David Harel Makeup Artist

Our new place

We finally moved into our new home! Dougall and I had been looking to buy a new place for well over a year in LA, which is way longer than we expected it to take. Who knew there were so many people in Los Angeles? We made four previous offers and got outbid on each house. So this time, I brushed off my ‘manifesting’ cap and started to visualize us living in our new home. I closed my eyes and pictured us sipping wine on the back patio, watching the sunset. I wrote down our names and the address of the home that we wanted about 1000 times. I even wrote ourselves a letter and addressed it to the house we wanted, with the intention that I would mail it to our new home the day that we moved. And you know what? We got the house!

In any case, after being up to my neck in boxes and packing tape, the dust has finally settled and I’m so happy to be home.

I have been surprised and delighted by our garden here, there are over a dozen rosebushes! Since we did not plant them, it’s been a complete surprise to see the color of each bush as it blooms. I’ve been completely inspired by the colors of each of them, in particular a soft pink (that’s a photo of it above). In fact, I’ve been seeing these roses in my head when I think of new makeup looks for clients.

With this in mind, I recommend one of my favorite blushes of all time. It’s a product called Blushcreme by MAC, and the color is called Ladyblush. If you’ve hesitated to try cream blush in the past, this is a great product to start with. You can just swirl your finger lightly on it and then blend right into the apples of your cheeks. It will give you a perfect rosy pink flush on your cheeks. Although I am a fan of a dewy blush, you can set this with a sheer powder blush if you want it to last longer (MAC blush in Cute is perfect for this) The added bonus is that you can also use it on your lips. Just top it with your favorite lip gloss and you’re done!

Kissing Potion

So I have to admit, I’m kind of a lip balm junkie. Ever since I was a kid and tried cherry Chap Stick, I loved the way that it made my lips feel smooth and slippery.

Picture it: I was in upstate New York with my family, where we had gone for a New Year’s skiing trip. Since I am a native Floridian, I had no idea that snow and cold weather can dry and burn your skin. I mentioned to my sister that my lips felt super dry, so she started fishing around in her puffy pastel ski jacket (it was the 80’s after all). She finally produced what looked like a piece of candy; a cherry Chap Stick, in a bright red tube with a plastic white cap. I was enamored, my lips were rescued, and the love affair with lip balm began.

As an adult, my tastes in lip balm have evolved. After many tests, these are three of my favorite lip balms right now:

• Caudalie lip conditioner

  This stuff is amazing. Made with grapeseed oil and many other antioxidants, it feels so good that I kind of want to make out with it. It has a creamy-velvety texture that I find intoxicating. At $12, it’s the priciest of my choices, but it feels like a luxurious treat for your lips.

• Karite Lips shea butter lip balm with vanilla

  This was a really nice surprise when I discovered it at my local beauty supply store. Made with shea butter and vanilla, it has a heavenly scent and makes my lips feel delicious. This stuff makes for a very tasty kiss, and it’s five bucks!

• 
  Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Swivel Stick

  Can you say chocolate? This stick has a really yummy cocoa scent and makes your lips super soft. I actually discovered this by accident, through a pregnant friend who was using it to prevent stretch marks. It can be used all over your body to relieve dry skin, and it’s $3.49 at the drugstore. Just make sure that you buy the swivel stick and not their lip balm, which I don’t like nearly as much.

  If you try one of these out, tell me what you think. Just remember; your lips don’t produce any moisture of their own, so help them out!

  Posted 7 months, 2 weeks ago at 1:08 pm.

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Happy New Year!

Hey guys, I hope you all had a wonderful New Year’s Eve! My husband and I cooked a great meal, had a nice bottle of wine, and worked on our vision boards. Alright fine, we bought most of it ready-made at Whole Foods and drank more than one bottle of wine. Nonetheless, it was really fun! It’s become a tradition for us, because I don’t like driving on NYE. That, and it feels like there’s huge pressure to make New Year’s Eve the best night of the year.

