Ultimate Luxury...

Today I want to talk about one of my FAVORITE brands of make-up..

ARMANI

In case you didn't know, yes, Armani does skincare and make-up! Giorgio Armani works with textures and colours the same way he does in his clothing: with precision, perfection and class. If you have never heard of it before, just visit the Armani counter at Holt Renfrew (Sherbrooke st. corner de la Montagne, Montreal). The team of experts will guide you through the line with their passion and expertise..

Here are my favorites:

Foundations: With their amazingly natural textures, Armani Foundations will truly give you the best skin you've ever had, for a price that varies between 55$ and 65$. And knowing that they cover well and spread easily, you don't need a lot every morning! They have a huge range of colours, so be assured they have one to match your skin tone. Pale-white girls, they even have the perfect light colours!

For bare skin results: Try Face Fabric. A silicone-based light formula that covers lightly the imperfections and looks totally nude and amazing! This is your new everyday-perfect-skin foundation. You won't be able to see it on your skin, I swear it!

For THE perfect finish and glowy skin with that Hollywood Star «dewy» effect, it's Luminous Silk Foundation. If your skin tends to be oily, try the Lasting Silk Foundation. Please note that this is the most popular foundation they have, the one all the magazines and stars talk about!

For the ultimate coverage or more mature skin, the perfect match would be the Designer Foundation. The rich creamy texture covers everything while still looking fresh and perfect. They recently came up with a liquid version that is easier to apply but still covering, so check it out!!

They also have a fantastic foundation brush that is made to blend all Armani Foundations to perfection, with its specific hair and shape. Think about it when you are ready to invest for a foundation, the right brush is what makes the difference!

If you want the same light-but-perfect formula that is used in the foundations in your concealer, please note that Armani also does an amazing one.. The range of colours isn't as good as the foundations, but the texture is gorgeous. They also make the best corrector ever, in pink or orange, to fianlly cover the dark circles with more purple or brown in it!

 

Finally, you HAVE to try their lipsticks. For the richest, creamiest, long-lasting-but-not-drying colours, it's Rouge d'Armani. The wide range of colours are divided in 5 gorgeous families: The nudes, the pinks, the reds, the purples and the browns. Their nudes are fantastic! More pink, more beige, lighter, darker, they have them all. Same for the reds: the classic true red, the bright orange, the dark cherry... I can't name them all, just try them!

As a final word, I have to say that it is rare that a brand produces so many perfect products. I have only see this happen with Armani. If you prefer quality over quantity, as well as perfect textures and sheer colours, you definately have to go to Holt Renfrew and pay Chanel, Silvi and Mary a little visit. Tell them I say Hi!

xxx

Urban Expressions Beauty Article!

Here is an article about red lips I wrote with Marci O'Connor from Urban Expressions. Here is the link to the original:

http://www.urbanexpressions.ca/beauty-health/story/simply-red%E2%80%A6-lips-the-essential-guide

Simply Red…..Lips: The Essential Guide

By Marci O’Connor

Photo: Makeup artist: Christelle Souverbie, photo credit: C. Wild 

   

We may not all have Betty Davis eyes but we can all pull off Betty Draper lips this spring. One of the hottest trends – red lips – cheerfully continues, in spite of the fact many women are unsure (and ok, a little intimidated) by the boldness of a crimson pout. We spoke with makeup artist, Christelle Souverbie, who specializes in glamour and vintage looks, for advice and tips on sourcing the perfect shade.

