Author: Brandy Gomez-Duplessis

Aloha, Oahu Hawaii Lifestyle Blogger, Makeup Artist and Reiki Practitioner Brandy Gomez-Duplessis is a high demand makeup artist and Reiki Energy Healer in Honolulu Hawaii as well as on the mainland in the Beauty & Entertainment Industry and Holistic world. She has 27 plus years of experience as a professional Makeup Artist. Brandy has made a name for herself in the Bridal, Beauty and Entertainment Industry through determination and exceptional work. She is highly sought after in Hawaii, Connecticut, New York, Miami, and New Orleans. Brandy was named by AOL Editors one of "15 People To Follow During The Golden Globes". She has been called a “Makeup Bridal Guru” by “Anti-Bride” & “Destination I Do” bridal magazines. Brandy has worked with Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Kerry Washington, Viola Davis, Jennifer Aniston, Queen Latifah, Angela Bassett, Ellie Golding, Mario Lopez, P Diddy, Usher, John Legend, Addison Rae, The D'Amelio Family and worked events such as Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, Sundance Film Festival, OPRAH O!You, and has appeared on “How Do I Look” and “I’ll Take The Dress”. Brandy has been the NBA All Star Weekend Hair & Makieup Director for 15 years. Keep up with Brandy by reading her personal blog, Inside the Life of a Makeup Artist, or follow her glamxurious tweets and Instagram post (@bgdmakeupartist) . Brandy shares beauty tips, behind the scene pics, fashion, perks, give beauty testimonial on products and products she use on celebrities and her challenge of living with autoimmune diseases: Lupus, Lyme, Fibromyalgia, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Asthma. One of her new addition is "Beauty Blueprint where she teach hair stylists & makeup artists the business side of working and being successful in the industry. She does it all online because not everyone is able to travel to take her course. Makeup & Hair school teaches the art but nobody teach the other half of being a freelancer, Gomez-Duplessis said. Brandy said she was a Lifestyle Influencer before she even knew she was an INFLUENCER. This Beauty Guru will continue to do makeup, making brides beautiful on their wedding day, working with celebrities when they come to Oahu Hawaii and local women of Hawaii glamxurious. In 2018, Brandy was introduced to Reiki at her Rheumatologist doctor appointment. After seeing what Reiki did for her Lupus she decided she needed to learn it. In 2020, Brandy received her calling to become a Reiki Practitioner and a Spiritual Life Coach. Her first goal was to help ALL auto immune warriors. But after seeing what COVID did to her peers, Gomez-Duplessis decided that she need to help everyone that her Spirit Guides sends to her. Gomez-Duplessis says she will use her hands once again, this time instead of making people beautiful she's going to help heal them and make them a happier person, by doing Reiki. So, follow her on this new journey as she does Reiki Sessions in Hawaii on residents and tourists...Brandy can be reached at: brandy@bgdmakeupartistry.com or brandyreikihealer@gmail.com and yes, there are black people living in Hawaii. She say's she get ask that question daily, "Do Black People Live In Hawaii" and her answer is YES, look I'm here.
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Prom Makeup On A Budget Using Sephora Collection Makeup

Prom season is now over up here in Connecticut, my last client was one of my favorite girl’s Jennifer. It was kind of a sad moment because this is the last year that I’ll get to do her makeup.Jennifer always let me do whatever look I want when it comes to her makeup. I wanted this look to be glam with a pop of color on the lips.Plus, I wanted to keep this makeup look glam yet on a budget. On her lashes I selected Sephora Collection lashes in Hipster. Everything I selected was either long wearing and waterproof products so Jennifer would not have to worry about her makeup coming off. I wanted her to have fun and look good while doing so. 
1.Sephora Collection 10hr Wear Perfection Foundation

2. Sephora Collection 8hr Mattifying Compact Foundation

3. Sephora Collection Contour Matte Gel Eyeliner Waterproof 

4. Sephora Collection Retractable Brow Pencil Waterproof

5. Sephora Collection MicroSmooth Baked Bronzer Duo

6. Sephora Collection Radiant Luminizing Drops

7. Sephora Collecton Luster Matte Long Wear Lip Color

8. Sephora Collection Rouge Gel Lip Liner 

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Sephora Senior Artist Share 3 Of Her Favorite Mascara’s

On the shelves at Sephora we have so many mascara’s to use on clients. At the present time I’m enjoying the following 3 mascara’s to give volume, length, and curl. What’s your favorite?

Lancôme HYPNÔSE DRAMA Instant Full Body Volume Mascara

Smashbox X-Rated Mascara

Dior Addict It-Lash Mascara

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3 Must Have Kiehl’s Skincare Items You Need This Summer

During the summer we spend more time outdoor enjoying activities. This can be challenging on the skin if not properly cared for. The first thing that normally comes to mind during the summer is applying SPF. By now we all know that the SPF should be at least 30+ and higher, wear it every day during the summer, and reapply every couple of hours. But what about keeping the skin looking healthy and radiant after being damaged from all the UVA & UVB rays from being outside. With so many skincare products to choose from how do you decide what’s best on the skin. I selected Kiehl’s skincare products because it’s made up of the finest naturally derived ingredients like Lavender, Squalane, Calendula, Caffeine, Vitamin C, Beech Tree Extract, Jasmonic  Acid, and Rosa Arctica  just to name a few. Give your skin a treat by using concentrated products to restore and replenish the skin. Read the full article on Connecticut Post blog here.

