Engagement session with BreAnne Weston and Jessica Casperson

BreAnne is such a sweetheart. I absolutely love working with her. She was kind enough to ask if I would be interested in doing the makeup for this stunning girl, so of course I said yes! Makenzie, and Smitty had just gotten engaged that morning, and they were off to shoot pictures that day. It all happened so perfectly. They are such a great couple and I am so happy for them. These beautiful pictures will be ones to remind them of such a wonderful day, for the rest of their lives. Feel free to check out BreAnne's page, for more of this lovely couple! http://www.breannewestonphoto.com/search/label/blog

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I didn't just get to work with BreAnne, but I had the pleasure of working with her good friend Jessica, from Jessica Casperson Photography. I have fallen in love with her blog, and the photos she captures. She is a darling girl, and she rocked some amazing photos from this photo shoot as well. I love the difference in colors. Please feel free to check out her page too. http://jessicacaspersonphotography.com/home-2/blog/

 

 

 



About Brushes Part 1.

As I have stated before, I am a stay at home mom to three kids, on a single income. We budget our money pretty well, but most of the time I do not have a lot of money to spend on beauty products. I have learned the hard way most times, of what works and what doesn't. Brushes are one thing that you can find in any budget. There are so many brushes in every price range, and though some of them aren't worth spending money on, you can find some that are.

If you are just venturing out in the makeup world, brushes are a great place to start. For most people, using makeup brushes is a skill that takes practice. You will notice that it does take a couple extra minutes every morning blending out your eye shadow and blush, but I promise you it is worth it. Using the right brushes can make the world of a difference in the way your makeup is applied.

 

My essential brushes list and details:

 (in no particular order)

1. Beauty Blender. I found a cheap knock off at TJ Maxx. I love this for concealer, foundation, and cream products. Start by soaking your beauty blender underneath the sink and squeezing until it is noticeably larger. Squeeze out the excess and wrap in a paper towel and squeeze again, to get the majority of the water out.
 

2. Flat Kabuki Brush. It is my most favorite brush that I own. It is the best thing I have ever used for liquid foundation, and really takes a small amount of product a long way.
 

3. Tapered Blending Brush. Harsh lines, are just not pretty. Its been said many times now, but I cant say it enough. Investing in a brush that can blend out your eye shadow in the crease will make a huge difference in the way your makeup looks. I promise!
 

4. Eye Shading Brush. No more foam applicators. They are unsanitary and can not provide you the same results. Invest in a brush that is designed to apply product to your eyelid. They are awesome, they don't steal your product, and they last much longer!
 

5. Pencil Brush. The pencil brush has so many uses. It isn't a bad idea to have a few of theses. They are great for applying an inner eye highlight, highlight to the brow bone, placing darker shades on the outer eye, or blending shadow underneath your eye.
 

6. Angled Liner Brush. I suggest investing in 2 of these. Sometimes they are referred to as an eyebrow brush. What this does, is provide the perfect angle and a thin line across the lid (I highly recommend the Sigma brush. It is the most thin angled brush I have seen) I notice how easily I can create that winged liner look, but also if I don't want a wing, I can get densely into the lash line, for a more natural look. The angle is also perfect for applying any cream or powder eyebrow product. 

7. Blush brush. An obvious one. Go ahead and use what you like. For me, the fluffy contour brushes provide a nice angle. As long as you have a good blush, the brush will blend it nicely.

8. Big Powder brush. If you use a colored powder, or a translucent powder, then you should invest in one of these. They make the job so much quicker! 

 

  I buy most of my brushes from www.sigmabeauty.com and www.bhcosmetics.com both are great values, but buy for your budget and needs. Do your research, and read reviews so that you can get an idea of what you are buying from multiple people. Remember, that in makeup there are no rules. I love concealer brushes, for applying an eye shadow. I love eye shadow brushes for concealer. I love contour brushes for highlighters, and blush. The list goes on. Do what YOU feel most comfortable with, and what works for YOU. My skills could be at a totally different level, and what I do and use, might not work for you. Just experiment! Next week I will post an About Brushes Part 2. where I explain how to wash and care for your brushes, on a budget!

*All opinions are my own. This is not a sponsored post.

BreAnne Weston Photography, Photoshoot

I love my kids. I really do, but sometimes just being cooped up inside can take a toll on me. I guess that is why I love photo shoots like this. I love getting out with other people!

Getting to collaborate with BreAnne Weston was a dream. She is a darling sweet girl!

