wedded bliss

my friend, Maria got married!!

one can only hope to find a love like this.  congrats, my loves!

metallic rainbow

AIDS Walk Atlanta & 5k Run 2016

please take a few  minutes to donate some coins.  MAC Cosmetics will match all donations under my page dollar for dollar and the money goes to individuals affected by HIV/AIDS in the Atlanta community.

Christien Baxter's Personal Page for AIDS Walk Atlanta & 5K Run 2016

The Knot Pro Atlanta

had a blast at The Knot Pro Wedding Professionals mixer last night!!

mywedding.com

my foundation has whaaaatttt?!

Ever wonder what is in your makeup bag?  More specifically, your makeup?  As in...what do all those long, funny looking, mostly unpronounceable words listed under "Ingredients" on the side of your favorite foundation box really mean?

Working in retail cosmetics for the past several years, I get asked about ingredients so frequently that I often find myself stumped by what is really in the products that I sell.  So I have started researching ingredients online in order to better perform my job and to educate myself so that my own skin is well taken care of.

There are so many allergies now that I can recall a time when I was doing a foundation match on a young girl for MAC Cosmetics Face and Body Foundation, which is primarily water based and considered to be a very mild foundation.  As I swiped my brush on the girl's face with the Face and Body Foundation, her skin immediately broke out in hives!  I couldn't believe how fast her skin reacted!  The girl didn't even have time to realize her skin was having a reaction, but I immediately wiped off the foundation with water and a tissue.

Point of the story, you just never know how your skin or a customer's skin will react so it is important to educate ourselves on the ingredients of the products being put on our faces.  With that said, I present to you...

www.cosdna.com

This website is amazing for listing all the ingredients in popular cosmetics and skin care products along with a brief description and rating on acne level, safety level, and even allergy level.  Check it out!! 

The Return of YourMakeupGal

Well, hello there stranger.

I had no clue that it's has been such a long time since I've been up on the blogging game.  It's funny how life just sneaks up on you and instantly takes over everything you thought you had under control.  I am still trying to figure out this adulating thing, I suppose.

Quick update:  life is good.  GREAT, actually.  I still live in Atlanta.  I have an amazing job working for a large MAC Cosmetics location that requires most of my time and attention.  The rest of it, I openly give to my very energetic puppy and the amazing friends I've made since moving to Atlanta 2 years ago!  Yes, 2 YEARS!

So here is my re-commitment to myself...  BLOG more.  I need to remember to share my work with the world as I am definitely still doing makeup amongst the management world of retail cosmetics.  I no longer will be lazy about posting reviews and pictures of my work!!

So as a kickoff, post vacation...  here is a list of items I am currently obsessed with...

• MAC Cosmetics Lightful C Tinted Cream SPF 30 with Radiance Booster
• MAC Cosmetics Select Sheer Powder
• MAC Cosmetics InstaCurl Lash
• Sephora Fine Line Waterproof 24 HR Eyeliner
• MAC Cosmetics Veluxe Brow Liner

This list came to mind while visiting my friends recently in Jacksonville.  Knowing how makeup obsessed I am, a few comments were made about how I travel with such little makeup.  Honestly though, who really wants to be bothered with a heavy makeup case and a full face of makeup in 100 degree weather?  Not I!!  And yes, there are times when I love to throw on a full face of makeup but vacation calls for a "less is more" take on makeup in my humble opinion.  So take a peek at these items.  Give them a try.  I promise you that it will be great!

Summer Daze

The Knot Atlanta

Thanks to +TheKnot for having a fabulous wedding professionals mixer!  It's always great meeting other vendors in the area.  Let me know if you're looking for a photographer, wedding planner, tanning salon, DJ, etc... 

 

This chick is amazing and helps run Solar Dimensions here in Atlanta and is the bomb at spray tans. Call her at the Buckhead location (404-233-8599) if you need anything tan related!!

time flies when you're having fun...

AND you love your job!

hello, gorgeous

I was lucky enough to meet this beautiful gal below and do the makeup for her engagement session (photo taken in Piedmont Park by Peter Togel).  All I can say is, if this kind of sexiness was what she was serving for her engagement pics... just imagine how fabulous and gorgeous her wedding photos are going to turn out!!  I'm obviously stoked and can't wait to do the makeup for her and her all her bridesmaids/family on her wedding day.

change your hair, change your life... part duex

There's a quote I once heard that I think is a great mantra for when life seems to have boarded you on the crazy train...

 "The only constant in life is change."

So after cutting 8 inches off my hair last week, it seems there is much to be excited about for the future...  SO, cheers!!  To life, love, and all the beauty that surrounds us. 

time flies...

has it really been 6 years?!!  

this was one of the weddings I did early on in my makeup career...

