One thing that I’ve been obsessed with lately is bright shiny lips- lipglosses like Nars Angelika and Laura Mercier Bon Bon or Trish McEvoy Sheer Milan lipstick.  These colors are bright and beautiful and definitely get noticed!  With lips like these, I like to go a little lighter on my eyes.  I love using Laura Mercier’s Metallic Creme Eye Colour in Gold (this is actually my favorite eyeshadow all year) with cat-eye style eyeliner using Trish McEvoy Intense Eye Pencil in black.  For evening, Laura Mercier’s liquid liner in Gold Thread (it’s limited edition) adds gorgeous drama without adding more color.  And of course, finish with curled lashes and your favorite black mascara (mine is Laura Mercier Full Blown Volume Mascara).  Nars Orgasm Illuminator adds a beautiful sheen to the tops of your cheekbones.

Once my face is ready for spring, I like to create an ambiance that smells like spring too.  I have been burning Nest’s Periwinkle Hyacinth candle every day as soon as I get home and I can’t get enough of it!  Bond No9′s newest fragrance, Madison Square Park smells like fresh flowers (though the bottle is so gorgeous that I would want it even if the perfume smelled bad!) as does L’Artisan Parfumuer La Chasse Aux Papillon.

To finish off, there are 2 looks I’m loving for nails; one is Deborah Lippmann Daytripper-the perfect coral to match the brightness of your lips, and Deborah Lippmann Nude-a great nuetral to offset the brightness of your lips! Either way, all these items combined give me the feeling that I’m enjoying a beautiful spring day and get me in a great mood!Las obsesiones de primavera
Señal y parte

Para aquellos de nosotros que han sufrido a través de un invierno cubierto de nieve de congelación, la primavera no puede llegar lo suficientemente pronto. Mientras que la temporada de primavera técnicamente comenzó hace unas semanas, el clima más cálido aún a la superficie, así que me gustaría tomar un poco de iniciativa y conseguir que sentirse feliz brillante va con un poco de ayuda con algunos de mis productos favoritos que son perfectos para la primavera …

Una cosa que he estado obsesionada últimamente con los labios es luminoso y brillante-glosses como Nars Angelika y Laura Mercier Bon Bon o Trish McEvoy lápiz labial Pura Milán. Estos colores son brillantes y hermosos y definitivamente notado conseguir! Con los labios como estos, me gusta ir un poco más ligero en mis ojos. Me encanta usar metálico Laura Mercier Crema Color de los ojos de oro (en realidad es mi sombra de ojos favoritos de todo el año) con el eyeliner estilo de ojo de gato con Trish McEvoy intenso lápiz de ojos en negro. Para la noche, delineador líquido Laura Mercier en hilo de oro (es edición limitada) agrega drama magnífico, sin añadir más color. Y, por supuesto, terminar con las pestañas rizadas y su rimel negro favorito (el mío es Laura Mercier volumen completo soplado Mascara). Nars orgasmo iluminador añade un brillo hermoso a la parte superior de los pómulos.

Una vez que mi cara está listo para la primavera, me gusta crear un ambiente que huele a primavera también. He estado quemando bígaro Nido de Jacinto vela todos los días tan pronto como llegue a casa y no puedo conseguir bastante de él! nueva fragancia Bond N º 9, el Madison Square Park huele a flores frescas (aunque la botella es tan hermosa que me quiera, incluso si el perfume olía mal!) al igual que L’Artisan Parfumuer La Chasse aux Papillon.

Para terminar, hay dos miradas que soy amante de las uñas, una es Lippmann Daytripper el ideal de coral para que coincida con el brillo de los labios de Deborah, y Deborah Lippmann Desnudo, un nuetral grandes para compensar el brillo de tus labios! De cualquier manera, todos estos elementos combinados me dan la sensación de que estoy disfrutando de un hermoso día de primavera y me de muy buen humor!

Etiquetas: Bond número 9, Deborah Lippmann, kissandmakeupny.com, L’Artisan Parfumuer, Laura Mercier, Maquillaje, seminarios, Primavera, Trish McEvoy

To start, my skincare routine always takes top priority.  Tracie Martyn Amla Purifying Cleanser comes in a nice, compact bottle and always keeps my skin clear, and I brought Fresh Anise Day Serum on my last trip and my skin was softer and clearer than ever (the small leak-proof packaging was definitely a plus!).  Fresh Black Tea Age Delay Eye Cream also comes in a neat little tube that fits into any bag.   Skincueticals UV Defense protects my skin from the sun and doesn’t leave me feeling greasy.  Rosebud Lip Salve completes my skincare routine because out of all my lip moisturizers, this one is the most multi-purpose-I use it on my lips, cuticles, dry hands and feet, kids cheeks, and even as an eye cream once or twice.

