Straight Up Beauty

I love stories like this...Bride meets Make Up Artist (does her make up), Bride and MUA become friends and stay in touch throughout the years, Bride turns into aspiring (and fabulous) photographer, and here we are a few years later-working together, her shooting and me doing the make up!

One of my favorite Bride's of all time, moved to Charleston and she is quickly becoming a fantastic photographer. She is working hard on building her portfolio & site and I am impressed! I am the type of person who loves cheering people on, especially when they are first starting out and are crazy passionate about what they want to do. I believe that passion and hard work will get you very far in life and well, Char is on her way!

In the past month we have shot two "commercial" type shots, for professional web sites and projects. These looks needed to be fresh, clean, and modern. I loved what she captured...here are a few from the shoot. Be sure to check Charlotte out on her site (due out this fall) and you can also find her on facebook!

www.charlotteelizabethphoto.com

TANtastic!

If you are looking for the BEST body bronzer...look no more! I have tried it all and the products I love are few and far between. Coming in 1st place is a product by LORAC-TANtilizer..now I love many LORAC products, but this one is like liquid gold-really. It is sheer and nearly odor-less, perfect for hot and humid weather (aka-you won't be sweating self tanner down your legs, ruining not only your seat but your clothes!)...this one dries quickly and gives you a deeper tan with a touch of shimmer. I like it for my legs, shoulders, and my booty if I am going to the beach. My only word of caution...it's not exactly waterproof-so I wouldn't wear to da pool! Other than that, it is my go to for sexy summer legs! Go to Sephora.com or loraccosmetics.com to get your summer somethin' going on!

Got My Eye On You!

The high/low game...or in this case, the lowest to highest. With summer brings dips in the pool, trips to the beach, or just a plain humid day that's hotter than Haiti outside.

One thing that never goes out of style that always needs to be fool proof is (drum roll....) black eye liner!

Clean and classic cat eye, or smudged and sexy smokey eye, whatever your flavor, you want it to stay PUT. I am a HUGE fan of black eye liner in any form, gel, cream, liquid and of course our tried and true pencil liner. I have selected my top 3 WATERPROOF favs in 3 different price ranges...perfect for any sunny (or rainy for that matter)summer day.

Starting in at around $8.49 (Ulta) is Loreal's Infailable 16 Hour Wear...just bought this and love love it, has an angled smudger on the other end.Perfection at the price of a few pennies.

Moving along to the mid-class liners...these AQUA EYES from one of my favorite lines

MakeUp Forever,ringing in at $17.00 per liner...I have this in at least 10 shades. They don't BUDGE, in fact you will be cussing me out trying to get these off at the end of the day-but hey, a good problemo to have!

Right up to my Chanel liner. I always say, Chanel never makes a bad product. Try for yourself and see. It's worth every dollar of the $28.00 you will spend on this eye liner! Loco for CoCo!

For me black eye liner IS the LBD of make up...play it up or keep it simple, it is a staple in anyone's make up wardrobe winter, spring, summer, or fall!

Peace, Love, and Liner!

Product of the Week!

Soooo, my hubs and I are getting ready to cruise to celebrate kicking cancer's booty and I am packing! Technically packing 20 dresses, 6 swimsuits, 10 pairs of shoes, and 5 pairs of flipflops is probably considered OVERPACKING, but whatever-a girl has to have options riiiiight?

Anyway, packing sunscreen is a MUST of course-I have one for my face- spf 70, one for my chest and shoulders- spf 50, and one for my arms and legs- spf 30! I recall back in the day when you could get Australian Gold in 1 of 2 places...in a Tanning Salon or on an actual cruiseship...it so reminds me of cruising! Well, it is still a bit hard to find... usually Publix, Walgreens, and Ulta...but it is so worth the hunt to find it. The smell is delish AND this one has a built in bronzer WITH shimmer-whahooooo! So now you can be totally tan(faux) AND protected-double whahoooooo! Grab yours and get your GLOW ON!

PS...I have gotten some good feedback on what you guys are wanting on the bloggity blog and I thank you! I will be switching things up a bit, especially going into fall. People still want "Product of the Week", but you are also wanting stories and a behind the scenes approach. So, my plan is to mix it up and alternate weeks especially when things get very interesting or a super duper cool products comes out...I will be flip flopping. keep your ideas rolling and we will keep the scoop rolling....until then, peace, love, and MAKE UP!!!

Check yo SELF!

Yay...the June issue is out and we got a shout out! Courtney, who is a rockin' writer for several publications up in NYC called me a while back to talk shop about "Blemish Control".

We have collaborated over a few articles for several magazines and I warned her...you CANNOT get me to shut up about make up PERIOD!

