Lauren Conrad at the Avon Hope Honors Gala: Forties Glam With A Modern Twist

On Tuesday night in NYC, Lauren Conrad attended the Avon Hope Honors Benefit on behalf of the m.powerment campaign, her philanthropic initiative with mark. Cosmetics dedicated to breaking the cycle of dating abuse and partner violence. Lauren wanted a retro look, reminiscent of Rita Hayworth and Veronica Lake and here's exactly how I created her Forties glam, using all mark. products:

Face: For a perfectly-polished complexion, I evened out Lauren’s skin tone with Powder Buff Natural Skin Foundation in Natural, giving her a super-velvety finish. To emphasize the delicate contours of her face, I applied Bronze Pro Bronzing Powder starting in the hollow of her cheeks, then directly under her cheekbones, up to her temples, across her hairline and under her jaw line. I then swirled Good Glowing Custom Pick Powder Blush in Star Glo on the apples of her cheeks for a subtle rosy glow.



Eyes: Lauren loves her signature winged-out black liquid liner look which I amped up tonight by drawing Get In Line Hook Up Liquid Waterproof Eyeliner in Painted Black a little thicker in the outer corners of her eyes. I then coated her lashes in Make It Big Lash Plumping Mascara in Raven for thickness and length and added individual lashes (4 smalls and 6 mediums on each eye) to complete the look.



Lips: I gave Lauren a classic red old-Hollywood pout with Dew Drenched Moisturlicious Lip Color in Wave, a true Hollywood red that is warm enough to look gorgeous on everyone. To properly set the color to last all evening, I dipped a cotton swab in Matte-nificent Oil-Absorbing Powder in Natural Buff and carefully traced the outer rims of the lips. For that final touch of extra impact and depth, I added a dab of Belle of the Ball Lip Balm in Sheer Red in the center of the lips with my finger.







All photos courtesy of WireImage and mark. Cosmetics.

Lauren Conrad at the Style Awards: How to Create Feminine with an Edge

At last night's 6th Annual Style Awards, Lauren contrasted an ultra-feminine look with a rock twist, from her floral bubble dress paired with studded punk pumps to her braided half-up-do and soft curls contrasted with a hot pink lip and black liquid liner, all in honor of her stylist Britt Bardo, to whom she presented the Style Star Award. I am obsessed with mixing things up because overly girlie comes off a little cutesy, while overly punk comes off... well, just that...




To create the look, I first filled in her entire lip with Kissink Lip Tintmarker in Berry Bitten, a lip stain favorite of ours that lasts all night yet isn't dry or flaky. Then I added a coat of Lip Exotics Lip Lacquer Hook Up in Pop for a luscious wet look with a huge color impact. For her cheeks, I applied Just Pinched Instant Blush Tint in Cheeky, a perfect true pink cream blush, on the apples of her cheeks then dusted above her cheekbones in Twinklebelle (Rose), a shimmery pearlized powder that I also used on her collar bone and shoulders. Finally, to keep all of the emphasis on her winged-out cat eyes (Get In Line Liquid Liner Hook Up in Painted Black), I left her lower lash line undefined, except for a coat of Make It Big Mascara in Raven.



All photos courtesy of WireImage, Life.com, Just Jared and Mark Cosmetics.

A Girlie Chic Look on Whitney Port

On Friday, Whitney Port wanted a girlie chic look for her appearance on Jimmy Kimmel to compliment her amazing pink and lace vintage dress. (Be sure to watch the video above in FULL SCREEN so you can see the make-up better!) I love this look because it's feminine and sweet yet modern and cool... kinda like Miss Whitney! Anyone can rock this look and here's exactly what I used on her:

FACE

Armani Beauty Designer Shaping Cream Foundation in 5.5 all over her face and neck with a foundation brush.


Stila Convertible Color in Gladiola applied with a foundation brush on the apples of her cheeks.


NARS Bronzing Powder in Laguna under her cheekbones and jawline, on her temples, across the top of her forehead and along the bridge of her nose.


NARS Blush in Luster on the apples of her cheeks then a quick sweep from the apples up to her temples.

