Photography: Renata Kaveh Makeup: Georgia Spyra

Loved the setting and the vibe of this photo shoot that was shot in Toronto.  I used Mac’s “Sushi Flower” eye shadow on the left and Laura Mercier’s “Lilac” on the right.  For perfect glowing porcelain skin  I used Face Atelier Ultra Foundation in Ivory mixed with a little of their Zero Minus and Champagne.

Photography: Renata Kaveh Makeup: Georgia Spyra

MMMMM….it was hard not to reach for one of these delicious desserts prepared by the awesome Cake Opera company.

Photography: Renata Kaveh Makeup: Georgia Spyra

What an amazing set design!  It definitely looks like a place where you’d find royalty and spoiled little rich girls! lol

Photography: Renata Kaveh Makeup: Georgia Spyra

Gorgeous model….Fantastic dress design!  I used Benefit Benetint on the lips and cheeks and rubbed the lips with a little “True Red”  lip liner from Laura Mercier.

Photography: Renata Kaveh Makeup: Georgia Spyra

What girl can a resist a cupcake?  Especially one so decadent and yummy looking!

Photography: Renata Kaveh Makeup: Georgia Spyra

I used one of my favorite OPI polishes “Heart Throb” on the model’s nails.  It’s such a clean fresh color and I loved how well it worked with the dress.  For a true period feel I mixed black and brown gel eyeliner together and added a couple of moles and then darkened and strongly defined the model’s brows.

Photography: Renata Kaveh Makeup: Georgia Spyra

Photography: Renata Kaveh Makeup: Georgia Spyra

Photography: Renata Kaveh Makeup: Georgia Spyra

I love doing bridal makeup!  Being part of this special day feels amazing.  I really enjoy putting a smile on a girl’s face and a sparkle in her eye.  That warm feeling inside can’t be beat!  I’ve said this many times and now again… “I’m always the makeup artist, never the bride”…lol

The look below is what I refer to as “The Classic Beauty”.  It’s one of my favourite makeup styles/designs.  You can also choose a  ”Red Carpet Diva” makeup design which is more for the glamour puss or choose a “Natural Radiance” makeup design, better for the bride who like a more subtle makeup.

This particular bride showed up with a really bad break out.  She was crying and thought her wedding day was ruined.  I turned her away from the mirror, calmed her down and told her everything would be fine.  I went to work one her and almost 2 hours later, I finished, turned her around, and watched as a huge smile lit up her face.  Her eyes welled up, she was so happy!  I was happy that she was happy.  What a feeling!!!!!  ”NO MORE ZITS”, she said.   “Nope, all gone” I said.  Then, I hugged her, wished her an amazing night and went on my way.  She sent me a pic of herself with a thank you note for making her feel so beautiful.  It was my pleasure.

I had a great time doing this shoot!  Godfrey and Laurelle were amazing I came up with the concept for the shoot & designed and created the makeup & head pieces.

HOW TO COPE WITH A GINORMOUS ZIT!

Photo: Mez Makeup/Hair: Georgia Spyra

Got a big night out coming up and you’ve been counting down the days? Mani, pedi, wax…check!  Gorgeous blow out and sublime makeup?…check!  You’ve even hit up a shoe store or two!!  You got a few good nights of sleep, and you look refreshed BUT you’ve woken up to find an uninvited guest, Mr. Zit, sitting nice and pretty right smack in the middle of your face! Don’t panic…try these pimple be gone tricks and zit zapping remedies below.

•  To get the red out apply a few drops of Visine on the pimple.
• To reduce swelling run an ice cube over it.
• To eliminate any crustiness, dab a bit of Vitamin E or Tamanu oil on it.
• For a whitehead, apply a hot compress, GENTLY (and I really mean gently) squeeze and then dab the area with rubbing alcohol.  This prevents infection.
• Applying sea buck thorn oil to your entire face on a daily basis will help to keep your skin in check, acne free and help you avoid all this drama.
• If none of these methods work or you’re in need of an overnight super quick fix, visit your MD for a cortisone shot.

You can then use yellow based oil free liquid or cream concealer to reduce redness and acne scarring in fair to medium skin tones. A mango or deep yellow orange colour works best for darker skin tones.  Choose a long lasting formula so that your product stays put and your pimple stays covered.   The redder the pimple, the more opaque the concealer has to be.  Mineral powder is a great product to use also, as it blends seamlessly into the skin and doesn’t cake.  It can be used alone for less severe pimples or layered on top of concealer and/or foundation for more coverage.   One of my favourite concealers is Laura Mercier’s secret camouflage.  For mineral powder, Fresh has a beautiful product.  It’s on the expensive side but worth the splurge.  If you want to save a few dollars you can hit up Mac, or try Pur Minerals from the drugstore.

Use a synthetic concealer brush to cover up blemishes instead of your finger. Oils on your finger tend to break apart concealer.  Once you have covered “it”, be sure to set “it”with a translucent powder to prevent meltdown.   I love Kett or Laura Mercier for setting powders.  If your little “friend” needs more coverage, use a mineral powder instead; it sets makeup too but also provides additional cover.

Cheers, and good riddance to pimples!!

