Eyes Need Special Care

Hello beauties! Thank you for reading 🙂 This week has been crazy, busy and so hectic! It feels amazing to wind down with an exfoliating facial on, and lay on my couch with my furry friends. This week was filled with bridal makeup… Weddings, trials, more weddings, & more trials. I’m now booking bridal makeup for 2013. I am happy to announce that I am soon to be, a featured vendor on The Knot! The knot is an exclusive website that contains everything you need to plan your wedding. Dresses, ideas, photos, vendors, inspirations, etc. I’m currently in the process of setting up my profile, but by next week it should be up. My profile will also be featured on Kleinfeld’s site, which carries the largest selection of beautiful, couture wedding dresses and gowns. I quickly posted Friday morning, of an incredible wedding video which I did makeup for. If you haven’t watched it yet, please do! The video was done beautifully by Moving Pictures. Definitely made me cry both times I watched it. Sniff, sniff. 
Here is flowers from Friday’s wedding, perfect for Fall and so pretty! And photo of Saturday’s bride, Lindsay. I love her! Also a photo of Erin, one of my past brides who just got her professional photos back!
          
 
I can finally say that I have completed all my weddings for October. I only have a few weddings booked for next month and the following. During the winter months is when I’m really recommending my future brides to set up trials, while I have the open slots and free time available. Because once spring comes, I’m back in full force busy for the wedding season. Seems that everyone is getting engaged! If you are, or know anyone that is please send them my way and have them check out my site if your in the tri-state area 🙂 When wedding season comes to an end, it allows me to pick up jobs doing makeup for runway shows, commercials, events, films and shoots. I have a lot of exciting projects coming up within the next two months, which I can’t wait to share with you when the time comes 🙂 Besides from bridal makeup, I’ve done my fair share of Halloween makeup this month and I’m finding a lot of my clients wanting completely different haircuts and styles for fall! It’s nice to change it up! I’m working on Halloween this year, so I had to celebrate my Halloween last night. I went to Studio square in Long Island city. Music was so good, view was gorgeous, the set up was done great and we got there early to enjoy all the drink specials. Through out the night it got busy but wasn’t too crowded where you can’t breath or move, thank god because I like my space, nothing worse than a room filled with hot, sweaty strangers in costumes dancing and rubbing against you. ugh! Music by Ed Polido & then Miss Jennifer. ❤  
 
                Follow me on Instagram @Alexgill ! 
 
I decided to be a kitten, since 1. I only had 10 minutes (literally!) to figure out a costume and throwing on old black leggings from Metropark a couple years back and a black tank top were KEY &  2. all my friends and coworkers have been calling me the “cat lady” since I rescued these adorable two little kittens that were living in my yard. I just HAD to take them in, it was getting so cold out and it’s been so rainy, they would crawl up into my car to stay warm from the heat in my engine. What kind of person would I be to deny these cute little creatures a warm, loving home, as they sat outside my windows looking in?! I had to keep them. When we took them to the vet, he said that there was quite and age difference (buddah just over 6 months and banks around 2-3 months) and also informed me that they were not liter mates, and told me how incredibly rare it is for these two stray kittens to find each other, and interact with each other becoming best friends. Once I took them for shots, and brought them inside I had to introduce them to my pup Sonny. He adores them. He’s so gentle with them and I’m pretty positive he thinks he’s the kitten’s mother, which is perfectly okay with me. 
 
              
 
Friday night, my good friend Monica and I attended a fundraising event at Marlene Weber Day Spa, in Poughkeepsie. We purchased a $25 ticket which was donated to Miles of Hope and included two complimentary services, along with raffles, food and cocktails. Is that an amazing deal, or what?! Even better, since it goes to such a great cause. Of course for one of my services, I booked a massage, hunching over all day doing makeup is obviously not the best posture for my back. For my second service, I booked an eyebrow grooming with my glamorous friend Stephanie (who has the best brows EVER may I add) If you need your brows waxed and groomed and you live near the Poughkeepsie area, I definitely recommend you going to her. We all know how important our brows are, which frame our faces! Remember thin, is NOT in anymore. This year full, thick brows is what it’s about. So try to grow those brows in and go get them shaped! I wish I took more photos of the event, but I was too busy indulging delicious food, complements of Rossi’s, Brasserie, La Puerta Azul and more. To make the night even better, I won a raffle for a wash, cut & blow-dry and waxing. Oh la la! I never win raffles so I was beyond excited. Marlene Weber Day Spa was also offering 20% off gift cards, and since my birthday is next month, why not treat myself to an early birthday gift?! I purchased an $80 service for $64. Good deal! Over all Beauty Night Out was a success, many donations made to Miles of Hope, I won a raffle, and got to enjoy time with my girlfriends while being pampered!
        Fall headband piece perfect for these cold months ahead!
 
