The best powder in the world.

I have just GOT to share this with you! I bought Make Up For Ever's HD high definition powder from Sephora awhile back and it's the most amazing powder in the world. It's essentially a silica powder and it's super fine so you don't have a powdery mess when you touch up your face or set your makeup. It's ridiculously soft and makes your skin soft too. Not to mention, it makes you look beautifully airbrushed. It's translucent so this works on any skin tone. It doesn't setting into fine lines or wrinkles or clog pores. It actually blurs the look of imperfections! It's available in a travel size for $15 or full size for $30 at sephora.com. Try it, you'll love it!

Blush trends

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Blush makes you instantly prettier. Did you know that men are sub consciously drawn to pink cheeks? It signifies health and youthfulness, which men are hardwired to look for in a mate. So, after the long, icky winter we had, there's no better way to celebrate than to get yourself a new blush and prepare yourself for some admiring stares!

For oily or combination skin, use a powder blush. Some that I love:

Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish blush in Caught In The Act.

BeneFit Bella Bamba.

Nars blush in Desire.

For dry skin, try a cream blush. Try these:

Givenchy Gelee jelly blush.

Tarte cheek stain in Flush.

Urban Decay afterglow glide on cheek tint in Crush

Doesn't Kristen Bell look awesome with her pinky glow?



xoxo

Just another reason to say no to drugs.

Does anyone remember back in the day, when Lindsay Lohan wasn't drinking or doing drugs? No? Well, at one point, she was one of the highest paid stars in the business. Drugs and alcohol can really wreck havoc on your appearance, as well as your mental health, your relationships...etc. I'm feeling nostalgic, remember Lindsay in the Parent Trap?

Wasn't she just the cutest little thing? 

Isn't she gorgeous here? Nice, glowy skin, flattering makeup, gorgeous hair...

And here she is now. You're looking a little dead in the eyes there, Linds. 

Wouldn't it be great if I could do a makeover on her? Of course, she'd have to kick the drug and alcohol habit, have a few weeks worth of sleep to catch up and a few sessions of microdermabrasion to repair some of the extensive damage to her skin, before I would even consider working on her. But wouldn't she look so great with red hair and glowy skin like she used to have? You work on getting clean, Linds, and when you're ready to clean up your image, give me a call.

xoxo

Jogas!

I just have to do a post on this great coffee shop in my hometown. It's called Jogas, and Roger and Donna are the owners. I love them, they're like family. Not only did Donna make special Saint Patrick's day cupcakes for me, they even named a drink after me. It's called the "Ally Cupcake Latte." Isn't that just great of them? You guys are awesome! xoxo

The special Saint Patrick's day cupcakes that Donna made!

The "Ally Cupcake Latte." Isn't it beautiful?



xoxo

Robyn's awesome skills

I just have to post a few pictures of Robyn's designs on my nails. She's the owner and esthetician of the salon I work at. Check these out!

 Coloured laser strings! I was the first to have them ;)

 Tinkerbell nails for Halloween

  Rainbow polka dot nails

  Christmas nails with smiley snowmen

 Valentine's day nails!

Spring nails :)

 This last picture is of what I currently have on my nails. Love them!!

Best celebrity transformation EVER!

I'm going to just go ahead and say that this is the best transformation ever: Kelly Osbourne.

It doesn't even look like the same person, does it? I'm not just talking about her weight loss, though I'm sure that helped her feel more confident. She's just glowing now. She got rid of the scary, goth look and with a gorgeous, more natural look. I think she looks amazing and seems much happier and comfortable now.

New trends!

Here's some of my new favourite things for spring and summer!

Feather Earrings!! Aren't they great? You can have them longer or shorter and any colour you could possibly want. There's also peacock feathers. Grab yourself a pair!

Okay, while I know this isn't a "new" thing, I love hair bling. I currently have one in my hair right now and I've gotten a ton of compliments already. You can get them in any colour, I like silver for blonde hair, gold for brown hair and blue or purple for black hair, but you can have whatever you like!

When I first said I was going to buy myself a pair of leather pants, everyone looked at me like I was crazy...and perhaps I am. But nothing will make you feel hotter than owning a pair of bootcut leather pants (or if you prefer pleather leggings, that's cool too...I also have a few pairs of those.) They are pricey, but so worth it. The pair I have are the Paige Black label Sunset Canyon pants. They retail for $600, but you can find leather pants starting around $150.

Don't you just love these shoes? I just bought myself a pair for summer and I love them. Low key flippers are out this year. You want the blingy sandals, with designs or pieces of turquoise adorning them. It's all about bling and making a statement with fashion this year.

