Spring Beauty Sale at Sephora! Treat Yourself

FINALLY, spring is here! There is so much to do: stroll around Tompkins Square Park to enjoy the fields of tulips, visit the Grace Episcopal Church yard and pay homage to their magnificent magnolia tree, visit the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens for the Cherry Blossom Festival, and take in a Yankee game!

Know what else you can do to embrace the season? Freshen up your makeup. Luckily, Sephora is having a 15% of sale (for their Beauty Insiders only, online or in-store) through 4/21/13, so get on it, girl. Here are some suggestions:

- Color! Get your lips up on one of the new chubby pencils that make me and my clients so happy. Right now I’m loving Bite Beauty Zinfandel (electric coral) and Nars Yu (bright pink). Both are long wearing, creamy, and very comfortable.

-Summer foundation! Sale time is the moment to buy your summer color, since we all get a little color from walking around the city (wearing protection, of course). I love the Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 and the Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream SPF 35. Both come in a range of shades for all of my gals, and offer protection, correction, and a small tube for packing in your travel bag.

-Bronzer! I know you want it (Gina and Angela, I hear you!) so I suggest these matte colors to give you a safe glow. Try Milk Chocolate Soleil Light/Medium Matte Bronzer and my fave, Smashbox Bronze Lights in two shades. Bronze judiciously (and pleassssse blend).

-Fragrance! Treat yourself to a lovely new scent to reflect the season. My summer jam will be Stella…what will you wear?

Sale time is the best opportunity to treat yourself (or a friend/mom/sister). Whatever you do, enjoy the season, and feel beautiful!

Make(up) Your Life Easier

Fall Color Inspiration: Oxblood

All You Need is Love

My heart was heavy this week, with the anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks and anti-American violence in the Middle East.

However, I am fortunate enough to participate in celebrations of love that lift my spirits and give me hope for progress. Today I want to share with you the pictures from the marriage of my clients and new friends Gina and Kathryn. We were introduced by their wedding photographer, Lilian Haidar. Once I spoke with Gina, learned their love story, cried over their wedding website, I knew it would be a match for us.

We did a trial at their home, and nerded out by watching a little Big Bang Theory  (we’re all obsessed). They showed me their gorgeous disco-fabulous outfits for the big day, and I left feeling so grateful to have met them.

When I arrived at their apartment on July 1 for their bridal prep, Kathryn showed me her new tattoo – this is a woman not afraid of commitment! We had lots of fun doing makeup and hair, were joined by Lilian and her assistant, as well as Kathryn’s family, and I trotted home knowing that I made a real connection and would get some beautiful pictures.

Here’s where I get a little verklempt: the pictures are not just a small selection of beautiful wedding shots, they start to illustrate that while the occasion is extra special, this marriage is just as regular as any other (apartment, 2 cats, monogrammed towels, family pics on the fridge – regular). Actually, Gina and Kathryn might be even more excited than most women to be married, because it wasn’t an option until very recently. These are beautiful women, inside and out, and I’m extremely proud to post these pictures on my blog and soon on my website. Enjoy.

Here’s to the Red, White and Blue!

July 4th is one of my favorite holidays! While I’m holding up the fort here in NYC, my family is holding up the tradition of beach, lobster, and cheap white wine. Delicious! (I’m a little sad not to be with them, but I’m sure they are doing fine).

In celebration of this wonderful day off, here are some of my favorite red, white, and blue beauty treats for all of you lovely readers:

• Essie Clambake nail polish is the perfect summer red! (just painted some on my nails right now)
• Blue mascara creates a subtle and gorgeous richness for dark brown or hazel eyes! It’s a cheap trick for eye-opening effect. Sephora has a bright blue for $15, and Makeup Forever Smoky Lash is $23 at Sephora or department stores
• White eyeliner is an instant pop for tired eyes. Use it inside your lower waterline, blink a few times, and maybe blend it with a clean cotton swab, Add mascara afterwards to smooth out an white liner caught on your lower lashes. This is a gift if you have very dark circles, suffer allergies, or never get enough sleep. I like the Sephora Flashy Liner for $8 and the Buxom Insider eyeliner for $14

For your viewing pleasure, a pic of my niece and nephew with their tasty crustacean friends:

Summer Weddings in NYC

Summer is my favorite season of the year: hot weather, beach days, outdoor concerts at Prospect Park, Yankee baseball, lobster, and wedding season! I don’t mind the heat (love it, actually), and neither do the brides I work on, because they know I’ve got their faces artfully made up in melt-proof, stay-fresh makeup.

