bb cream

Have you heard all the BUZZ about

a new product called

BB Cream.

It stands for Beauty Balm and

it is a utilitarian's dream come true!

It color balances your skin,

hydrates (more than the usual tinted moisturizers),

has SPF, is tinted with medium/full coverage,

and some boast they also serve as a primer.

phew!

That's a lot of stuff in one little tube.

My favorite is

Smashbox's Camera Ready $40 at Sephora.

But, I did a little testing and I compared with

Garnier BB Cream $12 at Target.

(Check next to the specialty skin care not the makeup isle)

It is the perfect summer makeup for dewy

natural glowing skin.

kitsch style makeover: Sandra's mini-makeover

Meet Sandra!

This fab mommy won the "Get Fit"

fitness contess that was held by her Stroller Strides group.

As a prize she won a mini-makeover with me

and a photoshoot with Kamee June Photography.

Sandra recently lost a bunch of weight

and was looking to define her style and fit her new hot bod.

Sandra wasn't sure what her style was

but after talking about her love of comfortable flowing fabrics

 and certain celebrities styles that she admired

 we defined it as "Boho Chic".

Boho meaning Bohemian, earthy, hippie.

Chic meaning modern, refined, and sophisticated.

All the clothes we used are from Sandra's closet. 

After defining her STYLE,

I went through EVERY item in her closet

and made sure everything in there

 passed 2 important qualifications:

1- Does the FIT flatter her new figure?

2- Does the item fit into her newly defined STYLE?

This mini makeover didn't involve any shopping.

All the items in Sandra's closet ARE hers.

We re-purposed, re-organized, and re-did her entire closet.

Now everything she has in her closet is ready-to-wear. 

We put some looks together that surprised Sandra;

brown with red,

or using a neutral gray like instead of white,

or wearing a skirt/dress instead of jeans.

Here are some of the outfits we put together.

Sandra's Staples:

Basic tanks in white, brown, gray

Strappy cotton and lace camisoles

Gauzy skirts and dresses

Denim mini skirt

Linen flowy pants

Sandra's shopping list:

Denim jacket

White jeans

Dark skinny denim

Belts, scarves, shoes, jewelry or otherwise -

Accessories!!!

Like most clients I work with,

 Sandra desperately needed to accessorize!

I brought some jewelry and accessories

from home to prove my point.

As seen in the outfits above,

the accessory can make the outfit!

Sandra had PLENTY of clothes,

she just couldn't use them effectively.

Instead of going for a shirt with a crazy pattern

 try buying a necklace and bracelet 

that can add interest to many outfits.

Spend more money on quality clothing

that you can use for years

and save money buying less expensive accessories

that you can toss out after they become out of fashion.

Here is a shot from Sandra's photo shoot,

Isn't she FAB!?!

Thanks to Sandra for trusting me

and letting me plow through your closet!

Sandra is on strict orders to stop buying clothes

 and focus on her accessories,

throw out or alter all her capri's - urg!

And, keep putting herself at the top of her list.

kat eyes: the best tinted moisturizers

Photo by Tonya Joy
Hair and Makeup by Kat

Tinted Moisturizer

A Summer "must-have".

One in you makeup bag and
 one in your beach bag.

Tinted moisturizer must have:

coverage

moisturizer

and SPF!!!

I use tinted moisturizer in warmer weather
because it is fast, light, and has SPF.

My favorite for years has been
Lancome's Bienfait Multi Vital Teinte
I love Lancome's product for the skin
because they are age conscious and gentle.
I especially like that this tinted moisturizer has
more coverage than others.



Nordy's $45



I also love Stila's Sheer Color Tinted Moisturizer

because it is OIL FREE!

Goes on smooth and has a little dewey-ness to it.

Makes skin look youthful.

Coverage is sheer.



Sephora $34



Another favorite tinted moisturizer is by

Laura Mercier.

It also comes OIL FREE and now has SPF!

If you love Laura Mercier's product like me,

you will love the texture and feel of this product.



Macy's $42



Whatever you do, don't skip SPF in your daily beauty routine

 even if you're not going to be at the beach.

before and after: a giveaway

 

I was so excited for this project.

An instant before and after.

Shareen is stunning with or with out makeup.

For her look I used mostly Stila pigments in GOLD tones.

We used an orangey red lip and blush

to bring out her beautiful skin tone and perfect lips.

With someone this naturally beautiful

it's important to keep it simple

and let her true beauty be the focus.

Shareen is a mommy.

Just like all mommies she is busy with her son,

working hard as a photographer to build her business,

and caring for her family.

Sleepless nights, rushing kids to and fro, and eating leftover PB&J's

can put a damper on your beauty routine.