This colour is really hot this year, whether it be eyeshadow, shoes, or clothing. This is one of my favourite colours and I plan on wearing it a lot.

And of course, I have this shirt. I love anything that has to do with cupcakes (obviously) and this baby tee is the newest to my collection. I get a lot of cupcake gifts and I love them all. I'll have to make another post of all my cupcake things I've accumulated over the years.





Stay lovely my friends!

How to get glam with multi tasking your beauty products

Okay, we've all been there. You've decided to be responsible and sleep at a friend's house after a few drinks. Or the airline lost your bags. Or whenever you're without your normal products, but still want to look human. Here's how to look good with a few minimal products and how to apply them.

If I can offer you one tip for the future, keep a few necessities in your purse. Especially Vaseline. I am obviously a fan. I'm actually considering bedazzling my Vaseline container.  No, I'm not kidding and if you really knew me, you wouldn't be surprised.

Let's get down to business here.

1. If you don't have mascara on you, Vaseline will darken your lashes and make them look long and glossy.

2. If you do have mascara but no liner, use a small brush and line your eyes with the mascara. If you don't have a small brush, use a toothpick. I shouldn't have to tell you this, but please don't gouge out your eye. Slow and steady wins the race. Wet eyeshadow will also work if you don't have liquid liner.

3. If you have a lipstick (or just borrow one from your friend...) you can just it to add colour to your lips. If the colour is too dark, apply Vaseline on your lips first then apply the lipstick. It will be more sheer, like a coloured gloss. Next, add lipstick to the apple of your cheeks and blend well. It's easy and when you have blush on, you're instantly prettier. I promise. It also makes you look more youthful and healthy.

4. If your friend doesn't have a lipstick for you to borrow, ask to see her eyeshadow collection. Look for a light, shimmery pink and a white. Mix a bit of the pink eyeshadow together with the Vaseline and then you have a blush and lipgloss! Take the white and put on your cupid's bow of your lips, it will make them stand out. Also apply on the inner corners of your eyes. It will open up your eyes, especially if you don't have mascara or eyeliner.

5. Always keep a tube of concealer in your purse. Use it to cover up dark circles and imperfections. Take a bit of it in your palm and mix with a moisturizer. Smooth onto your face and blend. Instant tinted moisturizer.

6. I always keep a toothbrush handy, you can use it to tame your brows, exfoliate your lips and brush your teeth!!

7. Take a non greasy chapstick and glide it over your cheekbones. It will highlight them and give you a soft glow.

8. If you don't have a brush, finger comb your hair into an artfully messy bun, or wet your hair and scrunch with gel, mousse or hairspray. If you're completely without those, take a bit of seasalt, mix it with water in a spray bottle and spray over damp hair while scrunching and twisting random pieces of hair. It gives you beachy waves, no brushing required!

9. If you don't already have some, pick up a tin of Rosebud Salve. It's sold as a lip gloss, but it's a nonsticky pink tint that is so versatile. It can be an instant blush, no mixing required. Put on eyelids, cheeks and lips for a pretty glow. It can be used to tame brows, smooth down flyaways in your hair, moisturize your cuticles. The possibilities are endless. It's like pre-tinted Vaseline with a peppermint rose scent. A staple if there ever was one.

10. If you don't have deoderant (and trust me, you cannot skip this!!) Use cornstarch or baby powder, it won't work as well, but will soak up any wetness and stop you from smelling bad.

11. This is the time that those small perfume samples always come in handy. If not, ask your friend if she has some vanilla extract. Apply to your wrists, neck and behind your ears. If you didn't wash you hair, rub the vanilla between your palms and lightly smooth down your hair. You could also use Malibu (yes, the alcohol and no, I'm not kidding. You'll smell like coconuts.) If you're totally without any of these things, take a bounce sheet and rub it on your clothes and lightly over your hair.

12. If you have to wear the same clothes as the next day, wash your undergarments and socks with laundry (or antibacterial) soap in the sink and air dry. Hang up your clothes in the bathroom and have a hot, steamy shower. The steam will get rid of any wrinkles and release any smells. (You should always keep a spare set of clothes in your car.)

13. If you're without a toothbrush, buy one on your way to work (or wherever else you're going.) If you can't, take a quilted paper towel, fold it in half. Wrap it tightly around your index finger. Put toothpaste on your paper-towel wrapped finger and scrub your teeth. The texture of the paper towel will help scrub, this is a LAST RESORT. This will not clean as well as a toothbrush! Gargle with salt water (peppermint extract is optional) and chew gum.