EYES

Stila All Over Shimmer Eyes in *12 (this product is discontinued which kills me but if you do a google shopping search you can find it like I did on the link above). I shook a little of the powder out, wet my flat eyeshadow brush then dipped the brush into the powder. Work on the consistency on the back of your hand until it has enough intensity to be sheer but still have enough color impact. Then sweep all over your lid and crease.


Smashbox Muse Cream Eyeliner Artist Pencil in Antique Gold (this product is also unfortunately discontinued... ugh... but you can find it like I did at the link above then cherish it until its last stroke.) I gave Whitney a cat eye by starting in the inner corner of the upper eyelid then dragging it to the end of her eyelid, then winging it up at a 45-degree angle. The color is absolutely gorgeous so it saddens me that they are no longer making it. The good news though is that mark. Cosmetics comes out with their eyeliner pots this Spring and has the exact color (in a gel liner) that I used on Lauren Conrad's magalog shoot for the brand last month.


mark. Make It Big Plumping Mascara in Raven on top and bottom lashes... a cult favorite mascara of mine.

*Note: No liner or shadow on Whitney's lower lash line. Just mascara.

LIPS

Cle de Peau Lipstick in 22 all over her lips.


Then I finished the look with a mixture of the lip glosses that Lauren and I developed for mark., mPowerment Peach and Gold.

All photos courtesy of Armani Beauty, mark. Cosmetics, Smashbox, Stila, NARS and Cle de Peau.

Lauren Conrad in NYC: 5 Days, 6 Looks, 1 Signature Style

I just returned from a week of fashion shows and concerts in New York with Lauren, who unfortunately was pretty under the weather and battling the flu. But with the aid of our favorite mark. products and her fighting spirit, no one could tell! (Thank heaven for mark.!!)

We wanted to create looks that were her (now-famous) signature style: winged-out black liquid liner, glowy & bronzed apricot cheeks and nude lips, but add a few variations to mix it up. The look above was for VH1's Diva's concert so I added extra diva-drama with a thick & extended black line on her lower lash line (I used mark Get In Line in Painted Black that is her staple go-to product for her cat eyes, but this time used it on the bottom as well.) A trick to liquid liner is to steady your elbow on your vanity so the only pivot action comes from your wrist. Start with a thin line in the inner corners then press down a little harder as you extend the line outward (making the line thicker), ending a couple millimeters passed the eye.

For the 3.1 Phillip Lim show, I accented the inside corners of her eyes with i-Mark Custom Eye Shadow in Nomadic. Using a small eye shadow brush, dip it in the powder, press it gently in the inside corner of your eye in a circular motion then drag it 1/4 outward along your lower lash line:




For the Nanette Lepore show, I used Eyemarker Color On Line in Jet along her lower lash line. Draw a line like a marker starting at the outside corner of your lower lash line and end 3/4's inward:




For the Rebecca Minkoff show, I used Metalliner Eye Glam in Blue Chrome along her lower lash line. Again, sweep it like a pen in the method described above:




For the MTV VMA's, she wanted an all-nude matte face illuminated with hints of shimmer so I used Bronze Pro Bronzing Powder in Pro Glow and Dew Drenched Moisturlicious in Skinny Dip:





We also worked on an amazing photo campaign for mark. cosmetics featuring a few new products that you're going to DIE for (stay tuned!). Here's a shot from the m.Powerment campaign where I used Glow Baby Glow lip glosses in m.Powerment Peach and m.Powerment Gold (that Lauren and I helped develop with mark. and turned out to be soooo gorgeous!). 100% of the net proceeds go to the m.Powerment philanthropic initiative to break the cycle of dating abuse and partner violence:




Here are the mark. must-have products for Lauren's signature red carpet look that I have used on her religiously for two years:
Speedway in Honey all over the face, Glow Xpert in Candle Glo as a highlighter above her cheekbones, Get Bright Highlighter in Natural under her eyes and accenting the brow bone, Bronze Pro in Pro Golden to support her cheekbones, on her temples, along her hairline and under her jawline, a combination of Good Glowing Mosaic blush in both Love Rush and Hush Baby on the apples of her cheeks, Winkstick in Demure all over her eyelid, Get in Line Waterproof Liquid Liner in Painted Black along her upper lash line, winged up and out, a couple coats of Make It Big lash plumping mascara in Raven, Mini Mark-It Stick for Lips in Goldie Pearl all over her lips followed by a coat of Juice Gems in Juicy Fig.