So it’s 2010, a new year and a new decade. This is a great time to start positive habits. May I suggest using SPF? It’s such an easy way to care for your skin, and will prevent wrinkles! It’s never too late to start, even if you grew up doing that whole baby-oil-as-sunblock-thing. My favorite sunblock lately is Alba Green Tea SPF 30 Sunscreen. It can be purchased at many drugstores, and at under $10, is pretty affordable. I am not a fan of expensive sunscreens, because I think it makes me use less of it (in an effort to make it last longer). Use it every morning, and let it set in for a few minutes before applying makeup. Then blot with a tissue to absorb any excess shine.

I think 2010 is going to be a great year, I can just feel it! 2009 was a difficult year for many people, but I think some important lessons came out of it. The main lesson for me is to focus on what’s really important; love. My main resolution is simply to love myself and feel gratitude as much as possible. I wish the same for you, to love and be more kind to yourself. Just be happy and know that you are beautiful, with or without makeup!

Warming up the face

Winter is upon us! I love this season because of the cold weather and holidays. It must be the Miami native in me, because I never had a real winter growing up. Hot chocolate, a warm sweater, and good moisturizer are all very comforting to me.

I took the photo above when I was in New York for Thanksgiving. I find the leaves so peaceful and elegant. Rich coppers, tawny golds, and chocolate browns have even inspired the makeup I use on clients!

My favorite product this season is definitely MAC Lustreglass in Ornamental. A bronzey-coppery red, it is really flattering on almost all skin tones. It is a sheer formula, which means that it gives the impression of a warm-red lip without being too intense. I highly recommend this product paired with MAC blush in Gingerly. This is a soft bronze blush that manages to make you look both flushed and tan, which I think is a really sexy combination.

All day long!

On the topic of weddings, it is the makeup artist’s job to make sure that the bride looks flawless all day long. Since this can mean up to twelve hours of perfect skin, I need to work with products that will go the distance. For my last wedding, I decided to use MAC longwear lustre lipcolour. This liquid lipstick goes on like a stain, which means that it dries and leaves nothing but the color. For the rest of the day you only apply the attached gloss, no need to reapply the color!

The fun part about this product is that it doubles as a cheek stain as well! Just blend it out on bare skin, and your blush will last as long as your lipstick. Some of my favorite colors are Lishious (a peachy gold) and Boss Brown (a neutral bronze). Even though this is a perfect bridal product, it is also perfect for a day at the beach.

Make sure that your lips are completely dry when using the lipcolour, otherwise the product will not dry properly and end up peeling off (not pretty). Also, blend fast when using this as blush!

Makeup Primer

I am so glad to be back home in Los Angeles! I was in NYC over the weekend to do makeup for a wedding, which I love to do. It’s gratifying for me to be part of such an important time in people’s lives. It can also be stressful for the bride, which is why I’m glad that I’m a pretty relaxed person. I usually get to be with the bride in the last moments before she walks down the aisle, and keeping her calm is a priority of mine. Well, that and making her look gorgeous.

An important step in flawless bridal makeup is using a makeup primer. A primer is important because it fills in any lines or “textures” in the skin that you would like to cover with makeup. Primer also creates an invisible barrier between your skin and the makeup, so that it lasts longer.

My favorite primer nowadays is the Temptu Primer, which is what I used on my last bride. It is a very light lotion that I apply to the skin after using moisturizer (let the moisturizer sink in for 5 minutes first). It is silicone-based, which helps smooth out the skin and “primes” it for whatever you put on next (concealer, foundation). I find this product highly effective, and at $11, much more cost effective than comparable primers. Note: If you have acne, a silicone-based product may aggravate your skin. Otherwise you’re good to go.

Glittah!

On Friday I did some makeup for a charity event called Friends of the Family, which was a lot of fun! It’s organized by TV therapist Stacy Kaiser, and benefits families who are in trouble both financially and emotionally. Some of the kids in the program were performing, and I was putting glitter and lip gloss on them beforehand. They were so excited about their makeup, it was really sweet!

