I don't need a shrink, I just need MAKEUP

Now I don't mean that in a materialistic sense...I mean I need makeup therapy: daily, weekly, monthly....all the time. Since building the makeup studio, I have been pretty addicted to creating. Also with starting to feel better and a clear mind returning...my creative capacity is nearly limitless! Anyway, that's why I haven't been blogging so much. With all that comes with feeling better, I haven't really wanted to sit down and blog.

I feel after some time of getting back into the groove of a normal, healthy life...I may have some better perspective on what I was going through. I know for sure, on many occasions, I got rather maniacal about finding out what was wrong with me. I just knew something was wrong...I'd had a premonition dream before I got sick and in the past, my premonition dreams are occurrences that shouldn't be ignored as I rarely even dream on the average night. I'm glad I was so crazy! I wouldn't be feeling better today if I hadn't been tenacious enough to take care of myself. I basically gave up on my doctors, and I may still pursue further testing for Lyme (I may have been bitten in an area where CA doesn't have the capability to test for that antibody) but for now, Colloidal silver, the hottub, and healthy eating/exercise are my best friends. 

On that note...lets get onto the makeup! Here is a look I created the other night to go out in the City. I have been so sick for so long that my husband and I hadn't gone out very and certainly not to the City, I think maybe ever? So I had a lot of fun with this one an was totally inspired by new purple hair and shany crazy neon 36 palette! they are high shimmer neon colors and I am in LOVE. Here are some photos and then I'll describe how it's done:

Yes the lighting is different in some photos but that's because I forgot to get a close up in the good light. The dimmer light seems to show the light/dark contrast fairly well though.

Face: I started out with Loreal's dull skin primer. This is a new product for me, and originally I thought it looked peach but under the foundation it's fine and gives a light prime to the skin which I'm learning to like. Next I mixed a custom blend of Maybelline Fit me foundation, Clean Finish foundation, and a small squirt of Elf lilac petal shimmer cream. I don't powder my face until after highlight and before contour...this is because I use cream and powder highlight and powder only contour. After foundation, I cream highlight the middle of my forhead, down the bridge of my nose, and on the tops of the cheek bones with Elf spotlight shimmer cream. I powder that with NYC pearl opal loose powder. Finally I'm ready to mattify my whole face with Hard Candy mattifying translucent powder which is also a new product and I really LOVE it. Its invisible and can be used on anyone, it gives a light matte to the foundation without being heavy either. Last on my face, I contour the hollows of my cheeks, down either side of my nose, and lightly in the temples with Elf powder in Honey. I love the color of the honey powder because it's very golden instead of orange as many bronzers can tend to look on pale skin like mine.

Eyes: All about eyes cream is used to prep the eyes in the skincare portion of the routine. Next is Revlon "black magic" cream shadow, I chose the iridescent pink cream as a shadow base. The pearl shine of this cream shows through the powder eyeshadow and  I can't say enough about how awesome that looks in person! The shany crazy neon 36 palette comes in next. I chose an ice pink for the lower lid, a hot pink for the crease, and medium and royal purples to define the outer edges as you can see. I originally thought I would do a full rimmed eye, but the eyeliner went on so buttery perfect for the top that I just left it since it spoke for itself. I always pat on black powder shadow on top of black liner for extra staying powder and less chance of smudging which was important since we were heading to a club. I use three coats of mascara to finish....I started with Maybelline Greatlash, followed by NYC thickening formula, and finally NYC lengthening formula.

Cheeks: Since I've already discussed my highlight/contour routine...the blush itself is a mix of Palladio blushes rosey and blushing. I used the lighter one first all over the cheek (it's a baby pink color), and then used the darker pink to define my cheekbone alone.

Lips: Hard Candy plumping lipgloss in Jellyfish applied generously all night as I love a full pout!

Makeup OBSESSION

So I have finally decided to start blogging about the makeup I do. Those who have questions can still write me and I will respond. I want this to be for everyone.

In the past, I have thought discussing my particular routine could be intimidating for most people. And I definitely understand that not everyone has an hour or two to spend in the makeup studio every day (like I do). But I also think now, that sharing all I do can help other people polish certain aspects of their own routine. So here we go:

 Face: Aveeno daily moisturizing lotion, All about Eyes from Clinique. Maybelline Fit Me Foundation.

