Bridal Blog—Mandy J

I had the distinct pleasure to work again with a beautiful and lovely lady named Mandy, who has been a client and model for some of my portfolio work for the past couple of years.  I met Mandy through the Miss Austin USA pageant system when she was competing a few years ago.  I love working on her because she has always been so fun and inspiring to work on!  I was very excited to be asked this past Summer to do her makeup for her wedding in August.  Mandy had met the man of her dreams!  The last time she was in the dating spotlight was when she was a finalist on the ABC show, the Bachelor.  So I was happy that Mandy had finally met her true match! 

Below are some pictures of Mandy’s bridals taken by the talented and lovely, Suzy Q of  www.qweddings.com .  Suzy is fabulous at what she does and I love the shots she captured of this beautiful bride!  So enjoy….

Mandy had this beautiful vintage look for her wedding day.  From the blush veil to the gorgeous blue-green vintage jewelry, she really pulled off the classic bridal look!

More pics to come from other recent brides!! Until then,

xoxo,

Adrienne

Lights, Camera, Makeup!

August has been a fun and busy month so far! I'm excited to share about some behind the scenes events I've been excited to be apart of. The first major event on my calendar  was a Latina Bridal & Quincinera Expo that was held at the Palmer Events Center. I shared a booth space with a very talented hair stylist named Tammie Garza (www.tammiegarza.com) and a few other talented makeup artists as well. One of those artists was a woman named Maris Malone Calderon. She is super talented, especially with avante garde style makeup and of course, bridal makeup. It's always great and inspiring to meet other artists!  All in all the event was a fun but tiring one. Networking opportunities are always great plus I did book a few appointments for the year!

(Applying makeup to one of the 25 girls that were getting makeup done for the show!  Not much time to do it in, but we all got it done as a team.)

(My assistant, Marcela, and I.  Thank God she’s bilingual!)

( I had never seen colored Quincinera dresses before! A new trend, maybe?)

 

Two days later, I was invited back to work on a photo shoot for the Austin American Statesman’s Glossy (September) cover.  It’s always a pleasure to work with the staff like Fashion/Style Editor, Marques Harper.  Everyone’s professional and easy to work with!  This month, the shoot was held at a venue called The Wild Onion Ranch (www.thewildonionranch.com).  This place was drop dead gorgeous and peaceful! The owners of this ranch really put a lot of attention to detail from the amenities to the decor and landscape.  This place had a mini putt putt golf area, swimming pool, dance floor, and more!   I hope you enjoy some of the pics that I took from my little camera, which I know may not do it justice fully.  But here it goes anyway…

   

Here’s a few additional pics from the shoot…

(A hard to see shot of the makeup,but I like the background for this shot!)

The other big event I had this month was an preconcert/awards show called The Texas Premios Event.   This event was held last Thursday night at the Long Center (Performing Arts Center).  I was invited by the styling team at Bella Salon to help out with makeup.  I was so excited to do this, especially since I love doing makeup for premieres and red carpet events!

First, we started hair and makeup at noon at the Hyatt Regency hotel downtown.  Our clients included Univision reporters, who were going to be on the red carpet, as well as the show’s award presenters and co-hosts.  One of the several beautiful and wonderful ladies I met was a woman named Sissi, a former model, who flew in from Miami to co-host the event.

(Hair and makeup done at the same time! )

Once we were done prepping everyone for the red carpet and show, we headed down to the Long Center for regular touch ups on the artists/presenters of the show.  Thank GOD I wore flats as we had to constantly go up and down the stairs to reach everyone at the different levels their dressing rooms were in.  This traveling between floors lasted pretty much throughout the whole show so we definitely got our exercise in, but it was so worth it because it was so much fun meeting and working with everyone involved in the show.

(The Bella team and I—everyone was fabulous!)

(Austin’s own Latin/rock band, Vallejo!)

( A Tejano band from San Antonio, El Guero! These guys were hilarious and sweet.)

(Univision’s host, Carlos Calderon, and I)

(Gracie,me, Sissi, and Tiffany)

That’s a wrap up from the past couple of weeks.  I hope you enjoyed my blog.  Next to come, makeup for a bride, who was once on ABC’s The Bachelor and also pics from the upcoming Miss Texas USA pageant in Houston this Labor Day Weekend!

Until then, good night!

xoxo,

 

Adrienne

Dallas or Bust!