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It’s All About A Beautiful Complexion Glow

I always love when my clients send me pictures of themselves after I’m done with makeup. Tasha has become a regular client of mine using my services for all her special occasions.I love that my clients don’t give me restrictions when it comes to doing their makeup. I decided to give her a sultry eye with a soft high glossed lip from Buxom. I wanted her skin to be flawless so I used Dior Airflash Spray Foundation on her. Keeping the contour to a minimum because it’s all about beautiful skin. To give her skin a radiance luminous look I put on her skin Dior Glow Maximizer Primer. I finished the look with a pair of wispy lashes to give her a flirty look.

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JLo Was My inspiration For This Wet Makeup Look

Many of you know that I am now the Senior Artist at Sephora in Connecticut. With this position I spend more time with the cast coaching to them, doing certification, teaching beauty classes and getting the cast ready for elevated position. So I don’t often do makeup everyday. As a die hard makeup artist, sometimes I miss my brushes.

Alyssa Perez a nail tech from Florida came in to get her makeup done by me. I was so elated when I saw how pretty she was. I knew she would make for a perfect canvas. What made it sweet was that Alyssa told me that I could do whatever I wanted. Now this is the type of client I’m use to. At Sephora it’s the opposite.

JLO wet hairAnyway, the first look that came to mind was an old picture of JLO with this wet hair and luminous look. That was my inspiration that I wanted to recreate because Alyssa had the features and personality to pull of that look. I knew that her features would be able to handle all of what I was going to do. I started pulling products and lashes that I wanted to use. That’s the great thing about doing makeup at Sephora. Any thing I need when I’m creating a look I have it right in my hands. It’s like having my own personal makeup studio when I’m working. I showed Alyssa a variety of ways to wear the look, starting with matte to a full out South Beach glow.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer in Eden

Stila Aqua Glow Perfecting Bronzer

Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation

Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer

Urban Decay Naked Skin Ultra Definition Powder Foundation

Stila Perfect Me, Perfect Hue Eye & Cheek Palette-Medium/Tan Palette

NARS Limited Edition Orgasm Blush

BECCA Luminious Blush in Copper

Sephora Collection MicroSmooth Baked Foundation Face Powder

Smashbox Contour Kit in Medium/Dark

Lancome Glow Silky Creme Highlighter in Amber Lights

Make Up For Ever Aqua XL Eyeliner in ME42

Stila Stay All Day Eyeliner in Black

Sephora Collection Rouge Shine Lipstick in 48 My Everything

Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Gloss in Sunset Strip

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Medium Brown

 

 

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The First Time I Got To Work With Garance Dore

Today I had to post about a throwback of a makeup assignment that I did with my girl crush, french fashion blogger, street style photographer, & fashion illustrator Garance Dore. I have been a fan of her’s for years so when I received the call that I was going to be doing her makeup I was so jubilant. You can only imagine how I felt when the publicist at L’OREAL Paris told me that I was going to be going to her home. I was going to do a practice run for her appearance to the CFDA Award Night. She was being honored that evening for what she brought to the fashion world. I knew how big this event was for her so the pressure was on.

Two days later I was back at her home getting her ready for a major event in the fashion industry. We had so much fun that evening, laughing and taking selfies, and tweeting the entire evening. To get a call back to work with her a few more times after was always a highlight. The purpose of this post is to share with you that if you put it out there what you want to do with your career it WILL happen. Your hard work will pay off, others will see your hard work & talent. Just be patient.

Products L'Oreal Paris Pro Makeup Artist Brandy Gomez-Duplessis used on Garance Dore for CFDA

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A Fun Filled Inspirational Day With Sephora

I started my morning by going down to the lake to collect my thoughts in enjoy the beautiful weather before getting on the road. Today I had to attend a Sephora training for the Specialists, Beauty Studio Coordinators & Senior Artists in the Connecticut market. Being that I’m the only Senior Artist now in Connecticut I was the only representative. This was both Stephanie Hilgendorf & Sam Michalska first time visiting Connecticut. The day was split up in two section, Lizzie went in at 9am and Ilse and myself at 1pm. It was very motivating and to hear the ladies talk about things that I want to teach the cast was music to my ears. Glad to hear that I was on the same page with them. I just want the Connecticut makeup artists to be industry ready makeup artists that’s on the same level as the artists in bigger market. With all of my experience in the beauty & entertainment industry I have a lot to share with them. Definitely a great training class, it was inspirational & motivating

Ilse, Self, Lizzie 

 

 

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BEAUTY HAPPY HOUR Make Up For Ever “Amp Up Your Color” Event At Sephora

Over the Memorial Day Weekend Sephora in Danbury Fair Mall held a fun event with Make Up For Ever called “Amp Up Your Color” with their new Aqua XL Eye Pencil Waterproof Eyeliner. Make Up For Ever and Sephora makeup artists treated the clients to a free mini makeovers. The staff all wore colorful eye makeup looks using the Aqua XL Eyeliners so clients could see all the different ways the eyeliners could “Amp up” your look.

Make Up For Ever joined forces with pop star Charli XCX to create the Aqua XL Eye Pencil Waterproof Eyeliners collection. These eyeliners are favorites amongst pro makeup artist because of it’s high pigmented colors. The eyeliners glides effortlessly and don’t smudge, crease, or fade. The 20 shades range from neutrals to bright pastels that work great for tight lining, eye liners, and for a pop of color as eye shadows. These liners are both waterproof and long lasting and applauds creativity by designing any look you want with these creamy eyeliners. Be sure to stop by any Sephora and let a certified makeup artist teach you all about it. Click here to read the full article.

MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua XL Eye Pencil Waterproof Eyeliner.jpg