Before and After 2, Karissa

A big thanks to Karissa for letting me play with her face.  She came into the salon to visit with me and get her hair done and left with hair AND makeup.  Karissa has fabulous skin and a face I could make up over and over and not get tired of. She is also one of those people who cannot stop blinking and flinching when you apply makeup to her so it gets pretty lively and very amusing when it comes time to do the mascara and eyeliner.  I used MAC's face and body for the foundation with NYX's HD Studio Finishing powder and NYX Dewy finish setting spray for the skin.  The face and body foundation would have been fine on it's own but I was experimenting.  On lips are Flower's nude lip pencil and MAC's Blankety lipstick.  I've been using NYX's Black Bean jumbo pencil with a MAC 266 or 212 to get a nice controlled black line.  It can be smudgy on some lids so you can set it with black eyeshadow or a translucent powder like the HD Studio Finishing powder or you can just use a gel liner made specifically for eye lining.  Again, I've been experimenting.  I used MAC's Malt eyeshadow to fill Karissa's brows.  She made it very clear that she did not want me to groom them at all.  I respected that.  You should always listen to your clients if you want repeat business.  It's hard sometimes, but it must be done.  You may know what looks best, but they know what they like best and sometimes the two don't meet.  Lucky for the both of us, Karissa's brows are pretty good looking and don't need much help from either of us.  So that's Karissa before and after.  Thanks Karissa!

The Mini MAC Haul

Clockwise from Left to Right Red Brick Matte eyeshadow, Swiss Chocolate Matte eyeshadow, Saddle Matte eyeshadow, Clear Lipglass, N5 Face and Body foundation, N1 Face and Body foundation. 

MAC has this great program called "Back 2 MAC" where you can bring your empty MAC containers and get free stuff back.  I have a huge bag of empties.  Like, hundreds of empties.  You see, tragically I live far far away from any MAC counter.  I have to drive no less than an hour to reach the closest MAC counter and farther than that to reach a stand alone store.  Today I happened to be visiting my sister, who lives less than 10 minutes from a stand alone store.  Guess who got to turn in 24 empties?  That's right, this girl.  If you return your empties to a stand alone store you get to pick either an eyeshadow, a lipglass or a lipstick so long as the lipglass or lipstick is not from the Viva Glam collection.  If you're wondering what that B on the lipglass is about, its to indicate that its a Back 2 MAC item.  So, if you have 7 empties, head to your nearest MAC retail spot and get some freebies.
  The Face and Body bottles were paid for.  I was told that they don't need to be thinned out to go into an airbrush, but my airbrush must have issues because its a little too thick for it.  I'm going to try adding mixing medium to it and see how that works, I think a three to one ratio, three drops of FAB to 1 drop of mixing medium should do it.
Speaking of mixing medium, I'm putting a tutorial together on how to mix your own airbrush foundation.  I'm beginning to wonder if perhaps I'm just a dunce when it comes to airbrushing. It's either that or I'm just having a run of bad luck with foundations and my airbrush.  So far, L'oreal's True Match Naturale has been the only foundation that's worked according to plan.  Too bad it's so limited in color selection.  Funny thing that, not everyone is pale and pink.  Why haven't drugstore brand cosmetics realized that yet?  And why do they assume everyone's pale?  If you go to Khol's you can find a fairly decent selection by Vera Wang, they've got a nice deep color, but it runs to the orange and there is glitter in the formulation.  I think it's supposed to create a glowing complexion but really...it just looks like you're going out clubbing.  Glitter may be my favorite color, but I also believe in moderation.  It doesn't belong on your face on a regular work day.  Unless it's a part of your job, in which case, tear it up!

Things I have learned recently

So I've learned quite a few things recently and I'm going to share them with you in the hopes that I'll save you some time and money.

1.  When making your own airbrush foundation, don't use MAC's loose mineralize powder.  It's super fine milled and coated in silica, which means it sure doesn't mix with a water based mixing medium.  You'll wind up with a funky sludge that clogs your airbrush machine and doesn't actually work.

2.  When hosting a free event to build your portfolio...schedule everything.  Schedule the people coming in to get their makeup in 1.5 hour time slots.  Schedule your hair people to actually show up and be there the entire time.  Schedule your photographers to be there, that's really important.

3.  Don't run yourself ragged or you'll have two weeks of miserable recuperation.

4.  When doing makeup on those crazy heads hair students use.......you know what?  I'll just do a tutorial on that.  I've been doing makeup on all of those heads recently in order to put Halloween faces up for people to see when they come to the salon.  Much like face charts, those mannequin heads aren't much like putting makeup on a human face.  Its almost easier to load the airbrush machine with acrylic medium and paint the stuff on than to try and get regular makeup to work.  I'm staring at the one I most recently did and wishing I had done exactly that.

Some happy news?  I'm totally going to the MAC store in the Pentagon mall.  I'm going to go visit my sister and I figured I'd just grab my huge bag of empties and go shoppin'!  I hope they have Face and Body there.  I have color cosmetics coming out of my ears but I have no airbrush foundation....well I have 2 but they're subpar in my opinion.  Wish me luck and a safe trip.  I'll post my haul on Monday.

100!

