Beauty Tips

Wouldn't it be nice to have all your beauty tips and tricks in one spot?  Well today I am going to highlight some of our favorites here at Ma Nouvelle Mode.  These are tutorials we have done in the past and since Christie and I are preparing for our big relaunch next week, we are recapping a bunch of fun stuff for you this week!  Let's get started!

This first one was a really fun post to do.  We were selected to as a part of Daily Buzz: Style's top 9 for a day to night makeup challenge.  So I did my take on Day to Night makeup ideas.  Here's what I came up with:

Next is one of my favorite makeup posts.  I have recently become obsessed with bold lip colors.  It feels like if I am not wearing a red or a pink, my look is not complete.  Therefore, I had to write a post on How to Wear Bold Lip Colors.  It was featured on The SITS Girls as well!  I had fun with it because I did a little stop-motion video to go a long with it.  I am no professional and do not claim to be, but I thought it was cute, and the French music definitely helped it along!

I also wrote a post back in December about my waxing experience here in France.  It's rather funny, because it's a rather funny experience!  But if you get a chance to read it, make sure you also check out the comments as well, people are hilarious!

That's all for today folks, hope you enjoyed it and have a great day!

We'll be linking up to all the parties here.

 

 

Spring Makeup Trends

Aahhh springtime!  Isn't it something we all look forward to after those long, cold winter months?  I know I do!  When the sun starts to shine and you start to feel the warmth on your skin... oh, so lovely.  Another fun thing about spring is that it brings with it a wave of new styles and colors to brighten your day!  These colors are reflected in our wardrobe, maybe even our skin tone and most definitely our makeup palette!  So I am going to talk to you about some fun makeup trends for Spring.  Ready?  Let's do it.

Fresh, Natural Face ~ This Spring we are seeing a lot of fresh faces out there.  All this means is that less is more!  No more heavy, dark makeup, or tons of foundation.  Just some concealer if needed, light foundation, and mascara is beautiful.  It is kinda refreshing to change it up and let your face breathe.  Try adding a little bronzer to your T-zone to make it seem like your face actually did see the sun for the last 4 or 5 months! (all the while wearing sunscreen underneath!)

Colors ~  Spring most definitely ushers in a beautiful array of bright fun colors.  I'm not talking about bringing back the eighties or anything (although I think they're trying to make a comeback), just enough to brighten up your face and leave the dark colors in the winter.  Personally, I also think it can help in brightening your mood!  Here's how you can bring more color to your face:

• Lips - I talked about how to wear bold lip colors back in January, so I hope you have all taken that challenge and rocked it yourself!  Spring is a perfect time to continue to rock the red, but also to add some bright pinks/ fuchsias, sheer light pinks, or even some orange if you're brave enough!
• Eyes - I love to keep my eye colors light and simple.  We see a lot of this for Spring which I am absolutely loving.  Try some sheer or shimmer instead of dark and smokey.  If you want to do a smokey eye, experiment with using pinks, purples, golds, and metallic colors.  But always be sure to keep the inner corner of your eyes light to keep them bright and cheery!  {A smile helps with that as well!}
• Cheeks - Once again, bring on the color!  Pinks, shimmers, or a beautiful bronze color on the cheeks is  a must-have in spring.  Especially when you add it to a beautiful, fresh face, you have all you need!  Try a tan/pink blush to add some color to your cheeks and your skin tone as well.

Brown Liner - Spring is a great time to step away from dark, black liner and move into softer brown colors.  They go great with the brighter, lighter colors discussed above and give you less of a harsh look.  You can still rock the smokey eye for girls night out and all, but for more of a softer Spring-y look, use the brown.

Prominent Brows - This one goes perfectly with our natural fresh face -- in fact with any of them!  It has been seen throughout all the runway shows and is big this spring.  Thankfully, my mom never let me pluck or wax my eyebrows too thin, but if yours are, try filling them in with a shade a tad bit darker (not too dark!) to add prominence.  You can also try growing them in if possible.  Just let your aesthetician know.  They may be able to help!

