The Lane Makeup Artist Natural Wedding Makeup

All wedding photos by : A Bear A Dear And A Fox Beauty Photo by Stephanie Alcaino for White Magazine

Yesterday I received an email letting me know that one of the wonderful weddings I created the natural bridal hair & makeup for has been featured over at The Lane. The bride Jenna was one of the most fun ones I have ever worked with and check out all her beyond talented friends creating beautiful details for her wedding. She is also founder of the boutique natural soap business Maple Soaps, which are the most gorgeous handcrafted vegan soaps, which smell delicous and are free of any synthetic fragrance.

I was also interviewed and asked about my tips on how to create my signature natural makeup look, as seen above. I thought I share it here with you, along with with best products to achieve this look:

One of our enduringly favourite looks for bridal beauty is this supernatural face you created…how did you do it? The right prep and base is key for this minimally beautiful look. Spritz you face with a hydrating mist, I currently love Gressa Purifying Mist. Then apply a high quality skin serum oil, for example Gressa Purifying Oil for radiant, well prepped skin. A cream highlighter applied to cheekbones enhances the bone structure. A sheer foundation like Vapour Atmosphere Luminous Foundation or tinted moisturizer buffed into the skin with a soft foundation brush evens out skin without masking it. For extra radiance & colour corrections try using Stratus another great product by luxury organic brand Vapour. Use a high coverage concealer like Au Naturale Creme Concealer only to cover redness or blemishes for an invisible flawless finish. Use a completely translucent powder only through the t-zone to keep excess shine at bay.

And the eyes, they're 'enhanced' but not heavily made up…whats the secret to achieving that? Start with hydrating the eye area. Tata Harper Restorative Eye Crème is a real winner. Evening out the eyelid with a hint of a tinted eye-primer or foundation. Apply a dab of clear gloss as highlight in the inner corners or alternatively a shimmery light eyeshadow like Au Naturale Creme Eye Shadow. A nude eyeliner on the inner rim creates an open eyed fresh look. Enhance your eyelashes by curling them and coating them with a natural effect Mascara like 100% Pure Black Tea Mascara. It's important to make sure you apply the mascara right on the roots of the lashes to give that framing effect and a luscious thick lash line.

What about colour, what should brides keep in mind for a natural look but drawing on hints of colour like this? The only colour I used on this look focusses on the lips and cheeks. This is very soft matte peach tone, which will enhance the skin tone. To create the soft focus hint of colour, I recommend using the same product for lips & cheeks. RMS lip2cheek in demure is a great sublte colour. Dabbing it on with fingers will create that subtle effortless chic. It's best to carry the colour with you for touch-up's of the lips on your wedding day.

And any final, expert tips? Create a beauty ritual that you and your skin love as far out from the wedding as possible. I recommend keeping a routine that works for you and to avoid skincare changes closer to the day. Always choose quality products over quantity. I also believe that the actual beauty ritual is important: Take time to massage your skin daily or fit in the occasional professional spa facial massage, both will increase circulation and nutrition for the skin, delivering that glow from within and relax your facial muscles as well. Get used to keeping an hydrating spray on your desk and a multi tasking skin balm in your handbag to hydrate lips, cuticles and any dry areas in your face. This way your skin will be at it's best in time for your wedding or any occasion you might have coming up.

A Simple Green Beauty Routine For Everyone

I feel super honored to be featured over at the wonderful Nourish Every Day blog. You recently met the inspiring and smart Monique from Nourish Every Day already here on my blog. She asked me to share a simple routine that is suitable for everyone along with some product recommendations with her readers.

I connected instantly with Monique when she booked me to create her wedding makeup, and while I took away some awesome nutrition advice and health food shopping lists, she was really interested about my move to a toxin free makeup kit and working as a green makeup artist.

It's all about Cleanse, Hydrate, Moisturize & Exfoliate. You might know some of this already and also might already know a few of my current favourite brands. Check it out and also browse all of Monique's healthy recipes, they are amazing!

Smart Beauty By Intelligent Nutrients

"Everything be put on our bodies should be nutritious and safe." This was the inspiration and mission statement of Horst Rachelbacher the founder of Intelligent Nutrients. He stayed true to his vision and today the brand has created a beautiful wide range of cosmetics for body, hair and also a fabulous skincare & fragrance range.

