Romanesque Beauty

Look: Amour De Jeunesse (French Beauty, Part Two)

2011-06-16T23:08:00.000-07:00

Bonjour à tous!

Before, I gave you guys the lowdown on how to dress up the face a la Parisian gamine. Now, I'm going to help you explore the nighttime tricks a young woman in Paris might employ to take down the town. I recently read an article from Marie Claire that gave me the inspiration for this look (if you want to peep it, here's the link: Marie Claire - Foreign Beauty Report: Paris). Again, the key to this look is effortlessness. But this is embodied in a different light in this look. Eyes are enhanced more strongly, but with a soft focus lens as opposed to a crisp high-definition one. Smudging again is what's important in creating this look. Lips now have some power here, called attention to by the swipe of a bold red. Skin is still glowing, quite possibly not blotted or wiped down from the day. You see the woman for what she is as opposed to what she wants to be. Her wild yet chic streak shines through, and it's something any woman can learn to embody with a few simple products.

Eyes: MAC Lingering Brow Pencil, RMS Beauty Living Luminizer (or any soft neutral eye shadow), Korres Eye Liner in 1, YSL Faux Cils in Burgundy

Lips: MAC Russian Red

Cheeks: MAC Instant Chic Blush, MAC Bronze Bronzer

Skin: RMS Beauty Un-Cover Up Foundation in 33

How to do this (and more pictures) after the jump (and it's really simple too):

Basically, your base for this look is the previous look I published (Daytime in the City of Light). There are only three key differences:

You're just placing the red lipstick over the nude one.
You're putting a coat or two of mascara extra.
You're adding a bit more liner and smudging as needed. It absolutely should not be perfect.

If this is so simple, why bother posting how to do it? Just to demonstrate that you don't have to be perfect to be, well, perfect. Sometimes, simple swipes of color do the job of elaborate makeovers. This is something we can learn from this unique culture, and something many of us can lose sight on when it comes to beauty.

Hope you guys enjoyed this! For now, au revoir. ;)

Je t'embrasse bien fort! (Hugs and kisses!)

Look: Daytime in the City of Light

2011-06-16T22:24:00.000-07:00

Bonjour à tous! :)

So I kinda have an obsession (or two) to confess: next to Italian culture, I am sick over French women and their sense of beauty. From Juliette Binoche to Brigitte Bardot to Catherine Deneuve, I am fascinated by the way these effortless women carry themselves. I come from a strong Latino cultural background (my family hails from three different Latin American countries) that has its own vision of what is beautiful (in a nutshell: many Latinas might as well be married to makeup :P (though not all share this view)). However, despite growing up with this specific mindset, I've always been intrigued by the minimalist yet glamourous way French actresses and women present themselves to the world. The initial spark of interest might come more from movies than anything else, but it has compelled me to do a little research into how the everyday woman in Paris might look while carrying out her daily routine. I've done almost everything short of going to Paris myself and watching the locals (which I'm DYING to do). The tutorial I'm going to be teaching you how to do today will show you what beauty look a woman from the City of Light would choose to wear for her daily rituals. There is an overall emphasis on natural beauty. Foundation is used minimally, as well as all color cosmetics. The idea is to enhance what's naturally there, not transform it.

Eyes: MAC Taupe Brow Pencil, MAC Cream Colour Base in Rubenesque, Korres Eye Liner in 1, YSL Faux Cils Mascara in Burgundy

Lips: Eve Pearl Climax Lipstick

Cheeks: MAC Instant Chic Blush, MAC Bronze Bronzer

Skin: RMS Beauty Un-Cover Up Foundation in 33

Here's your step-by-step process on looking très chic:

