Urban Decay x Beauty Is Boring… Naked Cherry

Urban Decay is on a roll with their new collections! Meet Naked Cherry – the latest in their iconic line of Naked Palettes. For this collaboration, we shot not just the eyeshadow palette but also three new lip colors, eyeliner and a very pretty cheek/highlighter palette.

The looks (from top to bottom):

Mouna wears Young Love from the Naked Cherry Eyeshadow Palette with Vice Lipstick in Devilish.

Minji wears Juicy and Bang Bang from the Naked Cherry Eyeshadow Palette and the Naked Cherry Highlight & Blush Palette. Her lip color is Vice Lipstick in Juicy.

TJ wears Devilish and Bing from the Naked Cherry Eyeshadow Palette plus 24/7 Eye Pencil in Love Drug and Vice Lipstick in Cherry.

Sophia wears Drunk Dial and Privacy from the Naked Cherry Eyeshadow Palette, 24/7 Eye Pencil in Love Drug and Vice Lipstick in Cherry.

MODEL // Mouna Fadiga
MODEL // Minji
MODEL // TJ
MODEL // Sophia Gasca
MAKEUP // Robin Black
HAIR // Sheridan Ward

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Urban Decay x Beauty Is Boring… Born To Run

Another fun collaboration with Urban Decay! This time we are showcasing what might just be my favorite UD eyeshadow palette ever, Born To Run. With so many iconic Urban Decay palettes out on the market, it’s tough to chose but the vibrant colors and wide range of Born To Run definitely make it ideal for professional makeup artists and beauty enthusiasts who like to experiment.

The looks (from top to bottom):

Minji wears the shades Wild Heart and Hell Ride from the Born To Run Eyeshadow Palette. Her lip color is Vice Lipstick in 66.

TJ’s subtle golden eyeshade is a mix of Stranded and Blaze with dramatic lips courtesy of Vice Lipstick in Marfa.

Sophia’s burnt orange eye was created with Baja, Accelerate and a touch of Punk. Her lips are a blotted down coat of Vice Lipstick in 66.

Mouna wears Wanderlust and Big Sky layered over Overdrive 24/7 Pencil with Vice Lipstick in Marfa.

MODEL // Minji
MODEL // TJ
MODEL // Sophia Gasca
MODEL // Mouna Fadiga
MAKEUP // Robin Black
HAIR // Sheridan Ward

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Artist Series 02 : Aura Friedman

Collaborating with brilliant artists and creators is one of the best ways to spend the day in the studio! For the second set of images in our Artist Series, I worked with hair color genius, creative director and artist Aura Friedman. You may know Aura from mentions in Allure, shout outs by supermodels for her amazing blonding abilities, her own Instagram account or just because you adore artistic hair color and her name is always on the top of that list. I can confirm that all the love she gets is justified!

Aura is arguably the most creative and skilled colorist working today. She also uses her artistic eye to direct music videos as well as creative direct editorial photo shoots and fashion videos. As a bonus, Aura is cool. Really cool and down to earth and sweet and exactly the kind of woman that everyone wants to be friends with. For our shoot, she brought along muse/model/actor Alex Elizabeth – another really cool, down to earth, sweet and funny as hell, woman.

Note: I used the new Swipe Lip Compact from Flesh Beauty to create this “blurred” lip look. Oh and I didn’t list the lashes because they are from a tiny makeup shop in Little Tokyo with a label all in kanji. I’ve never found them for sale online or in any other shop.

HAIR COLORIST // Aura Friedman
MODEL // Alex Elizabeth
MAKEUP // Robin Black

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Chanel Rouge Coco Lip Blush, Take 2… Chloe Blanchard

This is the second image from a Chanel look I did back in the spring with Chloe. I’ve received so much feedback asking to see the front view of the makeup, the original image was a profile shot, that I decided to post this shot. Here is the original text and links:

Anytime a product comes out that claims to be both lip and cheek color in one, I feel compelled to try it. Perhaps it’s because in the 80’s I would watch my mom apply her lipstick, then lightly touch her finger to the bullet and tap it on her cheeks. To this day, I am fascinated by perfectly matching lips and cheeks (and nails if you can make all three happen!). So when I opened up the latest package from Chanel and found their new Rouge Coco Lip Blush inside, I was understandably thrilled.

The Lip Blush is exactly what it’s name implies, a dual purpose product that can be used on both the lips and cheeks. On the lips, a single stroke produces a stained effect but it can be layered for a more opaque finish. In the look on Chloe above, I actually layered it over their bright fuschia lip liner for a stronger pop of pink. Used on the cheeks it’s a gorgeous sheer wash of color!

Note: Chloe’s skin is so flawless that I actually skipped foundation and just used the Sisley Paris Instant Eclat, an illuminating primer.

