Expert Nail Tips from Katie Cazorla

'tis the season for dry hands and nails? no, it doesn't have to be, beauties! take it from me ~ i have some tips to share from Katie Cazorla, owner of the fabulous nail salon and boutique, The Painted Nail and star of TV Guide network's reality show, Nail Files {i admit, my new guilty pleasure}.

along with these tips and tricks, i also asked Katie to share her favorite trends, personal nail-friendly products and the one *shade* she absolutely would wear forever...

enjoy!


first off, thank you for taking the time to give us the top nail tips of the season, Katie! will you share with my readers your advice for keeping hands looking fab through the harsh, cold winter season?
KC: "always have cuticle oil in your purse ~ applying it often will keep your cuticles from drying out, which can be painful, which is totally not fab! moisturize often, and never have chipped polish! i'd rather see bare nails than chipped polish!!"

i couldn't agree more ~ boo to chipped polish! in addition to cuticle oil and a good hand cream, what are your fave, must-have products?
KC: "The Painted Nail polish because i love to layer polishes for a custom nail look! sugar scrubs! they're so amazing {especially in colder weather} to slough off dead skin. plus, they smell delicious and feel great! finally, a top coat... you never know when you're going to need to freshen up your mani!"

what would you say is the must-wear nail trend of this current season?
KC: "DESIGNfx nail appliques by Dashing Diva, with a soak off gel top coat!"

what nail shades are hottest right now?
KC: "anything with GLITTER!"

i love it! adding sparkle makes any day better! now, will you share your personal mani/pedi routine with us?
KC: "i always exfoliate with the ME! Bath ice cream sandwich in the shower, then use The Painted Nail Vanilla Cranberry shimmer creme so my feet are soft and sparkly. i am very particular and i want my pedicure water HOT with a Me! Bath ice cream scoop soak: strawberry flavored."

how often do you change your polish?
KC: "i personally do it everyday or every other day. i am neurotic! but to keep my nails healthy, i use a clean layer of soak off gel so my natural nail isn't destroyed by acetone!

if you could only wear one shade for the rest of you life, what would it be?
KC: "it would be glitter, and YES that is a color in my book, because it makes me happy!"


thank you so much, Katie, for taking the time to share your fun nail tips, recs and personal routine!

if you're ever in the neighborhood, be sure to visit The Painted Nail and tune in to watch Nail Files on TV Guide network {check your local listings}!

Q&A with 'Black Swan' Makeup Department Head Margie Durand and Makeup Designer Judy Chin

MAC Cosmetics will be featured in the highly buzzed about film Black Swan and my friends at the brand sent me a copy of a fabulous Q&A with the film's makeup department head Margie Durand and makeup designer Judy Chin. the interview contained many questions, so edited it down to what i felt were the best questions-- all about the makeup!

enjoy!

q: how long does it typically take for you to prepare to start working on a movie like Black Swan?

Judy: i spend a lot of time drawing and doing practical makeup tests. depending on actor availability and camera tests, it could take three to four weeks of preparation.

q: how does a makeup design contribute to building a movie character?

Judy: what i've always loved about makeup design is its contribution to the actor's performance. makeup helps to create the character visually. i feel that i've done my job well when an actor can walk onto the set feeling like the embodiment of the character that he or she is portraying.


q: can you give a step by step explanation as to how the Black Swan look was created as well as the products that were used?


Margie: we applied a pale ivory foundation with a white cream highlight on the forehead and cheekbones. to create the swan eyes, we used M·A·C Chromaline in Black Black. using M·A·C Pigment in Silver combined with Mixing Medium, we applied feathery brushstrokes over the Black Swan's eyes. the lips were lined with M·A·C Lip Pencil in Vino and topped with M·A·C lipstick in Dubonnet. we then lined the under eye with a thin line using M·A·C Chromaline in Red.

q: does the makeup have any relation to the makeup in the traditional version of the Swan Lake ballet?

Judy: not really. the ensemble dancers wear what might be considered a traditional theatrical eye makeup, but our rendition is more dramatic. it's practically an opera makeup. besides that, the only other relation might be that we did portray the Black Swan as a sinister dark foil to the more angelic and innocent Swan Queen.




q: the ballerinas' performance makeup in the movie is especially dramatic and visually arresting. what inspired the dark romantic makeup look?