Eyes: (I find it easier to talk just about colors). I personally prime with cream shadow from Maybelline. Primers are expensive and cream shadow lightly applied is basically the same. Anyway, I creased my eyes first with a mix of medium and light shimmer golds. Then on the lid, I applied a matte yellow. Next, I created the "V" shape with matte hot pink. I swept yellow under my inner corners and the hot pink under the outer two thirds. Inside the pink at the outer edge of my eye, I created another smaller "V" with a matte Navy color. I lined upper and lower, and water well with black pencil and smudged it all out. Finally I swept a little navy under the outer edges of the lower liner. I also topped it off with shimmer white under the brow bone and inner corners of the eye. I made sure to over draw my brows making them longer, blacker, and thicker on purpose to make the look more "rock n roll"

Cheeks: I contour and highlight my entire face and that includes my cheeks. For anyone who wants info on contour and highlight please contact me. My blush is Bobbi Brown in Pink Rose.

Lips: I went easy with a sheer color gloss in Black Cherry from Bath n Body Works.

I think sometimes....That I can only think in COLOR!

Pure and simple, to do what I do, you have to be nearly obsessive/compulsive. I find myself watching Dr. Phil and thinking about mixing eyeliner colors. No kidding, it can really take over. But I, of course, love it. I'm sitting here right now with streaks of different eyeliners on my hand. I'm also listening to teen girls getting tattoos and their parents finding out through myspace. Oh my gosh what is the world coming to.

Anyway...this girl's makeup looks good. Light pink eyeshadow, dark pink/purple contouring, peachy cheeks and lips; perfect for 15. Oh yea, she had a completely rimmed eye in brown, not black, pencil. Now, I completely agree with this. Black is not the be all and end all of liners. Brown, navy, charcoal, and espresso colors are also good choices. Fun choices include purple, pink, white, baby blue, silver....and so many more of course! I was just thinking that lining in an eye with a wing in black and then going over it with a wet hotpink or sparkly purple eyeshadow, either could look amazing. I will probably try that soon, but it's definitely not for everyone. My point is only to step out of your comfort zone once in a while. Do you know I have not done the same makeup on myself two days in a row, and rarely twice even in the same week? I feel that it's a good practice, but sometimes I forget what I create but I do have a few go-to favorites. Purple shadow is fairly easy to go to for anyone...since most people don't have purple eyes, the fact that this color is opposite nearly every human eyecolor, it works well on everyone.

I've seen Julianne Moore (redhead) made up for a magazine wearing dark purple heavily rimmed eyes with baby pink shadow, pink cheeks/lips. I've also seen Kim Kardashian (who is known for over-makeup), who was made up with sparkly light gold/brown shadow, no eyeliner, peachy cheeks and red lips. Her lashes were lush, long, and probably fake...but no eyeliner! The look was very minimal but still glamorous. Kim K. was the perfect example that less is more, and clean matters more, when making up a face. They focused purely on her lush lashes and red lips; how classic. I hope these examples inspire  how you think color can work on different skin tones.

Dark skin tones don't need to just stick with browns. Pinks, Peaches, and down right orange can look great on dark skin. Not to mention the reds and plums that they wear so much better than anyone. Don't get me wrong, I've worn red blush, but I make it more golden (as in gold shimmer highlight on top of cheek bone). And just so we are clear, I'm white as white and have dark hair, so red blush takes some skill to work out on me. It's not for the faint of heart when it comes to color. For most people, peaches and pinks and warm tone blushes work well.

Well, I think I've come to the end of my thoughts on color for evening. If anyone has any specific color questions please feel free to send them my way, and I will try to help. My ending thought, is that we shouldn't ever be scared by how many colors we see to choose from, it should instead inspire all the possibilities and combinations our imagination can think up.

Makeup and How We Think of Ourselves.

There is a lot that goes into making a great face. There are also many factors that come into play and help you make decisions (e.g. bridal, photography, skin color and texture, lighting, outfits, type of look you want achieve...). I generally like to think that I am not an obsessive person, but my job really requires it! It requires attention to detail and constant touching up. Makeup is not permanent so it continues to change, and we (artists I mean) have to tame it back into place sometimes!

Don't get me wrong, I was born for this profession, but there are many minute details about it that the average person doesn't know about it. Things like; blend, blend, blend some more 'til it's perfect! And color theory, do you have any idea what goes into color theory? I've touched on it briefly in past blogs with talking about undertones and mixing of foundation and powder, but there is way more. To perfectly tone any foundation for my clients, I ordered highly pigmented foundation tints that come in white, yellow, blue, green, red, and black. I have to know which colors to add to a foundation to get a right match for any skintone and undertone. But I love it!!!! That's why I love working on so many different people, it gives me a chance to practice different techniques and uses or manipulations of color. When I was first taught custom foundation I took it for granted; I almost didn't really want to learn. Now that I am practicing a whole lot more and getting some business, I realize what a great skill I was taught. Especially when it comes to things like Bridal or Photography makeup, the foundation absolutely cannot (I repeat cannot) be wrong!

