The 2014 Grammy's Makeup Hits

There was glitz and glam all over the red carpet last night for the 2014 Grammy's. Shout out to little Lourde for winning best song of the year. <3

These are my top makeup hits from yesterday's Grammy event.  

4. Sarah Hyland (a.k.a. Haley Dunphy from ABC's Modern Family) She is stunning! Swoon over that red lip and those rosy cheeks (for this pop of color on the apple of your cheeks try Chanel's new cream blushes in Affinite.) She looks classy without being overly made up. I love her bright undereys and the soft smudgey eyeliner on her lower lashes plus her strong, but not over-done brows.  

3. Let's discuss Katy Perry's fresh look with that amazing pink lip. Love! I would love to see a little more blush on those cheeks, but I think she looks absolutely gorgeous. For a pink lip like this try Laura Mercier creme lip color in pink label. 

2. Next up, almighty Beyonce. Look at her rocking that dark lip! I looove the smokey shimmery lid (try Makeup Geek eye shadow in Moondust). I would like her eyebrows to be filled in, but hat's my brow obsession speaking. I like how it adds kind of a natural flare to it. 

1. Zendaya Coleman: I love everything about this look. Her brows!!!  The smoldering smokey eye. Highlight + Contour, and that nude lip. On point!! I do not love her hair styling, but the makeup..mmhmm. 

For her sculpted cheek bones try Anastasia Beverly Hills' contour kit. For that hot lip try E.L.F studio matte lip color in Praline. 

What were your favorites? 

xoxo. LP

Top 10 Web Favorites for the Week

In order to spice things up, I thought I would share with you what I have found fantastic this week on the internet. 

10. A Beautiful Mess - 10 Statement Wall Ideas: 

I have been on a major design kick lately. This desire, however is significantly stifled by a severe budget shortage. Womp. Nevertheless, a girl and dream..and pin her way to a home reno. Can I get an Amen? 












9. These delicious chocolate peanut butter custard cups.

I made these  for a dinner party the husby and I went to last night. They were bomb. I strongly suggest you make them for yourself..and 5 other people. Or just eat them all yourself. I deem that totally acceptable. 











8. Lauren Conrad's amazing wedding planning. 

Can we first discuss these gold polka dot envelope liners? Swoon. Since I don't think I will ever get over my wedding obsession I still continue to pin wedding stuff. You can see my problem here and here. I think LC is the cutest and have no doubt that her wedding will be the same. I want to be there. 











7. This amazing Michael Kors timepiece. 

I now have a hopeless addiction to watches, thanks to my husband who also has this same disease. I am drawn to this hot pink beauty and I must add her to my collection. See #10 above budget shortage. boo.











6. Anastasia Beverly Hills' new dipbrow pomade. 

This stuff is waterproof!!!! Enough said. I must try it and when I do I'm sure it will be love. 















5. The Spring collection from Stella & Dot. 

My favorite piece is the Amelie Sparkle Bracelet in Peach. There are so many gorgeous pieces to this new collection. I also love the double clutch in citrine, here. 














4. My sweet friend Anjuli just relaunched her blog project. 

The design of this site is stunning and Anjuli truly has a gift for writing. She is inspiring and writes with a true openness. I invite you to share in her words. 



3. This beautiful kitchen appliance from William's Sonoma.  

There are no words. 
















2. Bekah's new blog. 

I'm not sure she has posted anything yet, but do yourself a favor and subscribe now in anticipation of greatness. You won't be sorry. She's the bee's knees. 






1. The amazing Kristy Lynn Adams. 

If you are in need of a wedding photographer in the North Carolina area you simply must book her. Now. Clock's ticking. 












I hope you've enjoyed this week's web picks. 

xoxo. LP

Blushing Giveaway

In honor of my Instagram page hitting 300 followers (and let's be honest, the weekend) I've decided to do a weekend GIVEAWAY! 

Since you all know I'm obsessed with it, I'll be giving away one (1) Smashbox Full Exposure Palette to one (1) lucky winner. 

Here's how to enter: 

1. Follow my page Instagram page @blushing_artistry 

2. Repost the giveaway image using the hashtag #blushinggiveaway 

Feel free to repost as many times as you like. No limit on entries. 

If your page is private please leave a comment so I know you've entered. 

A winner will be chosen on Monday January 27, 2014. 

Good luck babes! 

xoxo. LP

In My Bag: An exposé

So it's been what, 4 days? That means we know each other well enough for you all to start rifling though my things, right? Yes. Congratulations. 

It's time for a journey into my cosmetic bag. Yikes. 

Bag dump. 