Want to share secrets? Okay!

Ali, above, got married at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on a HOT day in May. The gorgeous event, designed and planned by Danielle Bobish from Curtain Up Events, took place on a busy bright Saturday. I followed Ali and her party through Central Park during their photo shoot with Joseph Lin. Yes, it’s great having an artist follow you with powder, blotting paper, and lipgloss, but you can keep your face fresh even without the celebrity treatment.

• Waterproof mascara – I’m liking Cover Girl Lash Blast 24 Hour
• Makeup Forever All Mat primer  gives you the best chance of keeping your makeup in place on a searingly hot day
• Sonia Kashuk blotting papers are available at Target; press them on the shiny parts of your face (press, don’t drag)

More secrets will be revealed in later blogs, plus gorgeous pics of the fun weddings from summer 2012.

Easy Face Fixes!

Whew – it was late summer, and I took a mental holiday! August and September have been so busy with weddings (5 last weekend, 4 this past weekend), as well as commercial photography and video. SB Beauty also took a serious staycation/mental holiday; my bike was my pal, and I zipped around to visit friends, see the sites, and just relaaaax. I had a beauty rest!

Now we are back in school, home from vacation, and returning to our routines. With this busy schedule, I’m meeting lots of great folks who need to tweak their skin care or makeup habits. Here’s what’s on my mind:

- What’s with this addiction to Clarisonic? This weekend I met 3 women in the same bridal party who have scrubbed their faces raw. Please, be gentle! Monitor your diet including any food allergies, which may cause breakouts or hives), cleanse, tone, moisturize, sleep, and clean your face after the gym. If you must scrub, please limit it to a specific trouble spot. When you overscrub your face, you risk skin flakes and an overproduction of sebum that just wants to compensate for lost oils. Ouch!
- Nighttime is when your body is at rest, including your skin (the largest organ on your body). Use moisturizer at night to allow your skin to soak in the goodness and repair itself.
- Please remove all of your makeup at night so you can wake up clean and fresh. The effort you put in will be rewarded with great skin.
- One more: when you are getting your makeup done in the morning, before a wedding or a photoshoot, please arrive with a very clean face (ie no eyeliner, mascara, concealer, anything). This cuts down on clean-up time for the artist, so she/he can spend more time doing fun things to help you look and feel BEAUTIFUL!

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Hey, Doll, Let’s Market You!

Lancome recently released a new mascara called “Doll Lashes”, which they market as, “The 1st doll lash mascara”. Hmmmm. This particular campaign is stumping me.

Dolls are only representatives of humans. Children play with them, and project their feelings onto these inanimate objects, practicing their social graces (tea parties), learning to relate to new siblings or friends, and working out various dilemmas. Dolls are also used in religious or spiritual traditions.

However, dolls are inanimate. They are always wide-eyed, don’t talk, laugh, complain, contribute, or provide real company because they are mute! Dolls eyes always pop open because they don’t need sleep! Why would Lancome find this an ideal to emulate? Lancome is marketing this item to real women, and despite the generally positive reviews online, I think they missed the mark.

Thoughts?

Indian Wedding by SB Beauty!

This Memorial Day weekend, it was my distinct pleasure to work with a wonderful bride and her mom on a gorgeous and meaningful wedding.

Raina from indigofoto introduced me to Raina in November, when I did her makeup and hair for her engagement shoot in Central Park with Henry. If you check out my website, you will see that she looks like a movie star. She was all sweetness – we had some bubbly and cheese, Raina and Jaime came over to pick up the couple, and we all enjoyed our afternoon in the park.