It can be about a product, an artist, a book, tips, technique, what's new, what's tried and true...I warned her-I was truly a MAD Make Up Woman. We laugh about how I got into business saying I did it to justify my habit (only joking!), but seriously...I love being interviewed and I love to write.

It's funny how these things happen...I found it interesting

(the process) so I thought I would share...

They set up a phone interview (which for me lasts about 20-30 minutes-yes, I am a time hog)..so after we conference call, they then send a list of questions for their article. You answer to the best of your knowledge...then about a week goes by and one of the Editors (usually the ONE in chief) calls you to say she will be emailing you direct quotes to fact check. Then the fact checker confirms what you have said about the relevant topic. It is always a roll of the dice to see what actually makes it to print. You can chat for an hour, answer 50 questions, and have one blip on the page...it is a big deal to have anything quoted and a blessing to have your name and business plugged. I am a lucky gal, I get the fun part of running my mouth about what I love to do...they have the hard part of compiling all the information (which is why Courtney rocks...she has a huge spread in the middle of the mag)!

Soooo, check us out in this months issue of SELF.

I confirmed 4 fact checks, but have only found one...I feel like Where's Waldo, so if you can find more... holla back!

Last year about the time of my diagnoses Moore Make Up was in 3 magazines at the same time and I swear I don't even remember buying them. Not that I wasn't over the flippin' moon, but I was in a serious FOG! This year, I am in a place where I can be excited and celebrate!

Yay, for Courtney and for SELF...thank you for asking, writing, and putting OUT! We love your magazine and we love that you thought enough of us to get our 411!

Product of the Week!

Fighting Sun....Fight Aging-all in one! I love pretty much anything made by Neutrogena. They are consistent, quality products, all at a great price point. I find it challenging to find the perfect sunscreen for the face...I am not talkn' about for everyday (as in foundations, tinted moisturizers, etc.)...I am talkn' about for the beach, pool, and even working outdoors. Most of the time, you need something with higher coverage. I found this goodie that has a higher coverage, it's sweat proof, water proof, AND it has soy extract which is anti aging! Love this!! It is light weight, does not burn your eyes and doesn't leave you looking like a ghost!! I found mine at Target, but you can find this at just about any drugstore. Its like killing 2 birds with 1 stone!

Soooo, we have been doing "Product of the week" for a little over a year know and was wondering what else you guys were looking for? Still wanting product of the week or would you like to see more behind the scenes, more stories of what is going on from the biz standpoint? You guys are great about emailing me your thoughts, so let me know the direction you would like to see this blog go in... my thoughts are that I am a product junkie, always looking for the latest and greatest. My new favs...but I also like keeping things short and sweet, to the point!

I have also dodged putting the "Biz" on facebook because sooo many people have theirs on and my thought was that it was a Social network, hence the word social. Anyway, I am having second thoughts due to "keeping up" and it might be an easier way to get response from more people like YOU! We will keep you posted, but more importantly YOU keep us posted!

Out like trout for this week...see you all next week and don't forget your SUNSCREEN!!!

Summer Lovin'

And I'm having a blast (a shout out to all you Grease Fans)!

Boy, just in time for the hot hot weather, I found a newbie fav...

Lancome's Teint Idol Fresh Wear Foundation!

It is light weight, but gives great buildable coverage! It leaves you with a silky but matte finish, perfect for all of you out there who get the t-zone shine.

The shade range will give both warmer and cooler tones options, which we love...it is perfect for real women, with real lives, wanting real beauty. You can still see your skin through this foundation, so it's you...only better.

I would say apply it with a foundation brush for more coverage, a make up wedge or sponge for less coverage...but either way-I would avoid using your fingers on this one. If you have normal to oily, or oily skin-you want to try and keep your hands and fingers OFF of your face. The transfer of oils from fingertips to face will leave skin prone to acne or blemish breakouts (also spoken from a total germ phobe!) it is the healthiest thing to keep hands off and out of eyes, nose, and mouth!

Now with that being said, run along now and go grab your newest favorite foundation...one reminder, this doesn't contain sunscreen, so be sure that your moisturizer does!

Double Duty!

I am always on the hunt for new favorite products and this is my latest personal fav....

Made by LORAC, this product doubles as a concealer and highlighter! Love love that it even has a roller ball for blending, whipping the concealer right into the skin. Then you have this highlighter on the other end that magically melts into your skin. Perfect to brighten up anyone's face, especially those of us who might not be getting enough "shut eye" . Perfect- all in one for anyone's make up bag. They have several shades to pick from, so look at the shades carefully. Grab your from Ulta or Sephora...and get your glow on!

Now that's some Eye Candy!

