Makeup Tips from Jessica Kirkland

This post is one I have had in the back of my mind for A LONG TIME. So, you have no idea how excited I am to finally be able to blog about it! First things first, the true talent here is Jessica from Makeup by Jessica Kirkland. She is a Houston-based Makeup Artist and man is she talented! Fun fact: I actually went to high school with her and hadn’t seen her in 10 years until she came to do my makeup! ( wow, I suddenly feel SUPER old.) Anyways, it was a blast to have my makeup done by her and she shared some super awesome makeup & beauty tips that I wanted to pass along to you guys!

Makeup Tips from Jessica Kirkland

She did a soft, romantic date night makeup look and I am sharing exactly what products she used below. Won’t even lie, I went and bought most of them afterwards, because I love this look SO much!

Face:

Jumping right in, she started with my face.

Tip #1 – Jessica doesn’t use primer, because it can create a barrier. Instead, she just uses a moisturizer! It was refreshing to hear that, because who wants to spend $20-30 on primer – Not ME! I did ask her what kind and she said that when doing clients makeup, she uses the Sephora brand moisturizer, because she said it is good for most skin types and she personally uses the Algenist lighting and firming moisturizer. ( Shegets hers from jet.com and said it literally half the price!)

Tip #2: Mix a little of the liquid illuminator into your foundation and then apply for an all over glow! (I loved the way this turned out and went to Ulta the next day to pick it up.)

After she put the foundation on, she used the pro longwearconcealer underneath my eyes and used a damp beauty blender to blend it.

(Affiliate links): Products used: Moonstone Becca Highlighter, NYX Wonder Stick, Mac Pro longwear Concealer, Marc Jacobs Foundation, NYX Liquid Illuminator, Laura Mercier setting powder

Tip #3: Use the NYX Wonderstick to contour. THIS IS A GAME CHANGER! This made contouring soooo much easier for me. Now that it is as simple as grabbing the stick, I contour my nose ( like in the pic above) everyday!

Once she blended the contour in, she then used the Laura Mercier setting powder to set my foundation and the concealerunder my eyes.

Then she used this gorgeous Bobbi Brown Blush in the shade, Nectar and highlighted right above my cheekbones with Becca Highlighter in the shade Moonstone.

Eyes:

Tip #4: Shimmer eye shadows tend to get all over the place, so if you wet your brush with a setting spray or even just a couple drops of water it will make the shimmery colors transfer to your eye without as much fallout on your face.

Jessica used the Urban Decay eye shadow primer on my lids first. Then used Anastasia Beverly Hills eyeshadows (left to right): Hot Chocolate, pink champagne, and comfort. Pink Champagne was used as the shimmer lid color.She finished off the look with this beautiful bronze shimmer eyeliner from Lance in the shade brown riche.

Tip #5: Use a nude eyeliner in your waterline to make you look more awake and brighten up your eyes. She used this NYX wonder pencil in the shade light.

She used the Brow Wiz in the shade Caramel and then used the brow gel to “set” my eyebrows and prevent them from moving.

Tip #6: Try Individual lashes! (She used the Ardell Short Black Individual lashes here) They looked so natural, but made my lashes have so much more volume. The best part, was that you don’t even realize they are there. Jessica said to start by putting a coat of mascara on your lashes. Then apply the lashes starting from the outside and work your way in. She said it typically takes 4 to 5 pieces. Let the eye lash glue sit for a minute or so and get “tacky” then use twizzers to apply close to your lash line.

LIPS:

She used the Jordana lip liner in the shade, Rock N Rose, then used Honey Love lipstick, and topped off with Oyster Girl Lipglass just in the center of the cupid’s bow to enhance and make my lips look fuller.

Thank you so much, Jessica, for the beautiful makeup! If you are in the Houston area and need a makeup artist, definitely contact her! She also shares tips and products on her instagram that is totally worth checking out.