My L'Oreal Make-up Pics for Your Make-up bag

I have more make-up than I need but I cannot help myself.... especially when I find a good deal.  One of my favorite brands that I like to use on Celeb photoshoots is L'Oreal. Here are some new products that will work for you, as well, like the Voluminous False Fiber Lashes and their Studio Secrets Face Primer, True Match Foundation finishing with Visible Lift Under Eye Concealer. I love lip glosses and their le Gloss is a new favorite. (There are a great range of colors.) And don't forget to use a night moisturizer... I'm loving the Advanced Revitalift Night Cream, it absorbs into the skin and is non-greasy. Try these for yourself.....  Enjoy!!
                     
                    Loreal Must Haves by missval14 on polyvore.com

        

                                                                          -Valerie

3 Gorgeous Make-up Looks featuring NYX Cosmetics

I love make-up and with so many brands to choose from, I usually mix and match.  I recently started using a lot of the NYX Cosmetics line and I did a few of the editorials for our current issue of Regard Magazine featuring this fabulous make-up line. This line is really luxurious and the variety of colors gives me endless creative choices. Here are 3 different looks you can try at home.

Plus don't forget the importance of removing your make-up at the end of the day, ..... Check out their extra gentle but effective Eye and Lip make-up Remover.

Here is the NYX make-up breakdown for Erica Cerra's smokey eye look....
HD Photogenic Studio Foundation in Natural

Powder Blush in Espress

Slide on Pencil Eyeliner in Black

10-Shadow Palette in Haute Model

Fly With Me Mascara

Jumbo Lip Pencil in Iris

Mega Shine Lip Gloss in Crystal

                                             Erica Cerra for RegardMag.com Issue 9

Here is the NYX make-up breakdown for Caity Lotz' 60s-inspired look.......

Liquid Make-up Foundation in Natural

Slide on Pencil Eyeliner in Black

Trio Shadow in Honey Comb

Doll Eye Mascara

Powder Blush in Terra Cotta

Mega Shine Lip Gloss in Sweet Heart

Caity Lotz for RegardMag.com Issue 9

Here is the NYX make-up breakdown for Sandra Vergara's beauty-inspired look.......

HD Photogenic Studio Foundation in Sand Beige
Loose Face Powder in Medium Beige

Slide on Pencil Eyeliner in Black

10-Shadow palette in Versus

Eyelashes: Dreamcatcher

Mega Shine Lip Gloss in Juicy Pink

                                    Sandra Vergara for RegardMag.com Issue 9

Make-up Essentials....My favorite picks....

So, I've been really busy the past few months, working on the new issue of Regard Magazine and doing hair and make-up for an up-coming reality series (with a few Red Carpets sprinkled in). This has been a great few months, though, because I love to be busy!  The next issue of Regard Magazine Issue 8 (available onliine on June 15) is on fire so here are a few behind the scenes from the shoots we did with Blogger, Fashionista and YouTube sensation  Dulce Candy and Actress Claire Coffee (who is in the new TNT show, "Franklin and Bash.")

                                             Val and Dulce Candy for RegardMag.com Issue 8

                                                Val and Dulce Candy for RegardMag.com Issue 8

                                         Val and Claire Coffee for RegardMag.com Issue 8

Since I've been doing so much make-up, I wanted to share some of my favorite go-to products that I love to use. Many are drug store brands (I'm a big fan of many of them) but all are essentials in my kit.

For Face: I've never really liked primers until I tried this one by Celestine Signature Color Cosmetics... It leaves the skin soft and silky and makes foundation application a breeze.

Celestine Signature Color Cosmetics

Maybelline's Fit Me Pressed Powder is a great a great finishing powder that can be worn over foundation or alone as a light base.  I love the texture of this powder and the colors include colors for golden toned skin.

Maybelline's Fit Me Pressed Powder

P.S. I found out about Maybelline's Fit Me Pressed Powder from the fabulous Ms. Loretta Devine when I did her for the May cover shoot for Ebony.  She wanted to know if the powder that she just bought was a good choice and when I tried it, I loved it. Thanks, Ms. Loretta....

My favorite trick for creating amazing cheek bones is to use a highlighter at the top of the cheek bone.  This one by The Balm is amazing because it has a fine gold shimmer that works on any skin tone. You can also use it to highlight under the eyebrow or as a shadow base.  

                                                  Hot Mama highlighter by The Balm

Eyes: 

I almost always use fake eyelashes when I do make-up so I don't know which mascara works the best on natural lashes.  But my favorite mascara for my kit is Maybelline's Volum Express Classic.  It really plumps up the added lashes and makes them look really fabulous. 