I was amazed at her talents, and just how smooth everything went. These

photos speak for themselves, and really just show off her true talents. Go check out her page for more of her amazing work http://www.breannewestonphoto.com you will not be disappointed! I also had the pleasure of working with Amber, our model, who is such a sweetheart! We decided to do a makeup look on Amber that was a bit different from her normal every day look. She is a "Red Lip, Classic" kind of girl, so we pulled her away from what she was used to, and did an edgy look. A deep purple and black Smokey eye, with a pop of purple glitter, just for some extra dimension. We polished it off with some airbrush foundation (which went horribly, horribly wrong) and a neutral pink lip. Remember that when you are working with a dark eye, you want to keep the lips more neutral. If you have too much going on, it looks... Well, like too much going on.

I can only hope that one day, I will have the pleasure of working with these great girls again! They are what makes my job so enjoyable!

Can you believe how amazing these look?

Photoshoot with Canyon Winds Photography

Back in January I asked Molly, the owner of Canyon Winds Photography if she would like to collaborate with me so we could get some pictures for both of our portfolios. If you haven't seen her stuff, you should definitely check it out! She is one amazingly talented mommy, (but you'll have to hold off on your request for photos right now). Molly is an amazing person. She is so sweet and when I asked her about collaborating she was all for doing anything she could to help me get started. That's what I love about her! She definitely goes out of her way for others. 

We grabbed a couple of models, Shelby and Katy. Both are just so extremely gorgeous. These pictures blow me away every time I see them. Molly did a great job at capturing all of their beauty. On Shelby I made a harsh outer edge, and smudged a darker color from the outer, to inner corner. I really made sure to blend until all of that came together and placed a lighter color towards the inner corner of her eye, to really make that fade nicely. On her lips and cheeks we used a nice medium-nude pink shade. Remember that with outdoor photography, everything is lightened by two shades. Don't be afraid to pack on a little more contour, blush, and lip color. You can see that I was afraid to do that here, and that is okay. I am posting here to watch myself grow as well, and this is definitely a lesson to learn from.

Can we just talk about how beautiful she is though? Stunning.


I tried to do something a little different on Katy. She is younger, and therefore, I didn't want to go too dark and smokey like we did Shelby. I took some lighter brown shades and built a foundation for a golden orange pigment. I gently pressed the pigment on her lids, and did a slight wing. I think Katy was getting a little nervous with the eyeliner, but I definitely can't blame her!  I added a golden liquid and pencil liner to the bottom, underneath her lashes. It turned out so nice. She is such a beautiful girl. I wanted to keep her youth, but give her more of a "grown up" look.

 

Why AEMmakeup?

I keep getting many questions on what is happening. I think I have confused a lot of people, because to you, it probably seems like this is a sudden investment. I will just say, that I didn't wake up one day and decide that this was what I wanted. I contemplated doing this about a year ago, but I talked myself out of this several times now. I did wake up one day, and decide to make the change, and I am so happy that I did. I love what I am doing. I appreciate all of the love and support my friends and family have shown me. You are all so amazing. So while we are on that note, I am in the process of starting a business. 

I started by calling people. Lots and lots of people. Schools, businesses, salons, etc. You name it. I called it. I started by doing a lot of research and I had so many makeup artists advise me, that if makeup is what I am interested in doing, not to go to a beauty school for it. They focus on more things than makeup, and I am most interested in makeup at this time. For now I am self taught, but I have some future things coming up, that I will address at another time.

I have loved makeup since I was five. Literally. I got to wear makeup for the first time when I was 12, and I loved it. I wouldn't every say I was good at it, but I loved it.
About two years ago, I bought my first set of makeup brushes. I had done my research on the exact brand, style, and types of brushes that were going to fit me and my every day needs. I purchased a Sigma set, and quickly picked up on different techniques, and ways to apply my makeup. It wasn't until I started doing makeup on other people, that I realized how much I actually enjoy it. I feel good, making other people feel good.


The purpose of my blog is to help other women (or men) who are venturing out in the makeup world. Being a stay at home mom myself, I can share some really great affordable products, and a few different tips and tricks for you too! I am not a beauty expert by any means, but I do know what it is like to be stuck in the same routine and want something different. I have tried many things and I know what works for me. Hopefully it works for you too! I hope you find something useful in my blog, and I am sorry that it has taken so long to get it up. It is still a work in progress. 


Don't forget, that makeup is just makeup. It doesn't have to be scary. It is just for fun. The most important thing, is that you feel comfortable with yourself before you apply your makeup. You are beautiful with or without it!