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A Spring Trend that you Should Try!

Nail art has become increasingly popular and it is amazing to see what people can accomplish on their nails. The art can range from a simpler design like two-tone nails, stripes or chevron to a completely advanced design of movie characters or holiday decor. 
We love this fairly simple coral nail with peach tips, it is perfect for springtime. The glitter and rhinestone add some extra oomph as well.
These Olympic nails are a great idea! We will have to wait until the winter Olympics next year to try them out. 
 This is an absolutely beautiful design. We love the ballerina pink nails with a hint of soft, silver glitter at the bottom of the nail close to the nail bed. 
 These nails are definitely show-stoppers! An increasing trend in nail art is to glue pieces to the nail to make it 3-dimensional. We love the use of gluing the flowers to the nails for the eyes of the skulls.
 We love the intricate design and colors used in this nail art. The black, white, purple, pink, orange and mint make an interesting palette for a very interesting variety of designs such as dots, lines, dashes and squiggles. 
 Summer is fast approaching, and these fruity nails give off a very summery vibe. 
 These nails are adorable! We love the creative genius, as well as colors used for these nails that were inspired by the Pixar movie Up. 

These nails are perfect for everyday, but we think these would be especially perfect for the 4th of July! We love the red, white and blue!

Scrabble tiles? We love how creative people get. This is a great and versatile idea that can be fairly simple for people that are less experienced with nail art. This would require a thin, brush-like tool to be able to neatly paint the letters. 
 These Toy Story nails are adorable. They make us nostalgic for the unforgettable characters that these movies feature. 
These nails are so fun and are perfect for summer. We love how this nail artists achieved a messy look without a mess. The surface of the nail is still smooth and the colors aren’t too blended together. This was achieved by waiting for each layer to completely dry before adding a new one. 
 We love holiday nails, and with Easter around the corner, we wanted to share these cute Easter nails. 

We want to know if you have ever tried nail art! What colors and tools did you use? Let us know via the comments box below, or post a photo on Twitter and share it with @makeup4yourday .

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Oscar Party Prep: Looks we Love!

To amp up for the Oscars this Sunday, we decided to dissect some looks from past years. This made us even more excited to see the red carpet looks this year! 
Zoe Saldana looked incredible and was glowing. She had a similar hairstyle to Rachel McAdams (see below) and the same youthful look, but the colors were different on her darker skin tone. She has the most beautiful and vibrant coral blush on her cheeks with a highlight. Her eyes are done up with matte black powder. 

Canadian cutie Rachel McAdams always has a fresh, girl-next-door look about her. She is so youthful which is why we love this look for her. It doesn’t make her look too young or too old, it is perfect and laid back. Pink cheeks, pink lips with her hair teased at the crown and pulled back into a bun. We love it!

Oh Sandra – look at those lips! We were surprised when we saw Sandra Bullock with matte hot pink lips on the red carpet because she isn’t particularly known as a risk-taker. She usually looks good, but isn’t memorable. We love her neat, classic hair mixed with a younger, more fun lip and cheek color. 

Halle Berry is so beautiful she hardly needs any makeup. Her short, boyish hairstyle was worn messy and draws attention to her beautiful facial features. She wore a light gloss, and apricot blush and her eyes were defined with black liner and brown shadow, but not overdone. 
Va-va-voom! Jennifer Hudson looks great here. Her skin is absolutely flawless with a subtle coral blush that matches her dress color, a cranberry lipgloss and beautiful eyes! Her eyes are completely matte and are a mix of beige (the inner corner) and brown on the brow bone. Then there is beautiful matte black liner that goes from the inner to outer corner of her eye. 

Mila Kunis had such a pretty dress at the Oscars that people didn’t pay enough attention to her gorgeous hair and makeup. Her finger waves are pinned back into a low, side hairstyle. Her cheeks and lips don a mauve color which complements her lilac-colored dress. Her eyes are fully lined with black liner with brown-gold shadow to create a soft smokey eye.

Jessica Chastain looked radiant at the 2012 Oscars. We absolutely love her hair color, but we also love how it was styled. Her half-up, half-down style was pinned at the back with loose waves cascading down her back. The golden locks looked great with the gold in her dress. Her eyes and lips were a matte sandy pink color which looks great with her hair color and on her lighter skin tone. Her eyes were lined on the top lid with black liner and a slight cat eye. 

A young Emma Stone is already someone to watch on the carpet, on the big screen and in Hollywood. We love how she doesn’t shy away from color or taking risks. Her red hair, red dress and pink eyeshadow? Emma Stone you rock! The black liner gives her eyes some definition and her lips are a subtle pink shade that matches her dress. 

