Video Quick Tip #57 - August 31, 2010

This Sunday Brett spent the day playing pretty with Rules of Engagement star Bianca Kajlich

in preparation for the 2010 Emmys.

Want to see exactly how she got the glam smoky eyes and dewy cheeks that she wore to the ceremony? This week's Quick Tip takes you behind the scenes and into Bianca's home as she preps for her big night with Brett.

Bianca planned to wear her hair slicked back into a sleek ponytail for the Emmys this year, so the focus would be on her face. To accentuate her Grecian light mauve dress, Brett gave her dramatic smoky eyes with tones of pewter, brown and plum and highlighted her cheeks and lips with light-reflecting dewy shades.

CHEEKS

Try Maybelline Dream Mousse Blush in Soft Plum - just dab on the apples of cheeks. For additional glow, Brett added Benefit Girl Meets Pearl highlighter on top of cheeks...it's like the icing on the cake!

EYES

- Use a soft brown/plum shade like MAC Quarry and 'recess' the eyelid by brushing up from the lashline into the crease and almost into the brow. Brush underneath the lid as well, keeping close to the lower lashline.

- Highlight the arch of the eyebrow by using a pale shimmery shade like MAC Nylon right under the brow bone.

- Add a drop of water to a dark burgundy plum eye shadow like MAC Blackberry and take a small brush (as the colors get darker, your brush should get smaller!), swirl into the damp shadow and brush tightly along the lashline and make a sideways 'V' shape - taking the line softly around into the crease of the lid. As the shadow dries, lightly feather the line so it's not too severe.

- Once the eyes are dry, add a drop of water to a silvery pewter shade like MAC Idol Eyes and brush on top of the lower lid to add sheen and dimension.

- Use a dark mascara on lashes like L'Oreal Voluminous in Carbon. Brett loves this mascara!

BROWS

Even if you have killer brows like Bianca, you want the darkest feature on your face to be your lashes. For the red carpet, Brett applied MAC Goldmine (an intense gold shimmer shadow) wet to the brows with a fantail brush to lighten and brighten her brows. Set the look with clear brow gel like Vanitymark Ultra-Brow Gel in Acrylica!

LIPS

With so much color and drama on Bianca's eyes, Brett wanted to keep her lips low key and glossy. He used Bella Donna Pink Diamond lip gloss for a hint of color and shine that wouldn't overpower her look.

BODY

Don't forget the rest of your exposed skin! Brett used his own Vanitymark Shimmerskin, a champagne-hued shimmery body makeup on Bianca's arms and décolleté to make sure her skin didn't look low-watt next to her gorgeous makeup!

Now, even without a makeup artist by your side, you can get 'red carpet ready' the same way the stars do!

Video Quick Tip #56 - August 10, 2010

Do you ever get stuck in a beauty rut? No one is immune to them, and even one of Brett's favorite beauty bloggers - Cindy from Hello Dollface - could use some inspiration every now and then.

Brett helps Cindy add a little kick to her go-to smoky eye look...click below for the inside scoop!

The smoky eye is one of Brett's favorite makeup looks as well, but sometimes it needs a little spice! Brett gave Cindy these quick little tips to add extra oomph:

WET SHIMMER: Take a shimmery, pewter shadow like MAC Idol Eyes, add a drop of water on top and swirl in a tight eyeshadow brush. Apply the wet shadow on top of any neutral shade you've already applied for your smoky eye (taupes, charcoals, golds, plums, etc.), and keep it close to the lashline. It will add light reflection and depth to your eyes and dries down to a cream shadow finish. It's like icing on the cake!

EXTEND YOUR LINER: Extended eyeliner is an instant attention-grabber! Sweep your eyeliner beyond the end of your eye and UP towards your temple (not straight across...and definitely not down!). Be sure to "marry" the upper eyeliner line with the lower eyeliner line in the corner of the eye so it becomes one unit, not 2 separate lines. Brett loves MAC Smolder eyeliner.

So what did Cindy have to say about her new look? "It's like a modern, blue-eyed Kim Kardashian!"

Video Quick Tip #55 - July 13, 2010

Summertime is here and it's the perfect time to talk BRONZERS!

Bronzers seem to be a mystery to you gals, as Brett receives a lot of questions on this topic! Shimmer or no shimmer? What shades are best? How and where do you apply it?

Brett dishes all his tips on the subject, and demos a beachy bronzed look on his lovely assistant Kate.

Shimmer? Brett says keep it to a minimum. Too much shimmer and it will look glittery and won't photograph well.

Shade? Look for bronzers with a hint of pink. Dark terra cotta bronzers give a lot of quick impact, but won't look natural - no one tans that shade! Brett likes Benefit One Hot Minute.

What if I'm really fair? For the most natural hint o' color, try a regular face powder one or two shades darker than you normally wear. This works really well because it's already made in fleshy tones and won't add too much pigment to fair skin tones.

How to apply? Apply your makeup as usual and be sure to set with face powder (if skin is too moist, bronzer will grab to skin and look dark and blotchy). Use a big fluffy face brush and apply bronzer anywhere you'd apply face powder, starting with the neck. Don't use to just blush cheeks - it looks too muddy. Start soft and build the bronzer to your ideal shade.

What about the rest of my body? Don't forget about all your other exposed skin during the summer! Try NARS Body Glow body oil or Vanitymark's Summerskin body bronzing makeup.

Happy bronzing and happy summer!