My next class,

"a little kitschy"

is going to address these typical mommy issues;

time, tiredness, looking youthful.

And here is the fun part!

I'm giving away FREE admission for you and a gal pal :)

Here are the rules....

leave a comment here,

tell me who you would bring and why,

and make sure you "follow" me on facebook.

Winners will be announced 5/22/11

Thanks to Kamee June for the concept and images!

Enter now to win!

That's a WRAP!!!

play it proper...a couture bride

 Something happens to a girl when she lets her hair down.

I love a pristine updo like no body's business,

but there is something primal and unpredictable

 about letting all your hair down.

I love this shoot because there's two stories happening here;

hair up prim and proper, and hair down footloose and fancy free.

This post is the second part of Play it Proper.

Kalynne is our "couture" bride.

The "couture" bride designs a wedding to fit her fancy...

not the other way around.

I used MAC's Beauty Powder in Play it Proper for highlighting,

and I used Viva Glam V Lipstick and Lipglass for her lips.

Kalynne's dress was literally "couture".

I put it together with a puffy petticoat,

some tulle, a sash, a flower, and a shoestring.

Well, not really a shoestring, but you get the point.

The pearl bib necklace is mine,

and the siren stilettos belong to the model.

  

Big thanks to the talent of

Kamee June Photography

for the beautiful images!

Thanks also goes to Kalynne our amazing model

and Rachel Claire Photo for the collaboration.

And that's a wrap!!!

kitsch has class: a little kitschy

I went into Starbucks the other day

and drooled over their new bite sized

 little desserts assortments.

Half the calories, half the price,

and still YUMMY and DELICIOUS.

An idea was born.

kitsch has class: a little kitschy

half the price, half the time,

 and still PACKED FULL of makeup instruction!

This class is for you if...

you want to refresh your look,

you don't have a lot of time for a makeup routine,

you have NO idea what your doing when it comes to makeup,

or you want to learn how to try some of this summer's new trends.

I will be going over a 10 min, 20 min, and 30 min look,

makeup application shortcuts and tricks,

and ways to speed up your personal beauty routine.

Stay after for bite sized treats and girl talk :)

a little kitschy

will be held at

Hello Beautiful Salon in Corona, CA

May 28th

7:00pm - 8:30pm

Reserve your spot now.  Space is limited!

And seats are going FAST!!

investment: $55

kitsch style makeover: meredith

" I learned a lot during our time together.

Katrina got me thinking outside of the box and even got me in WHITE pants! White!

I think the biggest thing I learned is to use what I have and to accessorize. Who would have thought that throwing a belt on a dress would make it look brand new? I spent boatloads (ok, so maybe not boatloads) but more than I would like to admit on that dress, only to wear it once. Now I feel like I can get more use out of it! Throw on a necklace and a bracelet with a plain tee and you can instantly elevate your look. I would have never thought to wear a turquoise necklace and bracelet with my blue and white stripped t-shirt, but it worked.

Before this makeover I used to only buy accessories (jewelry) if the colors matched perfectly, which hardly ever happened. That meant I never ended up wearing any accessories unless they were silver or gold. Katrina taught me that contrast is good and the accessories don’t always have to match perfectly. That pencil skirt and the black top with the blue accessories?! Genius! I normally would have worn silver with that, which I still could, but the blue is more fun.

There was one dress Katrina handed me at Target and insisted that I try it on. My first thought was that it looked like something my mom would pick out but I tried it on anyway. The dress fit but still doubted it. Katrina told me to add a belt and a cute pair of wedges and the dress would work, so I trusted her. When I got home, I tried the dress on for my husband (without the accessories) and he didn’t like it. I left the room and came back accessorized (belt, cute shoes and some jewelry) and he thought I looked great! See?! It’s amazing what accessories can do to an outfit.

My husband even appreciates my makeover!

He likes my new look and he likes my organized closet even more.

There are three people I need to thank…

My husband for putting up with my million trips to the mall and Target, and for letting us girls take over the house.

My wonderful friend Lindsay of Lindsay Chavez Photo. Thank you so much for the wonderful photos and for just being you.

And last, but not least, Katrina. Thank you so much for your friendship and your fashion expertise through the years. Thanks for making me think outside of the box and for putting up with me throughout this process. Because of your love and encouragement, I feel better than I have in years and I’m finally out of my clothing rut!

This experience was such an eye-opener for me and so much fun! If you are thinking about doing a makeover with Kat, do it! I promise you won’t regret it."

Meredith Merriman

BIG thanks to Lindsay Chavez of Lindsay Chavez Photo!

Thanks for the beautiful pictures and all the laughs!!