Walking in a Winter Makeupland...

Need some winter makeup inspiration?? I always look to the runways for this.....what some people dont realize is that makeup is like fashion and therefore ever-changing. But let's start with the basics...

The first thing I notice about someone's makeup is how their skin looks. You want your skin to look radiant and clean. So during the winter months, make sure you keep your skin hydrated! It's very easy to let this fall on the wayside, since in summer we have some help from the weather, but winter brings cold and sometimes very dry winds, which makes it easy for your skin to look dry and even flakey after a makeup application. I love Origins Checks and Balances to wash my face on a daily basis with, or if your a little more sensitive, you can stick with Cetaphil for sensitive skin. Also, at least twice a week you should be scrubbing to remove all that dead skin from your face. For this I love using Origins Modern Friction, or if you're on a budget, St.Ives Invigorating Apricot Scrub is a good alternative. Next: MOISTURIZE! Whatever moisturizer you use, make sure it's appropriate for your skin type. I love Origins Balanced Diet, or Cetaphil Daily Facial Moisturizer with SPF 15.

Now that your skin is prepped and ready, what to put on it???
At New York Fashion week we saw lots of wine stained lips, soft cat eyes, and gold eye lids. For Wine lips just think of all the varieties and shades of wine that exist. Same applies to lip color this season. You can go with a sheer blush shade, or a rich cabernet.





At the Victoria fashion show we saw something completely different. According to the brand, "the total beauty look for the 2011 show was natural, feminine and glowing -- fit for an angel." They stook with radiant and natural glowing skin and lots of eyeliner ;)











Here's a step by step on how to create the Angel look straight fromthe makeup artist at the fashion show, Tom Pecheux:

MAKEUP: FACE & CHEEKS
Step 1: Prep skin with VS PRO Airbrush FX Face Primer SPF 20 ($18, victoriassecret.com) to create a supple canvas for makeup to glide on. Using a foundation brush or a damp sponge, buff on a tinted moisturizer.
Step 2: Conceal any skin imperfections with a concealer using a brush or your finger.
Step 3: To warm the skin, apply VS Baked Mineral Bronzing Powder in Glitterati ($16, victoriassecret.com) over the face, concentrating on the top of the forehead, the temples, the cheekbones and the jawline.
Step 4: For that rosy flush, swirl a light pink blush onto apples of cheeks pulling color slightly up towards the temples.
Step 5: As a finisher and for that iconic and angelic glow, dust VS Brilliant Shimmer Shadow in Gold Dust ($12, victoriassecret.com) onto temples and along the tops of cheekbones.

Note: The bronzer, blush and gold highlighter should blend seamlessly into one another.

MAKEUP: EYES
Step 1: Start with an eye shadow primer on lids as a base for the eye look.
Step 2: For under-eye circles, darkness or puffiness, swipe a liquid highlighter under eyes.
Step 3: Pop VS Brilliant Shimmer Shadow in Gold Dust ($12, victoriassecret.com) onto the brow bones and the inner corners of the eyes. This will really open and enhance the eyes.
Step 4: To get ultra-flirty eyes (the focal point of the makeup), run a black liquid eyeliner along upper lashline, starting at the inner corner and extending slightly beyond the outer corner for a slight upward cat-eye wing. [Note: It should look very natural -- the liquid liner should not be overly dramatic or too thick.]
Step 5: Finish eyes with coats and coats of the volumizing and lengthening mascara in black on both top and bottom lashes!

MAKEUP: LIPS
Step 1: Start with a gentle lip scrub to exfoliate and replenish lips so they are perfectly smooth and plump.
Step 2: Apply VS Perfect Lipstick in Whisper (a pink champagne nude beloved by makeup artists and the VS Angels) ($13, victoriassecret.com) to lips.
Step 3: Top the lipstick with a coat of VS Lip Gloss is Sublime (a sheer coral) ($12, victoriassecret.com) or VS Sparkling Lip Gloss in Delight (a sheer sparkly pink) ($13, victoriassecret.com), concentrating on the center of the mouth for added fullness and shine.


A girl can always use options, so go ahead and try any of these looks this season, and let the compliments roll in!

Have a sassy day! ;)

Porcelain Bride with Mineral Makeup

Back in May, I had the opportunity to do Isabel's wedding makeup. She is my husband's cousin, so it was an honor and a privilege to help her achieve her vision of what her wedding day makeup should look like.

Isabel is very fair and has sensitive skin, so she only uses mineral makeup, which presented a challenge, because theoretically, makeup artists are taught that mineral makeup is not the best choice when flash photography is involved, since mineral makeup tends to come in larger particles, and catch light in an unflattering way. But I went with it. First on our trial run, because we wanted to be sure her pictures still looked great, and guess what? They did!

