Apparently, I can’t see too well from far away! My eye doctor told me, “Your eyesight isn’t horrible, but putting these glasses on will allow you to see your life in high-definition.” Well, I want to see my life in Blu-Ray! (Except when I’m in front of one of those magnifying mirrors — those things are scary!) Anyway, I’ve been loving wearing glasses. I feel smarter. They serve as a great prop during conversation. And of course, wearing them has literally been an eye-opening experience. I had no idea people were supposed to see so many details from a distance! No reason to feel self-conscious about wearing glasses. They can still be cute and sexy depending on how you style it all together! xoxo

PRODUCTS USED

EYES:

Urban Decay Primer Potion (Makes your eyeshadow LAST + LAST!)

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette (only used 2 shades from it)

Urban Decay Big Fatty Mascara

MAC Fluidline Gel Liner in “Blacktrack” (old favorite!)

Elite #18 False Lashes (I’m able to find these at Duane Reade locations)

FACE:

Murad Skin-Perfecting Primer (Tinted. Makes me use a bit less foundation = more natural look! Less is more!)

Lancome Teint Miracle Foundation (Gives a fresh, dewy finish. I wanted a natural look!)

Tarte Cheek Stain in “Natural Beauty”

Sheer Cover Concealer

Sheer Cover Mineral Loose Powder

Urban Decay All-Nighter Makeup Setting Spray

LIPS:

Dermstore Lip Quench

Studio Gear Lipstick in “Pink Blush”: http://mygl.am/yt-512-sg-lipstick

OTHER:

Philosophy Love Sweet Love Spray Fragrance: http://mygl.am/yt-512-phil-lsl

PRODUCTS USED

EYES:

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Urban Decay Eyeshadow in “Asphyxia” (Pinky purple. It came out of one of their palettes but it’s available on its own, too.)

Silver Eyeshadow from a Lancome Eyeshadow Palette

Sugarpill Black Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Liner in “Glam Rock”

Urban Decay Big Fatty Mascara

Elite #18 False Lashes (My faves! You can find them at Duane Reade stores.)

CHEEKS:

The Balm “Bahama Mama” Bronzing Powder

The Balm “Frat Boy” Blush (peachy pink)

LIPS:

Aldo Lip Lacquer (Don’t know what the color is called! It’s a baby pink!)

NAILS:

Revlon Long-Lasting Nail Enamel in “Passionate Pink” (I LOVE this color and have gotten a ton of complements on it!)

Getting ready for a night out on the town and are bored of doing the same basic smokey eye? In this video, I show you how to create a look that’s fun, flirty, and wearable. Most of the products I’ve used in this tutorial are from the April Glam Bag — one of my favorite bags so far!

PRODUCTS USED

EYES:

Urban Decay Primer Potion (Keeps your eyeshadow from creasing or fading! A MUST for a night out!)

Urban Decay Eyeshadows in “Sin” (light, shimmery color), “Twice Baked” (brown), “Asphyxia” (pinky-purple)

Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner Pencil in “Ransom” (purple. LOVE these 24/7 liners!)

Urban Decay Big Fatty Mascara

All-Belle Lashes

FACE:

Murad Skin-Perfecting Primer (will help your makeup go on a lot more smoothly + last longer. This one is tinted which I’ve noticed makes me use much less foundation!)

Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Foundation (One of my favorites. No SPF = perfect for flash photography which you will probably be posing for while out with the girls!)

CHEEKS:

The Balm Bahama Mama Bronzer

The Balm Frat Boy Blush

LIPS:

Dermstore Lip Quench (Addicted to this stuff! Never leaves my purse!)

Makeup Forever Rouge Artist Intense Lipstick in #22 (fave nude)

Lancome Lipstick in “Pink Preview” (soft pink)

Rimmel London Lipgloss in “Non-Stop Glamour”

NAILS:

Revlon Long-Lasting Nail Enamel in “Passionate Pink”

MUSIC: “Dangerous Girl” by Jay Loftus – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQLzIZmCLQU

Hi everyone!

Last Monday morning I instagram-ed a photo of my office area and told you all that I had a photographer over my home to photograph me for an article.

