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Ottawa makeup artist Klava Z teaches how to create holiday eco glam look using only natural makeup with green metallic smokey eyes

Holiday Eco Glam Look

21.12.2016 , Eco Makeup, Everyday EffortlessbyKlavaZ Beauty Series, Makeup , 0 Comments

Hello beautiful!

Welcome to the Everyday Effortless Beauty Series by Klava Z, which is a beauty series showing you how to do flawless, fresh, fun and natural makeup looks for everyday life.

This is another eco makeup look when I used only natural non-toxic products, this time by Delizioso Skin Care to create it!

Holiday season, as always has crept up upon me suddenly leaving me wondering when I’m going to do all these great holiday projects I had in mind.  🙂  Maybe next year?

Tis the time for anything fun, sparkly, shimmery!  Which means you have a legitimate excuse to put some extra bling on your face!  This Holiday Eco Glam Look is appropriate for an office daytime party or an evening restaurant outing.  Usually even for going-out makeup I prefer to choose only one feature of the face to focus on and either go for dramatic eyer OR lips.  However, since it’s holiday time, a little excess is allowed and even encouraged, so my Glammed Up version of this look is strong makeup all over which my lovely model pulled so nicely.  You would never guess that she doesn’t usually wear makeup!  This version of the makeup is perfect for an extravagant evening out or a New Year celebration!

Ottawa makeup artist Klava Z teaches how to create holiday eco glam look using only natural makeup with green metallic smokey eyesTHE LOOK

I did a twist on the traditional holiday colours of green and red and used olive on the eyes and pink on the lips and cheeks instead.  It’s actually a pretty combination even if it doesn’t sound like one.  It’s a softer, more feminine version of green and red that I personally wouldn’t recommend in makeup for most people.  The olive tone eyeshadow has a gold metallic finish to it and I mixed a bit of light silver to add dimension to the colours and also to add a cool tone to the eyes to tie in a cool tone pink lipstick even more.  I don’t mind mixing gold and silver as long as it’s done right.  🙂

Even with colours on the eyes being green and metallic, the makeup still ended up looking elegant with soft smokey eyes and appropriate for an office party.   It’s all about the placement and blending that makes it so wearable and that’s what I focus on explaining in the how-to technique part of my post below.

Ottawa makeup artist Klava Z teaches how to create holiday eco glam look using only natural makeup with green metallic smokey eyes

 

TECHNIQUE  – EYES

Ottawa makeup artist Klava Z teaches how to create holiday eco glam look using only natural makeup with green metallic smokey eyes

When you are working with shimmery or dark colours, I recommend to start with your eyes first in case of fall outs or smudges.  This way if you make a mess then you can just wipe it off without worrying about redoing your foundation.

Make sure to have a base for your eye-shadows to grab on to, whether it’s an eye-primer or a long wearing concealer, which what I used in this case.

I used a flat synthetic brush, to get an intense colour pay off, to apply the metallic olive eyeshadow all over the mobile lid and also along the lower lash line. Then I blended the colour towards the brow, just slightly above the crease with a soft blending brush to bring a hint of this colour there.  This way the colour is the most intense in the middle of the lid and then gradually disappears outwards.  Otherwise if this fun colour goes strong all the way above the crease it might look too garish.

To brighten up the colour, I mixed a silvery white eye-shadow in the inner corner and blended it fading towards the middle of the eye.

A sneaky liner was placed with a black pencil in between the lashes to make the roots of the lashes look really dark and full.  Read all about this wonderful technique that most know as tightlining here.

Then I used a slightly wet angle brush to pick up a powder eye-liner to create a liner on the top and using the same brush soften the border of the liner for a more smokey look.  I took what was left on the brush to add some dark in the outer bottom corner along the lashes as well.  Since it was in a powder form, I was also able to use the same product as an eye-shadow to darken the outer top corner of the lid to create more depth and drama.  And again I used a blending brush to go over the dark to make sure the colours are seamlessly flowing one into another.  Well blended colours is what will make your makeup look polished and neat.  Also how you move your brushes against your skin will also make a difference in how eye-shadows will go on.  I focus on these techniques during my makeup lessons. 

Finally lots of mascara applied in layers, going back and forth between the eyes to give layers a chance to dry a little bit, to define the eyes with a luscious fringe!

FACE 

Since this is a going out Holiday Eco Glam Look, the base of the makeup needs to be long lasting and flawless (who knows how long that party is going to go for?).  I think that the more dramatic makeup is applied, the more perfect the foundation should be and a bit of extra coverage is ok to achieve that flawless look.  But more coverage doesn’t mean cakey!!!  I used a medium to full coverage foundation that sets to matte finish and applied a few sheer layers with a flat synthetic foundation brush to get the coverage.  After I gently pressed the final layer of foundation into the skin using a slightly damp beauty blender (if you don’t know what it is and you use foundation – look it up right now!).  My makeup kit is not complete without this handy little tool that makes the surface of the foundation look so smooth!

I brightened up under the eyes with a slightly lighter then skin tone concealer to create a highlighted effect.

Then I applied the cream blush on the apples of the cheeks and slightly up and out along the cheekbones.  To make sure that the cream blush goes on evenly, instead of dipping the brush into the pot, I placed a bit of cream on my hand, spread it thin and then stippled the brush on that to pick up the colour.

After everything was done I used a very sheer application of setting powder on the T-zone to ensure that foundation stays put and shine-free in that zone.

LIPS

Lipstick needs to last through all the party talking and drinking, so I started with a lipliner in a neutral colour.  I like how the lipliner gives light-coloured lips more definition.  Then I applied a layer of long-wearing lipstick in a medium nude tone mixing a bit of  the same cool tone pink cream blush I used earlier, as it is a lips and cheek product.

