This is not your mom’s makeup bag….

I have been busy as a bee the last few months teaching and applying makeup all over NYC and the one thing that I find myself repeating over and over to women of all ages is to not be afraid of foundation or powder or lipstick.  ”This is not your mom’s makeup!”  I mean no offense to moms everywhere; after all many fashionable mom’s teach their daughters how to first apply makeup and they are totally correct in their technique and approach. What I’m talking about are the new technologies in makeup and how they have changed.  You wouldn’t assume that I’m going to pull out a car phone the size of a a brick when I go to grab my cell out of my purse, and you shouldn’t assume that when I say foundation that I am talking about a “Pancake” makeup from a Universal Studios silent film in the 1920′s.  The evolution of makeup technology has adapted, just like everything else, as times and needs change.

**Helpful Hint**-If you see someone on public transit with a face full of foundation that looks like “Pancake” they are doing it wrong.  They are using too much, or not applying right, or it is the wrong color for their skin, or (gasp!) all of the above.  Or they are indeed using a pancake makeup they found in the back of someone’s attic from the 1920′s.  When makeup is done right, you never notice it!

(Back to the plot) “Pancake” makeup was invented by Max Factor to be used in silent, black and white movies to enhance the actors features under the lights for the big screen.  It was adapted from theatrical grease paint and it would be really hard to find this anywhere for sale nowadays.  (If you happen to come across it, I would love some for my birthday! ….Just kidding.)  This turned into foundation, which has undergone an extreme change even in the last 20 years.  (I can’t imagine what it was like from the 30′s till the 70′s, but I am trying to find out).  I do know that in my lifetime, we have seen a progression from the super matte texture of the 90′s, where everything was laid on very opaque and full coverage to now, where we are catering to “natural” and HD film technology.  Our options are endless as far as texture, weight, and application are concerned and thus we have the ability to make our ‘canvas’ look like anything we want.  This not only applies to foundation, but to all categories of makeup products.  The makeup of “Today” is beautiful, seamless, and radiant where skin looks like skin and you’re beautiful features shine through.  That is what makes ‘good’ makeup NOW.  End of story.

Fall makeup and what it means to me…..

Fall is coming.  I know this because of two things and neither are a drop in temperature.  One, there are more and more “back to school” ads everywhere I look telling me to buy denim, pencil holders, and trapper keepers.  Two, all the makeup counters are rolling out their fall looks on counter.  I love fall makeup.  It is my favorite season for color and every year I look forward to dusting off all my matte shadows and deep, sumptuous lip colors.  Nothing says fall like a perfect red lip stick, or a plum blush.  This fall, like many that have come before, is all about musky plums and soft greys.  Winged eyeliner is everywhere, the more graphic the better.  Sixties references abound.  Right now I am staring at a certain “W” magazine with a stunning bardot like young actress on the cover and the truth is that I have been staring at it for a week.  This featured young thing is normally a bit awkward, grungy, and modern, but with this Barbarell-ian makeover, she has turned into a sexy, powerful, pin-up kitten.  WOW!  This season is all about transformation.  We see celebrities do it all the time.  And yes, with the help of personal trainers and delivered meals, we too could all look that fabulous.  But the awesome truth is that sometimes, we don’t even have to go that far to feel glamourous or sexy or just all-in-all better about facing the day.  A new lipstick can bring confidence.  A little proper contour can be so slimming, you forget that last week you couldn’t drag yourself to the gym.  I mean it.  I know it’s silly, but sometimes the littlest upgrade to your makeup routine can make you feel like a whole new woman or man.  So I challenge you all this fall to do something different.  Try a new lipstick color!  Try replicating a liner you see in an ad!  If you have trouble deciding what’s for you, tear out some photos of things that catch your eye, and take them to your trusted makeup counter.  Trust me, we artists love to show people something new when they have a specific idea of what they are trying to learn.  Be bold, Be fearless, and stop using that same thing you’ve had in your drawer since high school.   Makeup’s come a long way baby and I encourage you to jump into fall with an open mind and a love of all the possibilities that you can be!

Why Brushes? Or not?