WHAT: Pageant Photo Shoot

WHO: 2009 Miss Austin and Miss Austin Teen Winners, Raeven Valadez and Rachel Prochnow

WHERE: Zac Grimaldo Photography Studio, Dallas, TX

WHEN: July 23rd

WHY: Fun promo pictures for Miss Austin appearances and new pageant headshots for upcoming State pageants

SILLY FACT: We always order from Mama’s Restaurant, which is a few blocks from the studio.  It has amazing Southern Food!  One of my favorite things I love about this trip!

So I traveled last week to Dallas, TX for a fun photo shoot at Zac Grimaldo Studios.  Being the official makeup artist sponsor for the Miss Austin Texas pageant, I get the privilege to work on the most beautiful ladies of Central Texas every year! 

Zac Grimaldo, the photographer for the shoot, is so amazing at what he does that it is worth the drive to and back from Dallas.  Fortunately, Betty Warner, the Miss Austin Texas director, is so generous to let us all drive together in her car so it makes the road trip more fun to all be together!  So here are a few pics of the Dallas trip below…

My makeup station all ready for the first girl to get makeup! It starts organized but not for long…

(left)Rachel all ready for the first shot of the day!  (Hair by the fabulous, Vanessa Bustos!) (right) Rachel holding the reflector as Zac shoots from outside the studio.  Natural lighting is the best!

 

(left) Raeven’s turn for hair and makeup  (right) almost ready!

 

Raeven and Zac in a silly pose 

 

Makeup touch up time!

(left to right) Ashley (Betty’s granddaughter), Betty, and Zac viewing the beautiful pics from the photo shoot on the computer.  Tough job choosing one!

Bye from the Miss Austin beauties!

Thanks as always for checking out my blog.  Many exciting blogs to come for the month of August—bridal shows, photo shoots, awards shows, and more!!! You’ll have to tune in to find out.

xoxo,

Adrienne

Fourth of July Makeup Look!

Hey Fans,

I’ve created a fun patriotic look for this upcoming Fourth of July, and yes, I am wearing blue eye shadow. I’m sure you’ve heard before that blue eyeshadow is a makeup no no, but quite frankly, I don’t really believe in makeup rules and I think that blue is quite beautiful to wear. This look is a little dramatic for the everyday look, however, I hope it still gives you inspiration to try out color in lieu of the everyday neutrals. So below is a list of the products used for this look of the week, in order of application.

FACE

• MAC Prep & Prime Skin
• MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation
• MAC Select Coverup Concealer
• MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Powder
• Tarte Bronzer in Park Avenue Princess

EYES

• L’Oreal Cream Eyeshadow Paint in Secretive (entire lid)
• NYX White Eyeliner Pencil (applied over bottom lid and blended with fingers)
• MAC Gesso shadow (inner lid and browbone highlight)
• MAC Electro Sky Sky (outer lid crease, and lower lash line)
• MAC Frost Pigment (on top of Gesso shadow)
• L’Oreal Liquid liner in Black (top lash line)
• MAC Engraved Powerpoint Eyeliner (waterline of lower lash area)
• L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara in Very Black
• MAC Brun Shadow (brows only)

CHEEKS

• Coastal Scents (CS) Highlight/Contour Blush Palette (pink rose shade)

LIPS

• Cargo lipstick in Maria
• MAC Clear Lipglass

*To create the stars effect alongside the eye area, I first applied a few mini star stickers in the area I wanted the stars to appear. Then I applied MAC’s Pearl Cream Color Base over the general area where the star stickers were. Then I brushed on some MAC White Glitter Pigment and MAC Frost Pigment to add some sparkle and whiteness. Then I finished by peeling off the stickers from the face. You can do this simple trick with any type of stencil or sticker shape.

Thanks again for checking out my blog. I hope you enjoyed this Fourth of July Look!

Have a blessed and safe holiday,

Adrienne

My Favorite Summer Things!

 

I can honestly say that I love every season of the year! There is always something to look forward to whether it’s Spring, Fall, Summer, or Winter.   In particular, I love to try new beauty products or go back to old favorites.  So since it’s officially Summer, I’ve decided to share some of my favorite things I like to wear or use. 

• NEW Favorite! MAC’s Skinsheen Leg Spray in Dark($22.50) –Even though it says it’s for the legs, you can actually use this on the whole body.  I would avoid the face though.