First, work on brows. Use brow liner, preferably a taupe liner (nothing too dark or matchy-matchy, if you will), to fill in any sparse areas. You only want to enhance the shape of the brow.
Next, apply a neutral base onto eye lids. I prefer one that won't budge, but you can even use a creamier one if you like. RMS Beauty makes a variety of neutral and very nicely pigmented eye shadows that are creamy. Even though your base might crease a little, it won't matter. The look will be subtle enough that it won't be seen easily unless you look quite closely. The easygoing nature of this eye look is key. It'll fade very naturally, and it'll still look like something is there.
Next, apply eye liner, but only apply it to fill in the lash line. Smudge any that might have gone onto the top of the lash line. Also apply a thin line of liner to the bottom lash line and waterline. Smudge this as well with a Q-Tip and wipe it down until it becomes more of a shadow than a definite line.
Finish with a coat of the YSL mascara. French women have been found to obsess over pricey mascaras, choosing DiorShow, Yves Saint Laurent, and Guerlain over Maybelline, Lancome, or L'Oreal. But whatever mascara you might have on hand should be fine. As long as you look the part, as it has been said. ;)
Work on skin. Apply foundation only as needed, preferably one that is not matte or too flat. There should be a definite glow to the skin. I use bronzer only because I need it to match the color of my face to the rest of me, but go ahead and skip that if you don't need it. Generally, the French are definitely not obsessed with tans like some Americans and Latin Americans can be. Do apply a little blush, preferably one that matches the color of your cheeks when you laugh or blush or even a shade lighter. You don't want too much color.
Lips should be kept close to their natural color. I love Eve Pearl's Climax Lipstick because for me it's just that, maybe with a little more shimmer, but not much really. No gloss. No liner. Just lipstick. Don't even reapply it over the course of the day. The effortlessness of this look is it's secret.

So there is everyday French beauty in a nutshell. Wear it to work, to go shopping, or to go to lunch with friends. I hope you enjoy it. :)

How to Do Winged Liner

2011-06-16T20:58:00.000-07:00

So this post is devoted to those of you who love the cat eye but are quite unsure on how to achieve this look. It is best worn on nights out, and can a little more time than your usual liner look to do. If you're a newbie to this, it's best to not do this in a rush. With a bit of practice, however, you can achieve a very sexy look within a matter of minutes or even seconds (if you become that skilled, which is possible). Here are a couple of tips to follow when daring to go all out with your liner:

If you're starting out, be aware of the type of liner formula you use. When I started out, I used liquid. It was a challenge to say the least, especially with the awkward and sometimes small brushes the containers came with. It took time to master it. And then, a bit too late (lol), I discovered gel liner. I can honestly say that MAC Fluidline changed my life and would've been a million times easier to have used in the beginning. This type of liner glides on smoothly and doesn't dry as quickly, so you can maneuver the line in case you mess up a bit. Use a stiff liner or even a brow brush to apply to eyes.
If gel is even a challenge for you, you can still achieve this look with pencil liner. I wouldn't recommend a kohl liner for this; however, you would have to use a highly pigmented longwear liner so that the line doesn't smudge after you've worn it for an hour or so. Urban Decay's 24/7 Zero liner is a good bet if you want to go for classic black. It's longwear; plus it goes on very well.
Make sure you have your mascara on and brows done for this, especially for more dramatic use of winged liner. Otherwise, the look will seem incomplete.

Here's a process to easily achieving the look:

Use a lighted mirror, like those Conair ones that are lit from the sides. Sit at a vanity or your dining room table. Tilt the mirror up so that you're looking down into it slightly. Rest your elbow on the table.
Create the wing first. Draw a small elongated triangle (base should start at the line) about a quarter of an inch long that extends your natural lash line. This will end up looking like you flicked your brush up quickly at the ends, creating a bolder look.
Draw three thin short dashes on your upper lashline: one on the inner corner, one above the pupil, and one on the outer corner. Carefully join them together. Keep the line thin at first. Go over the original line. This time, make the line thicker as you go out towards the wing. The line should not be thicker than the wing itself. If this does happen, adjust the wing.
If you make a mistake, dab some waterproof eye makeup remover (I like MAC Cleanse Off Oil actually because it takes off any formula you put on your face and eyes) onto a Q-Tip and run it along the messed up wing/line. I like using Eye Tees by Fran Wilson to correct mistakes with liner because they have a different tip on each end: a flat, rounded tip and a pointed, precise tip. I use the precise tip to fix both wing and line. Be careful not to overload the cotton tip with remover, or else you might end up making the line run and/or have the formula run down your face. Not awesome and quite annoying either way.
Duplicate the process of lining with the other eye. Clean up the line if mistakes are made.

