We have moved!!

We have moved!!

Please visit www.makeupbykimporter.com.

Wedding Day Makeup {Marisa}

 It was pouring on Marisa's wedding day, but she kept a great attitude.  With a few changes to the wedding day plans and the rounding up of some umbrellas...and some plastic bags, Marisa and her wedding party were good to go!

Marisa was a natural beauty, we didn't even use a colored gloss on her because her lips were this perfect shade naturally.  Lucky girl!!

  

VA Fashion Week 2012

Something really cool is going on this weekend...

VA Fashion Week October 17- October 21, 2012

From the website:

VA Fashion Week Mission Statement
VA Fashion Week was formed with the purpose of showcasing emerging designers and models from up and down the East Coast and to establish a world-class fashion event in Southeastern Virginia. We have been officially recognised by the City of Norfolk. After five seasons of growth and increased recognition we are enthusiastically planning VAFW 2012 to be the year that surpasses all expectations.

VA Fashion Week 2012 Event Highlights

* Catwalk Competition with Winners in 4 Categories: Top New Female Model, Returning Female Model, Male Model, Swimsuit Model
* World Class Runway Shows Featuring Emerging Designers from VA and Around the World
* Celebrity Guests TBA
* Spotlight on Hair & Makeup Styling
* Style Emporium Featuring Vendors from VA and Beyond

You can find out all the information and purchase tickets here http://www.vafashionweek.net/.

Eyeshadow Look

  Yesterday I was going to the new Target in our area, (right next to Kohl's, I may never leave!) and wanted a makeup look that was natural but still pretty.  I came up with this grouping.  The Rosy Tan is a polychromatic eyeshadow that is shimmery and wears so pretty on the lid.  The Cedar eyeshadow is matte and is the perfect shade for a crease color.  The Truffle is a darker matte shadow that is great for that outer corner, and I used a Smokey brush for the perfect placement.  To take this look to the next level, I would add in a silver highlight to the brow bone and inner tearduct, and add in more of the Truffle eyeshadow to the outer corner and lower lashline to smoke it up a bit.

  The 3 eyeshadow palette is something new I will be carrying on top of the Face, Cheek, and Eye palette that I already carry.  It is perfect for creating easy day time looks and using the darker shadow to transition to a night time look.

Smokey brush:

Please let me know if you have any questions, I love to hear from you!!

Trial Bridal Makeup {Abby}

  Today I met with Abby, an elementary school teacher who is often mistaken for 

a student herself!  Abby doesn't wear much makeup but she wanted a pretty look 

for her wedding day in March.  We used soft pink and coppers to highlight her 

pretty blue eyes and are looking forward to doing some false lashes, and a little 

bit of a smokier look for her bridal portraits.

Her look:

{all Kim Porter Cosmetics will have a *}

Retexturizing Face Primer*

Flawless Skin Foundation in Vanilla Cream*

Creme Blush in Pretty Pink*

Mineral Powder in Cream*

Sheer Satin Blush in Quartz*

Shady Lady the Balm Vol. 1 & 2 Lani, Shana, Courtney, Tara

Brown eyeliner

Clear Brow Sealer

Revlon lipstick #003 Mauve it Over

Luxury Gloss in Skinny Dip*

Kim Porter Cosmetics

1.  Brow Sculpt

2.  Luxury Lip Gloss

3.  Polychromatic Eyeshadows

4.  Smokey Brush

5. Flawless Skin Foundation

6.  Angle Shadow Brush

7.  Mineral Sheer Bronzer

8.  Concealer Pot

A Wedding {Lovely Lauren}

  I had the privilege of working with the sister-in-law of a past bride this Saturday in Suffolk, Virginia.  It is always fun to see past brides and their families again.  It was a long day of makeup, 7 total, but so much fun.  This group knew how to have a good time!

The bride's toes were so cute!!!

I loved her hair clip!

I will post more when the professional pictures come in.

Her dress was gorgeous, I can't wait to see pics!

How To...{Gel Eyeliner}

It's Friday night, so what's a girl to do?!  Play with eyeliner!!!

I have the Smashbox gel eyeliner.  I bought it because the lady 

at Sephora told me it was the best and I bought 

an angled liner brush to apply it with.  

I used the eyeliner, I tried to love it, but I never really did.  

I know some makeup artists swear by it, but I found it to be cakey, 

to skip over the skin, and to flake when trying to build the liner.

Not to diss on Smashbox, because I love their products, 

but I just didn't love their gel liner.  

I tried hard to love it because regular 

eyeliner doesn't always stay true black and 

it doesn't give a good winged liner look, 

liquid looks great but it's hard to use.

Ever try putting liquid eyeliner on a bride who keeps 

trying to turn her head to answer a question??

Recently I haven't even been able to use the Smashbox gel eyeliner 

because it dried up and hardened to the point that it was unusable.

Sooo tonight I was in the grocery store looking around and spotted this

Maybelline Lasting Drama gel eyeliner in blackest black.

It was $7.99.

