Monday, January 31, 2011

Panache PEI Model's - 2010 Natural Beauty Photo Shoot

In November I posted about doing makeup for the Panache PEI Models photo session.  And I just received  the cd with all the images of the lovely models that I had the honour of applying makeup.  The day was divided into 3 different themed shoots with three different photographers.  There was a natural beauty themed shoot with Katelyn Fraser, an eyewear shoot with Matt Zambonin and a Marie Antoinette shoot with Sarah MacEachern.

So as promised, I'm sharing this images with y'all, starting with the natural beauty themed shoot by photographer Katelyn Fraser.   Hope you like them!

Model:  Alicia 


Model:  Ashley


Model:  Brianna 



Model:  Bridget 



Model:  Courtney 



Model:  Heather 



Model:  Julie 



Model:  Miranda 




Model:  Molly 



Model:  Tamara 



Model:   Stephanie

Thursday, January 27, 2011

What I do on a Storm Day...

Schools are closed today and luckily my latest order from Dinair arrived yesterday, so I was able to keep my girls entertained for hours this afternoon.  Until we ran out of available skin...

Sounds strange?  Well let me explain.  I just bought a dozen or so tattoo stencils and some new fantasy airbrush colours.


So I spent the day "inking" my kids.  And here are the creations:















Hope everyone had a great storm day!

Monday, January 24, 2011

Cold Weather Beauty Tips

It has been soooo cold out the last few days (-30C) I thought I'd share with you some cold weather beauty tips.

The first beauty tip for battling cold weather is to keep skin moisturized.  Skin can dry out so easily in the winter months from the dry heat pumping out of the radiators in our home and cars, to the brutal winter wind whipping at our faces.  So slather on your moisturizer from head to toe.  This may be the time when you need to switch from your regular moisturizer to a more hydrating cream like a shea butter for your body and a dry skin moisturizer for your face (even if your skin is typically normal).  A trick I like to do is when I get out of the shower I rub on some organic grape seed oil then when that soaks in I put on another layer of thick and creamy shea butter.  And for my face I add a concentrated serum for dry skin to my regular moisturizer to give my face an extra dose of moisture.





I also keep lip balm in my purse, at my makeup table, in all the bathrooms around the house as well as by the kitchen sink and I apply several times daily.  I like Blistex because it has an SPF in it to protect the sensitive skin on the lips.  I don't know what I'd do with out it...it could be an addiction...


And now is not a time to ignore your cuticles, dry air and exposure to the cold winter elements can wreck havoc on your hands.  Apply cuticle oil to your nails every night before going to bed, your nails will thank you for it in the morning.  And just like lip balm, I keep hand cream all over the house and in my purse to keep my hands nice and soft.  By the way, your hands are one of the first places to show the signs of aging so this is one area you don't want to forget to keep soft and hydrated!  I love this cuticle oil from OPI, I especially love the smell!


And although it seems like forever since we've seen much of sun lately we really should not forget about sunscreen.  Those rays reflect off snow like crazy so if you're brave enough to be hitting the slopes or spending anytime outside, layer on some sunscreen to keep your skin healthy.


It's also really important to not forget to exfoliate during this time of year.  Dry scaly skin is never going to be a big beauty trend.  So avoid being a don't by exfoliating at least once a week.  Some cheap, DIY exfoliators are mixing up brown sugar and olive oil or you could mix up some baking soda with a mild cleanser like Cetaphil.  I do this once a week while I'm in the shower.



So once our skin is lubed up and ready, its time for makeup.  There are a few makeup tricks you can adapt into your regular routine.  

Firstly winter is probably not the best for really matte looks, especially if you have dry scaly skin.  Instead try using a foundation formula that will moisturize your skin and give it some glow.  My pick is cream foundations or airbrush foundation for really dry winter conditions.  The reason I like airbrush foundation is because it doesn't need to set with powder.


If your a big powder fan (loose or pressed), winter is not a friend of yours.  Dry skin doesn't like powder very much.  It makes you look kinda flakey, again not the most attractive.  So skip the powder if you can (and use oil blotting sheets if need be) or use it very sparingly.   

 Now is a great time to use cream blushes instead of powders too, it's just one more layer of moisture!  


And my favourite trick to battle the winter blahs….highlighter!  Add some to the tops of your cheekbones to add a subtle glow.  We all need a little glow in the middle of the winter doldrums.


Now if someone could just help me eliminate the crazy static electricity in my HAIR!!!

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Randy Fenoli and the Divine Details Bridal Show

Oh what a night!  I was a vendor at the Divine Details Bridal Show and the special guest of the evening was the much beloved Randy Fenoli from TLC's Say Yes To The Dress.  Have you heard of that little show ?!



The ladies were lined up to get in the doors about 45 minutes before the doors were scheduled to open.  And let me tell you, the ladies are crazy about this man!  Seriously, they LOVE him!  I'm somewhat embarrassed to say that I have never seen the show, so I didn't quite get the hysteria but I'm really glad he draws such an amazing crowd of women.  And in case you are like me, and haven't watched the show before, here is what TLC says about the show


"Say Yes to the Dress reveals the inner workings of the world's premier bridal salon, Kleinfeld Bridal. Part fashion show, part bridal story, part family therapy, the series uncovers the hurdles the staff faces to make each bride completely satisfied."