Please note that both the bag and the contents within is constantly changing. I can never guarantee any color or product will recur. Except for my powder. I was actually surprised that there wasn't more crap in here. Usually there are like some old fortunes, gum wrappers, and at least one hundred bobby pins. Maybe I subconsciously knew I would be exposing the most intimate details of my cosmetics bag to the interwebs so I lived cleanly. 

Cleaned it up. 

One thing for sure is that I have too many lip products. Those who know me know I rarely wear anything on my lips.. this is amusing. 

I'll start with the copious amount of lip items. On the left we have MAC prolongwear lipglass in boundlessly beige. If you don't have any of these, you should. They are ridiculously long wearing and come in lots of pretty shades. I'm boring so I like beige. As you'll see as we continue through this list. Bobbi Brown Lip Color in Blondie Pink - the best natural pink, Chanel Rouge Coco Lip Color in Perle, Bobbi Brown Creamy Lip Color in Retro Pink, Burt's Bee's Honey Lip Balm, Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balm in Complex, Bobbi Brown Crystal Lip Gloss. Clearly, I have a problem. 

Moving up top we have Bobbi Brown Tinted Eye Brightener in light bisque an awesome sheer brightening concealer that is super easy to use on the go. Anastasia tinted brow gel in espresso  not sure why that's in there without a brow pencil..coming back down Laura Mercier Undercover pot in #1 this thing has under eye and face concealer in one little pot with a convenient supply of loose translucent powder underneath. Perfect little travel companion. Bobbi Brown Blush in pale pink- duh and Laura Mercier pressed foundation powder in #3.
Oh and teeny Bobbi concealer blending brush, lip brush and a baby Kiehls's creme de corps and a mini MAC fix+ 

This has been an exposé of my (full of Bobbi Brown) cosmetic bag. I felt like I would bore you if I went into more detail. Let me know if you have specific questions on any of these items and I'll be happy to supply you with my wealth of knowledge. 

xoxo. LP

Night & Day

Hi Beauties, 

Starting out this whole blog thing I'm going to keep it sweet & simple with a double product recommendation. Skin care reviews can be hard since it takes time to see results of products past the initial texture and smells. Today, I bring you two little numbers that are tried and true and that I personally, cannot live without. 

Daytime hydration: Try Clarins Bright Plus HPBrightening Hydrating Day Lotion SPF 20  $62

This SPF 20 moisturizing lotion evens and brightens dull skin. Special ingredients help to fade dark spots and even out the skin tone too! I like this moisturizer because it drys down to a soft matte without leaving the skin feeling greasy. It wears great under makeup and provides sun protection. 

For the night: Try Bobbi Brown's Hydrating Intense Night Cream. $62 

This concentrated night cream boosts the skin's ability to recharge and rehydrate during its nightly repair process, plumping fine lines and improving tone and texture. Skin looks and feels stronger and healthier. Secretly, I sometimes wear this during the day.. shhh! I recently discovered that my skin gets dehydrated really easily which in turn makes me incredibly oily. I'll wear this guy day and night in those cases and my skin is back to looking pretty great in no time. 

Sorry that these products are not entirely budget friendly. If it's any consolation, you need a very small amount of each so you shouldn't be needing a new one for at least 6-8 months.  Think of your skin as your #1 accessory, consider how much you spent on new shoes this month... this is your face! 

xoxo. LP

Starting a Skin Care Routine

Oh the skincare routine... Don’t have one? Start one! Having a routine will not only help your skin look and feel better on a daily basis, it will make a world of difference on your big day for your makeup (and let’s be honest—your makeup artist too!)…not to mention some assistance in aging gracefully. Here are a few tips, tricks and product recommendations to add to (or begin) your skincare routine. **If your wedding or event is less than 2 weeks away, I do not recommend starting or adding any unfamiliar products to your routine in case an unwanted reaction occurs!**


CLEANSE! This is the most important thing you can do. Even if it is just taking your makeup off with a makeup wipe (I like the Neutrogena ones), TAKE IT OFF! Your skin and eyes need to breathe and have a break from the stuff we pile on our faces daily.  Leaving mascara on the lashes while you sleep makes then dry and brittle (you should be going for full and soft), and let’s not even turn down the nasty road of potential eye infections. Even if you’re not a daily makeup wearer, dirt and environmental toxins and free radicals take a toll on the face if you don’t cleanse. Giving the face a refreshing wash before bed and in the morning will set you up for a glowing complexion and help the rest of your skincare products to sink in and work better. 