On top of that, I need to know how certain colors will play off any person's skintone. And trust me when I say they ask you! I need to know what colors to mix together in order to get the right eyeshadow, or the perfect lipcolor. No kidding, I get really detailed when I'm working on a client. Even if it's just practice, I do my work to my 100% perfection every time, period. I realize sometimes I'm not even talking with clients, or really engaging in the conversation fully when I am deep in my work. My mouth sort of goes on autopilot and my brain takes over with transformation goal in mind.

I often hear when I'm done, "I've never seen myself look this good!" and my reply is usually, "I knew you could!". Sometimes I'm making up a face and realize what I am doing is looking so much better than I originally thought. Vision comes alive on a person's face. It's actually more rare for me to say, "um, I don't like how this is coming out". I've been making up faces since middle school and I feel I've learned a lot about women's faces and how to enhance them, so much so that now I rarely mess up. I'm not trying to brag here, I'm saying there are universal things about our faces as women that are inherently beautiful and fairly easy to play them up. It's hard to make a mistake on woman's face because we were genetically born to be beautiful. If our DNA has a choice to express an ugly gene or a beautiful gene, because we are women, the more beautiful expression of the gene will always prevail. Science has proved it. (fyi, my sister told me that, so I don't know where she got her info, though I think she got it from bio class. And she is a college graduate with a bachelor's degree, so I tend to believe her)

I know in my head how good someone can look. I know because, first I make up myself everyday and that is no easy task. And secondly, we only see our flaws and think there is nothing we can do about it. Wrong! Look, I got into this in middle school because I had particularily red skin. I would sneak makeup to school just to cover it. Finally my mom let me experiment with foundations and I was off and running full speed. In my head, once you're allowed foundation, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, blush, and lips aren't too far of a jump! Anyway, taking off at that speed, I learned at an early age that our flaws are not permanent. We can take steps and use a little smoke and mirrors to make them appear less obvious. On a larger scale, we can change our bodies and our minds into whatever we want them to be...I mean what a great thing to learn just through makeup! Seriously, if every one of us women out there would look at our flaws as something that can be dealt with instead of just the hand we were dealt...the world would be a different place.

If you think about it, the fashion and beauty industries make money on us thinking badly of ourselves. Some stores cater only to thin and tall women; while others imply you will only be happy if you buy things to look good. Beauty products are vast and wide for the beige to medium (or tanned), but very dark or very white women are left hanging out to dry. While we are over in a corner preoccupied with "women things", men like to run the show. Forget it. It's time we all learned that our flaws don't define us.

I'd like to talk about some tips next, but I also would like to mention my simple eyeshadow tips were in a previous blog.

Anyhow...Got that dark ringed, tired look? Pink or peach toned concealer can do wonders! If you are of darker toned skin, you will choose peach/orange based concealer here. Concealer should be of sheer, buildable coverage and glide on smoothly. If it's cakey, it's all wrong. If your concealer is a little dry, you can mix a tad of foundation with it. Be sure to blend the concealer into the inner and outer corners of the eyes. Add a light translucent powder to set, and be sure to go back and forth across the under eye area (rolling your brush) to get all the tiny crevasses. Voila! Awake!

Next, aging or sagging eyes should never be paired with anything shimmery. Satin at most if you want an irridescent type sheen, but other than, no shine. Shimmer and shin will enhance the crapiness. What you want are matte (no shine) shadows. And yes I know they are hard to find, but it is getting easier now than it was a few years ago. Professional cosmetics sell more matte shadows than anyone due to high demand; you can find professional quality products in Coastal Scents Cosmetics, Fash, Shany, and BH Cosmetics. Drugstores now are also selling some matte shadows, so just spend some time there and you will find a few suitable ones I'm sure.

Blush is one of those topics that everyone seems to ask about. What color? Where do I put it? There is not one answer here so I will explain. Peachy toned blushes are usually great on almost everyone. Peach tends to naturally enhance cheeks without looking obvious. I think of it like when watching old Technicolor movies, all their cheeks were peach. The lighter and brighter the peach, the lighter the skin tone it belongs on. What I mean to say is, if you are light choose lighter peach and if you are dark you can go almost orange. If you like pinks, warm or "darker" pinks are the most natural looking. Hot pinks are better left reserved to the professionals as they are highly pigmented. Darker skinned people also look good in plums and reds, so feel free to play with those as well. Now...where do you put it? For most people, right on the cheek bone works well (leaving a space of about a finger and a half from the nose). Apply in a slightly upward/outward motion for best results...not upward like 80's blush upward though! More like right along the natural slant of your cheekbone. For people with more narrow faces or those who want the natural flushed look, smile and apply blush right to apples of the cheeks (blend outward slightly).