PRODUCTS

Ottawa makeup artist Klava Z teaches how to create holiday eco glam look using only natural makeup by Delizioso with green metallic smokey eyes

This summer I had a chance to connect with two lovely sisters, Leeona and Ariel, the creators of a kick-ass natural skin care company Delizioso.  There are so many amazing things I love about this company!  All of their products are 100% natural, raw and 100% paraben and synthetic free with no preservatives in sight.  They are cruelty free.  They are very particular about not diluting the active ingredients with water or other fillers so that the end products are at their highest potency delivering bio-dynamic powers of nature straight to skin.  And all of the products are manufactured in Canada!  On top of their extensive skin care, the girls also created a big selection of beautiful makeup.  Along with offering neutral colours, the girls didn’t shy away from more daring and creative colours, which is not easy to find in a eco makeup world.

The sisters very generously send me a few of their products to play with and the more I discovered over the course of the past couple of months, the more I fell in love with them!  So for this holiday eco glam look I decided to only use their products.

Dual Action Foundation Hydrating Coverage.  It’s not easy to find an eco foundation that has this much high-pigmented coverage and stays put so well!  It blends nicely and is easily buildable and sets right away to a natural matte finish.  Which means you have to work fast with it.  This makes it a great option for normal to oily skin types.  This is also a good option for acne-prone skin because it has anti-inflammatory and blemish fighting properties! It’s ranked #3 on Acne Foundation’s best acne treatment comparison. This alone blows my mind because I’m so used to conventional foundations that will only make breakouts worse.  The other properties of the Dual Action Foundation are anti-aging, nourishing and sun protective.  So this baby has got you covered on all fronts!  And it smells divine being infused with Bulgarian rose oil!

Camouflage Mousse.  Same in terms of coverage and longevity goes for this concealer.  It has been my personal staple for all my angry spots and blemishes for the past couple of months.  I already raved about this concealer on my Instagram.  It covers well with a tiniest amount and doesn’t budge for hours.  I like to use it with a small soft brush or the tip of my beauty blender.

Lust Lip and Cheek Shine.  Another personal staple of mine that I sang praises to already!  First of all I love it’s mutlitasking ability!  The less I have in my makeup bag – the better.   I need a very small amount of products because it’s so pigmented!  It blends smoothly on to the skin and the colour stays put for the day, which is hard to do on my oily skin.  This cream blush has a lovely dewy finish to it.  See above in the FACE section on the best technique to apply this blush.  The colour is a cool tone pink mauve that looks great on cheeks and lips!  Goes on almost like a weightless stain on the lips.

Pressed & Perfect Eyeshadow in Cinnamon Sticks and in Coconut.  If you want an eye-shadow that has high pay off, don’t look any further.  The colour you see in the pot is the colour you get on the skin with its high pigment quality.  The formula is velvety smooth, applies easily and sticks well.  It’s made with pure minerals and great even for sensitive eyes.  Mica, being the main ingredient, provides a beautiful metallic shimmer that’s not overpowering.  Cinnamon Sticks is an olive colour with brown undertones and gold shimmer finish.  Coconut is icy white with cool tone shimmer.

100% Natural Eyeliner Pencil/Brow Pencil in Midnight Black.  It has a creamy consistency that makes it glide easily on the skin.  The colour is a true black and as with everything in this line, it’s very pigmented.  It stays on well with minimal smudging.

Intense Black Loose Eyeliner Powder.  I was curious to try out this product because I don’t generally work with loose pigments, so I was worried that it would be messy.  But it was very easy to work with!  I just picked up the product with a slightly (not soaking) wet angle brush from the lid.  A little goes a long way because, again, it’s super pigmented, and it doubles as an eye-shadow as well!  The beauty of this formula is that once it’s on, it doesn’t smudge and will stay on all day.  It’s easy to apply in a very precise line or smudge it for a smokey look.  Can be applied wet or dry.

Volumizing Mascara in Black Diamond.  I love that this mascara has so many lash nourishing ingredients to help keep lashes healthy.  It does a good job at defining the lashes with it’s rich black pigment.

Creme de la Creme Natural Lipstick in Vanilla Creme.  Goes on very creamy due to so many lovely nourishing oils and butters in the formula and has a nice rich satin finish.  It has good longevity and amazing colour pay off.   This has been my go to colour when I go for more dramatic eyes and want nude lips.  It’s a medium light nude with warm pink undertones.

Lipliner Pencil Peachy Nude.  This pencil is soft feeling upon application but not too creamy, so it doesn’t slide all over the place. The formula is very long wearing which will greatly enhance the longevity of your lipstick as well!  Colour pay off, you guess it, is rich!  The colour is peachy brown neutral.

 

GLAMMED UP VERSION OF THE LOOK

I know, it’s funny to have a glammed up version of the glam makeup look, but here it is, because sometimes there are different levels of glam! 😉

I just love how a simple change of lipstick has created such an impact to this Holiday Eco Glam Look!  I chose a beautiful deep magenta colour, staying within the original palette of cool pink tones.  I also added a strip of false lashes to make the eyes pop a bit more.  Can’t go full glam without falsies, right?!  My favourite are Demi Wispies by Ardell.

 

Ottawa makeup artist Klava Z teaches how to create holiday eco glam look using only natural makeup with green metallic smokey eyes and deep pink lips

 

I hope this holiday season you have a chance to relax, enjoy time with your loved ones and of course, go out to a few fun parties looking all kinds of fabulous!

As always, if you are trying out any of the looks on my blog – please share here or on my Instagram @klavaz.makeup.  I would absolutely love to see it!  Feel free to follow me there too to see more of my work and what I’m up to!

Have an effortless beauty day!

Let’s play!

Klava Z

Credits
Photos Laura Kelly Photography 
Model Amal Wahab
Hair TopKnot Hairstyling by Kirsty MacDonald
Clothing Vincent
Eco Makeup Products Delizioso Skin Care
Professional makeup look for work with red lips and classic eye makeup created by Klava Z Ottawa makeup artist

#Girlboss Professional Makeup Look

11.03.2016 , Everyday EffortlessbyKlavaZ Beauty Series, Makeup , 0 Comments

Hello beautiful!