1. Neutrogena Make-up remover wipes 2. Bobbi Brown’s Hydrating Rich Cream Cleanser 3.Trader Joe’s - Nourish cleanser 4. Laura Mercier foaming one-step cleanser 5. Clarisonic Cleanser

Product recommendations: Laura Mercier foaming one-step cleanser good for normal to oily skin. This oil-free beauty packs a cleanser, toner, and a makeup remover all in one foamy pump to take the day off in one easy step.  I am also newly obsessed with the Nourish cleanser from Trader Joe’s! It's extremely gentle, and leaves your skin feeling wonderfully clean, without any tight, dry feeling. And for $6 you can’t beat it! For those of you with drier skin types try Bobbi Brown’s Hydrating Rich Cream Cleanser.  It’s formulated with rich emollients and Enriched Mineral Water Blend to cleanse, purify and remove all traces of dirt and makeup without stripping skin of moisture.

Gadgets: I swear by my Clarisonic- Developed by the lead inventor of the Sonicare toothbrush, this fancy device goes beyond cleansing by using sonic technology to gently and deeply cleanse pores. It removes six times more makeup than manual cleansing so that products absorb better, making skin more receptive to skincare ingredients. With regular daily use, it reduces dry skin patches, oily areas and blemishes and immediately leaves skin feeling and looking smoother. Warning! When you first start using this you may be a little shinier than normal and break out a bit, but that’s all the toxins making a mass exodus from your face. Stick with it! You’ll see the results soon enough ;)  Ps. I haven’t tried the Olay ProX tool, but it claims similar results and is super reasonably priced! If you have tried this one, please let me know your experience.


HYDRATE! Not only is it important to drink enough water daily, but using a skin-type appropriate moisturizer for the face and an eye cream for the eye area is another critical step in taking care of that beautiful face!  Why a different product for each area, you ask? I know, I know, it’s annoying to have to splurge on two separate products, but it is absolutely necessary since your face area and eye area have drastically different needs. Let’s start with the face: The skin on the face is thicker and heartier than the skin around your eye and thus needs a thicker and heartier moisturizer, lotion or cream. Note: it is important to hydrate even if you’re oily. If you don’t, your skin will compensate by overproducing oil, which equals even oilier skin! Hydrated skin will show less texture and hold onto makeup longer. With great skin less makeup is needed.  Now, the reason it is so important to hydrate and pamper the under eye area is because this skin is so paper thin! A good visual comparison: skin on the face = construction paper and skin under the eye = tissue paper. Eyes are the first place you see signs of stress and the first place that will start to show age. A good eye cream, any eye cream really, will help that thin, delicate area line-free and de-puffed as long as possible! Not to mention that a dry eye area doesn’t play nice with products like concealer and eye shadow primer! Get your mug camera ready and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!

I should add that I don’t care for skin care products with fragrances added to them, I’m a sensitive bug, and I just don’t believe that fragrance helps your skin. The less additives the better!

1. Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream 2. Bobbi Brown’s Hydrating Face Cream 3. Benefit's - It’s Potent! Eye Cream 4. Kiehl’s Oil-Free Sodium PCA Moisturizer 5. Bobbi Brown’s Extra Repair Eye Cream 6.Laura Mercier's Face Polish 7. Clinique's - All About Lips 8. Bobbi Brown's Lip Balm

Products: For dry skin, I love Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream. This daily hydrator leaves skin comfortable and calm. Plus, it helps reduce moisture loss during the day. For normal to dry skin Bobbi Brown’s Hydrating Face Cream is a-maz-ing!  This baby hydrates and steadily releases moisture, skin conditioners and nutrients throughout the day. Skin is smooth and plumped; makeup stays fresh and glowing thanks to a combo of hydrating ingredients. For combination to oily skin: Kiehl’s Oil-Free Sodium PCA Moisturizer. This cream is lightweight and won’t clog pores!

I am loving the new It’s Potent! Eye Cream from Benefit Cosmetics. It helps fade dark circles and helps to smooth the appearance of fine lines for brighter eyes. For a true treatment of the eye area try Bobbi Brown’s Extra Repair Eye Cream – My all time favorite! This heavy-duty cream dries down enough to be used under makeup, but packs a mean punch when it comes to dryness, puffiness, darkness, and wrinkles. A teeny bit of this cream in the morning and at night will make a world of difference if you struggle with any of the above eye issues.


EXTRAS: Exfoliating the face and lips will help shed any dead skin cells and let your glowing skin show through! Washing your face with a washcloth in the evening a couple nights a week can help and try adding a facial scrub. My personal fave is Laura Mercier’s Face Polish.  Your skin will be baby smooth and you’ll never go back!  Don’t forget to hydrate your pout with Lip balm! Hydrate those babies so your wedding day lip color goes on smooth and stays fresh longer. Try Clinique’s All About Lips and Bobbi Brown’s Lip Balm.

I welcome your questions and feedback! If you have a must-try product I’d love to hear about it! Email me at blushingMUA@gmail.com!

Until next time. 

xoxo. LP