Rouge d'Armani (photo courtesy of Georgio Armani)

With so many choices, how can we pick the right shade of red?
First of all, women need to understand that when they respect the color tone of their skin, it’s much easier to find harmonious shades. There are basically 3 types of skin tones: warm, cold and neutral.
The warm tones tan easily, look more yellow or olive and are enhanced by makeup shades that are yellow-based. Look for colours that remind you of the sun; yellows, gold, bronze, and orange. Stick to red shades of orange, tomato, brick, and brown.
Cold tones usually suit fair skin. Don’t be fooled by a little rosacea {redness} in your face. Look at the rest of your body, like your arms and wrist, and see if your skin tone carries more yellow or pink. For cool tones, your lipstick should be blue-based. That means more pink, berry or purple- based reds.
Some women are truly neutral, meaning they have equal parts pink and yellow skin tones. In that case, you can play with a larger range of colors. You may find the not-too-orange/not-too-pink shade just right {and gorgeous} for your coloring.

Guerlin Kiss Kiss in Smoothing lipstick primer (photo courtesy of Guerlain)

What are your favorite reds out there right now?
I adore bright orange reds right now. As for texture, it has to be creamy, rich in pigment and long lasting. Be sure to avoid lipsticks that dry out your lips. My absolute favorite is Rouge d’Armani lipstick. Their range of colours is unparalleled. Combine with Guerlain Kiss Kiss lip base for an absolutely perfect pout! I also love the texture and colors that Yves Saint Laurent make, like the Rouge Pur Couture or Rouge Volupte,.

Is there a “daytime” versus “nighttime” look for red?
I love the idea of wearing a bright red during the day and a dark color for evening. Many women are afraid of dark lips but if it’s done correctly, a dark red or purple can be extremely daring and sexy!  The secret to looking glamorous rather than garish is to keep your eye make-up subtle. Go for clean black eyeliner and big lashes if you want, but stay away from dark eye shadow.

Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte featured in Red Muse (photo courtesy of Yves St. Laurent)

Any tips for wearing red this summer?
Regardless of what shade you choose, the only way to wear red lips this summer is perfectly drawn. Use a lip liner that matches the lipstick, draw your lips perfectly (don’t forget to fill in your lips with the pencil, the 90s are over!) and apply lipstick on top. You can overdraw your lips a little bit, just to make your pout look fuller!
Avoid gloss on top; it just makes everything run faster. Go for rich creamy textured lipsticks that will give a shine on their own.

Christelle Souverbie is a Montreal based makeup artist. For more of her beauty tricks and tutorials, visit her at: http://crystalmakeup.blogspot.com and www.crystalmakeup.ca

Smokey Eye (part 1): Easy & Colorful

This week's post is about a product that I discovered recently and that changed my everyday make-up routine! Hopefully this will help all the ladies out there who struggle with their smokey eye!

The product is called Jumbo liner 12H wear - Waterproof from SEPHORA. You can obviously buy them at Sephora, for 15$ ;)
This stick is basically a big creamy liner that comes in a dozen of great colours, that you can blend easily and that LASTS. No crease, just intense long-lasting colour. Fast and easy, flashy or natural, I love it!

I bought 4 of them already and will eventually get the whole line. Here are all the steps you need to take to make a pretty colourful smokey eye in 2 minutes. A great day or evening look that stays!!

My favorite match to my red hair is the kaki one. It's great for everyday and just too fast and easy to do!

These sticks are really great to use alone, but you can always make them pop more by adding some eyeshadow on top of them. To make it look deeper, just use a darker tone than the stick you used, or black, and blend it in the crease! To make it look brighter, use a lighter color or something completely different like yellow and put it closer to the inside corner. And if you have the greasy-everything-goes-in-the-crease type of eyelids, putting some powder eye shadow on top will seal the colour in!

You can really have fun with your look and go for brighter colours, or use the more natural shades (that I didn't buy yet) like gold or brown.

Two minutes to apply, 2 seconds to remove.

The bright purple is awesome!

The black one is an essential in your make-up bag. You can use it alone for some sultry matte black effect, but you can also play with any eyeshadow on top of it for a deep and unique effect. I used some blue powder on top of the black, and it stands out so nicely!

Finally this is what the line looks like

Hopefully you ladies will use these tricks to play with your everyday make-up! I would also love to have your feedback on this product!

