This is where the Pros shop for MakeUp @CRCMakeup

Where do the PROS shop when they can’t get to LA/Hollywood to buy all the hard-to-find professional brands and essentials?  CameraReadyCosmetics.com of course!    

It’s not just my favorite makeup website to shop at but their customer service is impeccable and I love supporting Mary Erickson, the owner of CRC who is also an amazing talented and well respected industry MakeUp Artist herself!!

Here’s a recap of some of my faves!  I think you’ll notice right away at some of the crazy low, drugstore-like prices. You may have never heard of some of these brands because they are not commercially popular or advertised but that doesn’t mean it’s not a stellar product! Some of these brands have been around for pros for years and years and now everyone can get their makeup loving hands on them! 

Free shipping on orders over $60 anywhere in the U.S and if you’re a Pro Artist make sure to request a Pro sign in.

**Exclusive discount code good for your entire purchase (except with Pro Artist’s Discounts) only for the next 30 days. The code is “tif2012” for 10% off now through July 25, 2012.  FYI, i’m not an affiliate and I don’t get a commission or cut from the sales! =)

I’m a little obsessive when it comes to lip products of any kind but wow! I seriously need an intervention when it comes to OCC (perfectly named, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics) Lip Tars. Now don’t freak out about the name because there’s NO actual tar in it! I get asked that question all the time! They are just gorgeous, multiple-use lip products that you can wear as is or with some of the funkier colors you can release your inner artist go and mix up your own custom shades that are unique only to you!  Love, love, love them!! If a lip gloss could change your life…   

What is all the rage amongst professional makeup artists and created by the pros? It’s the Beauty Blender makeup sponge which is an ingenius product that is shaped like an egg or ellipse so that there are NO harsh edges or corners. Why is that important? Well, i’ll tell ya! No edges means no streaky lines on your face as you’re trying to apply your foundation. The Beauty Blender makes foundation application not only faster and more efficient but the finish is gorgeous and flawless. No worries either about your sponge soaking up all that pricey foundation up either because the Beauty Blender is a very densely packed sponge that is much less porous than most sponges so it will help quickly spread and blend your makeup rather than suck it all up! Best of all this sponge is meant to be used and re-used over and over again. Beauty Blender has their own cleanser that completely cleans and disinfects your sponge so that it’s all ready for use again the next day. For personal use the Beauty Blender will last you months and months if you were to use it every single day. Plus Beauty Blender has a recycling program too so it’s better for the environment than going through sponges and sponges everyday! They carry the individual Beauty Blender, the starter set with the cleanser, the Duo set and for Pro’s only the biggie pack!! Here’s a link:

 

If you’re like me and you LOVE gel eye liners for their fluid, smooth and most importantly for all us Turbo/Workout freaks out there, because it’s extremely rub off and water resistant/proof. I love Bobbi Brown and MAC’s gel liners but a couple of years ago another makeup artist friend of mine introduced me to the CRC gel liners and these little gems in a pot have become my favorite. Plus did I mention they are only $9.00!! Hello, that’s less than half the price of the Bobbi brown ones!!

 

I love all the basic colors but if you have blue eyes you need/must own the Tidal Wave shade. It’s seriously gorgeous!! The Tanzanite will work for everyone but especially fabulous on green and brown eyed beauties. The black and brown are must-have essentials for EVERYONE!!

One of my very favorite long-time products is Graftobian’s lipsticks. They were custom made for the amazing makeup artist’s Mary Erickson and Suzanne Patterson based on their favorite high end and expensive lipsticks. Graftobian (a pro line) copied their favorite colors and got it down perfect with a much more wallet-friendly price to boot! Best of all they are fragrance-free (such a huge pet-peeve of mine when it comes to lip products) and they perform amazingly well.

 

So far my favorite colors are Kiss Me which is a beautiful pinky-brown and Autumn Rust which is spice brown. If you like a nude lip try Sandalwood which is beige brown and Nude which is well, nude but more pinky beige. There’s every essential color that you would need but so far these are my faves!! Plus it comes in both lipstick tube form or palettes which have 5 shades each and is a fantastic and economic way to try out lots of different colors! Lipstick tubes are only $9.99 each and the palettes are $23.99 for 5 colors.  What a steal!!

What are the most important tools to a makeup artist? Their brushes. I can make cheap drugstore makeup look great if I have the right tools but it’s a toughy to make even the highest quality makeup to look perfect if I don’t have the proper tools. That’s why I take care of them like gold! The one and only makeup brush cleaner i’ll use is Cinema Secrets. It’s the only thing that has touched my brushes for the past 9+ years and the reason why my brushes have lasted me for so long. I have some that are over a decade old and trust me they get used and abused repeatedly!

CRC also carries hard to find disposable applicators, airbrush makeup and equipment and something new and awesome to the store are the Z-Palettes. These are empty palettes with no forms so you can various shapes and sizes from all brands of palette style or de-potted eye shadows and blushes.

 

If you suffer from dark undereye shadows and have tried tons of concealers from the drug and department stores with no success you have to try Eve Pearl’s Magic Salmon.  Eve Pearl is a multiple Emmy Award Winning Makeup Artist and has developed the perfect “corrective” concealer which is also a treatment product.  If you use a concealer color that matches your skin tone you will end up with a gray cast and if you go too light you end up with the opposite problem raccoon eyes.  The peachy-salmon colors will correct the blue to purple undertone found in the darker shadowing common in those who have allergies, lack of sleep (especially new moms!) and hereditary.  Don’t give up just yet and give this concealer a try! It truly is magic!

 

One of the my personal makeup artist mentors is Scott Barnes.  He’s probably best known as Jennifer Lopez’s personal makeup artist and most recently have been working with Celine Dion for the Grammys, Oprah, the remake of We Are the World, etc.  His cosmetic line is being revamped and is coming back including my favorite product to make your body shimmer, shine, glisten, sparkle and glow everywhere from the neck down.  Body Bling is back!