 

• Origins Shedonism  Shimmering Body Oil ($25.00)- This oil makes the skin look silky and it smells yummy! I purchased this last Summer and still have a lot left to use this Summer.  It lasts forever.  An alternative to try is NARS Body Glow.  Your skin smells like the beach!

 

• Favorite Blush: MAC’s Mineralize Skinfinish Powder in Stereo Rose. ($27.00).   This color is like my signature blush because I wear it all the time! This specific color was limited, however, MAC has many other colors to choose from.  What I love about these products is that you can use them to highlight the face, as cheek color, or even as eyeshadow.  You can also use this product wet for an even more dramatic glowy effect! 

 

• Favorite Touch up Product: MAC’s Pressed Blot Powder in Medium ($21.00)  Even though I like to look glowy, I do not want the oily areas of my face (T-zone) to translate as greasy so blot powder does the trick fast!  This product absorbs the excess oil without disturbing the rest of the makeup on the face.  You can use this as much as you want and not look too powdery.

 

• NEW Favorite Hair Product: Organix Smoothing Shea Butter Conditioner ($6.99) .  I’ve been at the pool a lot this Summer so I love how this conditioner helps my hair feel soft and not dry from the chlorine! Besides, I also love the way this conditioner smells.  It smells like Summer!

So those are just a few things that I wanted to share from my Summer fav’s.  I would love to hear your feedback as well as what you like to use during the Summertime.  Until then….

xoxo,

Adrienne

Summer Inspired Look: Copper & Violet Eyes

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Hey Fans!

So I have finally posted my first look for you all to check out!  Since it’s June already, it’s no surprise that I chose a Summer inspired look  with coppers and bronzes with a pop of color, VIOLET! So below are the products I used to create this look.  I realized after the makeup was done that the eyeshadow palette that I used may no longer be sold in retail stores so I have some substitute shades for you to try.  So here we go in order of application…

SKIN:

• Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser
• St. Ives Apricot Scrub

FACE:

• MAC Prep & Prime Skin (makes the skin feel so velvety smooth and ready for foundation!)
• MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation
• MAC Studio Finish Concealer
• MAC Mineralize Powder in Medium/Dark
• Tarte Mineral Powder Bronzer in Park Avenue Princess (LOVE the name and color, of course!)

EYES:

• L’Oreal HIP Cream Shadow Paint in Secretive (all over lid)
• CARGO shadow in Zinnea (bottom lid and crease); may substitute with MAC’s Amber Lights shadow
• CARGO shadow in Ginger (outer crease); may substitute with MAC’s Antiqued or Bronze shadow
• MAC Cream Colour Base in Pearl (browbone highlighter and near tear duct)
• MAC Violet Pigment (along lower lash line)
• L’Oreal Felt Tip Liquid Liner in Carbon Black- (Top lash line only)
• L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara in Black (Top  Lashes) and CARGO Blu-Ray Mascara in Black (Lower lashes—the mascara wand is shaped like a comb so it applies mascara so lightly to the lashes while separating them!)
• Maybelline Define-A Brow Pencil in Dark Brown (brows)
• MAC Brun Shadow (brows)
• MAC Clear Brow Finisher (great for keeping brows in place!)

CHEEKS:

• MAC Eversun Beauty Powder (Limited edition-get soon!)
• CARGO Beach Blush in Miami Beach (cheekbone highlighter)

LIPS:

• MAC lip conditioner (one of the best lip products!)
• MAC Cremestick Pearl lipliner in Creme Sherry
• MAC Lipglass in Liberated (Limited edition- get soon!)

I realize that you may or may not have the time to do all these steps to recreate the look so if that’s the case then just play up your eyes or lips, whatever you think is your best feature and go with it!   Well, thanks again for checking out today’s Look of the Week. I hope you like it as much as I do.  Until then….xoxo!

Adrienne

The 2009 NYC Makeup Show (Part II)

For Part II of my trip experience to the Makeup Show, I wanted to share some things I learned from celebrity artist, Jon Hennessey. Jon taught a class called Flawless Beauty.

Vancouver based celebrity artist, Jon Hennessey.

