FENTY BEAUTY… Kloey

Kloey, Beauty is Boring, Robin Black, Fenty Beauty

I generally don’t get excited when celebrities launch beauty brands because most of the time it results in poor product quality with the sales being driven purely by hype. However, in the past month, Fenty Beauty (Rihanna’s new brand) and Victoria Beckham’s latest collection for Estée Lauder have launched with genuinely great products.  I’ve already started to play with VB’s latest, click here to see the post, but the above look is my first with Fenty.

Kendo (Marc Jacobs Beauty, Kat Von D and Bite) is the team behind Fenty Beauty with Rihanna heavily involved in the product development.  The results are a foundation line of 40 gorgeous shades plus shimmery, metallic fun in the form of multi-use sticks, contour, highlight, translucent powder and a single shade of lip gloss. You have to admire the confidence of only launching a single shade of lip gloss and insisting it will look amazing on everyone… so far, I’ve tested it on five friends (all with different complexions) plus Kloey (stunning model above) and it really has looked amazing!

I can’t resist multi use sticks so this look was created using the Fenty Match Stixs (see below for shades) and Gloss Bomb. I did cheat a tiny bit and fill in Kloey’s lips with MAC’s Lip Pencil in Spice (the classic) to give the gloss a slightly more opaque feel on camera.

MODEL // Kloey
MAKEUP // Robin Black

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Fenty Beauty Matchstix in Ridiiic

Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb

Fenty Beauty Matchstix in Starstruck

Fenty Beauty Matchstix in Truffle

CREATIVE things to do with liquid lipstick, part two.. Meng Meng

A few more suggestions for off label uses of your favorite liquid lipstick…

*Click HERE to see my first post of suggestions for creative liquid lipstick use.

1: Why stop with a single polka dot? Cover your entire face with liquid lipstick dots and channel Yayoi Kusama!

2: Create colorful brows that match your lips! Simply dip a disposable mascara wand into your liquid lipstick and brush it through your brows until the hairs are coated. If you have any gaps, fill them in using an angled brow brush with a tiny bit of the liquid lipstick.

3: Do you have blonde/platinum/white hair? If so, massage your favorite shade of liquid lipstick into a few sections and let sit for an hour before washing it out. You will be left with a temporary pastel stain, similar to back in the day when kids used Kool Aid to tint their hair. The higher quality and density of the liquid lipstick, the more powerful the stain. This also works on bleached brows.

Note: I used the new NARS Powermatte Lip Pigment in the image above.  It’s ideal for the more creative uses listed above and also for creating a perfectly lovely matte lip. 🙂

MODEL // Meng Meng
MAKEUP // Robin Black

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NARS Powermatte Lip Pigment in American Woman

MAC Rollerwheel Liquid Liner in On A Roll Black

Rituel de Fille Rare Light Luminizer inSolaris

Koh Gen Do Maifanshi Moisture Foundation

Victoria Beckham Autumn/Winter 2017… Maja Elmstrom

I have always loved the dramatic cat eyes of the 1960’s, worn by iconic beauties like Sophia Lauren and Brigitte Bardot. My favorite part of the look is how the edges of the liner tended to be a bit smudged and slightly soft. So when the stunning Maja and Victoria Beckham x Estée Lauder Autumn/Winter 2017 Collection (which happens to include a gorgeous kajal eye pencil!) arrived at the studio on the same day, I knew it was kismet.

I only used two products to create the cat eye, the #VBxEstéeLauder Eye Kajal in Black Saffron/Vanille and the Eye Ink Mascara. I drew the shape around Maja’s eye with the kajal pencil, then used the edge of my finger to smooth and drag the edges. Simple, quick and I actually like it when the kajal melts a little bit and starts to run. It has a cool lived-in, sexy, up all night at a rock concert vibe.