Welcome to Everyday Effortless Beauty Series by Klava Z, which is a bi-weekly beauty series showing you how to do flawless, fresh, fun and natural makeup looks for everyday life.

March 8th was an International Women’s Day and I wanted to honour it with this week’s look #Girlboss – professional makeup look.  I grew up in Russia where this holiday was lavishly celebrated all across the country and women were celebrated.  Even though back then we didn’t have the term girl boss, but many were by default, because it wasn’t common for women to stay at home, every one I knew was a working woman.

Today I’m surrounded with kick-ass girl bosses who run their businesses with style and even if it’s not easy – don’t show it.  I’m in total awe of women’s abilities to balance all the roles that they take on.  I know from a personal experience that it can be challenging and I’m still trying to find the balance between developing my business, spending time with my lovely family, taking time for myself and taking care of my house.   I guess I’m a girl boss in training. 😉

 

Professional makeup look for work with red lips and classic eye created by Klava Z Ottawa makeup artist

 

THE LOOK

I wanted to create a makeup look that says “power” and what better gets that point across then a red lipstick?  A lot of women think that they can’t get away with red, but trust me, there is a perfect shade of red lipstick waiting for you somewhere to be discovered.  It is also a matter of getting out of your comfort zone – if you are not used to wearing bright colour lipstick then even your perfect shade of red will look too harsh to you.  Give yourself some time to get used to it!  Wearing red can make you feel more confident and it’s a proven fact that people pay more attention to what someone is saying when their are wearing a red lipstick.  Another great reason for girl bosses to wear it. 🙂

In this makeup look for work every feature of the face is polished for a professional look, however nothing competes with the lips.  You don’t want anything taking away the impact of the power colour.  Let’s take a look at the details of this makeup.

Professional makeup look for work with red lips and classic eye makeup created by Klava Z Ottawa makeup artist

 

FACE

You need a flawless base to make the bright colour lips stand out in the best way, so make sure to do your foundation properly, covering any discolourations on the skin.  I used a liquid foundation with medium coverage and natural finish, meaning not too glowy or matte.  The t-zone was powdered to make sure that it doesn’t look oily midday.  The cheeks were defined with a blush in an earthy-peach blush colour that was applied under and slightly across the cheekbones for a contoured effect.

EYES

Often I recommend to not put anything on the eyes other then mascara when wearing a bright pop of colour on the lips for a modern look.  However, in this case, I wanted the eyes to be more polished, since it is a professional makeup look for work.  So I did a classic look on the eyes.  Soft cool pinkish grey colour was blended all over the lid and in the crease with a soft brush to add depth to the eye.  Light eye shadow was patted with a flat brush on the lower lid to brighten up and open the eyes.  To define the eyes, I applied a thin liquid eyeliner across the top lash line stopping where the lashes stop.  Be careful not to go over and down the eye edge as it will make the eyes appear droopy.

Brows are really important to this look!  Brows really define the character of the face and they need to be meticulously defined and polished.  Fill in the brows with a pencil or powder, making sure that all the gaps that make them look uneven are filled in and then go over with a brow gel to set them in place.

TECHNIQUE – RED LIPSTICK APPLICATION

I will warn you right away that I didn’t use a lipliner on purpose.  I find that brighter and darker colour lipsticks without a visible liner look more modern and fresh.  If you are used to a lipliner to even out your lips – find one that matches your lipstick perfectly and use it AFTER you applied lipstick.  This way it will even out the borders of your lips without looking like a definite line.

 

How to apply red lipstick for a professional makeup look for work with red lips and classic eye created by Klava Z Ottawa makeup artist

1. To make sure that your bright beautiful lipstick will stay on strong all day – use a lip primer.  I use the one by MAC and I let it sit on the lips for at least two minutes before I start applying a lipstick, otherwise it doesn’t have a chance to set and won’t hold your lipstick in place as well.  Trust me, giving time to a lip primer to set makes all the difference!

2. Use a lip brush so that you can define the borders of your lips instead of using a lipliner.  Tip – I like to use a concealer brush for more full lips as lip brushes can be too small so takes longer to fill in the whole lip.

3. Gently blot lips to help press the pigment of the lipstick into the lips more thorough.  No smooshing your lips into the kleenex though!

4. Reapply your lipstick for more longevity and put back the shine that you took off while blotting.

If you think that it’s too much work, think about Marilyn Munroe who would put at least 5 layers of lipstick on to get the desired colour and fuller look.  But seriously, it only takes an extra minute to do this, but will result in extra 4 hours of perfect lipstick wear.

That’s it – you are ready to go out there and rule the world … or at least your office. 🙂

PRODUCTS

Makeup products used to create a professional makeup look for work with red lips and classic eye created by Klava Z Ottawa makeup artist

Giorgio Armani Cosmetics Eye Tint in Flannel.  This is an interesting liquid-to-powder eyeshadow formula.  The coverage is really buildable from sheer wash of colour to a more opaque shades.  Once it dries it feels, looks and acts like a powder eye shadow that is extremely long-wearing.  The colour is really cool, sort of muted rosy pink with gray-ish undertones and a golden shimmer-sheen. Certain tones come out more depending on the rest of the makeup and the skin tone, of course.

Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper.  I already sang my serenades to this liquid liner that is my absolute fav in the previous post here.

Burberry Effortless Eyebrow Definer in Sepia.  The design of this dual-ended pencil and brush is one of the best out there if you want to quickly fill in your brows for a natural looking definition. The triangular slanted tip is brilliant because you can use different angles of it depending on what area of the brow you are working on.  The powder texture adds subtle colour and will never look harsh.  There is a good reason it has won Best of Beauty Awards 2015.  Sepia is a muted brown with ashy undertones which is one of the most versatile colours in the range.

