An old friend of mine has gotten a makeover. It's not what you think though....it's not a woman but a magazine called Bride's Noir! I've had the pleasure of working with Bride's Noir for a number of years now, as a contributing creative director and makeup artist for some of their shoots. Well now they have revamped themselves!Bride's Noir magazine was the only African American bridal magazine in the United States for quite some time. There are a couple other ones now, but Bride's Noir stood out because it didn't look like....well...a typical BRIDAL magazine.
Sure it had some bridal gowns in it, but it has a stronger fashion edge to it that sets it apart from the other bridal magazines.Now.....it's changing!....well at least it's web site has. It now has online articles, various resource links and some online fashion spreads. You can read one of the articles that I wrote for men by clicking onto the "About Face" image shown above.
Here are a few images that I did makeup and hair on for them but drop by the Bride's Noir link to see more!
I am usually very very busy each month on magazine shoots, commercial shoots and tv appearances but this was the first time I worked until I dropped! Not from exhaustion but from LAUGHTER!
One of my favorite shoots this month was for comedians!...for "The Godfathers of Comedy" show!
If' you've ever seen the Kings of Comedy, then you know what I'm talking about! My assistant, Diana Arce (MAW Makeup Artist of the Year winner), and I got the opportunity to work with 5 hilarious comedians!
The comedians were:
Frank Santorelli-who has played Georgie the bartender from the Sopronos. He also played on Meet the Parents, Spin City, Law in Order and was on the Conan O' Brien show.
Willie Fratto-who has packed houses at the showrooms in Vegas at the Sahara, Tropicana and the Riviera.
John Caponera-who was a regular on The Drew Carey show and appeared on ER and the David Letterman show.
Paul D'Angelo- who has written and directed several sitcom series, and was named Boston's best comedian.
Rocky LaPorte-who was named Las Vegas Comedy Festival "Comedian of the Year", and has appeared on the Tonight show and the film "The Shaggy Dog".
The comedians were from various locations, but all came together to put on a live performance at the Arcada Theatre in Illinois. The theatre is almost 90 years old, so it was beautiful inside!
From the moment that they sat in our chairs the laughter went on and on! The show was filmed in front of a live audience by Los Angeles director Rocco Urbisci and producer Neal Marshall, who was one of many producers on this project. It has plans to air on HBO as "The Italian Kings of Comedy" later on in the year.
They also had a few backstage clips in it, so you might see me working on the guys right before they come on stage. So if you want to laugh until your sides hurt?!!...then look for the video and cable show! Hopefully this will spin into a tour for them.
If you are like me, when the weather heats up you want to start showing off your skin and the Summer makeup to go with it. Click onto the image to see the "Sun Shower" beauty story for Summer color looks.
We used Jade for the model in this shoot. One of my favorite photographers Fred Ramirez took the pictures and Tasha Manney assisted me.
Jade is the typical blond, that had fair skin and freckles, but we changed all of that by making her look tan! Yep!...that's right!...Her tan isn't real. Models have to keep their skin particularly safe from the suns harmful rays, so we tanned her with a special mixture that I created.
We applied it with regular makeup techniques and airbrushing to make her skin look smooth and even. It took a while to achieve but as you see, it was worth it. Jade was so happy, she didn't want to take it off. Jade exclaimed, "Wow! This is the darkest I've ever been! I'm going home to show my boyfriend."Now that you visited the Sun Shower story do you want more beauty tips? No problem! You've asked me so I'm tellin' ya! Here are the answers to your beauty questions!
Beauty Questions
Beauty question: "I actually I have a question about Make up artists in my area. The only ones i know are the ones at cosmetic counters and I have not found much help with them. I'm currently looking for looks for my Wedding and can't seem to find the right one. I would like to talk to a profesional makeup artist but don't know how to get ahold of one." - from Talyssa in Oklahoma
Answer: In reference to a makeup artist in Oklahoma....well..I don't know of one. You can also talk to a wedding coordinator for a makeup artist referal. But sometimes a makeup counter is your only option to work with.
Before you get a makeup artist the first thing I would do is my homework! Be prepared to know the look you want for your special day by deciding on a "style" you want. For example...if your dress was very fitted, and you had elegant table dressing then I would feel that your style is sophistacated and glamorous. Then look in InStyle magazine or Allure magazine to find the look that is in tune with your style. So maybe simple eyes with rich lips would be the perfect look for your wedding style.