MODEL // Maja Elmstrom
MAKEUP // Robin Black

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Victoria Beckham x Estee Lauder Morning Aura Illuminating Creme

Victoria Beckham x Estee Lauder Eye Kajal in Black Saffron/Vanille

Victoria Beckham x Estee Lauder Cheek Creme

Victoria Beckham x Estee Lauder Eye Ink Mascara

Victoria Beckham x Estee Lauder Lip Gloss in Fired Crystal

Vert Profond… Bryana Holly

When the new Chanel Vert Profond Inimitable Mascara (a deep, slightly desaturated green) arrived at the studio, I just couldn’t wait to play with it! I have an affection for colorful mascara, perhaps because I was a kid in the 80’s – the decade of electric blue lashes. However this particular shade is definitely not an 80’s bright, it’s elegant, surprisingly subtle and I imagine it would be an excellent (and unexpected!) substitute for those who prefer brown mascara. I paired it with a slightly brighter green smoky eye, nude lips and red nails… to be fair, Bryana showed up with the red nails so that was a happy accident.

Note: Those are Bryana’s amazing, super long, real lashes!

MODEL // Bryana Holly
MAKEUP // Robin Black

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Chanel Inimitable Waterproof Mascara in Vert Profond

Chanel Palette Essentielle in Beige Clair

Chanel Le Rouge Crayon De Couleur in Nude

Warm pink… Jessi M’Bengue

Another look with the super talented spoken word artist, songwriter, musician and model Jessi M’Bengue! This time I did a monochromatic (seriously though, monochromatic makeup forever!) wash of warm pink to complement her glowing skin. While it might not be the usual Fall makeup, it’s a great pairing with denim and the camel color trend that is sweeping fashion this season. I actually used a mix of two Tom Ford Cheek Colors (Flush and Wicked) on both her eyes and cheeks. His blush has such amazing pigment that it works equally well as an eyeshadow, particularly when layered over the NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base.

Note: Click to hear Jessi’s latest music: Acoustic Sessions, Vol.1 

MODEL // Jessi M’Bengue
MAKEUP // Robin Black

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Smashbox Always On Liquid Lipstick in Driver’s Seat

Tom Ford Cheek Color in Flush

Tom Ford Cheek Color in Wicked

Koh Gen Do Maifanshi Moisture Foundation in 301

Marc Jacobs Glow Glistening Illuminator

The Last Days of Summer… Maja Elmstrom

It’s still scorching hot in LA but the last days of summer are upon us. However, before I break out the Fall color collections, I wanted to do at least one more carefree summer look. No foundation, no mascara, no fuss, just Maja’s gorgeous face with some minimal enhancement. To create the warm glow on her eyelids and cheeks, I used the Bite Beauty Multistick in Creme Caramel. Love a multi-tasker!

Note: Maja is from Stockholm and aside from being genetically gifted with stunning looks (That skin! The hair! The eyes!, The lips!), she has a down to earth cool girl vibe. We talked endlessly about Stockholm (which I have fond memories of) and she pretty much convinced me to move there. Ha!

MODEL // Maja Elmstrom
MAKEUP // Robin Black

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Bite Beauty Multistick in Creme Caramel

Chanel Jumbo Lip Crayon in Nude

Sisley Paris Thickening Brow Gel in Transparent

Paint it black… Ella Flood

Afternoons in the studio with Ella are always inspiring. In part because it’s hard to take a bad photo of her (Ella’s mom is gorgeous model Jenny Brunt, which seems like an unfair genetic advantage.) but also because she is an incredibly talented fine artist.  Her work has a level of sophistication that is well beyond her years and don’t even get me started on her excellent taste in music.

On this particular day, Ella had just finished packing to leave for a prestigious art school. Very exciting but also quite sad since it meant leaving behind Gabe (click here to see their prom look), her family and of course, her ridiculously cute dog Buns. Her mood reminded me of what it feels like to be young and have the whole world stretch out in front of you with limitless possibilities.

Note: The glitter is one of LemonheadLA’s Spacepaste shades. If you haven’t tried Spacepaste yet, it’s worth an order!  It’s a vegan jelly-like substance filled with high quality cosmetic glitter that stays put with zero fall out, totally addictive!