Next comes bath products…I love Kiehl’s Sunflower Color Preserve Shampoo and Hair Mask.  These products are sulfate-free and safe for color treated hair, but they’re also great for all hair types (kids included).  The mask leaves my hair super moisturized and does double duty as a styling product to keep my wavy hair smooth and frizz-free.  Mario Badescu Citrus Body Cleanser gently cleans and smells great, and Kiehl’s Creme de Corps (our best selling body moisturizer) comes in different sizes-the 4.2 oz  is my favorite for traveling, and I can refill it with my huge bottle at home.

I like to pack makeup that I know looks good with whatever I’m wearing, and that can be layered for more intensity for night time.  I also like to bring products that don’t need brushes-like I said, less is more.  My favorite products to bring are Trish McEvoy Flawless Concealer because it gives light coverage and has a brush tip, Laura Mercier Eye Basics in Flax evens out my lids and helps my shadow stay on longer, Laura Mercier Metallic Eye Paint in Gold is universally flattering and hands-down, my favorite eyeshadow ever (Nars Corfu is a good alternate too).  Trish McEvoy Intense Eye Pencil in Black is my new favorite black eyeliner-it’s so popular that we can hardly keep it in stock!  Add mascara and an eyelash curler and your eyes are good for wherever you need to go.  A tube of Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer and Nars multiple in Riviera are all you need for your face.  As for lipgloss, I must admit I definitely can’t limit myself to one or two.  I’m a lipgloss junkie and I keep (at least)one in my makeup bag, one in every jacket pocket, purse, etc.  Nars Moonfleet comes everywhere with me, as does Laura Mercier Baby Doll.  Anything else depends on my mood and destination.

I throw all my stuff into my Stephanie Johnson makeup bags-I have all different sizes and shapes-they’re the best!  And I always keep my makeup in a smaller bag separate from everything else.  Add a Mason Pearson brush and a toothbrush and toothpaste and you’re ready to go…with plenty of room left in your suitcase for all the great stuff you can buy on your trip!!  Happy Travels!

Every so often we have events at Kiss and Makeup, but I have to say that the one we had this week was one of my favorites!  3 amazing Laura Mercier makeup artists came to the shop to teach a Master Class to 6 lucky “students” before hours.  Armed with primer, tinted moisturizer, powder, concealer, bronzer, blush, eyeliner, eyeshadow, mascara, lipstick, lipliner, lipgloss, brushes, (and breakfast!) the ladies who attended learned everything they needed to know about how to create a flawless canvas and a beautiful timeless makeup look that could work for day or evening.  Besides for walking out looking gorgeous and glamorous, we all had so much fun having a “girl’s morning out”-and knowing how to re-create their look at home.  The best part…we’re going to have these classes every month!!

When using foundation, it’s always great to start with a Primer to provide a smooth surface for the foundation to be applied on, and also to give your foundation extra staying power. You can also choose a primer with SPF, a hydrating or anti-aging primer if you have dry skin, an oil free primer for an extra dose of keeping oiliness at bay, a color correcting primer, or a mineral primer, which is great to use alongside other mineral products.

