Nicki Minaj's Barbie Inspired Look from the 2010 American Music Awards

Hello again!

Hope everyone's Thanksgiving was awesome! Now it's back to business for everyone. Well, at least it is for me.  I feel that I've been doing way too many low impact makeup looks, so here's a more dramatic one courtesy of Miss Nicki Minaj, rapper extraordinaire and, most of all, extreme beauty trendsetter. We've seen this Trinidadian bombshell rock a series of looks, from rainbow hair to her signature pink lips.  This look I'm featuring is one similar to what she did for the 2010 American Music Awards. She donned her usual pink lips this time, with a candy colored eye (green lids, light purple creases, and sky blue under eye liner). She sported falsies as always (you can do this if you wish; I chose to leave them out), and some thick liquid liner, which keeps the eyes from looking too bright. It comes together quite nicely on her. Mine is a little stronger looking in terms of color (for the eyes, I mean), but I keep true to the color scheme and use of liner.

Here's what I did:

A good word of advice when doing a more dramatic eye look that involves a great deal of shadow: do the eyes first. Whatever fallout comes can be more easily cleaned up. Prime eyes, then apply highlighting base. I used MAC Bare Study Cream Colour Base. The sky blue liner that I applied on the bottom lash line is from Korres. The green eyeshadow I foiled (added water to make the color more intense) and put on my lids only. The color is from Sephora (part of the Clubbing in Tokyo palette).  The light purple I then applied to my creases, and is from Sephora as well (from the Shopping in Milan palette). 

For a winged look, liquid liner can be hard to maneuver if you're not used to working with it. Gel or pencil liner is best because they are easier to control. I used MAC Blitz and Glitz Fluidline, which is a black gel liner with gold pearl. Apply it with a stiff liner brush and flick liner up at the ends. A brow brush would even be fine since the bristles are stiff enough to lend control. Just make sure to wash it before using it on brows.  On brows, I used my trusty MAC Lingering Eye Brows pencil

Even out skin with concealer and foundation, then apply a light pink blush. I used Utterly Chic by MAC. Then apply a light purplish-pink lipstick, which is Minaj's trademark shade. Nicki Minaj and MAC just collaborated on this particular shade. Called Pink Friday, it has already sold out the first day featured. It's only going to be sold a select number of Fridays, and it's probably going to sell out each and every time, so your best bet is to find a dupe. One that looks very much like this shade is Saint Germain by MAC. I combined MAC Angel lipstick with a Hemp Organics lipstick named Purple Haze for my look. It's not as in-your-face as Pink Friday or Saint Germain for sure. It's a more natural take on the pink lip Minaj likes to use.

More pictures after the jump:

Taylor Swift Inspired Look (from the December 2010 Cover of Allure Magazine)

Hello all!

So I just received the December issue of Allure in the mail, and I can't get over how beautiful Taylor Swift looks on the cover. (I would provide pictures, but copyright laws hinder my ambitions.) Naturally very pretty, Swift is made even more so by the smoldering bronze eye, flushed cheeks, and natural pink lips created by makeup artist Gucci Westman.  I recreated the look using MAC, Tarte, Korres, ybf, and Sephora products, as I will show you below. (I will say that the pinks did wash out a bit in the pictures, but I think that had more to do with the lighting than anything else. I'm not a fan of flash, because that usually further washes out color, so I'm going to find a brighter place to do all pictures for other posts.)

Use minimal makeup on the skin. I only used a bit of concealer around the face and under eyes to even everything out. For the cheeks, I used MAC Gentle Mineralize Blush. You could use any mauve or raspberry blush to achieve the same effect if you're fair. Medium girls would have to go a little deeper, possibly a little more red or plum depending on your undertones. Try Love Thing or Breezy if you fall under this category or even if you're darker skinned, since MAC blushes have very high pigmentation and show up well on all skintones.