As for lipcolor, general rule is to keep it in the same color family as your blush. Peachy cheeks with coral, peach, or flesh nude lips. Pink cheeks with rosey or pink lips or even pink nude lips. Now, I know you are thinking, "well I don't typically wear red blush...so...". With red lips, you match the blush to the tone of the lipcolor. For instance, an orange/red lipcolor needs to be paired with peachy cheeks. And blue/red lipcolor is paired with pink or hotpink cheeks. Now, true red lipcolor (red with red undertones) is a little more versatile...it can be paired with nude/warm cheeks, peachy cheeks, or warm pinks (again hot pink is a skill to match with red lips). If you are a red lips sort of girl....please, please, please consider your eyeshadow in the whole equation (e.g purple eyeshadow usually requires blue/red lips). If you are going nude eyed and just want a lips and cheeks look, red is your best friend. Red lips is also easiest to get right when you have nude eyes.

A few last little tips, black eyeliner is often too harsh in my opinion for daytime; choose brown or grey for some thoughtful softness. You don't even have to totally rim your eye, a thin line on the top only with concealer I mentioned is a very clean and awake look. Mascara for daytime doesn't always need to be black either, browns and off/black work nicely too. Anyhow to tie up here, these few tips will help you look your best. Not everyone needs a full face of makeup all the time.  But all of us should start thinking of ourselves a little better today.

Classic Beauty Never Fades

One of the most common questions a Makeup Artist or beauty consultant is asked, what colors are season right now? Now, do not get me wrong here, it's important to keep learning and see what's being done mainstream in makeup, BUT there are some beauty techniques that will always work and look fabulous.

First, remember that we live in era when anything goes with fashion! All of last century was defined by typical decade trends; you can look at a photo from the 60's and except to see certain garbe...and this is true with the 80's, 70's, 50's, and every decade! Now you can barely tell a difference in fashion from 2000 til 2010. This is true because we have pulled from good fashion inspiration of past decades, and bring them alive in a new way...which translates to acceptance of any type of clothing choice. The same is true in makeup. A 60's winged eyeliner is acceptable today because of it's classic beauty inspiration, Marilyn Monroe. A monochromatic (nude, flesh toned from eyes to lips) makeup look is acceptable today because of the 70's makeup, which was little or none and mostly unkempt. 80's and 90's brought out our love for vibrant color and heavily rimmed eyes. Do you see where I'm going with this? Possibilites and range of makeup acceptance are ENDLESS!

Now, I might be a bit biased because I've grown up with classics all around me. My mom started me off garage saleing and thrift store shopping; and it didn't stop there. We have my great-grandparents furniture from the 1920's. I own the vanity, my sister the buffet, and my mom the china hutch and bedroom furniture. My mom has also owned a set of china from the early 1900's that she bought from a neighbors garage sale.

Being around these things has given me an appreciation for anything classic. If you look closely at photos from my wedding, you can tell my own personal look that day was classic and somewhat victorian. Even my wedding rings are antique in style inspiration. I believe makeup can have the same classic elements that are timeless. I mean, when was the last time red lipstick was out of style? Or when was eyeliner in any fashion just out? Exactly, never.

As artist, I try to find new ways of using old techniques. For instance, a nicely winged eyeliner (which everyone knows I LOVE), can be paired with a nude lip instead of typical red lips. Or I can do a nude or flesh tone inspired eyes and cheeks but pair with a vibrant lip. 80's vibrant shadows can be worked into todays' three and five piece eyes instead of the pasts' barbie doll type(baby blue, pink, and peach) application. Even today's smokey eye is inspired by 1920's wash of dark color all over the lid with heavily smudged dark color beneath the eye; we just tend toward a nude lip with a smokey eye now. Although I will say a smokey eye with deep color lips can still be done today as well.We are also allowed to just sweep any color over the top lid with peachy-pink blush like was done with pastels in the 1930's; only now we have the option of a light glossy lip instead of full color lips. Even brows today can be thick, thin, medium, kempt and unkempt!

Makeup trends that stay timeless are these: Red lips, Black or Brown eyeliner applied in any fashion, long luscious lashes, medium brown or taupe colors on eyes, and a healthy rosey or peach glow. Any one of these I mentioned can be done alone or in combination with each other. The whole point of mentioning classic looks is because they will always keep you beautiful and look good on almost everyone.

