I had resisted buying a bun maker for some time.  You can pick them up for under $5, so why I was belly aching over this purchase is beyond understanding.  I think I just figured it was like a top knot and why waste the money?  Oh, I was so wrong.  It is so much better than the mere mortal top knot. If adding blush is insta-pretty, using a bun maker is like 2 second chic.  You look so pulled together, in that very effortless French woman way, like you haven’t even tried. Trust me once you get the hang of using this tool, it will be so easy that you won’t even need a mirror.  Bonus, when you take your hair down at the end of the day you should have a full head of voluminous, soft waves!  You will need more than the bun maker though, a hair elastic and some bobby pins and you are good to go. This hairstyle is surprisingly long lasting as well, which is great because I can’t be bothered with my hair after I leave the house or get to my studio in the a.m., I need something that I do and forget about.  I am not going to lie to you, I did have a little bit of a learning curve, I don’t know if it’s just me not being coordinated, but it did take me a few tries to get it right, that’s why I found this tute, this one and this one too, so you can watch or follow and not get too frustrated.  You can also DIY one with a sock! Have you tried this?  Are you hooked as well?  Or is there another secret hair tool I should also know about?

P.S. I have only been in New Orleans for a couple of hours and I am already inspired beyond belief! The flora, the architecture, the incredibly, insanely beautiful, full of character home I am so fortunate to have been invited to stay in.  I can’t wait to shoot this weekend and share this imperfectly perfect place with you!

I think it is pretty safe to say that I am a bit of an eyelash obsessive.  I have written + recommended more mascara on this here blog than most professionals ever have.  I will not leave the house without my lashes, be it curling them, or a two second swipe of mascara.  My absolute favorite way to wear my lashes though is via extensions.  This to me is the ultimate in beauty convenience.  I only had them once prior before my elopement and I highly recommend it to all brides since they last for weeks.  You can cry, shower and swim in them without incidence. I blubbered through my entire ceremony and never worried about having mascara running down my face. If I am ever fortunate enough to give birth I am pretty sure I will be sporting my lashes in the maternity ward.

If time is money than I can say that having the lashes is like money in the bank. It is how I justified the lash extension splurge I did when I was recently in Los Angeles. My beauty routine now is basically nil– BB cream, some lip balm, creme blush and I am officially finished and out the door! My advice is to only go to a place that has an extremely great reputation, even better if you have personal recommendations. Make sure the place is clean and you are comfortable.  These are your eyes after all and it is not a swift process so you need to know what you are getting into.

Have you ever had this done?  Are you as evangelical as I am?  My girlfriend had on the new Benefit mascara ‘They’re Real! and it was ah-mazing on her.  Her lashes were long, lush and gave my extensions a run for their money.  I gave her my new favorite ‘natural’ looking mascara–Laura Mercier-Faux Lash, it has an amazing brush that coats each lash individually, it’s not as fun as extensions or ‘They’re Real!’ but it’s great for more casual days, because you don’t get a too mascara-y look. It’s purported to be a false eyelash alternative but I felt it just gave a beautiful, natural, even long lash look, very pretty.

I love the joy of new discovery, it’s one of the delights of the interwebs that I could chance upon a young artist on the other side of the globe and be able to revel in her talent.  My only shock upon discovery is that this girl is not more famous. I would think every fashion mag on the planet would scoop her up and have her create beautiful illustrations for their publication. If I ever come out with a beauty book, I know who I will tap to illustrate and that would be Miss Emma Leonard. I love the soft, simple and absolute gorgeousness that she conjures. There’s also a bit of an edge which keeps the illustrations fresh and not too sweet. I love her work and hope you do too!

Since it is Friday, I didn’t want to end the week without a beauty recommendation. I recently picked up a new mascara after I finally came to terms that I actually went through two whole tubes of the Maybelline Falsies. For those that are unaware I am not prone to docile lashes, if I am going to wear mascara, I am going to wear mascara.  Most days in my country studio I just curl my lashes so I don’t scare my husband, but since I am about to travel and meet a lot of people I admire for the first time I wanted to find a mascara that would last all day, not clump, and both lengthen + thicken my lashes but not make me look like I worked at a Gentleman’s club. I picked up L’Oreal Collagen Power mascara and it fulfills my list on all fronts except maybe the last. It is a tad sexy, so something you may not want to wear to say a PTA meeting or a house of worship. I have dry skin, but by some incredible evolutionary twist I have oily eyes. I mean I don’t know if they are actually oily, but most mascara’s run down my face making me look like a young, drug addled Courtney Love (not a good look). Why not try waterproof mascara you ask?  I just don’t like to mess with anything near my eyes anymore than I have to, it is delicate and I am aging rapidly so I need to be careful.  I do have to say L’Oreal has cornered the market on quality for drugstore mascaras, you can’t go wrong, price is right and they have a formula and brush for any look you are trying to achieve.  If you are looking to splurge I love Tarte’s Lights, Cameras, Lashes. It’s amazing, but unfortunately not in my budget right now.

