Yes we love makeup, and there are always different makeup trends to follow but who doesn’t love a pair of beautiful smoky eyes?

We love having them with metallic hues and sometimes we love to experiment different makeup tricks and colors for our smoky eyes. But having smoky eyes for daytime makeup and wear can be tricky unless done the right way. While it is often tempting to reach out for the black eyeliner and silver eye shadow, there are always better and highly recommended eye makeup options.

Here’s an easy approach to get that daytime appropriate sultry smoky eye makeup.

1. Groom your brows to frame your face before applying eye makeup. This is important to make your eyes standout and your eye makeup looks beautifully finished.

2. With makeup, always start with light tone eye shadows, continue with medium and leave darker shades at the end.

3. Apply a slightly velvety texture eye shadow, light taupe color using a large brush into the center of the lid. Soften the shadow at the crease by flipping the brush. Press the color into the lower lash line.

4. Apply a darker brown shadow using a blending brush in small circular motions into the outer corner. Blend it up into the crease to create an illusion of depth. Always follow your natural eye shape. Tip: Begin with less eye shadow and build up as necessary.

Some of my favorite eye shadows are from NARS, I highly recommend them.

5.  For smoky eyes, one thing to remember is that the liner is meant to define the eyes but is not meant to be seen. Apply the liner starting at the outer corner using short strokes at the base of the lash line. Using a flat brush to smudge the liner in. You have the option to define both lash lines or just choose to define the upper or lower lash lines. Tip: Skip the waterline to make it appropriate for day wear.

Extra tip: If you feel it’s too dark or too much eye makeup, the solution is to blend or use medium eye shadow tones instead of dark. Doing so will create a soft and hazy finish which is perfect for daytime smoky eye look. That is exactly why we call it “Smokey”, because it is not defined nor with sharp definitions.

Do not ever forget!!!

If you don’t want to look like a “Panda Bear” or the tragic “Raccoon Eye” look, never use black and white eye shadows by itself. You will always need to use a hint or accent color.

Follow these steps and tips to get that smoky eye look with just the right amount of sexiness for daytime makeup wear. This beautiful eye makeup look is perfect for all four seasons.

Have fun and practice!

The post 5 Easy Steps and Tips to Create The Perfect Daytime Smoky Eye Look appeared first on Audrey Bethards..

From Gabbana to CHANEL and from Van Furstenberg to Dior, runway shows and fashion shoots have come to showcase the latest trends in fashion and beauty this Spring-Summer season!

Here are some of the best hair and makeup style trends that made the biggest impact and would be the ones to have for this Spring-Summer 2015.

As a rule of thumb, keep it light, natural and carefree.

In this season less is more!

THE BEST HAIRSTYLES FOR THE 2015 SEASSON

Boho Waves
This simple girl-next-door hairdo is once again in trend this spring summer of 2015 with its effortless but chic tousled with soft curls hair that look effortlessly perfect.

Bombshell Blowout
This sultry hairdo with sleek, stylish, and big curls almost never goes out of style. A look preferred by celebrities and a hairstyle that men love in their women.

Out-of-the-Water
Wet and creative just came out-of-the-water hair look is sported by models on the runways this season. Brushed all the way up or parted in the middle; gelled or splashed with water, the hair is achieved by exhibiting a slick and shiny look.

Big Buns
Long hair all pulled back into a big bun for a neat, polished, and classic look.

Long Ponytail
This is probably one of the most hassle free ways to do your hair. Yes, done in a matter of 3 seconds! Lazy but trendy this spring.

Braid and Twists and Mixed Materials
From a simple braid to an expertly made complicated twist of braided hair integrated into different hairstyles, braids and twists are definitely IN this season!
Any hairstyle adorned with any type of accessories or even flowers caught the eyes of the fashion getters this season from flowers, gems, barrettes and clips. Anything goes.

THE BEST MAKEUP LOOKS FOR THE 2015 SEASSON

When it comes to Makeup, these looks are IN!

FOR THE EYES
Eyes well outlined by black liquid eyeliner – ranging from a well defined simple and clean to a slightly flicked eye liner application.
Instead of the usual eye makeup, satin stickers, strips of leather, and even bright colored lipsticks were used to emphasize the eyes for a pop art eye makeup look. Baby blue to highlight the eyes never looked so better before this season.

FOR THE LIPS

Any bright well applied lip color for flaming high impact lips works this season. Shades of brown or a shade of purple for eye makeup for the not-so-daring girls is definitely IN!