Okay so, let’s be honest.  Whenever a makeup artist such as myself waxes on about the importance of brushes (or heaven forbid, washing them), your eyes probably glaze over and you start thinking for the $50 you would spend on a good brush, you could get 4 lipsticks or 4 shadows, or 2 lipsticks/2 shadows, or……  Anyway, you get the point.  Or you just assume the salesperson at the makeup counter just needs to make her sales goal for the week.  This may all be true, but I just want to take a moment to demystify the makeup brush.  We artists do actually use them for a reason.  We wouldn’t spend the money on brushes if we didn’t have to, or lug them around in our kits for that matter.  You wouldn’t hammer a nail with a fork or use a machete to rip out a seam.  The right tool for the right job.  It may  not seem this way to the makeup beginner, but each brush is indeed used for a specific reason.  Although they look similar, they really do deliver varied results.  And not just synthetic versus natural fiber.  Just the shape alone, distributes product in varied ways.  Today for instance, I was working on a fashion show and found myself struggling to get the color to go on in the same way it was demonstrated.  The key artist had used a different brush and I didn’t have one like it.  And it was more than a little frustrating.  ”But I have  soooo many brushes at this point,” I thought to myself.  How can this be?  Because for every job there is a specific tool and that’s why I will always need more tools.   So I can sympathize with the inability of someone not being able to replicate a look that a makeup artist showed them.  My first question is always, “What brushes are you using?”  This could also be the reason someone’s concealer is caking or creasing or why the shadow looks like a “punch in the eye.”  It could also be a problem with application, but correct application starts with the tools.  That being said, you don’t need to buy a $90 brush if you don’t know what it’s for.  The cheaper brushes may not work as well, so I do suggest not getting the most expensive, nor the cheapest.  (My favorite brand rhymes with SAC.  And it’s not because I have been gainfully employed by them.  They have great brushes.  There are higher quality out there on the market, but  not for the average makeup user who is not doing makeup professionally.)  I suggest at the minimum owning a few eye shadow brushes (blending, crease, and liner), a blush brush, a foundation brush, and a powder brush.  And wash them!!!!  They are going on your face and you don’t want to break out or distribute bacteria from you, to your product, and then back to you in a vicious cycle of face disease.  Wash them at least once a month or something like that.   And just because a brush is marked for a specific job, it doesn’t mean that’s all it can be used for.  I only use eye shadow blending brushes to apply concealer because that is what I find works best for a flawless finish.  The “concealer” brushes really spackle it on and I find that leads to too much product distribution and that leads to a hot mess, i.e. cracking, creasing, and just not pretty.  There are some cases when you will not need a brush.  Whenever you want to warm up a product by using your hands.  Some natural foundations, creme blush or shadow, and lip tints are all good examples.  There are no hard and fast rules because it is personal preference.  You may like to do it a certain way and that makes it correct as long as you get the result you crave.

Part 2: Sponges

If you try a brush and you really like the overall look of a sponge better, by all means, go for it.  The one that is winning most of our hearts is cone shaped and pink and rhymes with ‘beauty spender’. (I’m not here to endorse/promote any one company or product.) A sponge can lead to a more natural “I’m not wearing makeup” finish, especially if you are heavy handed with a brush.   Just make sure if you are washing your sponge, that it is a brand that is meant to be washed.  You will most likely know this because the washable ones start around $25.  If it was $8 or less it is probably meant to be thrown away.  Seriously.  Washing it will breed bacteria.  As my coworker says, ‘You wouldn’t wash your face with the same wash cloth for 6 months would you?’  I sincerely hope not.  When your sponge is a month old, toss it.  If it smells funny, toss it.  I know it sounds obvious, but I can attest to the fact people don’t think about it.  They will show you the makeup they have been carrying for months and peel away a sponge that looks like a coral reef after an oil slick.  Sorry to be graphic, but I feel strongly about your health and the overall finish of your makeup:)

Until next time…….

You’re the expert

I was going to immediately dive into the nitty gritty of “choosing the right foundation” or “why brushes are important” with this post, but I did remember something else that was really essential before we begin our makeup shopping journey together.  When working as a counter makeup artist in the past, there was one phrase that I could really never ever hear again and be perfectly happy and that phrase was “you’re the expert.”  Although, I appreciate this appraisal of all my hard work in the field; blood, sweat, and tears pouring forth to make the world a more beautiful place, it doesn’t really apply to my customizing something for an individual person to go home and enjoy.  If a photographer hires me for a job and shows me the clothes, models, and sets we’ll be working with and I in turn show them my concepts and ask them which they prefer to go with, if they reply “Whatever you want, you’re the expert.”  This is great (and probably a dream).  He/She have hired me to do a job which they trust me to execute based on my  previously assessed abilities, artistic integrity, and concept pitch.  In this situation, I am indeed the expert.  At counter, the conversation usually goes like this

ME:  ”Hi, welcome to ____.  Can I help you find something today?”

You: “Yes, actually.  I need help picking out a lipstick/foundation/eyeshadow.”

