How to Get Rebecca Bree’s Hair and Makeup Looks

Hairstylist Tanya McCool and makeup artist Denise Elliott reveal how they created Rebecca Bree's stunning cover girl looks for our holiday issue

Credit: Robert Kenney

Local beauty experts reveal how they created Rebecca Bree’s six stunning cover girl looks for BCLiving’s holiday issue

Who does Rebecca Bree Rawlinson call when she wants to look her most fabulous? Vancouver hairstylist Tanya McCool and local makeup artist Denise Elliott (see bios below). The two glaminators share their product tips and pro techniques so you can create Rebecca’s gorgeous looks for yourself.
 

Rebecca Bree’s Cover Look (above)

HAIR: Pretty Beach Waves

“This is a go-to look for Rebecca. The end result has an effortless lived-in feel. If it’s done right, it will last from day to night and goes great with any outfit.”

Step 1: Blow Dry
“To give the hair some texture and lift, I added a product called Lift Up from one of my go-to product lines J Beverly Hills. It’s a spray-on foam that you spray directly to the roots before blow drying to give the roots some much needed lift.”

Step 2: Curl

“To prep the hair for curling, I sprayed it with J Beverly Hills Take Shape flexible setting hairspray. It’s super lightweight. I like it because it locks in the curls so they last all day and gives it a soft touchable feel (no one wants crunchy curls).

To curl, I used a one-inch De Fabulous ceramic clipless curling rod; it is just a barrel without the clamp. This makes it super easy to grab sections and wrap the hair around for a more natural lived-in curl.

I chose a middle part for this look and worked from back to front taking one-inch sections of hair, concentrating on wrapping from the middle of each section and leaving the ends a little straighter. (Tip: when you get to the front sections, always curl the hair away from the face as it creates a softer look.)”

Step 3: Finishing Touches

“To finish the look, I added a few drops of J Beverly Hills coconut oil to the palms of my hands and worked it into the hair to loosen and break up the curls. I love this stuff as it adds shine and smooths any fly-aways, not to mention it smells amazing.”

 

MAKEUP: Naturally Radiant

“For this look, I wanted to create a flawless complexion, giving the skin a natural radiant glow with a soft pink lip and a pop of pink on the cheeks.”

Step 1: Moisturize

“Always moisturize to make sure the skin is hydrated. I used Bobbi Brown Hydrating Face Cream. Then I applied a Laura Mercier primer to the entire face. This helps give the foundation a smoother finish.”

Step 2: Eyes

“I do the eyes before applying foundation. If you’re applying eyeshadow and liner, you typically get fall out from the eyeshadow under the eye where concealer goes. If you do the eyes first, you won’t be taking off the concealor and re-applying.

For the eyes, I used Laura Mercier gold metallic creme eye colour (applied on the entire lash line to the crease area), then used Bobbi Brown champagne over top in the inner corner to brighten Rebecca’s eyes. I applied a darker shade of brown (Laura Mercier Bamboo) in the crease to create more depth to the eye. The key to this look is blending.

The most important step to make your eyes stand out is eyeliner. I applied YSL black gel eyeliner to the top lash line. For the bottom lashes, I applied a pencil in the inner rim to make sure it holds. The mascara used is YSL Shocking applied on both top and bottom lash line.”

Step 4: Brows

“Defining your brows is the best way to frame your face. With Rebecca’s lighter tones, I used a light blonde/grey powder from Bobbi Brown.”

Step 5: Concealer

First, I used a Q-Tip to clean under the eye where there was any fall out from the eyeshadow. I then used Bobbi Brown corrector and Giorgio Armani concealor to brighten the skin and blend nicely with the natural skin tone. Next I used Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation with Armani Fluid Sheer to give a radiant glow. To set the look, I applied Laura Mercier translucent powder.”

Step 6: Bronzer and Blush

“I applied Bobbi Brown bronzer to create contour with the cheekbones. For blush, a soft pink tone looks great on Rebecca so I used Laura Mercier Rose Bloom.”

