Discover the very best products for spring weddings and every day use!

After quite a harsh winter for most of the country, we couldn’t be more thrilled that spring is in the air and wedding season is approaching! But before you step out into the sunshine, be sure to treat yourself to some of these lovely spring beauty products. Exfoliating scrubs, body washes, and anti-aging creams are just a few of our editors’ picks this season that will keep brides looking flawless and fresh-faced for all of their upcoming wedding events. Opening photograph by Harwell Photography.

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Spring is here and summer is just around the corner! It’s time to peel off some layers of clothing and tuck the snow boots away. It is also the time of year when we all crave healthy, glowing skin. Today I have a review on some great products from Gleam. Gleam is a brand I was first introduced to at IMATS Toronto last year and then at The Makeup Show L.A I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Melanie Mills, the brand’s founder. I like these products so much that I just had to collaborate with Melanie and her team to bring you a review.

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Sometimes when I tell people that I use bronzer, they look at me sideways because I am a dark-skinned woman. I understand it –  I had no idea about the unbelievable magic of bronzer until I actually tried it! Bronzer is a fabulous way to give shape and sheen to skin, enliven it and also subtly contour. When I’m wearing bronzer, it looks like I just came back from a beachy vacation because my skin looks even healthier and beautifully sun-kissed!

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Pantone called it the color of the year, Radiant Orchid, and we here at BOLD agree. Spring is here, and we love Uncontrollable GLEAM Lip Radiance by Melanie Mills. This color adds just the right amount of POP for any skin tone. Lip Radiance is non-sticky, long lasting, and keeps the lips moisturized. The gloss has all natural ingredients including Vitamin E. jojoba oil, and aloe vera.

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Hello, Beautiful!

If you’re a fan of the Gleam by Melanie Mills Body Radiance, or just a fan of a radiant glow, then you may want to check out this blog post on the Gleam by Melanie Mills Radiant Dust. I was sent sample jars of all four shades back in December, but I didn’t want to write up a review until I was able to really try them all out. It took me longer than normal to try these out, but I did try them all several times and in several ways. I’m just going to come out and say this: I think I’m in love with every Gleam by Melanie Mills product that I’ve tried!!! I love her Body Radiance (Rose Gold is my favorite shade), I love her Lip Radiance glosses (Pop My Cork is my favorite shade) and herGlitter & Glam book (one of the best makeup books I own). She can do no wrong in my book! She makes some of the most beautiful, radiant, glowing products for your body. You’ll look gorgeous in pictures and everyday life. So what do I think of her new Radiant Dust? Check out my full review below, including all the product info, after the pics!

How to Organize Your Makeup like a Pro

Tips for organizing your makeup like a professional makeup artist
By Carla Snuggs

Staying on top of cosmetic clutter will help you save precious time in the AM when you are jamming to get on with the day. Keeping your makeup organized will also help avoid minor freak outs when you are making your face up for a hot date looking for your no-fail sexy bronze shadow! So to find out how to organize our makeup like a pro, we went straight to a pro: Melanie Mills!

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Tips to Break Out of a Beauty Rut

There’s nothing like cold weather to put us in a beauty rut. Luckily, spring is almost here, so it’s time to shake things up a bit. If you’re having a hard time changing up your look, try these tips.

Stay on Point
Focus on one aspect of your beauty routine that you’d like to change. “We’re heading into spring trends, so opt out for brighter colors. Bright orange lips are trending for Spring 2014. If the bright orange scares you, mix it with your favorite nude lipstick to lighten it a tad,” says celebrity makeup artist Elaina Badro. It’s a great way to transition yourself into brighter colors that you wouldn’t typically wear.

Brighten Your Look
“I love creamy cheeks. Find a good cream blush to apply. Not too much, just enough to give that natural flushed glow that looks effortless,” says  makeup artist Melanie Mills. If cream blush scares you, try it on your days off until you get the feel and how to manipulate it to your liking. It’s a pretty look that takes years off a face, too.

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Spring is just around the corner

I keep getting press releases saying Spring is just around the corner, which is kinda sorta a lie? but it makes me feel less bad about waxing lyrical about my recent 7 days in Miami, where I felt sun on my sad, pale body and where I fell in love with this incroyable body glow product that I so badly needed to blend in with the locals.