Have a great evening!

xxx

Christelle

MakeOvers!!

Last week-end at my favorite work place (Andrea Hausmann Photography Studio) happened our monthly Photo Special. The theme was Burlesque: The Magician and the Showgirl. 8 girls, Antoine at hair, Andrea at photo, me at make-up and combined efforts of the team for the set, ideas and styling... And as usual, we rocked it! I think you will all enjoy to see more closely the looks we achieved! Here are the before/after pictures of my favorite looks of the week-end!


The first is Maery, the artistic girl who always lets us go crazy. We decided to transform her into a Burlesque Rainbow Showgirl! Colour, glitter and more colour!

The second girl is Stacey, who wanted us to reveal her sexy side, in a more modern way. Here is the result, Miawww!

Next is Laura, this young force of nature who loves any Vintage look. She chose to be the Vamp, in a total 20s way. Please note the awesomeness of Antoine, who turned her wild long hair into a sexy short bob just for the shoot!

The last but not least is Stephanie, who always enjoys our renewed creativity. This time, we unveiled the Mistress of the Dark in her, for a more mysterious result!

I hope you enjoyed these makeovers! For more information about the Photo Specials, the Studio or the Artists, please visit www.hausmannphotography.com

xxx

Christelle

Products!

Here are my favorite products of the moment!! It's also the stuff that I used for the first tutorial below :)

-Laura Mercier Black Cake Liner with the Tightline Fluid (You can't use one without the other and it's expensive.. But if you are half as crazy about eyeliner as I am, this one will change your life..)

 -MAC eyeshadows in Red Brick and Embark. Well-pigmented and easy to use, most MAC (not all) colours are great!

 -Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler and Diorshow Blackout Mascara. Just. The. Best.

 -MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation. I use it to for touch-up during the day or on top of liquid foundation for pictures. Great choice of colours for pale girls like me (and any other colour actually..)

My favorite look!

As a first tutorial, I wanted to share my favorite look to wear on a daily basis :) The 1950s inspired eye-liner being my trademark, I had to start with this look! Its also the best way to introduce my face and my style to you!

-1: I always start my eye make-up by applying concealer and a neutral base. This makes any eyeshadow stand out more and stay on longer. Then, you can start putting on colour. In my case, the nice orange called Red Brick from MAC.

-2: I use a dark brown and a bit of black in the crease, to add depth. The key at this point is just to BLEND. Then I apply a light shimmery yellow on the inside corner.

-3: The fun part: Eye-liner! I always start by lining the lash line. If you want to invest in the most amazing liner ever, Laura Mercier makes it. Extremely black and creamy, this liner will stay on forever...

-4: Now, my exclusive Crystal MakeUp trick... To make sure your line flows nicely outside your eye and goes up (the «lift» effect), you need to have the right angle. This can NOT be drawn when your eyes are closed, because it will automaticly go down instead of up!! So, with eyes OPEN, just draw a quick mark of the angle you want (towards the end of the eyebrow is usually the best)

-5: Now, you can finish your eye-liner by joining the tip to the middle of your eye in one slow brush stroke. Start small and build it if you like it thicker, to give you a chance to make both eyes even ;) Then, I like to line the inside of my upper lash line with black. (The Laura Mercier liner can do that without tranferring to the bottom...)Make sure you get in between the lashes as well, it really makes the line sharper!

-6: Curl your lashes and finish by a good coat or two of black mascara. Don't forget to define your eyebrows and make sure your foudation is perfect!

I hope you liked this look! My name is Christelle, and I hope you will enjoy my future posts!

xxx
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Welcome!

FINALLY!

This blog is dedicated to my beauty secrets, behind the scenes images from my work, make-overs and everything I find inspiring!

I hope to be able to help every girl to GLAM UP their lives!! Feel free to ask me questions or ideas for me to discuss! If you want some more personnal advice, email me a photo of you!

Thanks for following!

xxx
Christelle