So there you have it!  Some popular spring makeup trends for 2012!  Now let me be clear here, these trends are not meant to be used all together.  They are just ideas for you to create a new, fresh look for a new {and hopefully fun} season!

Have a great day!

 - Natalia

Daily Buzz Style 9x9 - Day to Night Makeup Look

Good Morning, everyone, and Happy Friday!!  I hope that this week has been treating you well and you are ready for the weekend!  I know I am.  I am leaving for Sweden on Sunday!!!  Without the kids!  Can I get an amen??  AMEN!

Have you ever heard of Daily Buzz?  You should check it out if you haven't.  Basically, they scour the Web looking for the best content in a related category.  They have Daily Buzz: Style, Moms, Healthy Living, Luxe, and Tech.  Well, I have been selected to create a day to night makeup look and compete with 8 other bloggers to win!!  I am so excited about it and obviously, it was a lot of fun to do.  

As you might know, I am a mom.  What you might not know is that I used to work.  I used to supervise people two and a half times my age.  I used to have anywhere between 40 to 60 people under me.  When I was 23.  But now I supervise two very adorable, yet very challenging little boys.  There are lots of car noises, bodily functions, racing, falling, hitting, biting, and wrestling.  Can you guess which one was harder?  

So this project was fun.  I got to go back to my single days and act like I was going to work.  I put on a high-waisted pencil skirt and my new favorite booties just to fit the part.  Now I am sure there are women who read this blog who are single and hold a job.  Even mamas that juggle both worlds.  I am gonna take a guess here and say most people reading have held a job at some point in their life.  And I don't know about you, ladies, but when I get up in the morning, the last thing I am thinking about is super fancy makeup.  I still love to wear it, but I keep it super simple.  

I am going to start by showing you my everyday makeup.  I also kept in mind that the makeup I put on for daytime had to transition to my night look.  For example, although I think fake lashes look best with a smokey eye, I don't really want to wear a smokey eye to work.  Instead I paired it with a strong, black liner on the top lid.  Little more appropriate for the office, doncha think?

I also just chose a super glossy, sheer-pink lip gloss.  I  knew I was going to switch it up for the evening look, so I kept it simple.  My favorite is e.l.f. super glossy lip shine in Honey Do.  Love that stuff.  (And it's 1 buck at Target!)

Here's the skinny on my daytime eye makeup.  Start with a base.  I use concealer and a neutral tone shadow. You can also use a primer for your lids.  I added a beautiful brown-ish color to the creases.  Enough to add definition to my eyes, but not too much to make it too dark.  I blended it with a lighter color on the inner lids and a highlight on the brow bone.  Then finish it off with the bold, black liner and mascara.  You can also do a cat eye for some more fun!

Here is my finished look:

Pretty natural, kinda boring, perfect for work!  I also tied my hair up with a pencil because I figured that was appropriate!

Now here's where it gets fun.  Enter in some hot red lipstick.

You could probably stop there because a bold lip just adds so much to your look.  But that wouldn't be too fun, now would it?  So we are gonna amp it up and add some lovely luxe blush and powder.  The blush enhances your cheek bones and adds a little shimmer that is perfect for your night out.  The translucent powder is perfect to kinda refresh your foundation without having to add an entirely new face.  Some under the eyes can help freshen up any dark circles that might have formed during the day... that probably doesn't happen to you, but you know just in case.  

Now the final pizzazz!  A night out is not complete without a set of false lashes, if you ask me.  I love them and wish I could have them permanently sewn onto my lids or something.  I try to wear them every chance I get.  

These particular lashes are rather long and would look better with a smokey eye.  But they were fun to rock anyway!

Now go ahead and take that pencil out and let yo hair down, ladies!  Cuz it's time to paaaar-taaay!

Here is my final look:

Then some outfit posts as well.  Gotta get it in!

And two more pics of the final look:

So what do you think?  Do you like it?  Do you have any day to night supa tricks?

