Paris Makeup Haul

If you follow me on twitter, you probably know that I've spent the past three weeks in Paris, France - the city of lights. During my time there I was bound and determine to track down some brands that were harder to get in the states. While my husband was patient through the first three makeup stops, by the fifth, he waited outside *oops*.

Everything seems more beautiful in Paris, even the makeup, so it was near on impossible to ONLY come home with items I knew I couldn't get in my own back yard. Here is a glimpse of my Paris makeup haul:

The first brand on my list was Bourjois. Many moons ago, this brand was sold at Sephora stores...alas, no longer. However, this brand ABOUNDS in European countries. I found that Bourjois, Nivea and L'Oreal were the three most popular brands found everywhere from Sephora to Markets, all across Paris.

Recently the review regarding their blushes and glosses had peaked my curiosity. Even PixiWoo (one of my all-time fav youtubers) has been raving about their bronzer and face powders of late.

I ended up picking up quite a stash of their blushes. They are baked, similar to the Milani baked blushes, which give them a dome effect. And to the naked eye, these babies shimmer like no other (I don't find that in application they are as glittery as they look in the pan).

How cute is this packaging? They recently did a special packaging series with artist depictions of the famous sights in Paris. Not only was it a makeup haul done while in Paris, but it truly is Paris inspired makeup!

From left to Right: 16 Rose Coup, 32 Ambre D'or, 95 Rose De Jaspe, 34 Rose D'or, 48 Cendre De Rose Brune

I also stumbled upon an entire Hello Kitty makeup line. It was nothing like the line sold in Sephora, but, true to Hello Kitty form it included lots of glitter and girly/bright colors. I picked up two of their blushes. The coral colored one reminded me of MAC's peaches with a little more sparkle.

Flash Review: I used the blushes almost exclusively during my three week stay in Paris. I actually enjoyed the sparkle that the Bourjois provided, it saved me a step adding my favorite highlighter, By Candlelight, on top. It's funny actually, the one matte color I bought (Cendre de Rose Brune) is the only one I haven't played with yet. It's just not inspiring next to all that sparkle!

I've only used the peach Hello Kitty blush and was surprised to find a beautiful coral color under all that in-your-face orange you see in the pan. Surprise, surprise.

Fashion Flash: Paris

Check out this girl's dress!

I tried to stealthly take pictures of her, stalker style, while in Paris last week. It was just too perfectly cute to not share.

What do you think: over the top or perfectly cute?

Makeup Brands: Have you ever heard of Black UP?

As nerdy as it is, I'm always so fascinated by the different makeup brands found around the world For example, when I went to China I was shocked to find that Nivea was the top provider of chapstick - they didn't even have my beloved Carmex in stores! *the horror*

While in Paris I saw a brand I had never heard of: Black Up.

I first ran across it in a Printemps, a HUGE department store in the Opera district, and later found this stand alone shop somewhere during my wanderings.

Has anyone ever heard of this brand? Spill the beans, I'm dying to know!

Bridal Makeup: Megean and Cameron

What do you do when you've spent 9 months planning a beautiful, March, outdoor ceremony only to have rain and snow show up as a guest?

Make.It.Work.

Megean was the type of bride that makes me love my job: unfailingly positive with a great sense of humor. Rain/Snow/Sleet or Hail - NOTHING was going to damper this girl's spirit.

Before

After
Megean wanted to go soft and natural for her ceremony and pump up the pink for her reception, so this is what we came up with.

It sure makes my job easy with the bride is as stunningly beautiful as this one.

For this look:

MAC Rubenesque paint pot
MAC Vanilla Pigment (inner lid)
MAC Pink Opal Pigment (outer lid)
Swiss Chocolate/Cork/Espresso eye shadows
Clinique Gel Liner in Black
Oh and Lashes - oh yes, LOTS of lashes. (Miss Adoro 213s)

Megean, easily, had one of my favorite weddings to date. Seamlessly moving the ceremony inside due to the inclimate weather, the decor was playful, with fuchsia and black, without being overwhelmingly girly or garish.

So, to match the glitz and glam of the reception, we changed up the look a little once the formal pictures were done. Add a little glitter here, a dash of pink there, and this Mrs. was ready to dance all night long!

(picture from the makeup trial)

Additional pictures can be seen at MartinBee Photography.