At Home Hits the Runway 10.29.09
At Home in Arkansas Holiday Guest Blogger Series
It’s finally here! The At Home in Arkansas Holiday Guest Blogger Series debuts next week.
We’ve rounded up a strong cast of experts from around the country to give you the 411 on all things holiday-related. Remember our favorite bloggers? Several will be stopping by to show you how to create festive tablescapes, holiday decorations, and beautifully designed rooms within your home. They’ve all been so lovely, and we can’t wait to introduce them to you!
We’ve also lined up a local chef who lets us in on his favorite holiday recipes. You’ll meet a florist with a step-by-step approach to creating holiday florals that will last all season. A talented stationer shows us how to impress friends and family with handmade holiday cards. A local jewelry designer shows us how easy making fabulous jewelry can be, to keep or give away. And a makeup artist, hairstylist, veteran fashionista, and wardrobe stylist, who created an artistic montage of holiday looks just for you, will help get you through this season’s parties with confidence and style. To top it all off, Pittsburgh Paints will check in with a color forecast, featuring 2010/2011 color trends!
But we don’t want to give it all away…
Look for the holiday banner above each Wednesday and Thursday to see what else we have in store. See you right back here! Oh and… Happy Holidays!
Welcome Makeup Artist and Esthetician Tess Wilmans-Higgins!
One thing’s certain: When winter rolls around (and right when we want to look presentable for parties and entertaining), our skin takes a beating, becoming dry, itchy and irritated because of all the dry weather. But it doesn’t have to be that way! With a few tricks up her sleeve, Tess Wilmans-Higgins of Glo Limited joins our holiday guest series to offer you a skincare regimen that will have you on track to positively glowing skin. Plus, she throws in a few shimmering makeup tips for those extra special occasions. (More tips are available here.)
Thanks for coming to our rescue, Tess! Over to you!
It’s that time of year again! Pumpkin Spice Lattes have come and gone, the turkey has been carved, and houses are sparkling all over Arkansas. It’s a busy time for everyone, but put down that garland, take some time for yourself, light a cranberry candle, and let’s talk about winter skincare and makeup!
First things first, let’s discuss skincare. Cooler weather means drier skin. It’s a great time to start exfoliating if you don’t already. The Clarisonic Skincare brush is a simple, easy way to cleanse and exfoliate your skin everyday while you’re in the shower. Use your own cleanser, and this awesome gadget sloughs off dirt, oil and makeup, leaving your skin fresh and clean. There’s also a body brush attachment for use all over. Be sure to put this one on your Christmas list!
I also love Murad’s AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser. I like to use it as a mask on dry skin before I get in the shower, then hop in, let the steam do its thing for a minute or two, and rinse off for superbly soft skin. By the way, shy away from those apricot scrubs, as the jagged edges of the kernels can scrape the delicate skin of the face. For a luxurious body scrub, try Saint Bella’s Pass the Salt Scrub, which is locally made.
If your skin feels tight after you wash your face, you might want to consider a more emollient moisturizer during the fall and winter months. For super dry skin, look for highly moisturizing ingredients on the label like shea butter or jojoba oil, or ask your friendly local esthetician or skincare specialist for help finding the right moisturizer for your skin type. I love Philosophy’s Hope in a Jar to soothe and protect skin from cold weather.
Tinted moisturizers are a great substitute for foundation in spring and summer, but during colder weather, a little more coverage will make you look polished and ready for the holidays! Look for a liquid foundation with buildable coverage (Laura Mercier has one I love!) or a mineral foundation, like Bare Minerals, to give you a soft, dewy finish.
For festive eyes, try sweeping shimmering metallics in gold and silver onto your lids. Laura Mercier has two new, limited edition colors called VIP Gold and VIP Silver that are perfect for your holiday shin-digs. Don’t forget to finish your look with a blackest-black mascara to frame those pretty eyes!
It’s a cheerful time of year, so show off your spirit with a little shimmer. I love to sweep a shimmery powder on top of the cheekbones and on the temples to highlight the face and give a little lift. I have Laura Mercier ShimmerBloc in my makeup bag.
Get mistletoe-ready lips by using a lip scrub and rich, emollient balm afterwards. I like locally produced SaintBella’s all natural Lip Candy lip scrub, or Sara Happ’s The Lip Scrub to polish your pout. Use lip balm every night for kissably soft lips everyday of the year. I like Philosophy’s Kiss me Tonight or Sara Happ’s The Lip Slip.
Tess Wilmans-Higgins (pictured here with Lindsey Carpenter) is a Makeup Artist and Esthetician at Glo Limited in Little Rock.
Please Welcome Fayetteville Hairstylist Taylor Sutton!
Listen up ladies! Hairstylist Taylor Sutton of Dead Swanky in Fayetteville is so sought-after that her hair appointments have to be booked months in advance, but she took time out of her busy schedule to show us her very favorite holiday hairstyles, and explain how to get them too. They’re intended for women of every age and hair length, and are as easy as 1-2-3! So go ahead and try them for this weekend’s holiday bash. We may not have personal hairstylists for our big nights out, but these tricks will have you feeling red carpet ready in no time.
