CANDACE COREY BEAUTY BLOG
These are some of the day to day events that happen to me as a professional makeup artist.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

New year and a new president! I got a chance to do grooming on Tony Potts for Access Hollywood again to see all of Barack Obama's old hang out places in Chicago. We went every where! We went to his family's favorite resturant, the place he took his wife Michelle for their very first date and even to his personal barber shop on Hyde Park.

His barber of choice?.... Zariff. Since he had great skin I didn't have to do much to get him ready for the show just a little bit of powder to tone down the shine on his skin. With me being only 5'2" and he was over 6 feet tall I felt like I needed an elevator just to reach his face but he was patient with me and bent down so I could reach him. "This is my first time I've ever had my own makeup artist so I definitely want to get a picture of this!" he said jokingly.

Zarriff has cut President Obama's hair for many many years, even before he was a candidate for the presidency. So it wasn't surprising that the new president brought him along to the White house to keep his mane picture perfect for all of the media segments and important meetings he would now have.

So what is the most popular hair cut at the barber shop now? The Barack Obama hair cut of course!

Beauty Questions

Beauty question: "Can you tell me what they use on the inner corner of eyes for highlight. Jennifer Hudson wears it a lot. What color or product do you know to get the effect?"- from Diana in Illinois.

Answer: Kevyn Aucoin Beauty used to have a product specifically for that but it is discontiued but you can use any nude, white, gold or bronze based shimmery (preferably not frosty) eye shadow to achieve the same thing. I like creams because you can blend them into the skin better to look like it is glowing instead of just makeup sitting on top.

For parties you can add an extra punch to your look by using one that has a bit of diamond-like sparkles to it for additional drama. I love the POP Glitter stix for that. I suggest the nude shade but you can also use silver as well. POP Beauty products are based in the UK but can be found at the new 360 stores or you can get it online for less then $10.00!



Beauty question: "How can I contour my face to make it look slimmer in the DAY TIME? I have fair skin and its more on the oily skin. I'm not sure what and how to use it. Also can you do videos on your blog demonstrating- from our questions?" from Ana in California.

Answer: Great idea!...I might do videos in the future. For now I'll give you some easy step by steps to do.

For oily skin I think it is easier to work with a powder. Use a face powder that is 1 or 2 shades darker then your skin tone. You don't even have to use any thing fancy to contour your face, you can try L'Oreal Bare Naturale Translucent in Medium. It has a build in brush and the powder is loose so it may be easier for you to use. If you don't want to use the brush applicator try using a clean blush brush.

Start by smiling so you can locate the apple of your cheek. Take your finger and put it in the center of the apple, then drag your finger down to the bottom edge of the apple of your cheek. This will be your stopping point!

Put a little bit of powder on the brush and apply powder sparingly from the bottom of your cheek bone at your hair line to the center bottom of the apple of your cheek. Make sure you use a little bit...not a lot...you can always add more if you need it. You don't want a dark racing stripe that you can't get rid of, you just want to shape your face a little so it looks contoured yet natural.

Now apply the same line of powder below the line you created. Yep!...that's what I said...another one! Make sure you stop at the same point as the first one...just lower. Now add one more...getting the hang of it yet?.....well make this one lower then the previous one. Now you should have a wide stipe on your face.

Ok! Ok!...don't panic! I'm not going to leave this way! Now comes the blending part! With a face powder brush buff the powder until it's not very noticable but you can still see the benefits of the contouring. I like to do circles when I'm buffing because it blends the edges better and gives it a softer look. This will make your face look slimmer but won't be noticable.

If you are heavy handed, just top everything with your regular face powder to tone it down even more. Now voila!...slim...contoured face for the day time. You can try the same thing with bronzing powder when you have a tan in the summer just be sure to BLEND! BLEND! BLEND!



Beauty question: "What should I keep in mind when doing my make up to come out well in my wedding photos? I am planning to do my own make up versus having someone doing it."- from Elizabeth in Texas.

Answer: There are several things you can do on your own to look your best for your wedding. If plan to do any professional procedures like tooth whitening or eyelash extensions make sure you know the best time to get them done.

Eyelash extensions need 24 to 48 hours for the adhesive to cure or your extensions can come off, which is very important to know especially if you plan a honeymoon where swimming will be involved. For teeth whitening you need to wait at least 24 hours before you drink or eat anything that can stain your teeth. So plan the procedure in plenty of time BEFORE your wedding day. Some companies like the Da Vinci Teeth Whitening, will even do the tooth whitening as part of your bachelorette party so you and your friends can all have fun and look good for your wedding at the same time.

The closer it gets to your wedding day the more stressful it can become. causing skin to break out or become more dry so do facials and special skin masks at least 1 month before the day of your wedding. It will help relieve stress and give your skin any additional things it may need while your nerves are on edge.

You don't always have to go to a professional to get a facial, you can do it yourself. Try doing back to back masks to give your skin an added boost. Since your body repairs itself when you rest this is the perfect time to start using anti-aging moisturizers at night to help your skin to glow the day of your wedding.

For makeup stay away from a lot of shine and shimmer all over the face. Only have shine exactly where you want it or your skin can appear greasy in your photos. Great places to add shimmer to the face would be the inner corners of the eyes, the center of the eye lid, lips and upper outer cheek bones (just a little bit) AFTER you have applied all other blush and makeup. One of my favorite products to use is Julie Hewett cheekie & shimmer duo because it is a blush and shimmer that you can use it on lips and cheeks. It has a natural look and doesn't look greasy on skin.

Congratulations on your special day!





Next month will be more beauty answers so keep sending me those questions!

MY FAVORITE THINGS

This month I don't have a favorite thing...I have a favorite event! The Bronzeville Bridal Expo. The event will be held on April 26, 2009.

Since I am the beauty director for Brides Noir magazine I am always excited to do our bridal expo. We will have fashion shows, cake decorators, prizes and more! This year the sponsors are Macy's department store, Grey Goose Vodka and Rome's Joy Catering. It will be held in Obama's old neighborhood. I'll even be giving makeup tips! I hope to see you there!