Since eyes are the "windows of the soul" I think it is time to do a little lash 101 and see why we're so obsessed with those pretty little hairs that makes our peepers Picture Perfect!

The need to accent our lashes originates from the basest of human needs: sexual selection and protection; longer, luscious lashes capture viewers attention and allows us to catch and hold Mr. Perfects gaze. This picture taken by Stephen Curry for National Geographic in 1884 has become iconic:

Longer lashes make our eyes appear larger in relation to the rest of our face which occurs naturally with babies. This triggers an inherent need by the observer to protect and nurture, and whether you knew it or not, adding on another layer of mascara is saying: "Take care of me" whether you consciously realize it or not.

So now that we got the psychology out of the way lets take a look at a lil' history:
Enhancing your lashes seems to have been around for eons, but generally the Egyptians have been credited for trailblazing the trend by mixing various ashes, honey, water and a bit of crocodile dung for good measure and applying it to their lashes to ward off evil eye.

But what about Stink-eye??? I think that Crocodile dung would automatically give you a case of it??

Also on the history front: lashes have been enhanced with a staggering amount of stuff; mostly things like ash from burned rose-petals, ground up walnut shells mixed with oils, Petroleum Jelly and the like, but the history books report some more disturbing attempts at acquiring beauty in the beholders own eye, like attaching fly-legs to lashes. As far as I am concerned, this is as a thought disturbing enough and could be chalked up to: "Well, they probably didn't know any better" but then I stumbled on to this "Artistic" recreation by British artist Jessica Harrison and it nearly made me give up my breakfast.


I am thinking the Fly lashes will not be making the Bridal Trends top ten in 2012.


So on to some of our best tips and tricks for attaining the perfect (lash) batting average!

1) Mascara

Needless to say this little tube of wonders is every girls best friend and by now you should all know how to use it. I wont get into a brand comparison here since picking your favorite has to do with the desired end result, your own lashes and their quirks however I will share that L'oreal Lash Stiletto in regular or waterproof version ends up on pretty much all of the brides or other folk I am working on and delivers a lovely, clump free; extended lash every time!


2) Gadgets

As I was researching this article I was pretty stunned to find the sheer number of gadgets and additives available for that perfect bank of lashes: suffice it to say that just like the "Brilliant" things you can "As see on TV" most of these are a waste of money as far as I'm concerned; I mean, when was the last time you got a "Shear Genious" haircut from a Flowbee???

This here is a prime example of what I'm talking about: it is called a Lash-card and it is touted as the perfect solution for smudge-free clump free mascara application. You're supposed to push the pre-shaped card against the edge of your lashes and sweep away. Apart from the fact that you can do the same thing by using a business card or even your finger, the problem is that you are pretty much just covering the bottoms of your lashes and whats the point in that?



3) Fake it till you make it!
Of course natural is always better, so I cant say enough good things about Latissse, which will grow your own lashes from ho-hum to Humongous in 3 easy months; of course you have to remember to apply it daily but that is a minor inconvenience for amazingness!

While you are waiting for your Latisse to go to work you can always sport some falsies; there are a gazillion different versions out there and it basically comes down to picking the appropriate level of Glam! My fave for brides is to use individual lashes; longer towards the outer corners and graduating to shorter ones towards the middle; I rarely attach them all the way through for the optimum eye shape! If you prefer strip lashes I would recommend cutting them in half and attaching the part that formerly was intended for the inner corner of the eye on the outer one, again for that extra glamorous doe-eyed look.

Here's how to easily attach them on yourself:

- Sit by a table and place a mirror below you; keeping your eyes open but looking down relaxes the eyelid and your lashes wont pinch.
- Apply glue (I love DUO eyelash adhesive!)on the band (if strip lashes) or the tip of a individual one
- Wait for about 30 sec's for the glue to become slightly tacky
- While looking down to your mirror just press the lash in place and VOILA!

MAGIC!

Hope you enjoy your lashventures this holiday season; Please remember I am always available for all your glamorous needs so call and book an appointment for your Picture Perfect Application!

Hip-Hip Halloween!!!

Ahh! Halloween! Time to make some magic happen! I know that most adults always veer on the safe side when naming their favourite holiday but I am willing to make a bet that even if most claim Thanksgiving (or Christmas) as their pet holiday it is in fact Halloween that makes everybody's heart beat a little faster!

I mean really; unless you live in New Orleans, where it is perfectly acceptable to wear a Tiara of your choosing to the grocery store any ole day of the year;

When else can you channel your childish self without ridicule, dress up in whatever you want to wear and act in every way as foolishly as you could ever wish for? That's right: HALLOWEEN!






So in honor of the Most Ghoulish of days this post will be dedicated to a few tips about choosing your makeup artist and supplies for Halloween and featuring a cool client makeover I did over the weekend!