My desk is never, ever, this neat! I took a photo because I knew it would last longer! http://instagr.am/p/IX9wEfJQJd/

I can finally reveal that the article was for Time Out New York Magazine. The actual print issue hit stands today but there is an article up online which I included below:

Jessica Harlow of Miss Jessica Harlow (youtube.com/missjessicaharlow)

Who she is: Harlow first fell into makeup when she was a teen suffering from acne. “I had to find ways to cover it up using concealers,” she explains. But that necessity soon turned into a passion, as she started taking an interest in the makeup looks featured in magazines and music videos. “I was the girl that everybody came to for beauty advice in high school,” she says. While working at Bloomingdale’s makeup counters such as Origins, Laura Mercier and MAC, Harlow started watching other people’s beauty tutorials and was inspired to launch her own channel in February 2009. Within a few months, the St. John’s University undergrad gained enough followers to make her a YouTube Partner—which allows her to generate revenue from her videos through ads—and she dropped out of college to pursue vlogging full time. “School is always going to be there,” she says of her decision. “I felt [that there was] a lot of potential with this.”
About her channel: Harlow’s first video demonstrated how to achieve burlesque performer Dita von Teese’s retro makeup, and the 22-year-old hasn’t strayed from her celebrity-influenced origins since. In addition to producing sexy, wearable looks plucked from pop culture (Megan Fox’s sun-kissed visage, the gold-leaf eyes Emma Watson wore to a Harry Potter premiere), Harlow isn’t afraid to have fun with wild costume makeup—her videos recreating artist-model Rick Genest’s “Zombie Boy” face and Natalie Portman’s dramatic winged eyes from Black Swan make her channel one to bookmark for Halloween. But what sets her apart is the upbeat, positive attitude that has earned her close to 330,000 subscribers. “When I started, everybody was just doing makeup tutorials; nobody was really focusing on self-esteem or inspiring people to have better lives,” says Harlow, who begins her weekly beauty tutorials with the tagline, “Hello, gorgeous!” and has since launched a separate channel (youtube.com/jessicaharlow) devoted to motivational videos. “I always include some sort of inspirational quote or thoughts that I’m having.” Perhaps even more impressive is that the polished, professional videos Harlow films and edits in the basement of her Queens home are rarely rehearsed. “I really never practice my looks before I do them,” she admits.
Go-to product: Although major cosmetic brands such as Lancôme and Bobbi Brown have sponsored videos that feature their products, one item Harlow constantly uses in her tutorials of her own accord is Urban Decay’s Eyeshadow Primer Potion (urbandecay.com). “It keeps your eye makeup on forever,” swears Harlow. “I can tell when someone doesn’t use primer because you’ll see a line of eye shadow clumped up across their lids. This makes [your eye shadow] look exactly the same as when you put it on.”
Watch this now: Harlow’s videos routinely garner six-figure hits, but her most widely watched clip is a how-to on Katy Perry’s technicolor “California Gurls” makeup (it racked up a whopping 6.7 million views). Even if you don’t plan on wearing a blue wig and a cupcake bra anytime soon, you can still learn some helpful tricks about using glitter on your eyelids.

 

xoxo

Me and my favorite travel companion, Eeyore.

Continue reading to see what I was up to while in LA last week!

“Highly glamorous”. 30,000 feet in the air on my way to LA. No makeup, glasses, and my Eeyore stuffed animal. I can’t sleep well without having something to cuddle up to.

Snapped this picture when we were still supposed to have all electronic devices turned off. Such a rebel.

First night in LA, I had dinner with Michelle at an awesome Korean restaurant. Delicious and comforting! NOTE TO SELF: Must find awesome Korean restaurant in NYC!

Snow Cream. When it comes to food, I’m big on texture. This is frozen yogurt but it looks and has the consistency of snow. It’s yummy as hell!

At the Snow Cream place, pretending I’m Picasso. Using all the skills I acquired from playing DrawSomething for weeks!

Was staying at the Redbury in Hollywood. This was probably one of the biggest hotel suites I’ve ever had the pleasure of staying at.

It had a kitchen.

With a stove.

Pretty little forks, knives, and spoons.

It even had a washer and dryer. I could have seriously lived here.

Le bathroom.

An actual record player! As if the room wasn’t awesome enough!

The bed was awesomely comfy!

Me and my favorite travel companion.

On set with FAWN. We were filming in a vintage-style train car. Never thought I’d get to see one of these in real life! So cute!!!

I could get used to dressing up like this!

In N Out Burger. Any place that has “animal style” on the menu is awesome in my book. This was so awful it was amazing!

We also filmed at FIDM. The place was so full of inspiration!

Food & glamour! Getting ready for our closeups!

Self-portait within a portrait. Was snapping these photos on my MacBook while having my photo taken during a photoshoot for MyGlam & FAWN. I could live in this red dress.

Eeyore and I on our way back to NYC.

Goodbye, LA!