Video QuickTip #54 - June 15, 2010

Brett recently hosted a brow event at The Cosmetic Market in Nashville, TN and he documented 14 year-old Meredith’s very first brow clean-up!

If you’re curious about the basics of brow tweezing, or have a teen sister, daughter, etc., this is a must-see!

First things first, tidy up your brow area. Use tweezers to take away any of the ‘cobwebs’– those feathering hairs that grow downward in the areas above and outside of your brows. Your brow line will instantly look cleaner!

Get in the middle. Tweezing the middle of your two brows is easy because there is no shaping involved! Anything that’s in between your two brows needs to go.

Where should the brows start? No need to use a pencil to ‘line up’ the brow line – nature knows what it’s doing. Your brows should start right where the majority of your brow hairs begin growing; don’t take away too many rows or it will look unnatural.

Trim the brows. Do this very carefully to avoid a mishap! Use a brow spoolie or a clean mascara wand to brush all the brow hairs up. Use cuticle scissors to trim the tips off, and then brush back down.

To arch or not to arch? A drastic brow arch is too much for teens or those who never tweeze their brows. Lightly tweeze out a row or two underneath the brow if hairs look too out of place. Remember to start slow – just a neatened brow line will look fab!

The finishing touch. Teens don’t need to fill in their brows, but if you have any sparse areas, feel free to touch up with a brow pencil one shade lighter than hairs – Brett’s Vanitymark line has seven shades to choose from, so you’re sure to find a great match. Clear brow gel is helpful for unruly brows – it’s like hair spray for your arches!

Video QuickTip #53 - June 1, 2010

In this month’s InStyle magazine, Brett dishes about one of his favorite concealers – Clé de Peau Beauté. It moves with the skin, comes in flattering shades that really cover, and has a beautiful finish.

But, at $75 a tube and only available at select retailers, Brett wanted to share some other great options with you.

Brett prefers full bodied concealers in stick or pot form. They give more color payout than tube concealers, so they really hide those imperfections you’re looking to dodge. You can always thin out the color if needed – heavier is better in this instance!

Before you douse your face with concealer, a word of advice: Use foundation or tinted moisturizer first for a 'veil of coverage.' You probably don’t need nearly as much concealer as you thought. Use sparingly – only on the deepest, darkest inner corners of the eyes and on blemishes. For blemish coverage, be sure to use a tight, pinpoint brush for precision.

MID-RANGE CONCEALER – Brett loves MAC Studio Finish SPF 35 Concealer. With 14 colors to choose from (and the help of knowledgeable MAC employees), it’s easy to nail the perfect shade AND tone for your skin for just $16.50.

DRUGSTORE BUY – Brett loves the traditional Maybelline Cover Stick Corrector Concealer. It only comes in 5 shades, so you may want to buy 2 to mix and match. The consistency is great, and for under $10, this is a sure bet!

Video QuickTip #52 - April 27, 2010

Finally….spring is here!

With the onset of warm, sunny weather, it’s time to start thinking more about sun protection.

Brett shares his favorite sunblock and tips for using it.

Brett loves Clinique City Block – which comes in sheer (great for under makeup) or bronze shimmer (great for laying out on the beach!) and SPF 25 or 40.

Why is it so great?

City Block is a sunBLOCK, not a sunSCREEN, meaning it physically blocks the sun’s rays with Zinc Oxide instead of filtering them through. Brett compares it to the sunlight blocking power of a blackout curtain on a window versus a light shade. Zinc Oxide is an important ingredient that any fair gals (especially those that freckle) should look for in a sunblock.

Clinique City Block is also oil-free, so it’s perfect for those with oily or acne-prone skin. The sheer and weightless formula is easy to layer under makeup or wear alone, so there’s no excuse to not wear it everyday!

Even when sunbathing poolside or at the beach, Brett recommends keeping sunblock in your arsenal. You may use sunSCREEN (SPF 15 or higher) on most of your body, but dab sunBLOCK on all the “hot spots” – top of the nose, top of ears, collar bone, and breast bone – the skin is thin in those areas and tends to grab the sun more quickly than the rest of the body.

So if you’re looking for a great, all-around sunblock, check out City Block at your local Clinique counter!

Video QuickTip #51 - March 23, 2010

Put your best cheek forward!

While on tour in New Orleans, Brett and Reba set aside a minute to play pretty and show us their simple blush trick to get cheeks that really POP with definition and color.

It’s all about the CONTOUR, the BLUSH and the HIGHLIGHT.

You need the following tools:

• tight contouring blush brush - Brett likes the MAC 116 brush.
• fleshy face powder compact one shade darker than your natural color - Brett uses benefit get even pressed powder #3 on Reba!
• pretty pink matte blush shade of your choice - Brett says to stick with fruity, juicy shades…nothing brown or ruddy!
• champagne hued highlighter powder - Brett likes LORAC Perfectly Lit Powder in Luminous.

Brett's no-fail guide to getting chiseled, perfectly flushed cheeks:

CONTOUR - Start with the fleshy face powder and brush into the area where the cheekbone meets the hairline. Dot and smooth along inward underneath the cheek bone to the apple of the cheek.

BLUSH - Brush your blush shade of choice all along the cheekbone area.

HIGHLIGHT - For the finishing touch, add highlighting powder along the top of the cheekbone and on the apple of the cheek – it’ll really catch the light when you smile!

Smile pretty and let those cheeky apples of yours take focus!