Monthly Archives: December 2009

New Years Day Makeover

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I love this time of the year… so much to do. Today is our wedding anniversary…how time flies. I can’t believe it’s about to be 2010. Anyways…let me get on with today’s entry.

My sister left for Las Vegas yesterday.  Before she left, she wanted me to give her a new look to bring in the New Year. To achieve this…I put in her FIRST hair weave. It was quite an interesting experience, to say the least. The hair we used was Virgin Indian hair. The great thing about this type of hair is you can dye it just like you would your real hair. She wanted a two toned look to match her real hair color, so we left the back of the weave in the natural black color. I also gave her a quick makeover/ lesson to match the “Vegas Atmosphere”. During the makeover lesson, I showed her how  she could recreate the look on her own, using her new eyeshadow palette. This is how the makeover turned out.

Adeola

 

And another one...

I know she will have a blast with her new look. I am still debating my New Years day plans.

Thots,

Tiwa

Featured on The Lookbook by Onada!!!

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I was featured on Onada’s Lookbook as part of her “Blogger Interview Series”.  Her blog was one of my inspirations while starting this blog. I had been procrastinating about starting for a while…and talking to her definitely made a big difference. She had some really helpful tips to help me keep at it. She is such a sweetheart…and I feel honored she chose me as one of the bloggers to grace her fabulous blog.

I hope you all have lots of fun activities planned for the holidays. I have a few things up my sleeve… will keep you posted 😉

Thots,

Tiwa

The Purple Flower

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I had a dental appointment last week. It was such a rainy day and I was trying to get indoors as soon as possible. As I was walking into the dentist office, I saw something that made me stop dead in my tracks. I took a step back and I had to reach into my purse to get grab my camera. This is what I saw:

The Purple Flower

Amazing…right?

The Puple Flower...So beautiful!

The Purple Flower

It has to be the most beautiful flower I have ever seen. It was huge (about 11 inches diameter). I thought it might be a peony, but I am not sure. If any of you know what this flower is called please let me know. It really inspired me because it still looked so pretty even with the rain beating down on it. It was like it was standing up to the rain and looked even more radiant. The beads of water that formed on the petals are soo cute to me. It made me think we have so much to be grateful for. When we think we are going through a stormy day, we can be resilient like this poor little flower, lol.

Anyways…this flower is the inspiration for a makeup look I have coming up. I will post the pictures as soon as I can.

Thots,

Tiwa

Edit: My friend just told me it is called a decorative cabbage

iPhone vs. BlackBerry

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This is random, I know 🙂

If you had to choose between these two phones, which one would you pick and why? Thanks in advance for your feedback.

The Apple iPhone

iPhone

 or

 

The BlackBerry® Bold 

 

 

Blackberry

 EDIT: I ended up getting an iPhone and it was the best decision I ever made…phone wise 😉

 Thots,

Tiwa

 

THE SMOKEY EYE…Your Way

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One of the top requested looks I get from my clients is the smokey eye look. I personally love the smokey eye, because you can make it your own. You can mix it with bold colors or just keep in neutral with browns and blacks tones. It also looks great paired up with nude lips or with bright lips…. you can really do whatever you like.   

Below are some before and after pictures of two models I worked with recently. The two looks are completely different but both have a smokey touch. The first look is more traditional with black and browns. For the second look I used bronze and purples to achieve the smokey look.    

Before the Smokey Eyes

After, with Smokey Eyes

 

Another look...

To achieve the smokey eye  look on this model, I used the following items:
 

Eyes:    

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Black Bean  (all over lower lids)   

MAC in Carbon (on lids and under waterline) 

Barbie Loves MAC in Beautyburst  (in crease, mixed with some Carbon eyeshadow) 

Vanilla Pigment (to highlight the brow bone)  

L’Oreal Hip Color Truth Cream Eyeliner w/ angled brush (to line her eyes and waterline) 

Mac Eye Kohl Pencil in Smolder  (in waterline, to intensify look) 

Cover Girl Lash Blast Mascara   

*************************************************************************************** 

I also worked with the beautiful Nolana at a photoshoot. I had so much fun and she is a pleasure to work with it.   

Nolana's before picture...looking cute.

Nolana, after...looking FIERCE!

Close up on her eyes, after taking it up a notch.... Smoking!