I tried to discuss classics as much as possible, but also remember we can improve on the past. We can look at photos of old beauty and transform them into modern by tweaking things here and there. The greater goal is to be inspired by classics rather clinging to them. I hope everyone out there can be inspired by both new and old photos of makeup I will post below.

I've learned there is a lot of fear surrounding cosmetics.

Fear of makeup, you ask? Yes definitely. I have made up two very good friends in the last few days and both have commented to me that they had never seen themselves all made up before! Are you kidding me? That notion is so foreign to me as I've worn a full face of makeup since 8th grade (I'm not exaggerating).

As I continue to think about those comments, I realize they probably haven't been fully made up because they don't know how or are scared, or even a combination of both. I understand now, that part of my job as the artist is to teach the person at the same time. Everyone is different but there are a few things that can be done that apply to most people and I'll get to that later...

Also listening is very important. I spend a lot of time creating based on what a client wants, not just by verbal but also non verbal listening. For instance, I was doing a winged eyeliner on my friend and I knew one side was ever so slightly different than the other, so I gave her the mirror and let her choose if she wanted to leave it or I would fix it. I could tell she really wanted it fixed but was telling me it was fine, so I fixed it anyway. It was not much trouble at all and I don't mind doing those small fixes if it satisfies the woman in the chair. Also remember that fixing just means you tried and it needs work...it doesn't mean you give up. We women tend to neglect ourselves and take care of everyone else, so allow yourself some time to play and be you...don't give up on you. My husband always whines about how long it takes me to get ready, and my truest response is that it's my private time that I take for myself. Even if you don't want makeup to be your private time, you owe it to yourself to take care of you...it renews your own self worth and recharges the batteries we all run on.

We all want to be happy with how we look. So I'm going to continue with a few tips that work well for everyday. To start, foundation is a matter of personal choice; whether you skip it completely or want opaque coverage, it is totally up to you. For most people, a sheer lightweight foundation and powdered just in shiny spots works well for everyday. Another tip is to put your foundation (and that includes tinted moisturizer) on first before you conceal anything. That tip changes if you have very dark spots that need a lot of concealing, but most of the time concealer goes on last because foundation in itself creates some concealing effects. Concealing dark spots is best done with peach or orange colored concealers. Concealing of acne is done with a half shade or full shad lighter than your skintone concealer and it's usually lightly yellow but sometimes yellow/peach mixed. Green concealers can be used to counter act redness but that takes skill. Yellow concealers do the same job to cover redness, if not better, and definitely easier.

Choosing a foundation is fairly simple if you know what you are doing. First step is to look at all your skin, not just your face and try to figure out your undertone (essentially the color behind the shade of your skin). Red heads for example tend to have blue/red undertones so any type of foundation that is yellow can make them look sallow or jaundice in worst case scenario. True blue/red foundation is difficult to find, so as a backup pink undertoned foundation can be used. I say pink because pink will match up with some of the red from blue/red undertones without being too obvious (if you have this skin then use either invisible setting powder or very slightly pinked powder; yellow will turn orange with a pink foundation). Very light pink undertoned foundation looks almost white and without any tint of yellow, just as a guide.

So other than very dark or very light people, most people have some yellow in their skin. If this is you, mainstream foundations will be fairly easily matched for you, just find the right depth of color for you skintone. As for powder in this category, choose invisible or very slightly yellow translucent powder to set. Again if you choose a pink powder with yellow foundation, you will turn orange.

Next, Indian or Middle Eastern skin sometimes has a mix of yellow and green. Most of the time you can get away with a yellow toned foundation. If there is a lot of green, I would suggest getting a custom made foundation. You can also try mix a little green concealer with your yellow foundation and see if that works for you. Powder here should be kept super translucent or invisible, but definitely slightly yellowed instead of pink.

African American skintones vary quite widely. They can be yellow, peach/orange, blue/red, or just red in the undertones. Yellow is easy, just follow the steps above if you are only yellow. Peach or orange undertones are dealt with in two separate ways and it depends on how peach or orange you are. If you are mostly yellow, then go with a yellow foundation and a slightly red powder. If you are more red than yellow, go with a red foundation and slightly yellowed powder. Blue/red and Red toned skin is usually the darkest of the dark toned skin types. Red and slightly blue/red dark skin needs a red toned foundation and invisible or very translucent powder applied with a light hand because you don't want to look ashey. Some red dark skinned women will wear a red foundation with red powder, but only do that if it matches your skintones perfectly. Deeply blue/red usually needs custom foundation, which can be found in some department stores or an artist can show you how (I have heard that Iman Cosmetics and Black Pearl Cosmetics may carry good quality foundation for hard to match dark skin). Custom foundation here may also include a mix of two foundations to counter act facial masking if there is any. Any African American skin can have facial masking though. It is dealt with in two ways:

By applying orange concealer on the dark spots and covering with matching foundation. Or it is done by mixing a somewhat lighter foundation onto the dark areas, and then a slightly darker foundation onto the light areas so when blended together they look like the same color all over. Don't forget that undertones matter the most with dark skin as anything wrong will appear bright and ashey on the skin just because dark skin shows contrast very easily. We don't want contrast when it comes to foundation, we want cohesive and harmonious.