 
So how do I cut & style multiple clients hair,  do makeup trials on my future brides, apply makeup to brides and their full bridal parities, wander off to NYC, attend beauty fundraising events, along with many meetings, dinner dates and errands in between without looking tired, even though I’m BEYOND EXHAUSTED? By taking special care of your eyes of course! 
 

The skin around your eyes is much thinner than the rest of your face so it requires special attention! Dark under-eye circles can make young people look old and tired. Womp womp. They can be treated very successfully with prescription topical creams and lasers. But I obviously prefer natural eye care. 

 

Puffiness: under eye puffiness can be caused by a variety of reasons including diet, allergies or extra fluid in your system. In the morning to treat puffiness, Splash your face with very cold water. Tap gently around your eyes to help move away fluid in eyes. gently press along your eyebrow and around your eye socket with your middle. Place a cold compress under your eyes for 15 minutes. I like to use cold green tea bags that i keep in the freezer over night or cold cucumber slices. Tannin, which is found in teabags, will lower the swelling and discoloration around the eyes. You need to place two teabags in the fridge overnight to chill them; in the morning, get them damp, and then lie down with them on your eyes. Keep your eyes closed and body still for 10 to 15 minutes each day – you’ll see results immediately 🙂 If you don’t have teabags, use an ice cube wrapped in a cloth. Never put ice directly onto the skin around your eye because it can cause blood vessels to burst, which causes more dark circles and discoloration.

 

Dark circles: The skin under the eyes is so thin that in some people the blood passing through the teeny tiny veins near the surface show through, giving that area a bluish or gray cast aka dark circles.  Heredity, fatigue and illness and make under eye circles dark as well. Sleep and concealer is the best options. Make sure you get at least 8 hours of sleep each night. Beauty sleep is NO MYTH! If you want to look good, do everything you can to get a good night’s sleep. And perhaps invest in 100% silk pillowcases. Always use natural eye creams morning and night. 

 

Lush lashes: All your hair, grows in cycles. Eyelashes grow for approximately six months then falls out by a new lash. Never rub your eyes. Even when removing makeup. Be gentle. Before bed, treat your lashes with castor oil or other light oils to keep them clean and conditioned. A friend recommended I try a product called Lash Max which was a conditioner for your eye lashes making them grow longer and healthier. I tried it for about a month and loved it. 

 

Remember to always wear sunglasses in the sun. One of your best beauty tools. It also prevents crow’s feet and eye wrinkles! I like the eye cream by Hylunia and Lilly B. Lily B has a great natural eye cream I adore, which is infused with vitamin K and arnica that helps reduce any puffiness and under eye circles! Lily.B Skincare Multi-Action Rescue Ultra Eye Cream is a great eye cream for those looking to remedy tired, puffy eyes. It’s non-jar packaging makes it an eye cream I highly recommend to anyone!

 

My favorite under eye concealer is Erase Paste by benefit. which is a concentrated, creamy brightening concealer for eyes and face. Application is key. Use your finger and pat the product from the inside corner of the eye and out to give a smooth, natural coverage. You only need a little because too much concealer can actually bring focus to the under eye area. Always start with an eye cream first to hydrate the eye area before applying concealer so it goes on smoothly and evenly. For extreme under eye darkness, start with a concealer that is pink or peach in color. Pink concealers help to brighten a dark blue or purple under-eye, and peach colored concealers brighten a green or gray under-eye. Don’t use a beige or white concealer, It’s only going to make the darkness look gray.  Once you have applied the pink or peach, layer concealer that matches your skin tone on top. Dust the under-eye with a sheer, pale yellow powder to help to set the product and make sure it doesn’t crease. 

 

Okay, time to remove my facial mask off and get my blankets ready to sleep on the couch, with my tea! Everyone be safe during this hurricane sandy storm! Hopefully it doesn’t hit us too hard. Perfect opportunity to stay inside and enjoy “me” time! Xoxo 