On the topic of glitter, one of my absolute favorites is called Reflects Antique Gold by MAC. The glitter is very finely ground, and looks flattering on adults (not just teens). It comes in a loose tub, and when applied on the skin it catches so much light and looks really glamorous. It’s like you have built-in paparazzi!

Of course glitter is not for every day. But if you’re in the mood to sparkle, here are few ways to apply this gorgeous product:

1. Apply a bit to your eyelids over cream eyeshadow or clear mascara. You can also just put a small amount of eye cream onto your lids before applying. The idea is to make your lids moist so the glitter sticks.

2. Mix a small amount of the glitter into your lipgloss before applying.

3. Squeeze some body cream into your hand, and mix a bit of glitter into it before applying to your body.

Makeup Artist Trick: Make sure you have some scotch tape nearby, as it will help you remove any glitter that will inevitably go astray. I know this sounds odd, but it is extremely effective! Just take a few inches of tape and lightly press onto the areas that need to be cleaned up (usually under the eyes). It will look more polished and less like you are headed to a rave.

Bronzed Skin

Now that summer is upon us, many people like the look of gorgeous bronzed skin. However, since we all know how bad the sun is for our skin, it’s important to use an SPF. So how does one banish pasty skin without getting sun damage? Self tanner of course!
My favorite self tanner ever is called Jergens’ Natual Glow. This product has been reviewed many times before but it is just too good not to mention. It is a face lotion that combines moisturizer (now with SPF 20), and a light self tanner. The product is not meant for immediate results; you use it every day and after about a week you will see a gorgeous, natural glow (thus the name, duh). They have three different shades (light, medium, and dark), but the product itself has no color. They’re talking about how tan you want to be after using it for a week. I like the medium, and dark for summer. I find that the light shade hardly gives any color, but it’s good if you’re freaked out by the idea of self tanner at all. It’s sold in drugstores everywhere ($7), and it’s so popular that they often sell out! Jergens also makes Natural Glow for the body, which I love as well. However, the body lotion has some shimmer in it (I guess for some instant glow). I don’t think it’s too noticeable, but check it out and see how you feel.

MAC Naked Lunch Eyeshadow

So I’ve been going through my kit today, trying to narrow down my list of favorite products. This is not easy for a makeup artist, you should know. However, there was one eyeshadow that I immediately reach for more often than not with clients. It’s called Naked Lunch, and it’s a powder eyeshadow from MAC. It’s a shimmery, nude-pink. This is an absolute must for achieving that ethereal, glamorous glow. Take a bit of this shadow with your pinky, and smudge it in the inner corners of your eyes, and right under your eyebrows. Bang! You look more polished. You can use this all over your eyelid to get a soft, natural shine (As seen on Heidi Klum, above). Take a little on a blush brush and apply it to the tops of your cheeks to add some radiance to your skin. This is my favorite kind of makeup product, because it’s subtle, which means that people won’t notice your makeup, but they will notice how pretty you look!

Dry lips begone!

So I was with a client yesterday, who had the most ridiculously chapped lips I have ever seen! Seriously, we’re talking parched, flaky, sunburn-dry lips. We were trying to figure out if it was her diet, the amount of water she was drinking, or the dry Los Angeles climate. Nonetheless, I used my secret weapon: Aquaphor! I slicked on a bit of this amazing salve, and within about a minute her lips were completely saturated with moisture. I have used this product on dehydrated models, time-crunched actresses, and TV personalities. They all say the same thing: “wow this really works!” The best part is that it multitasks beautifully. Rub a pea-sized amount into your cuticles before bed and no one will ever know about your nervous habit of biting them. Use a bit to keep eyebrows in place. Elbows and heels will feel like buttah with the smallest amount of this stuff. The best part is that you can find this in any drugstore for about 6 bucks.