Festive New Year’s Makeup in a Snap

I am in love with the current notion of embellishing the face with bold accessories such as the ever-fabulous Face Lace, below….

and of course the unmatched glam of Lash Republic Lashes….

But if you’ve waited ’til the last minute yet you’re craving something festive for your face this New Year’s, help is here. May we suggest: individual gemstones that you can buy at your local arts and crafts or sewing store. It’s chic on the cheap, and so very easy!

Makeup artist Mickey Gunn tells me how to get the look that she created, below, on model Abbey George from The Dragonfly Agency, shot by the incomparable Duke Morse of Duke Morse Photography.

(As a quick aside, Duke, a friend of mine, is an outstandingly versatile and creative photographer based in Texas. You simply must view his online portfolio. Breathtaking. He has such a keen, sensitive eye for all-around gorgeousness and is gifted at making women look incredible in his high fashion photo shoots. He’s also a skilled boudoir photographer who travels for personal assignments as well. Check out his page and bookmark it if you are contemplating a Valentine’s Day photo shoot as a gift for your paramour! And book your appointment early–as in, now–so you’ll be prepared!)

Now, back to the makeup. “We had already completed three looks for the day for the shoot,” makeup artist Mickey told me. “Abbey is an amazing model and she wanted something edgy for her portfolio. She happened to bring along a bag of gems and, as a random last minute request, asked me to create a look for her. This was very much guerrilla makeup artistry and I just pulled products that I already had in my kit.”

Mickey cleverly used clear false eyelash adhesive to apply the stones to Abbey’s face. Simply dot a bit of glue on the back of the gem, allowing it to dry for a cool minute before placing the gem strategically on your face, shoulders and cleavage. You can use tweezers for more precision if you desire while creating your design.

“We went with a darker smoky eye and, for the stones, I always like to balance out a strong look with neutral tone lips,” Mickey added.

Personally, I would love to see a combination of elements, such as crystal-trimmed false lashes from the drug store or a feathered lash with a bit of plumage in the hair.

Mickey told me that the eye makeup above was by Make Up For Ever and lips was Pop the Question by Bodyography, topped with a bit of Mac lipglass in Nymphette. Abbey’s skin was perfected with foundation by Mehron Célèbre, a cream foundation for a flawless finish.