FOR THE SKIN

Bronzed and sun-kissed skin gave the after effect feel of a well spent island vacation. One of my favorite bronzers is Nars Bronzing Illuminator in Laguna.

AND LASTLY BUT NOT LEAST, THE MAKEUP “NO MAKE” UP LOOK.

Hair and makeup trends come and go, but there’s nothing more beautiful than natural glowing skin!

Yes you could play with a bright lip color and even a dramatic smoky eye latter on the day but make sure you balance your makeup look with a natural beautiful skin.

With the use of pinky nude make up and lipstick, the trendy no makeup look is achieved. Also cream color cosmetic are wonderful to achieve this supernatural glowing makeup look.

The post Hair and Makeup Trends for Spring-Summer 2015 appeared first on Audrey Bethards..

How can I stay fresh, pretty and professional all at the same time despite my professional and hectic business schedule? I do not have time too worry about my makeup or personal appearance, but I need to be confident that I look my best at all times!

This is a common concern for many working women.

Worry no more, ladies!

You don’t have to go through trainings at the Mall and “beauty makeup workshops” to perfect the art of every day makeup that looks simply beautiful and professional and that will last all day!

Here are some tips and ideas in achieving simple yet sophisticated makeup look you can wear at work. Take it straight from me, a professional makeup artist in DC.

Before we begin with makeup tips and ideas, make sure you familiarize the basic rules in choosing the right makeup for a day at the office. Your makeup should:

• Last long so you don’t have to do a lot of retouching
• Be low-maintenance and easy so you can complete the look even in a rush.
• Enhance your natural beauty and not alter your features.
• Not be distracting (skip distracting bright colors or too shimmering and glossy products)
• Make you feel comfortable, confident and beautiful.

The Look:

Start with the base and perfect foundation then we will build up from there…

Laying the base and perfect foundation: Light, blended with a flawless finishing!

1. A situation that develops in most women is dull, dry and lifeless skin appearance. For this I would strongly recommend exfoliating your skin in regular bases. This will help you to get rid of the dead cells that lye on the surface of your skin making it look dull and dry. Once you do this, the appearance of your skin will dramatically improve making it look fresh, glowing and completely renew.
2. On everyday bases we need to make sure we have a clean and moisturized face before applying any makeup. After cleansing your face, apply a moisturizer that suits your skin. Hydrating your skin is especially important during cold weather season. If you have oily skin a good makeup primer will need to be applied, this will help you with oil control making your makeup last longer throughout the day.
3. If you are blessed with naturally good skin then skip foundation, use hydrating concealer instead. Dab the concealer then pat into your skin in light taps especially around the nose, underneath the eyes (if necessary) then blend it in. Set the concealer with powder. HD Microfinish Powder by Make Up For Ever is one of my favorites. If your skin is not as flawless and there is some tone and/or undertone discoloration, you can apply a sheer foundation before applying the concealer. The important thing is to not use heavy formulas or too much product. Only applying foundation and concealers if necessary and where these are necessary.

Natural Glow

Choose blushes and bronzers with neutral shades and looks natural on your skin tone. Some of my favorite Blushes for a work environment are the Bobby Brown Blushes, they come in different colors and shades. Apply blush lightly on the top apple of your cheekbones on circular motions – upwards. For contouring and to show the architecture of your face, apply a bit of bronzer underneath the cheekbone and underneath the jawline and a little bit up on the temples and near to your forehead hairline. Laguna by NARS is without a doubt one of my first picks! Then apply a bit of highlighter on the cheekbone and down the nose.

Accentuating the Eyes

1. Curl your eyelashes to open up your eyes.
2. Apply Champagne or Taupe color eye shadow, one of my favorites is Valhalla Eye Shadow by NARS over the lids using a perfect sheer crease blush. Then apply a slightly darker color eye shadow on the outer corner of the eyes and to add a little definition with the same darker eye shadow frame the crease of the eyes. Do not let this appear too strong, use an artist brush to blend them in as much as possible. Then apply lightly a dark charcoal eye shadow along the lash line (Typographic Eye Shadow by MAC) and on the outer corner using a 212 Flat Definer Eye Brush by MAC. If you wish you could skip the eyeliner, in most cases the dark charcoal eye shadow would be enough to define the eyes.
3. Apply mascara for extra definition, one of my very favorite mascaras in the market is LastBlast by CoverGirl.
4. Do not forget to polish your Eyebrows. For this you could use an eyebrow pencil (Veluxe Brow Liner by MAC), it comes with a very handy eyebrow brush. Do not forget to brush your eyebrows before the pencil application, and to blend the color for a more natural appearance you will need to do a second time brush after our eyebrow pencil application. This work like magic!

