Easy....

Few things in life are "easy" but for some certain talents/skills seem to be a little more natural or inherent than for others.

Some people are excellent cooks.
They can take a recipe and re-create it plus add flare with instantaneous perfection. 

Some are great bakers. Never met a cake/pie/tart they couldn't make.

Some people have a wicked sense of style.

They've never had an 'off' fashion day are expertly skilled at throwing pieces together and still looking stylish.

Others still are amazing crafters - they can quite literally make something out of nothing and it's AWESOME. 

I am not one of those people.

What does come "easy" for me though is makeup application.

In it's truest and purest form - it is basically art to me.

Each face is a blank canvas for me to create a new form of beauty the owner never saw.

It gives me life every time I am able to work on someones face and they look in the mirror after and go "wow. I could never do this on my own".

And I usually just shrug it off like, sure you could.

In my mind everyone has the ability to do anything.

But really some people are just not as good at some things as others are.

And that's totally okay.

Makeup has always come easy.

I re-create looks I see online, and in magazines.

No it doesn't automatically look the exact same as the images I see mainly because every skin tone, texture, eye shape and color are different but the gist is pretty much spot on.

For a long time I doubted my skill.

Really questioned if I was good enough because I don't generally look as 'polished' as the artist in department stores do every.single.day.
But then I realized - that's not who I am.

 I am a wife, mother and a makeup artist who is inspired by each freckle and mole on each face.

I am all about showcasing the beauty that you (the client) never saw before.

I want to makeup your face and have you be excited by what you see and hopefully you will utter the words "wow. I look great" afterwards.

It warms my heart when I give women a new way to look at themselves and in my mind that is what makeup is all about.

It's not about covering up any flaws, its about accentuating what you do have and making the most of that.
So yeah, putting on makeup and making up someones face comes pretty easy to me but it's not without having worked at it for years.

What comes easy for you?

Wedding Backlog - Mysheika & Ed

Remember that time I went out of town and did two weddings in two days with a three and a half month old in tow?
Here are a few images from wedding #2 in Ohio

that magical first kiss

the gorgeous wedding party

the bride & groom

**all images via Art of Exposure Photography

Wasn't she beautiful?

Of course I'm totally biased because she's family but it truly was a magnificent ceremony and reception.

In fact, I'm pretty sure her reception might have rivaled mine in terms of music and partying......

Congratulations Mysheika & Ed!!

Date Night Duo - Cat Eyes and a Slicked Center

I was pretty jazzed when my new InStyle came in the mail the other day.

Even though I rarely have time to leisurely read my magazines these days I make it a point to flip through to get ideas for new looks & trends to try.

I had a hot date with my husband last Saturday night so I  decided to keep the makeup simple yet glamorous.

The Cat Eye Liner, Eyelashes and a slicked center did exactly that.

 

Recently I have started pulling my hair back (it's been way too hot to have it down and in my face)

and  have been enjoying how it looks.

I wanted to try something a bit new (for me) and modern so I pulled it back into a low ponytail but added a side part, laid it flat in the center and then got funky by adding a small bump towards the crown.

For details on how I created the Cat Eye Liner see my post here.

The Hair-do:

 As a makeup artist I'm always willing to go out on a limb and try a new trend or re-create some look I saw online but as a mother I try to not go too overboard with my daily look.
But I was so pleased with the outcome that I know I will be trying both of these looks again!

Even my outfit was out of the box for me. Normally I would have paired something like this with some strappy heels or flashy pumps but I decided to go a little bit rock 'n roll and add these black booties I bought a while back but had yet to wear.

I loved the way it all came together. 

My husband even approved!

What trends are you interested in trying?
Is there anything you want to see me showcase here?

Practical Matters - Makeup Tips

photo via: For the Love Of

A few weeks ago I mentioned I went by my friend Andrea's house for a makeup lesson for her.

She was interested in creating a new look in under 15 minutes that would take her from day to night.

She's a lover of all things fashion and beauty but also a busy mom of 2 (#3 is on the way) and wanted to ramp up her usual makeup to something a bit more modern 

(she says she's been wearing the same eyeshadow for years) 

My goal was to give her some fun tips and tricks to apply to her everyday look while showing her a few options to take her makeup up a notch and also go from picking up the kids to date night with her husband.

I compiled a list of my top 5 makeup tips and explained each one to her in detail as well as showed her a few fun things she could add to her repertoire when she felt she needed a pick me up. 

Check out the post HERE for more details.

If you'd like to schedule a makeup lesson or makeover of your own please check out my Facebook Page 

Sweet Emotions Makeup Artistry and contact me for a date!

Traveling Menagerie

The first weekend in June I had two weddings back to back.
Saturday morning and Sunday evening.

In OHIO.

So I had to fly with all of my makeup necessities.
Did I mention I also brought my almost 4 month old baby boy?

It's hard for me to travel within the state with all of my makeup let alone pare down what I really needed for two days of bridal beauty and take it on a plane.