Judy: the look was inspired by the story, and by the director, Darren Aronofsky, i felt that he was looking for something dramatic and visually striking, so all of the intensity was focused in the eyes. Margie Durand realized that there were elements of our beautiful set design that should play a role in our makeup. thus, the delicate silver branches that played across the swan's faces came to be. the ensemble swans and the Swan Queen are delicate and romantic with a soft pink lip color, whereas the Black Swan is dark, sharp, and, angular.

q: a ballerina has an incredibly active job, and in Black Swan, the characters wear both body and face makeup. what products did you use in the film that you were certain would hold up to the lights, movement and perspiration?

Judy: we used pancake makeup with a spray sealant to ensure that it wouldn't rub off on the costumes. we also used M·A·C Paint Pots, M·A·C Powerpoint Eye Pencils, and M·A·C Pigments. in addition, we applied some alcohol based pigments that are virtually water proof and rub proof.

q: what challenges did you face when designing and applying the makeup?

Margie: it was a challenge to makeup the Black Swan as the White Swan and then switch back to Black Swan during the long filming days. both makeups had to be retouched because of the strenuous dancing for the close-up shots.

Judy: it would have been a huge problem if any of the makeup rubbed off onto the costumes, so we had to do many tests before we came up with the right combination of products – especially for the hands. the only other challenge was conveying to our team the application techniques, as it really was an operatic style of makeup. the shaping of the eyes and painting the whole eye in cake makeup is unusual for modern makeup artists. most people are a bit intimidated by pancake makeup and they dismiss it as "old fashioned", but it can be really beautiful if done properly. in the end, the whole team worked really hard and did a stunning job.




q: did you use any products in a non-traditional way?

Judy: we mixed the M·A·C Pigment in Silver with a sealant to create a waterproof liquid. we then used this metallic liquid to paint our delicate silver branches across the little swan faces.


q: Black Swan makeup tutorials have popped up all over the internet. why do you think makeup fans are fascinated with this look, even before the film's release?

Judy: what's not to be fascinated with? the look is intense, alluring, and sexy with a bit of danger mixed in. frankly, i'm flattered and pleased that there has been this much interest in the Black Swan makeup.


q: how can the everyday woman translate the dramatic Black Swan makeup into an evening look?

Judy: there are a lot of aspects to this makeup that are standard elements for a classic beauty makeup. the highlights and contours along the cheekbones, nose, jaw line, and the pout of the mouth can all be adapted to a contemporary makeup. i also think one could incorporate the dramatic eyeliner – the angles and the intensity - into a very seductive, catlike smoky eye.

Margie: think 1920's vamp makeup: create the smoky Black Swan eyes with slender, silver eye liner applied under black wingtip liner and add thin wisps of silver liner over the eyelid, too. rim the waterline with black liner and top it off with full, feathery false eyelashes. apply a very matte foundation with contoured cheekbones and a hint of shimmery blush on apple of cheeks. lips can be matte or glossy in dark eggplant, wine and even black colours!

q: have you ever worked on a fashion show? if so, what are the differences between the creation of a movie makeup and the look for a fashion show? is the creative process similar or different?

Margie: the creation process is similar; the differences are huge. in film, the makeup needs to be recreated more than once, whereas in fashion on a runway, it is created for one day or one show. in film, there is continuity of passage of time from minutes to days to years, and the character's look has to adjust for this, sometimes all on the same shooting day. in film, the makeup needs to enhance the actors' performances and become part of their characters, contributing to beauty, injury, aging, etc.


q: what is the one M·A·C product that you cannot go on set without? why?

Margie: i use so many M·A·C products on every job, but the Blot Powders are a must for whatever seems to be going on with my makeup at any given moment!

Judy: that’s a really difficult question, but i guess i would have to say a Powerpoint Eye Pencil. i think i could make up anyone with just one Powerpoint Eye Pencil. or at lease enhance their features.


tell me: do you plan to see Black Swan?


xo
info and image courtesy of MAC Cosmetics

Shiri Appleby's Beauty Must-Haves

since i'm a huge fan of the new show Life Unexpected (mondays @ 8pm on the CW!!), i was pleasantly surprised to find a fun interview with one of its stars, Shiri Appleby, on US Magazine's website. yes, i do read the celebrity gossip, but mainly i go to their beauty and style page-- it's pretty good!

in the interview, Shiri shares her beauty secrets and must-haves, and i had to share them with you. so what does she love when it comes to beauty products?

for starters, Shiri's top beauty secret (that she learned from a pro) is that she makes sure to always take off her makeup before bed. her cleanser of choice is Cetaphil and when she's too tired to cleanse her skin, she uses makeup removal wipes. another beauty secret: she applies sunscreen every day.