Burberry Light Glow Blush in Tangerine.  It’s all in the texture – lightweight finely milled powder that blends flawlessly and becomes invisible on the skin.  The colour is darkened peach with a tinge of pink and the pigment shows up just perfect – not too strong, not too subtle, which makes application fool-proof.

MAC Prep+Prime Lip.  I usually describe it as a double sided tape for your lipstick.  It will help smooth lips creating a perfect canvas for the lipstick and will help it adhere stronger to the lips for a super enhanced longevity and prevent from creeping the lipstick into the lines around the mouth.  Remember to wait 2 minutes before applying your lipstick!

Giorgio Armani Cosmetics Rouge Ecstasy Teatro #402.  Armani calls this a CC lipstick, meaning that it offers Care and Colour –  skincare lipstick that combines high-impact colour with the ultimate comfort of a moisturising balm.  It does feel very velvety soft going on the lips and the colour has this luminousity to it that makes the colour pop even more.  Teatro is a gorgeous orange based red which, unfortunately didn’t translate accurately in pictures (it looks more like a classic red).

GLAMMED UP VERSION OF THE LOOK

 

Amped up version of the Professional makeup look for work with red lips and classic grey eye shadow makeup created by Klava Z Ottawa makeup artist

If a special occasion or dinner with clients is happening right after work and you need to quickly step up the look to a night version, it’s very easy.  I simply applied a shimmery grey eye-shadow all over the upper lid and blended into the crease.  It takes it up a notch but still looks professional.  If you want it even more daring and dramatic then swipe the same colour under the eyes as well.

I hope you will give this look a try and if you do – please post your interpretation of this look here or on Instagram with a tag #EffortlessbyKlavaZ.  I would be thrilled to see it!

 

Professional makeup look for work with red lips and classic eye makeup created by Klava Z Ottawa makeup artist

 

By the way, after this #Girlboss makeup look I will be posting new looks bi-weekly instead of once a week.  As much as I love creating these looks and tell you how to achieve them, I found that posting every week was taking too much time from my actual makeup job and my family.  In my search for balance in my life, as I talked about in the beginning, I made a choice to scale down a bit.  I hope you won’t mind. 😉

Check back in two weeks for a new look in my Beauty Series!  And in the meantime, follow me on Instagram @KlavaZ.makeup and Facebook Klava Zykova Makeup Artist and Educator for your everyday makeup inspiration.

Have an effortless beauty day!

Let’s play!

Klava Z

Credits
Photos Throne Photography
Model Ashley O Models International Management
Hair TopKnot Hairstyling by Kirsty MacDonald
Styling Toast Special Events
Clothing Vincent

 

 

Beach vacation makeup look with coral eyes and lips and glowy bronzed skin created by Ottawa makeup artist Klava Z

All Inclusive – Beach Vacation Makeup Look

29.02.2016 , Everyday EffortlessbyKlavaZ Beauty Series, Makeup , 0 Comments

Hello beautiful!

Welcome to Everyday Effortless Beauty Series by Klava Z, which is a weekly beauty series showing you how to do flawless, fresh, fun and natural makeup looks for everyday life.

Even though this winter has been mild by Ottawa standards, there always comes a point during the long months of cold when you just can’t wait to escape to a warm far-away! It’s about that time when everyone is starting to pack up for a vacation and maybe this beach vacation makeup look will help you to decide what makeup to take with you. Having said that, it is definitely time that people start saving up for a vacation. One good tool for doing this is reviewing your utility bills. Some people don’t realise that they might be overpaying on things like broadband. That is why a switching site can really help boost the vacation fund. Check out https://www.simplyswitch.com/broadband/ for more guidance. I was never an all-inclusive vacation kind of girl, I preferred to explore places on my own terms. However, I tried it out last year with my 1-year old in tow and I really appreciated the convenience of it. It doesn’t look like we will be going anywhere warm this winter (insert a very sad face here), and although I wish I was heading off on some sunny island trip with my bag and my passport in something similar to these Promotion Choice passport holders in tow, it doesn’t look as if that is likely to happen, so this post is as close as I’m going to get to a vacation. I would love to go on an actual vacation, I just don’t have the time. I have one friend who has recently just got back from staying at a hotel near Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans and it sounds like she had great time. Maybe one day I’ll go on vacation soon.
Beach vacation makeup look with coral eyes and lips and glowy bronzed skin created by Ottawa makeup artist Klava Z

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THE LOOK

I called this makeup look an All Inclusive so that it’s clear right away that we are talking about vacation on the beach kind of look. It’s about looking like a fresh and glowy beach goddess. Effortlessly, of course! 😉 This look is perfect as your go-to beach vacation makeup look – it’s easy, fast and uses minimal amount of products because I know that space is limited when you are packing your suitcases. I don’t like to think about makeup when I’m on vacation, that’s why I consider it before I go and carefully put together a few key products that I can use in different ways. I usually try to find a blush that can double up as a lipstick; and a highlighter that I can use as an eyeshadow and so on.

When I think about makeup for the sunny beach and tanned skin I immediately think of coral tones. Corals are so flattering on all skin types (of course you have to find the right tone of coral), and yet, so many women are afraid of them. When skin starts to acquire a slight golden glow (only “slight” because you suppose to ease into sunbathing and do it safely), coral tones accentuate the sun-kissed look so beautifully!

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Beach vacation makeup look with coral eyes and lips and glowy bronzed skin created by Ottawa makeup artist Klava Z

FACE

If you feel like you need something to even out your skin tone – choose a liquid or creamy product that is very lightweight and sheer. Put your powder away – matte skin looks weird on the beach. It’s just not realistic. I did use a tinted moisturizer that has a very luminous finish on the model to imitate how the skin would look like in hot climate. However, if you can get away without a complexion product – just go bare skin, give your skin a break, but don’t forget to protect it, of course.

