Christmas/Holiday Makeup

Christmas is almost here and what a joy! - Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday.  

I love the holiday cheer, the bringing together of family and friends, but most importantly, it is the celebration of Jesus's birth!  If that's not reason to smile and be merry, than I don't know what is.  My family no longer participates in gift exchanges because we feel it is an attempt to distract us from what the day really means to us - remembering the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  We also feel like it is a Capitalistic ploy! ...but I won't get into that, ha. 

I created my own tradition a few holidays ago, and that tradition is the purchase of  new Christmas toe socks every year!  I can't believe it's December 22, and I haven't bought a pair of toe socks yet.  I must get to Target immediately! 

I also like to decide upon a Christmas makeup look for myself. December 25 is a celebration, and I like to look good for the party.  This year I wanted to do a natural, sultry, sexy look, and I knew that I wanted to wear red lipstick. 

So........this is what I came up with:

How I came up with this look:

I decided that I wanted to do an opulent gold or bronze shade on my lid to give my eyes some sparkle and shine, so I used a M.A.C. pigment in gold.  I used a soft brown shadow in the crease to create a more natural, sultry contour.  I lined my eyes with M.A.C. Powerpoint eyeliner in black. I used Covergirl's LashBlast Fusion Mascara in black. I chose a blush that would give my cheeks a soft splash of color. I lined my lips in M.A.C. Cherry lip liner and used M.A.C. Dubonnet lipstick with a dabble of lip gloss with a silver pearl finish.

The neat thing about this look is that any complexion can wear it and look marvelous!  You can also alternate the shade of red on your lips to create brighter, bolder or more dramatic looks.

Holiday Glam Nails Event!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!  

You are cordially invited to come and celebrate the holiday season, as well as the grand opening of t.h.e. Nail Studio in Los Angeles this weekend, December 18th & 19th, at our Friends and Family Holiday Glam event!

The evening will be full of beauty, art, holiday cheer, food and cocktails!

  I will be there both days doing beautiful holiday nail art, as well as selling beautiful jewelry for those looking to purchase last minute gifts, or gifts for themselves.

There will also be a nail technician providing manicures and pedicures at a discounted rate for friends and family - 25% off!

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Here are the services I will be offering:

NAIL ART SERVICE MENU: 
Both Hands [full]: $20
Per Finger: $3
Polish Change: $5


*SIDENOTE: You will also receive a complimentary gift with any nail art service received, or with any accessories purchase!
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  We are accepting appointments and walk-ins.
We are accepting payments in the form of cash or credit.

If you would like to make an appointment online, please visit WWW.NAILSTUDIOLA.COM
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HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!!!!

Zoya Nail Polish Free Color Spoon Friday!

Isn't it a bummer when you purchase a nail polish, only to find out the color isn't what you were anticipating? Well, Zoya has a solution to this problem, and it's called color spoons!

Here's the 411:

First, select any 6 colors that you would like to try on.  Add the matching Zoya Color Spoon to your shopping cart on www.zoya.com.  Add SP6 as your code.  Zoya will ship them to you for FREE! Plus, you will automatically earn a $3 Zoya Color Spoon credit code for use on a future Zoya.com purchase.

The offer expires at 11:59pm EST, so hurry up and get your free color spoons!

"Wow!" Brows: Camilla Belle

Doesn't actress Camilla Belle look stunning?

I really love this beautiful, classic, fresh makeup look. It's a versatile look, great in the daytime or evening, but especially lovely during the holidays.

The thing that grabbed my attention first was her eyes, specifically her eyebrows [and eyebrows mean everything!]. The precision in the shape, as well as the depth and darkness really helped define and frame her face. Well-maintained, naturally shaped brows really do wonders for the face - sexy.

Camilla's eyes seem to be a catalyst of great things to come.  After looking at her eyes, your gaze can only drift downward where you'll notice her healthy, glowing complexion and sultry, red lips. 

Bravo Camilla, bravo!  

Nail Art

I have a lot to share with you, but my time is becoming more and more limited - please forgive me as I play catch up. I have been busy with so much, including: family & friends, Thanksgiving, college education, vacationing, nails, jewelry and some other "hush hush" things i'm working on, but everything is coming into fruition at the right time.

So........