One of my Bride's showed me a product from this cult-sy cute line and I had to dig deeper. I had just been in Sephora and didn't see it, but they have now officially launched the latest greatest line TokiDoki! It is fun, funky, and fabulous! The cofounders of Hard Candy found the magic behind the make up (his name is Simone and he is from Italy) and scooped him into the make up world. He had already been a huge success with building his hot brand with skateboards, clothing, and accessories...his spunky funky design and color choices sure shook up the world of cosmetics. Funny thing, I had in visioned a logo very close to what his logo is for a secondary business of Moore Make Up...glad to know maybe I was ahead of my own time and that it looks awesome (my sketches didn't look anywhere near as good as his, but at least we were on the same "page"). So, in a sea of pinks, browns, and pinkie browns...sometimes it's nice to see some sugar and spice and everything naughty! Go to Sephora's site and check it out yourself...BEWARE, even just the packaging is addictive!

Product of the Week!

Love Nars and love anything peachy pink...it's most flattering and I will take it in any version, especially once the temps reach about 75 degrees. To me it screams Miami, mojito, and mahhhhvelous. Only if you are super fair will this look not be best suited for you (you look better in cooler tones, not warmer).

Anyway, I love Nars products and use them a good bit...every once and a while they will create little must have kits and they didn't disappoint here.

"SO FAMOUS" is so hot and saucey...love the blush (deep throat), love the Multiple (orgasm), and the velvet pencil is a perfect shade for spring>>>summer!

It's limited (I believe to Sephora) so grab yours now before they are gone baby gone.

Summer Essentials...let the games begin!

Product of the Week!

Well, we have been a traveln' lately...some work, some fun. We made an Orlando pit stop and of course had to spend some quality time in good ole Sephora. We get sent alot of proto types and pre launch products, but nothing beats getting in there and getting your hands dirty (really) with all the amazing products. I tend to reach for the same thing (blushes and glosses), so-my goal was to really get in there and find new loves in foundation, concealer, and powders. My results... a few new things I loved and proof that my tried and true is still fabulous! I want to tell you about two things this week I LOVED (ironically a blush and a gloss-ha). Next week will be about the basics...

I spent a good bit of my time in the Make Up Forever section, man has their line exploded. Love love their goodies, but their new blush ROCKS! It comes in a little pump bottle and a little goes aloooong way. Gorgeous colors, I had a hard to making up my mind which one I wanted to bring home first. "Quickie" was the winner. Stunning peachy pink, it goes on like a touch of liquid but then dries down almost like a stain or an intense cream blush...whatever, it didn't BUDGE!

I also like a line that I have overlooked called HourGlass, this line has been out for about 3 years and they don't have that many products...but what they do have is amazing. My fav was one of their glosses..it's packaged to look like a mini mini cel phone, easy enough to slip in your back pocket. Of course my fav color (PULSE) they were out of stock in both in store and on line...it was GORGEOUS!!!! Anyway, check out these 2 lines and tell me what you think-you will not go wrong with either line. P.S. I will be covering one of the hourglass foundations next week...it has won many awards!

Peace, love, and make up!!

Product of the Week!

Always on the lookout for the latest and greatest...this gal has been a buzz on Youtube for a while. Many make up artist have video tutorials on their blogs and sites, but this girl took it to a whole new level. Her name is Lauren Luke and she now has her own line carried in Sephora...the mecca house of all make up! I like her easy to follow concept of carrying a look in a "pallette", even though you know how I feel about pallettes...they can be messy, powder falls into gloss, etc.

This one is an exception, in fact all of her pallettes are the exception...she has several to pick from, but my favorite is the Violet Pallette (also love the Green one...). Hop onto her site or Sephora's or simply YouTube her and check it out for yourself. Just like I get sucked into watching the gals work it on Home Shopping or QVC, this will draw you in like crack does to an addict...don't say I didn't warn you. She is adorbale to watch and informative to boot!

Product of the Week!

Although tis the season to be on the drier side, sometimes you just can't get away from using a tad of powder...it may be to set your concealer, or to add that last bit of coverage around your nose, or to help lock whatever make up you have on your face...IN. The search for the perfect powder is always in motion, I like to actually not see make up on the skin, I like to see well just...perfectly even skin. However with that being said what you see and what you get can be two different things. The better your skin is- the less foundation, concealer, powder...you need. In real life, you use only what you need. In photography, you use a bit more "coverage"...in a wedding, you have to mix both worlds. Since so much of our work is weddings, we are always on the hunt for the best of the best and we stay LOYAL to them. Getting me to try something new is never a problem on say me or one of my friends, but I have to say, I stick to what I KNOW when working with one of my Brides! I have been a big fan of 2 powders for a while now...Laura Mercier's Translucent Powder and T Le Clerc's powders...love love them!