Even out the skin of the eyes with concealer. You can also use an eye base beneath every you apply (a really good one I've used is Prime Time Eyelid Primer by Bare Escentuals; Laura Gellar Eye Spackle is another one that gets great reviews), especially if you're prone to oily lids.  Apply bronze shadow from upper lash line to crease. Make sure you blend out the crease and also apply a little shadow on the lower lash line as well. I used the bronze shade on the top right corner from my Sephora Color Play palette (Coffee in New York). A very similar bronze shadow is Tempting by MAC. (Camp by Bare Escentuals also comes to mind.) Smudge a small amount of black pencil liner into both upper and lower lash lines. The original look called for liquid liner but really any kohl pencil would do, especially since you would be smudging it. It is best for this purpose. Highlight brows with a white gold/champagne shadow. Follow with mascara on the top lashes.

For lips, I used Go Go Goji gloss from Tarte. It's quite pigmented, so a little actually does go a long way. Wished it showed up a little more, but it was that perfect flushed pink.

Hope you all enjoy it! After the jump, a couple of more shots:

What Are You Thankful For?

Hello! Thought I should take some time to wish everyone in the States a Happy Thanksgiving!  I'm here at my own place celebrating with my own family (still a tad sick from this flu bug I caught recently, but enjoying nonetheless). This time is popular for Americans to celebrate what they are thankful for in their lives. Really, this is something that should be celebrated all year round; nevertheless, I would like to highlight some of the things that I myself am thankful for.

In terms of my personal life, I am thankful for:

1. My family, since they have been a source of strength and love for me especially this past year.
2. My mother, who even after surgery (she actually had a major procedure done just last week) tried to take care of me when I got sick.
3. My dad, who has been helping both me and my mom get better.
4. My friends, who keep me smiling and laughing and who are there to just listen to me when things get tough at times.
5. On a related note, all of my friends and colleagues who have at some point helped me in my professional endeavors. You guys are the best!
6. My uncle, who also has a vast talent of making me laugh nonstop.
7. Organizers and address books, since all my supplies and business contact information would otherwise be in a state of total disarray.
8. Especially right around now, throat lozenges.
9. Warm showers.
10. Hot tea.

And here's five of the beauty products I'm thankful for, and just really could not be without:

1. Korres Face Primer:  Makes everything go on smooth.
2. MAC 217 Brush: Can't blend anything without this.
3. MAC Prep and Prime Lip Primer: For ANYTHING that you need to stay on for an extended period of time through eating, this is perfect.
4. Sephora Professionnel Brushes: MAC brushes are usually considered top of the line brushes, and I do own some. But these are not bad either. I use these constantly.
5. Korres Ginger & Vitamins Foundation: Pigmentation is wonderful and the formula is not heavy or greasy.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone! Salud!

Rihanna's Purple Smokey Eye Look from "What's My Name"

Hi everyone!

This is a look taken from Rihanna's video of her hit song featuring Drake called "What's My Name?" Throughout this, she is mostly dewy and natural. However, for the scenes where she and Drake are lounging together in their apartment, she is clearly wearing a bright purple eye with some light pink gloss.  I really like the way it looks. It is as wearable as much as it is fashionable. Bold eye color is forecasted to be one of the biggest trends this coming spring (Christian Dior, Derek Lam, and Oscar de la Renta are just a few of the designers who sent models down their runways sporting brightly colored shadow for their Spring/Summer 2011 shows).  This is a good way to take the trend to the streets.

For this look, it's important that the skin be fresh and clean. Make sure to even out skin tone with foundation and concealer, if needed. The focus should be strictly on the eyes. Any other strong color placed anywhere else, like on cheeks, would read as distracting.

Here's what I used:

Face: ybf Concealer Palette and Korres Ginger & Vitamins Foundation. No blush was used.