Now that you are all matched and ready to go eyes, cheeks and lips for everyday wear are next. A medium shade brown eyeshadow (shimmer or matte depending on preference) can do wonders. Just sweep over lid and under the eyes. Then you blend into the crease, add highlighter shade under brows and mascara....voila! With this particular eye, you can choose any blush and lipstick in the same color family...say peach cheeks with peachy or red/orange lips or pink blush and rose or bubblegum lips. For more drama, use a hot pink blush and true red or blue/red lips.

For a more sophisticated look, there is a three-piece eye that is fairly simple. First, highlighter or light shade all over the lid. Medium shade in the crease, and then a shimmery or matte highlighter shade under the brow (looks best if the light shade from the bottom is different than the one you put under the brow). For this eye choose any sort of color family you want, but use the light and medium shades of that chosen family...unless you feel more artistic and bold as I often do and break that rule. If you want more info and how to break that rule, I can answer that some other time as it is really more of a tutorial.

Stuck on what colors to choose? The most natural looking colors are ones that match your natural coloring. Say again, red heads look great in golds, peaches, and oranges. You can wear colors that do not match your skin tones but keep in mind it will appear more dramatic, and that is to say dramatic is not wrong. There are very few things in makeup that are really wrong, and if there is, it's fixable and tweakable. For most people, I would suggest if you want to try a color that doesn't match your skin tones, try it on only the eyes or only the lips and keep the other matching. If you have unmatched eyes and lips together, for most people, it looks overly dramatic (and there is a time and place for that, always).

Well I hope I have dispelled some of the fears of the unknown with what I have written. I know there are a great many more details to share that pertain specifically to each skintone, but I tried to give the general knowledge version this time. The most important thing to remember that Kevin Aucoin is quoted as saying, "Noboday ever learned anything by playing it safe". So play around with colors you like even if you think they won't work...if it doesn't, try to figure out why it didn't work or what can be mixed to make it work. Worst case scenario, wash it off and start over. Nothing in makeup is permanent, so why not take a risk? Or experiment?  I know that's part of my job and it's easy for me to say, but remember I have been the novice too. I have made makeup mistakes. I have had to start over, large and small. So I understand where the fear comes from, but fear is just not a good enough reason not to try.

I mentioned:
Black Pearl and Iman Cosmetics; these can be easily found online and then you can find where it's sold locally close to you.

Meat and Potatoes of what I do...Find great deals on Makeup!

I would like to start off today with a small apology for not writing this blog sooner. I have been busy preparing myself and my kit for a photo shoot this upcoming weekend! While I have been preparing, I have also been seeking out great deals and spent a lot of time in the cosmetics sections of drugstores and major retailers. Let me tell you...there are many to be found!

Yesterday I started out at Michael's Craft Store. Thankfully many crafts and makeup overlap! You can find all sorts of artist brushes that can double for makeup brushes. I've seen suitable: powder brushes (large and small), foundation brushes, eyeliner and eyeshadow brushes, and even fan countouring brushes! They have a large assortment and you can feel each brush to decide which you like. Also keep in mind the range of prices varies anywhere from $2 to $25 per brush, but most good ones you would need for makeup are under $10 (which is way less than any makeup counter). The important thing here is that Michael's sells quality brushes which completely blows drugstore brush sets out of the water. Also if you more of an artist like me, they also sell palette paper, metal spatula's, jewels, mirrors (which some artists use as a palette), and anything crafty you may need for makeup. Palette paper, just to be clear, keeps moist makeup wet and usable for later use...just tear of the sheet and fold it up for touch ups on a set or photo shoot. I would not, however, expect that paper to last til the following day; it's more of a convenience for professional artists.

