Make-up at Kristyn April Designs

I want to keep my creative juices flowing....

Niamh was my Muse on this rainy Monday evening.

Before and After... She didn't need much, so we kept it simple

I made Niamh a tinted moisturizer for all over, a little concealor in #3 for touch up spots and a translucent powder with Vit E to control the shine but still contribute to her beautiful skin.

Niamh is the perfect example of "less is more" after I perfect the skin, I do a bit of bronzer with some sheen a little Chambord eyeshadow in the crease and a sheer gloss with a touch of cherry color for a little pop.

Now the fun starts....

Head piece is part of my new trunk show "DARE TO WEAR"

Necklace is vintage chain and antique bead. "Vintage Circus"

Grand Opening Party

Kristyn April Designs

Masquerade Grand Opening Party

Come celebrate and support my dream come true!

Details coming soon… fun is in the works. Not your ordinary party

OCTOBER 17th 2009

9pm-12am

NAILS

Nail Color Trend for Fall - Jade

Pale green nails were seen on the runways throughout New York’s Fashion Week.

So when I was working in NYC. Every season Chanel would create the “IT” nail color that every woman who follows fashion will want. They only sell it at their boutiques, and when they run out in a couple of days the bottles start going for $100.00 or more on ebay.

If you were lucky enough to know of GIELLA in Henri Bendel in NYC, the ladies would come have a color made to replicate Chanel’s.

About 2 years ago, the color was black. I have noticed that here in PA it takes a while for the trends to get here, as I am just seeing people brave the dark nails now.

My goal in bringing GIELLA to PA is to find the trend setters of Bucks County!

Jade nails…. here we come!

Who’s with me?!?!

Last week in the city was a busy one. Productive and fun, but busy.

In the morning I did Gabriella G's make-up from Time Out New York. She was wonderful and so sweet. Then I went to train the staff at Zitomers for a couple hours before jumping back in a cab and getting to Sassoon in time to help Kat with the Models for the party there. The

Model I worked on was awesome and happens to be a singer in a band. CHECK THEM OUT. They will actually be playing a show here in Philadelphia on Halloween!

This is the look^ This is Anna ^

This was just a funny sight to me so I took a picture...

Harvest Day and all that shines..

Kristyn April Design's version of Harvest Day:

all that shines...

I used the beautiful weather and having my beautiful friend there as an excuse for a photo shoot...

Fall Make-up and accessories. What can be better?

Yardley Day is tomorrow!

Wow.

I got back from New York today and it really ate me alive this time!

I will blog about my adventures with that tomorrow.....

It is 1:35 AM and I have been working since 9am. I was at the shop all day with clients and then I had some orders. I am still organizing sooo much and trying to get everything in the computer so that I can officially open! Although I don't have a sign on the door yet, I have been keeping the door open and I have met the most interesting and wonderful people! I have learned that Yardley has extremely talented artist and I can't wait to work with them. We had an exhibit with Susan Hogan, last week and her artwork is still up in the shop if anyone would like to check it out. I completely adore her style with her work. She uses the most beautiful textures and colors, plus she is a nature girl like me. In fact, that wonderful texture in her paintings is mostly created with things from nature.

Please take a look at her website: Susan Hogan

My favorite is her Dream Girls collection.

Tomorrow is HARVEST DAY in Yardley! Please stop by! I will be open and have more of my mini cupcakes! The rest of the town will really be going all out so I suggest you see what we have to offer!!

come to my shop for some great sales on natural skincare and candles

I'll leave you with two beautiful pictures and a hint of make-up trends to come for fall if you are brave enough to dabble...

VAMPIRE ROCK AND ROLL

Clearly not everything you see on the runway and in the editorials are wearable in everyone's day to day life. Everyone has there version of the trend and that is the beauty of it all...

Lets see some of the woman of Yardley in an Emerald/black polish and a nice deep lip color!