TECHNIQUE – SUN KISSED BRONZER APPLICATION

Now it’s time for your bronzer! A sheer application of a properly placed bronzer will impart your skin with that sun-kissed look without the sun damage. 🙂 Again, I would recommend using a creamy product because once your skin warms up from the heat, the makeup will invariably move a bit. Creamy makeup will move more organically on the skin and are much easier to adjust by blending with your fingers, whereas powder product will just go streaky and look obvious.

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How to apply bronzer for a beach vacation makeup look with coral eyes and lips and glowy bronzed skin created by Ottawa makeup artist Klava Z

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I picked up a big sized dual fibre brush that is flat topped – I like using dual fibre brushes for creamy face products. I talked about them in my Yoga Glow Makeup Look and Wakeup Makeup Look. You have to think about the area of the face that you will be using your brush on – the bigger the area, the bigger the brush. In this case, you don’t want too big, because we are not applying bronzer all over the face, but strategically placing it to enhance the naturally tanned look.

Swirl the brush on the cream bronzer to pick up the product and then using buffing motions in circles go over your face, concentrating on the high planes of your face that would get a bit more sun if the face was exposed. Go over the forehead, along the cheeks and on tops of the cheekbones, and continue up one side of the nose, to the bridge and down the other side. Lightly touch the chin as well. Always check to make sure that the edges of the bronzer are blended well and you can’t see where it starts and where it ends. I like to wipe the brush on a tissue to get rid of the product left over and then go over the bronzer again focusing on blending the edges of colour. Also, this is a time when you can not only get away, but look stunning with a bronzer that has some shimmer to it.

I will be posting a video of a bronzer application for this look on my Instagram @KlavaZ.makeup this week, so don’t forget to check. 🙂 If you would like to learn more techniques and become a pro at your own makeup then see me for a makeup lesson.

I finished the cheeks with a creamy blush in pinky-coral tone with beautiful gold shimmer, which actually is a multipurpose cream stick that can be used in a variety of ways.

EYES

All over the lids I applied the same multipurpose cream stick in a sheer wash of colour with gold shimmer and put on a coat of waterproof mascara (a must!) on the lashes.

LIPS

A swipe of the coral lip balm to keep lips hydrated and protected from sun finished the look.

Beach ready beauty!

PRODUCTS

Makeup products used to create a beach vacation makeup look by Ottawa Makeup Artist Klava Z

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Laura Mercier Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer. Those who are familiar with Laura Mercier makeup line, consider this an iconic product. Of course, I love it for its luminous radiant finish! It’s a nice blend of skincare and makeup – hydrates skin with barely there colour for a radiant glow. The formula is lightweight and provides SPF 20 sun protection.

NARS The Multiple in Orgasm. Speaking of iconic – it’s hard to find a woman who hasn’t heard about it! Its’ universally flattering colour of pinky-coral with gold shimmer is what made Orgasm so popular, especially the powder blush version of it. It’s a multi-purpose stick for eyes, cheeks, lips and body in creamy formula and sheer colour that blends effortlessly to create shimmering accents, soft tones or glowing highlights. Easy to apply with fingers. I did notice that the staying power of this formula is not great, so for somebody with oily skin I would recommend a more long-wearing product.

Giorgio Armani Cosmetics Eyes to Kill Waterproof Mascara. This baby won’t budge even if you decide to dive into the pool head first. It separates the lashes nicely for a more defined look.

Vapour Organic Beauty Solar Translucent Bronzer in Simmer. Since the photoshoot for All-Inclusive makeup look, this bronzer has become my absolute favourite mostly due to its perfect balance of colour and glow that doesn’t go streaky or looks faux. It’s a rich medium bronze that deepens a tan on all skin tones. It blend easily into the skin for a natural-looking, sunless tan. More than that, the formula is infused with sun-specific antioxidants including pomegranate, green tea and acai berry, for natural protection. It’s pretty damn perfect on all accounts!

Burberry First Kiss Lip Balm in Coral Glow. I love the texture of this – a soft glossy balm that melts onto the lips and feels super comfortable. The moisture-infused formula provides up to 8 hours of hydration. Creamy coral shade delivers more colour then you would expect from this gloss-balm hybrid.

GLAMMED UP VERSION OF THE LOOK

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Glam beach vacation makeup look with bright coral lips and glowy bronzed skin created by Ottawa makeup artist Klava Z

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Originally I planned to just change the lip colour to amp up this makeup, which I did. I applied a vibrant coral in a lipstick formula for more intensity and depth of colour. But then I got carried away thinking about JLo (who perfected the summer goddess look, in my opinion) and decided to throw in a bit of a bronze eyeliner on the eyes to bring some attention to the eyes as well and put on some extra highlighter on the cheeks. Such a gorgeous beach vacation makeup look to wear to a pool party or an evening outing at the resort!

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Beach vacation makeup look with coral eyes and lips and glowy bronzed skin created by Ottawa makeup artist Klava Z

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That’s it! See, I promised it will be fast, easy and only 5 products to pack (ok 8 if you count the products for amping it up)! And no need to be shy with shimmers, highlighters and corals for your beach vacation makeup. Since your skin will have a natural glistening from the warm temperatures, don’t fight it, use products that will enhance it!

I hope you will give this look a try and if you do, I would love to see it! Don’t be shy, post your interpretation of this look here or on Instagram with a tag #EffortlessbyKlavaZ.

Check back next week for a new look in my Beauty Series! And in the meantime, follow me on Instagram @KlavaZ.makeup and Facebook Klava Zykova Makeup Artist and Educator for your everyday makeup inspiration.

Have an effortless beauty day!

Let’s play!

Klava Z

Credits
Photos Throne Photography
Model Jenny D Models International Management
Hair TopKnot Hairstyling by Kirsty MacDonald
Styling Toast Special Events
Clothing Vincent

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Fresh dewy makeup

Yoga Glow Makeup Look

29.01.2016 , Everyday EffortlessbyKlavaZ Beauty Series, Makeup , 0 Comments

Hello beautiful!