                                                  Maybelline's Volum Express Classic Mascara

I usually use gel liner because it stays put when it dries but lately I've been mixing in a little liquid liner (Thanks to a tip from Dulce Candy) from Wet n Wild for a more dramatic look. 

                                                              Wet n Wild Liquid Eyeliner

Lips: 

I am really a fan of using a lip liner, filling in the lips with the color and then using a gloss on top.  Most pencils are thin but I love the jumbo lip pencils that are sort of a lipstick and pencil in one.  One of my favorites is the Elf Studio Matte Lip Color. They are a great for lining and as a base under any lip gloss color.

                                                               Elf Studio Matte Lip Color

I love mixing lip glosses to get unusual colors and I love color with lots of shine.  So some of my favorite glosses are the Diamond Sparkle Lip Glosses from NYX Cosmetics. They have  a smooth moisturizing texture and lots of shine.

                                                              Diamond Sparkle Lip Gloss

I also love the Celestine Signature Lip Gloss Trio.  Great color and shine without being sticky.

                                                    Celestine Lip Gloss Trio    

Make-up Essential....New Hot Pick...Celestine Signature Line

I had the chance to check out the new make-up line from the brains behind the famous Celestine Agency.  Renowned for decades for its roster of top makeup artists and hair and fashion stylists, the Celestine Agency has been delivering style to some of the biggest names in Hollywood. 

By tapping into the collective creativity of the agency, combined with leading cosmetic research and development they have formed a “beauty think tank.” As a result, CSL products are made in small batches using the highest quality ingredients and the latest in cosmetic technology, including smart molecules and minerals that create a flawless finish from the fairest to the darkest skin tones. All are paraben- and fragrance-free, with no animal testing.

I really like the line and find the foundation one of the first to really match my skin color with minimal transfer (It doesn't rub off on my clothes) and all day wear. It's like I'm not wearing foundation....  My Thanks to CSL and Angelika Schubert for the fabulous products....


If you want to check it out for yourself click here.

Primer

The essential first step to optically minimize lines, smoothing the skin surface and allowing the foundation to glide on with long-lasting effectiveness. It also contains vitamins A, C and E and antioxidants – so, along with extending the wearability of your makeup, this unique primer nourishes your skin all day long.

Foundation

This is lightweight and water-based foundation that creates a soft, silky airbrush finish that’s perfect for all skin types and remains barely detectable throughout the day, even at close inspection and under high definition

Pressed Powder

Their waterproof pressed powder creates the perfect finish over the primer and foundation, or it can be applied on its own when you find yourself just running out the door.

Duo Blush

Created with sunflower seed oil  and cornstarch to alleviate any oiliness while providing a lightweight blendable color.

Mascara

This is a lush, vitamin-enriched mascara that boosts volume and curl with every stroke. 

Lip Gloss

Has rich pigments and creates glistening color while it hydrates and protects lips from dryness all day. The colors have been selected to wear well on a wide range of skin tones – whether by itself or applied over other lip products. 

For more info check out Celestine Signature Line or to order...

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Favorite Make-up Essentials.... Palettes

I love eye colors and I have increasingly become addicted to palettes. I am loving that the packaging on many products are becoming more green and it has seemed to lend itself to make-up companies creating more compact color palettes.  Here are a few that I love....

                                     Sephora 5-in-1 Color Palette

This collection comes with five runway-inspired sub palettes, each its own color story. The five sub-palettes can be removed from the main array to fit easily into a conveniently portable compact. Each of the five sub-palettes includes: - 10 eye-shadows - 2 lip colors- 1 blush

                                        Sephora Colorful Artist Palette

This 15 shade highly intensive pigment shadow palette offers smooth, long-lasting coverage with antioxidant protection.

                                    Kat Von Dee True Romance Eye Palette

A palette of eight passion-inspiring eyeshadow colors from tattoo artist Kat Von D. Everything you need to create a beautiful smokey eye.

                              Bobbi Brown Pretty Powerful  Palette

This palette features four beautifully wearable soft pinks and browns for eyes. Plum blush and a shot of bright pink for lips complete the look.

                                
                                     Lorac Private Affair Palette

This mini palette includes six highly pigmented eyeshadows of shimmering neutrals, silvery grays, and sparkling purples. It also contains a compact drawer that holds a mini eye primer and double-ended brush (blender and smudger).