Professional Pucker

Use a lip liner that matches the color of the lipstick. Pink nudes and subtle coral shades of lipstick always look great for a professional look and works on any skin tone. You can always apply a lip balm right after that, RoseBud Salve (available at Sephora) it is simply the very best! Or if you prefer you could apply a lipstick of your choice. Applying lip liner first before the lipstick makes the lipstick adhere better.

If you need more in depth advice or training for your personal appearance, I give private personal hair styling and makeup artistry training for your personal appearance. Contact me, I will be glad to work with you!

Pro Tip from me, a trusted makeup artist in Washington, DC:

Invest in a good set of makeup brushes. It will make a big difference on your everyday makeup applications.

The post Every Day Makeup for The Professional Corporate Women. appeared first on Audrey Bethards..

Hello everyone!

A few weeks ago I made a Special Guest Artist’s appearance at the Paul Mitchell’s Academy in Tyson’s Corner, VA. To close this presentation, I preformed a Runway Mohawk hairstyle, but my favorite part was offering some professional advice to the students at the Paul Mitchell’s Academy.

It was so wonderful to share some of my knowledge with future hair stylist and makeup artists! Being in the beauty industry can be a challenge to newcomers, so I give them a brief story of how my career has developed. Personally I believe in ‘paying it forward’ and nothing makes me happier than extending a helping hand to someone in need. Talking to new students was a great chance to share my knowledge to the right people. Here are some of the points that I shared with the student at Paul Mitchell’s Academy.

1. Always focus on Beauty

My cardinal rule is to always focus on beauty, and not in what is “ugly”. No exceptions! When we get caught up on focusing on trying to fix the negative, we often forget to emphasize what is beautiful. In other words always look towards building beauty up, not covering something up. When you do this you highlight the inner beauty of the person, and that is what being in the beauty industry is all about!

2. Bring Good Energy

“Please take responsibility for the energy you bring into this space.” – Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor.

At one time or another, we all experience good and bad energy, and quickly learn and value the difference.  Remember, “Energy never leaves its source”. Whether you are working for runway models or at a hair salon, “there is no space for negativity in what it’s meant to be a creative space”. If you are grumpy and negative, you are going to work against creative energy. Only when you are positive will you build happiness, creativity and beauty into your clients, your co-workers and your work.

By helping everyone around you feel better about themselves, your work will be more pleasurable. Make sure that before you go to work, you check any negativity at the door! Remember you aren’t just here to apply makeup and do hair; you are here to help clients build a positive attitude, you are here to build, to create and to share beauty. It turns out then when a client is happy, they are also happier about the results of your work! And your co-workers want to have you around due to your positive energy.

3. Always Build on Your Beauty Education 

The more you know the more you grow in the beauty field. To keep up with the latest styles, trends and techniques it is imperative to continue your education. A beauty license is just that a license to work, but if you want to excel at what you do you will need to build and polish your craft. By the way, I offer private classes for Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Training in Washington, DC for those interested in entering the fashion, bridal or video-film fields or continuing their education!

4. Be Open to Working in Numerous Fields

Beauty doesn’t just stop and end at the beauty or hair salon. Dream big when it comes to pursuing your career in beauty, there are endless possibilities to extend your talent and creativity if you are willing to apply yourself. Look to work in television, video-film, photo-shoots, advertisements, weddings, fashion and entertainment. If you never look and work hard though, work will not just fall into your lap! If you do not know how to break into these industries, take a Hair Stylists Training and/or Makeup Artists Training with me. I could give you the help and training you will need to do just that, break into these difficult and much competitive industries.

5. Work as an Assistant

Working as an hair and/or makeup artist’s assistant unlocks years of experience to you, and sometimes you even get paid to be an assistant! View as working as an assistant not as a step down, but as an internship that will give you the knowledge and experience to help you create a solid professional foundation to perform better in your future career. Make sure that you keep your eyes open to always learn new things. Take notes and pay attention, so you can remember the experience you got from the unique opportunity to work as an assistant to a well experienced and reputable artists!

Conclusion

You’ll notice that there is a binding denominator in all 5 of these pro beauty tips, that is: “Positivity”!!! You’ll be surprised how far a little positivity, good energy and hard work can take you to achieving your dreams. We are so lucky to be in the beauty field, because we get the privilege of making others feel happier about themselves. In my opinion, that is definitely a gift worth giving!

“Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words. Keep your words positive because your words become your behavior. Keep your behavior positive because your behavior becomes your habits. Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values. Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny.” -Mahatma Gandhi.

The post 5 Pro Tips for Prospective Beauty Professionals! appeared first on Audrey Bethards..

When I was very young I was awed by watching my mother do her everyday beauty routine. She’d set a towel on her lap, light a glass candle then begin her beauty ritual. In a way, watching her everyday beauty ritual inspired me to pursue beauty professionally, so practical advice for everyday girls is something that is very close to my heart.

As you all well know, the everyday look is not so simple for many of us, so I needed to divide the everyday looks blog into two parts to cover all the different aspects of makeup. If you haven’t read “Part 1“, you can see it here.

Through my experience in the beauty industry, I’ve learned that what works for the runway, doesn’t necessarily work in the real life, specially when you are trying to do your makeup in the morning. But by choosing mistake proof cosmetics, makeup and techniques you can improve the results of the everyday beauty routine while lowering the stress involved in what it should be an enjoyable experience. This is beauty, it is supposed to make us feel good, beautiful and be fun!

1) Choosing a Blush that Makes You Glow!

In the morning, the last thing most of us want to deal with is creating accurate contours on our face using blush. Besides, the dark bricky and woody blushes required to create crazy contours that will not look so good in the full light of day, or in the unkind unnatural lighting of stores and office buildings.

To adapt to these daytime conditions, we need to choose a blush that makes us look good in the sun or indoor’s lighting. I recommend getting a fruity or flowery hue then applying it not too heavily. These lighter and radiant toned blushes create a rejuvenated, healthy, sun-kissed skin look that will look great for the everyday looks. Try my first pick for mistake proof blush, Orgasm by NARS. It is Beautiful! And for darker skin girls try Super Orgasm by NARS.

2) Low Effort and Fabulous, Healthy Lips!

 
I don’t know about you, but the last thing I want is to be worrying about is applying lip liner accurately before I’ve had my first cup of coffee. Not to mention, checking the teeth for any lip makeup smears is not something most of us are worried about when going about our everyday routines. To avoid the stress and smudginess of ill-applied lip makeup, I recommend keeping it as simple, approachable and practical as possible.

The Rosebud Salve available at Sephora is a product that has been along for a long time, because it is just amazing! Many famous celebrities and professional makeup artists like myself just love the subtle sheen and textured that the Rosebud Salve offers. It is extremely easy to apply, and you really would have to try hard to mess up putting on this simple salve. You can easily turn any lip color into a beautiful fresh lip-stain that will look amazing at any time! Give it a try!

3) Do you even need powder?

Some of you lucky, lovely ladies just do not need powder. If you think you may not need powder, just do not wear it! It covers up your beautiful, natural skin that so many of us would just looove to have. If you got it, flaunt it! Don’t hide you natural beauty under a layer of powder.

For many of us though, we need powder to even out the appearance of our skin. For those of us who do need power, let’s make sure that choose one that doesn’t have an icky, shiny, heavy effect. Instead try to select not just a powder but the perfect powder for our face. Before you start trying different powder try HD Microfinsh Pressed Power by Make Up For Ever. This silky, colorless, and ultra fine powder is practically weightless. It leaves the skin glowing and radiant with a finish that looks absolutely natural. I highly recommend!

If your skin is very oily, I highly recommend the use of “Oil blotting paper” before any powder application.

DO NOT apply powder on top of an oily face!

This will only create a big mess by developing a fertile ground for skin irritations. Not to mention an awful cakey skin-makeup look.

This magical tissue paper will absorb any excess of oil from your skin leaving ready for a following powder application.

Conclusion

I really hope that these simple tips and mistake proof cosmetics tips will help you enjoy an everyday beauty routine. By going with what is simple for our everyday looks, we reveal our true ‘inner beauty’. As spring comes for all of us to enjoy in the Western part of the world, we should try to embrace the happiness and optimism of the season with our beauty routine by enhancing the results and lowering the stress involved in this process. To celebrate spring with our blog, stay tuned for some “Cherry Blossom” inspired beauty blogs coming up!!!

Photo Credits, xdesktopwallpapers.com, Orgasm by NARS, Rosebud Salve, HD MicroFinish Powder, Oil Blotting Paper.

The post Mistake Proof Cosmetics for The Everyday Look – Part 2 appeared first on Audrey Bethards..