Berenice Bejo was one to watch on the red carpet last year as many people had never heard of her before the motion picture The Artist swept the cinema scene and starting picking up a multitude of awards. Berenice showed up at the Oscars looking great. We love how the braid comes down the side of her head into a low bun, it is a beautiful trendy hairstyle. 

Everyone was anticipating Rooney Mara’s red carpet look at the Oscars. After The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo came out people were intrigued by this beautiful, androgynous girl and people were eager to see her more feminine side. She looked so beautiful with her striking dark hair, straight bangs and slicked back hair into a ballerina bun. Her skin was fresh and completely matte with peachy pink blush. Her lips were a bold, matte red and her brows looked incredible! 

Milla Jovivich looked good, but we aren’t loving her blush. On the right you can see the color in a perfect pink circle. That is how clowns apply makeup! When applying color you need to be sure to blend, blend, blend! The color should be seamless. We do really love Mila’s beautiful hairstyle and red lips, she just need a kabuki brush to help blend her blush in more!
Who are you most excited to see this year? What are your trend predictions – best and worst dressed, who will win? We would love to know!
Send us a tweet @makeup4yourday

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Stress Relief 101: At Home Spa Treatments

Before the relaxation of the holidays kicks in, there is some stress you will need to overcome; parking lots and malls are a tizzy with people and grocery stores are enough to cause panic attack. This is why day 7 in our countdown is all about at-home relaxation.

1. Face Mask.
          – Take 1/2 cup of hot (not boiling) water
          – 1/3 cup of Oatmeal (mix them and then let them sit for 2-3 minutes)
          – Add 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
          – Add 2 tablespoons of honey
Mix it all and then apply it to your face. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes before you wash it off with a warm cloth. To make it feel like a real spa experience, put two cucumber slices on your eyes and listen to some classical music while you wait. You deserve it!

2. Foot Soak
          – 1 cup of milk
          – 2 tablespoons of honey
          – 1 cup of epsom salts
          – (and if you really need some moisture) add 2TBS of an oil, such as coconut, oliveo r jojoba
Add all of these ingredients into a bowl. For a little extra spa sensation, put some stones or marbles at the bottom of the bowl and rub your feet on them for a massage.

3. Lip Scrub
          – 1 part brown sugar
          – 1 part honey
          – 1 part olive oil
Lips tend to get chapped when facing the colder weather. Keep them moisturized and exfoliated at the same time with this DIY spa treatment.

4. Bath Soak
          – 1 cup of powdered milk
          – 1/2 cup of corn starch
          – 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint oil
          – Mix with 2 cups of hot water and then pout into the tub
Baths are perfect in the winter, and the ultimate way to relax!

5. Hand and Body Scrub
         – 1 cup of brown sugar
         – 1 cup of olive oil
         – 1 teaspoon of honey
         – 1 tablespoon of coarse salt
         – Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil
It is important to exfoliate all year round, but it is important not to dry out your skin. This oil-based scrub will help you get rid of dead skins cells with the added benefit of simultaneously moisturizing.

If you have a few minutes, make up your at-home spa recipe tonight. Put it in a container for safe keeping until you have more time on the weekend. That way when you go to unwind, your spa will be waiting for you!

Tomorrow is Friday, check back for day 6 in our countdown to the holidays for some party hair and makeup inspiration!

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Fake It: How to Highlight and Contour your Face

Holiday Countdown – Day 9!

If done correctly, contouring and highlighting can look really natural and attractive. If done incorrectly, it can look really obvious and it won’t be very flattering. One of the most important things to pulling this off, besides the know-how, are the products. You want to make sure that you are equipped with the right products to make it look natural.

You will need a matte bronzer that is darker than your skin tone, but not too dark. You can use a powder or cream, and you will want it to be about 2 shades darker. This makes it dark enough so it is noticeable, but still light enough to be blended in to look natural.

For a highlighter, there are a variety of consistencies you can choose from. There are liquid highlighters, powder highlighters and cream highlighters. It doesn’t matter what you choose to use, as long as the pigments finely ground so that it is a subtle glow, not a glittery disaster.

Another thing to be aware of is if the highlighter has silver or golden undertones. Choose silver if your skin tone is on the cool side, and a gold highlighter if your skin is a warmer tone.

How-to:

Start your makeup routine as you usually would with a clean, moisturized face. Then apply your foundation and concealer as you usually would and set it with a powder.

Then take your bronzer and work it into the hollows of your cheeks. To find them, you can suck in your cheeks and do the “fish face.” Start by making a line from your hair line down to about 1 inch from the corner of your mouth. Blend in circular motions and bring the color up to your temples and down to your jawline.

Take your highlighter and apply it onto your brow bones, down the center of your nose and at the top of your cheek bones.

