Friday, June 29, 2012

My Bobbi Brown Eyeshadow Palette- for BLONDES




This is an eyeshadow palette that I use all the time.

I just love all of these colors! Bobbi Brown makes it easy for you to design your own palette and they are always interchangeable and stay very clean. This is the 6 palette compact, they also make a 3 palette size.

For Blondes it’s amazing in that you have so many color combination options for a natural look. 

Below you can see the name & number of the colors.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Don’t forget to use your SUNSET BLONDE eyeshadow brushes with these shades when applying!
Buy them on SALE now at sunsetblonde.com

Love,

Sunset Blonde

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Oatmeal & Egg White Pancakes


OATMEAL & EGG WHITE PANCAKES= AMAZING BREAKFAST


To be honest with you guys, when I first heard about these pancakes I thought it sounded like the most disgusting thing ever. But despite this initial reaction, after hearing a fellow makeup artist telling me how she lost a ton of weight by including these healthy pancakes in her diet, I became curious? The healthiness of these pancakes sounded amazing! Only made of oatmeal and egg whites, no flour, no chemicals, the perfect pancake…? I LOVE pancakes and french toast, but don’t feel right eating them every morning because of the carbs. These are such a great alternative, and I feel great starting my day off with this.

Can I really have my pancakes and eat them too?


Soon after hearing about these, I googled recipes and tested them out, and omg, they are not gross at all, they are really good! I adjusted the recipe to make these amazing and super healthy pancakes super easy! They really taste like pancakes considering what they are made from, it’s a little bit of a different texture/density, but I actually prefer them over regular pancakes any day of the week.

One morning I made them for my fiance, (he was only my boyfriend at the time) and he totally loved them! Being really into fitness and working out twice a day, these are the perfect mix of heart healthy oats and protein in egg whites. He was in love.

He has become such a pro at making them because he likes to eat them so often. We both like to make a big batch, then storing the extra ones in a plastic bag in the refrigerator and just eat them cold straight from the fridge. You can eat them plain, with fresh fruit, like a crepe, or just like a traditional pancake with syrup!

So recently while he was cooking up a batch, I took some photographs to share with you guys. While he was cooking the pancakes I cooked up some turkey bacon, which is really low fat, and prepared some fresh berries.

 Turkey bacon!

It is really easy to make these pancakes and they are flour-less! So yummy.

If you are looking for a pancake recipe without any flour? Look no further! This heart healthy recipe is great tasting and great for you!

Turkey Bacon, fresh berries, 3 oatmeal egg white pancakes.
 
My fiance eats 3, I usually have only 1 or 2.

Here is the recipe that we use, it doesn’t have to be exact. If you want less carbs use a little less oatmeal:

Ingredients:
2 Cartons of egg whites
4 packets of instant oatmeal (we use the brown sugar & cinnamon oatmeal which already has some sugar in it) you can use regular if you don’t want any sugar in them.
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 teaspoon of cinnamon
Mix all ingredients into a large bowl with a wisk, and blend together until well mixed. Let the oatmeal soak for about 5 minutes in the egg whites to soften up.* Coat the pan in a light layer of cooking spray. I use the olive oil spray from Trader Joe’s. This is so that the pancake doesn’t stick.  Using a 1/2 cup measuring cup pour enough to thinly cover the bottom of a medium pan. Cook until consistency is cooked enough that you can flip it over and cook the other side.

** Sometimes I will use a food processor to chop up the oatmeal, then add the egg whites. The food processor mixes the finely chopped oats and egg whites together nicely, makes it look more like batter. But my fiance and I like the texture so we just hand mix them usually.

Mix ingredients together with a whisk & measure out with a measuring cup.
The olive oil spray I use from Trader Joe’s to coat the pan before cooking each pancake.
After flipping the pancake over. . .
Store them in a ziplock bag.
They are great when reheated or even eaten cold!
Store them in a bag in the fridge for a breakfast on the go or snack!