Now this isn't part of the deal with Daily Buzz: Style or anything, but I thought it would be super cool that, if you liked my ideas and my post, you head over to their Facebook Page (and like them if you are so inclined - they have some super awesome stuff!) and leave a comment saying you loved my post and that I sent you to say hi!  I would really supa love ya forever!

I hope you have a great weekend!  Maybe you can use these tips for tonight!

Tips for Wearing Bold Lips

Have you always dreamed about wearing a truly bold lip color but are just too afraid to try?  You think you wouldn't know how to apply it, or what color to choose.  I understand.  I was there.  Until this last year, when I started to try to experiment with bolder colors. I fell in love and trust me, there is no turning back.  Since then I have come across a few tips that I would love to share with you.  Let's make a statement, ladies!!  Let's be fabulous!! And hopefully you can start wearing bold lips too!

Choose your color wisely.  Wearing bold lip colors will draw attention to your beautiful lips.  Wearing the wrong color is not the right kind of attention you want.  Here some tips when choosing a red:

Fair skin - Blue based

Dark complexion - Orange based, deep reds

Medium complexion - Anything goes!
*When in doubt, pick a true, classic red - it flatters everyone!*

Still not sure?  Go to a makeup counter at Macy's or Sephora and ask them to match the color best for you.  Wear it around for the afternoon and see how you like it.  Once you know you love it, and you will, buy it!  Make sure you wear it out in public at least 5 times to give it a true chance!

I also want to encourage you to try other forms of a bold lip.  For example, my current favorite is a hot pink by MAC.  It is definitely bold, but a nice alternative to red. 

Seen in this post

Start with clean, smooth lips.  As I am sure you have guessed, if your skin is cracking or chapped, it might not be the best time to try a bold lip.  Slightly exfoliate before applying

Apply with nude liner.  Using a red liner risks the color not matching and the color potentially bleeding onto your skin.  Remember the whole bad attention thing?  Ya, that would be it.

Be precise!  This is not a job for the review mirror!  Take your time in your mirror at home and apply neatly. Apply the lipstick to the center of your lip and then use a lip brush to smooth out to the nude liner.  Then make sure you have the products you need to reapply later in the evening if needed. 

Make sure everything is... clean.  You know the upper lip. Sometimes we just need to handle business up there.  Just a quick wax, bleach or Nair (whichever works for you) to take care of it.  You don't want attention drawn to your beautiful lips only to be drawn up a little bit to of a... well... a hairy situation.

Keep the rest simple.  The rest of your makeup should be very simple.  I would suggest not wearing them with a bold, smokey eye.  Unless you are Gwen Stefani, you want to make your lips the star of the show!   Some matte foundation, good concealer, and a natural eye with liner just on the top lid would be perfect.

                                                           
Confidence!!  This should be number 1.  If you walk around like you own it and you've been wearing it all your life, guess what, people will think so!!  No one will know it took you an hour to apply and the reason you're in the bathroom every 7 minutes is to check if it's smeared.  Own it, rock it, know you look hot and I guarantee, you will.

I have put together a little video on applying bold lip colors.  I kept it short for all you busy ladies, so take a look! 

Have a great day!
Enter the Holiday Photo Contest here!  You could win a scarf, frenchie coffee, & a free ad space for a month!

 

This post was originally posted over at The SITS Girls, but I thought I would share it with you all as well!  Hope you enjoy!

Tips on How to Wear Bold Lips

Good morning everyone and Happy Monday!

For all of my friends who stop by often and know me well, guess what?  I have a guest post up today.  On a little blog you may have heard of.  It's called SITS Girls.  I think you would love to go check it out, I am giving a few tips on how to wear bold lip colors.  Here's a teaser...

Now there might be a few of you stopping by from SITS to see what this 'bold lips' girl is actually about.  Well, let me do a quick intro.  If you would like a longer version, you can check my about me page!  My name is Natalia, I live in France with my Bahamian husband and two handsome little men.  My husband plays basketball here, and we enjoy traveling the world together.