For her pictures and two ceremonies, we started makeup and hair at 5:30 AM in the hotel, then transferred to the prep room at the Crystal Plaza, where I made up her mom and a bridesmaid. Harveen had two photo shoots, two ceremonies, two dresses, and never once broke a sweat.

Let me tell you about this young woman: two degrees from Penn (one an MD), Marshall Scholar, future surgeon, nice to her mother, endlessly patient, looks like a movie star, and completed PX90 before the wedding so she could look amazing in her dresses. Oh, and she had graduated medical school only weeks before the event. Plus, she told me several times, “Sharon, I’m so glad you’re here” – seriously, I was thrilled to be there, too!

I witnessed the traditional application of the Indian jewelry by her parents (much of it from her mother’s home town and own wedding), Henry riding in on his white horse with his family and friends dancing around him, the eating of the sweets (many fun moments there), and lots of enjoyment. It was my privilege to apply the traditional veil; for those of you who know me, I love anything bright, traditional, and sequined!

The most beautiful part of the entire day was watching the two families blend into one, sharing hugs, sweets, dancing, and traditions. Oh, and Henry has handsome brothers, so that wasn’t terrible, either.

Here are a few select pictures – enjoy! Love to Harveen and Henry, and best wishes for a bright future.

Photography: indigofoto

Event Planner/Flowers: Rose Events

Venue: Crystal Plaza, Livingston, NJ

Makeup/hair: sb beauty

Best Lightweight SPF Moisturizer – Value!

Right about now the SPF moisturizer you bought for summer should be on its last drops. My recommendation for replenishment is Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Ant-Sun-Damage daily moisture lotion. It’s loaded with SPF 28 UVA/UVA sunscreen.

I love the light feel, which has an almost gel-like smoothness. This lotion is light enough for everyone’s face in this incredible heatwave, and it’s very compatible with makeup (if you can manage to wear anything in this oven-like city except power lipstick).

You can try it; it’s $8-13, depending on where you shop, so you won’t feel bad if it’s not for you. However, I love it, and predict you will, too.

Stay cool!

Brooklyn Wedding in June!

People always ask me what my favorite type of client is, and I answer: nice ones.

Luckily, all of my clients are nice, and Brittney and her family are especially sweet. We met at Tammy Golson‘s Wedding Crasher’s After Party at the Green Building in Brooklyn – yes, at the wine bar outside. After a makeup trial and lots of delicious bubbly and wine, we secured a look that suited her taste and looked forward to the big day.

It was my privilege to do makeup on her mom, her sister, and the bride, and I enjoyed the company of the family, especially her little niece. Brittney handled all of the details, arrangements, and situations with a grace far beyond her years, and she looks HOT! She and her husband Tony have tons of style; more importantly, they also share a deep love and commitment to each other. It was a pleasure!

(Brittney’s lip color is MAC Russian Red gloss, a sheer coat, with tons of clear gloss on top).

Photography: Bethany and Dan Cox

Event planner: Christine Paul Events

Flowers: Rose, Red, and Lavender

Makeup: SB Beauty

Brass band: Stumblebums Brass Band

Venue: Office Ops

Brooklyn Bridal Shower – Party Shoot

This May provided many opportunities, and one awesome fateful day brought an engagement party photo shoot with very talented people. I planted these seeds in February, and they blossomed in May – cool, right?

Fabulous NYC photographers Jacqueline Schlossman and Lindsay Hite partnered with event designer/stylist Molly Hartman to create a vintage-inspired bridal shower that would feature everyone’s talents. These pictures will be featured on a famous bridal blog very soon, so set your Google Alerts! Makeup and hair by SB Beauty, of course. Many thanks to Jackie, Lindsay, Molly, and our lovely models for the great pictures and fun day. Enjoy!

The hot-pink lipstick on Anna, holding the bunny, is Makeup Forever Rouge Artist Intense in #36, and Kelly, above is sporting MAC New York Apple.

Martha Stewart, Darcy Miller, Cara Sullivan at the Wedding Library

This is big time! Amy DeGiulio, owner of Sugar Flower Cake Shop, and I visited Rouge Tomate on Monday to celebrate the new office/showroom of the Wedding Library. What a fun party, and how great was it to meet some terrific new vendors!