A article about my BFF Christopher Brzostowski in GLAMOUR

GLAMOUR

My New Favorite Nighttime Eyes: Lashy, Shimmery, A Little Catty

Monday, 08/17/2009 at 2:00 PM21 Comments
I know, we are all about eyes today on the blog--but I'm too excited to hold off posting this! Allow me to reveal my new favorite after-dark eye makeup look (and a few tips that'll help you try it for yourself).As Beth mentioned earlier when showing you her amazing purple smoky eyes, my bachelorette party was on Saturday. Obviously, I needed makeup that felt extra fun and special, so I headed to the man a friend swears does the best makeup in Manhattan: Chris Brzostowski at the Kevyn Aucoin counter in Henri Bendel (sorry Jessica--your secret is out!).

I told him I love cat-eye liner (but get weirded out by major liquid liner) and wanted to be very lashy--I brought along some subtle Laura Mercier outer-corner faux lashes. Other than that, I said to just give me a really fun, bach-worthy look. Here are some shots of the final result.

I loved how bright my eyes looked in photos and how the liner was so subtle yet so sexy. Here are a few tricks Chris used to get the look:

* He took an eyeliner brush and used it to work black pencil liner into my lash line (you just rub the bristles onto the pencil). Then he added just a few strokes of liquid liner for definition at the end.
* To keep the liner symmetrical at both corners, he went back and forth between my eyes over and over and over with his liner brush, until he got them perfectly even.

* He started with a shimmery, champagne-colored cream eyeshadow all over the lid, then set it with a powder eyeshadow in a similar shade. This prevented creasing and kept the makeup from smudging even after hours of sweaty dancing.

* Even though the look was light and shimmery, Chris used a brown shade in my eye crease to add depth, plus shimmer on my cheekbones for some extra light and pop.

* Chris did not use a lash curler on me (and you know I hate leaving the house without using mine). This is especially shocking since Kevyn Aucoin makes an amazing lash curler. But apparently the brand's curling mascara is also amazing--it really did keep my lashes lifted and curled on its own.

I'll share a couple pics of my overall bach-party look tomorrow, when I do a post about take two of the spray tan. Until then ...

I'm curious: What's your favorite going-out eye at the moment? Do you guys prefer bright colors, smoky eyes, or shimmery nudes for night right now?

by Petra Guglielmetti

To get the look on the eyes that Chris so beautifully created you will need:

GIELLA:

• Magnetic eye
• Twinkle pressed eyeshadow
• I-dazzle loose eyeshadow (Mario also uses this color on Kim Kardashian)
• Eye pencil in Jet
• #4 angel brush to smudge the eyeliner

KEVYN AUCOIN :

• Volume Mascara
• Eyebrow pencil

To Purchase:

• Email me at KristynApril@yahoo.com

• Or drop in Kristyn April Designs...

1 South Maint street

Yardley, PA 19067

the Carriage House behind T.Foster & Co. Jeweler

5 wonderful things.

1) Its apple season... apples and Trader Joe's peanut butter. YUM

2) Pearls on everything (check out Marc Jacobs spring 2010)

3) Learning how to make banana pudding

4) red leaves. Can't wait to press them

5) This new album:

My days have been devoted to getting the kinks worked out at the shop so I have nothing too interesting to write about...

Thank you to everyone who has been by lending a helping hand. I honestly could not of done any of this with out you.....

special thanks to: PARENTS, BROTHERS (+Eddie), SEAN, KRISTA, MATTHEW, NIAMH

Just a couple more things to do and then I have to start planning the Grand Opening PARTY!!

In the mean time Ive been cooking homemade mini cupcakes with buttermilk and cream cheese icing for the shop! If nothing else, this is a great reason to drop by!!