This is my client Marc, who was in town this pas weekend visiting from Dallas for a little Pre-Halloween parade raising money for Make-A-Wish Foundation (and to party, of course). He had had some trouble finding a makeup artist to turn him into the bloodthirsty werewolf he wanted to be so he reached out to the good folks at Grimm Brothers Halloween, , where he purchased his latex mask and they steered him my way. Marc contacted me about 2-3 weeks prior to his event and Magic transformation was about to happen!

Lesson #1 in your Halloween success:
Plan early; Plan well and trust the pro's!






On the day of Marcs event I met him at the hotel and we set to work. This is how the latex mask (or "appliance" as it is called in the pro-circles) looks when it arrives.

The first thing I did was to "Dry-fit" the mask. This allowed me to see where I needed to trim Marc's beard or the mask so it would fit perfectly.

After buzzing around a bit with Marc's clippers it was time to attach the mask so I started working with some liquid latex from the nose area initially and working my way out. My latex comes from Graftobian but you can use any brand, including DUO eye-lash glue if in a pinch. After gluing everything down I used thin strips of hotel issue tissue with some more latex to blend the edges.

Marc was also came armed with some pointy ears and werewolf nails, so we went ahead and attached those too!

Lesson #2 for Halloween Success:
Channel your inner Boy-Scout and be prepared with everything including things you may or may not need!



After that it was time to fire up the trusty air-brush gun and set to work hi-lighting, shading and generally making Marc a wolfy shade of tan... a few more dabs of liquid latex; a well placed tuft of hair or two and THIS is how it all turned out!

JUST KIDDING!!!


Here is the actual end result and just for comparison... Marc's BEFORE picture as well!

And there you have it, folks! Don't forget I'm available for all your beauty (and ugly) needs this Halloween, so give me a call at 504-905 1087; visit my web-page and schedule an appointment!

The perfect do for your I DO's

One of the major decisions of your big day is how to you look when floating down the aisle. This is no simple decision and let's just say that over the course of the years I've seen the good, great and um, not so great so here is a little insight into what's hot this wedding season and how to start your search for that perfect hair!

As with everything else this search starts with considering your dress: a Ye Olde Renaissance dress won't pair well with Grace Kelly classic hair no matter how much you might like it.

A good place to start browsing are obviously the oodles of wedding-hair websites, and even better idea is to browse the catalog pics that helped you choose your dress in the first place.

Word of warning, though; in my experience the bridal dress shoots are aimed at getting through as many gowns in a day as possible and tend to be high-lighting the gown rather than the bride so this may or may not yield your perfect do!

Here's an example of a beautifully paired duo on the left and one that didn't quite hit the mark on the right. This image and gowns are from Atelier Aimee.


Although weddings trends are not changing as drastically as those in fashion I've been clearly seeing influences from the rash of royal weddings in the past couple of years; Here are some of our favourites that have been making the brides swoon on this side of the Atlantic as well.

Of course it's hard to argue with the extra Je'-ne-sais-Quoi a priceless Trillion-carat tiara from the Royal treasure chamber will lend you, but Kate Middleton's effortless elegance has had my brides asking for some more casual styles lately.

This half-up, half-down bridal style tends to work well for younger brides with longer hair (Though we've been adding some serious "Day of Extensions" lately as well). In our opinion this looks best when accented with an accessory be it a brooch, tiara or some well placed flowers; more about those in a moment!

Though I was surprised to see that Monaco's princess Charlene actually went through with her wedding (It's generally not a good idea to be caught philandering days prior of the big event, FYI), her style, accented by another example of priceless Bling channels the classic elegance of Grace Kelly... How Apropos!

This Chignon is the perfect style choice for a confident, classic beauty and it can be customized to reflect the brides individual style; I've been turning out a lot of beautifully asymmetrical ones lately!







The third trend that has been showing up strongly is the (re)emergence of braids!

Romantic, carefree and evoking a sense of whimsy this imperfectly perfect fishtail would look lovely paired with many of this seasons bohemian-Chic dresses.

Braids can of course be incorporated into any hairstyle of your choice and celebs like Sienna Miller, Gwen Stefani and or course the goddess of the side-braid Lauren Conrad are making sure this trend will linger on for a while.




At the end of the day the options for your perfect hairstyle are endless and should be customized just for you. It will help your stylist if you do your homework and bring pictures of the different styles you like as well as the ones you don't. This will give me the opportunity to understand how I can make you look Picture Perfect and help you feel as radiant as you look.

I'll write about the essentials of accessories in my next post... stay tuned!

For the photographically challenged...

So the Big Day is finally here and since there is a pretty good chance you belong to the 99.5% of the population who wasn’t blessed with being a lucky genetic freak (i.e. a model), you might feel some anxiety about your pictures.

The good news is that even supermodels don’t look like supermodels without a few tricks up their sleeves, so here are the top 8 tips on ensuring you look like the Ravishing-Goddess-Of-Love that you are!

1) Don’t be cheap- i.e. hire a professional

Sometimes the sun does shine in the darkest places and Aunt Gertie might snap a front-page worthy picture on her disposable, but on your wedding day random luck is not what you’re after. This is the one time you must look good, so hire a professional for all aspects of your day starting with hairstylist, makeup artist and professional photographer.

