Permanently Beautiful

Cats-eye Eye Makeup

Cat eyes glittering, Hollywood’s most gorgeous felines stalked the red carpet at Sunday’s Emmy Awards. Gowns were sleekly formfitting, sparkling with sequins and Swarovski crystals or cascading in multi-tiered ruffles flowing into sensually flared mermaid tails. This year’s biggest trends on the red carpet were the curvaceous mermaid silhouette, lots of sparkle, soft up-dos that were pouffy rather than head-hugging, sculpted bronze cheek bones, glossy natural lips and alluring cats-eye eye makeup.

Makeup artists used elongated eye liner and eye shadow combined with ultra-long lashes to create a mysterious cat-like eye. Glee star Lea Michele did a smoky-eyed take on the retro look. She elongated her eyes with dark, thick, black eye liner brought to a bold, swept-up point beyond the outer corner of each eye. Layers of thick, long, clumpy lashes were added to create a dark, dramatic eye.

Tron star Olivia Wilde took a lighter, more elegant, but no less dramatic, approach to achieve the feline look. Olivia lined her eyes with a bold stroke of dark eye liner, then added a pointed swoop of eye shadow, extending it from the outer half of her upper lid to a soft point at the tip of her eyebrow. However, Olivia’s eye makeup did little to detract attention from her barely-there lace gown.

You don’t need a Hollywood makeup artist to look good when you wear permanent makeup. Permanent makeup provides a perfect base for stand-alone natural beauty or for layering on the latest makeup style – the best of both worlds!

As we age, our skin texture changes. Fine lines and creases seem to multiply as we stare into the makeup mirror. Our skin looks drier, less “plumped,” less “dewy” than when we were younger. We may start to envy the youthful radiance of younger coworkers and friends. Yet, many women, particularly those who enjoy outdoor sports and activities, begin experiencing midlife skin changes in their mid-30s, quite a few years shy of middle age. The common solution is to throw more makeup at the problem, filling lines and creases with extra coats of concealer and foundation, hoping to hide lines from sight. Makeup artists say that’s the wrong thing to do. More makeup will actually make you look older and less attractive.

The professionals’ advice for women in midlife makeup crisis? Less is more. Makeup artists counsel their clients to embrace their natural beauty as they age. Rather than trying to hide themselves behind a wall of makeup, women should use lighter foundations which deemphasize lines and focus on highlighting individual features, particularly their eyes and lips. Permanent makeup can help minimize the visual effects of aging. Permanent lip color can bring the appearance of fullness and youthful color to pale, thinning lips. Eyebrows that have grown light and thin with age can be darkened and shaped with permanent eyebrows. Permanent makeup allows you to embrace life’s changes beautifully.

Heidi Klum

Summer travel means makeup needs to be fast, easy and portable. You want to look great when you travel during the summer, but who wants to spend their vacation in front of a makeup mirror when you could be splashing in the sun and surf? Hot, humid summer days invite a minimalist approach to makeup. Less makeup means fewer touch ups to control sweat and shine. Then there’s the whole space issue. When you’re trying to avoid those hefty baggage check-in fees, packing light becomes an art form. Every inch of space in your carry-on becomes precious. Who wants to choose between a bulging makeup bag and those to-die-for sandals? Pare down your makeup bag and pack both!

So what’s the absolute minimum amount of makeup you can comfortably get away with? Women who have artistically-applied permanent makeup need only pack a moisturizer with sunscreen and some lip gloss. When you wear permanent cosmetics, life is just that simple. The ultimate minimalist makeup, permanent makeup ensures that you look utterly fabulous whether you’re tanning on the beach, going for a dip in the ocean, sweating during spinning class or sipping margaritas by the pool.

Without permanent makeup, you’ll need to add a few items to your makeup kit. When model Heidi Klum travels, she packs only the bare necessities: sunscreen, concealer, gloss, lipstick and mascara. The rest of us would probably add foundation, powder, eyeliner and blush. Without permanent makeup, it’s hard to keep your makeup bag from bulging.

One of the fun things about permanent makeup is that you can layer makeup directly over it whenever you want to create a special novelty look like Lady Gaga’s huge anime eyes. But the nicest thing about permanent makeup is that after the party’s over and you strip away all the gunk, you still look model beautiful!