I have an emergency kit on me at all times that includes a toothbrush and toothpaste, vaseline, concealer, perfume, hair elastics and extra clothes. You will thank yourself later when you end up staying the night somewhere or lose your makeup bag. Let me know if you have any helpful tips and I'll add them to the list.

Stay lovely my friends.

How to fake looking awake and healthy!

With all the snow we've been having lately (even though it's March, what is going on?!) I've hearing of the common cold going around. Or perhaps you're just not sleeping well, or had a late night the night before. You wake up in the morning and realize you look like an exhausted corpse. Here are my tips to get glowing and beautiful, because there's nothing worse than someone asking you if you're tired or sick.

1. When you wake up, instantly start the coffee (I'm sure I don't need to tell you this, but I'm not a huge coffee drinker, so I'll say it anyway.) Have a nutritious breakfast, including toast (which gives you carbs for energy to fight off the sickness), fruit (vitamins!) and 2 eggs. Take a multi vitamin and 2 chewable vitamin C's.

2. Get into the shower and exfoliate your face. It will stimulate blood flow and make your skin glow.

3. After you're done your shower, splash your face with cold water at the sink. It will make you feel more awake and help depuff.

4. Take cucumbers or an ice pack wrapped in a towel and lay it over your eyes. This step is one of the most important! It will instantly make you look more awake and depuff your eye area.

5. Moisturize well. Use an eye cream.

Now for the makeup!!

1. Use concealer around your eyes, including your eyelid. When we're sick or tired, our eyes have a purple-ly appearance. This is wear the colour wheel comes in. Use an orange colour. You want something closer to the colour of a cheezy rather than a potato chip. It will neutralize the purple/blue veins because orange is opposite of purple on the colour wheel. Using a pale shade will just make your undereyes look ashy.

2. Smooth on a tinted moisturizer to even out your skin tone.

3. Apply some pink blush on the apples of your cheeks. It will instantly make you look alive and glowing.

4. Apply a few coats of mascara and curl your eyelashes, you want your eyes to look open and awake.

5. Here's the fun part: Get a light coloured highlighter and apply on the inner corners of the eyes, on the cheek bones and on the brow bone.

6. Use a beige or white eye pencil on the inner rim of your eye. It makes your eyes pop and energizes your look.

7. Slick on some tinted lip balm and spritz on some citrusy perfume.

Remember to drink gallons of water and listen to some upbeat music on the way to work. When you're done work at the end of the day, have a nice, relaxing bath (use plenty of epsom salts!) Crawl into bed early and get a good night sleep.

Stay lovely my friends!

Contessa Awards!

So it's been confirmed: I am entering into the Contessa Awards for the before and after makeup category! I've already got all of my ideas, but they're a secret for now! One of my confirmed models is one of my best friends since high school, Michelle. Another model (If our schedules work out properly) will be my gorgeous big sister, Shannon. With them as my models, I'm going to win! Laura Wilby will be my photographer, and if you haven't seen her work, check it out on facebook, she's got talent! Unfortunately, my photos will be top secret until everything is all said and done with the competition, but I'll keep you updated anyway! xoxo

Stay lovely my friends!

Spring/summer hair trends 2011...BLONDES

So, as you can see, the hottest colours for blonde this year are warm, multi-tonal, blendable highlights and lowlights. When it comes to summertime, the hottest colours are usually warm toned, because they look amazing with a tan. Tan = warm. To have an cool ash blonde hair colour with a warm tan, it just doesn't work. For those ladies with cool toned skin, you can have more of a natural blonde colour with the light highlights, and just use a lighter coloured bronzer, and you'll look sunkissed in no time.

Spring/Summer hair trends 2011

For all those dark haired girls out there, the newest colour trend for spring and summer is to lighten up your look with caramel highlights. This latest look has been seen on everyone from Ashley Greene, to Halle Berry, to Selena Gomez,  to Jennifer Lopez. Beachy waves are in, as well as long, side swept bangs. Not only do the lighter streaks brighten your face, but also look amazing with a tan!

Blondes, stay tuned, you're next!

Beauty Products I Can't Live Without!

I wanted to write a quick list of my top beauty products that I can't live without. I've tried millions of different products and always trying more. Here's the cream of the crop!


1. L'oreal Beauty Tubes Mascara ($15) : This is a double sided mascara with a white primer. It makes my lashes look thick and amazing. I'm always asked if I'm wearing false lashes whenever I'm wearing this. My lashes are naturally long, but this makes the most of whatever kind of lashes you have!