*Nars Sheer Glow Foundation gives a nice dewy look with medium coverage, and it’s buildable for more coverage.
*Nars Sheer Matte Foundation is great for normal to oily skin, provides a light to medium coverage, and gives a nice natural finish.
*Nars Firming Foundation is great for more mature skin. It tightens and smooths fine lines without settling into those lines.
*Nars Foundation Powder provides light coverage with a sheer finish, and is great for setting liquid foundation or mattifying skin.
*Laura Mercier Oil Free Foundation provides medium to full coverage with a natural finish and lasts all day. It’s buildable for more coverage and has a large color selection with a variety of undertones.
*Laura Mercier Moisturizing Foundation also has medium to full coverage, is buildable, has that same great color variety, and is great for drier skin.
*Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation has great full coverage, long staying power, and is water based and oil free, so use a heavier moisturizer if you need to.
*Laura Mercier Creme Smooth Foundation provides medium to full coverage with a natural finish. It also has moisturizer, so it’s great for dry skin, and has a great color range.
*Laura Mercier Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer is great for dull skin because it gives a nice glow. It’s also great used along with a regular foundation or tinted moisturizer.
*Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer gives a light natural finish, and has a really long staying power when used along with a primer.
*Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Oil Free provides light to medium coverage and has a longer staying power which can be made even longer when used along with primer.
*Laura Mercier Secret Finish gives a dewy finish when patted onto skin after foundation is applied.
*Laura Mercier Secret Finish Mattifying gives a matte finish when patted onto skin after foundation.
*Laura Mercier Powder Foundation is really buildable and can provide light, medium, or full coverage, depending on how much you build it. Gives a beautiful finish.
*Laura Mercier Mineral Loose Powder Foundation gives a skin-like finish and a light to medium amount of coverage.
*Laura Mercier Mineral Pressed Foundation Powder also gives a skin-like finish, and can be used alone or with tinted moisturizer. The fact that it’s a pressed powder makes it really portable.
*Trish McEvoy Treatment Foundation is great for dry/mature skin, has vitamins, antioxidants, and SPF. It provides medium coverage and a great natural finish.
*Trish McEvoy Even Skin Foundation is very liquidy, but has a buildable light to medium coverage with great staying power. The small packaging makes it great for carrying around.
*Smashbox Sheer Focus Tinted Moisturizer has a very sheer, light finish that is a little matte.
*Smashbox High Definition Healthy Fix Foundation gives medium coverage that is buildable and best for normal to dry skin. It has a wide color selection.
*Smashbox Halo Hydrating Perfecting Powder is the first water-based powder. It has anti-aging properties and is great for all skin types-even dry skin. It has a buildable light to medium coverage.
*Smashbox Camera Ready Full Coverage Cream Foundation has medium to full coverage, but is totally full coverage and long lasting when paired with primer. It has a great color range with different undertones.
*MD Skincare Tinted Moisturizer has a light sheer finish.

Any foundation you use should match your skin as perfectly as possible, and always make sure to blend blend blend! Our makeup artists’ favorite tool for blending is the Beauty Blender Sponge that can be used dry or damp, but a regular foundation sponge, brush, or even your fingers can do the trick too! After finding the right foundation, you’ll have the perfect canvas for the rest of your makeup “look” so the focus can be on your smoky eye or deep matte lip…more on that to come!

I’m in my mid-thirties and my skin is pretty normal-not too oily and not too dry, although depending on the season it can veer a little in either direction. My favorite cleanser by far is Tracie Martyn Amla cleanser- it cleans my skin without leaving it tight or dry, and I LOVE Tracie Martyn’s Firming Serum.  The serum is really meant to be used before a moisturizer, but I actually use it as moisturizer.  It keeps my skin smooth, clear and bright without leaving it greasy.

In the summer, I use Skincueticals C E Ferulic after I wash my face in the morning.  This product has been written up in countless magazines and it helps prevent and correct sun damage-along with the added benefit of leaving a really nice sheen on your skin!  In the winter when my skin is a little drier, I sometimes put a little Rodin Olio Lusso on before I do my makeup.  This oil gives my skin that glow that everyone is always trying to achieve-I’ve even used it over tinted moisturizer sometimes because it makes my skin look so great! I aim to use my Tracie Martyn Enzyme Exfoliant 2-3 times a week, but for some reason I find myself sometimes saving it for special occasions.  This stuff is AMAZING!!!  After washing my face, I apply this exfoliant in a circular motion, and leave it on for 5 minutes or so.  When I rinse it off, my skin looks bright and tight and smooth. Ilene, our aesthetician at the store has said she can’t do an extraction after she uses that mask during a facial because it leaves pores so small.  I love using this scrub when I have somewhere special to go because it really makes a difference instantly.  When I feel like doing an at-home facial, or when my skin is breaking out a little, I use Mario Badescu’s Enzyme Revitalizing Mask  and it helps my skin clear up a little faster.

When it comes to eye cream, all of us at the store are always looking for the perfect one.  Right now I’m using Fresh Black Tea Age Delay eye cream.  It moisturizes nicely and I can still put my makeup on after without having it slide all over the place.  And no skincare routine would be complete without a good lip moisturizer.  The best one BY FAR is Sara Happ’s Lip Slip.  I put this lip balm on at night, and it’s still on in the morning.  It’s almost impossible to have dry lips with this lip balm.  I LOVE it!!!

Those are my skincare favorites!!  Stay tuned for the rest of my favorites-makeup, haircare, etc-and the some of the other Kiss and Makeup staff faves!!!

p.s. some customers have mentioned that when they call the store, they get a fax noise.  We have been trying to figure out why this happens sometimes, and hope the issue will be resolved soon, but the best way to contact us is via email to kissmakeup@optonline.net.