Here’s how to create Lady Gaga’s huge anime eyes:

1. Apply primer around the eye, including lower lashes, using a slightly lighter concealer or foundation than on your face.
2. Fill in your brow with deep brown eye shadow, increasing the arch.
3. Enlarge the white of the eye by lining lower lids with a 1/4 inch curved line of white cream shadow. The line should be very thin at the eye’s inner corner, becoming thicker as you move toward the outer corner.
4. Layer 3 sets of false eyelashes on upper lids and apply a single layer to the skin along the white area under your lower lids.
5. Draw a thin line of charcoal gray liner along the false lash lines. 
6. Use dark pink shadow to create curved contours along the upper lid and under the lower lid, making the outermost end of the curving sweeps slightly thicker.
7. Highlight contours with shimmering silver cream shadow, adding a single dot of silver to inner eye corners and the center of each upper lid to focus admirers’ attention.

Watch out for paparazzi!

Anime Eyes

Those huge doll eyes Lady Gaga showed off in the bathroom scene of her recently released Bad Romance video have struck a chord with teens and twenty-somethings and become this summer’s surprise must-have accessory. Young women are using outsized colored contact lenses imported from Asia to mimic the avant-garde singer’s bigger-than-life anime-style eyes. These specially designed circle contacts create the effect of huge doll eyes by covering part of the whites surrounding the eye’s iris with a huge circle of color. Fans call the new look cute, but the FDA warns that the foreign-made, Internet-sold contacts are illegal and unregulated and pose a risk of eye damage. U.S. ophthamologists warn that wearing improperly prescribed contact lenses can cause serious eye injuries including infections, corneal ulcers and corneal scratches. Blindness can even result from severe eye infections or injuries. 

Of course, Lady Gaga didn’t put her beautiful peepers on the line when she made the video. Computer-generated special effects were used to create her wide-eyed look. You too can have Gaga’s childlike eyes without risking your eyesight. Using special makeup techniques, you can apply makeup directly over your permanent makeup to go “Gaga” for an evening of uninhibited fun. That’s one of the advantages of permanent makeup. Your permanent makeup keeps you looking fresh and gorgeous 24/7 while providing the perfect base for those times when you want to glam it up!

Next time we’ll tell you how to create Lady Gaga’s anime eyes.

Melting in NYC

Ugh! The mercury climbed to 100 degrees in Central Park yesterday with no relief in sight! The heat wave blanketing the Northeast is expected to keep NYC temperatures languishing in the high 90s and triple digits for most of the week. Steamy subway platforms have turned usually crisply turned out New Yorkers into post-match World Cup wanna-bes. Until temperatures drop again, the rumpled, sweaty look will be de rigueur for city residents.

Baking between the city’s concrete towers, New Yorkers struggled back to work today after the long holiday weekend, clothes limp and hair straggling in the sweat. Putting on makeup was a farce. Less than 10 steps out the door and you could feel it melting down your face! By the time you arrived at the office you were lucky to have a few streaks of eyeliner smudged down your cheek.

Summer has barely started. Can you imagine what it’s going to be like in August? You might as well dump your makeup down the drain now for all the good it’s going to do you. Or you could be smart and get artistically applied permanent makeup. When all around you people are melting, permanent makeup keeps you looking fresh and beautiful. Permanent makeup is the only make up tip that works when New York sizzles!

We’re careful to check the expiration date when we pick up a quart of milk. We toss leftovers when they start to turn. But our makeup? How many of us layer our faces, eyelids and lips with makeup we’ve had around for more than a year, sometimes many years? Be honest. Is there a reason you’re still making room in your makeup drawer for the purple glimmer eye shadow you loved in high school?’

Germs can grow on any surface, including makeup. Constant use loads your makeup brushes, puffs and sponges with makeup, grime, oil and bacteria. Every time you swipe your face, you’re leaving an unhealthy residue. Share makeup with a friend and you double your risk. Face it. We don’t go around licking our friends’ faces, but we don’t bat an eye at sharing a lipstick.

The only truly safe and healthy makeup is permanent makeup. Artistically applied by permanent makeup artists in a sterile environment, permanent makeup goes on once and stays beautiful 24/7. No more bacteria-laden brushes or sponges. Apply sunscreen-enhanced moisturizer in the morning and you’re good to go.