If you are naturally on the paler side, you know the pain of body bronzing: often streaky, always smelly, disappointingly faux and rarely your friend.  I literally never turn down a sample offer for body bronzing products because you never know – I forever hold out for that holy grail of glow. Bring me your strippers, your drag artistes, your “celebrity” “stylist” what-have-yous … if you invent a bronzer, I will try it.

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The Procrastinator’s Guide to Anti-Aging

You know the feeling: You wake up one day, look in the mirror and — wham! — the signs of aging are suddenly everywhere. Those fine lines around your eyes. The loose skin along your jawline. The dark spots on your cheeks — and even on your hands. Before this moment, you spent more time picking out nail polish colors than thinking about an anti-aging skin care regimen. Oh, sure, you moisturize and wear sunscreen. But at a certain point in your skin’s aging process, your minimalist approach isn’t enough. And it shows.

The good news? You can make up for lost time if you get serious about an anti-aging regimen now. New Orleans dermatologist Mary Lupo, M.D., Esteé Lauder makeup artist Blair Patterson and Emmy Award-winning makeup artist Melanie Mills weigh in on the most common signs of aging with quick fixes and long-term solutions to curbing those tell-tale signs of aging.

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This Year’s Oscar Predictions With DWTS Makeup Artist Melanie Mills

Celebrity makeup artist  from DWTS Melanie Mills joined us with her predictions on what looks we could see on the red carpet of the 86th annual Academy Awards.

9 Best Foundations for Dark Skin Tones

For African American women, the perfect foundation is an elusive prize. Experts reveal how to research, test and (finally) find your perfect match.

Fun fact: Back in the day, supermodel Iman toted her homemade foundations along to her fashion gigs for 14 years. Why? Makeup artists didn’t have anything in their expansive kits to match her darker complexion. Fast-forward to the present and lines like L’Oréal and YSL have added darker shades to their signature products, but black women are still struggling to find the perfect match. Behind all of the “Caramel” and “Coffee” foundation tones, there’s a basic lack of knowledge about dark skin tones. Many cosmetic companies only produce one or two dark shades with one or two undertones — and this is one category where “one or two sizes fits all” doesn’t work. At all.

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The Oscar Goes To…Gleaming Skin, Matchy Makeup and Full Lashes VIDEO

Emmy Award-winning makeup artist, Melanie Mills, visited the CBS KCAL9 studios Wednesday to show off this season’s hottest red carpet beauty looks!

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Melanie Mills’ Dishes On Hollywood Hottest Award Show Looks

STUDIO CITY (CBSLA.com) — Emmy Award-winning makeup artist, Melanie Mills, visited the KCAL9 studios Wednesday to show off this season’s hottest red carpet beauty looks!

Mills uses her signature product, “Gleam”, on her clients to transform skin into a perfect velvet canvas, hiding imperfections and improving overall skin texture.

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Glamourous with Celebrity Make-up Artist Melanie Mills

Who doesn’t LOVE great make-up? The way you put on your make-up is so important.  Do you know celebrity make-up artist Melanie Mills?  Melanie Mills is known for her glamourous makeup and perfectly sculpted bodies on television and film.  She is the author of the amazing make-up book: Glitter and Glam.  We took a few minutes with celebrity make-up artist Melanie Mills to chat with her about some fabulous things.

Would you like to WIN a copy of her book? What make-up item can you NOT live without & why?  Is it mascara? Foundation perhaps?  Comment below for a chance to win a copy of her book! A winner will be chosen on Wednesday, March 5, 2014!

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Melanie Mills on Blog Talk radio presented by ModernWeddingMom.com

Original Article

Melanie Mills

Beauty Spotlight: Latest in Red Carpet Essentials from Head to Toe

Beauty Spotlight: Latest In Red Carpet Essentials From Head to Toe. Anna Trebunskaya is wearing Melanie Mills’ “Uncontrollable” – Courtesy of “Glitter & Glam” by Melanie Mills.

We are now through the Grammys, SAG Awards and Golden Globes, and so far what we see is a return to high wattage looks, underscored by metallic finishes. Recently music’s biggest stars opted for nipped in waists and elegance (Daft Punk, we are not talking to you) not only in metallic gowns and accessories, but gleamed up gorgeous skin, velvety rose gold and bronze gold finishes that play up legs, faces, decolletage and arms. Hair too was perfectly lifted, glossy and teased, and we got the inside scoop on who is using what while our team attended the Grammys this year.

