I may not be a rock star but having lesson with makeup artist Anna Conte from Civello Rosedale made me feel like one. I fell in love with Anna a decade ago when she did my brows in preparation for my wedding. There is something about this lady.  She radiates this deep grounded confidence that just envelops you when you’re in her presence. And she knows her stuff. Wow, does she know her stuff.

Two things inspired me to work with a makeup artist. One is that I’ve been thinking a lot about how we stay connected to who we are in the now.  When was the last time you thought about how you wear your makeup? I’ve probably been wearing my eyeliner the same way for *cough* years! But is my face the same? My style? Secondly, I’m doing more and more video and I wanted some tips on how to really look fresh and polished as I film programming for Creative Living TV!

Anna was very clear; the first thing is to be really loving with your skin. I felt like I was having a mini spa treatment as she cleansed and moisturized the palette we’d be working on, hehe.

The one big tip that Anna asked me to pass along is that it is worthwhile to invest a little extra to have a skilled professional shape your brows.  I remember the first time she did mine; I couldn’t believe the difference! I felt so glamorous and so pulled together. This is something I’d love to do regularly!

Throughout the lesson, Anna explained the what, why and how of every step. She would apply the concealer, foundation, blush, eye shadow, etc. on one side, and then I’d make an attempt on the other side. It was fun and comfortable.

Anna highlighted things that were good particularly for me but also shared her thoughts on current trends. One thing I really appreciated was her philosphy of creating a classic, clean look and then inviting in a little taste of the season – like the lovely gloss she tried on me or the deep coral lipstick we played with. (It  looked great!)

It’s quite an incredible experience to have someone really look at you, noticing the shape of your face, the colouring of your skin, the curve of your brow. It can be a little unnerving but Anna’s way of being both knowledgeable and completely non-judgmental makes it feel really lovely and safe.

Style can be a powerful form of self-expression, but we can also get trapped in our habits, stuck in the way we were instead of rediscovering who we are. This lesson was an opportunity for me to take a fresh look and see this woman smiling back at me.

If you are in Toronto, you can find Anna at the Civello Rosedale. She also blogs at Cocamia and can be found on twitter @cocamia.

And a special shout-out to Monica Terralheiro who was so lovely and treated this lesson as a photo shoot so that I’d be able to share the experience with you all. Thank you, Monica!

The delightful Danette Relic, whom I interviewed for this week’s podcast, is launching a totally fun and inspiring weekly creative prompt activity: Self-Expression Springboards. Each week she will share a creative catalyst to inspire you. As Danette so beautifully puts it, “You are a work of art with infinite facets and only you can reveal them to the world.”

This week she invites us to share that song, that song that represents us at our most powerful, our amazing rock star selves. The song that would play as we make our big entrance.

I have lots of choices for this because I love so many moods and types of music. I thought of choosing Serena Ryder’s gorgeous version of Good Morning, Starshine, which makes my heart swell with joy and my soul just start to glow or Prodigy’s Firestarter which has that powerful “I’m going to make something happen” energy that speaks to my intensity and drive. But today, today I’m feeling funky – so Earth, Wind and Fire It Is.

You’re shining star, baby. We all are. What a beautiful sky.