Wednesday afternoon at Barneys in Beverly Hills...

Alright ladies, I am extremely excited to blog about my trip today from Barneys in Beverly Hills.  I stopped in to see my lovely makeup artist Alex Mendoza who is the counter manager of Kevyn Aucoin (cosmetics).  I love to come in and have him show me new tricks with contouring, hi-lighting, and so on.  By the way, if you live in LA, go see him because he really will sit down with you and give you the best colors and products specificially for your skin tone, texture, and so forth (he rocks, MWAH!!).  Below is a picture of Alex and myself messing around in Barneys after playing with Kevyn Aucoins makeup!!



Alex Mendoza (Kevyn Aucoin makeup artist) and Myself at Barneys playing around with makeup!!

 He showed me this amazing foundation that all three of the Kardashian sisters come in and buy for themselves (I was super excited because I love how Kim Kardashians face always looks flawless and I begged him to tell me everything she gets from Kevyn Aucoins line haha!).  The foundation comes in a small round container but since the consistency is a bit heavier, he said it will last for a very long time.  The foundation is called "The Sensual Skin Enhancer" and he matched me up with two colors that I need to mix together.  The colors are SX08 and SX13 ($45.00 for each color) (one is a lighter yellow undertone and the second one is a darker shade to mix in so it matches perfectly).  No joke, my face looked FLAWLESS---I was blown away and everyone knows I am EXTREMELY picky with my foundation.  **ATTENTION: foundation is key to having a flawless look---so please invest in a good quality foundation**  So Alex had me take a dab of the lighter foundation and a tiny dab of the darker foundation and mix it together on the back of my hand.  Then I simply used the foundation brush (I use the MAC 190 foundation brush) and blended the color from the middle of my face and outward.  Then after, I took a sponge and dabbed any excess foundation that was left on my skin and then blended the rest with the tips of my fingers and BAM I had a flawless base! 


SX13 and SX08 "The Sensual Skin Enhancer" foundation by Kevyn Aucoin (at Barneys).  I mix both of these to get my perfect shade.  **please have a professional makeup artist match your color to achieve the most flawless and flattering look!! $45.00 for each shade at Barneys.

 Next, he showed me Kevyn's Scultping powder (medium shade).  I absolutely love it, especially because it is extremely mattifying and is perfect for contouring the cheekbones and jawline.  Sculpting powder was around $42.00 and is the perfect consistency and shade for getting that amazing "Kim Kardashian" sculpting look.


The Sculpting Powder by Kevyn Aucoin $42.00 at Barneys



I absolutely LOVE Kevyn's eye shadows (consistency and the pigmentation blow me away) and I picked up a very pretty neutral to place as a base on my eyelid called Tusk.  What I also liked about the color and even Alex mentioned is that it brightens the lower lid just a tad.  The other day I picked up a color called Aubergine and I will place that color on the crease of my eye.  Tusk and Aubergine are the perfect shades to play with together and give a very sophisticated and sexy look!  Both shades are a matte finish as well. 

Aubergine and Tusk Eye Shadows from Kevyn Aucoin ($28.00 for each eye shadow at Barneys)

Lastly, I wanted a new lip gloss so Alex showed me this pretty Coral color (I am obsessed with corals because it goes well with my tanned skin tone and is perfect for the summer time) made by Terry called Rose Peche Sinful Rose #2 "Tinted Replenishing Lip Care".  It has a very glossy consistency, SPF 15 which is a plus, and has amazing ingredients to help protect the lips from aging and keep the lips moisturized.  The price is around $46.00 for the lip gloss, I know it is a bit steep but with ingredients such as Baume de Rose lip care, rose essential wax, lipid-replenishing floral oils, and anti-aging biotechnological ceramides, it is WELL forth it (I mean it is your lips...pucker up ladies!!) 

Thanks again ladies for checking out my post on what I bought today at Barneys.  I can't wait to share about Kevyn Aucoins number one selling eye brow pencil which is always out of stock!  Keep reading to see what products I will be using next and what I decide to pick up at Barneys!  XOXO Lara

Basics for your skin

I am extremely excited to begin my first post on skin care.  I decided that it would be a good start to address what basic products you can use to achieve great skin.  First, it is extremely important to have a good daily cleanser.  I was recently as the Bliss Spa at the W Hotel in Los Angeles and one of the skincare experts told me it is good to have two cleansers to switch on and off with because your skin can get used to a product to where the product won't work as effectively with getting rid of bacteria, makeup, and cleansing the skin. 

