Tag: beauty blog

Dinair: Airbrush Makeup

k150_19heel iconA few months ago at the Mimi Mae opening party, I met two fun ladies from Dinair  who told me the awesome benefits of airbrush makeup. I’d never tried it before and was curious about how it work and what it looks like. They said, “stop by and get a demo to see for myself.”

So I did just that. Dinair has its corporate headquarters and a groundfloor showroom in the North Hollywood area, where you can get an airbrush makeover to see how the tool works and test-run the product.

Set up with Vanity Girl Hollywood makeup mirrors* and an assortment of little bottles in all shades and colors, I was shown how to load the airbrush tool with a few drops of foundation and use the right amount of pressure to apply for light to full coverage. The airbrush feels like cool air being blown on your face as the foundation mist is so light it never feels wet.

I was then given some blush and choice of eyeshadow – I chose a champagne color with some dramatic shading of dark blue. My makeup artist was even able to do eyeliner by holding the airbrush close to the skin and using a dotting technique. She also filled in my eyebrows with the help of a stencil.

She finished off the look with some highlighter on my cheekbones and a quick blast of  “sealer” all over.

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I looked in the mirror and loved it. The foundation was so smooth and the coverage was way more even than I get with regular makeup applied with a sponge, my fingers or a brush.

I wore it out for the night and the makeup stayed put. I only had to do a little powder on my nose late into the evening but other than that, no shininess or creasing.

I was impressed. Want to try it? Ring up Dinair and get a demo. They’re open on weekdays and Saturdays. The kits are available in the showroom or for purchase online starting at $129 for the Personal Basic Makeup System. They also have more extensive professional artist systems, a body kit for “Air Tans” (a little more involved as you’d probably need someone to do it for you and a tent to stand in so it doesn’t go all over the room.) I was also intrigued with the stencils to do body jewelry, temporary tattoos and wild eye makeup.

Get airbrushed!
Kastle

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Tag: beauty blog

How to Create Faux Bangs

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heel iconYou may have noticed, bangs are the “it” hairstyle lately. It became official when First Lady Michelle Obama stepped out a couple of days before her husband’s inauguration sporting a rockin’, heavy bang hairstyle. I love bangs, but unfortunately, my wavy, thick hair simply won’t let me have them. So I’ve had to learn how to create faux bangs.

Trust me, I’ve tried to make my hair do bangs. I usually end up with clumps of hair curling into an unsightly claw-like disaster on my forehead and no amount of setting gel and straightening iron can give me natural, wispy bangs.

If you feel my pain but would also like to have bangs, there’s also a new trend of just clipping in some extensions. Now we’re talkin’! I found this video from beauty guru Michelle Phan that teaches you how to make your own with some items from the beauty supply and super glue!

You can also buy clip-in bangs at most hair supply stores. Some are quite expensive. I found some nice affordable ones by Jessica Simpson/Ken Paves on Amazon.If you’re ready to make the cut and get some real bangs, check out this article on how to pick the right bangs for your face shape HERE.

For my retro gals, you can do what I do, and roll ya some “Faux Bettie Bangs,” as in pin-up model, Bettie Page.

For more bang looks, check out the Stiletto City Pinterest board “Bang Bangs!”

Bang your own drum,
Kastle

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Tag: beauty blog

Violent Lips and Eyes: Get Your Sparkle On!

k150_16heel iconThe holidays are over and it’s always a bit sad when the decorations have to come down and everything looks so blah without the sparkle. I found a way to bring some festive spirit back – in your look! Check out Violent Lips and Eyes, glittery and patterned lip color and eyeshadow that is applied as a stick-on decal. I don’t care how good you are with a makeup brush, you’ll never get these looks yourself!  Violent Lips come in all kinds of animal prints, stripes, polka dots, even checkered.  Violent Eyes come in colored glitter and a Union Jack pattern. They are so much fun for an extreme look, a bold party statement or a costume/ theme look.

Shop the Glitteratti Mix Collection at ViolentLips.com*

Shop Violent Eyes at ViolentLips.com*

And with the Superbowl approaching, you can rock the colors of your favorite team with Game Day lips!*

Source: violent-lips.tumblr.com via Stiletto on Pinterest

 

And be sure to check out their videos on how to apply Violent Lips and Eyes.

Sparkle via YOU!
Kastle

Photos from the Violent Lips Tumblr page via Pinterest.
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Tag: beauty blog

Pro Beauty Tips: False Eyelashes

k150_16heel iconNeed a beauty boost? Why not start the New Year wearing glamorous, flirty lashes? Whether you’re a regular false eyelash wearer or someone who’s been wanting to try them but doesn’t know where to start, I have some tips for you!

I met celebrity makeup artist Elle Leary at an Ulta Beauty demonstration for Eylure Lashes and not only did she make me up with fun Katy Perry lashes, she had some awesome tips for applying lashes (and was a super nice person to boot!) So I just had to interview her to find out all of her pro tips and we dished on an exciting new lash line Katy Perry has in store for you in January!

Read my article on Lashes 101 in my report for Yahoo! HERE

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Lash out in 2013!
Kastle

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

Katy Perry Lashes and Stiletto City Lash Tutorial Video

Eyebrow Stencils: Put Some Wow in Your Brows

Lip Color That Lasts

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Tag: beauty blog

Beauty-ful Holiday Gifts Sets

k150_16heel iconEvery year, my mom asks me to send her a list of what I want for Christmas and the tradition began that the list is always beauty products –

for one, because she loves shopping for them as much as I do and for two, there are so many ultra cute beauty box sets that come out for the holidays.