ME: “Okay, what did you have in mind?”

You: “Oh, I don’t know…..You pick, you’re the expert!”

Although it is true, that I do make people up for a living, I am not the expert on You!  Only you are the expert on you!  What you like or don’t like.  What works or doesn’t.  What you will or won’t do when you make up your face each day.  I can help you sort through all of the choices offered or recommend what’s right for your tastes and needs once you share them with me, but unless you are a personal friend or family, I wouldn’t blindly tell you what’s right for you.  And maybe not even then.  Because I would probably be wrong.  The usual play out of this unfortunate scenario, is that I pick something I like, that you are not jazzed about, or I automatically go for a “safe” choice that ultimately may not be the most scintillating for you.  Don’t be afraid to be specific.  The more specific you are, the more you are likely to get what you want.  I highly recommend using pictures (just like you would at a hair salon when getting a hair cut) of the lip/eye/face you desire to create.  Makeup is totally visual. All reds are not the same nor are the descriptions used to explain their color.  Sometimes, one man’s red is another man’s mauve.  Pics are worth a million color descriptions.  If you really aren’t sure what you want, that’s totally okay too.  In that case, maybe start with what you don’t want.  Everyone knows what they don’t like.  Look at the options and point.  Or talk about what you have and what you like/dislike about it and what you’d like in your next purchase.  The more we know, the better expert we can be on you!

Does this eyeshadow make my A** look fat?

Now that I have your attention, I’d like to welcome you to my new blog.  In the best possible circumstance, this will be read by you and hopefully shed some light on the things that are troublesome for the average consumer shopping for makeup.  There are tips and helpful hints galore in magazines for women looking for the perfect haircut, or jeans, or LBD, but not much in the way of how to select makeup for your specific needs or how to communicate with the artist at counter to make the most of your interaction.  Also, a lot of what appears in the media is less about you finding the perfect product to meet your needs, but more about the selling of “new” products that are coming out each season.  (Don’t believe me?  Notice how every time an item starts popping up in magazines as the “new must have” in makeup or the “better” blush/eyeshadow/lipstick, that same product appears on counters for sale everywhere.  News Flash, red lipstick does not go in and out of fashion.  Neither does creme blush.  Some people like it, some don’t.  Both are always available, but magazines will constantly recommend them as new items for older/younger/trendier/conservative types.” More on those specific items later.)

If I have my way, never again will you walk into a makeup store overwhelmed by all the choices and intimidated by the people working behind the counter.  It does take time and a little patience to gain this confidence in makeup shopping but all will be revealed as we talk about the different parts that make up a flawless face in the coming blog entries.  Having had experience, both on the job as well as working in retail, I figured I could help demystify this whole process step by step.  Sales people are getting more and more training on how to make the shopping experience the most rewarding for the customer, but all of that is useless unless the customer has some idea of how to steer the ship.  So here we go, first things first……..

What on earth is makeup for???

I know this may seem really basic, but I feel like many women have a misconception about what makeup “looks like” when done correctly and don’t realize that what you see in print, in movies, and on the red carpet ain’t  your grandma’s foundation anymore.    In the best possible circumstance, makeup makes you feel like to best “You” there is.  Whether that be glamorous on a night out or just ready to take on the work day.  Makeup can make you walk a little taller, flirt a little longer, get that job you’ve been after, or just simply pick you up.  It should be fun.  Forget words like pancake, base, winter/spring/summer/fall.  Makeup can be used for the most basic color correction to achieve a natural skin like “no makeup” appearance or to create a highly stylized, theatrical, cirque de soliel application.  There is no right or wrong in choosing what you like; it’s all about comfortability, knowing your audience/environment, and personalization.  If you try on a dress, but it’s too short, too colorful, or itchy (no matter what the saleslady or your best friend says) it’s not the dress for you.  It might look great on you from an outside perspective, but if you don’t feel like a million bucks wearing it and you can’t stop fidgeting, the dress will never feel right.  That being said, going outside of your comfort zone and experimenting can lead to discovery and excitement.  The first time you put on heels, they may not have been that comfortable.  You may have had to get used to them.  Maybe you started with a kitten heel.  The same goes for a bold shade of lipstick or eye liner.  There are many different textures and application techniques.  You can start out small or lightly with something different than your usual go-to.  A collegue of mine said it best, “Wear your makeup, don’t let it wear you.”  You control how it looks in the end.  Everything can be slightly altered depending on the products you use alongside it.  Whatever you do, don’t be afraid to try something new.  It’s just makeup.  It can be gone with the swipe of  makeup remover.