Instant Glam

The best part of going to an event—regardless of the event—is the getting ready.

Friday was the Pink Carpet event at Crave in downtown Minneapolis. I accompanied Katie Dohman and fellow bloggers Kate Arends and Justine Hornick. I always imagine I am going to have oodles of time to prepare: take a luxurious bubble bath, polish my fingers and toes (while I have a face mask on), then do my hair and makeup. Finally, I would slip into my outfit all with time to spare. Of course, the reality is a little different.

The day of the event we had an inspirational photo shoot during the day at Erika Ludwig's studio. Justine did a beautiful updo on Katie during the downtime, and the style lasted day and night. We tried some great new summer lip shades from MAC Cosmetics. As usual when you're having fun, time flew. Suddenly all my appointments collided and I ended up running behind the rest of the day, which cut into my prep time.

So how do I get "pink carpet ready" in a jiffy, and still enjoy every minute of the experience? Go for simplicity. The key is knowing what looks good on you and sticking to it. When you’re running late, it's not the time to try something new, unless it's jewelry, and remember: Deep breathing helps!

Here's a step-by-step:

• First prepare the skin. I used my Clarisonic in the shower because it leaves my skin feeling and looking smooth. (Can you say instant spa treatment?)
• After shower, moisturize head to toe.
• Apply concealer and a bit of foundation. If your skin looks beautiful, your makeup looks flawless.
• Then I go for simple steps with the most impact. For eyes:
• Benefit Magic Ink jet-black liquid eyeliner. Funny but Kate, Katie, Justine, and I were all wearing liquid eye liner at the event. What's that about “great minds thinking alike?!” Tip: Have a Q-Tip ready to perfect the the line if you're a little unsteady.
• Mascara: Diorshow Black is still my favorite for instant glamour. What I love is that you get thickening, lengthening, and curling all in one tube.
• A little Sonia Kashuk Super Sheer Liquid Tint in Peony on my cheeks to give a lovely glow.
• Finally, my signature bright lip. That night it was NARS Velvet Matte lip pencil in Dragon Girl.

Aaaaaaand, voila! Ready for action! Literally!

I dashed off to the MNMO offices to meet Katie Dohman, Kate Arends, and Kelly Fitzgerald, whose makeup I freshened up for the event. A sure-fire way to get office-to-evening ready is a little foundation refresher, concealer (only where needed), and a tiny bit of blush.

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Kelly before and after.
Kelly has beautiful eyes framed by a great fringe. This is where I thought I could make the most difference in a short period of time. First, I applied Makeup For Ever Aqua Eye Waterproof Eye Liner Pencil thickly at the lash line and smudged it to create a smoky, dramatic eye. Then extra mascara and a Bobbi Brown lipstick in a shade complimentary to Kelly's natural lip color. That's it—and she looked fabulous, as you can see here!

Now for a top secret little tip: If you are at an event and your skin starts going from dewy to greasy, sneak into the restroom. Tear off a piece of a disposable toilet seat cover and blot excess shine. They are usually made of the same paper as oil blotting papers—who knew?! Now you do.

A little girl talk and some hijinks on the way and we arrive at the party—with not a moment to spare! Crave was hopping. The company was excellent and the people-watching was fun! And as always, the food and drinks top notch, all for a great cause.

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