2) Trust me, I know what I’m doing

You may think that picture with you leaning on your hands and wistfully glancing in to the distance was a cute, but by gosh, looking cute is not what you’re striving for on your big day. Radiant, Enchanting, Lissome and Languid is more like it so trust me. I’ve spent years training how to make people look good, after all.



3) Be nice

It is your day and I know it is an honor to help you look drop-dead gorgeous so you’ll get some leeway here because you’re probably nervous. However, if you choose to throw down, you just might find your up-do strategically imploding or your behind having been captured from a not so flattering angle. Not that an ultimate professional would ever do such a thing but, ahem, I’ve heard of such things having happened.

So now that we got all that out of the way here are some model-worthy, instantly glamourizing tips for looking picture perfect for posterity:



4) Do the Twist

The only thing that looks good photographed head-on is a pile of logs and my guess is that’s not the look you’re going for. To capture a positively elfin-like waist and best boobs a memory card can catch try turning your feet to one side and twist your upper body towards the camera. If you’re really feeling adventurous or have a booty worth bragging about, you can even stand with your back to the camera and just turn your head. Just don’t strain your neck in the process.

5) Know your angles

We all have a masculine and feminine side to our faces: to find yours grab a regular sheet of paper and relocate in front of the nearest mirror: Move the paper back and forth in front of your face exposing one side at a time: your feminine side has a higher arch of the eye-brow, the eye itself is slightly larger and tilts up more that its sister and the corner of the mouth is higher. Chances are you’ll want to turn this side to the camera on your wedding day which means you’ll also want to part your hair on that side for maximum exposure. Parting your hair the other way and leading the way with your masculine side will come in handy if you have to scold somebody or tangle with the good-ole-boys club: this side lends you authority!

6) Your Mama was right

Straightening your posture is the easiest way to loose 10 pounds in your picture… the problem is it is not so easy to do it right. To practice: sit up straight in a chair, suck in your belly and imagine your head being pulled by a string straight to the sky. Then pull your shoulder blades back as far as they go; when it starts to hurt and you want to quit you’re about 90% there. Pull your shoulder blades back a little more, lean forward about 6 inches (While keeping your posture) and there you have it.

7) Double trouble?

If you’ve been hitting the starches a bit hard and there’s a bit o’ wobble or a downright double chin where the first one ends, try this easy fix: Press your tongue as hard as you can against the roof of your mouth. This will instantly tighten up the jiggly parts and lift up any jowls as well! Now, for 3 extra points… SMILE!!!

8) Tuck it!

The optimum feminine face is an oval but yours not so much? The solution for perfecting your pose is to tuck down your chin; Imagine how a swan would do it, which is slightly forward, THEN down. Instant Grace!

Now all you have to do is combine all the above; and were in business.

Pretty Dirty: The Joys of... Waiting

Pretty Dirty: The Joys of... Waiting: "In case you didn't already know, there are few things in life that I'm personally worse at than waiting....Also if you've ever bought a hous..."

The Joys of... Waiting

In case you didn't already know, there are few things in life that I'm personally worse at than waiting....Also if you've ever bought a house, you should be well aware that the process is about nothing but.

As the the latest project is snailing towards its intended closing date I can attest that all the stars that need to be aligned can and will provide many an opportunity to go slightly off kilter, and more than likely will put a monkey wrench in your plans.

Appraisals, approvals, crafting your budget, scheduling your contractors, coordinating start times, insurances, all make for a huge 7-ring circus that is not for the faint of heart but alas- there is light at the end of the tunnel;

Despite getting off to a rocky start with the sellers agent (who through some underhanded trickery caused us to temporarely not be under contract on the house, and also get the doors stolen off the freaking property!!!) it now turns out that they themselves are holding up the process- due to unpaid grass liens.... I mean, could things get any more lame than that???

The good news is that we DID get the appraisals back today and based on it could actually qualify for WAAY more moeny on the construction end of it (45M more to be exact), and as an investment choice it is turning out to be a stellar choice, a fact that is making Henry a very happy camper indeed.

In case anybody is interested in seeing the lovely project in its infancy, you can look it up on Google Maps at 2026-28 Peniston st.

And, Yes, I realize we are about to own one house on "GeniTalia" and one on Peniston.

Pretty Dirty Indeed

So this would be the very first post on my new blog Pretty Dirty, which, contrary to some of you nastier minded folks out there is NOT about frottage in its extremes, but a way of sharing the good, the bad and the ugly on two subjects close to my heart that at first glance aren't exactly related.... the Bonfire of Vanities known as the "Beauty Industry", and its polar opposite world of Construction.

Coming off a 11 year stint of countless champagne fests, thousands and thousands of frequent flier miles, swanky hotel rooms, fashion-weeks, "Making the world more beautiful one model at a time" and fixing up a good few properties "on the side" as a dirty little secret, it is time to put keyboard to screen and start documenting.

Personally, I think this makes for a fabulous combination and should you disagree...well....I really dont give a damn.