Welcome to Everyday Effortless Beauty Series by Klava Z, which is a weekly makeup series showing you how to do flawless, fresh, fun and natural looks for everyday life. I love teaching women about makeup, so if you are in Ottawa and would like to become a pro at your own makeup, check out my Educating page.

Natural glowy yoga makeup look

I love, crave, need yoga in my life. I truly believe everyone should find a yoga practice that suits their personality and do it! There are so many benefits to yoga, books have been written about it, so I won’t even attempt to list them all or pretend to know them all. I just know that for me, it’s what grounds me, what gives me mental balance, what stops my mind from running overtime when I need to sleep, what keeps me sane in the busy hustle of the day, what gives me confidence in my body and lets me enjoy my body. Yoga inspires so much in my life that it’s no wonder it was an inspiration for a makeup look as well. 🙂

 

THE LOOK

Now I’m not suggesting to wear makeup to a yoga class – that’s not what this look is about. You can if you want to, it depends on your comfort level of having “naked” face in public. This look is about using and enhancing that glow you get post yoga (or any good workout really) or about faking that glow in case you didn’t have time to do your yoga but would like to look like you did. The focus of this look is beautiful healthy fresh looking skin that is radiant and glowy. It’s the kind of skin that I personally would love to have all the time! I’m putting glow everywhere – the eyes, the skin, the lips. I’m using the strobing technique, but a bit toned down, so it looks like it’s your skin that’s naturally glowy, not that you packed on a few layers of shimmery highlighter on your face. In case you don’t know what strobing is – it’s basically intense highlighting of certain parts of the face.

 

This is probably going to be the most natural look of my Beauty Series, but also one that is a go-to for so many women: mascara, liner, lipgloss done. Here I offer a version of a classic very natural makeup look with a slight enhancement of strobing. If you want to make your eyelashes more full and longer then take a look at Xlash, you can check out these cosmetics and find out which products work better for you and your skincare routine, everyones faces are different and need different products to suit them. Creatively expressing your beauty through the means of makeup.

BeFunky 10Collage

 

HOW TO

SKIN

You start preparing for this makeup look by eating healthy, drinking lots of water and freshly pressed juices, not smoking, working out, going to bed early and getting your 8 hour beauty sleep; and taking care of your skin everyday with a skincare regime that’s appropriate to your skin type and age… you know where I’m going with this. Because no matter how good your foundation is you can’t fake healthy looking skin. You can fake the glow and I will share a few tricks with you here, BUT if you want truly flawless, you gotta work for it girl. Yes, there are foundations with great coverage and wonderful ingredients that can give you all kinds of effects and cover up all kinds of complexion problems, but it will never look as good as naturally healthy skin.

There are some lucky people though that have flawless skin without putting any effort into taking care of it. I don’t even want to talk about them! They don’t know how good they have it. Only people like myself, who have battled with problematic skin, can appreciate healthy, smooth and blemish-free skin. Moving on…

After letting the moisturizer absorb I applied an illuminating primer that makes the skin look very hydrated and glowy, but not shiny. After it set for about a minute I applied this new generation foundation that has extremely thin texture and again, a radiant finish. Both products feel like you are not wearing anything on the skin and evens out the tone of the skin slightly. This combination doesn’t provide much coverage, its main purpose is to impart a beautiful glow on the skin. The kind that would make Jlo envious. 😉

A cream blush in neutral peach was blended very softly on the apples of the cheeks.

Fresh natural makeup with glowy radiant skin

TECHNIQUE TIP – STROBING

As I have mentioned above, I did a subtle version of strobing in order to really intensify the radiant look of the skin. Another effect of strobing is such that the parts of the face where you put highlighter will come visually forward. It’s all about using reflection on high planes and points of the face that catch the light to create spotlit areas and bring focus and shape to the face. Places that are good to highlight are: your brow bone, inner corners of the eyes, bridge of your nose, top of your cheekbones and along your Cupid’s bow.

Since I wanted to achieve a Yoga Glow, not the Night Out Glow, I used a cream product that is very light in colour with a pearly finish so that once its settled into the skin it looked like the model’s skin is naturally this radiant. I picked it up with a small size dual flat topped fiber brush because I wanted to apply the product on the smaller area and have a good control over where I’m applying this highlighter. Then I buffed the cream in circular motion along the cheek bones, under the brows and on the bridge of the nose. Once most of the product was on the skin I went over the edges of the cream with buffing motion for a seamless transition of the product.

Check my Instagram @KlavaZ.Makeup for a video of this technique tip.

EYES

Natural eye makeup

The eyes got a dusting of an ivory eyeshadow with a shiny finish and a very light-handed application of a slate grey eyeshadow as an eyeliner with an angle brush flesh against the lash line.

LIPS

I finished the look with an application of a neutral beige lipgloss.

As I promised, glow everywhere – skin, eyes and lips!

PRODUCTS

Since the focus of the look is creating a beautiful glow on the skin, I will share some of my favourite products to achieve that.

Burberry, MAC and Pur Minerals Makeup products for Yoga Glow

Burberry Fresh Glow Luminous Fluid Base – Nude Radiance #01. This is the main ingredient of the Yoga Glow! I have been using this product for almost a year now and I reach for it all the time whether on my photoshoots or everyday clients. This is a brightening primer with reflection pearls in it that gives a shimmer-free luminosity to the skin with a perfect amount of glow that is not oily or wet looking. It feels incredibly light and hydrating on the skin since it’s 55% water infused. There are many uses of this beautiful luminizer. You can use it as is on nude skin to liven it up a bit, or as a base for your foundation. I like to mix it with foundation to thin it out and add radiance to it or to pat it on its own on top of the foundation as a highlighter on cheekbones.

Burberry Eye Colour Glow in Gold Pearl 001. I love this range of eyeshadows from Burberry because it creates a wash of luminous highlighting colour. It has light-refelcting particles that gives this glistening rather then shimmery effect when applied dry. You can apply it wet and the shine becomes almost metallic high shimmer. Blends on the skin smooth and easy, like every Burberry product. Sometimes when I want a more high-impact highlight I use it as my strobing product all over the face, not just on the eyes.