Follow me on instagram! Username: jessicaharlow

PRODUCTS USED

EYES:

Urban Decay Primer Potion (didn’t show this step in the video, but you’ve seen me do it in just about every other tutorial I’ve ever posted! Just an extra step to make your eye makeup last forever!)

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette (“Foxy” is the yellowy beige color & “Tease” is the brown shadow.)

White Eyeshadow

Purple Eyeshadow along the lower lash line.

Lancome Le Stylo Waterproof in “Noir”

Black Eyeshadow over the top of the liner

Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes! Mascara

Elite #18 False Lashes (I’ve been asked where to buy these. I’ve only been able to find them at Duane Reade Drug Stores. They’re my faves!)

CHEEKS:

X Out Shine Control (Came as a part of the February Glam Bag! Applied it under my foundation to keep my skin from getting too shiny throughout the day.)

Illamasqua Blush Powder in “Spite” (Or you can just buy a face powder that’s about 5 shades darker than your skin tone.)

LIPS:

Tarte LipSurgence in “Charmed” (pinky color)

Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer Pencil in “CIA” (lightest shade)

xoxo

PRODUCTS USED

EYES:

Lancome Limited Edition Color Design Palette in “Rose Romance”

Lancome Hypnose Mascara in “Deep Black”

Lancome Color Design Eyeshadow in “Successorize” (very dark purple)

Ardelle #305 False Lashes

CHEEKS:

Lancome Blush Subtil in “Cedar Rose” (soft peachy rose)

LIPS:

Lancome L’Absolu Nu Lipstick in “Beige Tulle”

I had so much fun judging the Miss New York USA 2012 Pageant! It was my first time judging a pageant. I joked that my qualifications included watching Miss Congeniality a bunch of times and catching a few episodes of Toddlers & Tiaras. Since I had never been involved in a pageant before, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was excited for the opportunity to do something new and kind of out of my comfort zone. In the end, my favorite part of the entire experience was getting to know a bunch of incredible people! Here are some photos from over the weekend!

On the first day, we [the judges] got up bright and early to meet with almost 150 young ladies for the interview portion of the pageant. This is the first glimpse we got of the girls when we walked into the theater. They all had their backs turned to us because the contestants are not allowed to look at the judges until it is their turn to be interviewed. And if one of the judges has to use the restroom, they need to be escorted by someone working for the pageant to ensure that none of the contestants are able to look at or talk to a judge.

Before the interview process began, we were each given a folder that contained a worksheet for us to make notes on each of the contestants. The important thing is to find something that will stand out in your mind to help you remember each of the girls. “Pretty” or “Beautiful” can be said about too many girls so as a judge, you want to avoid those comments. You want to be specific about what makes them unique to you. For someone to score well in interview, judges are looking for a girl to come in and make them feel an emotion.

Was so excited when I found out Micah Jesse was going to be one of the judges! We met over the summer and he is absolutely the most fun person ever! He’s a celebrity blogger that you need to follow! @MicahJesse

This is me being sandwiched between Micah Jesse and Rob Shuter (they used me for warmth) in the car leaving dinner and heading over to the Preliminary show at the theater. Rob is hands-down the most entertaining and hilarious person I have ever met in my life. I realized that I had actually been following him on Twitter for the longest time!

Kim Thompson, Micah Jesse, Kelly Bensimon, and myself  just minutes before the Preliminary Show began. Isn’t Kelly beyond gorgeous? Love her sequined dress! This was the night where we had to narrow the competition down to just 20 girls. It took us forever to decide!

Here I am with Miss Teen New York USA judge, Mark McAdams. I have never been more envious of someone’s eyes in my entire life! Isn’t he just perfection?

Decisions, decisions …

Shot of my breakfast. I went with the Hudson Valley Sunrise. Two eggs sunny side up, hash browns, toast, ham. Notice the lipstick print on my coffee mug? I live for those moments.  Did I mention we were staying at the Ritz-Carlton in Westchester? One of the nicest hotels I’ve had the pleasure of staying at.

I’ve joked that bread and butter is one of my favorite things to eat. If it didn’t come free at so many restaurants, I’d order it as my main course. This is the fanciest butter I’ve ever seen.

My outfit for the final show! I went with this skintight pink satin bustier-style dress by Dina Bar-el. It took me a total of seven minutes to squeeze myself into it. It was so tight I could barely move. Sitting down required concentration and getting out of cars involved rolling. So worth it!

Before the show, we had dinner at a burger joint. Yes, you read that right. We got all dressed up to eat burgers.