As a professional makeup artist I’ve worked with runway models, brides and all sorts of fashionistas, but I’ve found the hardest makeup application is for the everyday girl. The everyday girl rushes the moment she hops out of bed. She does not have the time or assistance of a makeup artist to help put on her makeup before she needs to run out the door.

No worries, I am here to help you! Using these basic mistake-proof cosmetics you can easily create an everyday look that doesn’t take up too much time in the morning. They are also easily applied, so you can get your morning beauty routine done with and move on with the rest of your day, looking your best!

1) Start with a Good Moisturizer

Choosing the best moisturizer does not necessarily mean going with the most expensive moisturizer- instead you should be more focused on what works for your skin type. The first thing you need to do when picking out a  moisturizer is figure out your skin type actually is, so you can select a moisturizer that will treat your particular type of skin. Using the wrong type of moisturizer can lead to your skin looking too oily or dry, and either result will make your skin and makeup look bad.

The best way to pick out a good moisturizer is to choose a couple of different types of moisturizers at first. Experimenting with these to see the effect they have on your skin throughout the day. Stick with the moisturizer that leaves your skin feeling and looking the best by the end of the day.  Sephora understands completely this kind of customer’s needs and will provide you with a few free-samples of different moisturizes for you to try on before you purchase.

Image from: EileenMai.com
2) Get a Concealer that Blends Well with Your Skin Tone

It cannot be over-emphasized that you need to find a concealer that matches your skin tone. If you choose one that is to light or dark it will make you look sickly and wrinkly instead of like the ‘Diva’ your really are inside. For some people, this may mean having two different shades of concealer for different seasons, so you may need to get a light and darker concealer for different times of year.

Also, it is important to figure out if the concealer can be easily layered and well blended into the skin, so it doesn’t look like you have makeup caked on your face. I highly recommend Bobby Brown and Studio Fix from MAC these are easy to apply and blend with your natural skin. This way in the morning you can apply your concealer quickly and without worrying too much about spending valuable time blending this into your skin. Remember, you will need to apply this concealer ONLY where you need it. Dark circles, little redness around your nose, that new nasty little pimple.

3) Choosing an Eye Shadow that goes with Your Personal Style

Lately in beauty magazines there has been so much emphasis on the elaborate effects you can get with brightly colored eye shadows. These elaborate applications of eye shadow can be great for going out for a Friday night, but it isn’t exactly something you want to bother with on a Monday morning. That is why for your everyday look I recommend going with a subtle color that brings out the best “inner you”.

Well, you may think that the silvery glittery eye shadow just screams out your name, but usually you want to go with something a little more subtle and versatile that cannot be spotted 50 feet away. Try to choose low saturated color like taupe, light browns, medium browns and mauve to get the best effect. That way when you are getting ready in the morning you don’t have to worry about which eye shadow matches your outfit today, but you stick with your signature eye shadow that will make you look your best any time, any place.

 Getty Images at Glamour.com

4) Mascara to Enhance Your Eyes

I’ve never met a female who hasn’t experienced really messing up their mascara with clumps and smudges. There is nothing worse than spending valuable morning time trying to tame smear and clumped mascara. I really, really dislike clumpy eye lashes, so that is why I use LashBlastVolume from Cover Girl. This is low-budget mascara with a high-quality mascara brush that works wonderfully.

Another important part of mascara is to choose mascara that compliments your hair color. For blondes, I recommend going with a nice shade of dark brown. When blondes wear black mascara, it tends to over-emphasize their eyelashes, and you can really tell that they are wearing mascara. For brunettes and black hair, I recommend black mascara. Anything lighter than black mascara just isn’t going to highlight the natural beauty of their eyes.

Conclusion

By having a set makeup routine you can go through with ease in the morning, you’ll set a good tone for the rest of your day. No one wants to go out the door when they spent their morning wrestling with smudgy mascara, runny eyeliner or cakey foundation!  One of the most important parts of any makeup routine is to remember that it is to make you look and feel beautiful and happy, so try to find products that help make your makeup routine, especially for early mornings, something that is easy, mistake-proof, and fun to do.

Be sure to stay tuned to our blog for part II of “Mistake-Proof Cosmetics for The Everyday Look”.

Photo Credits, xdesktopwallpapers.com, eileenmai.com, BobbiBrown.com, MACCosmetics.com, Getty Images at Glamour.com, LashBlast Mascara CoverGirl.

The post Mistake Proof Cosmetics for The Everyday Look – Part 1 appeared first on Audrey Bethards..