I have an (semi) irrational fear that my luggage will got lost and they will lose my makeup so I generally pack it in my carry-on bag.

But this time was different.

This time I had to bring everything!

What was an artist to do?

Get a new traveling makeup bag that is TSA and airplane friendly of course!

I was gifted this lovely ZUCA bag as an early birthday present and it was such a godsend.

so many pockets!

the pouches have room to label each one!

How have I lived without it?

It has more than enough room for all of my necessities (with five clear pouches, zippered pockets inside and out) AND two brush rolls, comes with a cover, has wheels and a place to sit!

I am in heaven.

Unfortunately I had to pack the bag that carried all my liquid foundations but I created an itemized list of the contents should anything happen to my checked luggage so I would know exactly what I was missing.

all this had to go in my luggage!!

I decided since I know both of brides pretty well (they're my god-sisters) I could skip a few of the miscellaneous eyeshadows and only bring the palettes I needed along with the rest of my essentials.

So thats what I did.

I created face charts prior to arrival so it would make my work easier and faster as there was no trial run since they live on the other side of the country but I didn't want to just 'wing it' either.
I needed to be prepared for any and everything.
And I was.

my main arsenal

The main things I packed were:

Smashbox Photofinish Primer

Smashbox Halo Highlighting Wand

NARS Blush in Orgasm

NARS lipgloss in Orgasm

M.A.C lipglass in Sinnamon, Oh Baby & Wonderstruck

M.A.C eyebrow pencil in Stud

Ardell & NYX false eyelashes
DUO eyelash glue

M.A.C lipliner in Spice
M.A.C 24/7 Comfort Creme
M.A.C translucent setting powder
Concealer palette
CARGO Tinted Moisturizer
Benefit Mascara - Yes They're Real
Dior Show Mascara Blackout
Urban Decay NAKED palette
(not pictured -  Red Ginger eyeshadow palette & m.a.c eyeliner in coffee)

With those items I can pretty much do anything to anyone as needed.
When I look at it all together it seems like so little but I know all those products combined with the right brushes can do wonders for a person.

So thats a little bit of my travel style.
Tell me, what products are a must for you when you travel?

Whatcha got in the bag?

Friday I took part in the What's in Your Bag party hosted by Heather at Glitter and Gloss

and shared the contents of my purse on my other blog.

And last night I thought - why not share the contents of my makeup bag on here???

Duh.

I know a lot of people are curious as to what a makeup artist carries around in their personal makeup bag so here it goes!!

Bag: 

Mesh set of 3 from Victoria's Secret years ago

I like it because I can take them apart and stash different things in each pouch for a complete set.

 Little Bag:

M.A.C Lustreglass in Sinnamon

Sour Apple blow pop

Colgate wisps

CO Bigelow Lemon &Pomegranate lip cream

Large Bag:

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzing Powder

Urban Decay Powder Brush

 M.A.C lip liners Chestnut and Spice

M.A.C eyeliner in Coffee

Sephora Mini Mascara

2 M.A.C Lustreglass Sinnamon & WonderStruck

2 M.A.C Lipsticks in Hyper & Icon

Colgate Wisps

Viktor & Rolf Flower Bomb Perfume roll-on

(Not pictured) Mini NARS Orgasm blush

Now you may be wondering - why does she have duplicates in each bag?

Well I sometimes take the little bag and throw it in a clutch if necessary.

I don't generally carry eye shadow as I will use the Orgasm in a pinch but for me it's all about playing up the shape of my eyes so if I need to 'vamp it up' a bit for evening I just layer on the eyeliner and add a few more coats of mascara.

On occasion I've also been known to keep false eyelashes just for fun but have yet to have reason to use them.

Obviously this is not all the makeup I use but just a small sample of what I will carry on a day to day basis for touch ups.

I do change it up often adding an eye shadow quad or different eyeliners as the mood strikes but these are my basics.

What do you keep in your makeup bag?

The Happenings

Things have been a bit crazy around here the last few days.

I've been busy prepping for my god-sister's weddings that will be taking place next week!

(really??? next week!? Eeek!!)

So I've been busy organizing and stocking up on all the new goodies I will need to take with me on my trip

(more on packing for a cross country makeup job later)

And yesterday I had a lovely morning makeup lesson with my friend Andrea 

image via: Instagram

(check out her blog next week for the full post)

On top of all that I'm working on the website, scouring the Internet for logo ideas and generally working on housekeeping details for the business side of Sweet Emotions.

With the new baby it's been a bit of a challenge to manage it all but I love it.

I have to say I was quite excited to work with Andrea yesterday. 

She has great energy, wonderful skin and really pretty hazel-y green eyes and I couldn't wait to jazz them up!

However I am lame and did not take any pics of my own.

(makeup artist fail)

Too busy running my mouth I suppose.

But who doesn't love to talk about makeup application????
I know I do!

So I swiped this photo from her blog for a sneak peek to show you what I've been up to lately.

image via: FourFlightsofFancy

Next week I'll have a full post on what I did to spruce Miss Andrea and also how to pack when travelling with your makeup.