MODEL // Chloe Blanchard
MAKEUP // Robin Black

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Sea Foam & Coral… Mariangela

This color combination always reminds me of vintage makeup and fashion from the 40’s and 50’s. There is a sad lack of sea foam and coral in our modern summertime lives! The eyeshadow shown above is actually Fenty’s new Killawatt Foil highlighter in Sand Castle / Mint’d Mojito. I was a bit at a loss about how to use a metallic taupe or mint colored highlighter but turns out they make amazing eye shadow with impressive staying power.

Note: Mariangela’s skin is so perfect that I skipped foundation and just used a tiny bit of concealer.

MODEL // Mariangela Bonanni
MAKEUP // Robin Black

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Easy Summer Glamour… Elliot Sailors

Between the blistering heat and endless humidity, glamour in the summer is a difficult task. With help from celebrity hairstylist Sheridan Ward and the gorgeous Elliot Sailors, we found the perfect look to up your summer game! Wavy, shiny, not quite beachy but not too done hair is easy to maintain even in the humidity. Paired with makeup shades of rose gold, golden bronze and shimmering caramel, the overall look is fresh, pretty and definitely glam!

Note: Check out #BeYouBeTrue, a hashtag created by Elliot, for inspiring content!

MODEL // Elliot Sailors
MAKEUP // Robin Black
HAIR // Sheridan Ward

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Rodin’s Mermaids… Mariangela

Rodin just launched their new Mermaid Collection with packaging by the always amazing Donald Robertson! The collection consists of four products plus a lovely kabuki style brush. My personal favorites are the Luxury Body Oil and the Luxury Lip Oil – I’ve been using these daily. The Body Oil has a subtle fresh jasmine scent, not to cloying or heavy and it sinks into the skin quickly leaving a hydrated (not greasy) glow. And I can’t resist a lip oil, especially one with a sheer beachy shimmer!

The Illuminating Liquid and Powder are perfect for creating a summer glow although they just come in one shade which only works with fair to tan skintones (I often notice this issue with highlight products). I layered them in the above look on Mariangela for an all over glowy effect.

Note: Donald’s packaging is so fun that you will want to save the outer boxes and archive the empty containers!

MODEL // Mariangela Bonanni
MAKEUP // Robin Black

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Urban Decay x Beauty Is Boring… Singe

Love when we get to collab with  Urban Decay! This time around we focused on Vice Lipstick in Singe with the Naked Petite Heat Palette on the eyes. And just like our previous Urban Decay project, I used these exact same products on all four of the models, although obviously different eyeshadow shades from the palette.

If you want to step up the drama, Singe is the lipstick for you! It’s a cool-toned, deep red with metallic shimmer and a formula that is buildable from semi sheer to opaque. It has lots of sheen and on camera, almost looks like a lacquer. The Naked Petite Heat Palette is an edited collection of shades from the Naked Heat Palette, all mattes. It’s an interesting combination since the eyeshadows are mainly warm and the lipstick is cool-toned.

MODEL // Marta
MODEL // Widny Bazile
MODEL // Michaela Watson
MODEL // Devan
MAKEUP // Robin Black
HAIR // Sheridan Ward

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Matte White Eyeliner… Lilliya

When I think of matte white used around the eye, I immediately flash back to the 60’s (think Peggy Moffit, Twiggy, Edie Sedgwick, etc) but the recent launch from Dior is anything but vintage. The new DiorShow OnStage Liner in Matte White is not only easy to apply but is close to opaque and doesn’t flake when it dries – basically the unicorn of white liquid liners!

Noe: Lilliya is a very talented artist as well as a model. Check out her Instagram feed for samples!


PRODUCTS // Dark Swan of Denmark Adore Lashes

MODEL // Lilliya
MAKEUP // Robin Black

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Lashes & Luminosity with Kathleen Hou

My memory is a bit patchy but I’m reasonably sure that Kathleen Hou and I met backstage at Mugler Paris around four years ago. Kathleen is the beauty director of The Cut and it was such a pleasure having her over to the studio on her recent LA visit!

Kathleen is as passionate about beauty as I am so her studio visit turned into a late night makeup party! We tested products, debated new formula innovations and chatted for hours about the beauty industry. One of our conclusions; Burberry is the most underrated of the beauty brands. Their Fresh Glow Gel Stick and Luminous Fluid Base are so good (see above)! I am also a big fan of their Face Contour Pen and Lip Color Contour.

When it came time to do Kathleen’s lovely face, I wanted to do a look she hadn’t tried before – always tough with beauty editors because they try everything! I used a shimmery teal cream to create an exaggerated cat eye (this style works particularly well on almond eye shapes) and then added Dark Swan of Denmark’s incredible fluffy lashes. The combo is eye catching and fun but still wearable.

Note: To see her eyelids closed, click here to check out the fun animated gif on our Instagram.

MODEL // Kathleen Hou
MAKEUP // Robin Black

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