This class was all about how to perfect your technique from red carpet to bridal makeup. The first half of the class was lecture and demonstration and the 2nd half was hands on workshop. Jon was very detailed in his explanation of products that he chooses to use when working on a particular client, which I really liked. I’m always interested in what other artists are using. However, my only negative was that the makeup demonstration was a wee bit long to watch. I mean you can only watch someone apply concealer for so long! :) Anyways, I did pick up on some product suggestions that I have never heard of and some that I knew about but never got. So here are some of the things that he recommended as well as makeup techniques.

• Embryolisse Moisturizer—supposedly this is a big hit with fashion models and makeup artists globally.
• Boiron Homeoplasmine Ointment—an anti-irritant product that is great for prepping (moisturizing) the lips. Jon even likes to use this on male clients because it’s not shiny or sticky.
• FACE Atelier Foundations- favorite foundation of Jon’s since it has a “silky formula” and provides natural/flawless coverage. I was surprised to hear this because I never really heard much about this brand until I went to the makeup show. However, this foundation was getting a lot of buzz at the Makeup Show! He applied the foundation with MAC’s #188 brush, which is a small stipple brush with duo fibers. I have the larger version of this brush and LOVE it for applying cream blush and foundation. So I need to get this smaller one to try.
• Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Concealer- He applied the dual tone concealer to the under eye area with MAC’s #217 brush, which is an eyeshadow brush. This was very interesting, but he explained that this brush gives a soft blended application to this delicate eye area. He used the same brush to apply to the rest of the face that needed opaque coverage as well.
• MAC Pro Sculpting Powder in Shadester- Jon likes to use this shade for sculpting/contouring the face. The color is not very dark so it is easy to work with on any skin tone. He used this color to enhance the eye shape as well. He stressed that it’s important to contour the bone of the lid not the eyeball. This creates a more sculpted shape whereas the the other technique is more dated. So the color will go past the eye area a little bit, softly blended of course.
• When lining the lips, Jon prefers to line the lips first after its been prepped with a moisturizer. Then he blends in the lipliner with a lip brush to avoid a harsh line. Then he filled in with a lipstick and/or gloss.

So those are some of the things that I picked up on from that class that I wanted to share with you all. Also,here is a pic below from my view inside the class.

There is Jon on the far right (before class began)

All the fun makeup to work with!

Well, that is all for now. I’ll be back next week to chat more about makeup! Please feel free to send any comments about today’s blog. I’d love to hear if you have ever tried any of the above products mentioned! Have a great weekend!

xoxo,

Adrienne

Fabulous Friday Review: The Makeup Show NYC 2009 (Part I)

This past week, I traveled to New York City, to attend The Makeup Show, hosted by the Powder Group. This 2-day professional event featured over 60 Pro-Focused Brands and Businesses, had inspirational presenters, provided educational hands-on workshops, and created a community environment to network with peers. I attended the event with my friend, Lisa Jauregui, who is also a professional makeup artist. We arrived shortly after the doors opened at 9 am and begin touring the event. As I was walking, I immediately recognized Marlena, who is a You Tube star in the makeup world. She does amazing makeup tutorials and has a great website called www.makeupgeek.com . She was with her husband, who was there for the ride. It made me wonder if I could convince my husband to come with me on one of these trips. j/k!!

Me, Marlena, and Lisa

After meeting Marlena, I began shopping! My first and early purchase of the day was a black rolling makeup case.

I have been needing a rolling case for years since my makeup collection has accumulated over the years and is too heavy to travel with on my shoulders!

Next to this booth, where I got the case, I saw the Crown Brushes display, which was beginning to get very busy. Their brushes are not exactly like MAC quality, but they are pretty decent for some of them and the price you can’t beat! The price range is from $2 to about $20 per brush depending on the style and quality. Their more expensive but higher quality brushes are the Italian Badger Series, and yet they are still under $20 a brush. One of the most interesting brushes I picked up was a mascara fan brush. MAC makes one as well so here is a pic of MAC’s brush since I can’t get a photo of the Crown version.

This type of brush is used as an alternative to applying mascara instead of with a mascara wand. It is supposed to give a very natural non-clumpy application of mascara coating to the lashes. It’s highly recommended now since everything is HD nowadays, which captures every little detail of the face. I should have bought several of these mascara fan brushes since they were only about $2/piece. Coincidentally, this brush was mentioned as a fav as well from celebrity artist, Jon Hennessey, who I took a hands on workshop from later that day. You can check out the entire brush collection at www.crownbrushes.com .