Pur Minerals Air CC Cushion Foundation. The cushion design of foundation is becoming very popular and many makeup brands are jumping on this trend that originated in Korea. The liquid foundation is suspended inside a sponge and to get the product you press lightly on the sponge either with the provided applicator, a brush or your fingers. I like the fact that you will never pick up too much foundation with this design. I haven’t had a chance to play with it a lot, but I already love the truly weightless feel of this mousse-like product. There is a reason it’s called “Air”! It’s very sheer and slightly build-able, but not much. The end result is like a thin perfecting slightly dewy veil. Perfect day time foundation.

MAC Luna Cream Colour Base. I have featured this product in a different colour already in the post on Wakeup Makeup. This shows how much I love this versatile cream! I have it in a few colours and use it to create beautiful highlights anywhere on the skin. This one is an icy white colour with soft shimmer that looks like pearly moonlight reflecting of your skin when buffed in well.

MAC 188 Small Duo Fiber Face Brush. What I love about duo face brushes is that you can use them with any formulas – liquid, cream, powder. I find it works best when used in buffing motion (wax on, wax off 🙂 I wrote a bit more about the benefits of dual fiber brush in my first post of the Everyday Effortless by Klava Z Beauty Series here.

NIGHT TIME VERSION OF THE LOOK

Fresh glowy makeup with bright magenta lips

 

This is a perfect look to transition into wearing a bright lip and the easiest way to amp up the makeup. Just paint your lips with a bright colour lipstick with a glossy finish. Remember – we are sticking with glow everywhere. 🙂 I chose a cool tone dark magenta that pairs so beautifully with the model’s green eyes and makes them pop. The deeper and more matte versions of this colour have been super trendy this winter. This colour surprisingly works on many skin tones and makes teeth look whiter (bonus!).

I love this effortless look of fresh face with minimal makeup and a pop of colour on the lips and resort to it very often when I don’t feel like putting a lot of time into my makeup and want an instant impact.

 

I would love to see you try out this look! Don’t be shy, post your interpretation of the Yoga Glow look here or on Instagram with a tag #EffortlessbyKlavaZ.

Come back next week to check out the next look in my Beauty Series! And in the meantime, follow me on Instagram @KlavaZ.makeup and Facebook Klava Zykova Makeup Artist and Educator for everyday makeup inspiration.

Have an effortless beauty day!

Let’s play!

Klava Z

Credits
Photos Throne Photography
Model Anastasia C Models International Management
Styling Toast Special Events

 

Organic Makeup look inspired by winter beauty

Sweater Weather Eco Makeup Look

18.01.2016 , Everyday EffortlessbyKlavaZ Beauty Series , 0 Comments

Hello beautiful!

Welcome to Everyday Effortless Beauty Series by Klava Z, which is a weekly makeup series showing you how to do flawless, fresh, fun and natural looks for everyday life. #EffortlessbyKlavaZ

This is a special edition of the Beauty Series that I’m extra excited about! Once a month I will be releasing a look that will be focused on using mostly or all eco beauty products. If you know me or you had a chance to read About Klava then you know how passionate I am about natural cosmetics! I blame my green ways on my 10 years of living in the beautiful West Coast of Canada, Victoria BC. Life is a bit less hectic there with a big focus on living consciously, honouring our natural environment and your body by avoid putting toxins in it.

I stepped on the path of natural wellness when my health wasn’t great and being motivated to get better and naturally curious I researched and read a lot about healthy lifestyle, nutrition and since I was a makeup artist, cosmetics as well. I was lovingly named “our hippie” by the MAC girls I worked together with at the store at the time. I was really shocked to learn how many toxic ingredients cosmetic companies add to their products! So I was eager to find alternative makeup and skincare that would perform well without the bad stuff in them. I know that there is still an impression that natural organic makeup products don’t work well, but natural makeup has progressed a long way since the original “crunchy” ways. Learning how to apply it by making your lashes fuller and more bold can be found by visiting travelexperta, enhancing your natural beauty and bringing out your facial features is a great confidence boost, you can use makeup creatively to express your style and show the world how beautiful you are.

Hopefully with my once a month green makeup look I can show you that there are many green products that work just as well and sometimes better then conventional cosmetics. Every month I discover new brands that produce beautiful eco clean makeup! A lot of them I found through my little (ahem, big) addiction called Instagram. 🙂 I’m slowly working towards my goal – a fully stocked eco kit with the best natural organic products in the market.

THE LOOK

Winter Beauty Eco Makeup look Before and After

This green beauty look is called Sweater Weather. It is inspired by the soft cool tones of winter, when snow makes all colours look slightly muted. When I put on my chunky knit sweater and my hat and feeling all cozy, I feel like adding a bit of lightness to my look, like crips winter air. I think that the combination of lilac and mauve tones worked well to convey that feeling. 🙂

Before I get to this look in details, I wanted to mention that I recently did a guest blog post on my friend’s blog for her wedding planning and styling company Toast Events. I blogged about winter specific makeup tricks and creating makeup looks for a special occasion like winter wedding. Check it out here.

Winter Beauty Makeup Look

HOW TO

EYES

Very often I start with the eyes and then do the rest of the face. I do so in case I have some fall outs from the eyeshadows under the eyes. This way I don’t have to redo my concealer or foundation. I can easily swipe them away and finish with the skin.

TECHNIQUE TIP – EYE SHADOW

The focus of my technique is the application of the eyeshadow for this look. I used a slightly frosted lilac eyeshadow and applied it with a flat firm eyeshadow shader brush all over the eyelids, in the inner corners and all over under the eyes as well. I chose a firm brush because I really wanted the light colour to show up and brighten up the eye with its lilac shine. I like to switch it up and use light colours instead of dark to line the bottom of the eyes. It makes the eyes stand out in a different way, it’s sort of has this airy effect. This light shade of lilac looks good with most eye-colours and flatters most skin tones, but dark. Somebody with a darker skin tone can still wear it, but would have to use this colour very sparingly, blended with other colours to avoid looking too stark of a contrast.

