beauty brands presents: laura geller

i was asked to attend an event at beauty brands to celebrate the launch of a new make up brand: laura geller. um, of course i said yes, why not!? 

i love changing up my make up routine and testing out new product. plus this laura geller make up is basically organic (very few chemicals, just needed to hold it all together) with great pigmented colors. 

so i got my whole face taken off, got a little moisturizer, primer called spackle (great for evening out your skin texture evened out and ready for make -up), and then bb creamed. loved it. and amber (who did my make up) gave me some great advise. she told me to exfoliate to get rid of all the dead skins cells, as she then informed me we're just like snakes, hilarious. but, i got it. and i loved the bb cream. if you haven't used bb cream before (like me, i know a little late to the party, but here we are) its pretty great for those who like light coverage. so, for spring/ summer (if it ever comes) it's totally perfect! also, it's great for baseball games (go royals), after your done swimming (amber and i both agreed that no one ever looks good after being in the water all day, and this is a now my summer necessity), oh and great for a quick grocery store face (hello saturday mornings). 

this is the fabulous amber. she was so talented and just did her thing, and gave me tips and tricks along the way. i've got some great ones below. she played up my eyes and taught me how to properly apply highlighter (thank goodness). 

here's the finished product, and below is how amber did it. 

she started out with the baked marble eyeshadow duo in pink icing/devil's food. i was drawn to the dark brown and the shimmer. 

step 1:amber used a brush like this to brush the pink color (left side of the palette) all over my lid. 

step 2: she then used a brush like this to create a more defined darker crease using the dark brown color (right side of palette). she started in the middle of my lid, where my crease is and blended the brown out the the corners of my lash line, and then in toward blended the colors to the middle of my lid. 

step 3: amber then used brush #2 to pick up more of the purples from the pink side, and rubbed it along the bottom of my eye. she started in the middle of my lower lash line and moved toward the outer corner.  

step 4: added eye liner to the top eye lash line, this creates a fuller look for your lashes

step 5: curled my lashes and applied mascara (always in black)

now moving on to properly highlighting your face. amber showed me (below) to brush highlighter on properly. 

step 1: amber grabbed a brush like this and loaded it with highlighter, tapped off the excess and brushed the highlighter along the tops of my cheeks. 

step 2: she then loaded her brush again with higlighter, tapped off the excess and brushed the highlighter along the top on my nose. 

i love the look highlighter gives, it just makes the make up look real and not too cakey looking. 

amber finished the look with a little bit of powder (to give a little more coverage), blush (lightly, right on my check bone), and lip gloss (to give a natural look). 

i have to say i was really impressed with the pigment and how well the make up held up. i have been using the hydrating lip crayon like lip gloss and i love it. i've never used anything like it, and i love it. it goes on sheer, but has great color. you can layer it on over and over to get a deeper color, and makes your lips feel good.

if you're looking for a new line of make up to try, i recommend going into beauty brands and having them show you the line. also, they have this great started kit, that make's a great mother's day present too (or keep it for yourself) great value for the amount of product you get! 

xo,

cait

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ulta store opening

i had the honors of attending the grand opening of the new ulta beauty store that opened out south. it's located on 135th in between metcalf and nall. awesome! love having a location closer to me! but my budget might not, haha. the store is huge and filled with over 20,000 products ranging from drug store brands to high end brands. for the event they had a nyc based tarte make up artist - giving tips and tricks, brow bar (i indulged by getting mine done), a braid bar (just for the night), complementary treats and drinks too. i really enjoyed getting to chat with all the make up artists and other bloggers about their favorite products. ps - i am now going here all the time for any beauty product i need. they really know their stuff, so ready and willing to help. made for such a great event!

i love bare minerals and have for almost 10 years now! (wow, that makes me feel old). i can remember when my step-mom bought me, my first starter kit, i was a freshman in college, and i didn't have a go-to foundation that i really liked, until bare minerals, and i was in love. i had never used a powder that covered so well and gave my skin such a luminous glow. i've recommended this product to numerous friends. i can honestly tell you, if you're looking for a new make up routine, i would highly suggest going to ulta and having them set you up with some bare minerals. ps the moxie lip gloss is my newest obsession. it's a little bit sticky, so it stays on well. plus, they have a great tomato red and berry pink. 

the big easy by benefit is the hot product of the moment and i found out why. it is one of those magical bb creams that goes on like a liquid, but covers like a powder. sounds pretty good to me. oh, and it balances out the moisture to control shine, and adjusts to match your perfect complexion.  hello! awesome! now, i totally understand all the hype.

if you ever wonder how any girl gets that perfect dewy radiant glow look, this is the product they are using. there wasn't a girl in the store that didn't already know, and use the benefit high beam highlighter. i apply is directly on the tops of my cheeks with the nail polish styled brush, then lightly blend the highlighter into my skin. that's it and i am good to go. i highly recommend buying this!

checking out the benefit lip and cheek stains. you can apply these just like the highlighter, awesome product to have in your purse to add a little rouge to your cheeks and lips, when you are on the go.

the adorable andrea from style my way learned how to create the perfect cat eye. you can check out her ulta experience over here. i love a good cat eye and loved getting to see how it all turned out. she looked gorgeous, of course!

i totally got hooked up by anna an esthetician at the ulta event (she's there all the time too) at the brow bar. i'm not one that "goes to get her brows done" but, i thought, tonight, why not? anna did such a great job shaping and cleaning up my brows, they look great. plus, she used some magical cream to make the area around my browns not look red, at all. i was amazed. i think i have now turned into a girl that "goes to get her brows done." do you go to get yours done? what are your favorite tips and tricks?

anna's tools

ulta hosted a wonderful event and it was so nice to get to hang out with morgan from eeny meeny miny mo, meg from chasing davies, erin from pretty, polished, perfect, andrea from style my way, sandy from sandy a la mode, sarah with sarah scoop and co-founder of go blog social with kathryn . can't wait to see y'all at go blog social!

ps - check out ulta.com for all of their products! they have great "how to use" segments for all of their products. enjoy!

xo,

cait

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