What's a Headshot and why do I need one?

So...that's my temporary headshot.  A headshot is industry lingo for a picture of a person's face or just their head, hence "headshot".  Why do I need one?  Well because a position I recently applied for asked for it. It's industry standard.  I don't know why but I can make a guess.  It's because people want to see what their makeup artist looks like.  Have you ever walked up to a makeup counter and picked who was going to help you based on who's face looked most like what you wanted to look like?  Yeah.  It's like that.
  Why do I look so long suffering you ask?  Because I really really don't enjoy having my picture taken.  It's why I always work behind the scenes.  There are only three people on the planet who have ever been able to take good pictures of me, two of them are professionals.  The other is my husband, who can always make me laugh.  I full well intend to get a professional headshot done, I just needed something quick, so I threw on some makeup, grabbed my camera and a friend and had her take a bunch of shots with the belief that one of them was bound to work.  Now you're looking at it.  And that's the story of the headshot. The End.

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.

LIGHTS!

The lights are situated and I'm open for business!, a photo by The Paper Doll on Flickr.

Well, my lights came in, I set them up and now I'm officially open for business. YAY! Come get your makeup on!

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.

It's a photo shoot!

One of the most important things you need as a makeup artist, other than having a professional attitude and great application skills, is a good portfolio.  It needs to be current, reflect the entire range of your skills, and look professional.  Guess who doesn't have a current portfolio?  Yup. Me.  It's a sad state of affairs indeed. The thing is, I rarely ever have my camera with me after doing someone's face.  You try begging wedding photographers for some of the prints or shots from a wedding you've done.  Maybe you'll have better luck than I have.  We won't even talk about getting stills and reel (the industry term for images from any film work).  Maybe I'm not charming or persistent enough.  Maybe I'm working with the wrong people.  I don't know.
  So here's my solution.  I'm going to throw a party, put makeup on as many faces as I can and get tons of pictures from some other folks who want to work on their portrait skills and/or portfolios.  Yeah, it's going to cost me to rent the space, but it's worth it.  This will ensure I'll have a well lit space to work in with enough room to accommodate everyone.  So if you're in the area and you need a head shot or want to practice your portrait photography, come on by.

What Website?

I'm in the middle of trying to figure out how to set up a website.  Do I even need one?  Everyone else has one.  Or at least that's what it feels like.  This...this is terribly frustrating.  I've already reached the point in my life where almost all technology befuddles me.  I'm surprised I even blog.  My kids are waaaayyyy savvier than I am when it comes to tech.  Maybe I should have them making my site.  They'd be done by now if I had asked them to make it.  My husband wants me to have his company do it.  The last time I asked him to do something it took so long I wound up doing it myself.  He's a genius, but I'm not a paying customer. I'm not on the priority list and honestly, neither is a website.

It's coming together!

It's coming together!, a photo by The Paper Doll on Flickr.

Everything's in place, now all I'm waiting for is my lighting rig and my space will be perfect! It already feels homey and safe and full of potential. Now I just need to do the portfolio building shoot, which means I really need to order those invites. After that I'll be hitting the pavement and building business.
People make that seem so easy in tutorials, seminars, group meetings and books, but it's not. The hardest part is the waiting and not getting discouraged. What they don't tell you is that it takes at least a year to build steady word of mouth traffic and can take more than that to really build your name. I live and work in a small town that tends to be reluctant to accept change. That can be tough. But that's ok. I knew when I got into this that I wasn't doing it for the money. I'm doing it for the love of what I do. I love makeup. I love teaching people about makeup. I love watching people fall in love with makeup. I love watching the difference in a person's confidence levels when they see themselves after a good application. Oh man I'm looking forward to all of the faces that are going to come through that door.

Whatever happened to less is more?

I've recently been doing some intensive blog reading and web browsing in order to brush up on my skills (as a look at my pinterest boards can attest to) and I've been seeing some very defined, obvious makeup.  It leaves me wondering what happened to pared down minimalism or a clean, natural look.  It seems like the only time I see a barely enhanced face is in an ad for skin care or foundation.  I love a dramatic look as much as the next style maven, don't get me wrong.  I just feel like there's a time and a place for it, and it's not every day.  I'm an advocate of enhancing what's already there with subtlety, blending and soft touches of color that mimic or boost your natural coloring so seeing all of these heavily defined, sculpted looks is a little disconcerting.  Some of these eyebrows just look glued on, which intimidates the bananas out of me.  I'm going to spend the next couple of days just looking around at what I see on the faces of the every day local gals and see if that's what people are really doing, or if it's just one of those industry things.

Playtime!

upload, a photo by The Paper Doll on Flickr.

My friend and next door neighbor Cat lets me play with her face whenever I get the urge. You'll be seeing a lot of her here.

Taking big steps

Took some time to talk to a local salon owner about renting a space today.  I think it's time to take a big girl career step and invest in myself.  I've been slinging brushes freelance without a retail/public space for the entirety of my career as a makeup artist and while it's been less expensive, it's also been less productive.  Not to mention the hassle of trying to find a place to hold consults and test runs.  Mostly I had been doing it in my home and I can tell you, with two girls, a dog, a cat, and few places with great natural lighting, that's not so professional.  It'll be nice to not have to scramble to clean the house and stow the kids and animals before a client comes over.
I know the saying "You have to spend money to make money" but actually putting it into practice can be a little...stressful.  To really get things started, there's the initial outlay of portfolio and materials costs.  Then, if you want to up the ante, you've got advertising, networking, retail space, travel and possibly storage depending on your situation.  Right.  And how much are you charging?  Ugh.  In the end, the question you have to ask yourself over and over is "Is it worth it."  I know I'm asking myself that now.  How much is this worth to me? The answer?  I don't know yet.  Right now I'm going to try and see how it works out, because if I don't try, I'll never know, and I really don't like what if.  So here I go, I'm going to hitch up my pants and take a big step.  Wish me luck.

The kit

The kit, a photo by The Paper Doll on Flickr.

What to pack in the train case? There never seems to be enough room for all of the things I want to carry with me.

Brush Roll

Brush Roll, a photo by The Paper Doll on Flickr.

Oh it's so nice to see these beauties all packed up and ready to go.

It's time to break out the brushes and dust off my travel gear

After a long hiatus (3+ years), I'm feeling like it's time to pull out my brushes and get back to making people up.  I took some time off so that I could focus on being a mom to a new baby girl and my first girl and recharge my creative batteries but now, that old familiar craving is creeping up on me.  I feel the need to get my hands messy and make someone, anyone, everyone beautiful.  Or at least more colorful.  This is one of the things I love to do and I really had ignored it and denied it for three years.  I barely even made up my own face.  These past three years have been great, I've had fun watching my girls become the people they're growing up to be.  I love the fact that I've been here for them every new step of the way, I wouldn't trade that time for anything, but now I'm a little restless.  I'm not ready for the full on hectic travel schedule of being on set all the time.  I'm going to ease on in with some weddings and photo shoots, a little local work.  Once my girls are older and more self sufficient, I just might throw myself into this all the way.  Maybe.  I really love my bed, my home and my family a little too much to be gone as often as I would have to be if I did this thing full time.  For now, I'm just enjoying getting back into the swing of things.  YAY Makeup!