Kristyn April Designs and FB Loft

1 S. Main St. Yardley, PA 19067

The Carriage House behind T.Foster & Co. Jeweler

GIELLA custom blend cosmetics – review

July 31, 2009 | By: Tyna Werner

"Sure, there are a lot of makeup lines that slap the term “custom” on their labels, but GIELLA custom blend cosmetics talks the talk and walks the walk. This amazing line of cosmetics custom blends products ranging from lipstick to foundation to eye shadow for one-of-a-kind items tailored to meet your needs. If you’re lucky enough to live in New York City, get thee to Henri Bendel’s to experience this in person! There, the GIELLA counter can create (or recreate) the make up of your dreams!

NOW IN YARDLEY PA!!!

Do you have an old nub of a limited edition lipstick you can’t bear to finish? Can’t get your hands on the must-have, hot nail shade for fall? Want your eye shadow to be an exact match of your sky blue bedroom walls? Take the color sample to GIELLA and have them whip up the perfect match on the spot (and maybe add in some extra sparkle or go for a more matte look – anything’s possible!) The GIELLA reps can lead you through the process and will keep your information and special formulas on file for easy refills. You never have to worry about your favorite gloss being discontinued ever again!

So what about all of us who can’t get to NYC? Don’t worry, you can go to GIELLA'S website and customize products like foundation, lipstick, eye shadow and more with the click of a button. I felt like a kid playing with a science kit (yep, I’m a nerd) checking out all of the possible variations online at Giella.

Their number one seller is the Custom Blend Foundation, a lightweight liquid mineral foundation with SPF 12 and boundless possibilities. Start by choosing one of 18 shades and then mix and match from choices including Mixers (like Tea-Tree Oil or Lifting Serum), Coverage (Light, medium, etc), Garnishes (maybe a gold or bronze shimmer) and a Component (such as a glass bottle or a pump). You’ll have just as much fun deciding whether to add Vitamin E or Soy Butter to your Custom Blend Lipstick or if you want your Custom Blend Lip Gloss to smell of cinnamon or oranges (and lip glosses come with a packaging choice of tubes or wands!)

If you’re the type that freezes when faced with too many choices, GIELLA takes the guesswork out of it by offering their best shades and formulas in stock at all time. Our review team received two classic GIELLA products to review:

Lip Pencil in Cranberry – You’ll have to check the comments to read up on this slightly matte, deep mauve pencil, but I’ve heard from testers that this pencil is extra creamy and glides easily over lips (without the dryness of most lip pencils). Plus the matte shade has lots of staying power.

Giella Concealer – A lightweight concealer with lots of coverage that blends and covers imperfections from dark circles to pimples to those little bits of red around the nose. Just a dab on the end of a small brush can artfully disguise almost any blemish. A dusting of powder keeps this concealer locked in place all day long. Offered in a diverse range of 13 shades, you can find a great match for any skin tone (and don’t forget, you can customize any way you want). I’ll be re-ordering my Concealer in Shade #2 with some added Tea-tree Oil and packaged with a small applicator wand once I run out of this fantastic product."

WE HEART THIS

I named this one Stella Rose

NY MAG on GIELLA custom blend cosmetics

My Fave Lipstick Has Been Discontinued. Who Can Copy It?

1 Comment | Add Yours

00Comments | Add Yours

• By Aaron Rasmussen
• Published Oct 6, 2003

Q: My favorite lipstick was discontinued—is there any place that can mix me the same shade?

A: When your color goes into an unexpected retirement, it’s like a breakup—painful, yes, but you can find a new perfect match. GIELLA (at Henri Bendel, 712 Fifth Avenue, near 56th Street; 212-904-7959; giella.com) can mix and match a full range of products, from lip gloss to nail polish, all on site. Just bring in your old tube and Giella, using an arsenal of pigments and waxes, will stir up a dead-on duplicate. The process takes all of ten minutes, and costs $22 to $58. As in any good rebound relationship, Giella will even one-up your ex, adding anything from almond-grapeseed moisturizing oil (for moisturizing) or a sunblock agent. Once your shade is mixed, GIELLA keeps the formula on file, so next time you can order it without bringing in a sample. You even get to name your blend. (Check out Kristin Davis’s “Charlotte” shade.) If only love affairs were so easily settled.