2. MAC eyeshadow in Omega ($21) : This is a perfect, matte greyish brown taupe colour. It's so versatile. It can be used as an eyeshadow, to fill in your brows and to contour your face. I use this colour on cool skinned clients for a natural contour on their face.

3. It Cosmetics Get Wet palette ($30) : This is a godsend for any girl that likes to wear makeup to the beach. It is completely 100% waterproof. The palette comes with a bronzer, a pink coloured highlighter and a silver white highlighter. It's perfect to wear to the gym because it will not sweat off. It's great for people with oily skin because it lasts. It can also be used for a waterproof body contour. I can't live through summer without it.

4. Carmex lip balm, the tube version ($2) : It's incredibly hydrating, you don't need a hundred touchups per day, and can be used under any lip gloss or lipstick. This is the only lip balm that I can say I will never be without.

5. Vaseline ($3) : I have the cocoa butter scented version, which I adore. It can be used to smooth down hair frizzies, moisturize your cuticles, an overnight lip treatment, mix it with eyeshadow and make a tinted lip balm or blush, it will fix dry patches of skin. The possibilities are endless. I slather a bunch on my feet and sleep with socks on and they are so soft! I keep a squeeze tube of vaseline in my purse because you just never know when you'll need it.

6. NYC White eyeliner ($0.97) : Had a sleepless night? Boyfriend snores loudly? Fake your 8 hours with swiping a white eyeliner on your bottom waterline, instantly makes you look awake and perky.

7. Sephora Baked Moonshadow trio in Sunbaked 02 ($17): The only thing you need to create the perfect bronzy smoky eye. There's a sparkling gold shade, a pinky bronze peach and a rich golden chocolate. All are shimmering, and perfectly complimented together. These colours look amazing on any eye colour or skin tone.

8. MAC Limted Edition Mineralize Duo Blush in Chic Couple ($25): I usually never buy limited edition products after falling in love with MAC's sculpt and shape powder. They make you fall in love, but you break it/run out, you're screwed. Sure, they'll give you something that's like your product, but it's never the same, and you end up with horrible trust issues. However, the girl put this on, and I bought it, knowing I was just going to end up hurt in the end. I still have a lot left, so the breakup hasn't hit yet, but it will, and when it does, I will cry. It's a gorgeous coral shade and a golden brown shade squiggled together. I just love it.

9. Eminence Pear and Poppy Seed Microderm Scrub (Sorry, not sure of the price yet, I have a sample size until my order comes in this week sometime.): Robyn, the esthetician and owner of the salon that I work at, made a beautiful switch from carrying Dermalogica to now only offering Eminence. Eminence is a wonderful, all natural, amazing smelling skin care line. Everything is very concentrated, so you only use a tiny amount. You'll be seeing many posts of my love affair with this line in the future. The pear and poppy scrub isn't just any ordinary scrub. It's proven to give skin the same look as microdermabrasion. The scrubbies are round, so your skin will not get micro tears or irritation. You take a small amount, scrub gently on your face for 3-5 minutes and voila! Amazing, soft, beautiful, younger skin.

10. Joico K-Pak Reconstructing line (starting at $20): I work exclusively with Joico, and I'm a huge fan of the K-pak shampoo, hydrator, reconstructor and cuticle sealer. My hair is stronger and healthier. I always recommend this to clients if they colour or highlight their hair. It balances the PH to 4.5-5.5, and in english, that means it brings the PH level of your hair to the healthiest it can be. It has amino acids to rebuild the protein in the hair's cuticle. I've seen the difference in my own hair.

I have many more products I can't live without, but there will be more tomorrow. Stay lovely, my friends!

Incase you wonder who I am...

So I'm going to post a picture of myself, so you know who I am. The fun starts tomorrow, stay tuned for my special beauty tutorials and breakdowns of the products. I'll also be doing reviews on here, I might throw a few up tonight if I feel motivated!

Welcome!

Hi, Everyone!

Welcome to my brand new blog! My name is Allison, Ally for short. I'm a licensed Hair Stylist and Makeup Artist. I've loved hair and makeup forever, and as soon as I graduated from high school, I enrolled into a private school to be a Cosmetologist. I'm now 22 and work at an amazing salon in my hometown. I will be posting pictures of different makeup/hair looks on myself and others as well as a beauty breakdown. It's my passion to help people look and feel their best! Bear with me as I set this all up, as I'm a full time Cosmetologist and this is a side project. Cheers, my loves!