This weekend our Mommy Makeover winner, Kirsten, was pampered at Air Salon, including hair by the talented Delanah Reudink and makeup by your’s truly. Kirsten was already a gorgeous canvas to work with; all we really did was enhance her natural beauty.
For Kirsten’s complexion I started out with Paula’s Choice Resist Daily Moisturizer SPF 25 under her eye area and along the tips of her cheekbones. 
This daytime moisturizer has a brightening and lightening effect that works perfectly to enliven skin and wears beautifully under foundation/concealer. The luminous finish adds a youthful, radiant glow to highlight cheekbones and the moisturizing factor helps soften the appearance of fine lines and crow’s feet. It’s an anti-aging powerhouse formula so you’ll also reap long-term benefits, particularly repair and protection from sun damage.
Next, I played up Kirsten’s eyes with The Nude Mattes Eyeshadow Palette from Paula’s Choice. The neutral and brown tones work beautifully together to bring out her striking blue eyes, and I used one of the taupe shades to fill in her brows. Before this palette came along I was a loyal fan of Urban Decay’s Naked palettes, but this one has more matte finish options, which work particularly well if you have crinkly eyelids because it camouflages wrinkles (as opposed to shiny metallic and shimmer finishes which only enhance them). Bonus: it’s $14 less!
For eyeliner, I applied Physicians Formula Eye Booster 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Eyeliner + Serum (my all-time favorite) in the shade Black to create the optical of illusion of an amplified lash line volume and extended a subtle wing on the outer edges for a lifting effect.
To round out the look, I added a coat of Clinique’s High Impact Mascara to create thick, lush lashes.
By the way, if you’re wondering why I started with the eyes, it’s because typically a bit of eyeshadow drips down during the application process which ends up creating a mess on top of your foundation. By applying eyeshadow first, you avoid this problem, and it’s also a good idea to base the rest of your makeup application around the intensity of your shadow. If you do a heavy eye, go subtle on the lips and vice versa.
Next, up foundation. Kirsten has great skin to begin with, but she had a few problem areas that concerned her. She normally wears a BB cream with ultra-sheer coverage so she wanted to try something that would do more to conceal her trouble spots. We used Paula’s Choice Best Face Forward Foundation SPF 25 for medium coverage and enhanced the look Paula’s Choice Sunkissed Bronzer. 
I love that this matte bronzer comes with two shades: one for a believeable, sunkissed tan color and the other, a darker shade that works great for contouring.
To add a pop of color and radiant glow to Kirsten’s cheeks, I applied The Body Shop’s Shimmer Waves in the shade 02 Blush. It’s a beautifully luminous blush, which helps add youthfulness by drawing attention to cheekbones. FYI- This is a dupe for Bobbi Brown’s Shimmer Brick in the shade Rose, and it’s $20 cheaper!
For Kirsten’s lips, we created a custom color using the Mally Beauty Pro-Tricks Lip Palette. I love this kit because it comes with several shades that you can mix and match for all skin tones and occasions. We experimented with different hues before ending on a gorgeous berry shade to complement her blue eyes, and blonde hair.
Love the look? For more beauty faves, check out my Best and Worst New Beauty Launches post and stay tuned for more makeup and skincare dupes to come!
The Unedited Mama 