Join Elke as she demonstrates her professional makeup techniques,
step by step in this ‘how-to’ video series.
Elke's stories:
Wishing you a holiday season, filled with beauty, joy, and peace.
Thank you for letting me into your lives and sharing my beauty adventures with you.
This past year has been amazing and I so look forward to next year.
Happy Holidays!
peace, elke
See you after New Year’s Day.
foto: phillip ritchie
makeup/hair: elke
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I gotta say, my folks are the best.
Because:
1. I get exactly what I want.
2. Since I rarely ever shop for myself, it’s a treat.
foto: thegrovela.com
So off to The Grove Shopping Center (in Los Angeles) I go to partake in the holiday decorations (beautiful!) and view the super tall tree, and watch everyone’s version of winter dressing in our colder than usual (55 degrees in Los Angeles?) weather. Ugg boots abound (zzzzz) and little dogs seemed to be the accessory of the crowd. Santa was super busy taking pictures with the gazillion kids all dressed up to sit on his lap. So adorable.
So shopping I go for what? Makeup? nah…. I have a ton of it. Clothes? Yep! And what’s wrong with me? Usually my sleek, neutral, simple lines, classic tailored kind of me is now reaching for soft, romantic, fuzzy, pink, peach, and buttercup kind of clothes. Wha???Am I now getting all girly? Me, the girl who would rather be shot than wear pink is now getting all cutsy.
Then there was the stop at Bath & Body Works. It’s been a while since I’ve been in here and boy have they changed. Packaging is truly eye catching and makes you want to buy one of everything. The only thing I couldn’t get around was the over the top smells of their holiday body washes and lotions. Scents like Spicy Gingerbread, Caramel Corn, and Twisted Peppermint were awful. Their Wickedly Hot Chocolate smelled the best, but overly sweet and way too rich, but then that’s kinda how it should smell, no?
So I decided on their Signature Collection Holiday Shimmer Mist in
Warm Vanilla Sugar. and their Warm Vanilla Sugar Body Wash. Yum! The spray on shimmer looked great on.
Also, Santa arrived early this year on my door step. My E.L.F. cosmetics order that I place about 2 weeks came! About $50 dollars worth of goodies…. plus the gorgeous Holiday Collection from Estee Lauder.
Reviews coming very soon. I promise……..
Technorati Tags: personal, the beauty newsletter
December Issue:
In this issue:
THE BEAUTY MAGAZINE
COLOR PALETTE” Gold
STYLE OF THE MOMENT: Silver & Gold
MY INSPIRATION
MUST HAVE PRODUCT: Dark Polish
YOUR DAILY FIX: Horoscope
GUEST ARTICLES
BUDGET FOUNDATIONS
Best Foundations under $12
by RS
VICTORIA’s SECRET MAKEUP
An insider’s review
by RS
THE SMOKY EYE:
Makeup Techniques to Get this Look.
By Kristin Vic
BEST HOLIDAY GIFTS
For Women Ages 25-30
By Julianne Navarro
HOLIDAY CAKES
by Ellen of
Lipstick, Powder ‘n Paint
HOLIDAY BEAUTY TIPS
from The Beauty Blog Network
sponsor ad: from E.L.F. Cosmetics
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The Glitterati hearts Cinema Secrets concealer. It makes her look like she actually sleeps sometimes.
Lipstick, Powder ‘n Paint say “Don’t forget the boys this holiday!”
Mystical Beauty’s Mini Review of Darshan Beauty.
LAST DAY! From ZZ’s Petals:
Thru December 15th. in their online store, ZZ’s Petals is
offering a buy one get one free. Purchase one 4ml parfume Extrait in the Signature Collection and receive a 1/4 oz. EDP free. (your choice)
http://www.zzspetals.com.
From This Old House, never underestimate the power of cosmetics, to take care of house repairs:
From All About The Pretty, read her version of “Twas the Night before Christmas”. For all the beauty-aholics in all of us, I couldn’t have said it better myself.
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Why I Do What I Do.
Every now and then, I sometimes stop and ponder, if what I do is really that important. Makeup and models in glossy magazines does seem very superficial and so based on image and it’s twisted perception. Of course, this train of thought always seems to happen during a slow month. When the jobs aren’t that frequent (like December) and my days are slower when I can breathe a bit. And my father always inevitably asks, “When are you going to get a real job?” (He’s been asking me that since high school…)
But then I stop and think of how important image truly is. To yourself. Forget society and what they say and do. Who cares? Image is only important in your eyes. That’s what counts. And it took a TV appearance to get me to see that.
