Looking fresh in 4 steps

I worked in Birmingham this past week with Bobbi Brown Cosmetics teaching dozens of women to apply makeup. While I believe in addressing every detail of the face, I realized 4 things that anyone can do in five minutes or less to give you a quick pick-me-up:

1. Undereye Concealor- more important than foundation is concealor. Your eyes are the first thing people see when they look at you, so why not spend a little time concealing darkness and "lifting" the eye? I met this woman who was 12 days away from delivering her second child (the first child is only 13 months- God bless her!). She had severe darkness under her eyes but she was so beautiful and glowing (I know it's cliche to say a pregnant woman glows, but she did! Plus, I seriously love pregnant women. I think they're beautiful!). I'd imagine that the next couple months, she will be even darker under the eye due to serious sleep deprivation. I fixed her up with the most wonderful combination of concealors and she said was ecstatic. In fact, she told me she was so happy, she could french-kiss me!! I've never been told that before but it was a compliment nonetheless!

2. Mascara- After concealor, dabble on a little mascara to open up those eyes. Remember mascara wears away with the day. If you're going to be on the go, throw a mini-mascara in your handbag to touch-up (oh, I just got a new DiorShow Mini Mascara- it's so cute!).

3. Blush- I LOVE blush. It's the perfect way to pick up the face and rock out a fresh look. Try a pale pink on the apples of the cheeks (powder blush or cream blush are both good options).

4. Gloss, gloss, and more gloss- My favorite makeup staple! I was in Sephora this weekend and found 5 new glosses I needed. Let me just say, I need a new gloss like I need my leg cut off! I must have over 25 glosses already. Anywho, I digress. Apply a fun, pinky gloss, roll down the car windows, and jam out to the radio!

Best of all, these products can be easily stowed in your handbag or makeup bag and keeping you looking fresh throughout the day.

I recently did makeup for this beautiful woman pictured here. For those of you that know me, please excuse the following statement as you have heard it a million times over. I love Asians (and Jews, but that's a whole other story). Something about dark hair and warm skin tones make me want to run to my nearest spray tanning salon for a "summer glow". O.k., sorry, I digress. Here's the deal.....makeup for Asian women is quite unique. Because of the shape of the eye, it is difficult to create a "smoky eye" as she requested. Typically, the eye has a hooded shape and a smoky eye pulls the eye down. In this case, eyeliner is everything. Asian eyelashes and brows are typically made of fine, thin hair. For this reason, I used lashes by Mac in #7 to create a more open-eyed look and defined the brown with dark eyeshadow color brushed through the hair with an eyebrow brush. Her lips had such a beautiful, natural cranberry tone to them that I asked her if she had lip color on previously to which she replied "no". (grrrr.....jealousy set in!) I added a defined lip color and a touch of gloss and topped her off with a plum cheek color. She was insanely gorgeous and captured so beautifully by GwenMark Photography.

Now you C it, Now you don't

I am currently obsessed with Obagi Vitamin C serum. If you don't know anything about vitamin C, know this: C=Clarity. And girls, I mean clarity. You "C", I typically have nice skin but I don't wake up looking like Selma Hayek (I recently saw her spread in InStyle, she was so gorgeous) every morning. I began using the vitamin C serum last year but ran out. In between purchasing a new bottle, I consulted my estetician Sally at Destin Plastic Surgery (skincare clinic) and we decided to up my dosage from 10% to 15% solution. This just means the product is slighly more active (I'm not getting any younger!). From using my serum for just about two weeks now, I can say with a "clear" conscience that the texture and glowy-ness of my skin has dramatically improved. Minimal peeling may sometimes occur when first using Vitamin C, but girl, let it peel away show a more radiant you.