nymag Article

GIELLA custom blend cosmetics is coming to yardley Pa.
For more info, click and scroll down:
My partner company FBspa

Fashion Week

My Favorite Color is Shiny- Ginny Branch Stelling

Fashion week in new york is upon us. and i love it. i love how the city is jolted into glamorous high gear. models hit the streets with hair slicked back into severe chignons, clutching their portfolios with their sinewy, eastern european limbs. people literally stand around wearing head-to-toe one color(usually black) and pray for the party photographer to take their picture. fashion becomes like an snl parody of itself, but i dig it, and embrace it. practicality and sensibility is thrown out the window, substituted for fantasy and make believe. eight inch heels surface from the closet (guilty). i love an excuse to parade my utterly ridiculous, borderline tranny pumps 'round town. i unabashedly wear sequins and red lipstick, and do at least one default androgynous look, because it is too easy. i like pretending to be someone i'm not, even if it's for one week, twice a year. and i like spying the glamazons secretly shoveling mcdonalds french fries in their mouth... at two in the morning. and you can find me in the corner, wolfing down a mcflurry...probably with petey...

it really is pretty fantastic.

p.s i spotted dries van noten at a shindig tonight and nearly fell off my eight inch wedges. my boss lady practically begged me not to go and fangirl it out on him. so i just stared like the weirdo i am. gawked, really.

Photo I took last year- Spring 08 fashion week

Marc Jacobs

So far, so good...

The time is always now

I've been wanting to open a boutique for a long time now. My quote has been "the time is always now" since right before I moved to NYC a couple years ago. It is this quote that inspired me to just get up and do it. After I moved there i went to MUD (make-up designory) and studied make-up and color theory. When I looked out the window from the big windows in the Soho building I was learning in, right across the alley was painted huge on the window my exact quote. It was clearly a sign.

I moved home from NYC to have more time to focus on my dream and spend less time working and partying. It has felt like a vacation so far and I still go back 2 days a week as of now and get my NYC fix and work because a lot of my clients are there. Its wonderful. Ive been holding out on looking for any real jobs here in PA for 3 reasons. 1) the pay is shitty 2) for what I do (involves fashion in makeup and jewelry) people dont seem to get it and don't spend money on fabulous things. I feel like they would rather go to target and spend a couple bucks then have a beautiful, hand created, one of a kind piece of jewelry or make-up. Im not knocking Target, I can be spotted there at least once a week its just different. 3) I am sick of putting off my dream of opening a boutique because I have no money but I don't want to take a loan out.

I started posting my creations on facebook and my little blog and I have been getting a great response and a great amount of support from everyone so THANK YOU SO MUCH! This gave me a bit of faith. I have been thinking positive thoughts and really putting what I want out there and It has arrived.

I am partnering up with Face and Body spa in Yardley, PA and opening my boutique inside of their loft!!! I am sooo excited and just as much nervous. I am asking for all of your support. Please stop in, even just to say hi... I want to keep it flowing. i am going to have Giella custom cosmetics and my Jewelry as well as setting up a little lounge area so people will hopefully feel comfortable just coming in to have some coffee or tea and read a mag or a book and just hang out!

To thank you all for supporting me I want to use some of my space to throw events of any type. Id love to have some art shows, jewelry shows, music shows, anything cool you can come up with! It helps me because you bring people awareness of me being there and of course it will help you too.

Yardley is an adorable little town. Its close to everything so no excuses!! Stop in A LOT!

I go in tomorrow to start painting and I am going to try to post pictures from everything- start to finish so stand by!!

xoxoxoxoxoxo

Kristyn April

PS. actual photo's of the building I am mentioning.