If you have to use someone from a makeup counter, there are ways to find a good one to work with. Go to the makeup counter and ask each counter who does the best makeup application in the whole cosmetic department. By going from counter to counter, it will be easier to get a more accurate answer.
If you can't find "that person" at your favorite department store, don't settle. Be preparted to go to other stores outside of your normal area to other surrounding areas. If you still can't find one, then ask the account coordinator of your favorite makeup brand who their best makeup artist is, because it might be a freelance makeup artist that is only in the stores occassionally.
Once you have your artist, make sure to book that person for your trail run inside the store, but book them also for your wedding day OUTSIDE of the store. When you are doing the trail make sure you purchase the makeup for your whole look. Then on the day of the wedding, you have all the supplies you need for any emergency touch ups. Also be prepare to pay for your makeup person on the day of the wedding too. Make sure you discuss that fee during the trail run so you know what to expect.
Beauty question: "Is foundation with SPF bad for taking pictures? What do you consider to be the best photo friendly foundation?"- from Jennifer in New York
Answer: Many foundations have SPF in them. The higher the SPF, the more reflective it will be due to the high content of titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are the ingredients used toblock the sun's damaging rays, but they also block light for photography as well causing you skin to appear white and ashy in your images.
A great foundation to use when you are going to get pictures taken is Bobbi Brown cosmetic Foundation Stick. It comes in a big tube, much like a lipstick, so it is easy to just draw away your imperfections while it's creamy texture makes blending a breeze. It's also great if you travel because it won't spill in your bag.
If you are still concerned about sun protection, put a sunblock on FIRST before your foundation. A great one to try is Cosmedicine Global Health™ Face UVA/UVB SPF 30 Sunscreen With Antioxidants . It gives you total sun protection without the heavy greasy filling you can get on your skin. Sold exclusively at Sephora.
Beauty question: "How do I stop my mascara and eyeliner from running? What color of eye shadow would make my big brown eyes look smaller or more beautiful?"- from anonymous in New York
Answer: If you are having problems with your mascara running, it is most likely due to improper eye makeup removal. Many people wash their faces but don't take the time to remove eye makeup with eye makeup remover unless they are using waterproof products. Since your lashes are hair, eye makeup remover can remove all traces of makeup that cling on lashes that regular skin products just can't do. Try using Avène Micellar Lotion . It cleanses, tones and removes your makeup all in one step.....without having to rinse your face so you don't even need a sink. Great for those who are always on the go!
Eyeliner problems are a different situation. Pencil liners usually have wax in them, so when you use them, the heat from your skin warms the pencil causing it to run down your face later on in the day. Here are a couple of application options that you can choose from:
Option 1. If you are a pencil lover, try only drawing your line half way. Then take a thin flat eyeliner brush and blend the pencil the rest of the way. This will create a thinner layer of liner without taking away from the look that you want to create. If you still have a problem with it running, put a thin line of matching powder eye shadowon top of the pencil line, to set it.
Option 2. Instead of using a pencil, take a flat eye liner brush and use powder eye shadow instead. For a "liquid eyeliner" effect, wet your brush before dipping into the powder eyeliner and apply as usual. When the liner dries, it will still appear wet like the liquid liners without any of the smearing. Try Japonesque brushes or Sonia Kushak brushes found at Target or Ulta stores.
Great colors to make brown eyes stand our are shades blue and purple. Here is a looks that is simple yet sophisticated. Dust the lids in a shade deep shade of purple, like Aubergine or greyish purple. Apply color from lash to slightly past crease. Then line the top lash line with a navy blue. Keep the line thin for a classice look, or slightly thicker for a more sultry look. The liner will enrich your eye color without appearing blue.
Those were great beauty questions and I love answering them for you so keep them coming! If you would like to get your beauty question answered click onto the link and let me know what it is and I will post your answer here too!
MY FAVORITE THINGS I usually talk about makeup and skin care but this time I would like to talk about hair products!...AGAIN! I had to work on a male model that I had to work on for a Speedway ad who had such thick short hair, it was hard to work with. The model gave me a great hair product to use called Glued Styling Spiking by Got 2 B. It was perfect! It was just like...well.... GLUE! No greasey sticky feeling that you get with some pomades. It made the "piecey" "semi spikey" look easy to create.
Check it out!