Top on my  list of thrills was seeing Martha Stewart herself (taller than I imagined, but that’s all I notice because I don’t like staring at celebrities), and chatting with Darcy Miller and Cara Sullivan of Martha Stewart Weddings Magazine. They are both very nice, and Cara loves doing makeup, too!

Other great vendors I met included: Debi Zeinert, calligrapher, The Blooming Quill; Matthew Hadley, Event Services Director at Rouge Tomate; Kathrine Hauschild, Bridal Expert at the Williams Sonoma flagship store at Columbus Circle; Dasha Wright and Robert Jacobs, photographers from Hope Spring; Alyssa Tierney Angelbeck of Monograms off Madison; LA photographer Samuel Lipke; Meredith Kurosko and her crew from Regas Letterpress; and Brittani Gurai of Espace. 

Now, see the awesome henna tattoo on my left arm? Sandy from Henna Studio did it freehand, with a squeeze tube of product. Sandy is amazing, and is available for all weddings, special events, bridal showers, etc.

Headshots, Portraits with NYC Photographer Ryan Trupp and SB Beauty

We all know actors (or we have been actors). Actors and performers need headshots. Ryan Trupp is a terrific NYC photographer with two degrees and years of experience in theatrical lighting – so he can light anyone, anywhere. I have a BFA in Drama and years of experience getting headshots and doing makeup. We are pleased to team up to offer the community quality, affordable headshots.We are currently offering summer sessions for $300 through Labor Day (makeup/grooming additional).

This package includes 2 retouched images, an online gallery, and all the low res images from the shoot on a CD with rights usage. Additional examples from our last session can be found on Ryan’s portrait site here: http://www.ryantrupp-photography.com/RT_Portrait/index2.php#/rgallery2/1/. Our next round of sessions is currently scheduled for Friday, July 8th. If you help us book 3 actors, you get 50% of your own headshots!

Who needs headshots/portraits? Actors, comedians, performers, dancers, conductors, musicians, real estate agents, designers, chefs, event planners, anyone with an “about me” page on their website…

Cathy Riva, Sauza Tequila, July 4th, and Whoopie Pies!

Hey, y’all, it’s almost time for one of our favorite holidays, July 4th! I have no idea what kind of fun plans I’ll cook up this year, but previous favorites include 2lb. lobster with my family (and Cathy Riva), and the good old days in Quiogue with lobster (and Cathy Riva). Sounds like a pattern, right?

Please meet Cathy Riva, entertainment and lifestyle expert, mom to Riley, television personality (Party Girl on Discovery Home), and a great friend of mine. Yesterday we celebrated July 4 early with her satellite media tour.

Cathy created a table of delectable and easy to prepare treats that everyone will love, featuring Red, White, and Sauza Blue margaritas!

Cathy’s first of 25 interviews began at 6:45a, so her makeup needed to last under hot lights and excitement until her last engagement at noon. We started with Smashbox oil-free Photo Finish primer, finished with Urban Decay All Nighter spray, and glossed with my favorite longwearing gloss, Smashbox Limitless gloss in Boundless. I touched up with Makeup Forever HD powder and Sonya Kashuk blotting papers (a Target purchase). 

Oh, MAC 109 Brush, How Do I Love Thee?

Have you ever purchased something that you love, that makes you excited to get to work/dress up/cook dinner? Whether it’s your hot new Frye boots, or truffle oil that you use for dinner, you know the excitement you get from just a little item that makes a big impact.

This encompasses how I feel about my new MAC 109 brush. Oh, lordy, does this brush make me happy! The soft (goat, I think) hair is so compact, great for applying and buffing dense colors. However, you can also gently wipe off the brush between uses and let it multitask for HD powder, bronzer, highlighter…let it make YOU happy.

Bright colors are a big summer trend, and without a good brush, you risk a messy application that sticks to your foundation or dry skin. Hairs this soft, in this tight mound, allow you to GENTLY buff in a bright color.

Bronzer was never my favorite product, but at the DiGennaro sisters’ and Cathy Riva’s insistence, I have incorporated it into my warm weather applications. With this delightful new tool, all of my brides are getting their hairlines, clavicles, shoulders, and cheeks bronzed and golden for their shining moment. Yes, I’m wearing bronzer right now!