Then apply your blush and anything else as you normally would. And you will have your finished look with a highlighted and contoured face!

Check back tomorrow for day 8 of our countdown that will feature some holiday hair ideas.

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Our Holiday Countdown: 10 days of Tips, Tricks and Tidbits!

In the spirit of the holidays, we are counting down the work days until the vacation begins. From Monday to Friday for the next two weeks we will share our tips, tricks and tidbits with all of you! Some topics that we will cover will include: how to properly conceal tired eyes, how to highlight and contour, at home spa treatments, good foods to eat for great skin and some anti-aging tricks.

All of these posts will be chock-full of product recommendations and pro tips. Our posts will also include some input from our talented team of artists and stylists!

We are so excited to get started with the first post in our Holiday Countdown tomorrow. The post’s content includes the right way to achieve that bright-eyed, just-slept-a-whole-8-hours (even if you didn’t) look. Curious?

You won’t want to miss out! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to get the updates. 
See you tomorrow!
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Rave Reviews About Our Beauty Lessons!


I had the wonderful pleasure of working with Jill this past weekend for an at home beauty lesson.  Jill is such a great person and an absolute joy to be around.  Her glowing smile and personality immediately put you at ease.

Jill contacted me in December after reading one of my other blog posts around beauty lessons where I go through your own makeup bag and show you how to use your own stuff or re-purpose it for better results. We had so much fun trying out new techniques and discussing skincare routines.

Please read her glowing review below and let me know if I can ever be of service to you and/or your gal pals!  I love to do mini beauty lesson parties, too!  Can you say, “mimosas”?!  Enjoy!

(Thanks Jill!  I had a blast!)

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“I scheduled a two hour consultation with Jennifer, because I was feeling frustrated with the process of
buying makeup, and I always wondered if I could be doing more to look better. Being a total DIY’er and a cautious spender, my typical pattern was to piece together the advice I’d read in beauty magazines over the years, occasionally buy from a department store counter, and just make do without spending a fortune. 
I just never really felt like I had the makeup thing figured out. I saw a consultation with Jennifer as a way to really get a grip on makeup. And that’s exactly what I got! 
I learned how to select makeup, not just put it on, so now I can shop anywhere and make informed decisions about what is best for me. I can confidently blend expensive products with drugstore brands and know that I’m looking my very best while staying within my budget. The knowledge Jennifer provided in our one-on-one consultation will be an investment that holds its value year after year.
Jennifer also knows a lot about skincare and guided me toward a different routine and strategy I would not have realized was appropriate for me. I can already feel a difference in my skin just three days after our consultation, and I haven’t even purchased new products yet. I am simply using products I already had in a new ways. You read over and over again that starting with great skin is the key to getting good results with your makeup, and it seems obvious. But since I previously misunderstood my skin type, having Jennifer there to point me in a new direction made a world of difference. 
Jennifer is extremely knowledgeable and has a wealth of experience and training, so she can quickly jump in to the details that apply to you and your skin, your face, your features. We had fun and chatted while she was working, but she stayed busy the whole time, explaining what she was doing, answering my questions, and talking to me about how products differ. She filled my brain so full of new knowledge and made helpful notes for me to keep afterwards, it was wonderful!
Feeling so completely confident about the skincare and makeup basics that apply to me takes away the
uncertainty I used to feel, and leaves in its place a new freedom to play and experiment so that shopping for makeup is pleasurable and FUN! 
And the best part of all is that lots of the products I already had were perfectly useful once Jennifer showed me what to do with them and guided my expectations for what each product can accomplish. She brought her stuff with her to show me new products I might like, but none of it’s for sale, so there is no pressure! I like that she built off of what I already owned so I only need to buy a few things to round out my makeup bag and be prepared for various degrees of effort in getting made up – the grocery store dash, the everyday work look and an elegant evening face.
One thing that I’d recommend to anyone before a consultation is to read a comprehensive book or article about makeup from a source you trust.  I checked out Bobbi Brown’s “Beauty Evolution” from the library which helped me refresh my memory about beauty basics and gave me a starting point for asking Jennifer questions about my situation in particular. Not only was I able to gain more from Jennifer’s expertise by going in prepared, it was also interesting to re-read the book after our consultation and see key points I’d glossed over or actually misunderstood the first time around, proving that the book alone would not have been enough.
Jennifer is a very talented makeup artist and educator who is warm, friendly and approachable.  Spending time in a consultation with Jennifer will give you confidence and peace of mind about makeup and skincare, and in a larger sense self-image, in a way that no friend, website, magazine or makeup sales associate can. I highly recommend her services to anyone interested in feeling their most beautiful!”   ~Jill Powell