Hello Gorgeous,

This is part 2 of  Wake up your makeup.  We have primed our canvas, now lets paint our  beautiful picture. This is the exciting bit… where we get to play. Small changes can have a large effect on the way your face looks as a whole. I for one rarely wear makeup during the day, and I can say very confidently that at night after painting MY canvas… I look like a whole different person. So let’s take our canvas from DRAB to FAB.

What do we have in store? Start taking notes:

Highlighters
What? why? It’s used to bring light to the high points of your face (cheekbones, down the bridge of the nose and your cupid’s bow), to give a more lifted… I’ve-been-eating-my-vegetables look. Avoid being heavy handed while applying these products. They can very easily take you from looking glowy to greasy if not applied correctly.  The following are my faves:

SEPHORA – Anastasia Beverly Hills

SEPHORA – rms beauty

SEPHORA – Benefit Cosmetics

• Anastasia Beverly Hills  Glow Kit
• rms beauty – Living Luminizer
• Benefit Watts up

Contour power(powder)
Want to fake those sculpted cheekbones? I do quite often! It can take pounds off your face… and less work for you to do on your favorite photo touch up app. Relax gorgeous..it’s not a secret anymore 😉 .  In fact, if you need a few recommendations for the best touch up apps, email me (ps: stylist-client confidentiality).  The key here is to… repeat after me… blend blend blend! That should be your mantra while putting on your makeup.

SEPHORA – Kat Von D

SEPHORA – Benefit Cosmetics

• Benefit Hoola Matte bronzer
• Kat Von D – Shade + Light Contour Palette

LIP SERVICE

😡😡😡  Finding that perfect nude for your lips!
I have tried a million of them, trust me, and FINALLY have narrowed it down to a few that I love. Finding that perfect NUDE shade to match your skin is one of the most challenging things in makeup. Either you feel like it washes you out or it simply doesn’t work with your skin tone. The trick is to play up your eyes when going nude on the lips. A smokey eye is perfect with this. The following are nude shades that compliment most skin tones:

SEPHORA – NARS

SEPHORA – bareMinerals

KYLIE COSMETICS – SO CUTE

SEPHORA – Too Faced

NORDSTROM – Charlotte Tilbury

SEPHORA – Kat Von D

SEPHORA – tarte

• Charlotte Tilbury  in (Hepburn Honey)
• Too Faced Melted long wear lipstick in (Melted sugar)
• Kylie Gloss in (So cute) and (literally)
• Tarte – Tarteist lip paint in  (Get it) 
• Bare minerals matte in (Om)
• Makeupforever Artist Liquid Matte in (Warm beige)
• Kat Von D – Everlasting lipstick in (Bow n Arrow)
• NARS Velvet gloss lip pencil in (Buenos Aires)

GO RED

Don’t be afraid. You can and will pull it off. Remember ..RED is the color of Passion, Power and Confidence. One swipe of red lipstick and you can take on the world… NO JOKES! Give it a try! My current obsessions:

MAC – Ruby Woo

SEPHORA – Anastasia Beverly Hills

SEPHORA – SEPHORA COLLECTION

Kat Von D

• Sephora cream lip stain  in (Always Red)
• Anastasia Beverly Hills  in (American doll)
• Mac   (Ruby Woo)
• Kat Von D – Everlasting lipstick in (Outlaw – brick red)

Metallics
Its new, it’s trendy  and a quick tip: a little in the center of your lips adds oomph!

COLOURPOP – Ultra Metallic Lip

SEPHORA – Smashbox

• Smashbox Be Legendary Liquid Lip
• Colour pop: ultra metallic lip

Let me know how these products work out for you, or better yet, send me suggestions of your favorites that we can share with the rest of our gorgeous ladies. Either leave me a comment below or email me in private.

I would love to know if my posts have helped you amp up your makeup game. In case you don’t know how to apply any of these products… You Tube it 🙂

Until next time, stay classy & fabulous.

Stylishly Yours,
The Closet Stylist.

Hello Gorgeous,

This post will (hopefully) answer many of your make up woes and concerns. Too many options out there? Don’t know which foundation and concealer will work for you? I have tried and tested numerous products, so you don’t have to.  This topic is serious business as foundations need to be strong, so humor aside lets start blending. 😉

The products mentioned in this post have worked out the best for me and  with my help you will hopefully find that perfect primer, foundation or concealer that you have been looking for.

Primers.  What is a primer? Refer back to my prior post (A Face to face ) if you need a refresher. This is THE MOST important step after moisturizing, that most people miss before applying foundation. Different primers target different skin issues…such as large pores and uneven skin texture. Prepping the skin for foundation and powder is as important as the products you use right after.