Me with Micah & Kelly!

And the show begins!

And the fabulous hosts, Pavrati Shallow and Rob Shuter. Survivor fans might recognize Pavrati. She won Survivor.

Miss New York USA 2011, Amber Collins. I met her a few months ago at an event and had dinner with her afterwards. She is absolutely one of the sweetest, brightest, and prettiest girls I’ve met. She came to New York with nothing and two years later was crowned Miss New York and is currently working for Donald Trump. That’s right. Donald Trump told her, “You’re hired!”

After reviewing the top 20 in their swimsuits and evening gowns, we had just minutes to decide on who would make it into the top ten.

And just as quickly, we decided on the top five.

And then there were two.

The crowning moment. Johanna Sambucini is Miss New York USA 2012.

Congratulations to Johanna Sambucini for winning the Miss New York USA 2012 Pageant! Best of luck at Miss USA!!!

And here we are, the judges with Miss New York USA. Erika Shay, Stewart Goldman, Me, Micah Jesse, Karen Happel, Johanna Sambucini, Kim Thompson, Rick Wellman, John Reny, Kelly Bensimon, Carlos Alvarez-Aranyos

Here is Miss Teen New York USA 2012 winner, Sabrina Mastrangelo. She turned out to be a subscriber of mine and wanted to take a photo with me. I was in shock! It was the highlight of the entire pageant experience! Congratulations, Sabrina!!!

Overall, this was such a fun experience! I would do it all over again in a heartbeat!

xo

Simple doesn’t always have to mean boring or plain. Sometimes, simple can be interesting and fun. Just because it’s not plain doesn’t mean it takes a lot of time or effort. My inspiration for this look came from this photo of Olivia Wilde that I stumbled upon online:

Although, while I was editing this video, I kept being reminded of Princess Jasmine:

If you want your bubbles to look a little more “bubbly”, I recommend gently teasing each section of hair before slipping on elastics and “bubbling” them. It’ll give your hair some texture to hold the shape a bit better.

Something like this would definitely require some teasing and back-combing. But, it’d still be very simple and quick to achieve.

xoxo

]]> http://blog.jessicaharlow.com/index.php/2012/01/bubble-ponytail/feed/ 6 http://blog.jessicaharlow.com/index.php/2012/01/natural-beauty-no-makeup-makeup/ http://blog.jessicaharlow.com/index.php/2012/01/natural-beauty-no-makeup-makeup/#comments Wed, 04 Jan 2012 01:46:12 +0000 Jessica Harlow http://blog.jessicaharlow.com/?p=1354

While I love dramatic smokey eyes and playing with colors, sometimes less is more. This is my go-to look for when I don’t feel like putting on a lot of makeup but still want to look and feel as good as I do when I’m going super-glam!

P.S. – This is a great look to wear during the day, especially to work or school.

Continue reading to see a list of all of the products I used in creating this look!

PRODUCTS USED

FACE:

Covergirl Simply Ageless Foundation in shades 210 + 205 (great cream foundation! It’s a combination of foundation and moisturizer. It’s like skincare an makeup in one. Winter favorite!)

Lancome Effacernes Waterproof Concealer in “Ivoire” (long-lasting. Doesn’t settle into fine lines around the eyes too much.)

Bobbi Brown Powder Blush in “Apricot” (matte bright pink blush)

Translucent setting powder I used was from MAC

BROWS:

Anastasia Brow Wiz Retractable Pencil in “Brunette” (Favorite brow pencil for the past few months!)

EYES:

Urban Decay Primer Potion (keeps all eye shadows + eyeliners from creasing and moving around. If you have oily lids, you need this!)

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette — “Foxy”, a light, fleshy color with a bit of a yellow undertone, was used all over the lids to brighten them up a bit and even out pigmentation. “Tease”, a soft, warm browny-mauve shade, was used in the crease and along the lower lashline to add a bit of definition.

Clinique High Impact Mascara

Elite #18 False Lashes (In the tutorial, the ones I was using were brown but I didn’t mind as I was planning on using mascara on top of them anyway. At $2.50 a pair, they’re pretty inexpensive. I’m able to use each pair about 3-4 times before tossing them.)

LIPS:

Kat Von D Lipstick in “Lovecraft” (neutral rose shade that is close to the natural color of my lips, but slightly brighter. Adds a bit of life without looking like I’m really wearing lipstick. Dab the product on so you get a sheer wash of color for a natural effect.)

Nivea Kiss of Moisture Lip Balm (Inexpensive and one of the best lip balms I’ve used.)