Shiri is currently obsessed with a bright pink cheek and likes to use Bobbi Brown's Sheer Color Cheek Tint. to keep her look fresh, she keeps makeup minimal and loves mark. Mini Mark It Stick Hook Up Stick for Lips; to play up her eyes, she loves using mascara then adds false lashes on the corners of her eyes to really make them pop.

to put the cherry on top, Shiri's desert island product pick is one that i use every day and night myself...

Smith's Rosebud Salve!

shop her favorite products here (i added the mascara, lashes and sunscreen):

More Avon...

xo
source

WWD: Kate Moss On Her New Fragrance & Living a Fashionable Life

Kate Moss sat down with Women's Wear Daily contributor Brid Costello to discuss her new scent Vintage, which was introduced in europe earlier this month. additionally, Stephen Mormoris, svp of global marketing at Coty said they may look into having Moss create a special color cosmetics collections for its Rimmel brand, which Moss also fronts.



the fragrance's genesis–- Moss' love for vintage fashion–- has much more humble origins. "i couldn't really afford designer clothes when i was young, so i just went to the secondhand shops. it wasn't called vintage then, it was called 'secondhand' when i was 15."

read the full article here




WWD Beauty Biz also spoke with the supermodel about her very fashionable life-- among other things, she opens up about her dfinition of beauty, her inspirations and how to multitask....

defining beauty:

"it sounds really corny, but i think that if you’'e beautiful inside, it shows on the outside for sure. you can be a pretty face, but if you're not a nice person it just doesn’t work. i'm not traditionally a beauty, but apparently people think i'm all right. if you’re a nice person, it definitely helps."

on having a motto:

"there are loads. there's "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." That’s one of them. You try and remember, but it never works.”

her secrets to multitasking:

"i think women are really good at multitasking. men just cannot do it. my boyfriend cannot talk on the phone and [answer] if i ask him a question or get dressed at the same time. i can do all of that-- talk on the phone, answer a question, get dressed and put my makeup on all at the same time. women just do, don't they? i think it's something to do with babies. when you have a child, you have to be able to multitask."

read the full interview here


xo
source: WWD

Rachel Roy's Favorite Beauty Tips

fashion designer Rachel Roy built a following not only for her beautiful designer and diffusion collections (Rachel Rachel Roy is now available in Macy's stores across the u.s. and on rachelroy.com), but also her amazing personal style and beauty. i was given the scoop on Rachel's beauty secrets and tips on how she expresses her indian ancestry through her makeup. you'll love how simple her personal tricks are to looking bright, fresh and flawless everyday!

read on...


q: have you picked up any great beauty tips or tricks that you can share?

RR: i feel a great mascara can open the eye and instantly make you look as though you've have a good night's sleep, even when that is not the case. i use 2-3 coats of Lancome's Fatale on the top, bottom, and also on the back of the top lashes.





q: do you have a beauty signature? a fragrance or a lip color that you just love to wear?

RR: because of my indian ancestry, i love darkly rimmed eyes-– a messy eye adds a sexy yet natural look to a classic outfit. to make the eyes smoky, i use Revlon's Luxurious Color Kohl eyeliner in Black Truffle on the inside of the lids.


q: what about a lip color that you just love to wear? what do you put on to achieve your favorite look?

RR: bright lipstick is a way to quickly pop an outfit and freshen up a look a la Ava Gardner in "The Barefoot Contessa". my favorite bright is MAC's Morange lipstick-- it's a great way to add a twist to a classic look.


q: any last bits of advice?

RR: i use Bobbi Brown's eye shadow in Navajo and another way to make your face pop is to fill in the eyebrows.


fabulous, no? i always love insider tips! be sure to follow her on Twitter (@rachel_roy) or fan her on Facebook.

what are your favorite beauty tips and tricks?

xo

Check Me Out On All Lacquered Up!

i'm especially excited to to share that today i have been featured on one of my favorite blogs, All Lacquered Up! Michelle, the fabulous nail polish fanatic and creator of many fabulous nail shades herself (including last week's nail color of the week), has interview moi for her What's On Your Nails? series.

i can't tell you how excited i was when i received her email last month asking me to participate-- beyond thrilled doesn't even begin to describe it!

so, to feed your curiosity about everything from what my favorite nail color is to what nail trend i wish would go away, head over to All Lacquered Up to read my interview right now.

thanks again Michelle!

xo
image: All Lacquered Up