we love this american salon magazine cover.  sarah lucero, stila's head artist, did the makeup.  it's amazing! doesn't it make you want to go bold on your eyes and your lips??  try it.  daring long wear lip color is a great lip color for the winter season.  pair it with some sultry eyes and you are sure to have heads turning.  xoxo, stila!

stila makeup was on the ESPYS red carpet wednesday with some of sports top female nominees!  we had a blast working with kelly clark and sarah burke - both inspiring women.  kelly, an olympic gold medalist snow boarder, was nominated for 2 ESPYS including female athlete of the year.  sarah, a freestyle skier and x-game gold medalist, was nominated for best female action sport athlete.  check out these amazing women on the red carpet with a rundown of their makeup looks.

kelly:

perfect & correct foundation
chinois and puppy eyeshadows
sequins sparkle waterproof liquid eyeliner
glamoureyes mascara
custom color blush - coral
apricot lip glaze

















sarah:








sheer color tinted moisturizer
kitten and pewter eye shadows
starry sparkle waterproof liquid eyeliner
major major lash mascara
peony convertible color
grapefruit lip glaze

• does your makeup wear throughout the day?  if not, your skin could be dehydrated.  in many cases the skin eats the makeup because it lacks moisture.  if this is you, drink more water and try using a product like our hydrating primer.  it balances the skin and provides the extra moisturize your skin needs.

• for those with oily skin, try skipping moisturizer during the daytime.  instead use a primer that will control oil like stila’s one step correct.  this product will not only smooth your skin, but it will also prevent the makeup from sliding off your face.

• are you suffering from a bad breakout?  less is more.  sounds like an oxymoron – we know.  no we are not suggesting you walk around bare skinned.  instead use a lightweight foundation, a little bit of concealer on the blemish, and a powder to smooth the skin like stila’s illuminating powder foundation!

red lips are a hot trend right now. after all, who can resist a red hot lip. plus, it seems like an easy way to spice up your look. however, it's not always that simple. the application process alone can be a struggle. and figuring out what to pair with your red lip is another issue. don't fret. here are some helpful hints to help anyone achieve the perfect red lip.

-what shade? the orange-red looks great on fair and deep skin tones. a blue-red is perfect for medium to dark skin tones. and a true red like lover long wear lip color will work on anyone!

-for a defined red lip, begin with a lip liner. if you prefer that pouty lip look, opt out of lip liner

-need your lipstick to stay? dust stila's hydrating finishing powder on the lips in between lipstick layers!

-clean up mistakes with perfecting concealer. apply it to the outside of the lips with the #11 brush.

-smile when you apply your lipstick. this makes it easier to coat every part of the lips and helps you achieve a precise line.

-tired of your red lipstick bleeding? try our long wear liquid lip color in fiery. this lip color wears all day and will not move or bleed! no more worrying about your teeth or your chin!

-lastly, keep the lips the focus of your look when wearing red. we recommend adding some bronzer and lots of mascara!

stila’s new perfect & correct foundation is amazing. in fact, our pro artists are “obsessed” with this innovative foundation that glides effortlessly on the skin. the easy-to-use formula provides weightless coverage for your skin, improving the look and feel of your skin in minutes. additionally, the foundation provides the following key benefits.

• 15 bio-available, ionically charged minerals suspended in the foundation read and react to your skin’s individual needs, and targets and corrects skin imperfections such as acne, sun damage and dryness caused by environmental stress
• hyaluronic acid helps increase hydration levels of the skin
• ginseng root extract and gingko biloba leaf extract provide potent antioxidant benefits and help prevent premature aging
• chamomile soothes and improves skin elasticity
• helps reduce the look of fine lines & wrinkles
• hydrates & balances
• controls oil and minimizes pores
• medium, buildable coverage for a luminous, satin finish
• high definition and high performance
• paraben and fragrance free

*pro tip: for best results, apply this foundation with stila’s #33 brush! layer where more coverage is needed.

as makeup artists, we understand that doing your own makeup can be overwhelming.  we even struggle with it at times.  many of us feel that its hard to see our own faces the way we see someone else's.  perhaps you agree - you stare at the beauty of others around you failing to notice the beauty that is your own.  in an effort to end this negativity, we have a suggestion.  pick a feature and go with it.

pick the feature about yourself you like the most, and enhance that when you are doing your makeup.  it could be your lips, your eyes, your cheekbones, your brows.  whatever it is - make the most of it.

not sure what your best feature is?  ask a friend.  they will tell you.  they look at you and are the best judge.

focusing on a feature is a good makeup technique as well.  it ensures that your face is not overwhelmed with lots of makeup.  instead, balance is achieved.