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Halloween time

Hi 🙂 Thanks for reading! This week has been crazy, busy.. I had bridal trials this week, brides yesterday, halloween makeup applications booked, and more brides today & Sunday! Like I said in my last post, Fall is one of my favorite seasons. It is also my busiest season. I find that my skin becomes more dry during these cooler months, so I find myself spending a little bit more time taking care of my skin in the morning and night than I would in the summer or spring. I recently been experimenting with new product lines. As far as skin care lines, I really love organic and natural products. I know what exactly I’m putting on my skin, and I know it’s not harmful.
 I have been using Dr. Alkaitis Organic & Holistic line. It truly works wonders! I talked to them about my job and my blog, & they were willing to send me samples for my guests to try at my blog launch and I’ve been getting great responses. *There is also a sample cleanser in my goodie bag for my October giveaway! “If you can’t eat it, don’t put it on your face” is what Dr. Alkaitis promotes, and I agree!. Health IS the essential foundation of beauty! You can purchase a sample pack online at alkaitis.com and the samples last about 3 weeks. It is very light, containing coconut, jojoba, shea, sesame oil, and other raw, natural ingredients that work wonders on your skin. I used the organic enzyme exfoliating mask and I saw a difference in my skin immediately. I liked how you had to mix the mask your self, taking 2 tsp of the mask mixing it with equal portions of water. It brightened my complexion and helped even out my skin tone. I’ve been using these products every day starting with the cleanser, following with toner, moisturizer and eye cream. At night I’ll add their oil to my moisturizer, so when I wake up my face feels fresh and soft. I should also add that I grew up having psoriasis. Which is when you get very, dry patches all over your skin. Since I’ve been using natural products, my skin really has improved almost 100%. (also eating clean and drinking lots of water!) So if you suffer from this, I can relate! And definitely recommend trying out this line!
                  
I also tried out an exfoliating mask from Karuna. OMG! I will continue to use this mask once a week. Karuna masks comes in a packet, it’s a all-natural fiber cloth which helps retain moisture. Your supposed to leave the mask on for 10-20 minutes, but I left my mask on for a solid 30 minutes. Once you remove the mask, their is no need to rinse off your face. Karuna is a line of “convenience”, one-step, no rise product. It felt a bit slimy afterwards but I just massaged all the residue into my skin and onto my neck. Immediately my skin felt fresh, clean, smooth, brighter, and plump! All my friends sent me photos of themselves wearing the mask, and I took some myself, but it’s a bit scary, and alien-ish so I’ll hold back on posting those. LOL I also would recommend these for your weekly mask. You can also receive one in my October giveaway goodie bag!
    
Now that I shared my fall time skin regime with you, let’s talk makeup! I know I posted about Collodion in my last post, and I’m so excited that I finally tried it out! My friend Justine wanted me to re-create my creepy doll halloween look from last year.  It’s so fun doing beauty makeup for brides all day, then coming home to do fun, halloween makeup! Take a look below 🙂
      
Another EASY, fun way to spice up your Halloween look is to mask your own mask! I participated in a hair show last month, and I had to do the makeup for a butterfly. I really was stumped and didn’t want to be corny and paint on a butterfly, so I tried to get really creative. I took some puffy paint (found at walmart or any craft store, for like $1 a piece) and started to paint on a laminated folder 2 wings. I free handed “a face” on the folder, so I knew exactly where the eyes were and started to paint. I made a thick layer, threw on some sparkles, even using some of my MAC pigment colors. It took a couple hours for it to completely dry. I peeled it off and wahhh lahh! I had my butterfly “mask”. It was so simple to apply. I tested one out on myself first. I just took eyelash glue and applied to the back of the mask, letting it become tacky before putting it on my face. Once I tried it on myself, I sent it to Aly (the hair creator of the butterfly) and she loved it! She said she was incorporating lace so I made another mask, this time applying lace. I cut out the lace to fit the mask and once this mask had dried, I put the lace on using fabric glue. Check it out! This is fun, esp. for kids!
            

You have to love fall and Halloween time because of the exciting costume ideas, the colors of the season and the beginning of the holiday season. One of my favorite fruits of the year is the pumpkin. It’s the perfect fall symbol, an amazing color of orange, it’s tasty—and it’s fun to carve. Pumpkin tea, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin EVERYTHING! Fall is one of the BEST times to make your own at home skin care treatments because of the tasty delights and seasonal goodies that come around. What’s better is that natural skin care is always a great choice for you.. Have fun with it! After you and your girlfriends, finish carving your pumpkins, use those guts for a good cause 😉 Pumpkin facials!

       

Pumpkin facial mask

  1. Take 3 tablespoons of pumpkin puree and add 1-2 tablespoons of honey
  2. Add 1 tablespoon of milk (regular for oily skin or buttermilk for dry skin)
  3. Optional-add plain yogurt to mixture
  4. Spread paste onto your face and keep on for 10-15 minutes.
  5. Rinse off with water.

*Be sure to make your mask thick enough that it’s not dripping off your face.

Both of these at home skin care recipes using natural pumpkin will leave your skin smooth and glowing. It’s a festive way to help get the most out of the seasons with the nature around you.

 Me & my friend Jessica at the Jane Hotel this week, holding up our “No No” signs ! LOL

Okay! Off to a wedding. Time to get the bride beautified! LOVE MY JOB!!! Thank you for reading.