Enter a new fav....drumroll, pluuuuuleaze!

Make Up Forever HD Microfinishing Powder! I have used this before and remember liking it alot, and I was reintroduced a few weeks back and all the memories came flooding back...just kidding, it wasn't that emotional, but close. I used their loose powder and rocked it over an already made face with a velour puff...ahhh, it looked like the skin of Miss Hathaway. Oh la la...perfection. Keep this in mind as we creep into the spring and summer months...it's addictive and don't say I didn't warn you!!

Product of the Week!

Tried a new product this weekend and loved it...Cosmedicine's Medi Matte ROCKS! It is a mister spray of a mattifying solution that will lock in your make up and leave a velvety, matte finish to your face! Perfect for all you oily peeps out there, and for normal skin types, in hot and humid weather! It is such a fine mist with a huge range, that you barely feel it going on, but it works and gets my vote! They carry this fabulous line in several places, I found this in our local Ulta. Check it out...and PS, they have a fantastic matte tinted moisturizer with SPF!!! Have that in your bag of tricks for the summer time!

Muwah!

With Product of the Week in mind and Valentine's Day right around the corner...I HAD to post this fab product made by Sephora! It is a great lip collaboration of several fav lip glosses and lip sticks...all ranging in shades of pink and red! I am a lip gloss JUNKIE and I love minis... this way I get the best of both worlds! I especially love the Korres mini! This is the perfect gift for any favorite girlie in your life...SFAM, Sister, Mother, BFF. Warning: They will want to steal yours, so you might as well buy another for that some special!

Give Me a Kiss!!

Product of the Week

I am always looking for products that will prolong the wear of any product...primers and bases are good, but rarely hold up to their promise. Until I found this one by Benefit!

Stay, Don't Stray...Use just a small drop all around (and under) the eye area for a concealer and eye shadow base. It works!! Perfect as we roll into warmer more humid weather. We seem to be switching seasons already and I plan to give this the test as soon as the weather hits 75degrees (which it did today)...plus it smooths out any sign of a wrinkle-which hey...that's worth it's weight in gold if ya ask me.

Try it out and tell me what YOU think!

I think it's going to be a must have for spring and summer weddings!

Lash Out!

Okay, so it's not a newsflash that I am ADDICTED to mascara...especially these days! I am always on the hunt for the latest and greatest and will TRY just about anything. I have my favorites and my tried and true-and have even been known to use more than one mascara at a time. This weekend I used 3 of Maybelline's newest mascaries, their XXL PRO line and loved loved them-especially their XXL Waterproof CURLING mascara. It's double ended wand is fabulous, but the curling end is crazy!! It was shaped in the letter "C"-how is that for some arch? My Bride this weekend swore she actually felt her lashes curling as I was putting her mascara on (the other girls thought we had put fake lashes on her!). It was redunkulous really how gorgeous she was, and her lashes looked sooooo lush. Take your pick and decide which one is going to be your new flava fav!

Happy New Year...Natura Bisse'

Whoa Nelly...it's been 2 weeks since we did Product of the Week! We missed ya out there, but hope everyone had a fab time ringing in the new year!

After the stress of the holidays and the brutal cold and dry air-we think our skin needs a break! Boy, oh, boy did I find the vacation for our pores...I was lucky enough to be able to indulge in the luxurious skin care line Natura Bisse' lately and fell in love! I have tried alot of skin care in my past, some pricey-some not so pricey. Some work their magic, some...not so much. This line is like putting a little bit of heaven on your face-the down side, it is on the pricey side. I really like their Oxygen and Diamond Extreme line...a good way to test drive what you might like is to ask for free samples! Pick and choose your battles and maybe scrimp in some other area this month...trust me, you will LOVE their products!

Vodka & Caviar!

OPI never let's me down with their luscious shades or their perfectly quirky names! This shade has been one of my favs since the Russian Collection came out and I forgot how much I loved it until one of my girlfriends had it on the other night...Vodka and Caviar! I usually splash some on my piggies but for this time a year it is the perfect holiday red...love love! They have a great Holiday Collection, that is all sparkle and glitz (pretty)...but may be a bit too much for us savvy more uhmmmm, middle aged chics. This one is so pretty, sexy, and sophisticated...I promise it won't disappoint.

All the other little elves will be jealous!

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow...

Well, here at the beach we have to fake it...but I can't think of a better way of faking it then with this yummy Philosophy Product- Snow!

It is the perfect stocking stuffer, perfect hostess gift, perfect price point! Coming in at $25.00, this is an awesome holiday giftie! You get 3 delicious products and they all have the freshest hint of the first fallen snow. Clean, crisp, delish!

Go get your SNOW ON......brrrrrrrrrr, never felt so good!