lastly, remember, there is beauty in everyone.  one of the things we love most about beauty is that it has no set rules.  there is not one "kind" of beautiful.  so, everyday let your true beauty shine through.

the passing of elizabeth taylor yesterday was sad for all of us at stila.  she was a beauty legend who will definitely be missed.  makeup trends definitely come and go; however, elizabeth taylor's look was classic no matter what day or year.  she had a timeless beauty and her style was contagious.

for those days when you are in an elizabeth taylor kind of mood, we recommend her signature smoky eyes and bold red lip.  it's feminine and confident at the same time.  try stingray smudge stick eyeliner and espresso eye shadow on your eyes.  keep your cheeks neutral - maybe adding just a hint of bronzer.  then polish off your lips with lover long wear lip color!  you will look like a bombshell every time.  plus, you will be honoring the memory of elizabeth and her iconic style.

may her inspiration live on for many years to come.

xoxo, stila

we love tips!  and christine, one of our artists in canada, just gave us a great one that we thought we share with all of you.  christine has been educating a lot of people in her region about our new spring line.  when she was working with the sephora at market mall, she discovered this great trick using the new prime pots.

use both shades of the prime pot for a long wearing, contoured eye look, that will definitely make your eyes pop.  christine suggests using taffy as your base all over the eye.  then, apply caramel to the crease to create a contour.  the look creates great depth on the eyes.  and it is perfect for anyone who wants their makeup to stay in place all day!

thanks for the tip christine.  such a beautiful, simple eye look that creates amazing results!

with award season officially over, we thought it was only appropriate to give our very own red carpet wrap up.  the last few months were full of fun trends and beautiful makeup.  it's always so exciting to take part in.  and the greatest part about red carpet makeup is that those trends live on throughout the year.  they can be easily recreated on a daily basis.

here's some fun face charts to give you an idea of the looks sarah demoed on E! news in case you missed the segment.  both are perfect looks on and off the red carpet!

• "i love to use topaz kajal liner in the inner well of the eyes to brighten all my clients eyes.  they always seem to need it because they are tired during award season!" -viviana

• "try layering a cream and powder blush on your cheeks for a nice glowy effect.  apply this after contouring with bronzer or a powder/cream foundation 2 to 3 shades darker than your natural skintone for an amazing sculpted look." -jason

• "i use illuminating tinted moisturizer on my clients' bodies!  it creates an airbrushed finish on the body that is fantastic for any event.  it's perfect for the red carpet."  -lindsey

• "i've been using pearl kajal liner as an eye shadow base to make shadows more pastel.  i love this trick and it's perfect for spring!"  -dominick

don't forget to tune into E! news tonight to see sarah recap the amazing trends seen on the red carpet at the oscars.  these beautiful looks are easy to do on own.  consider this a DIY must for 2011!  check out sarah working her magic with our lovely models below:

it's oscar weekend!  we are so excited to see the red carpet looks on sunday.  and fortunately, we already have a few red carpet looks of our own.  what is your favorite look?

sarah receives lots of emails from stila fans like you, and one of the top asked questions is, "how can I make my eyes look bigger?" your eyes are a key feature on your face - arguably the most important. therefore, the bigger and better they look, the more beautiful you will look each day. fortunately, you don't need to be a pro to enhance your eyes. instead just follow these simples guidelines.

use a shimmery shadow in your lid to pop and open up your eyes. the smaller the eye shape, the lighter the color. and for the most natural look, select the shade closest to your skin tone.

apply a matte shadow slightly above the crease to contour. when you apply it above the crease, it visually lifts the eye. try keeping your eye open when you do this and avoid a banana looking stripe. the contour should be subtle.

coat extra mascara in the right areas. for many people adding more coats to the center eyelashes will achieve that doe eyed look, helping to make the eyes look bigger and less slanted. try it!

who doesn't want to look red carpet ready everyday?  at stila, we are in love with the new E! red carpet palettes that make it easy for anyone to recreate red carpet beauty looks on their own.  not only are these palettes beautiful, but they are also a great deal.  check them out on our website and use these face charts for further inspiration!

one of our favorite looks from the color wheel lookbook is the violet look.  sarah lucero created this very modern look.  it's a great take on the popular cat eye trend.  instead of the typical liquid liner, strong upper lash line emphasis, this look is a heavy lower cat eye that was created with eye shadow.  "it's a great option for lifting and extending the eye shape.  and it's very sultry," sarah explains.  the best way to recreate the look is to use the small end of the #15 brush wet.  when you line your lower lashline, extend the line up and out.  and since this look is so bold, keep the lips nuetral.  try gerbera convertible color and topaz kajal eye liner for a great nuetral lip. 

if you are in need of some violet inspiration when using your palette, check out our inspiration here!  violet has never looked so good!