Lips: Light Pink lip gloss from Sephora's Color Play Shopping in Milan palette and Nude gloss from Sephora's Color Play Clubbing in Tokyo palette mixed together

Eyes:  I used the champagne white shade out of Sephora's Color Play Dinner in Paris palette as a highlight. For the purple itself, I used Parfait Amour by MAC on top of Korres Eye Liner in Purple 4S on my lids. In the crease and browbones, I took the Parfait Amour and just blended it upwards.  Underneath the lower lash line, I blended liner and shadow as well. Obviously, the key to this look is blending. Blend the hell out of it. Otherwise, this is going to look really childish.  A good brush to create any smokey eye is MAC's 217 brush. It's perfect for this exact purpose. On brows, I used Lingering Eye Brows Pencil by MAC. 

Hope you enjoy it!

One more picture after the jump. It shows a close-up of the look:

Pin Up Inspired Makeup Look

The whole pin up and hair net look is something that I've always loved. It is something that has become more popular among celebrities (Drew Barrymore has worn a similar look to one of the premieres of "Grey Gardens" as well as Gwen Stefani, who wore it for a professional shoot) and even has been shown on reality TV stars (if you ever follow America's Next Top Model, the opening credits for Cycle 10 feature an extra wrapping a hair net over contestant Katarzyna's face). However, this style is something that dates back to around the 1940s and is inspired by pin up artists of the time.

Usually for such a look, red or burgundy lipstick would be worn. I used a fuchsia gloss to modernize it and make it a little more wearable. Also, the liner is not the typical liquid liner or cake liner one would utilize for this.  I used a pencil liner. Here are the specific details on how I did the entire face:

For face: I put on Korres Face Primer before applying any color. I used a sheer application of Korres Ginger & Vitamins Foundation all over my face. Then I applied the middle shade of the Light/Medium ybf Brighten, Hide, and Sculpt palette to conceal undereye circles and redness. The blush I used is Utterly Chic, and it's from MAC.

For lips: I used a combination of glosses. I layered Korres Cherry Full Color Gloss in Fuchsia 54 on top of Illamasqua's Intense Lipgloss in Frenzy.

For eyes:  I lined the top lash line with Korres 9 Blue Petrol Pencil Liner and winged it out (I will post a tutorial on how to do this shortly). I lined the bottom lash line and waterline (which is also known as the inner lash line) with Korres 6 Metallic Grey to soften the look. I defined my eyebrows with MAC Eye Brows (it's their self-sharpening brow pencil) in Lingering.  To soften the lines I created (and to create my wings), I used Sephora Professionnel Brow Brush #10.

By the way, if you're interested, the hair net is from Urban Outfitters.

More pictures at the jump:

My Very First Blog Post Ever!

Hello everyone!

Since I am quite new to this whole blogging business, it wouldn't hurt to introduce myself:

My name is Rebecca, and I am a freelance makeup artist from New York City.  I've been practicing professionally for about a year now. Besides the fact that I have gotten so many requests from my friends, colleagues, and clients to create a blog, I started this to share the many things I have learned about makeup with the average woman. I am always learning about new products and techniques from other beauty experts and makeup artists, which enables me to impart that knowledge onto others. In addition, I received art training in my younger years, which has allowed me to better understand how to use color and apply it to a 3D canvas.

Among all the different artistic mediums I have used, makeup is the medium I have always come back to. I have been passionate about it since I was very young.  Even in my many tomboy stages, I was never caught without some mascara or tinted moisturizer.  I now embrace my sense of femininity to the fullest, and express that through the many looks I can create. 

The official name of my business is Rebecca Pesantez Makeup Artistry. However, I decided to name this blog Romanesque Beauty with my biggest supporter in mind: my grandmother (Roman is her maiden name, plus the fact that she was indeed a beauty - her picture I will later post).  She has always encouraged me to practice my craft, and now I am starting my business largely thanks to her support.

So that's pretty much my story. Hope you all enjoy my blog! I will start to post some looks very soon :)