With the right primers, we were able to make it work. Isabel's complexion looked porcelain-like.

Isabel's theme was all earthy rich tones like sage, chocolate, and rust. I loved that she was a very hand's-on bride. She even made some custom hurricane lamps out of candle wax with callalilly appliques. They were gorgeous! See more of her work at http://albisacandles.com/.

For her eyemakeup, I used a smashbox sage tone all over her lids, and added depth with a Gap Beauty chocolate tone. I added MAC Goldmine in the inside corners of her eyes, and highlighted with some of my Auraline palette shades on her browbone. I added light eyeliner, and strip lashes for drama, and we were done with her eyes.





Also I contoured her cheeks with a bit of bronzer and brightened the apples of her cheeks with a peachy blush from Auraline as well.



We stuck with nude colors on her lips, along with a matching gloss. Here's our finished product.





Congrats Isabel and Albert! We love you guys!

To all my followers,

Have a sassy day! XOXO

Silvia O.

The Sunkissed Bride

Erin is my lovely minimalist friend. So needless to say when I had the opportunity to do her makeup and hair for her wedding I was honored, but also I was challenged to give Erin the look that her minimalist taste required. I decided to go with a sunkissed fresh face.

For her eyes we went with golds a bronzes. I primed her eyes with Soft Ocre Paint Pot from MAC to start off. I used Goldmine (MAC) eyeshadow on her lids and inside corners of her eyes. In her crease I used Amber Lights (MAC), and added some depth in the outer corners of her crease with a chocolate brown from Gap Beauty. I also used this same brown to line under her eyes lightly to dfine her eye shape. I highlighted her brow bone with a matte shadow one or two shades lighter than her skintone from my Auraline Beauty palettes. I finished off her eyes with heavy black liner, and some flirty strip lashes to give her those pretty bombshell eyes.

I primed her face with Smashbox's Photo Finish, then added foundation, and set it with some translucent powder. For her cheeks, i used MAC shimmer bronzer on her cheekbones, and contoured with a matte bronzer under the cheekbone.

Her lips were a frosty shade of pinkish gold also from my Auaraline lip palette. The perfect combo for that first "married" kiss.

The results....





Her is Erin with her handsome brothers :)


Eri, thanks for letting me contribute to your big day <3 Love ya!

A Wedding Look for Diana

In April I had the pleasure of making up the lovely Diana for her special day. Being that she does hair and makeup as well, I had some big shoes to fill! She was very pleased with the results.
I wanted her lovely face to scream "adore me" so on her eyemakeup, I went with a palette of pinkish mauves, toned down gold, and some chocolate brown to add depth and line under her eyes. I kept the color in her cheeks and lips consistent with the mauve theme. She was truly a blushing bride. I also did Diana's wedding hairdo :)





Here are some taken while I was working on her...




Love this cluster!! All images and editing by the talented Liz Saldana lizsaldanaphotography.blogspot.com


Diana striking a SASSY pose ;)

Bridal Beauty Dont's: Top 13

We polled hundreds of wedding beauty experts for their top tips for brides who want to put their best face forward -- and we couldn't believe the results. Here they are!

1. Don't drink wine or eat dark-colored foods like berries.
Unless you want to capture a stained smile in your wedding photos, you should avoid foods that can tint your pearly whites. To get 'em extra pearly, invest in a professional teeth-whitening service. On a strict budget? "Crest Whitestrips work magic!" says Melissa Roshan of Make-Up by Melissa Roshan in Columbus, Ohio. "Start any whitening regime about one month before the wedding."

2. Don't tan.
Not only are you putting yourself at risk of skin damage, but getting too dark a tan can look unnatural in wedding photos. Especially if it's a spray tan gone wrong. "Nothing says Jersey Shore more than an orange bride in a white dress," says Hingham, Massachusetts, makeup artist Kelly O'Keefe of Blush. "This is one of the worst looks, and it's not fixable!"

3. Don't get your first-ever bikini wax just before your wedding.
If you plan to wax your bikini line, begin the process at least three months beforehand -- or face the consequences. "Waxing that area becomes less painful each time, and you'll avoid major pain, swelling, and irritation on your wedding night," says Houston makeup artist Jen Marine.

4. Don't change your birth control, skin-care program, washing detergent, etc., less than six weeks before the wedding.
Sure, that fabric softener might be on sale, but that new rash you get from it? Hardly a sweet deal. "You don't want to introduce new products because you don't know how your skin will react," says Los Angeles-based makeup artist Elle Leary.

5. Don't get a facial, get your brows waxed, or cut or color your hair two days or less before your wedding.
"Get these services done a week or so beforehand," says Atlanta-based makeup artist Raney O'Keefe. "Then you have plenty of time to remedy any ‘oopsie-daisies' that may happen!"