Step 7: Lips
“I applied Armani lipstick shade 509 with Laura Mercier Baby Lips liner. To add a bit of a sheen, I used an Armani gloss in 503.”

Read BCLiving’s holiday issue cover story with Rebecca Bree
 

Tanya McCool has trained at Vidal Sasson Academy in Santa Monica, Sebastian Academy in Woodland Hills California, and Bumble & Bumble University in New York City. She’s worked on shows at New York Fashion Week, and was the key hairstylist for Diane Von Furstenberg’s fall preview in Vancouver. Tanya’s current client list includes celebrities as well as a number of Vancouver socialites.

 

Denise Elliott trained at the renowned Blanche Macdonald Centre in Vancouver. She then began her career at Holt Renfrew where she had the opportunity to work with the industry’s finest cosmetic lines. Denise struck out on her own in 2010 becoming one of the premier wedding makeup artists in B.C. and was honoured with ‘The Best Wedding Makeup Artist in BC’ at the 2013 BC Wedding Awards.

Credit: Robert Kenney

Cocktail Glam

HAIR: Va Va Voom
“For this look, I sprayed on some J Beverly Hills Beach Spray and gave the hair a little shake to break up the curls. This is a great to refresh your style at the end of a busy day before heading out for cocktails to give it a bit more va voom before hitting up that holiday party.”

 

MAKEUP: Smoky

“To add some evening glam, I added the Bobbi Brown bronze eyeshadow in the crease. This creates a soft smokey look perfect for going to a holiday party. We kept the lips the same for this look.”

Credit: Robert Kenney

Modern Military

HAIR: Day Glam
“For this chic daytime look, I added a few more drops of J Beverly Hills coconut oil to the ends of the hair for some added shine.”

 

MAKEUP: Glossy Lips

“I decided to give the lips more of a pop with a slight red shade for this look. I used Armani Gloss in 400 – the best gloss you could ever use!”

Credit: Robert Kenney

Canadian Tuxedo

HAIR: Relaxed and Easy
“For this stylishly effortless look, I worked with a middle parting. I then took two-inch sections of hair on either side of Rebecca’s part and it away from her face to open up the face and make the look a little more casual and easy.”

 

MAKEUP: Neutral Rules
“For this casual-but-chic look, I decided to tone down the lips using Bobbi Brown Sandwash Pink. I added Buff Bobbi Brown gloss over top; it’s a great neutral gloss.”

Credit: Robert Kenney

Street Chic

HAIR: Faux Bob

“This is one of my favourite looks. I felt this look needed what I call the hair tuck. This is an easy way to make your hair look like a chic bob without having to chop your hair.

I gathered the back of Rebecca’s hair like I was going to put it in a ponytail. Then I shook her hair letting her shorter layers fall out. Then I did a simple twist in the back and secured it with bobbypins. You can see this look on a lot of celebs like Sarah Jessica Parker. This is a great way to transition from the office to a cocktail party in minutes.”

 

MAKEUP: Deeper Glow

“I wanted to give Rebecca more of a glow on the cheekbones so I used Shimmer Brick in Beige from Bobbi Brown. I decided to give her a deeper lip with more of a blue-red tone. Armani 400 lipstick and Bobbi Brown Sangria lipliner are the perfect combo!”

Credit: Robert Kenney

Black, White and Fab All Over

HAIR: Take it to the Side

“To transition into this evening look, I wanted to switch up Rebecca’s parting to a deep side part. This is an easy way to add body instantly and create a chic sexy look. I did a bit of backcombing on the roots, then smoothed the hair into place and sprayed in some more J Beverly Hills Take Shape hairspray to finish the look.”

 

MAKEUP: Contour and Colour

“For this look, I added more Bobbi Brown Bronzer to give Rebecca more contouring and colour, which was important with the white dress. I also applied more blush for this look, using Armani #10 blush. I wanted to give Rebecca a fun vibrant lip, so I used YSL shade 19 with Bobbi Brown Hot Pink gloss. I re-applied eyeliner to create more of a glam evening look.”