I am very impressed with their Aromatics; a range of natural fragrance that can be used all over the body and hair. With Aromatherapy benefits these fragrance can help your emotions and wellbeing throughout a day. On the hunt for a wedding fragrance for myself I am currently wearing 2 Seductive Spirit Essence. This scent really grew on me. While it's very spicy at first and I am not a fan of the clove oil which is very prominent at first, it quickly settles into a very warm skin like spicy fragrance with a beautiful complex heart and after a little wear the fruity notes really come through. Such a unique fragrance combining spices and fruit scents, but it really works. I also find it very long wearing, which is a plus. Although it has strong spicy notes, it's in no way offensive, it smells very smooth overall. Designed to create balance between mind and body, this elegant mist uses no petrochemically derived ingredients - just the plants themselves. Right now in the colder months Seductive is perfect, I am not sure if I would like it in Summer, so I might try another aromatic for the warmer months.

I have already mentioned the beautiful skin care Renewing Oil Serum here, and have been using it as serum whenever my skin feels dehydrated. Truly a light oil, this glides over skin and immediately sinks in for the kind of results promised by more aggressive regimens. Super certified organic antioxidant Intellimune help cells live longer, healthier lives while restoring skin's collagen and elastin production. I also think it's perfect for plane travel, (if you decant it into a smaller container) and the smell is just heavenly. Last but not least I am a huge fan of their Antioxidant Lip Delivery lip gloss. It's actually packed with healthy natural antioxidants, protecting and a powerful anti aging treatment for your lips. And then it has just enough of the prettiest pop of colour. I have the Pink Hibiscus always in my handbag.

Of course all their products are cruelty free and certified organic!

Liv's Holiday Edit & Inflight Beauty Essentials

When you read this I am holidays! We are on a three week Europe trip, on the hunt for the latest in design, organic luxury makeup & skin care we are in Copenhagen & Stockholm to discover the beauty secrets of Scandinavia while enjoying plenty of fikas (the swedish culture of coffee breaks throughout the day!) And also to catch up with family and to spend precious time together.

Here are some of the items I packed in my personal beauty bag for the holidays: Intelligent Nutrients Lip Care - Lip Delivery Antioxidant Gloss in Pink Hibiscus so yummy, healthy, hydrating and just enough colour. Eco Minerals Coco Eyeshadow - the perfect brown shade to be used as eyeliner, brow powder or eyeshadow. LiliLolo Eyeshadow Palette- a beautiful palette of neutrals in a very travel friendly small compact Carol's Beauty Tanning Oil - An all organic oil for a beautiful natural tan, the sunny days in Europe are far and few between, so I can do with a little help. Trilogy Ultra Hydrating Body Cream, very hydrating but also pretty, it contains a little bit of Mica for a healthy sheen, very lovely for the legs. W3ll People Narcissist Foundation Stick concealer & foundation in one in a stick, perfect for travel! Ere Perez Almond Oil Mascara in black- My go to Mascara. Zuii Organics Eyebrow pencil - This one is new for me, it has a great shade and is precise to apply, without the need of a sharpener.

the list goes on.... I am not the best in traveling light, ooooops!

Long flights are pretty though on the skin, mine gets very dehydrated, red and dry, sometimes even flakey. It's important to drink enough water when flying, and to stay away from alcohol and caffeine if possible. In addition have established an in flight beauty routine a few years ago. While the products I use change the ritual stays the same. Look out for products designed for dry and deydrated skin, night cremes, oils and hydrating masks. Collect samples or see if your favourite brands sells travel size products. Many brands to offer little sample sizes which are perfect for your inflight beauty routine. Otherwise you can always get small plastic containers and fill up your own. I just did a MUJI run and stocked up on some more. Of course please make sure all your products are under 100ml each and will not exceed 1liter in total, so they fit into a clear plastic bag.

After Take Off 1. Tie your hair back, apply a little natural oil into the ends to lock in moisture. I use Miskin Organics Silk Oil. 2. Remove any traces of makeup with gentle cleansing water with cotton buds. 3. Spritzing with a hydrating face mist I use La Mav Rose Hydrating Mist, spray into hands and pat into the skin. 4. Applying a layer of night time moisturizer or a clear hydrating creme mask & eye cream and let it sink in. Use a second layer and let it dry. You can leave this on during the whole duration of the flight. May Lindstrom's famous The Blue Cocoon is perfect 5. Apply hand balm (the Z'kin One has saved my hands many many times!) & lip-balm and enjoy your flight!

If you are on a very long flight, feel free to repeat the procedure, when you wake up.

One hour before landing: 1.Refresh the skin with a gentle wipe of cleansing water again. You can do this in the bathroom. 2. Use hydrating face mist as above. Apply day cream of choice. 3. Use a concealer where needed. I use W3LL people concealer stick. 4. Apply a tinted lipbalm or gloss and you are ready to roll.

