Whether you’re new to makeup or a seasoned makeup connoisseur these are products that every woman or makeup artist should have in her bag! We have selected some of the top in their category! Do you have a favorite product recommendation? Share it with is!

Primer

Primer is one of those magical products that can enhance and protect your foundation and look. Primer help for foundation to go on smoothly, reduce shine, and depending upon the product nourish skin. Our top pick for primer is Smashbox Photo Finish. This silky smooth primer helps to create a smooth base for foundation and greatly reduces shine. This product is perfect for a wedding day and for gals with oily skin and it is a definite must have for makeup artists, it is my favorite kit product! Here are our top three!

•Smashbox Photo Finish $36

•Makeup Forever HD $32

•mark. Primed for Perfection $10.00

Foundation

Awe foundation, one of my most favorite products. It can turn an uneven skin toned, blotchy face into a beautiful, even-toned masterpiece! I have recently fallen in love with the Anew Age Transforming Makeup from Avon. This foundation is smooth and flawless providing ample coverage, long wear, no rub-off, and best of all it doesn’t feel like you’re wearing pancake batter on your face! Try out these other top foundations!

•Anew Age Transforming Makeup $16

•Chanel Mat Lumiere $54

•Diorskin Nude $46

•Diorskin Forever $46

•MAKEUP FOREVER HD $40

Conceler

Concealer is one of those magical things that helps to hide the partying you may have done the night before. Have dark circles or a monster zit? These products are sure to help! Our pick is the Shiseido Natural Finish Cream Concealer. This baby is soft smooth and covers nicely! Two of our other favorites come from Dior! the Diorskin Nude concealer hydrates and covers like magic, while the Skinflash Radiance Booster is great for highlighting and reflecting light!

•Diorskin Nude $28

•Dior Skinflash Radiance Booster $33

•Shiseido Natural Finish Cream Concealer $25

Pressed/Loose Powder

Oh Chanel Double Perfection Pressed Powder, how I love thee! This powder is unbeatable! Pair this lightweight silky powder makeup with the Anew Age Transforming Foundation and your face will look like a million bucks! Don’t believe me? check out the proof below!

•Chanel Double Perfection Pressed Powder $50

•Diorskin Pressed Powder $46

•Ideal Shade Pressed powder (Avon) $9

•Diorskin Nude loose powder $46

•MAKEUP FOREVER Duo Mat $32

Mascara

Diorshow Waterproof Mascara in black is still one of the best mascaras I have ever used. It is a staple product in my kit, and definitely worth the money! This mascara doesn’t flake, clump, and stays on all day; it’s a wedding day must have! These others are also fantastic formulas and for the price they can’t be beat! Im totally hooked on the mark. Scanda-Lash and keep it handy in my makeup bag.

•Diorshow WP Black $24

•Covergirl Lash Blast $8

•mark. Scanda-Lash $6

•Diorshow Extase $28

Eyeliner

Eyeliner is one of those products that has to be right! It can’t run, it needs to be soft so it doesn’t stretch the skin, and needs to have a lot of pigment, my favorite? It’s a tie! The Dior Crayon Eyeliner in waterproof and the mark. No Place to Run Longwear Eyeliner in black are my top two! Both stay on all day, Dior provides you with a Sharpener, but mark. is a super intense black perfect for smudging…my advice get them both!

•Dior Crayon Eyeliner black WP $28

•mark. No Place to Run Longwear Eyeliner Black $8

•Lancome LE STYLO WP Black $24.50

•Dior Crayon Eyeliner brown WP $28

Blush/Bronzer

Ok so everyone knows by now that NARS Orgasm is one of the best blushes ever! But they have other beautiful colors to choose from…so mix it up! My favorite pick for bronzer has got to be the Urban Decay Baked Bronzer, this baby has a golden hue that adds light and shimmer to the face. Get the sun-kissed look in winter pair with the mark. Bronze pro for contour and your skin will glow all season long!

•NARS Blush $26

•mark. Good Glowing Mosaic blush palette in Sandy $7

•Avon True color blush Coral Radiance $8

•mark. Bronze Pro $10

•Diorskin Bronze $43

•Urban Decay Baked Bronzer $24

Lipstick

Lipstick is so much fun and one of the easiest ways to brighten your face and change your look. The Avon Ultra Color Rich Lipsticks are my favorite! They are super soft, intensely rich, stay on long, and are a steal at $6.50! That’s like almost 5 lipsticks for the price of one designer lipstick! For that price you can afford to try all the colors!

•Avon Ultra Color Rich Lipstick $6.50

•Dior Rouge Lipcolor $30

•Sephora Collection Rouge Cream Lipstick $12

•Chanel Rouge Allure $30

Lipgloss /Liner

Lip liner and lip gloss are a great and simple way to get pouty sexy lips! Fill in the entire lip with liner to give your gloss something to cling to and you will have long-lasting hold! One of the great things you can do is get a lip liner that is either your lip shade or slightly darker fill in lightly and blend into the lip then go over with a lip gloss and instant glam! Our favorite of course taking number one is the Dior Addict Ultra Glosses. These glosses deliver maximum color, shine, and staying power. A definite kit or makeup bag must have! Lip liners are one of those magical products you can get just about anywhere! One thing you want to look for is something that is smooth and goes on easy! We love the Avon Ultra Luxury Lip Liner, they are silky smooth and come in a great color selection, the Dior Rouge liners also can’t be beat, and the Sephora Collection liners are super smooth and a bargain at $5!

•Dior Addict Ultra Gloss $26.50

•Lancome Juicy Tubes $18

•Avon Glazewear Lip Gloss $6

•NARS Lip Gloss $24

•Chanel Glossimer $27

•Avon Ultra Luxury Lip liner $5

•Dior Rouge Liner $28

•Sephora Collection lip liner $5

*All Pricing information is direct from Sephora.com and Avon.com.

: photo courtesy Airbrush Cosmetics.net

One of the common questions we are being asked lately is “should I get airbrushed?” The answer, YES! Airbrush makeup provides brides with a flawless finish. Airbrushing allows the makeup artist to control the coverage and provide you with a beautiful fresh look, without feeling like your face is caked in makeup.
Airbrush makeup is traditionally water-based and some formulations are silicone based, so it is safe for all skin types, and the bonus is it lasts all day, and does not rub off like traditional liquid foundation, making it the perfect product for brides. Airbrush makeup provides for maximum coverage, with hardly any product usage and delivers a natural and translucent look. If you have oily or overactive skin, airbrushing is perfect for it, and best of all it does not require powder, which on some woman can tend to look aging.
I personally love using airbrush makeup on myself and clients. I love it because I never have to touch up, I spray it on and it’s there at the end of the day. The other bonus to airbrush makeup is color matching. With there being so many different shades available, airbrush makeup is easy to match your color and tone in and artists can even mix to make the perfect shade. Airbrush makeup is also great for contouring the face, adding blush, and even doing a dramatic eye.
Ok, so now I talked about how great airbrush makeup is! I have to make this a two sided story. The downers to airbrush makeup are its expensive! An average airbrush makeup session can cost $90-$200 depending on the artist. Also, with airbrush, you want to have a professional apply it. It takes practice and technique to use an airbrush gun, in the wrong hands airbrushing can look blotchy or uneven, so it is important to hire a professional.
Overall, in my professional opinion, airbrush foundation is the way to go, its quick, flawless, and lasts a long time, every woman’s dream!