And I’ll never forget that day.
No, not a TV appearance with me. But for 20/20 or one of those shows, the one where Maria Shriver was a host. Remember way back then? This was so long ago, back when I was in college. I got asked by a prestigious hospital to do the makeup for one of their patients that was going to interviewed by Maria Shriver. And it was a big deal.
You see this patient was a women, young, married with two little boys, who had cancer and was undergoing a new type of chemotherapy that was drastic, radical, but it seemed to work. I walked into the hospital room and was greeted by this amazing women, who had simply, no hair. No eyelashes, no hair, no eyebrows. Gone. Her husband and two little boys were there as well. And I went to work.
And when I finally got done with her, she smiled and said, “Thank you. I feel so beautiful.” I walked out of the room to see Maria Shriver walking down the hall, and her husband and little boys came out of the room to join me, as they started their on camera interview. Her husband, with tears in his eyes, said to me, “Thank you. That was the first time in a long time that I’ve seen my wife smile.” And it hit me. What she said. She didn’t say thank you for making her ‘look’ beautiful. She said thank you for making her ‘feel‘ beautiful.
Just a few years ago, I was asked to be the special makeup artist for a very special teenager through the Make A Wish Foundation. Her wish was to be a Celebrity for the Day. And I, as her Celebrity Makeup Artist, was to accompany her to a movie premiere, a walk down the red carpet, photo shoots, a dinner in her honor and everything else a celebrity might do in one day, complete with Limo rides and autograph seekers. What an amazing day. And it took everything I had not to cry that entire day. Because that great big smile on her face, lit up the entire world. When I got back from NY just recently, I got a belated note from her mom saying that she just graduated high school. And is doing great.
She will always be my favorite celebrity.
You see out of all the famous models and celebrities I do, these two ladies are who I remember and think of almost every single day. I will never forget them.
That’s when it all made sense to me. What it is I do. And how it’s all connected. Image connects to how you feel. You think you look beautiful, you feel beautiful. And that’s the most important thing of all. Because who really cares if you’re wearing the latest denim jean, or best selling lipstick, or that you’re a size 2, 6 or 8 or 22? It shouldn’t matter to anyone but you. Because you live with how you feel everyday, and if my one little makeup application can make someone feel great, then, I’ve done my job.
That is why I do what what I do.
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Laura Geller Baked Beauties Collection ($100 Value)
What it is:
Three richly-hued compacts of multi-toned marbleized pigments ranging from blush to bronze hues, swirled together into a radiant liquid, poured onto terra cotta pans, and baked for 24 hours into a soft, creamy powder – plus lipstick, mascara, and Spackle foundation primer.
What else you need to know:
Set includes
full-size Blush ‘n’ Brighten in Golden Apricot (bronze, gold, and rose); a Balance ‘n’ Bronze Split Compact (half in pink, tan, cream, and bronze, and half in soft tan, peach, and cream);
Baked Eye Shadow in Unearthed (bronze, chocolate, and champagne);
plus a Creamy Mascara in Black,
Lipstick in Peach Melba (bronzed rosy peach),
and a 1 oz Spackle foundation primer mini
in a clear, zippered travel bag.
(above text/photo: Sephora.com)
Ok, I’ve been waiting, and waiting to be able to tell you about this. I got this a few months ago, and probably like most of you, I’ve seen Laura Geller on QVC.com and know somewhat of her products, but had never tried it. When I got this in the mail, I was somewhat curious.
I open, I try. I LOVE! Amazing. And it’s NOW available.
The best part?
Her Baked shadows and blush. Fantastic. The colors are absolutely gorgeous, stay on f o r e v e r. And look gorgeous both in the compact and on. Swirls of shimmer and color, where you can blend all together to get a wash of color, or pick up in on one spot for a light or dark version (as in the eye shadow). Can I just say, i wear her blush in Blush ‘n’ Brighten in Golden Apricot almost every day now.
Her other items?
Balance ‘n’ Bronze Split Compact (half in pink, tan, cream, and bronze, and half in soft tan, peach, and cream) works more as a shimmer for the cheekbones or face… beautiful and subtle.
The mascara is very light and gives a fair amount of color and length but don’t expect a major lash over haul. Dark color and length is more this mascara’s style.
The Lipstick in Peach Melba (bronzed rosy peach), is a soft creamy lipstick that lasts fairly well, though the color wasn’t my style. I also ended up using it as a cream blush… works great there..
