creating a photo-ready look for the holidays

between sending out Christmas cards, attending holiday parties where you're sure to want to snap a photo or two and our mothers inevitably trying to get all the "kids" together for a family picture it might be a good idea to have a trick or two up your sleeve to look photo-ready in moments.. so I've given you three!

1.

do yourself a favor and put on your lips. Even if you have gorgeous, full lips likely in a photo they will look washed out and, lets be honest, a face without lips is kinda freaky. So- Step One: either use a lip liner or a lipstick. Make sure to pay attention to the natural lines of your lips, nothing looks worse in photos than lining too wide and looking like you did your makeup drunk, you'd probably be better off with the-face-without-lips option. Step Two: use a complimenting, somewhat sheer gloss ( I love MACs lip conditioner in Sweet Tooth) with your fingers, rubbing it in a bit so it isn't just sitting on top of your lips looking uber shiny and detracting from your other features. Don't forget to blot- I always use the back of my hand to prevent tiny pieces of tissue sticking to your lips.

2.

Smile with your eyes. Practice looking in the mirror and looking happy without smiling. So many of us (myself included!) show our stress, worry, anxiety, fatigue- the list is endless- on our face and in a photo it is more obvious than ever. If you can nail down smiling with your eyes you will look so much more sincerely happy in photos and happy is beautiful, plain and simple.

3.

This tip I learned from my gorgeous husband- laugh while you take pictures. Brandon always, and I mean always, giggles when people take his pictures. He says he does it because otherwise his smile just looks cheesy and, although I am usually always right and he is usually always wrong, he is right- just this once. So the next time you hear the words "say cheese!", don't! - just giggle a little and your smile will turn out so much more genuine.

C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-C-E

It is better to by loved by yourself than loved by others.

(but lets shoot for both)

In an interview with Lily Aldridge, one of my favorite VS supermodels and a leading authority on all-over-sexiness, Lily was asked what she thought made a woman sexy and, surprise surprise, she answered confidence.

What is the difference between the fairly pretty, or even dull, and the va-va-vivacious? Why is it that some women feel perfectly comfortable wearing no makeup whatsoever and others find the need to layer it on to go to the gym? Let's examine...

Definition of CONFIDENCEDefinition of CONFIDENCE

a : a feeling or consciousness of one's powers or of reliance on one's circumstances b : faith or belief that one will act in a right, proper, or effective way

So, I guess it makes sense that you would have a faith in yourself, that you will look and act appropriately according to yourself. It is not merely enough to act in a way you believe to be proper if you are concerned that others around you will not share those same beliefs and look down upon you. So, therefore, you must alway have your own approval in order to be confident. At least, thats what I believe.

I recently realized that women in their thirties are often more attractive than women in their twenties due to their own self-realization. Cecile de France from the movie Hereafter was a great example to me of this. She is a pretty woman to be sure, however, the qualities that to me that take her from "pretty" to "beautiful" are ones that are drawn from self-confidence. She is strong, she is direct, she keeps eye contact without flinching, these are traits born from a self-assured and confident woman.

Choose a woman, whom you know personally or a celebrity, and try to emulate some of these qualities and see if you can't "fake it 'til you make it".

You are beautiful,

xoxo cass

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vivacious

This week's makeup tip...

How to apply red lipstick

Every girl can wear red lipstick. I know, I know, you're thinking you can't because of the size/shape of your lips or the tone of your skin... WRONG!

Red lipstick, in the right setting, is the ultimate accessory. When worn with black eyeliner and a little blush, your look is instantly & incredibly chic, at ANY age!

• To apply:
  
• Although usually I do my lip color last, in the case of red lipstick I would apply it before your foundation in order to cover up any mistakes around the lips and to avoid the bleeding lipstick look.
  
• It is always best, but not mandatory, to wear lipstick over a primer like MAC's Prep & Prime ($14.50). Not only does your lipstick not smear but it wears all day long!
  
• After the primer, line lips with a complementary shade to your lipstick. It is not necessary for it to be the exact shade but should be something close enough to not draw attention away from the lipstick shade. With a thick line around the edges, blend towards the inside. For long lasting lip color pat with a loose powder before applying lipstick over the lipliner.
  
• To clean up your lines take stick concealer on a Q-tip carefully around the lips.
  
• Always remember to blot and the finger trick (sucking on one finger and pulling out) to avoid lipstick on your teeth... tacky!
  
• Colors: For cool skin tones (olive) a great lip color is Chili by MAC, for warm skin tones (rosy) Russian Red is FABULOUS...
• When best to wear: To a cocktail party with that Little Black Dress...
  
• When never to wear: To a wedding or funeral...
  
• Warning: If you have off colored teeth the red lipstick will really draw attention to them!!

Ycassy

photo credit: Digital Sophia (via Flickr)