Before leaving for my vacation to Mexico, I decided to test out a method of nail art which I haven't tried before: water marbling. If you aren't familiar with water marbling, the best way to describe it is: a type of nail art that creates swirls in multi-tones by dipping your nails in water.  Sounds kind of crazy, right? - dipping your nails in water? I have seen this method tested many times in a variety of colors, so I figured I give it a try and see what results I get. My trip to Mexico was quickly approaching, so I was inspired by the beaches in Mexico, coral reefs, water, etc.

Here is my first attempt at water marbling my nails:

Not bad, ey? 

[sorry for the sub-par photos - still figuring out how to capture better photos of my nails.]

Let me start off by saying that water marbling isn't the easiest of processes and you must have a little patience in order to do this. 

THE PROCESS:

First you have to paint your nails and let them dry.  Then you have to choose another color or colors for the water marbling.  After you have your color selections, you must add drops of each color in the water, swirl it with a toothpick, then dip your finger into the water. Once you remove your finger from the water, the clean-up begins.

When you remove your finger from the water, your finger is just a mess! There is  polish all over your fingers and edges, so a lot of clean up is required in order to have pretty water marbled nails. I added some jewel embellishements to my nails to add a little "flavor" and make them "pop" a bit more, which really added to the design as a whole.

WATER MARBLING POSITIVES:

1. Pretty, unique nails

2. Lots of color options to create a variety of designs

3. Endless possibilities

WATER MARBLING NEGATIVES:

1. Messiness

2. Lots of clean up required [including cotton, polish remover and q-tips]

3. Time consuming

 Would I do water marbling nail art again? Probably. 

Would I recommend you giving water marbling a try? Why not! 

Practice makes perfect, and with practice comes skills.  I do, however, recommend doing this in an area of your home with space, just in case things get a little messy.  For the parents out there, find a kid-free zone -trust me. Kids love doing creative things with their parents, especially things that look fun, messy and colorful. You've been warned, lol.

Photoshoot

Peek-a-boo

I see you.....

Photographed by: Anthony Collins

Make-up, Hairstyling & Nail art by: Aja Eskandar

Nail Art: T.H.E. Nail Studio

I worked an event last Saturday for a new nail salon opening in Los Angeles called T.H.E. Nail Studio and had a blast! The owner is a beautiful, hard working woman by the name of Dayna Wade who has a wonderful vision for her nail salon which is opening within the next few months.  There were lovely people there, artwork, h'ordeuvres, cocktails, raffles, a manicurist doing Minx nails and myself doing nail art.

I mingled a bit....

Then set up shop to do nail designs....

Fun stuff! 

I will continue to keep you updated on the progress of the salon, appointments, future events, etc.

Fashion Editorial: Inspiration

Click the pictures to view the entire photo set.

Malgosia Bela by Tim Walker for Vogue Italy

Julie Ordon by Giampaolo Sgura in Wonderland Magazine

Izzy, Mirielle & Marie-Helene by Jamie Nelson for Elle Mexico

Covergirl Taylor Takeover Makeover Event

Last week I got to work with Covergirl again for a special event with Taylor Swift called the "Taylor Takeover Makeover."  Taylor Swift was conducting a radio contest across the nation and if you were the winning caller, this is what  you received:

- A free trip to L.A. for two days

- A complimentary stay at The Hollywood Renaissance Hotel & Spa

- A private concert with Taylor Swift

- A V.I.P. tour of Hollywood

- A Covergirl makeover & complimentary gift bag

- A shopping spree

Incredible, right?! ...especially since all of the winners were from out of town, most of whom have never visited Los Angeles or California.

I had a lot of fun participating in this event and doing the makeovers. We got to use Taylor Swift's new line of makeup for Covergirl called "Natureluxe", which isn't available to the public yet, and it's an amazing  product!  Natureluxe is Covergirl's more natural line up makeup, with ingredients like Cucumber water, Jojoba for moisture, etc. 

This is the BEST part [besides all of the fun I had working]: Covergirl let me keep ALL of the makeup that you see in the picture above, wooohooo!  Looks like I'll be doing some product reviews within the next few weeks.

Until then, check out the pictures I was able to capture at the event:

[my work space]

[contestant winner - post makeover]

 [contestant winner - post makeover]

[contestant winners - post makeover]