Alternate method at the jump (one which I have used personally many times):

Start out by standing in front of a bathroom mirror. For those of you a little more experienced and/or steady-handed, you can afford to follow the rest of this freehand or resting your drawing arm against the mirror. If new to this, again refer to Step One of the first method.
Start drawing your line from the center of the eyelid. Start out drawing thin, short strokes, and gradually thicken the line using a series of strokes. Make sure the line goes from very thin to thick from the center of the lid out to the outer corner so it doesn't look clownish.
Create the wing by dragging the liner brush in an upward curve. Start out thin, then adjust thickness so it matches the line. This creates a wing that is not as harsh and geometric, but gracefully curved and more refined. Think Sophia Loren and that bold, yet delicately-shaped liner she wore.
Fix any errors with Q-Tips and remover.
Duplicate process on the other eye. Fix as needed.

And you're done!

With these tips, you should be well on your way on channeling your inner Brigitte Bardot. Kisses!

P.S. - I know this is easier to duplicate when you can see this being done, so I'll be uploading videos in order to help with that. :)

I'm Back ;)

2011-06-12T22:19:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

Hope you all have been well. So after a hiatus off of this blogger business (sorry about that!), I can say that I'm back for action! If you follow me on Twitter (@romanesquebty), you will see that I've previewed a few looks that I'll be doing tutorials for. Some will be everyday. Others, borderline-drag dramatic. But if you're like me, it's all fun to do! So stay tuned, and check out my next look, which I'll be posting very shortly.

Kisses!

Nicki Minaj's Barbie Inspired Look from the 2010 American Music Awards

2010-11-27T23:24:00.000-08:00

Hello again!

Hope everyone's Thanksgiving was awesome! Now it's back to business for everyone. Well, at least it is for me. I feel that I've been doing way too many low impact makeup looks, so here's a more dramatic one courtesy of Miss Nicki Minaj, rapper extraordinaire and, most of all, extreme beauty trendsetter. We've seen this Trinidadian bombshell rock a series of looks, from rainbow hair to her signature pink lips. This look I'm featuring is one similar to what she did for the 2010 American Music Awards. She donned her usual pink lips this time, with a candy colored eye (green lids, light purple creases, and sky blue under eye liner). She sported falsies as always (you can do this if you wish; I chose to leave them out), and some thick liquid liner, which keeps the eyes from looking too bright. It comes together quite nicely on her. Mine is a little stronger looking in terms of color (for the eyes, I mean), but I keep true to the color scheme and use of liner.

Here's what I did:

A good word of advice when doing a more dramatic eye look that involves a great deal of shadow: do the eyes first. Whatever fallout comes can be more easily cleaned up. Prime eyes, then apply highlighting base. I used MAC Bare Study Cream Colour Base. The sky blue liner that I applied on the bottom lash line is from Korres. The green eyeshadow I foiled (added water to make the color more intense) and put on my lids only. The color is from Sephora (part of the Clubbing in Tokyo palette). The light purple I then applied to my creases, and is from Sephora as well (from the Shopping in Milan palette).

For a winged look, liquid liner can be hard to maneuver if you're not used to working with it. Gel or pencil liner is best because they are easier to control. I used MAC Blitz and Glitz Fluidline, which is a black gel liner with gold pearl. Apply it with a stiff liner brush and flick liner up at the ends. A brow brush would even be fine since the bristles are stiff enough to lend control. Just make sure to wash it before using it on brows. On brows, I used my trusty MAC Lingering Eye Brows pencil

Even out skin with concealer and foundation, then apply a light pink blush. I used Utterly Chic by MAC. Then apply a light purplish-pink lipstick, which is Minaj's trademark shade. Nicki Minaj and MAC just collaborated on this particular shade. Called Pink Friday, it has already sold out the first day featured. It's only going to be sold a select number of Fridays, and it's probably going to sell out each and every time, so your best bet is to find a dupe. One that looks very much like this shade is Saint Germain by MAC. I combined MAC Angel lipstick with a Hemp Organics lipstick named Purple Haze for my look. It's not as in-your-face as Pink Friday or Saint Germain for sure. It's a more natural take on the pink lip Minaj likes to use.

More pictures after the jump:

Taylor Swift Inspired Look (from the December 2010 Cover of Allure Magazine)

2010-11-25T23:21:00.000-08:00

Hello all!