Last I heard there was 600 tickets sold to the event and over 70 tickets sold at the door.  I've done a lot of trade shows in my life, and this one tops them all.  There were so many people who stopped by my booth, I ran out of info sheets and almost ran out of business cards.  In fact there were so many people lined up at every booth it was almost impossible to get through the aisles.

Here are some pictures of my booth, I have a very small marketing budget so I was very lucky that I was able to partner with local business Dynamic Fitness.  I make youlook pretty and they make you look and feel good.  What a good partnership don't you think?



And here is a picture of the crowd, this was once the crowd had thinned a bit and I was able to grab my camera for a split second to snap this picture.


And to top off the night, when I got home and checked my emails I already had 2 wedding requests for this summer!  Talk about immediate feedback :)  I'm a happy vendor!  And maybe I'll start watching the show...

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Holy smokes, I've been nominated!



I just got nominated today for the Stylish Blogger Award, and I owe a big thanks to Modern Jane for the nomination!  I have to admit, it feels really good to get an award of any type for my blog.  Having just recently entered into the blogosphere not that long ago, it's still hard to believe that people out there are reading about my little world of all things makeup.

As part of receiving the award I need to state 7 random facts about myself and then nominate fellow bloggers.  Are you ready?

7 Random Facts About Me:

1.  I love my family, and that includes my immediate and extended family.  I'm so blessed to be married to an incredible, supportive man who shares the same values as I do and who helps raise our 2 amazing little girls.  I really do love my life.

2.  I have an addiction to all things chocolate.  All hail the cocoa bean!

3.  My first job out of university was driving the Oscar Mayer weinermobile across eastern Canada

4.   I have numerous, shall I say quirks, that include a strong dislike for wool blankets and socks, shoes with straps that touch my ankle bone, and I really hate it when anyones feet touches me.  Yuck!!!!

5.  I love to travel, drink wine and eat good food.  And I really love it when all those 3 things can be combined.

6.  I love to sail on our boat, PEI has the most amazing beaches and with our boat we're able to find some really cool hidden gems that most people can't reach by car.

7.  I love to shop...for anything.  I love shopping for clothes, for makeup, for shoes, for my house, for the kids, for groceries.  I'm great for the economy!

And here are some of my favourite Canadian blogs that I nominate for the Stylish Blogger Award:
Susan on Design
ohsococo
makeup artist eman aziz
And of course, the awesome blogger who nominated me, and who inspires me to get on with designing my home Modern Jane

2010 Winter Boudoir Session

I'm gearing up for the next boudoir photo session with the incredible photographer Jill Hardy.  These photos will be ready for Valentine's Day, an awesome gift to give to your special someone on the 14th.  Better then chocolates...um, yes!!

And as promised I will share some photos from our last photo session that some of the ladies were giving their hubbies for Christmas.  All photos are taken by Jill Hardy Photography.  Hair and makeup by Michelle Cudmore Makeup Artist (aka me!).







Thursday, January 6, 2011

A Christmas Gift To Me, From Me

Well sometimes you are the only one who really knows what you want for Christmas, so to avoid disappointment on Christmas morning, sometimes I just treat myself to something I know I'll love.  So on Christmas Eve, the friendly mail delivery guy dropped off the cutest little gift to moi!

Even though I obviously knew what was inside, I'm still crazy excited and practically tear the box apart.  Even my 2 daughters can't keep their hands off it.  Are you curious to know what it is???  Have I built enough suspense?

I bought myself the new Tarte Jewelry Box set!!!  How cute is that???


I know, it's super cute!  


Designed to look like a jewelry box, the chain on the top of the case is a real necklace that detaches from the box for you to wear.  The top layer has 16 shimmery eyeshadows and the 2nd layer has 16 matte eyeshadows.  A drawer pulls out to reveal the lipgloss and bronzer/highlighter and then another drawer pulls out with 5 eyeliners.  And it's really not that clunky, it's amazingly compact!


Over 98% of Tarte products are formulated without parabens, phthalates, sulfates and synthetic fragrances.  I like that!  


But what about performance you ask?  Well, most of the eyeshadows are beautifully pigmented but there are a couple of "duds" that fell short of my expectations.  As I said before I'm not a huge lover of lipglosses so those don't excite me much.  The bronzer is good, it would work on most fair to medium skin tones, but it's probably too light for really dark skin.  The highlighter is pretty but it doesn't knock my socks off.  The eyeliners are soft and easy to use and comes in a variety of every day colours plus a few fun shades to funk up your look.  Overall, I really do like this kit and I think it has really good value.


I don't plan on using this for my professional kit.  I bought it for myself because we're planning on doing some travelling this winter and I like the idea of having one palette to bring that has all the products that I need instead of bringing tons of little things.


Hope you all had a great Christmas!