THANKS for Ashley for letting me be a part of your very special day.

back in action!!!

the need for speed

As a makeup artist, you just never know what to expect when called for a job.  I've worked on several commercials through the years but the most recent one so far takes the cake.  I was called in to work for TNT to do a commercial for +NASCAR that involved #43 driver, Aric Almirola and Orlando celebrity chef, Clark Woodsby.  I may never actually see the commercial as I don't typically watch a lot of NASCAR, but how neat is it to say that I did the makeup for these two very nice, very cool guys.  It was a quick 9 hour day spent doing ALOT of touch-ups due to sweat overload in 95 degree weather at +Daytona International Speedway...  ya know, typical day in the life of a makeup artist..  Of course, I LOVED every second of it.  Not to mention, my dad got to see me in action for once.  He is an avid +NASCAR fan and was hanging out at the track watching things happen as he does for every race out at Daytona.  In fact, I spent many races  hanging out at Daytona and New Smyrna with dear old dad... OK, enough for the trip down memory lane.  Here are a few pics from the shoot and from seen around the track:

 

since I didn't get a picture of Aric, I thought I would share this article of him WINNING the next day

just own it

I always say that wrinkles are earned from a life full of laughter.  I want my face to reflect the wonderful life I have lived and all the living I have yet to do.
Age with grace my loves.  

 from the most recent Glamour magazine... read the full article here

smoking hot

So here is a little #throwbackthursday action for ya...  or perhaps #womancrushwednesday...  or whatever hashtag for Monday works...  

About a year ago, I was able to have a little fun and be a part of an editorial photo shoot.  The model, Liz Westbrook asked me for a dramatic smokey eye, nude lips, and soft matte skin.  I think the end results turned out quite beautiful.  Here are a couple shots from the shoot...

Photographer: Corryn Goldschmidt

Photographer: Corryn Goldschmidt

makeup musts during a music festival

I'm a huge music junkie.  I love seeing live music and jamming out (yes, I'm that cheesy girl that jams out) to my favorite bands.  And with the increasing popularity of music festivals spreading, there are plenty of opportunities to make some great musical memories.  In the past year alone, I've been lucky enough to camp out at +Bonnaroo, attend one of the +Gentlemen of the Road stopovers, and rock out at the +SweetWater 420 Fest...  So what does this have to do with makeup?!  Well, being the major makeup lover with a hippie heart that I am, I feel the need to share a few survival tips for when you inevitably attend a music festival (although this applies to all concerts, sporting events, and general outdoor shenanigans)...

• WEAR SUNSCREEN! I can't stress this enough. +Bonnaroo is held in June in the middle of a field in Tennessee... hello, sunshine!   There was no escaping it.  We had to keep reapplying the sunscreen in order to prevent serious burn.  You want to look young for as long as possible, don't you?!

• KEEP IT SIMPLE!  There really is no need to pile on layers of foundation in an attempt to look cute at a sweaty, stinky rock festival with a ton of other peeps just as sweaty and stinky rubbing up against you.  Let's face it. You're gonna sweat. So my suggestion is to opt for a light concealer (only where needed) and a BB Cream or tinted moisturizer to lightly even out skin tone but still look natural.

• HYDRATE!  This will not only do wonders for your skin but also help delay the hangover (we all know it's true) from hell that often endures long after the music stops.  But a key factor in maintaining young, supple skin is lots and lots and just a butt-load ton of water.  So remember to down a few bottles of water in between those brewskies.

• WATERPROOF!  As in everything...  mascara, eyeliner, brows.  If you do choose to wear these key makeup items during a  music festival (or hell, just a hot summer day) it is a really, really, really good idea to go for the waterproof (or water-resistant) choices.  I personally am so fair skinned that if I do not "put on" my eyebrows and eyelashes, they simply don't exist.  So at the very minimum I add these so I don't look like the walking dead as I display my sweet dance moves to my favorite songs.

And that my friends is just the basics.  Really, isn't it all about the music and the memories?!  Have fun and be prepared to enjoy whatever comes your way...  the sunny, warm days just as much as the rainy, wet ones!

SweetWater 420 Fest

SweetWater 420 Fest

Gentlemen of the Road Stopover

Bonnaroo

to line or to not line...

found this little gem while reading a magazine...  and I couldn't agree more. 

#nomakeupmonday

What a great idea by the TODAY anchors...  Love Your Selfie.  We are all a little guilty of using the "filter" that brings out our um, best.  LOL.  Although I'm a huge fan of makeup and the wonders it can do for a face, I tend to go out sans makeup on the reg.  Sometimes, I just want the bare minimum and of course there are times when I prefer a full on, beat down face.  What's the quote... "To thine own self be true..."

Anyhoo, definitely take a few minutes to check the TODAY anchors with and without makeup photos by clicking HERE.  And in the meantime, here is a little #nomakeupmonday selfie for ya...