If you haven’t discovered the advantages of permanent cosmetics, follow these tips:

• Use brushes or sponges, not fingers to apply makeup.
• Wash makeup brushes once a month in warm, soapy water. Rinse, blot, blow dry.
• Sharpen eye pencils after use to expose a germ-free surface. Clean sharpener with alcohol.
• A cold is okay, but toss lipsticks if you get strep throat.

Twilight

With Eclipse, the latest edition of the Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Saga, opening in theaters across the country, Twi-hards are rushing to mimic Bella Swan’s gorgeous look of pensive, brooding innocence. But Bella’s pale face and sensuous features have captured a following well beyond the dark, midnight circles of vampire fans. Kristen Stewart, Bella’s real life alter ego, is a fair-skinned natural beauty worthy of emulation.

Twilight makeup artists capitalized on Kristen’s natural beauty, using neutral shades so the actress would look like she wasn’t wearing makeup on screen. As anyone who has attempted to go sans makeup knows, there’s a big difference between no makeup and artfully applied makeup that only looks like you’re not wearing any cosmetics. It’s the difference you get when you wear permanent cosmetics. Permanent makeup artistically defines and enhances your natural features beautifully. Without apply a drop of makeup, you look like you just left the salon.

What tricks do makeup artists use to create Kristen’s natural on-screen look? Keep shine at bay with a blotting pressed powder in a light shade. Prep eyelids with neutral primer, then apply three neutral eye shadow shades to create depth, using very slightly different neutrals on the lid, crease and under the brow. Line with dark brown eyeliner and finish with a coat of black mascara. Highlight cheekbones with barely colored powdered blush and lips with creamy-finished brownish plum lipstick. All that’s left to do is practice your smoldering gaze.

Wedding Day Makeup

Every woman wants to look her most beautiful on her wedding day. When you walk down the aisle, you want to take your sweetheart’s breath away. Most brides want their wedding makeup to be little different from their everyday look, a little more WOW! They just aren’t sure what that looks like.

Wedding makeup artists offer this advice for choosing a perfect wedding day look:

• To determine your style, page through wedding and fashion magazines and look at the models’ faces. Tear out pictures you’re attracted to. Decide what specifically you like about these makeup examples. Is the chaste nude lips or dangerously long eyelashes? 
• Pull the different makeup elements into an overall look with your dress and hair. What image do you want to portray on your wedding day? Sexy, casual, flirty, princess? Choose lip and eye makeup colors that enhance the way you want to feel.
• Make sure your foundation shade matches your face and neck. If you plan to use a spray tan or bronzer, practice before your big day and adjust your foundation color to match.
• Stick with natural shades on your nails to keep the focus on your face and dress. Nails that match your wedding colors are fine for bridesmaids but a distraction on the bride.

Permanent makeup is the best way to ensure that your makeup is perfectly beautiful and beautifully perfect on your wedding day and everyday.

Summer Makeup

Sizzling hot summer days are just around the corner. Keeping your makeup extra-light and easy will banish sweaty rivulets and keep you looking fresh and cool while you enjoy summer’s many outdoor activities. The trick to keeping makeup light is to choose multi-use beauty products. Keep these cosmetics in your summer makeup bag:

• Tinted moisturizers with added sun screen provide light, all-over cosmetic coverage that hydrates skin, nourishes it with antioxidants and blocks skin-damaging UV rays.
• Deeply pigmented cream stains in pinks, roses or bronzes give a sexy pucker to lips, a rosy glow to cheeks and act as a long-lasting eye shadow when applied to eyelids.
• To camouflage dark under-eye circles and the occasional annoying blemish, choose sheer, creamy concealers that brush on with a sponge applicator. These super light-weight concealers make great primers under eye makeup too and will give your shadow longer staying power.
• Tame humid hair frizzies with a protective hair gloss serum made to protect hair from the heat of dryers, curlers and irons. These products hydrate hair and will give your tresses extra shine.

Of course, for the ultimate light-weight, no-fuss, always-perfect, sweat-proof makeup, permanent makeup is the best choice. Just moisturize and you’re ready to go! When you wear artistically applied permanent makeup, you can move through hot summer days with confidence knowing you always look your best.