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New Year’s Eve is a time to dress up and celebrate – and celebrations can usually include lots of glitter and shine. But just how much shimmer equals festive versus heading into human disco ball territory?

Melanie Mills, the makeup designer for ABC’s hit show Dancing With the Stars, came up with these great makeup tips to make your Eve sparklier and more fun. Get her tips and follow her step-by-step regime below, and you’ll be ready for all those New Year’s Eve party pictures.

1. Get enough rest. In a pinch, try G.M. Collin Instant Radiance Eye Patches, which target dehydrated under eye area and reduce the appearance of fine lines, puness and fatigue (About $50, Amazon has them on sale for a limited time).

Beauty: Get camera-ready with primer, HD powder – The Orange County Register

During a moment in time where the 2013 Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year was “selfie,” it’s becoming uncomfortably clear that it’s an Instagram-, Facebook- and Twitter-verse. In the spirit of “If you can’t beat them … ,” we share makeup primers and HD powders to help you look your best when being captured forever on camera.

Emmy Award-winning, makeup artist Melanie Mills, who used to be the makeup department head for “Dancing With the Stars,” where she helped create a multitude of winning celebrity looks for the cameras, shares tips. PRIMERS “Primer is great,” Mills says. “Primers do help you look younger and better on camera. Basically, the science of primer is that it fills in pores and creates a clean canvas for the foundation to go on to minimize the appearance of pores and fine lines. Your face appears to be more flawless.”

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Your Step-by-Step New Year’s Eve Beauty Routine by the Dancing With the Stars Makeup Artist 

New Year’s Eve is a time to dress up and celebrate – and celebrations can usually include lots of glitter and shine. But just how much shimmer equals festive versus heading into human disco ball territory?

Melanie Mills, the makeup designer for ABC’s hit show Dancing With the Stars, came up with these great makeup tips to make your Eve sparklier and more fun. Get her tips and follow her step-by-step regime below, and you’ll be ready for all those New Year’s Eve party pictures.

1. Get enough rest. In a pinch, try G.M. Collin Instant Radiance Eye Patches, which target dehydrated under eye area and reduce the appearance of fine lines, puffiness and fatigue (About $50, Amazon has them on sale for a limited time).

2. Prep the skin with your favorite serum, moisturizer, and eye cream. Let it penetrate while you fix your hair.

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Rose Parade set to feature first gay marriage

In a Tournament of Roses first, two Los Angeles men will celebrate their gay marriage on a Rose Parade float as it goes down Colorado Boulevard on New Year’s Day.

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New Year’s Eve Makeup Tutorial by Melanie Mills

The holidays are a perfect time to try something fresh and new with your makeup. Make the perfect holiday statement with this glam makeup tutorial from Melanie Mills. Melanie Millsis an Emmy Award-winning makeup artist and one of Hollywood’s leading style-makers and beauty consultants. Melanie is also the creator of the high fashion makeup line Gleam By Melanie Mills and the author of the gorgeous beauty book Glitter & Glam.

Melanie shows this glam look on the different skin tones. “For holiday party and New Year’s makeup, I did three women: a white, black and Hispanic girl each to show what I recommend. I deepen the palette as I work on all of the women from light to deeper skin tones, but the idea and the steps are the same.”

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Holiday 2013 Finds: Gleam and Glam, Best New Glowing Skin Must Haves!

Holiday 2013 Finds for Beauty don’t come much more amazing than American made, cruelty and paraben free cosmetic line, Gleam by Melanie Mills.

The story of Gleam is the brainchild of one Local 706 IATSE makeup artist and single mother who had a great idea while working inside the crowded makeup trailer for ABC’s Dancing with the Stars as the department head.

Every foundation that Emmy award winning makeup artist Melanie Mills used on the celebrity cast transferred onto costumes after the rigorous rehearsals, and made skin appear “flat” and lifeless on camera. Not to mention the fact that face and body makeup in the deeper ranges for stars who were Latina or African American were always “off.”  It was a vexing situation.

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