Hello everyone,
It's now March...and warmer weather is on the way. Time to start wearing less layers and working on making your skin look AMAZING! Beautiful skin is always the focus when the weather gets warmer.
One thing that is great about being a makeup artist is that I've had a chance to work at some great locations that were not only warm but very beautiful.
In these images, I did the hair and makeup while we were in the Bahamas, Curacoa and Jamaica. It's a little trickier to work in the salty air with sand blowing, but going to these gorgeous destinations make it all worth it.
Any time you have skin showing, it needs to be smooth and glowing. A body scrub is the perfect product to do the trick. Even though it's my job to keep models looking good I wanted to get something new just for me too. So on my quest to find a new body scrub I came across one by Lise Watier's.
This Lise Watier SPA sugar body scrub was fantastic! I loved how it buffed away dry skin with a refreshing scent of citrus. The grains are so fine that it polishes your skin without scratching it. It makes the skin smooth as silk and leaves a subtle fragrance on our skin that makes a man say "Mmmmm!" Smelling good and looking good too?!....Can't beat that!
Hmmm?! Just thinking about that makes me want to just throw on a sarong and hop a plane to an exotic island right now.
Well, since that isn't going to happen any time soon, I'll just have to do something else to get my mind off of those warm sandy beaches, and water so clear you can see the bottom of the ocean. Is it obvious that shaking that thought is a lot harder to do?! LOL
I know....let me answer some of your beauty questions. Makeup can always put me in a "warm" mood no matter what the weather is like.
Beauty question: "I am a hairstylist and Makeup artist. What do you think is the best way for me to promote or market myself to get clients?" -Kimberly in California
Answer: Your question is not really a beauty question it is a business question, but I will be happy to answer it anyway for you.
There are many parts of the industry. There is television, film, editorial, commercial, music videos, national or regional makeup artist for cosmetic counters, and working in salons. The list keeps going. The first thing you need to do is to decide what part of the industry you want to be in so you can to understand what types of clients you are trying to reach. Then you can use the needed promotional pieces that will grab their attention and open doors. I started holding Mind your Business classes to help artists like yourself learn to focus your work towards the clientele that you want to reach. To get more information about the class just click onto the words.
Beauty question: "I like a soft glow but the Revlon Skinlights lotion and the powder is VERY glittery, and not very natural." -Jane Doe in Scotland
Answer: Sometimes it is not the product, it is the application. I have used the Revlon Skin Lights powder and lotion many times, and can get different effects depending on HOW I use it. Here are some tips specifically for you:
Subtle glow:
After you put on your makeup...foundation, powder, blush...the works. Use the Skin Lights powder according to your shade. Try Bare Light (if you are fair with cool undertones) Warm Light (if you are fair with warm undertones) or Golden Light (if you are darker in complexion). I only use the Natural light when I want more of a "sparkly" white effect....kind of a "Look At Me!" effect.
Use a fan brush (not a face or blush brush) to apply it. When you brush the fan brush in the product, dust off the excess by tapping it on the container, and then brushing if on the back of your hand. Since it is a loose powder, it is easy to pick up too much of it. After you brush it on the back of your hand, to remove even more product...then lightly dust it on the TOP of the cheek bones starting closer to your eye area, and working down towards the apples of your cheek. If you start with the apples of your cheek and you use too much...you will look like you are trying to be Tinkerbell. If you need more Skin Lights....use what is on the BACK OF YOUR HAND instead of getting more from the container. Dust product onto skin in the areas mentioned before....making sure to work with the product that is on the back of the hand first instead of dipping into the container.
CHECK TEST:
To make sure you are GLOWING and not looking like a teenage sparkle queen....step back and turn your head left and right to see if the sheen is at the intensity that you want. Many people put on too much because they can't see the shine by just looking straight ahead.
OOPS!:
Ok...you just JACKED YOUR FACE UP! and you are blinding people when they walk past you. What do you do now?! No problem!...start with some tissue and PAT (what are you doing?!...i didn't say rub! Pat woman! Pat!....LOL) the area first. This will lift off some of the product. Now if you just went hog wild...then use a clean sponge..those things are like erasers. Then top it with your face powder. This will tone the shine down to look more natural. You can also add a little blush again if you feel you need it. Now you are ready to get your glow on!
Question: "I'm driving myself crazy trying to find the perfect foundation." -Kristi in the USA
Answer: If you already have various foundations that have the right shade, but you feel like the coverage is looks heavy then change your makeup application technique.
After you wash your face, pat skin dry so their is a layer of moisture on your skin. Then put on 2 parts moisturizer to 1 part foundation. Start with the areas of imperfection...which is usually in the center of the face, and blend out and down towards your hair line. This will make your foundation glide on your skin instead of grabbing, causing you to use more product than you need.
When you are finished putting on a thin coat of foundation, giving your skin the look of clarity, then add more foundation in areas that need more coverage but PAT the foundation in those areas. If you feel that you need MORE coverage in those areas, use concealer on your imperfections first (if your concealer is lighter than your skin)....or last (if your concealer matches your skin perfectly).
This will give you a flawless look, without a heavy "made up" look to your skin.
To keep your makeup from looking "heavy" make sure that you don't use heavy shades on eyes or lips after you have set our skin up. Try using Stila's convertible color on cheeks and lips, to give the look of "flushed" skin instead of "blush and lipstick".
Use Victoria's Secrets Mosaic in Spice as your eyeshadow instead of traditional shades. Skip pencil eye liner, and instead use bronzing powder as your eye liner with a flat eyeshadow brush. YOU and your skin will be the focus instead of your makeup.

For touch ups, instead of using tons of powder for touch ups, use blotting papers instead. Try using Victoria's Secrets blotting paper. If you are in a penny pinch you can use roller tissues as blotters too....hee hee. The hair roller tissues are used for the same thing on hair to absorb any excess product (and to keep the hair in place too while rolling it). For a great substitute for your regular powder for TOUCH UPS in the summer...try rice powder. It is sooooo thin and sheer, you face never gets cakey. If you have oily skin, you will have more touchups than most people, so cut down on carrying a lot of products and get a Little Blot Book by Tarte. It has blotting papers and tissue thin touch up powder in a cool purple little leather book so you look good while your looking GOOD!
OK! I'm fine now. Now I can get back to work in this windy city. I gave you a glimpse but next month I will start a new feature...."MY FAVORITE THINGS". So you can see some of my favorite makeup, hair and skin care products that I like using on and off the set! Keep those beauty questions coming! And if you ever want to join my blog email list, but let me know! See ya next month.