The only disappointment was the 1 oz Spackle foundation primer mini. It went on nice, no feel and tackiness but it didn’t appear to do anything different at all. I didn’t notice any change in my skin, foundation’s appearance or wear what so ever. I’ll be sticking with my Smashbox Photo Finish.
Her “The Baked Beauties Collection” is ONLY available at Sephora.com for $55 (normally $100). Try it, you’ll be thrilled…..
Laura Geller Baked Beauties Collection ($100 Value) for $55
Other items from Laura Geller:
Laura Geller Beauty Dews
Laura Geller Color Confections
Laura Geller @ Sephora.com
See other “Baked Beauties” Reviews from our Beauty Blog Network:
Beautiful Makeup Search
All About The Pretty
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PRODUCT REVIEW: Whish
I “Whish Upon a Star…..No, I’m not having a spelling problem. It’s “Whish”. Have you heard of it? It’s the cutest new product line addicted to women’s shaving… As they say on their website:
“Crafted exclusively for women with essential oils and natural ingredients, this is a lusciously soothing, lingeringly moisturizing and surprisingly simple way to shave. What more could a girl wish for?”
A gift idea: Their Mini Shave Crave $32.00 ea.
You get one each Shave Cream of
Pomegranate,
Lemongrass and
Almond scents.
Mini Shave Crave is:
hypoallergenic,
not tested on animals, and
made in the U.S.A.
I tried their Almond shave and the smell is heavenly!!! Pomegranate also, but not quite my style. Lemongrass? My fav.
The product works better if you like to do a ‘dry’ shave. Just apply on dry skin and shave away. The scent makes the whole experience decadent and it really helps protect your skin against razor burn *ouch, and nicks and cuts. It also leaves skin softer, but not greasy or oily.
Then finish off with their Shave Savor.
shown: Lemongrass Shave Savor.
Also available in Pomegranate and Lemongrass.
It’s just a little aftershave treat for your legs to leave them soft, with a light fragrant. Cucumber, sage and peppermint is added to soothe and soften.
But the best part of all?
OOOOH girl, you know you gotta have one. Their Crystal Demi Body Brush. In different colors, this brush transforms the Shave Crave into a complete experience.
The Crystal Body Brush is handmade in England from 100% fine badger hair and is jeweled in fine Swarovski crystal. $95.00 ea.
If you want to know the story behind Whish, you gotta check out their “Our Story” page.. soooo cute!
Technorati Tags: product review, the beauty newsletter, Whish
PODCAST: HOLIDAY LOOK: The NEW Smoky Eye
foto: style.com
FOCUS:
In the crease
COLORS:
coppers, shimmering browns, coppers, soft grays.
PLAY UP:
A stronger eyebrow.
It’s all about the NEW smoky eye this season. Gone are the dark shaded lids and all over black shadow. Now, it’s a different focus and technique. I call it the new smoky eye.
On the Podcast:
New colors to use.
Shimmering or matte bronzes, coppers, browns, warm grays.
How to apply in the crease perfectly.
The right brushes to use.
How to change your eyebrows for a holiday look.
The colors to use to create the new smoky eye.
How to apply shadows in the crease perfectly.
How to find the crease placement.
How to complete the look.
The all over shadow brush to apply a lighter shade:
tarte All Over Eyeshadow Brush, Sable Hair
Angle Crease Brush
Vincent Longo Angled Contour Eye Shadow Brush, #31
Squirrel’s Tail / Crease Brush:
NARS Makeup Brush, Large Domed Eye
Smudger Brush
NARS Makeup Brush, Smudge
Listen to this Podcast:
Holiday – The NEW smoky eye
19 minutes
PRODUCT FIND: Tarte The Good Life Mini Cheekstain Set
from Sephora.com
NEW
LIMITED EDITION
The Good Life Mini Cheekstain Set
What it is:
A set of three mini cheek stains.
What it is formulated to do:
These three mini cheek stains are sure to give you that girly glow that’s mixable, blendable, and super natural.
Set includes three .17 oz Cheek Stains in Tipsy (sheer peach shimmer), True Love (sheer watermelon pink), and Glitzed (sheer rose with gold glitter).
The Good Life Mini Cheekstain Set
(sheer peach shimmer, sheer watermelon pink, sheer rose with gold glitter)
Item # 957530
$30
Tarte The Good Life Mini Cheekstain Set
from Sephora.com
product/text from Sephora.com
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