So I just received the December issue of Allure in the mail, and I can't get over how beautiful Taylor Swift looks on the cover. (I would provide pictures, but copyright laws hinder my ambitions.) Naturally very pretty, Swift is made even more so by the smoldering bronze eye, flushed cheeks, and natural pink lips created by makeup artist Gucci Westman. I recreated the look using MAC, Tarte, Korres, ybf, and Sephora products, as I will show you below. (I will say that the pinks did wash out a bit in the pictures, but I think that had more to do with the lighting than anything else. I'm not a fan of flash, because that usually further washes out color, so I'm going to find a brighter place to do all pictures for other posts.)

Use minimal makeup on the skin. I only used a bit of concealer around the face and under eyes to even everything out. For the cheeks, I used MAC Gentle Mineralize Blush. You could use any mauve or raspberry blush to achieve the same effect if you're fair. Medium girls would have to go a little deeper, possibly a little more red or plum depending on your undertones. Try Love Thing or Breezy if you fall under this category or even if you're darker skinned, since MAC blushes have very high pigmentation and show up well on all skintones.

Even out the skin of the eyes with concealer. You can also use an eye base beneath every you apply (a really good one I've used is Prime Time Eyelid Primer by Bare Escentuals; Laura Gellar Eye Spackle is another one that gets great reviews), especially if you're prone to oily lids. Apply bronze shadow from upper lash line to crease. Make sure you blend out the crease and also apply a little shadow on the lower lash line as well. I used the bronze shade on the top right corner from my Sephora Color Play palette (Coffee in New York). A very similar bronze shadow is Tempting by MAC. (Camp by Bare Escentuals also comes to mind.) Smudge a small amount of black pencil liner into both upper and lower lash lines. The original look called for liquid liner but really any kohl pencil would do, especially since you would be smudging it. It is best for this purpose. Highlight brows with a white gold/champagne shadow. Follow with mascara on the top lashes.

For lips, I used Go Go Goji gloss from Tarte. It's quite pigmented, so a little actually does go a long way. Wished it showed up a little more, but it was that perfect flushed pink.

Hope you all enjoy it! After the jump, a couple of more shots:

Downward shot to showcase the eyes a bit better

What Are You Thankful For?

2010-11-25T13:04:00.000-08:00

Hello! Thought I should take some time to wish everyone in the States a Happy Thanksgiving! I'm here at my own place celebrating with my own family (still a tad sick from this flu bug I caught recently, but enjoying nonetheless). This time is popular for Americans to celebrate what they are thankful for in their lives. Really, this is something that should be celebrated all year round; nevertheless, I would like to highlight some of the things that I myself am thankful for.

In terms of my personal life, I am thankful for:

My family, since they have been a source of strength and love for me especially this past year.
My mother, who even after surgery (she actually had a major procedure done just last week) tried to take care of me when I got sick.
My dad, who has been helping both me and my mom get better.
My friends, who keep me smiling and laughing and who are there to just listen to me when things get tough at times.
On a related note, all of my friends and colleagues who have at some point helped me in my professional endeavors. You guys are the best!
My uncle, who also has a vast talent of making me laugh nonstop.
Organizers and address books, since all my supplies and business contact information would otherwise be in a state of total disarray.
Especially right around now, throat lozenges.
Warm showers.
Hot tea.

And here's five of the beauty products I'm thankful for, and just really could not be without:

Korres Face Primer: Makes everything go on smooth.
MAC 217 Brush: Can't blend anything without this.
MAC Prep and Prime Lip Primer: For ANYTHING that you need to stay on for an extended period of time through eating, this is perfect.
Sephora Professionnel Brushes: MAC brushes are usually considered top of the line brushes, and I do own some. But these are not bad either. I use these constantly.
Korres Ginger & Vitamins Foundation: Pigmentation is wonderful and the formula is not heavy or greasy.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone! Salud!

Rihanna's Purple Smokey Eye Look from "What's My Name"

2010-11-24T23:32:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!

This is a look taken from Rihanna's video of her hit song featuring Drake called "What's My Name?" Throughout this, she is mostly dewy and natural. However, for the scenes where she and Drake are lounging together in their apartment, she is clearly wearing a bright purple eye with some light pink gloss. I really like the way it looks. It is as wearable as much as it is fashionable. Bold eye color is forecasted to be one of the biggest trends this coming spring (Christian Dior, Derek Lam, and Oscar de la Renta are just a few of the designers who sent models down their runways sporting brightly colored shadow for their Spring/Summer 2011 shows). This is a good way to take the trend to the streets.