Thanks for stopping by, Taylor. The stage is yours!
There is little else that can put you in the holiday spirit like getting ready for a holiday party. Whether it’s slipping into that perfect cocktail dress or a new killer pair of heels, getting ready can set the tone for the evening. And having a hairstyle that is simple, chic and easy will only make the evening better! Here are a four of my favorite holiday hairstyles that work on short, medium, or long hair and that are guaranteed to turn heads at any holiday soiree. So grab a some hair tools and a glass of champagne… remember, getting ready is half the fun!
Loose Knot
The prettiest, easiest updo ever. This style looks great on hair that is a bit above the shoulders, but works for all lengths. First, let hair air dry a bit messy. Next, take a curling iron or flat iron and make some random curls throughout your hair, curling away from your face in the front. Tease roots and gather your hair at the nape. Shake your head a bit until some loose pieces fall down around the fringe area and top. Twist the remaining hair and loop around, randomly adding bobby pins. For a smoother knot, pull hair into a low ponytail first, then roll the end of your ponytail up and under the elastic, then secure bobby pins on each side. Use a smoothing pomade to tame any flyaways.
Vintage Waves
This look has been all over the red carpet lately. First, give hair a deep side part. Starting at the nape and working up in sections, curl hair with a 1-inch curling iron, wrapping all curls going the same direction around the head. Next, take a boar bristle paddle brush and brush the curls out, starting at the bottom of the hair and working up. It seems scary, but this gives the smooth, vintage look. Next, tuck hair behind one ear and secure with a bobby pin or sequin hair piece. Using hairspray, smooth down any flyaways and mist over entire style.
Glamorous Ponytail
This look is so easy and stunning. First, blow dry hair smooth with a paddle brush. With a fine-tooth tail comb, tease the crown of the hair. If your hair is especially fine, spray some dry shampoo at the roots for a little more lift and texture. For a sleeker look, comb hair straight back into a ponytail at ear level on the back of your head, being careful not to flatten too much on top. Secure with elastic, and wrap a small piece of hair from underneath the ponytail around the elastic with a bobby pin. If you have fringe, style as usual, then tease the crown and pull hair into a ponytail at the base of your neck. Secure with elastic and wrap hair around. Finish by using a flat iron to smooth the ends of the ponytail and spray with light hairspray.
Holiday Hair Accessories
The holidays are also a perfect time to experiment with hair accessories. A small jeweled clip or feather headband can transform your every day style into an elegant evening look. You can find clip-in hair pieces at your local beauty supply that can add length to a ponytail or a little more hair to your loose knot. The possibilities are endless… have fun trying them all! Happy Holidays!
Taylor Sutton is a hairstylist at Dead Swanky in Fayetteville.
A Behind-The-Scenes Look At Our Spring Fashion Photoshoot!
Fashion has been in full bloom here at the At Home office for some time now, ever since our spring fashion photo shoot a few weeks ago. Here’s an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at what it took to pull it off…from the styling to the props to the photography. It was a team effort, and lots of fun to boot. Enjoy!
Check out the final product here: www.athomearkansas.com
Hairstylist Angela Alexander and At Home’s Lauren Strother styled our model with the latest spring beauty and fashion looks.
There was lots to choose from! Recognize any of these frocks here?
Pretty, feminine jewels galore.
Our model takes the stage.
…as Lauren admires her styling savvy.
Nancy Nolan and assistant Rett Peek handled the photography…and Rett provided enough fan-powered wind for our model’s wind swept hair!
Art director Mandy Keener directs the shoot…with Starbucks close in hand.
Mandy’s caffeine was much needed after creating our backdrop, which involved cutting out hundreds of circles. Well worth the effort, we all agree. It was a gorgeous shoot! Click here to see what we published.
a beauty pro shares 5 quick tips for fall makeup
Our schedule doesn’t allow the At Home in Arkansas girls a lot of time to spend on makeup, but we still need to look fresh and polished throughout the day. Since we’re revamping our fall wardrobes (check out our Fall Fashion Stylebook), we decided to ask local makeup artist Tess Wilmans-Higgins for tips on unfussy makeup, and she included a few fall trends and tips for being out the door in minutes.
Life seems to get so much busier when the leaves start to change color! Fall is a fabulous time to update your makeup bag, and is actually my very favorite season for makeup! I love the dark, plummy, juicy glosses; smoky eyes and pop-of-color blushes just as much as the coziest sweater in my closet. Please remember that just because you’re bagging your bronzer, it doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot of time on your fall makeup. Here are my fave five tips for quick fall makeup!
1. Â Before we can talk makeup, we’ve gotta talk skin.