Next I went into Walmart and get ready for lots of info here! First, you can actually find good foundations at places like Target and Walmart you just have to know what to look for. Maybelline and Rimmel are my two personal favorites for foundations because they have adequate coverage and staying power. By the way Rimmel foundations cost around $4. They have a 25hr wear "Lasting Finish" that is sweat, heat, and humidity resistant which translates to "it's not gonna budge!".(I believe I also saw that Rimmel sells a foundation primer now though I have not tried it) Maybelline carries a 24 hr wear "Super Stay" which is a little more pricey (around $9) than Rimmel but  they have a better selection in some colors. Maybelline also launched a new sheer liquid foundation called "Fit" and it costs around $9. I like that foundation for sheerness and is similar to Makeup Forever HD liquid foundation...just to be clear Makeup Forever is sold at Sephora and costs around $40 per foundation! I'd also like to mention that the Super Stay and Lasting Finish are both medium to full coverage while the Fit foundation has sheer but build-able coverage. So it's a matter of personal choice and what you like for coverage.

As for powders, I usually choose Covergirl. In my opinion their foundations lack but their powders are fairly good. I mean good as far as setting; don't expect these powders to have a lot of coverage. They have many to choose from so these are the few I like ranging from sheer to moderate: Professional loose powder, Trublend pressed powder, and Fresh Complexion pocket powder. The Professional loose powder is great as a translucent setting powder; just be aware that the "light" color has pink tones and the "medium" color has yellow tones. Remember both are translucent so it is more important to get the right tone (yellow or pink)  rather than worry about depth of color as there is no depth of color difference between the light and medium shades. There is, though, a deep translucent color called Tawny that has orange tones (meaning yellow and red) and works well for many types of dark skin. The Trublend pressed powder is translucent (according to Covergirl), but compact powder inherently provide slightly more coverage. Again be sure to get the right tone of powder for you. You can check the tones by grabbing two powders side by side, if one looks yellow and one looks pink, then you can choose more easily which is right for you. Just as a side note, most people prefer or look better in yellow toned powders. Choose pink if you have sallow looking or lack luster skin; also good for extremely light (blue/red) skin. Finally, Fresh Complexion is considered Covergirl's powder foundation, however I don't think it is quite up to par as a foundation. This powder is great for touch ups on your foundation throughout the day (and choose the right tone, don't forget). It can be used as a setting powder but, keep in mind with foundation and this powder, you will have opaque coverage!

Eyemakeup is next and there is plenty to discuss here! Mascara, as far as I'm concerned, never needs to be bought at a counter where you spend $30 to $40 per. Maybelline's Great Lash has been America's number one selling mascara for around two decades because it has a small brush (good for artists!) and does not clump. The only draw back to Great Lash is that it only lengthens lashes and does nothing for volume. Not to worry, Maybelle sells numerous volumizing mascaras such as: Volume Express Falsies, Volume Express Collosal, and XXL. If you like lengthening only, Great Lash and Lash Stiletto are really great. L'oreal also has  a great mascara called Double Extend and it comes with a lash primer that helps to build volume while the mascara lengthens (I'll get more into L'oreal in a bit...). Revlon takes the cake on eyeliners as they make the smoothest and easiest to apply consistency. My personal choice of eyeliner is the automatic kind that click up as needed and never need a sharpener. If you are stuck on pencils, Revlon sells great pencils too. Finally, they also make bomb liquid liners that come in a felt tip pen or as a typical brush/liquid combination. (I will list a few Revlon liners at the bottom, but really any of them are great)

Eyeshadow is the bane and excitement of my existence. Truly, we have all had bad eyeshadow put on us (say at a counter makeover) or have done a lot of work to make our eyes pretty, only to have it blow away by midday. First rule for eyeshadow, eyecream! Second rule is to prime (though not hard and fast if you use foundation on your eyes) . Eyeshadow priming can be done with various products like: the Aveeno moisturizer I've mentioned in a previous blog (think dimethicone!), cream eyeshadow (use nude and let it half dry before adding powder), or you can buy a specific eyeshadow primer product. Cream eyeshadow is great as a primer if you pick the right type. It is important to be choosy because you do not want to be creasing. Clinique Touch Tint for eyes is great because it dries fully with no creasing and comes in many colors so you can bolden any powder shadow you put on top. Revlon Illuminance cream shadows work well too but apply with a light hand and let dry a bit before adding powder (smooth out cream again after letting dry). Revlon cream shadow has a tendency to crease so use only a little and really work your powder eyeshadow into every crevasse to avoid the creasing later on in the day. Phew...I know it's a lot of work but lets keep going...

Powder eyeshadows can really be hit or miss on pigment content. But remember even a "bad" eyeshadow can be made to look better and last with a primer. Anyway, I prefer to buy shadows in palettes because it's just easier to see how colors go together and it's also a waste to buy a single shadow. Coastal Scents, Shany, BH, and Fash cosmetics brands sell wonderful palettes of shadows ranging from 6 to 120 colors! As a tip, Coastal Scents has a free Fedex ground shipping promotion going on until August 2011! Also FYI those brands are all professional and easily found on their websites or amazon. By professional I mean highly pigmented and super blendable. Common knowledge is that MAC has the best color eyeshadows, but they didn't invent high pigment and the above brands have very comparable color selection and quality. In fact, I just ordered a number of palettes from Coastal Scents and I love them!