Do I use 109 for Makeup Forever HD powder? Yes! Do I use 109 for cream blush? Yes! Am I stroking my chin with 109 right now? Yes!

Corporate Headshots with Jason Gardner Photography

In addition to beauty/commercial photo shoots, and bridal, I love working with photographers on actor and corporate headshots.

This past March, NYC portrait, wedding, and travel photojournalist Jason Gardner asked me to work with him on corporate headshots for Ogilvy’s digital media division. For two days, I time travelled back to my office days and behaved myself! We had a great time, and below are select images from our shoot. I like working with Jason, and you will, too. Take a minute to check out his blog and immerse yourself in his travels.

Avant Garde Makeup – Electric Violinists!

So much fun! I had the opportunity to do avant garde makeup on four talented, professional, and gorgeous violinists who were performing at a big event at Jazz at Lincoln Center.

For the makeup nerds, products used included: Makeup Forever Flash Color Kit, MAC Morange lipstick, Makeup Forever Aqua Colors, Smashbox Limitless Longwearing Lip Gloss in 24/7, Makeup Forever Rouge Artist Intense #36 (fuschia), Smashbox Photofinish primer, Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion.

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Happy Mother’s Day from SB Beauty – Words of Wisdom

My mother, Gail Becker, is a beautiful woman. Not only is she very pretty, but she is sharp, very funny, opinionated, friendly, loving, and can parallel park a minivan. She also has great skin, and looks nothing like a 74-year old. My mom is neither wrinkled nor pulled taut by surgery; she looks a like a healthy woman who raised four kids, enjoyed time on Revere Beach and now in Barbados, and has laughed and smiled.

So, after lots of summers in the sun, and a life well-lived, what’s her secret to great skin? Genetics, my friends – she got lucky, and so did I. My mother does nothing special for her skin, has never met a $150 jar of cream (and would scoff at it if she had), didn’t have sunscreen on Revere Beach…she is quite the iconoclast.

My clients always ask how they can get great skin like mine (thanks for the compliment) and I always refer to mom. However…you can work with what you have by taking good care of yourself. Here is some of the advice Gail would give if she were a makeup artist:

• Sleep!
• Eat your vegetables
• Relax
• Cleanse your face morning and night
• Don’t pick at your face, and keep your hands off your face
• Take necessary precautions (don’t burn your face in the sun)
• (My mom’s favorite accessories) LARGE SUNGLASSES!
• Don’t be afraid to smile and laugh – those lines are to be worn with pride

Makeup Forever HD Foundation – I’ll Buy That!

I did it – I finally bought a liquid foundation, a modern, medium-full coverage makeup to try for myself and use on clients. Since Makeup Forever is my own personal toy store, and I’ve never been disappointed with an item from their line, I purchased the High Definition Foundation.

Yowzers! I thought I had good skin before I wore this makeup, but now I’m, um, flawless:) I wear color #120, and have used it on clients, too. The coverage is medium-full, but buildable, and easily applied with a foundation brush, MAC 188 brush, the Beauty Ball, or my little fingers. The texture is creamy as hell, and it feels like nothing. My clients were thrilled with the results and feel, and I will certainly be purchasing a few more colors for bridal season.

When I used this makeup and finished the look with Urban Decay’s “All Nighter” spray, it lasted. And lasted. Perfect for brides, events, or coverage queens. Sold! Go out and get some!

Daily Candy: Makeup for Men Tips from Y Chrome Founder Antonio McDuffle

Well, why not? I do “grooming” for men on fashion shoots, headshots, corporate photos, and weddings. Can’t the men in our lives enjoy some of the same advantages we women have?

After all, real beards can be itchy.

Makeup for men!

Nars Orgasm Illuminator courtesy of The Knot

File under the, “I’ll take it where I can get it” category: I now own Nars Orgasm Illuminator, courtesy of The Knot and the Martinique Board of Tourism (gift bag – yippee). I will be hoarding this item.