Try these modifications:
Blueberry pancakes: Add 1/4 c blueberries (fresh or thawed) to recipe and omit cinnamon.
Oat-Nut pancakes: Add 1 1/2 tbsp diced pecans, walnuts, or almonds to recipe.

Enjoy!

Love,

Sunset Blonde

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Vanna K Ad Campaign with Sunset Blonde


Vanna K

A few months ago I did an Ad Campaign for Vanna K Jewelry. Here are a few on the images from the campaign. I did my own hair and makeup for this shoot, and kept it very natural and elegant. I loved trying on all the fabulous jewels and sparkly diamonds! OMG!

This is a Behind the Scenes shot from the photo shoot at the SLS Hotel in Los Angeles.
Photos by Kenny Sweeny.


From the Vanna K Blog:

“Vanna K is the home of today’s most unique collection of micro-pave diamond engagement rings. Representing style, elegance and high-quality, their attention to detail on their one-of-a-kind designs make each piece a wearable work of art.
Inspired by femininity and art deco design, Vanna K’s exclusive designs are classic and truly represent timeless elegance. Vanna K is all about fulfilling a woman’s desire to feel beautiful, ethereal and loved. The finished designs combine the feeling of royalty, using large high-quality sparkling diamonds and the feeling of truly individual style, using the many intricate details of each design.
Here you see just one example of their vintage-inspired hand-crafted engagement rings. This ring, from their Solea Collection, features a gorgeous 6 carat emerald-cut center diamond. While that diamond could stand alone as a regal piece, a Vanna K design doesn’t stop there. The center is beautifully complemented with an additional 1.75 carats of round diamonds encircling it, and further topped off by .10 carat baguettes on each side. The finished look is brilliantly clean and resplendent, while offering additional details that make it unlike any other ring. This is true beauty at its finest. This is Vanna K.
Crown your love a queen today by giving her something as unique as her and as big as your love… give her a Vanna K.”


From the Vanna K Blog:

“Vanna K is proud to be the home of today’s most unique collection of diamond engagement rings. But they are also known for their amazing collection of fashionable fine jewelry.
Just as with their engagement rings, their fashion jewelry is unique in every single way. The beautiful gemstones they use are high-quality, and are often rare and extraordinary. Combine this with exclusive designs you’ll see nowhere else, you find the only jewelry you’ll ever want to wear.
The exquisite set of jewelry featured here is both timeless and breathtaking. The ring is a stunning, rare oval tourmaline with pear-shaped diamonds encompassing it. Complementing it is the majestic, Victorian-inspired necklace, also featuring a rare oval tourmaline, with the design laced in micro-pave diamonds. This set is so dazzling, it will make whatever you wear look simply stunning.
Find this set and other unique, fashionable fine jewelry (as well as gorgeous diamond engagement rings) today at Vanna K.”

Love,

Sunset Blonde

Flirt Photoshoot Ad Campaign-Behind The Scenes


Flirt Ad Campaign

Behind the Scenes of a photo shoot with Sunset Blonde


This shoot is for 2 billboards that will be up on July 17th for 25 days. One will be on Highland in Hollywood, California and the other one located in Miami, Florida. I wanted to share some of the behind the scenes with you, so I took a ton of photos of the shoot, from the catering & hair/makeup in the morning to the location and the shots.

Here is what a typical call sheet looks like. A call sheet gives everyone all the information that they need for the photo shoot, and is the schedule for the day. It also includes any special instructions and even the weather forecast.

These are images for the concept of the photo shoot, just inspiration. We didn’t copy any of these shots.  It’s a road trip theme with model Sara Balint and I acting like we are going on a road trip, getting lost, then arriving at our destination. All while modeling clothes, bags, shoes, and accessories.


The location: Malibu, California.
With mountains and sky as the backdrop, and a dry rocky terrain, it made for a unique location for a road trip theme.