It even came with a brush!!!

It was very creamy and soft looking.

I pinned this the other day, I thought it was a good breakdown on 

how to achieve a winged liner.

(My makeup Pinterest page 

http://pinterest.com/MakeupbyKimP/makeup/)

http://followpics.com/cat-eye-how-to-2/

 Start with the before:

One difference from the above Pinterest breakdown 

is I connected the top and the bottom eyeliner.

I don't always do this but I wanted to try something a little different.

The easiest way to create a thick liner line is to use the flat side 

of the brush from the outer corner and 

make the line thinner as you go to the inside of the eye.

It is quicker than trying to build the line using the thin side of the brush.

...this is what a Friday night looks like around here!

Another cool picture from my Pinterest makeup page.

Have a great weekend!

Face Mapping

What Your Breakouts Are Telling You...

Have you ever heard of face mapping? If not, it’s pretty much the key to unlocking the mysteries behind problematic skin. Thanks to the combined knowledge of dermatologists who have analyzed skin behaviors and ancient Chinese medicinal methods there is a smarter way to interpret and treat skin imperfections by way of “face mapping.” Face mapping is a type of skin analysis that explains why and how certain areas of your face are connected to other parts of your body. If you ask me, it's pretty amazing stuff...

Why do you break out in some areas and not others?

Think of your blemishes as X’s on a map that is your face. Different zones correspond to different problems. With this “map” as your guide, you can address the underlying causes of blemishes and correctly determine how to prevent them from recurring. (Don't you wish you know about this in middle school?)

So, what are your breakouts telling you?

Using the face mapping method to decode what’s going on with your body is both incredibly informative and very extensive if you ask me. Here is an overview of the basic areas and what breakouts or abnormalities in those areas mean:

Zone 1 & 3: Bladder & Digestive System — Improve your diet and drink more water.

Zone 2: Liver — Try cutting back on alcohol, heavy food or dairy. This area can also indicate a food allergy.

Zone 4 & 10: Kidneys — Make sure you’re keeping yourself hydrated with water and cut back on liquids that dehydrate you. This means nix the soda, coffee and/or alcohol.

Zone 5 & 9: Respiratory system — Those who smoke or have allergies tend to have acne here.

Zone 6 & 8: Kidneys — Dark circles are usually a result of dehydration. Drink up!

Zone 7: Heart — Check your blood pressure and make sure you’re not using makeup that irritates your skin.

Zone 12: Stomach — Consider a detox or adding more fiber to your diet to help with digestion.

Zone 11 & 13: Hormones — Stress and hormonal changes can sometimes be alleviated with more water and a few extra servings of dark, leafy greens but if breakouts in this area persistent, make an appointment with your doctor to look into a possible hormonal imbalance. Additionally, breakouts in this area also indicate when you are ovulating (and which side).

Zone 14: Illness — Can be a sign of your body fighting bacteria to avoid illness. Take a breather and drink plenty of fluids.

So the next time you breakout or notice dark under eye circles, look to your map (or shall we say face map). 

P.S. Please note that these are general guidelines. Just becuase you breakout on your nose doesn't mean you have a heart problem. As with all medical issues, it is always best to see your doctor or dermotologist for a proper prognosis. 

Story by:  Alex Gariano
You can find the full story here:
http://ulookhaute.com/blog/post/alex-gariano-fresh-face-what-your-acne-is-telling-you 

Kim Porter Cosmetics {Product Review}

This super shiny, non-sticky lip gloss is great alone or over lipstick.  The color I am currently obsessed with is called Skinny Dip.  The name says it all because the color is sheer and skin-like and it smells like cinnamon.  Yummm....

Luxury Lip Gloss

From the Kim Porter Cosmetics line Luxury Lip Gloss:


Pure brilliance! Luxury Gloss combines sheer color with high shine, while treating lips with age-defying benefits. Innovative polymer technology provides lasting comfort, protection and hydration. A soothing blend of oils, including Castor Seed, Soybean and Moroccan Argan, condition and hydrate, smoothing the appearance of vertical lines and wrinkles so lips look softer and younger. Delivers antioxidant protection with Vitamins E and C. Helps soothe and heal dry lips with Aloe and Silica. Hypoallergenic. Paraben-free.

Price:  $18.00

To order products or if you have any questions you can email Kim Porter at kimporter@makeupbykimporter.com.

Head Shots Are In!!!

My head shots taken by photographer, Echard Wheeler, are in. 

You can check out his amazing work at 

http://www.facebook.com/ringlightman.

These are a few of my favorites...

We played around with different backgrounds, poses, and expressions.  

I knew the black background would be too dark for my website

http://www.makeupbykimporter.com/ 

but it was still fun to see how by just changing the background the entire look changes.

My friends and family make fun of how fast I can turn on my

"picture face" when a camera is around, 

but when you are in a photographers studio it was a little bit harder 

for me to relax.  Thankfully, Echard was

engaging and comfortable to be around, so after awhile it was 

easy to just relax and have fun!!

Case in point :)