Beautiful skin doesn’t need much makeup. For blemish-free, perfectly hydrated skin: lay off the dairy; eat lots of fruits and veggies everyday; and drink plenty of water. Make sure you exfoliate a few times a week. I love the Clarisonic Skin Care Brush, and I use mine everyday with whatever cleanser I happen to have on hand. I’m also all about some multitasking moisturizers and treatments. I’m loving Chantecaille skincare for fall. The Flower-Infused Cleansing Milk dissolves my makeup (including mascara and eyeliner!) in an instant. For a double-duty treatment, I use the awesome Vital Essence all over my face for intense anti-aging benefits, and it’s great under the eyes to boot! For hydration, I am loving the Flower Harmonizing Cream for my twenty-something skin. Â Those who are concerned with lines and wrinkles should check out the Biodynamic Line for Botox-like results without the needle.
Clarisonic Sonic Cleansing Systems
Chantecaille Flower Infused Cleansing Milk
Chantecaille Flower Harmonizing Cream
2. For a two-second pick-me-up, try out a deeper shade of lip gloss.
It will perk you right up! On my days off, I never wear foundation, but I always have on lip gloss. My top pick is Laura Mercier’s Lip Glace. She’s come out with some beautiful shades for fall, and I love the texture of her glosses–they are smooth, creamy, never sticky, and they kinda smell like cupcakes, which is a huge bonus for me. Mauve Plum and Quartz are both in my purse right now!
Mauve Plum
Quartz
3. Â For a lightening fast eye look,
try sweeping on a darker metallic shade on your lid up to your crease and line the bottom lash line with the same color using a smudge brush. There! Simple, easy smoky eye in an instant! I love Bare Minerals eyeshadows for this trick. Check out Moss, Queen Tiffany, and Pussycat….they look great on all eye shades.
Moss
Queen Tiffany
Pussycat
4. Â If you are a foundation gal in a hurry,
mineral makeup might just be for you. Bare Minerals makeup is all over the place, and rightfully so. They have tons of shades for women of all colors, and it’s a snap to apply. Take your fluffy foundation brush and swirl, tap and buff your brush in the places you need a little coverage. Then, use a concealer brush to hide any blemishes, redness or darkness under the eyes. Set with Mineral Veil if you are oily, and you are out the door in seconds.
5. Â Finally, my absolute favorite makeup trick lately. Brows!
Full, fabulous brows are all over the runways right now. Everyone can have those supermodel brows…all you need is a little brow powder and a brow brush, and you are set! First, dab your stiff, angled brow brush in your brow powder–Laura Mercier makes a great duo you can blend to get just the shade you want. Then, use small, short strokes and follow the natural shape of your brow. If you need to correct any symmetry issues, you can go a little outside the line. Â Nobody will notice. Â I do it all the time on the arch of my left brow. It’s just a little different than my right, but you wouldn’t guess it, because I fill my brows just about every day. Finally, if you think you’ve applied too much, take a brow comb or spooly brush and comb your brows upward to soften the brow color and give a more natural look to your brows.
Laura Mercier Brow Duo
I hope you love these tips as much as I do! Lately my makeup routine has been: Fill in my brows, cover any blemishes with mineral makeup, mascara and Quartz Lip Glace!
There’s no reason you can’t be absolutely beautiful in five minutes flat. If you’d like to know more tips and tricks, give me and the other Glo gals a call at 501.224.8222 for an appointment.
**Tess Wilmans-Higgins is a makeup artist and esthetician at Glo Limited in Little Rock. Lately, she’s really got a thing for Sophia Loren’s eyebrows, soy chai lattes and anything pumpkin. In fact, she’s probably baking some vegan pumpkin spice muffins right now.
Behind the Scenes with Estee Lauder
Browsing the makeup section at Dillard’s, you’ll find ads over every counter. But have you ever wondered what goes into the making of those ads? The makeup artists? The clothes? The model? We here at At Home in Arkansas are pretty lucky to receive press releases and images on a regular basis…and we thought Estee Lauder’s Holiday 2009 campaign was worth sharing with everyone! Can you say glamorous? Now we’re really looking forward to compiling our fall beauty preview for the October issue… (Hint, hint: Red lips are back!)
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Behind-the-scenes look at our October fashion/beauty trends photo shoot!
Putting together our fashion and beauty sections at the back of the magazine is more involved than you may think!
After we spend weeks gathering the products we want to use (lots of emails and phone calls), we spend a day–sometimes more–in the studio photographing them. If they’re going to be cut out on the page, that requires a white background. But sometimes we style them (as we are currently doing with our December beauty feature, out soon!)
Laura had to work hard to get those bubbles out of the Too Faced lip gloss.
Mandy and Laura looking over magazines for inspiration.
Recognize this line up of fall makeup from somewhere? Hint, hint: https://athomearkansas.com/At-Home-Arkansas/October-2009/Fall-rsquos-Top-Beauty-Trends/
Photographer Rett Peek, caught doing what he does best.
The studio–where the magic happens!