The liquid is silky-smooth and sheer, with the right peachy-pink pigment to flatter skin tones from fair to deep. Wear it alone, with just lipgloss and mascara, or under your foundation for a veil of mysterious “where’s she been sleeping?” perfection. As usual with all shimmery products, make sure you don’t have any outstanding dry patches, as the shimmer will grab onto spots.

Rub it in your cleavage, on your shoulders, on the bow of your lips, or just a dab at the clavicles under a spritz of alluring fragrance. Just buy it. It’s really that lovely.

Live at The Knot – it’s SB Beauty!

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This morning brought a delightful experience – doing the makeup for Anja Winnick, an editor at The Knot and TheKnot.com. Not only is she already pretty and nice (a natural combo that equals beauty), but she loves color and wears it well. Anja had several on-camera interviews which will be airing on TheKnot.com, and wanted a polished, perfect look.

We started with lots of prepping and priming: cleansing cloths, Embryollise, MAC Prep + Prime, MAC Fast Response eye cream. Then we moved on to makeup, starting with MAC Face and Body, topped with MUD corrector/concealers and highlight/contouring. The real treat was Makeup Forever’s Aqua Cream in Pink Beige – yummy, and a perfect accent to her bright green/hazel eyes! I added some contouring on the eyes, false lashes, brows, and MAC Fluidline in Rich Ground. Then I did a special blend for cheeks and lips (I can’t give away all of my secrets!), finished with Makeup Forever HD Powder, a few spritzes of MAC Fix+, twirled her hair in a curling iron, and off she went!

Anja, and her colleague Heather Levine, are terrific, friendly, collaborative women who I hope to work with again in the near future. Very exciting morning for me, and I will post Anja’s video soon.

Hot Spring Colors!

I often talk about how excited I am for the hot spring colors for lips and eyes: orange, fuschia, acid green, lemon drop – love it!

Chellise Michael, fabulous photographer, is modeling the look. She is wearing MAC Morange lipstick, a drop of MAC Nylon shadow in the inner corners of her eyes, and warm brown false lashes to pop those baby blues.

This look is perfect for Chellise, as the warm brown and orange contrast with her blue eyes and make them twinkle. Brown eyed ladies can work the trend with a gorgeous fuschia lip and black lashes.

Need a hand with color choice or lashes? Hit me up!

Sugar Flower Cake Shop is Beautiful!

Amy DeGiulio, Sugar Flower Cake Shop, is a real beauty!

Know who’s beautiful? Amy DeGiulio! Not only is she pretty, but she is also smart, talented, and generous! Since the day I met her, Amy has offered her time, contacts, and cupcakes.

Tomorrow she is celebrating the grand opening of her new baking studio with a cake tasting for engaged couples, wedding experts, and other party people. I will be doing her makeup, but then, I would do anything to help Amy.

Congrats to a beautiful NYC entrepreneur!

Great Things Come in Bright Packages

My little fingers have been busy with tons of makeup gigs (waiting on pics from XEX Mag, 2 maternity shoots, Tuesday’s pinup shoot, last Saturday’s shoot with Teri Fiske of Ciao Bella Boudoir, yesterday’s shoot with Gregory Hudson – whew!) and also with online shopping to bolster my makeup capabilities!

Who doesn’t love a box of crayons? Well, I got mine in the form of 88 eyeshadow colors from Coastal Scents! I used it on a bride who wanted to pick up the blue of her shoes into her eye color, and yesterday I splashed two shades of pink on a model at a shoot. I’ll be loving this compact for a while.

Want to test it out? Make an appointment with SB Beauty!

Fashion Week Bonus – Men!

Yep, it’s Fashion Week in NYC, and I had the pleasure of working with to terrific male models on a shoot with photographer Sailey Williams and stylist Tori Famuyiwa. My job is so tough! It was a party at 3rd Ward Studios in Bushwick. [slideshow]

Check out Reid and Clark in an upcoming issue of XEX Magazine! www.xexmag.com

Give Yourself a Great Valentine’s Day Gift!