I achieved her smokey eye look with the following items:

Eyes:    

MAC in Bold and Brazen (inner lids) 

Ben Nye in Cosmic Violet and Amethyst (middle of lids) 

Tara Orekelewa Eyeshadow in Dark Purple (outer “V” and crease) 

Pro MUA Gold Dust (to highlight the brow bone)  

Liquid eyeliner 

Red Cherry Lashes in # 113 

If you have specific questions that I didn’t cover, please leave me a comment or send me an email and we can talk about it 🙂  

Thots,  

Tiwa   

Update!

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Happy Tuesday!!

I have been meaning to give an update about the Basics in Beauty class I attended last month. The class was taught by Sam Fine. I didn’t really have any preconceived ideas of what I would learn or what Sam Fine would be like in person. But as soon as I stepped into the auditorium, I knew I was in for a treat. I was sooooooooooo impressed with the whole event/ training. The folks at the Bennett Career Institute are amazing. Meeting Mr. Chet Bennett and Ms. Nicole was one of the highlights of my visit… they are soo down to earth and they put me in the front row… WHAT!!! You should have seen how I was cheesing, lol. I was staring right into Mr. Fine’s face, with a longing look the whole time, lol. They did a great job organizing the event. They also had a surprise birthday cake for Mr. Fine. If you are in the DMV area and are looking for a school to attend for cosmetology, makeup artistry, barber-styling or hair braiding, this is the place for you. It has a real family feel. The school is also clean and conveniently located in DC.

The birthday cake… it was yummy!

Now on to Mr. Fine himself….he has such a pleasant personality and he is also a really funny man. I mean really funny, which really threw me off, because I didn’t expect that. He had us all cracking up. But seriously he is a great teacher, which makes sense because education is one of his passions. Very fitting! If you ever get a chance to see and learn from Sam Fine in person, I would recommend you jump at the opportunity. He is an amazing makeup artist. But in the mean time get his DVD, which touches on some of the points we learned in the class. You can check out my previous post for more about his DVD.

Some of the things that really stood out to me at the class are:

  • The importance of aligning yourself with the right people. It will take you far as a makeup artist.
  • Don’t be scared to bleach eyebrows to make a better canvas to work with while creating the perfect eyebrow shape.
  • Free your mind of all products and brands. The brands you work with do not show your true ability as a makeup artist. Your skills are what set you apart from the rest.

Below are some pictures from the class:

Mr. Sam Fine doing what he does best!

His finished work… Isn’t he great???

 
 
 

 

Mr. Sam Fine and I

 

Have a Fab day!

Thots,

Tiwa

Tip of the Week: Using eyeshadow pigments as lip color

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Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving holiday. I spent time with my family and friends and had a blast.  I am looking forward to Christmas…I have 2 weeks off at work. I will use the time to catch up with LIFE, lol.  But really this year has been amazing and I can’t wait to see what 2010 has in store. But let’s get back to the topic at hand…I would like to share a tip with you guys, so here goes….
 
There are no rules when it comes to applying makeup. Improvisation is something we should all do to make our makeup collection go a long way. Using eyeshadow pigments as a lip color is one way to do this.  Some people use pressed eyeshadows, but personally I find it easier to work with pigments. I am able to pack on color with ease.
 
You will need:
  • Lip exfoliator
  • Small eyeshadow brush- You can try Sonia Kashuk’s Small Eyeshadow Brush
  • Lip brush
  • Your favorite lip liner
  • Your favorite eyeshadow or pigment
  • Optional: Clear Lip gloss

Make sure to exfoliate your lips. Satin Lips, Lip Mask is a great product.     

First, line your lips with the lip liner of your choice. Using your small brush, pick up some pigment from the lid of your container. Press it to the middle of your lips, then continue to add more color to the rest of your lips. You can complete the look by applying some clear lip gloss with a  lip brush, or you can leave the lips as-is for a matte look.     

Here are my lips using 3 different pigments:     

Bronzy Gold: I used Rimmel Lip Pencil in Coffee Bean and BM Pro Eye Lights in Burnt Sienna

HD Pink: I used MAC Lip Pencil in Nightmoth and BM Pro High Definition Loose Paint in HD Pink

Fuchsia Dreams: I used NYX Lipliner Pencil in Purple Rain and MAC Pigment in Jardin Aires

Fuchsia Dreams Reloaded: This is the same look as the picture above, I just added some BM Pro in HD Pink and clear lip gloss

 

I am still looking for my dream camera, so please bear with me… the photo quality isn’t great, but I hope you get the idea  🙂

Thots,

Tiwa