I had another post scheduled today about color correctors, but when I opened up my new Martha Stewart it looks like I was scooped.  It’s a nice little piece, I recommend you take a peek. I will do something on correctors one day soon and perhaps find you some equally as good (and less expensive) alternatives. I’d like to think great minds think alike, right?  Although, I am not sure how great my mind is. It is mildly obsessed though with beauty products. I want to discuss vibrant blushes and getting a natural flush look. I learned this trick from working with many makeup artists when I ran a fashion + beauty PR firm– there were lots of shoots and lots of events and me being nosy inquisitive always had to ask a ton of questions when I was in the presence of professional make-up artists, models and the holy grail-beauty editors. The consensus was always the brighter the better. This may seem counter-intuitive and several of you have emailed asking me, ‘how bright?’  I found this blush the other day and tried it on and this is how atomically bright it is in the pot and the swatch is how sheer it goes on.  That just doesn’t seem right, I know. Consumer make-up products cater to our fear and try to sell colors that we think will look natural, but usually look dull + ashy on. That’s fine let all those other girls wear them, you my dear will wear the one that make-up artists recommend and makes you look like a fresh-faced, natural beauty, right?  The one shown is called Crush from the Afterglow Glide-on Cheek tints by Urban Decay, I don’t care for the packaging but the products are top notch. This is for everyone that didn’t like the shimmer in the Tarte blush I recommended previously, which I completely understand I find a shimmer hard to pull off too, but I do like the Tarte consistency and wear.

Afterglow is a beautiful, sheer, buildable color, very believable as a natural flush. It does not work well with mineral make-up which I find is the case with almost all of them and creme blush. Since I couldn’t find alternate colors for the Tarte (the peachy one was the only one available), I picked up the Crush for a more pink option. I found this beauty blogger that has photos of her afterglow on after working from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., it shows how well it wears and how lovely + light the color is (and she’s darling as well).

P.S. My friends from my former life in the city ask me if all I do all day now is try out BB creams, blush and practice calligraphy in my new country life. My answer would be kinda/sorta. I mean I don’t spend all day on beauty + calligraphy, I work a good 12+ hours but I do have one wild day a week wherein I visit an Ulta. I practice the lettering every night. Yes, every night.

I thought I was going to implode all week not being able to write about this product!  I didn’t want to write about it until I had tested it for a full two weeks, in multiple situations. This is it friends, this is the product I have been dreaming  about.  It’s magic, for once truth in advertising from a beauty company–how novel?  I am going to go over all the pros and cons, but I think I may need to explain first that this product comes out of the tube a grey/white color and once applied to the skin will develop to match your skintone. I have tried a few of these color matching products and did not have the same results. The Josie Maran is very expensive, the pump breaks after a few uses making it impossible to use, the consistency is odd; it goes on oily and then dries to an extreme matte, which is not my thing, the color is nice though.  Almay’s was horrible (granted it’s not a BB cream), color, consistency, finish–don’t bother.  Dr. Brandt has one that develops into a shade too dark for your skintone (could be good for summer), again very expensive.  The L’Oreal Magic BB?  If I could afford it I would buy every one of you a tube so you could try for yourself, that’s how impressed I am with this product.

If I could afford it I would buy every one of you a tube so you could try for yourself, that’s how impressed I am with this product.

Okay, so some details, I have dry skin, this is supposed to be great for individuals with oily to combination skin. For dry skin you will need to use moisturizer first, since this doesn’t have a sunscreen (a con for a BB cream), you may want to use something with an SPF in it. The finish is matte, I usually prefer a more dewy finish, but I use the Tarte cheek stains and they add that sheen/glow that I like. The no SPF is really my only con (and the not so pretty packaging). The pro list is much longer and includes: the price-for under $8 it’s completely budget friendly. The consistency, it’s super light, but not too ‘liquid-y’ that you will make a mess everywhere (like the Josie Maran). It’s pretty goof proof, the color is seamless, so there’s absolutely no color differentiation from jawline to neck. Did I mention it’s light? It is. You won’t feel like you are wearing anything, nor will you look like you are either.  How is the coverage?  It’s completely buildable so you start light and add where you need more (for me it’s the hyper-pigmentation on my cheeks). It doesn’t settle into creases, which is perfect for me, I have major laugh lines around my eyes, I have always had them I laugh a lot and am not going to stop for a wrinkle free visage. The tube is nice and  compact and the tip is very narrow which really assists in keeping your hand light when you are applying. It doesn’t rub off as easily as a traditional foundation or even a BB cream. What have I forgotten? Did I mention it makes you look like your pores are non-existent? It doesn’t feel like you are wearing anything and now there’s no excuse to ever walk out of the house looking like this.

P.S. If you do use moisturizer make sure it ‘soaks’ in first. I usually put it on (here’s my fave) and then make my coffee or walk my girls, which give it enough time to not be sitting wet on my face.