I started my blog last year when I was feeling pretty down and unfeminine.  Living with 3 guys can do that to you, there isn't a lot of girly-ness going on in our house!  So this is the place for that!  I come here to chat with you guys about all things pretty and inspirational.  I love to do hair tutorials (which are all on my youtube channel), share some makeup tips, and some of my outfit choices as well.  I also like to share recipes talk about some crazy things that happen when living in a foreign country.

I hope that you find something interesting for you.  Grab that cup o' joe and sit and stay a while!  (your boss will never notice!)  If you would like to subscribe, RSS feed link is up to the right.  Make sure you leave a comment too, I love meeting new people!  And isn't that what SITS is all about?

Happy Monday!

My Makeup Favaorites ~ Part one

Today I bring to you some of my favorite makeup choices, both expensive and drug store brands.  Sometimes it is justified to spend more than normal on a key beauty product!!

Let's start with the eyes.  For the expensive version of mascara, I use Christian Dior, DiorShow.  Hands down the best I have ever tried.  However, as of late I have not been very impressed with this mega label.  It has been a little dry for my taste and doesn't elongate like it used to.  Funny enough, I am not the only person who has mentioned that!

My inexpensive, drug store brand that I have been loving is Luminous by L'Oreal.  It is inexpensive and definitely does the job.  I might be faithful to this one for a while!

How about shadows?  Well, you might have guessed from the many times I have mentioned it, but I truly love me some Eyes Lips Face.  It is truly affordable ($1 people!) and does a great job.

For the more expensive version, I would go with MAC.  Love their products overall, but the shadows are great. Unfortunately, because this is in the more expensive category, I don't own very many... boo.

Now for the lips.  I have been very into wearing bold lips lately.  my absolute favorite is a bright pink by MAC called Show Orchid.  It is beautiful.  I bought it on a recent trip to LA when I was feeling empowered in the London Airport.  I spent the whole flight trying to come up with ways to justify this to the husband and found none.  Then I stopped trying to justify it and just embraced it and it turns out, he didn't say a thing!  Just "oh, that's what you bought in the airport.  I was thinking magazines couldn't have been that expensive."

My less expensive favorite for bold lips is by Maybelline called Very Cherry.  Sometimes I mix this with a e.l.f. color called Posh for a deeper red.

Well, what do you think?  These are just a few, and I will be sure to post a follow up with some other beauty favs of mine.

What are your favorites?  Inexpensive or otherwise.  I am always looking for a new buy, especially in the inexpensive department.  :)  But I still want to hear what you splurge on!

Happy Tuesday!!

30 Days of Beauty ~ The Smokey Eye & Giveaway!

It seems like a very popular makeup request is the smokey eye.  Probably because it looks intimidating and hard to do.  Well, I want to prove to you that it actually isn't!  Anyone can do it.  Seriously, anyone.  So what do you think?  Do you want to learn how to do a smokey eye?

Here is the outfit I paired it with.  Now, take into consideration that this was on a Sunday and we didn't leave the house.  The boys were playing games and I took this unique opportunity to play dress up!  

I like the look with the belt tied around the scarf, but this scarf is a bit too long.  So I wrapped it around my neck. Voila!  Kinda Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen chic, huh?  I liked it. 

Cool or creepy?  I can't decide...

Pin It

Now holla if you want a video tutorial of these super smokey eyes with false lashes (ya, you guessed it, I only wish those babies were real)!!  Oh wait, I got one!  And guess what, I got a little something else for ya too!

Want to win a Smokey Eye set?  

Well, I want you to!  Just so you can try it.  One winner is going to win a Smokey eye kit, shadow stick with liner, eyelashes (all from e.l.f.) and Duo glue!!

 I know you can't wait!  Let's keep it simple.  Be a follower here and gimme a shout-out whether or not you would try this look.  And then share it in some way shape or form (just let me know how you did).  That's it!! I am gonna pick a winner Friday, Good Luck!