1. Too Faced Hangover primer: Its hydrating (contains coconut water) if you are having a bad skin day and need some TLC.
2. Makeup Forever smoothing primer: Like the name suggests it smooths the skin and reduces any texture you might have.
3. Benefit Porefessional Face Primer: This one makes your pores look almost invisible, great for women with large pores.

A pea size amount is all you need.

Foundations.  MEDIUM COVERAGE… buildable to full.

1. Armani Luminous Silk foundation: My go to foundation. It IS like silk on the skin, applies beautifully and gives you just the perfect amount of coverage while letting your skin peek through just a tad bit.
2. Dior Nude Air Serum: If you are looking for a foundation that is hydrating and lightweight, this one is for you. It doesn’t cling to dry patches and goes on exactly like a serum. Bonus..it has SPF too.
3. Too Faced – Born This Way: It’s medium coverage and totally buildable, comes in a  wide variety of shades(thank you too faced) and is oil-free.

Foundations. FULL COVERAGE

1. Make Up Forever Ultra HD liquid and stick foundations: You need this one for your selfies. The pros love this for the camera. Its full coverage… without making your face look like you have layers of foundation, which is what we want, and again comes in a wide variety of shades.
2. Hourglass Foundation stick: It melts into your skin. Undetectable. Goes on seamlessly and is full coverage.
3. Clinique Beyond Perfecting Foundation plus concealer: Yay! No concealer needed..no really you don’t need one. Covers anything and pretty much everything… blemishes etc as well.  This one is oil free too and a little goes a long way, so don’t crazy!

Concealers:

1. Cle De Peau Beaute concealer: The queen of concealers in my opinion. My holy grail lets mask these dark circles cause I’m an insomniac concealer. Yup! Definitely is a little more expensive than the average concealer but totally worth it. I promise you! The only draw back is that it doesn’t offer a wide variety of shades. Come on Cle De Peau! 😦
2. Tarte shape tape concealer:  Tarte has knocked it out of the park with this concealer. Not only does it not crease, but its hydrating and brightening too. Who doesn’t want all of the above?
3. Urban Decay naked skin concealer: If you have a problem with dry under eyes, this is the concealer for you. This one has the thinnest consistency while giving you the coverage you want. 

My favorite and only way to apply concealer, foundation and setting powders is with a damp beauty blender. Applying it this way will not only give you a seamless finish but the beauty blender will also absorb any extra product.

Setting Powders. Why use one? It is a powder used to set your foundation and/or concealer and prevent it from rubbing off. Yes you need it…don’t even think about skipping this step please.

1. Laura Mercier translucent setting powder
2. Kat Von D Lock-it setting powder
3. RCMA no color powder

Nothing to really say about the above..they are the best..PERIOD!

I know there is a lot of information here, so as always shoot me an email with your questions at MITALI@CLOSETSTYLIST.NET

Happy Valentines Day. Until next time, stay classy & fabulous.

Stylishly Yours and make up free (Not!),
The Closet Stylist.

PS: coming up next … the rest of your face 🙂

Hello Gorgeous,

It’s that time of the year again…V-Day…or will be soon (in a few days). I wish we didn’t wait for this one day in the entire year to tell our near and dear ones how much we love them. Oh well! We don’t philosophize here… THAT isn’t our thing (we know this). We are going to talk about what you should wear to look your best on your special night. THAT is our thing ;). Be it with your significant other or your BFFs.

Date night with your love

Makeup – First things first…Exfoliate your skin for smooth makeup application and then moisturize. Assuming you are doing the whole candle light thing, keep your makeup simple. Dewy skin, light foundation (Armani Luminous foundation)  because he wants to see the real you.  Creaseless concealer (Tarte shape tape or urban decay weightless)… dark circles are always a NO NO. Set only your under-eyes and t-zone because we want the rest of your face to look like skin, not a layered cake (Laura Mercier setting powder). A little blush ( Nars orgasm) 🙂 to fake it even if you are not feeling blushy, a light wash of lipstick (Charlotte Tilbury kissing lipsticks) and stay away from the sticky glosses…cause when he leans over to….well you get the picture. You also don’t want to do a liquid lipstick because as much as they stay put all night, if you haven’t exfoliated and moisturized the hell out of your lips, they will flake and cling to dry patches…very unflattering!