I'm going to keep on my budget friendly rambling with lips. My number one tip for lips is DO NOT get attached to any one color! Manufactures are constantly changing colors and formulas up to keep competitive. If you are attached to a single color, I would say buy many of them at a time because next time it may not be there (unused lipsticks can last a while). My second tip is to make your own lip colors. I know you're thinking "what?" but it's really easy. Find a suitable container like a weekly pill box or empty acrylic paint holders that have a few pots stuck together (can be found at craft store). Next you slice off your remaining lipstick or scoop out the bottom (can also be done with glosses). Place the product in the wells, and you can even mix colors together for custom shades. after putting the lipstick in the wells you can microwave for 30 seconds, check to see if melted, if not then do one more 30 second round but that's it! Stir while liquid and then place in freezer for an hour. It is important to note that after it's been frozen back into shape, you cannot microwave the color again (even if it's some time down the road after use).

To continue with lips, I also need to talk about L'oreal like I promised. The hands down best stay on all day and vibrant color is L'oreal's Infallible Lipcolor. It even comes with a gloss you can put on top, although the gloss fades and needs reapplication, the color itself stays on. I used Infallible on the day of my wedding even, because I knew I'd be kissing and eating all day! The other reason I want to talk about L'oreal is because it really is the cheaper, yes cheaper, version of Lancome. Do you like Juicy Tubes from Lancome? L'oreal makes Colour Juice tubes. Their Double Extend mascara is really Lancome Definincils. As I mentioned Double Extend even comes with the primer. At Lancome you have to buy the primer separately for an extra $30! I have not bought L'oreal powders or foundations personally, but I have used Lancome and will say they know good makeup. So if you LOVE Lancome, spend some time in the L'oreal section to find similar products that you like. It's totally worth trying because afterall with cheaper prices you can afford to be wrong...I wouldn't want to buy the wrong thing at a counter that's for sure!

On the subject of makeup counters, I do have a few tips there as well. If you buy something, take it home and try, and it doesn't work...then you have the right to return or exchange even if somewhat used. But as a warning, they are not nice about returns or exchanges! It messes up the counters sales numbers and they have to damage out used product which hurts them. If you are insistent on buying powder or foundation at a counter, be color matched and let it sit on your skin a few minutes and walk outside in real light. If you are satisfied then go back in and buy it, otherwise ask to be re-matched and go outside again. You may drive them crazy and they work on commission, but ultimately it is your face and your money! If you really aren't sure, ask them for a sample and head to out to Target or Walmart to see if you can find it cheaper.

I sincerely hope I have helped shed some light on the plight of shopping for makeup. I hope I've made it easier too! The thing is, there are rules to makeup and rules that are meant to be broken. It's up to us to decide what is right for ourselves, guidance helps but it always our choice in the end. I have worked at makeup counters and I sold well in part because of my philosophy...it's the customer's choice and it was my job to guide, not pressure. Don't be talked into something you don't really like or aren't sure about.

The other thing about makeup is that it is so individual! That's why I love it, I think, because I believe in individuality to my core. Nothing in makeup is permanent and tomorrow is a new day, so keep practicing, trying new things, and learning about yourself. Do not focus on your flaws; view them as a learning tool! We learn from our flaws, both inner and outer....and makeup application does not escape that reality.

Products and Places I mentioned:

Michael's Craft Store (but really any craft store has useful things)

Target and Walmart

Maybelline Super Stay and Fit Foundations, Volume Express Mascaras (Falsies and Colossal), XXL, Great Lash and Lash Stiletto

Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 hr Foundation, Foundation Primer

Covergirl Professional Loose Powder, Trublend Powder and Fresh Complexion powder

Makeup Forever at Sephora or find online...although this is not a cheap brand!

Revlon Illuminance Cream shadow, automatic and regular eye pencils, and liquid eyeliners (felt pen and regular liquid)

Coastal Scents Cosmetics, Shany Coesmetics, BH Cosmetics, and Fash Cosmetics...sold online at amazon, their own websites, or at professional makeup supply stores.

L'oreal Infallible lipcolor, Colour Juice tubes, Double Extend mascara (comparable to Lancome, don't forget!)

Lancome Definicils mascara... not cheap but I did mention it, found at the counter

MAC eyeshadows....also not cheap but found at the counter

Aveeno body lotion...works well for face and priming, it's probably one of the most versatile products that I use.