Then I used a small pointy pencil brush and applied a taupe colour in the inner corner of the eyes and blended its edges with a clean soft and fluffy blending brush for a washed out effect. I only wanted a hint of colour in the outer corner to ground the lilac colour a bit, that’s why I blended it well with a clean brush.

In the middle of this week I will be posting the video of this technique tip on my Instagram @KlavaZ.Makeup.

SKIN

I applied a creamy foundation all over the face and blended it in with my fingers until it looked like my model’s actual skin just slightly perfected. The foundation I used didn’t need any setting with powder on model’s skin. To bring subtle colour to the cheeks I barely touched them with a light colour pinky brown blush.

LIPS

I used a frosted pinky lipstick as a base and added a light brown glossy finish on top to get the soft mauve colour that echoed the blush colour.

PRODUCTS

Since the eco makeup products are the focus of this look, I will try to include the majority of the products used to create the look, not just the usual key products selection.

Eco Makeup Products for Winter beauty Look

Sappho Organics Liquid Foundation. I’m in love! My skin is so fussy, sensitive and breaks out easily. This is the only liquid foundation that I found so far that works wonderfully for my skin. It actually feels better after wearing it! No wonder, if you read the ingredient list, you would think that its a nurturing skincare cream, not cosmetics. I can honestly write a whole blog just on this foundation! It offers light but build-able coverage, wears well, has moisturizing qualities and anti-aging benefits. One layer application is easy, blends lovely, even though it doesn’t have dimethicone (the stuff that makes foundations slippery, but doesn’t let your skin breathe). If you need to layer for more coverage, I found that the beauty blender (what else, really!) works really well.

Da lish Illumination Concealer. Another great complexion eco product from my personal makeup bag. To find a great under eye concealers is hard even among the multitude of conventional products. It needs to be the right shade, slightly on the peachy or pinky side to counteract the dark circles. It has to be creamy not to accentuate any fine lines but has to set nicely so it doesn’t slide around during the day. It has to have good coverage to actually do the job and if it has a bit of brightening qualities – that’s a bonus. This concealer does it all without any toxic ingredients and it’s made in Canada. I rest my case.

Fitglow Beauty Mineral Eye Trio in Nightfall. It’s a pretty colour combination in the cool tones of lilac and taupe in satin finish and matte black. Easy to work with, though I wish the lilac and black parts would have the same consistency as the taupe – it’s a bit more creamy and pigmented then the other two.

Gabriel Cosmetics Lipstick in Dune. A lovely soft platinum pink with a cool tone frost finish. It feels creamy going on and then sets which makes it really long wearing. It is quite frosty, so be aware if you have dry lips, it can accentuate the dry texture. This brand has been around for awhile – since 1992 and has a few lines that only use 100% natural ingredients and are gluten free and vegan. I’m still discovering their products.

Mineral Fusion Sheer Moisture Lip Tint in Glisten. A nude caramel colour with glossy shimmer. I really like this product’s design, it’s very similar to Clinique Chubby Sticks and so easy to use on the go. It even feels similar going on, sort of a mix between a lipstick and a gloss. I guess the name of it really describes it well. 🙂 It does feel moisturizing, has a lovely glossy finish that is not sticky at all. Like most glossy lip products, I don’t find it stays on long, but I don’t mind reapplying because it feels so nice going on. Mineral Fusion line is the most affordable one that I found so far in the eco makeup range and it’s free from a lot of bad stuff like parabens, talc, artificial colors, synthetic fragrances, SLS, and phthalates.

Pure Anada Mineral Blush in Sweet Pea. I reach for this earth rose warm coloured blush very often! It’s a beautiful option for a subtle cheek definition. I recommend really buffing it so that the mica in it will impart a soft glow on the skin. Sometimes mica can be too shimmery, but this finish is perfect. I do find that some of the product flakes off when I pick up the colour with the brush, which means this blush will be done sooner then I would like to. Another Canadian made cosmetic line! I like a cosmetic line that think not only about how green the ingredients they are using are, but also how eco friendly their packaging is. This range of blushes comes in a pan that inserts into a reusable magnetic compact. How cool is that!

NIGHT TIME VERSION OF THE LOOK

Smokey eyes. Eco Makeup Look inspired by winter

When in doubt – go smokey. It’s always the easiest way to amp up the look by adding a bit more darker colour around the eyes. You will only need one colour since you already have a few colours on the eyes already. I picked up the black shade from the trio eyeshadow with a pointy pencil brush and went along the lash line all around the eyes skipping the most inner corner. I really brought the lower shadow down by blending downwards for a more dramatic smokey look at the bottom. Then I took the dark colour to the outer corner crease to give more depth the eye. Black eyeshadow mixed with lilac resulted in a beautiful evening grey smokey eyes look.

Viola – an effortless and elegant makeup look created using mostly natural makeup products!

Let me know if you try it out! Don’t be shy, post your interpretation of the Sweater Weather look here or on Instagram with a tag #EffortlessbyKlavaZ. I would love to see how you did it! I also do private lessons and group masterclasses, so if you are in Ottawa and would like to become a pro at your own makeup, check out my Educating page.

For more information about natural and vegan suitable beauty products, check out – Buy Vegan Lipstick – Long-Lasting Lips from NCLA Beauty – shopncla.

Come back next week to check out the next look in my Beauty Series! And in the meantime, follow me on Instagram @KlavaZ.makeup and Facebook Klava Zykova Makeup Artist and Educator for everyday makeup inspiration.

Have an effortless beauty day!

Let’s play!

Klava Z

Credits
Photos Throne Photography
Model Anastasia C Models International Management
Styling Toast Special Events