Your eyes should be your focus, you want to look fresh and well rested for your special night. A light eye shadow, a little liner and a deep black mascara that lengthens your lashes (L’Oreal ) and boom. Done!  Again, set it please… we don’t want your makeup melting off your face while out (any setting spray will do). Oh! and don’t forget about that manicure and pedicure. Good looking hands and feet are a MUST. Non-negotiable.

Attire – Keep it airy, keep it ultra feminine, keep it graceful. Chiffon, pleats, show a little skin (maybe a little shoulder or leg) but not enough to make him want to skip dinner altogether ;). A midi skirt or dress maybe, do pants if you must but avoid wearing jeans…why? Cause it just seems wrong on V-Day and also chances are that he will be in jeans! He is a man after all so….who knows!

Celebrating with your gals!

What would we do without our girlfriends?  I certainly don’t  know what I’d do without mine. So let’s celebrate great friendships. Cocktails, Dinner and Dancing??  YESSS!

Makeup – Let’s have some fun. For foundation, lets pick one that will make you camera ready, since you will be dancing and taking selfies all night (Makeup Forever Ultra HD Foundation sticks), some blush, highlighter (there are so many options), fun colored eyeshadows and some daring red lipstick (Anastasia Bloodline, Sephora always red) are my go to reds.They flatter every skin tone.

Attire –  Make it edgy, make it cool… You’re out with your gals after all. Who better with than your favorites peeps. Wear those flared or cropped frayed jeans, that mini skirt, wear your sequins and your sparkly dancing shoes. Carry that brand new bag you just bought after reading my previous post 😉 and live it up!

And for all those love birds who are staying in, doing dinner and a movie…..you don’t need me 🙂

And for all the men reading this; and I know you are. It’ll be our little secret 😉 Roses yes! Jewelry yes! Chocolates? No thank you, unless you plan to finish them yourself. Right gals?

Happy Valentine’s day Gorgeous! May you find love or celebrate and cherish what you already have. xoxo.

Until next time, stay classy & fabulous.

Stylishly Yours,
The Closet Stylist.

Hello Gorgeous,

Ok so this is part deux of ARM CANDY…I could name it something else but what’s the point 🙂 I know you’re waiting for me to get down to business so let’s do exactly that. Without further ado…let me introduce you to:

1. Hands Free (the backpack). I can do Tae Kwon Do with this thing on my back. Nope you will not look like you are a child, it’s the new thing…ok fine.. it’s MY new thing.  And you cannot steal the emoji backpack your kid carries to school, why would you want to anyway when there are limitless options out there. Yves Saint Laurent, Givenchy, Fendi, Prada, Rebecca Minkoff, Marc Jacobs, MCM, and of course Tumi; they are all doing such fun backpacks that it’s hard to resist. Never have I used a backpack more since high school…oh and apart from being functional they are oh-so-hip!
   
   

   Fendi Monster Bag | Image courtesy: Bergdorf Goodman

   

   Saint Laurent | Image courtesy Barneys

   

   Valentino | Image courtesy Barneys

   
   

2. Hook Me Up! (Bag Attachments). OH MY GOD! I have been having such fun with this one. From fur attachments (you know..the famous pom poms) to tassles; to just about anything really- the quirkier the better. These things can give your everyday runaround bag a facelift. I never thought I would fall so much in love with this initially, but I have joined the bandwagon and can’t get enough. These you SHOULD share with your kids 😉
   
   

   Kendall+Kylie | Image courtesy Saks Fifth Ave.

   

   Fendi | Image courtesy Bergdorf Goodman

   

   MCM | Image courtesy MCM
3. Ring it up. (Rounded Handles). You know, the crochet bag your grandma used to carry (that she probably knitted herself!). No not those :), the high street version of those bags. Trendy and different from what we have been seeing of late, but I personally would not invest too much in these bags. This is not a bag that will be ignored but as all good things come to an end, I don’t see this one staying around for too long, so enjoy it while it lasts.
   
   

   Chloé | Image courtesy Chloé

   

   Chloé | Image courtesy Chloé

   
   

4. Box this bag.  Yes, its a box.  But a very pretty box. While the shape in itself is quite unimaginative, the colors, prints, embroidery and sometimes even the provocative messages make these bags outstanding. I for one am looking forward to experimenting with this style in 2017.
   
   

   Mark Cross | Image courtesy Barneys

   

   Dolce & Gabbana | Image courtesy D&G

I hope this post brings closure and answers some of the questions that arrived via email. As always you can follow me on instagram at @theclosetstylist or email me.

Until next time, stay classy & fabulous.

Stylishly Yours,
The Closet Stylist.