6. Don't ingest excess sodium the week before the wedding.
That means no salty foods, sauces, dressings, or salty deli meats. Instead, choose low- or no-sodium everything starting at least seven days before the wedding. "Sodium holds 50 times its weight in water, so you can shed two to five pounds the week before the wedding just by doing this!" says Liz DiAlto of Fit, Healthy and Beautiful in New York City.

7. Don't flat-iron your hair before a trial or on your big day.
That cute, flat-ironed hairstyle you had for your rehearsal dinner is going to wreak havoc on the curly look you're planning for your ceremony. "If you're aiming for soft, romantic curls on your wedding day, you need to have fresh hair," says Samara Binder of Bridal Beauty Chicago. "That means if you flat-iron your hair the night before, make sure to wash it out!"

8. Don't sit around in your bra the morning of your wedding.
Makeup artist and hair stylist Nicole Francavilla, of Beauty by Nicole in Orange County, New York, says this is the best way to avoid those unsightly pink indents on your back and shoulders (especially if you're wearing a strapless dress!). And if you're wearing your hair up but don't wear your hair up often? "My suggestion is to take an Advil with your breakfast to eliminate the possibility of an updo headache," she says.

9. Don't skimp on water!
Double up on your water intake for at least one month prior to the wedding to keep your skin clear and glowing. You should also limit the toasting at your prewedding parties. "During the rehearsal dinner, try to switch back and forth between alcohol and a glass of water," says makeup artist Adriana Fontes of Adriana Fontes Makeup Design in Chandler, Arizona.

10. Don't forget your beauty emergency kit.
Trust us -- and hair and makeup expert Megan Garmers (MG Hair and Makeup) -- when we say this will be a lifesaver. Include different sized safety pins, double-sided sticky tape, a small sewing kit, a small pair of scissors, a bleach pen, bobby pins, hair spray, blotting papers, gum or mints, a razor, deodorant, Band-Aids, a small packs of tissue, nail polish remover, clear nail polish, an emery board, a nail clipper, makeup remover wipes, tampons, and anything else you think you might need. "Be prepared for what can go wrong so it doesn't ruin your day," Garmers says.

11. Don't forget to touch up!
It's okay to be a little high-maintenance -- bring a touch-up bag and actually use the products at the reception. "You may have hired the best makeup and hair professionals you could find, but if you're cutting a rug on the dance floor and drinking Champagne like France is going dry, chances are you'll break a little sweat and your lip color will wear off," says Chicago-based makeup artist Adriana Aude.

12. Don't cry off all your beautiful makeup!
Tears will happen, so it's important to know how to weep correctly. "Hold a tissue in each hand. Then press the tissues in the tear duct and let the tears run into the tissue -- and keep changing the tissue," says Catherine Sullivan of Fresh Face Chicago. "This keeps you from rubbing your face and eyes and ruining your beautiful face."

13. Don't forget your makeup artist or hair stylist!
Trust us, they want to see how beautiful you looked! "Remember to send at least one picture to your makeup artist," says Stephanie McKenzie of Stephanie M. Make-Up in the DC metro area. "Doing so enables your makeup artist to build a fantastic portfolio and, more importantly, your beauty will be showcased for all to see."

-- Justine Lorelle Blanchard for theknot.com

And here is one one my bride's that graciously allowed for me to photograph her finished look. The lovely Mavi was a client that quickly became a friend. I love when clients become friends!

Have a sassy day!

Oh-la-Lauren!

Last fall, i had the privilege of collaborating with talented up-and-coming photographer, Liz Saldana. We decided to let our creative juices flow, and see what the end results were. Here are the fruits of our creativity!

Makeup: Silvia O. (myself)
Photography and Editing: Liz Saldana, http://lizsaldanaphotography.blogspot.com/
Model: Lauren A. (also a gifted fashion designer)


















Thanks for a fabulous shoot ladies!

Intro......Welcome!

Hi there! I'm Silvia, and welcome to my blog! In an effort to make my clients lives easier (the life of a bride can be hectic!) I have created this blog to provide you with updates on some of my recent projects, and some insight on wedding planning, and resources, since I do work very closely with lots of fabulous vendors!

I know it can be nerve wracking to find a makeup artist and hair stylist (yes i do hair too) who fits your style, so I will be posting pics of my work, as well as other helpful articles for all your wedding beauty needs. Having been a bride myself not too long ago, i know how important it is to find someone who really listens to your needs, and comes to you. So follow my blog, and tell your friends about it!

A little about myself: I'm 28 years old, and a Latina born and raised in Southern California. I service the Los Angeles and Orange County, and received my makeup certification in 2006, but have been working in the industry since 2000. On May 25th 2008, I married the most affectionate man on earth at The Clarke Estate in Santa Fe Springs......Here are a couple of MY wedding photos.


Have a sassy day!