Remember that make-up is temporary and if you mess up (applying liquid liner), merely wipe it off and try again! I promise if you practice you can definitely master it. Lauren applies mark. Get in Line liquid liner by herself 7 days a week! If you think it might take you a few tries, use mark. On The Edge liquid liner in Cleo because it isn't waterproof like Get In Line and easier to wipe off until you get it perfect. I had a blast on this trip with Lauren and I hope you have fun re-creating her looks.

All photos courtesy of WireImage and mark. Cosmetics.

Bright Red Lips

Last night Jacinda Barrett and I paid homage to old Hollywood allure at the premiere of Whiteout with a bright red lip color and I love how it turned out! Anyone can add instant glamour with a coat of red lipstick, as long as you keep everything else understated (I used a simple champagne powder on her lid, a nude blush and a few individual lashes). Jacinda is wearing Estee Lauder Double Wear Lipstick in Stay Scarlet. I feel confident sending my clients down the red carpet wearing it because it has 12-hour staying power and won't fade. If you're not comfortable wearing a true red, stop by a make-up counter and work with a specialist to decide if you need a blue-red (for cool undertones) or an orange-red (for warm undertones). Or next time you're at your friend's house, play with her reds... force yourself to get up the nerve to wear it out just once and I swear you'll be hooked. Just promise me you won't pair it with a smoky eye... ;-)





All photos courtesy of WireImage and Estee Lauder.

Bronzed Copper Eyelids

If you want to play up your eyes, rich dark browns and coppers are a beautiful and modern alternative to the traditional gray smokey eye. A favorite for achieving this look is NARS Duo Eye Shadow in Cordura. Here on my client Shantel VanSanten, I applied a bronzed-copper "wash of color" on her entire eyelid by wetting my brush with Ben Nye LiquiSet before applying (for more intensity and lasting power) then let it dry. Next I applied the gold with a dry brush (for more blendability) along the crease for a "sunset" effect and back down over the brown. Finally I rimmed the waterline with Benefit BADgal pencil and added 2 coats of Mark Make It Big mascara in Raven.




Here is a picture of the make-up I did on Shantel for Nylon Magazine's TV Issue Party on Monday night... she rocked oh-la-lashes and amazing over-the-knee slouchy suede Christian Louboutin boots! Not only does she star in One Tree Hill, but her new movie The Final Destination opens TODAY and I looooved her in it. And the busy actress has another film coming out this Fall, You and I, opposite Mischa Barton.



Photos coutesy of Complex Magazine, WireImage, NARS, Ben Nye, Benefit and Mark Cosmetics.

A Lesson in Contouring

Contouring is one of my favorite steps in applying make-up and always surprises me that for most women, it is often a skipped step. When you apply foundation to your entire face, you are creating a blank canvas, making it critical to go back and add the dimensions back in. Technically, contouring is about shadows and light; if you've ever taken an art class you'll remember that you use darker shading to push an area inward and lighter shading to pull an area outward. This is great for creating the appearance that you have a stronger jawline, more defined cheek bones, a slimmer face and nose. For the red carpet or a photo shoot, I'll take the time and use both cream-based cosmetics for contouring and then go over it with powder-based ones for extra intensity and longevity. But you can just use powder based ones if you were only to pick one or the other.

Cheekbones
Immediately after applying foundation all over the face and neck, look in the mirror and suck in your cheeks. This helps to see exactly where your cheek bones are. Then with your fingers, feel precisely where the bottom of them is. Depending on your age, your cheek bones might not have come in yet (mine didn't arrive until I was 24!), or if you are holding on to a few extra pounds during a certain time of the month, they might be hiding. This is where contouring can become your best friend. Using a sponge (The Beauty Blender Egg) or blunt-shaped brush (Sonia Kushak Synthetic Flat Blusher Brush), apply a cream-based bronzer or foundation that is at least 3 shades darker than your own skin color exactly under your cheekbones, from the apples of your cheeks all the way to your ear. Blend lightly with your fingers but not too much to lose the drama. This will create more of a shadow that would appear if you had really strong cheekbones. Then apply a cream-based highlighter above your cheekbones to draw the light to the area. I love Hourglass Illume Bronzing Duo because the darker shade is a pretty universal color for light-to medium skin tones and the lighter shade is a beautiful highlight with a hint of shimmer. My favorite cream-based foundation right now is CoverGirl Simply Ageless because it offers great coverage without feeling like you're wearing any make-up.