Valentine’s season is upon us. If you have a honey, you may be planning a romantic dinner and picking out a cute red outfit. If you’re single, like me, maybe you’re concocting an evil margarita mix to share with your fabulous girlfriends. Or maybe that’s just me…

What’s been done: flowers, chocolates, jewelry, gift certificates, dinners, vacations…all wonderful. How about something unique – how about giving yourself a great treat?

Teri Fiske is a talented and powerful photographer who does gorgeous boudoir photographs for women! I have had the pleasure of working with Teri several times, and she is everything you would want in a person taking pictures of you in your underwear: professional, funny, calm, and really good with a camera and lighting equipment.

Teri of Ciao Bella Boudoir brings a feminine touch to a boudoir session. It’s so important to Teri that you feel empowered by this session. A boudoir session is an amazing gift for that special person in your life, but it’s an even better gift just for you.

Don’t feel comfortable in lingerie? No problem! Maybe you want to wear your favorite team jersey (and no pants), or a sexy robe. Check out Teri’s website to see the breadth of her work.

Ciao Bella Boudoir is now offering ‘Boutique Hotel Boudoir Sessions’ in NYC at an amazing boutique hotel location this February 26th and 27th. The NYC Ciao Bella boutique hotel boudoir session is normally $500. If you get a group of 4 girls together, booking her entire day, your session is $300, and your friends’ sessions are $400. A 50% retainer is due at the time of booking. You can purchase your ‘Little Black Book’ as a 7.5×7.5 glossy for $300 or as a 10×10 art book for $500. Prints and files are also available for purchase.

These sessions are limited. Call Teri today to reserve your time! 585.705.6581. I’ll see you there!

Baby Belly Beauty

Marina (Rubin) Connolly has been a client of mine for a few years. She asked me to do makeup on her and her whole bridal party at her wedding in August 2009 at The Foundry, LIC, then recommended me to her friend Dariel for her bridal party at her July 2010 wedding. Last month, Marina called me to come to her home and do her makeup for her belly pictures – she and Paul are expecting a baby girl in March!

I love Marina and Paul. I also love “lifecycle” relationships, where I can make women feel and look beautiful for many important occasions in life. Photos by Ambria Cone, www.ambriacone.com.

Bridal Blooms – Spring is Coming!

Hello, beauties, and welcome to my first blog post! Friends, clients, relatives, neighbors, and the clerk at Duane Reade all know that I love to talk about makeup and beauty. In addition to posting on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook, blogging allows me to jump with both feet into the digital pool of information, spreading clarity along with my love of all things beautiful.

Ya know who’s beautiful? The bride who called me last night, interested in working with me for her late May wedding! She and her wife are hosting a backyard “cocktail party with a hint of wedding” to celebrate the union they made in Connecticut (yeah, Connecticut! Um, New York, where are you on this issue?)

I love this woman already. When I asked about her dress, she described all of the ruching, boning, seams, fabric, and exact shade of white of her cocktail dress. She’s so fun! Instead of carrying flowers for color or changing from her ceremony dress into a cocktail dress, she is changing her shoes – all different varieties of electric blue (I wonder if she’s a size 6.5!)

All of this description provides you, dear friend, with a glimpse into how I begin a bridal makeup relationship – asking questions, digging up details from major to minute, and discovering my clients’ taste and range of beauty experience. Here’s what we decided:

• We will do her trial during the daytime, so she can experience her makeup in the lighting that will flood her backyard, and she can wear her test makeup all day and night
• Her wife will join the trial to get comfortable with her own natural makeup look (she’ll have sheer foundation, some contouring, light eyes, and lip balm), offer support, have fun, and drink Champagne!
• All makeup will last for 24 hours (should the bride not have the chance to wash her face)
• Because of a minor skin condition on her cheeks, we may try airbrush makeup to minimize flaking
• Both she and I want to tie in the color of her shoes with a pop of electric blue on her eyes (just ordered a fab 88-color shadow palette from Coastal Secrets)
• Since this is not a traditional ceremony and reception, we can play a bit, have fun with long-wearing color, and create a fun, modern-elegant, pretty spring look that will stand up to dancing, look great in photographs, and will look classic throughout the duration of their long and happy marriage. I love my job!

I cannot wait for her trial on February 19.