The Truth In Anti Aging: My Top Natural Miracle Workers

Changing Skin: We all want to look our best at any age and are dreaming of healthy happy skin, it's all about ageing gracefully and feeling comfortable in your skin. Our skin changes with age in many ways, it becomes thinner, we loose voloume and and lines&wrinkles will start to show up. It's important to support and love your skin, so it can look it's best and stay young. Our body is quite a miracle worker. Every organ has multiple functions and if you are in good health they will all work together. It's a perfect yet delicate system. I think it's most important to love the skin you are in. It sounds like a cliche that confident happy women are always the most beautiful, I however believe this. There is nothing more stunning and captivating as someone living their purpose, laughing from the heart and radiating that glow from within. Don't we all know someone like that?

Detox To Retox: It's easy to get carried away with anti-aging treatments and procedures as well as cosmetics. The myth is that all this will make your skin look young forever while natural products don't work. The truth is quite the opposite. This can easily backfire. Regular chemical peels or invasive aggressive procedure will actually cause to age the skin pre-maturely. Just as too much sun does. No one really knows the long term effects of injectible cosmetics yet, so proceed with caution. Take it this way: If you stress your skin out and are constantly attacking it with harsh products, it will actually get upset with you. Not the right way to get that youthful glow you were after in the first place! It's time to detox your beauty bag and retox it with truly valuable powerful and healthy that beauty products.

Skin Support: So how do you support your 30+ skin to keep it youthful? The answer is to work with your body and not against it. One key ingredient are anti oxidants, they protect your skin from all sorts of stress so that it can function properly and won't age prematurely. It's important to include super-foods which are high in antioxidants in your diet, but they are also a very powerful and natural anti-aging skin care ingredient.

And stay clear of refined sugar! Consuming sugary foods will damage the collagen in your skin, causing it to age prematurely. Your skin will look it's best when your body is healthy, that is a fact. Yet we always try and cheat our way around it with new technologies and synthetics. The other important idea to keep in mind is to stay clear of ingredients that are harmful or potentially harmful to your body. Quick fixes won't cut it for your skin long term. Start with makeing better choices and establish a simple routine to get that youthful glow. I could write a book about this (note to self: maybe I should?) but won't bore you with more facts for now. Instead I picked some favourite non toxic anti ageing products for you:

Natural Non-Toxic Miracle Workers For Youthful Skin: Tata Harper Restorative Eye Crème hands down THE eyecream of luxurious eye creams. Just the right texture it absorbs quickly and it does what it says on the bottle: This 360° eye treatment fights the eye area’s five most common signs of aging in one complete daily crème! It Minimizes expression lines and deep wrinkles, helps to firm appearance of the eyelid, and reduces signs of fatigue and stress. You can't ask for more.

Intelligent Nutrients Renewing Oil Serum, a beautiful oil containing a unique Intellimune Super Seed Oil Complex that smells delicious and renews the skin and helps cells live longer, healthier lives while restoring skin's collagen and elastin production. It can be used as serum underneath your moisturiser am/pm or both and it's great for all skin types.

Z'kin Line Smoothing Serum I know I keep mentioning this one, but it's just a great product. Lightweight, potent, it travels well and it is an eye cream as well as anti-ageing serum. No Botox required!

Z'kin Rejuvenating Moisturizer, just as great as the serum, just as a moisturizer. Best suited to normal to dry skins, this is a nourishing anti-ageing moisturizer based on the latest research. Natural and high performance. This is great for all skin types and it absorbs quickly.

La Mav Antioxidant Rich Nightly Repair Nectar Visibly smooths fine lines, wrinkles and improves uneven skin tone with a magical cocktail of natural ingredients. As the name suggests: This is a night time treatment which is nourishing and it delivers fast results. La Mav Omega-3 Advanced Nightly Repair Crème. One great night time moisturiser for dry skin, if your skin is very dry and combine it with the Antioxidant Rich Nightly Repair Nectar and your skin will be soft and supple in no time. La Mav Bio VA5 Wrinkle Smoothing Day Crème: A crème that delivers a long-lasting moisture barrier, leaving skin soft and radiant. Great for daily use to help prevent the visible signs of aging. It also contains Hibiscus esculentus extract which is a natural peptide that has a BOTOX® like effect that gently relaxes skin to smooth expression lines and helps reduce the appearance of wrinkles. It tones, firms and rest facial muscles.