Two cleansers that I am currently using as of now is a line called SkinCeuticals and it is the Foaming Cleanser.  What I enjoy about this cleanser is that it is very gentle to the skin, doesn't give you that "squeeky clean feeling" to where you feel your skin is dried out, and effectively gets rid of makeup, dirt, and excess sebum.  It is great for sensitive skin as well (I have extremely sensitive skin with a bit of roscea and it works very well with calming my skin).  Second cleanser I like to switch with is the Bliss Spa's Fabulous Foaming Face Wash ($28.00).  It is extremely calming to my sensitive skin even though it has tiny exfoliating components in the product and has very good ingredients such as rose hips, chamomile (very calming), and passion flower.  What I also like about this cleanser is that Bliss Spa sells a travel sized container of it for 10 dollars so if you need a good cleanser on the go, this is your product! 

Something that can be optional for you ladies but I believe is a must have is a good repairing serum.  Serums are wonderful because they really penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin and can help with reversing sun damage to adding more vitamins and nutrients into the skin to get more of a glow.  I am currently using a serum from Jurlique called "Soothing Herbal Recovery Gel" which I love because it helps to put back certain nutrients that people with sensitive skin need.  Extremely light weight, soaks right into the skin, a nice light scent, and is botanical (groomwell and sichuan peppercorn--main ingredients).  The product is roughly $65.00 but very worth it.  They also have a Recovery Gel for normal skin as well. 

The next important item to have is a good moisturizer.  This is where I become extremely picky because a lot of moisturizers can be greasy, too heavy, or too drying and the ones with SPF can make the skin look white in pictures (which has happened to me numerous times).  So I decided to get the Peter Thomas Roth SPF 45 powder stick to place all over my face with my moisturizer (it is extremely important to have SPF on during the day, especially in sunny California!).  I am currently using a moisturizer by The Bliss Spa called The "Steep Clean Mattifying Moisturizer" (roughly $46.00).  I have combination/oily skin so for me I need something mattifying but not to where it completely dries my skin out.  What I like about this product is that its very lightweight, works well with my sensitive skin, and doesn't dry me out at all.  I still feel moisturized after using this product but no oil or grease. 

Lastly, it is extremely important to have a good eye serum or eye cream.  The eye area is the most delicate area on the face and needs to be hydrated to prevent crows feet or wrinkles.  An eye serum which I very much enjoyed was a line called Arcona (can be found in Nordstroms) and they have a product called Peptide Eye Serum for around $54.00.  What I liked about it was the consistency was very lightweight and the product soaked right into the eye area to where I could apply my foundation on right away.  I am now using SkinCeuticals A.G.E Eye Complex ($85.00) and it is amazing!  It is from the SkinCeuticals "aging" line and helps to diminish dark circles, puffiness, and effects of glycation.  It is a bit heavier than the Arcona eye serum, but I noticed the SkinCeuticals eye complex gives my eyes a nice brightening effect.  It is expensive, but it has amazing reviews and is a good product to keep!

**Pictures of products here:

Fabulous Foaming Face Wash (Bliss Spa) $28.00



SkinCeuticals Foaming Face Wash $35.00 (Bliss Spa carries this product)



Peter Thomas Roth Instant Mineral SPF powder 45 (Sephora carries this product) $30.00



Bliss Steep Clean Mattifying Moisturizer (Bliss Spa or Sephora) $46.00

Jurlique Herbal Recovery Gel $60.00 (Sephora)

Arcona Peptide Eye Serum $54.00 (Nordstroms)

SkinCeuticals A.G.E Eye Complex $85.00 (Bliss Spa/Various Spas)

Well ladies, I have so much more good tips and advice to share on skin care so I will be posting more but I hope that this gave you a bit of knowledge on what basic products you might need for your bathroom shelves!  XOXO Lara