment!  When you find out how fun and easy it can be to change your looks, you'll feel better, more confident & others will admire your style(s)!!

Being a woman should be fun!  We get to play around more with our looks!  So call a friend, break out your makeup and hair tools & enjoy the gift of being a woman and the many looks of you!

Yours in Beauty,
Lisa

WHY CELEBRITIES WEAR HAIR EXTENSIONS

Not that long ago Celebrities were the only ones able to afford quality hair extensions.  They had both the money and the inside information on the best stylists to go to.  For a while the full, long & lush hair the Celebrities had were thought to be natural & they were just lucky or somehow had better, faster growing hair then non-celebrities.  It was all kept secret.

Now that Hair Extensions & even plastic surgery are common knowledge among the stars, everyone else can now do what they need to feel and look their best.  Hair Extensions are now used as a fashion statement. Wearing clip in ponytails, clip in extensions to add volume or length are now as interchangeable as wearing different clothes or shoes daily!

The reason Celebrities wear Hair Extensions is options.  The option to try a new color, style or highlights with out the long term commitment.  Also, the biggest reason is honestly, Long, Full, Healthy hair is beautiful!  On most women, even into women's 60's, longer, fuller hair is flattering.  Gone are the days that women cut their hair short once they either got married, had a baby or turned 40.

Since all are now capable of wearing Hair Extensions the question is, what type & who should be chosen to design them.  First of all, go for a consultation.  This should be free & all your questions should be answered.  The expert stylist should be able to tell you which type of extension is best for your hair.  This is decided by many indicators.  How well you take care of your hair, how much time you have to care for your hair extensions and your budget.  Hair Extensions is an investment and should be evaluated based on the stylist abilities and top quality hair.  Do your homework.

Bottom line is: Choose quality over price!  Think about it, you are trusting someone to make a major change on your body!  Would you want a cheap doctor to operate on you or your loved one?  Would you decide on a dentist based on price?  Then why do so many choose price over experience?  Most live to regret it and end up spending over double fixing all the problems the "great price" caused.  Use your common sense in choosing a stylist.  Photo's of 'before's and after's' do not mean that stylist is skilled.  Sure, it can be good to see their past work, but like we say in the Studio's, "your'e only as good as your last design".  If you want the look of Celebrities, go to someone that has actually worked on them.

Remember, common sense & your gut feeling on the stylist during either a phone conversation or consultation is your best guide.  Look for a confident, clean, professional & one that has the proper experience.  Experience is Priceless and so are You!!

Lisa, the Makeup Chick