Later that day, I checked out the Makeup Forever booth. That booth was crazy packed! This was the 25th anniversary for the cosmetic line and I believe also the first time they have participated in the makeup show. They were offering a 40% discount to professionals in the industry hence the mayhem at their booth! I had been hearing rave reviews of their oil-free HD Primer so I finally got it. It felt very lightweight and almost silk like on the skin. Though they come in 6 correcting shades, I decided to get the transparent one since it would be the most versatile.

I also got some of the FACE Atelier glosses, which had some very natural but beautiful shades. One of the colors I got was called Cameo. One of the makeup artists I met on the floor mentioned that Kim Kardashian’s makeup artist uses that shade on Kim so I had to get it since Kim’s makeup always looks fabulous! The shades I bought were Arctic Gold, Peach, and Cameo. The colors were beautifully pigmented and not tacky at all.

There were many other amazing companies at the show, however, I would be here all day to write about them. However, there are many other pictures from the event that you can view on my Makeup by Adrienne Facebook page. Just go to the photo album titled “Makeup Show NYC 2009”. Also, stay tuned for next week as I will share part II of my experience at the Makeup Show. I will share tips and products suggestions that I learned from my hands-on workshop with celebrity artist, Jon Hennessey. Also, I know some of you have already expressed to me that you would like to see some looks/makeup tutorials of some my work so I will be working on that soon. My goal is to have a makeup look /tutorial to post on my blog next week! It may not be a video one, but it will still be fun and educational to see! Until then….have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

xoxo,

Adrienne

MAC Style Warrior Collection- Fabulous Friday Review!

I’m so excited to finally share my life as a makeup artist with you all! There is no specific format to my blog , just random things that are going on in my world. I hope you find it interesting to follow as I take you behind the scenes to what I do and who I get to have the pleasure to work with! So, here we go….

Since I got my real professional start as a makeup artist working in the MAC counter several years ago, it’s no surprise that my first makeup blog is devoted this week to MAC’s upcoming collection, Style Warrior, which offically launches nationwide on May 28th. This week, I went to MAC’s Unveiling Party for its Style Warrior Collection at the MAC Store in the Domain.

This party was a one-night preview and purchase event for MAC preferred customers. The event was so much fun to attend though it was very crowded and hot inside with all the body heat! I couldn’t wait to see the product packaging, which is half of what I love about MAC’s products, and the Style Warrior makeup. I would describe the packaging as tribal meets leopard chic if that makes sense. The containers are so cute that I don’t think I could get rid of it when the products run out. So here is the MAC Style Warrior collection below.

Style Warrior, Liberated (the gloss I purchased!), Gold Rebel, Fierce& Fabulous

Brave New Bronze, Purple Rite, Sunsation, Tribalist

Vibrant Grape, Bright Future

Night Manoeuvres (I purchased this!), Soft Force

Refined Golden, Tempting

Solar riche, Refined Golden (re-promote)

Eversun ( I purchased this one!), On a Mission

Skin Sheens in- Medium Dark, Dark, and Deep Dark

Lustre Drops in- Pink Rebel, Bronze Hero, and Sun Rush

Golden Bronze Iridiscent Loose Powder/ #182 Buffer Brush

There are also some additional products that are not pictured, which are nail lacquers in 3 frosty shades (Mercenary, Peaceable, and Violet Fire), Eye Kohl in Smolder (repromote), and Pro Lash Mascara in Coal Black (repromote).

I have already used two of the Style Warrior products on clients this week. In fact, the next day, I used the Night Manoeuvres shadow and Liberated Lipglass on a bridal trial run appointment. It looked fabulous, which reminds me that I will be posting pics of my work soon! Some will be from my happy point and shoot camera and some professional pics.

Well, that’s my preview for you all of this fabulous animal chic collection! Don’t be scared by some of the bold colors in this collection. It was refreshing to see some rich pigment shades mixed with the bronze colors since Summer collections, in general, generally involve bronze and tan shades for the face.

Next week, I will be sharing my NYC trip with you all as I attend this year’s NYC Makeup Show this weekend! I’ll be previewing and purchasing (again!) the latest in makeup products/tools as well as taking a class by celebrity artist, Jon Hennessey. So I can’t wait to write back to you all! So see you then!

xoxo,

Adrienne

Me, Jenny Lin and Ana Bazan (two amazing artists as well!)