This year I put together a list for YOU of some of the great sets I found to put on your wish list or gift to someone else.

Click here to check my list of products from Benefit, Kat Von D, MAC, Too Faced and Sephora in my report for Yahoo!

KVDStarryEyePalette

SephoraColordazeBlockbuster

Here’s to a beautiful holiday!
Kastle

*Photos provide by Sephora PR



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Beauty Party at Mimi Mae Boutique

k150_14heel iconLos Angeles is a town of beautiful people and one thing I love about it is there is no shortage of experts who help boost that beauty.

This week I attended a party at the newly opened Mimi Mae Beauty Boutique in Studio City – a posh little place, freshly painted in sky blue with black trim, punctuated with a rock ‘n’ roll edge. They’re ready to give you all kinds of primping and fussing from makeup makeovers to manicures to waxing and the feature a host of products and talented people to help you look your best.

You may recall my recent report on how Maxine from Vanity Girl Hollywood* has made beauty bars the new entertainment – this was definitely what she spoke of! With one of Maxine’s sleek, bright Broadway vanity mirrors taking center stage in the boutique, we were offered lip color makeovers with OCC Lip Tar (my fave!), samplers of DermOrganic and natural oil aromatherapists Terra Body and henna tattoos from Opal Moon Henna, which I just had to try. The place was filled with beauty lovers – my kind of gals – and I met all kinds of people representing new fun products and services I can’t wait to try! Check out the party pix below.

And shop for the Vanity Girl Makeup mirrors as seen in Minnie Mae Boutique here!* Don’t miss their 200% off sale Feb. 1-3!

MMparty1Beauty Party!

MMparty2With celebrity facialist Lauren Young London

MMparty3Vanity Girl Maxine with writer Barbara Beckley

MMparty4Fabby gets tattooed by Opal Moon Henna

MMparty5I add silver sparkle to my tattoo

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See ya at the next party!

Kastle

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Tag: beauty blog

Vanity Girl Hollywood: Bringing Glamour to the Party and the Home

Living in Hollywood, an abundant amount parties and clubs is a regular perk of the city.   At many events you’ll find a DJ, a bar, maybe even a goodie bag full of product giveaways. But one entrepreneurial woman is offering something us beauty lovers can really get behind – mini makeovers to liven up your look while you’re out. Maxine Tatlonghari, founder of Vanity Girl Hollywood*, began bringing beauty bars to the party – and I can’t believe we went without them for so long! If you are lucky enough to attend an event she is at, you can grab a cocktail, sit down in a chair in front of one of her fabulous mirrors, and have one of her “glam posse” of professional makeup artists give you big, sweeping eyelashes or a colorful new pout.

CLICK HERE to read all about it in my recent report on Yahoo! on how Maxine is setting a new trend of beauty bars as entertainment.

CLICK HERE to  check my previous Stiletto City feature interview on how Vanity Girl Hollywood came to be.

SHOP for your own Vanity Girl Hollywood Makeup Mirror!*


Be the star you are!
Kastle

Photo courtesy of Vanity Girl Hollywood
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Tag: beauty blog

Nail Art: Polish, Press-Ons and Stick-Ons

I’ve become addicted to nail art. I used to never pay much attention to my nails. In my hurried, blogging life I’m pretty hard on my nails. I was thrilled when quick-dry polish came out because I could make my nails look half decent in a jiffy. But it always chipped away after a couple of days.

In watching the current booming nail art trend (see my growing Pinterest board), I found myself fascinated with all the possibilities of achieving really beautiful or funky nails. So I’ve started experimenting with polish – matte, glittered, french tips in offbeat colors, ombre and gradient looks. I’ve come up with some cute looks and some real disasters! It’s all about practice, practice practice – and just having fun with it! A quick tip – YouTube has some great nail art tutorials so check them out!

Kimmie Kyees Press-On Nails for Elegant Touch

A couple of options in the stores these days just may be my favorites for getting a quick, fun look that is durable to boot – press-on nails and stick-on polish. Plus, I had the good luck of catching celebrity manicurist Kimmie Kyees do a presentation at ULTA Beauty for some great application tips. Read all about it in my latest beauty article for Yahoo! HERE.

 Bling Envy Wraps Stick-On Nail Polish by Elegant Touch

Nail it!
Kastle

Review samples of Elegant Touch nail products were used for this blog. See Disclosure.



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Tag: beauty blog

Eyebrow Stencils: Put Some Wow in Your Brows

I have eyebrow envy. When I see a girl with really great eyebrows, I can’t help but stare at them. For some reason, my brow natural shape never looks quite right. Perhaps it’s because I shaved them in my teens to draw them in all crazy and punk rock. Now they are getting their revenge. But I have found something that helps – eyebrow stencils.

Since I discovered this handy little item, I’ve never looked back and I have three brands I like to rotate for different variations on my chosen “medium arch.” Read all about ’em in my beauty article for Yahoo! HERE.

I’ll raise a brow to that!
Kastle

Products mentioned in this blog were purchased by the author. See Disclosure



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Beauty Tips: Get Your Skin Glowing For Summer

Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start of summer. That means, time to go outdoors and have some fun! But wait, that skin of yours has been hibernating for months; how is it looking? It could be dehydrated, dull or “boo!” white as a ghost! Face it, you might want to take a few steps to get your skin in shape. Here are some ways to get your skin glowing again, and put your best face forward.

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You glow girl,
Kastle
Products mentioned in this blog were purchased by the author.  See Disclosure.



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