Georgia Spyra

the makeup expert

Makeup Tips for the 40 Something Crowd

If you’re 40 something and have been wearing your makeup the same way since your 20′s, it’s time for a change!  In your 20′s, a black smokey eye can look mysterious and sexy but in your 40′s it can look like you haven’t slept for a week! Heavy makeup tends to settle in fine lines, very shimmery textures make lines appear more obvious,  and many products can melt off easily under a hot flash assault.  And, trying and testing different products to see what works for you can get pretty expensive.  So, that’s where a makeup artist can come in handy.  Since they work with a variety of products and brands they have a good understanding of what  will work best for women of all skin types and age groups.

Here are my top 5 tips & product selections for beautiful skin in your 40′s…

1. Use a face primer as it helps skin look smoother and makeup last longer.

My top choices are: Makeup Forever and Laura Mercier.

2. Try a silicone based foundation as it has amazing staying power and some brands work like a concealer too!  I put several brands through a few tests: running on a treadmill for an hour,  taking a hot shower, wetting my face but not rubbing it,  and a  hot yoga class.   To my utter amazement, most of the foundations stayed on!!   So you’re probably good through a hot flash, down pour of rain, or through that humid summer day. Oh and did I mention that they didn’t settle in fine lines either!

My top choices are: Clarins Everlasting Foundation, Makeup Forever for the face & body, Face Atelier and Revlon Colorstay.

3. Avoid too much powder.  Use as little as possible or try a mineral powder.  Powder itself can be very aging.  A mineral powder leaves skin with a glow, sets makeup and offers additional coverage.  If you have great skin, you can get away with a light dusting of mineral powder only.

My top choices are: Fresh minerals, Pur, Mac mineral powder, Kett Translucent powder, Laura Mercier Translucent powder.

4. Add life and glow to your skin with powder bronzer and cream blush.  Dust the bronzer on with a large fluffy brush and then dab on but  DO NOT RUB a cream blush on top.    You can opt for bronzing and blushing stains if you are very oily or sweat easily and want your colour to stay on better.  These are to be applied on top of foundation with a VERY gentle rubbing motion.  You can also opt to use powder instead of cream blush if you are more oily than dry.

Favorite powder bronzers: Nars, Fresh, Dior and Sorme.   Favorite cream blushes: Clarins, Mac and Kryolan.  My top picks for bronzing  & blush stains: Ben Nye and Laura Mercier for bronzing and Benefit for blushing.

5. Try misting your skin with a hydrating spray after you’ve applied your makeup.  If your skin’s dry, mist it before applying it as well.  You can also add a setting spray on top to seal the deal.   This is like hairspray for the face.

My favourite sprays: Kibio, Clarins, Face Atelier & Mac

Cheers,

Georgia Spyra

the makeup expert

www.georgiaspyra.com

How To Do Clean & Natural Makeup

To avoid lack lustre pasty skin & puffy eyes and rid yourself of dark circles,  follow the simple beauty steps listed below.  You’ll look polished and put together in 10 minutes or less.  With a little effort, looking good won’t feel like  you’re about to climb Mount Kilimanjaro!  

Photo: Izabela Rachwal

Model: Ashley/Swish Models

Makeup/Hair: Georgia Spyra

1. Splash your face with freezing ice cold water to tighten pores, ease swelling and take the red out of eyes.  This also guarantees that you will  WAKE UP

2. Warm your face and eye creams on your fingertips/palms and gently press and pat into your skin to stimulate circulation and add glow.

3. Apply an illuminating concealer on the upper and lower eye lids and inner eyes to brighten.

4. Blend a mineral foundation in a powder form over the entire face as it blends effortlessly and makes the skin look natural, fresh and dewy.  It also is great for sensitive skin and will heal irritation too!   Skip it only if you have absolutely perfect skin without a blemish or any unevenness or redness.  Call me if this is you….I’d love to share your secrets to perfect skin!

5. Warm your cheeks and upper and lower eye lids with a little bronzer.  Use a bronzer without a lot of sparkly flecks in it.  If you will be out in daylight it will not look good.  Opt for sheen over sparkle for daytime.

6. Sculpt the face and eyes with a soft sheen champagne coloured eye shadow.  Apply under the arch of your eyebrows, in the centre of your eyelids, at the inner eye, over your cheekbones/apples, along the upper lip line and the bridge of the nose.

7. Add a little chocolate brown waterproof liner along the upper lash line and into the roots of your lashes.  If your lashes are sparse along your lower lash line, use a little liner here too for added definition.  Now curl your lashes and apply at least 2 coats of black mascara.  Curling the lashes makes eyes look bigger and brighter and lengthens the look of your eye lashes.

8. Brighten your eye colour and face with a little peachy pink cream cheek colour.  DAB it onto the apples of your cheeks.  DO NOT RUB this in.  You’ll remove all your bronzer and mineral powder.  Smile to see your apples, and you’ll feel good doing it too!   Follow up with a matching coloured powder blush applied over the apples; layering the colour will give you a super long lasting finish.

9. Fill sparse spots in your brows with a brow pencil that matches your brow’s hair colour.  If it’s humid, make sure it’s waterproof.   It’s smart to get your brows shaped by a pro a  couple of times a year so that you always look your best.

10. Now for the lips….you can try a long wearing lip colour with matching lip liner and gloss for the perfect pucker.   Gloss adds fullness and looks great too.

11. Finish off with a misting of setting spray to seal your makeup.  If your skin is on the drier side, you can use a misting of moisture spray before the setting spray for a fresher look.

And… don’t forget to smile ’cause when you do, the world smiles back

Cheers,

Georgia Spyra