Krasey Beauty

When it comes to classifying or categorizing a typical evening here in New York City, there are four main clusters that they can fall into- meh, good, great, and extraordinary. This post is about an extraordinary evening that I had the chance to experience most recently, spent in the company of one of my absolute favorite brands- Hourglass, exciting and innovating products- from Hourglass, the genius behind Hourglass- Carisa Janes, and the inimitable and ever-lovely makeup artist to the stars and Hourglass Artistic Director- Gina Brooke. Allow me to share my amazing evening with all of you, including some news, snippets, tips, tidbits, and photos.

The evening began with a narration, the story of how Carisa Janes, Hourglass founder, and Gina Brooke, Celebrity Makeup Artist, came to be a match made in beauty heaven. It all began while Gina was on tour with Madonna- as her lead makeup artist- and found herself looking for a product that would prevent Madge’s makeup from melting under the hot stage lights. She ran into Sephora looking for a miracle product, and came out with just that in the Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer. From there on in, the love affair began. Several years later, Gina is now the Artistic Director for Hourglass Cosmetics.

Fascinated by the story, I got ready for the real fun to begin. We all stepped into Gina’s studio, as it were, to watch her demonstrate not only how the brand new Film Noir Lash Lacquer works, but also the execution of a full face makeup application on a lovely model.

 

During the hour-long presentation, Gina shared with us her all time favorite Hourglass Products, and how to use them. They are:

-          Mineral Primer, the be-all, end-all of primers, as far as Gina is concerned.

-          Illusion Tinted Moisturizer, for flawless coverage that lasts all day

-          Illume Crème-To-Powder Bronzer Duo in Bronze Light, for a soft, believable contour and highlight.

-          Raven Femme Rouge Lipstick, the perfect warm shade of red that creates sexy, red glossy lips

-          Prodigy Lip Gloss in Ingenue, the perfect nude

-          Visionaire Eye Shadow Duo in Prism, the perfect palette for the smoky eye

-          Script Liner- the thinnest, most precise felt tip liner on the market.

But perhaps her favorite product of them all is Hourglass’ brand new Film Noir Lash Lacquer, a slim wand of glossy, inky black pigment designed to create rich, ultra-black, glossy lashes. Film Noir is an incredibly unique product, meant to be painted onto lashes using the brush applicator, to create a patent, shiny lash affect. Gina also likes to use it on photoshoots, for intense brows.

I am always in absolute awe when I come face to face with a member of the beauty’s elite, so it goes without saying that I was paying close to attention to everything that Gina did during her demonstration. Fortunately for me (and all of you!), she shared a few tips on makeup application, which I will now share with all of you:

-          The trick to a perfect liner application is not necessarily to stay as close to the lashline as possible, but to start at the inner corner and gently guide the base of the liner in one sweep right above the lashline. The area right above the lashline can be filled in after for the desired effect. Also, gently tugging on the outer corner while applying prevents bumps and skips.

-          When applying bronzer to contour, Gina prefers cream textures, which tend to move and blend into the skin seamlessly. She applies her favorite, the Illume Duo in Bronze Light, with Hourglass’ foundation brush.

-          When applying foundation, synthetic Taklon brushes are the way to go, because they do not trap the harmful bacteria that leads to breakouts.

-          While brushes are still one of her most valuable tools, Gina likes to apply the Visionaire Eye Duos to the eye directly with her fingers, whose natural oils lend themselves to flawless blending. Her favorite for a fine smoky eye is Prism, a stunning duo of rich cool silver and sparkling black.

After an absolute whirlwind of an evening, it goes without saying that I left the Hourglass Event completely giddy and ridiculously excited to share all of this with all of you. Be sure to look for the new Hourglass Film Noir Lash Lacquer, launching on July 15^th, exclusively at Sephora. Stay tuned for a closer look at Lash Lacquer, and also the new, all-matte Eye Shadow Palette- Volume 6.

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I attended an exclusive press event, and product was provided for post consideration and potential review.