Prom Pretty

For Prom, I decided to nix the appointment with a professional and do my own makeup, because I'm a big fan of the really natural and simple look - my mom and I hardly wear any makeup, except for maybe a little powder, blush and lip gloss on special occasions. 

I think makeup application should tone down facial flaws like dark circles and uneven skin tone, but most importantly it should enhance a person's best features. My knowledge about cosmetic products is limited - I don't know much about the right shades and colors that best flatter my skin tone. For my next formal occasion, I'll leave the more intricate art of painting faces to the experts!

Professionally trained makeup artist, Nikki Valenzuela, believes that makeup application is an art. She is a graphic illustrator and artist by profession and it was only natural for her to expand her expertise from paintbrush to makeup brush. She's an expert in transforming plain janes into pretty princesses, and we got to see that firsthand while shooting our (super exciting!) first beauty feature for the blog. 

We collaborated on three different Prom looks to suit different moods and styles, with our lovely model Thea David. Nikki showed us how to have a well dressed, polished look, without going overboard.

The first look that we did was the base for all three looks. Something simple and clean that can be easily built upon with stronger shades. I really loved the gold tones that were used! Nikki suggests the use of a makeup stippling brush to create an airbrushed effect with your foundation. She also told us that adding foundation to the lips before applying lipstick makes for a subtler color.

 

Products used: Face Shop Skin Color Corrector and Primer, L'Oreal True Match Concealer and Super Blendable Foundation in Nude Ivory, Nichido Loose Powder in Natural, Nyx Contour Powder, Urban Decay Naked Palette in Half Baked and Busted, Too Faced Summer Eyes in Sunbeam & Chocolate Sun, Suesh Coral Blush, Mac lipstick in Honey Love, Estee Lauder lip gloss in Praline Paradise

For look two, the golden tones on the eyes were reduced with more neutral shades and white highlights. Lips were filled in with a bright pink pencil. I think this look is really fresh and the lip color really popped!

Products used: Suesh Bubblegum Pink Blush, Nyx Lip Pencil in Fuschia, LA Colors Star Gaze Pallete in Make-out, Nyx Powder Highlighter

For the final look, the lips took on a subtler shade of pink. To draw attention to the eyes, the eyelids were filled in with electric blue eyeshadow and bit of sparkle too : )

Products used: LA Colors Jumbo Eye Pencil in Bikini Time, Too Faced Summer Eyes in Mermaid, Dollhouse Eyeshadow Pallete, MAC Angel A01 Shimmer

This is the first beauty shoot I did! I don't have any special equipment or lighting - all photos were shot in natural light with my weapon of choice, my trusty Canon EOS 1100D. I usually lean towards food photography, where I'm most comfortable, but this was super fun and I would love to do more shoots like this in the future! It was definitely a challenge, but a fun and rewarding one at that : )

Nikki Valenzuela

Makeup Artist

0917.8016325

View her portfolio here

Gold Neck Piece and Blue Beaded Choker:

Palumuti by PJ Valenciano

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