Yay, this blog has now had 100 views.  I know, I checked.  I didn't think anyone read this, I even double checked to make sure that it wasn't counting my own views, as I've psyched myself out this way before.  Ok so maybe the majority of those views were spam bots, I don't care.  100 is a big number.  Thanks to ya'll with human eyeballs who've taken the time to read, I appreciate it.
In case you were wondering what those lovely products are in the pictures, here they are from left to right. t Chanel glossimer in Galactic, MAC's skinfinish powder in Whisper of Gilt and MAC's Beauty Powder in Tahitian Sand.  They were tucked away in my personal cache of makeup.  One day I'll take a picture of my work stash versus my personal makeup stash.  It will be really quite revealing.  Actually it will show that I wear very little makeup on a daily basis and that I save all the good stuff for my clients.  My beauty regimen involves moisturizer, cleanser, lots of water, for washing and for drinking, sleep and tons of vitamin supplements.  That and well groomed brows.  Everything else is icing on the cake.  Makeup is for date nights, light work days, and playtime.  I practically have to hire a babysitter to be able to put my makeup on without having to run interference with my kids and animals. I'd rather sleep those extra 10-20 minutes than put my face on.  I have a very comfortable bed. It's a shameful state of affairs.

Makeover break!

My model for this post is the lovely Katie, you'll be seeing more of her as she works in the same salon as I do.  I caught her doing her face and forced her into my chair so I could get some practice in.  I also wanted to try some new stuff I had just bought.

Product list:
Urban Decay Naked Skin Beauty Balm as a primer
Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer
Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream in Fair
Smashbox Halo Hydrating Perfecting Powder in Fair
NYX Wonder Pencil in Light
NYX Jumbo Pencil in Cashmere ( I LOVE this pencil, I have multiples just in case)
MAC eyeshadow in Arena
MAC pressed mineral blush in Warm Soul
Flower Kiss Stick lipstick in Coral Floret
Flower lip liner in Nude

Face Charts

When you don't have faces to work on, face charts are supposed to be the next best thing. I'm not sure who thought that up but I'd like to point something very obvious out. Paper is flat, faces are not. Also, paper does not have varied skin tones the way human faces do. That said, they are a great tool for keeping track of what makeup you've used on a client and for coming up with new color combinations and looks.
For me, they're an artistic challenge. Getting the shading to look realistic on the paper is not easy for me. It forces me to really observe the way light shapes a three dimensional object. Getting the reflected light right on a glossy lip is like the challenge of a century when it comes to my face charts. I also get a mite frustrated with blending and keeping the color and texture of the makeup to remain true on paper. Try getting the glitter in a sparkly eyeshadow to stay on paper without glue or primer. Dare ya.
Coloring with makeup is not the same as coloring with crayons. I take so long to do a really good face chart that it's probably easier for me to find a model, put makeup on said model, and take a picture. So why do I do face charts? Because it makes me a better makeup artist. By forcing myself to transform a flat piece of paper into a realistically shaded and beautifully made up face, I'm exercising artistic talents that I need to transfer the idea in my head to the three dimensional face successfully. 
I have a selection of more beat up older brushes and makeip that I use just for face charts. Whenever inspiration strikes or I'm feeling particularly smug I pull my kit out and get to work.

Prime time!

Wow, I found a topic that The Beauty Department hasn't completely covered.  I love that blog! If you love makeup, and you haven't stumbled across that blog, it's time to add a new bookmark.  So, I want to talk to you about primers.  Don't worry, this will be less uncomfortable than that time someone sat you down for "The Talk".  Do you currently use a primer?  For anything?  There are quite a few out there and it can be confusing so I'm going to simplify it.  Get the best of what you can afford.  There.  Everyone's different, everyone's skin is different so everyone's primer experience is going to be different.  I can't give you a miracle panacea primer, I can just tell you why I use them, how I use them, and which ones I use.  So here goes.
Why use a primer?  Because you want everything to stay where you put it and look good while it's there. Primers help pigments adhere to skin.  It's like painting a wall with primer before you get the color on, or putting gesso on a canvas before you start to paint.  You're preparing the skin's surface to receive makeup.  But like everything in life, too much of a good thing isn't good.  More primer isn't going to be better, it's just going to get cakey or pill or roll or crease.  It's not a good look. Be easy.
Nobody pays me to endorse products.  I don't even think anyone reads this thing honestly so if I suggest something, it's because I love it.  Like, crazy love it.  Like, I can't believe I put makeup on anyone without this stuff love it.
That said, here are my favorite primers and why:
All MAC primers:  No joke.  I'm a MAC certified artist formerly of the Cville VA counter. Every time they came out with a new primer, I lost my mind over it.
Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion:  It doesn't move. In fact, without some good makeup remover, you're going to have a time getting it off.
Urban Decay's Naked Skin face primer: It looks ridiculously peach when it comes out of the tube, but your skin looks amazing after application.  Sometimes, that's all I wear on my skin, no foundation, no tinted moisturizer.
L'oreal's Magic Lumi: It's more of an illuminator/highlighter but it does brighten dull skin and mixes well with foundations and tinted moisturizers.
L'oreal's Magic Perfecting Base:  Not quite good enough to wear alone, it kind of has a sticky quality if you don't set it with powder or apply your foundation of choice over.  It still looks lovely and wears well on my dry skin. A little bit goes a long way.
Urban Decay's Ozone Lip Pencil: Its clear!  Its an amazing barrier against color bleed!  I love it!  I don't usually like lip primers because they don't address chap issues.  If you have chapped lips, you need to exfoliate.  No primer can fix that, but a moisturizing one can help prevent it from getting as bad.  Also, no primer in the world is going to help a lip biter like me.  I've chewed off more lip product than I can even count.

In summation, find a primer you like, use it sparingly so it doesn't gum up and get gross, and fall in love with makeup that doesn't move.