MODEL // Ella Flood
MAKEUP // Robin Black

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LemonheadLA Spacepaste in Jailbait

NARS Powermatte Lip Pigment in Paint It Black

Kat Von D Lock It Concealer

SISTER ACT… Isabelle & Crystal van Commenee

You may recognize Crystal, she was featured in our past collaborations with Marc Jacobs Beauty and Sephora. Plus she is hard to forget with that flowing red hair, perfect complexion, stunning blue eyes and full brows. To top it off, Crystal is smart, funny, kind and a gifted baker. During one of our previous shoots, she not only brought along some delicious vegan muffins (seriously the best!) but also her younger sister, Isabelle.

As soon as I saw Isabelle, I knew we should do a shoot with the two of them! Isabelle is two years younger with a mane of coppery red hair (to her waist!), a flawless complexion, gorgeous green eyes and similar full brows. She is not a model (yet) but rather focuses her free time on kickboxing – which has to be one of the coolest things a 16yr old girl has ever said to me.

Note: All that shiny red hair got me thinking of Guy Bourdin’s images so hence the late 70’s / early 80’s makeup vibe.

MODEL // Isabelle van Commenee, Crystal van Commenee
MAKEUP // Robin Black

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Tom Ford Lip Color in True Coral

Dior 5 Couleurs in 157 Magnify

Tom Ford Lip Color in Flash of Pink

Make Up For Ever Artist Eyeshadow in M806 Antique Pink

Summer Heat… Kristin Hoppe

What better for the scorching days of August than a traffic stopping look inspired by the heat! Kristen went platinum blonde a few days before our shoot so I wanted to play with the incredible contrast between her icy hair and fiery makeup shades. For her eyes, I used the new Marc Jacobs Beauty Eye-Conic Palette in Scandalust – which appears less intense in the product photos on their site but has a ton of color payoff. To add balance but not compete with the strong eye look, I did sheer washes of monochromatic colors on her cheeks and lips.

MODEL // Kristin Hoppe
MAKEUP // Robin Black

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Marc Jacobs Beauty Eye-Conic Eyeshadow Palette in Scandalust

Marc Jacobs Glow Glistening Illuminator

Bite Beauty Multistick in Praline

Bite Beauty Multistick in Honeywheat

CREATIVE things to do with liquid lipstick, part one.. Meng Meng

Suggestions for off label use of your favorite liquid lipstick…

1: Why not wear your lipstick completely off center like in the image above? Similar concepts were used for kabuki and greek theatre masks to convey multiple personalities or sometimes a character’s “double” face. Plus Comme des Garcons sent models down their Fall 2004 runway show in this exact style and since Rei can do no wrong, it’s at least worth a try.

2: Liquid lipstick makes for a great eyelid stain. Choose the color wisely and start by dabbing on a tiny amount and blending quickly. Nudes, pinks and reds work best for this experiment, purples tend to wind up looking like a bruise.

3: Rouge your nipples! Throughout the 1600’s – 1800’s, extremely low bodices were all the rage in Europe. So low that nipples were often exposed and to make sure that they were properly appreciated, women would apply rouge to them. This trend started among high born ladies but quickly spread to prostitutes since it helped highlight their wares.

4: Create the chicest personal stationary by applying a matte liquid lipstick and gently kissing blank note cards. Once the lipstick is dry, mist over it lightly with an acrylic setting spray (check your local art store) to set it.

Note: I used the new NARS Powermatte Lip Pigment in the image above.  It’s ideal for the more creative uses listed above and also for creating a perfectly lovely matte lip. 🙂

MODEL // Meng Meng
MAKEUP // Robin Black

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NARS Powermatte Lip Pigment in Starwoman

MAC Rollerwheel Liquid Liner in On A Roll Black

Koh Gen Do Maifanshi Moisture Foundation

Rituel de Fille Rare Light Luminizer inSolaris