Jawline
To really give the effect of a strong jawline, you'll want to create a shadow directly under your entire jaw. Using the same cream-based foundation or bronzer, sweep it from underneath your ear to your chin, then finish at your opposite ear. Then continue to "color in" your entire neck (and chest if your wearing a plunging neck line) with the remainder of the product left on the sponge/brush.

Nose
Not everyone has a perfect little button nose, and if you're like me and a lot of my clients, you might want to contour your nose a little, though this is the least dramatic and most subtle of the illusions. With a sponge, small eye shadow brush or your finger, take the same cream-based foundation or bronzer and "shade in" each side of the bridge of your nose (starting at the inner corners of your eyebrows and ending at your nostrils) if you want a slimming effect, or the tip of your nose if you want it to appear shorter. Then take the cream-based highlighter and apply it directly on top of the entire bridge. It is crucial to really blend with your fingers so it can't be detected.

Forehead
Strictly speaking for the law of dimensions, don't forget when applying bronzing to sweep it across your hairline and temples, because you've thinned out all the areas from eyes down, it wouldn't look right if your forehead was still a blank canvas. This is also great when creating a sun-kissed glow, because the top of your forehead is the first place the sun would hit if you were outside.

Finally, quickly repeat all the steps above with a powder-based bronzer and highlighter so it will last longer. I love NARS bronzer in Laguna if I want a little shimmer or Hourglass Superficial Waterproof Bronzer for a more matte look (both applied with NARS Ita Kabuki Brush) and my favorite highlighter right now is Mark Twinklebelle in Gold.


Here are a few more shots from my latest fashion story in the August 2009 issue of Malibu Magazine, shot by Tatijana Shoan.



Photos courtesy of Malibu Magazine and Tatijana Shoan.

The Drama of Pale Skin

There is nothing prettier to me than pale skin. Nothing. But this is a new view for me... My whole life I've been a bronzed beach girl and I've even learned to love my freckles, but after spending nine days on an international press tour with Cate Blanchett (unfortunately I didn't get to work on her myself but loved working on her co-star Geoffrey Rush), I became obsessed with her milky white skin. It truly is the perfect canvas for make-up. Then I met my client Krysten Ritter this year and was blown away by hers! She can rock red lips, fuchsia lips, even nude lips with more contrast and drama than anyone I know. Such an amazingly gorgeous face to work on that I have to pinch myself everytime.



Here's the make-up breakdown of Krysten's look: First I prep her skin with Amala Hydrating Face Cream, my favorite line of skincare with all organic ingredients. I add a sweep of Hourglass Veil Fluid Make-up Foundation in No. 1 Ivory and conceal any dark circles or redness with Dior Hydrating Concealer in Light Golden. I contour her cheeks with a light bronze powder (Dior Matte Sunshine in Honey Matte) and add a nude cheek color to her apples (DiorBlush in A Touch of Blush). Then I define her eyes (but not overkill them) with a wash of pale grey shadow all over her eyelid (Mark Cosmetics i-Mark Custom Pick Eye Shadow in Minx), Illamasqua Eye Liner Cake in Mislead on both the top and bottom lashlines, two coats of mascara (CoverGirl Lash Blast Luxe in Black Platinum) and a few individual lashes on the upper outside corners. Lastly I play up her lips with a tinted lip balm (Elizabeth Arden 8-Hour Sheer Lip Tints in Berry, Blush, Honey or Plum, depending on our mood).



Here are some more snapshots of my work on Miss Ritter's snow-white skin taken by Hama Sanders... I still love a California glow but am now secretly jealous of the pale few out there. (And never again will I leave the house without wearing my SPF 70, because a girl can dream!)