For this look, it's important that the skin be fresh and clean. Make sure to even out skin tone with foundation and concealer, if needed. The focus should be strictly on the eyes. Any other strong color placed anywhere else, like on cheeks, would read as distracting.

Here's what I used:

Face: ybf Concealer Palette and Korres Ginger & Vitamins Foundation. No blush was used.

Lips: Light Pink lip gloss from Sephora's Color Play Shopping in Milan palette and Nude gloss from Sephora's Color Play Clubbing in Tokyo palette mixed together

Eyes: I used the champagne white shade out of Sephora's Color Play Dinner in Paris palette as a highlight. For the purple itself, I used Parfait Amour by MAC on top of Korres Eye Liner in Purple 4S on my lids. In the crease and browbones, I took the Parfait Amour and just blended it upwards. Underneath the lower lash line, I blended liner and shadow as well. Obviously, the key to this look is blending. Blend the hell out of it. Otherwise, this is going to look really childish. A good brush to create any smokey eye is MAC's 217 brush. It's perfect for this exact purpose. On brows, I used Lingering Eye Brows Pencil by MAC.

Hope you enjoy it!

One more picture after the jump. It shows a close-up of the look:

Pin Up Inspired Makeup Look

2010-11-23T15:53:00.000-08:00

The whole pin up and hair net look is something that I've always loved. It is something that has become more popular among celebrities (Drew Barrymore has worn a similar look to one of the premieres of "Grey Gardens" as well as Gwen Stefani, who wore it for a professional shoot) and even has been shown on reality TV stars (if you ever follow America's Next Top Model, the opening credits for Cycle 10 feature an extra wrapping a hair net over contestant Katarzyna's face). However, this style is something that dates back to around the 1940s and is inspired by pin up artists of the time.

Usually for such a look, red or burgundy lipstick would be worn. I used a fuchsia gloss to modernize it and make it a little more wearable. Also, the liner is not the typical liquid liner or cake liner one would utilize for this. I used a pencil liner. Here are the specific details on how I did the entire face:

For face: I put on Korres Face Primer before applying any color. I used a sheer application of Korres Ginger & Vitamins Foundation all over my face. Then I applied the middle shade of the Light/Medium ybf Brighten, Hide, and Sculpt palette to conceal undereye circles and redness. The blush I used is Utterly Chic, and it's from MAC.

For lips: I used a combination of glosses. I layered Korres Cherry Full Color Gloss in Fuchsia 54 on top of Illamasqua's Intense Lipgloss in Frenzy.

For eyes: I lined the top lash line with Korres 9 Blue Petrol Pencil Liner and winged it out (I will post a tutorial on how to do this shortly). I lined the bottom lash line and waterline (which is also known as the inner lash line) with Korres 6 Metallic Grey to soften the look. I defined my eyebrows with MAC Eye Brows (it's their self-sharpening brow pencil) in Lingering. To soften the lines I created (and to create my wings), I used Sephora Professionnel Brow Brush #10.

By the way, if you're interested, the hair net is from Urban Outfitters.

More pictures at the jump:

My Very First Blog Post Ever!

2010-11-21T16:40:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!

Since I am quite new to this whole blogging business, it wouldn't hurt to introduce myself:

My name is Rebecca, and I am a freelance makeup artist from New York City. I've been practicing professionally for about a year now. Besides the fact that I have gotten so many requests from my friends, colleagues, and clients to create a blog, I started this to share the many things I have learned about makeup with the average woman. I am always learning about new products and techniques from other beauty experts and makeup artists, which enables me to impart that knowledge onto others. In addition, I received art training in my younger years, which has allowed me to better understand how to use color and apply it to a 3D canvas.

Among all the different artistic mediums I have used, makeup is the medium I have always come back to. I have been passionate about it since I was very young. Even in my many tomboy stages, I was never caught without some mascara or tinted moisturizer. I now embrace my sense of femininity to the fullest, and express that through the many looks I can create.

The official name of my business is Rebecca Pesantez Makeup Artistry. However, I decided to name this blog Romanesque Beauty with my biggest supporter in mind: my grandmother (Roman is her maiden name, plus the fact that she was indeed a beauty - her picture I will later post). She has always encouraged me to practice my craft, and now I am starting my business largely thanks to her support.

So that's pretty much my story. Hope you all enjoy my blog! I will start to post some looks very soon :)