The first thing most people notice about you will be your face and as a makeup artist I notice all the little things. Now to all my friends reading this dont think I stare at you and pick you apart lol. One of the biggest things I notice that often goes over looked are eyebrows. Yeah you know the lines of fur above your eyes? Many people dont realize just how important they are to framing your face. I have done makeovers on women who are shocked by the transformation just by changing their eyebrows. There are tons of ways to manage brow fur these days and along with that are price points for … [Read more...]

It's summertime, it's miserable outside and you're active. Every woman knows that leads to makeup melt. You covered up that blemish and added a perfect amount of blush to the apples of your cheeks, but the moment you stepped out into the sweltering heat, you felt like all your hard work was just running down your face. Now, you're just hoping that your sweaty cheeks didn't cause your mascara to run all over. I can't promise you that the following products and tricks will work everytime or survive a workout in 100 degree weather but I can promise you that these are no fail products and tricks … [Read more...]

Thank you to Kristi and Mary for sharing their stories. Both of these ladies are very special to me. Kristi has become one of my biggest supporters and is the sweetest woman you can meet not to mention a true beauty :) Mary and I go way back to junior high. I was lucky enough to spend alot of time with both her and her mother especially on one very fun vacation to Alabama! I can attest that her mother is trully beautiful and is one lady that I have never forgotten. Mary I remember my mother as being a bit of a hippie when I was a young child.  I don’t remember her spending more than 5 … [Read more...]

In this multi part series I will be posting local women's stories about how they have been inspired by their Mother's beauty advice. Thank you to all the ladies who sent in submissions. I am so excited and honored to share these beautiful stories.   Ashley When I think back to my earliest memories of my Mom, I always remember how glamorous she was (and still is by the way!)  She and my Dad had date night every week and it was clear she loved the process of getting "pretty" almost as much as going out!  She would spend 2 hours taking a long bath, putting on her make-up, … [Read more...]

Michelle Drake Richardson Admiration may be the perfect word to describe how I feel about my mom. She’s beautiful despite everything she has been through with her health and personal life. She never lets things get her down and can move forward and overcome the odds. My mom is not just beautiful physically but she is beautiful as a person. She is always there when I need a shoulder to cry on or when I have a life situation I don’t know how to handle. She is the first person to tell me that I am beautiful and the first one to say what did you do to your hair? The lessons that my mom has … [Read more...]

First thing is first, I dont want this article to scare people. Any of my friends and family who know me well will all say I can be intense about suncare and skin cancer. While I am overly cautious about my skin it also very important to me to make people aware that there is a real risk with our thinning ozone layer of skin problems. Now I am not going to sit here and type the A,B,C,D's of moles to you in fact if I went by that chart I would covered in scar's from skin removals. What I will tell you is what I have learned about skin/sun care and also safe ways to have a golden glow. Dr. … [Read more...]

 It's that time of year again when all things bride enter many of our lives. There's   nothing more exciting and stressful than planning your wedding day and how you are going to look the day of should not be one of those stresses. I have people ask me all the time why they should get their makeup done for their wedding day. There are a few answers and my number one is "dont you want to relax?" makeup and hair should be the last thing on your mind on the big day and hiring a professional team (if in your budget) is a luxury. The next response is, "my cousin Betty does great makeup and she … [Read more...]

It has come to my attention in recent weeks that there is a growing problem with legitiment eyelash extensions. You may have read one of my earlier columns on lashes and what to look for when thinking about getting them. After talking with several girls recently and hearing numerous stories from other salon professionals I felt like this was something people needed to know about. Before I begin with the horror stories here is my number one advice to you when even thinking about getting extensions, make sure the person doing your lashes is licensed and trained in lash extensions. You not only … [Read more...]

When I sat down to complile the list for this I figured out that I could go on forever. I tried to narrow it down to the things that we use everyday. Most of my product favorites are affordable for the everyday woman and can be found locally at the drugstore, Sephora or Ulta. I love products so much that choosing favorites is never easy for me. Clients ask me daily what my favorites are and I always get that blank look on my face. Like a kid trying to choose her favorite stuffed animal I want to say I love them all but with anything there must be favorites....and here are my winner for … [Read more...]