And three more shots by Eric Ray Davidson:

Different Hair Color Calls for Different Make-up

For fun, Lauren Conrad sported a brown wig for this month's issue of Harper's BAZAAR. They called in the darling Ken Paves for his wig expertise and me for her signature make-up look, with a little more intensity. So I deepened her bronzer and blush and added a little more definition to her eyes. To do this, I used the same shades that I normally use on her, but applied more coats with more product on the brush. If you're in the mood to disguise yourself with a different hair color wig, make sure to snap a quick digital picture of yourself before you go out and you'll easily see how you'll need to change up your make-up. If you go darker, don't forget to darken your eyebrow color with shadow or a pencil. Be careful with red lips because they might make you look too costume-y... but if you have dark hair and you're sporting a blonde wig, you might need a little more color on your lips than you're used to. Wigs are a great way to see yourself in another light and a good test before you dye your hair.

Here are the products that I used on Lauren, all by Mark Cosmetics :

Foundation: Face Xpert Flawless Touch in Natural
With: Foundation Brush
Concealer: Good Riddance Hookup in Light/Medium
With: Concealer Brush
Powder: Mattenificent Oil-Absorbing Powder in Natural/Buff
With: Powder Brush
Bronzer: Bronze Pro Bronzing Powder
With: Blush + Bronzer Brush
Blush: Good Glowing Mosaic Custom Blush in Hush Baby
With: Kabuki Brush
Browbone: Winkstick Hook up Eye Shadow Stick in Demure
Lid: Urban Neutral Flip For It Eye Color
Eyeliner: Get in Line Waterproof Liquid Liner Hook up in Painted Black
Bottom Lash Line: i-Mark Custom Eye Color in Corset
Mascara: Make It Big Lash Plumping Mascara in Raven
Individual Lashes: On top: Long (3), Medium (5) and Short (2) on each eye;
Lip Contour: mini Mark it stick for Lips in Peachy Pearl
Lip Gloss: Glow Baby Glow Luxe in Sun Luxe

Here are some more shots from our shoot, including one from the passenger van where I'm hiding behind a fedora and shades. ;-)







All photos courtesy of Harper's BAZAAR and Todd Cole. http://harpersbazaar.com http://toddcolephotography.com http://hairuwear.com http://meetmark.com

Make-up Sophistication

Here's a beautiful fashion story for July's Jezebel Magazine's cover issue of 90210's AnnaLynne McCord that I worked on a couple of months ago and have been DYING for it to come out!! Because the clothes were so luxurious and chic, I created a make-up look that was polished and sophisticated.



Here's exactly what I did:

FACE:
I applied Giorgio Armani Designer Foundation in #7 then powdered all over with Giorgio Armani Loose Powder in #1.




I contoured under her cheekbones for extra drama with Mark Cosmetics Bronze Pro Bronzing Powder in Pro Glow, then dusted directly on her cheekbones with Mark Good Glowing Mosaic Blush in Sandy. Make sure to sweep both all the way up to your temples, into your hairline.



EYES:
I used a combination of the lighter gold shades in Dior's Sunset Cafe 5-Colour Palette along her entire eyelid, blending up and into the crease.

I used Dolce & Gabbana Crayon Intense Eyeliner in Stromboli along the entire lower lash line, drawing the line thicker than expected, almost using it more as a shadow for drama instead of a liner for definition.

Followed with two coats of DiorShow Iconic Mascara in Nior, then I applied individual lashes along the upper lash line.


LIPS:
I wanted AnnaLynne's gorgeous mouth to to be highlighted, but not compete with her eyes and the dresses, so I applied Dior Addict High Shine Lipstick in Champagne Blush, an elegantly sheer golden pink.



Here are some more shots from the story, shot by John Russo in his studio in Los Angeles. I am obsessed with the long white dress by Issa London!







All photos courtesy of John Russo, Jezebel Magazine, Dior Beauty, Mark Cosmetics, Dolce & Gabbana Make-up and Giorgio Armani Beauty.
www.johnrussophoto.com
www.jezebelmagazine.com
www.beauty.dior.com
www.meetmark.com
www.dolcegabbanamakeup.com
www.giorgioarmanibeauty.com