For the Road Trip theme, of course we had to have a car, so they rented a cream colored Mini Cooper for us to shoot with.


The makeup/hair stylist for the shoot was Klara who set up her station outside of the trailer we had on location. Here are some photos of her makeup set up.


The trailer is almost a necessity for most on location photo shoots. It’s a good place to store all the garments so they don’t get dirty, and can be organized. It provides a bathroom, changing room and shelter from the sun, heat, or cold for the models and crew members in between shots. It also allows 
for electricity for curling irons, lights, steamer for the clothes, etc.


She did full hair and makeup on Sara, but I came to the shoot with my makeup done, only needing a touch up. I prefer to do my own makeup since I’m a makeup artist & know what looks best on myself. I used cinema secrets foundation in 65a. Concealer by dermacolor, eyeshadow by Kevyn Aucoin in Fawn. I added my favorite mascara by Loreal Voluminous to my natural lashes then added individual lashes in medium and long lengths to the top lashes for more volume. I filled in my eyebrows with a blonde brow pencil and blended it into the brow with my Sunset Blonde eyebrow brush.
 
Using Hoola by Benefit and my Cheeky Fan brush from Sunset Blonde, I gave shading and definition to my cheek bones.

Klara the makeup artist added to my face: Gorgio Armani foundation in 5.5 to even out my foundation coverage. Added some highlight to my brows, a custom powder, and a shimmery pink cheek color to the apples of my cheeks by La Femme. She added a highlight to the tops of my cheekbones. The lip color she used was number 126 lip gloss by Chanel.

My hair: I added some clip in hair extensions before arriving at the photo shoot and she added some wave with a hot tools 1 1/2 inch barrel curling iron for a beachy wave. She hair sprayed the locks and teased a lot at the crown.
Here is how my final makeup and hair looked for the shoot:

Catering: There was a fully catered table of food, drinks and coffee for breakfast. So many options! I choose a banana, a glass of orange juice, and a quarter of a blueberry muffin. After breakfast I drank a Green Machine juice smoothie from Naked.

The catering is so nice to have at shoots, they usually have healthy options and you can eat and drink whenever you need to. But it’s also very tempting to eat the unhealthy things too . . . ;) 


I arrived at 9:30 and we didn’t begin shooting until 11:30. During that time I took photos of the clothing and accessories that will be in the photo shoot.


I love when they organize and label the outfits by model. This tag is attached to the outfit on the hanger, and on the tag it says which shoes I will be wearing with the outfit. When it is organized like this, the shoot moves along quicker.

Sara and I had 9 outfits each to shoot in, which makes for an easier day than a catalog shoot which can have anywhere from 30-70 outfits to shoot. Location photo shoots tend to take much more time for each shot compared to studio shoots. Lighting set up, location scouting, daylight changes, etc can take much longer to adjust for the conditions and in between each shot. Studio shoots tend to use the same lighting and background throughout, so it is just up to the model & how long it takes her to change and to get the right shot.
Flirt Buyer/Stylist Rachel & Model Sara Balint messing around in the clothes rack!
Here are some behind the scenes shots from the different shoot locations throughout the day.

We shot 4 outfits, then broke for an hour lunch. After lunch we shot 5 more outfits. 2 of them with the same hair and makeup look. For the last 3 outfits, they gave us a smokey eye for a night time look. Like we were arriving at out destination for the shoot.

Here is what my smokey eye makeup looked like.
The smokey eye look for the 2nd look.

Model Sara Balint getting made up under the tent with the smokey eye look.

During one of the shots, I got to model in these cute rectangular aviators
I wore them in the gold color, they also come in silver.


These are some really sexy, and surprisingly comfortable heels that we modeled in at the shoot. I fell in love with them, and am ordering some in black & silver!
The come in black, gold and silver. a great heel for dresses or with jeans!

For more shopping, check out flirtcatalog.com
Stay tuned for photos of the Billboard & campaign photos!

Love,

Sunset Blonde