LOVE catalogs... and now I will be a part of one!

I've been working with a cosmetics line called Zana Cosmetics.  I love the products and the philosophy behind it.  This line is new and is based in Los Angeles and I am excited and honored to be part of the team.  I'm not sure if I will be selling any of the products since I am not much of a seller, but if anyone is interested in any of the products or have questions, feel free to ask!  :)

They are working on a whole new website and catalog and I was one of the couple of Makeup Artists that was asked to contribute my skills.  I cannot wait to see the rest of the photos and the final production, but I did get to see one of the many looks that I did on the photo shoot.

Of course this is not your typical every day makeup, but it is bright, fun, and funky and I love it!

Again, this isn't the final product, but so far, I likey!  I can't wait to see the rest of it... and of course, I will share it with yah!

The BEST Makeup Line? Eh...

Updates coming soon... I promise this time!

I just wanted to make a quick post about something thats been on my mind for quite awhile.  :)

Often times, people ask me what brand of makeup I use.  I can never come up with just one or two answers because that would be lying.  I use all different lines and kinds of makeup.  I still cannot think of one line that is good for everything.  If there was, then the other lines wouldn't exist, right?

Most people love the tried and true MAC.  I like MAC... but I don't love it for everything.  There are often times when my friends are convinced that the Makeup Artist who uses all MAC products is the best one to hire because this, to them, is "high quality".  Eh... its alright.  And if you think that MAC is expensive, then you are definitely in for a surprise.  MAC is actually one of the more inexpensive lines that I've worked with.  Quality is there... but it can also be found elsewhere.

Name one line, and I bet you that I have something in my makeup kit from that line.  Try me! 

Yes, you would want to have the best of the best when it comes to makeup, but you don't have to sell yourself short because you don't have the Chanel eyeshadows (which I dreamt of last night) or the Laura Mercier lipsticks. 

I truly believe that a great makeup artist can work with anything that they have.  Throw me a few Wet & Wild products or N.Y.C. lipsticks and I'll show you what can be done.  ;)

By the way... not to contradict myself, but most of the products in my kit are MAC.  Not because I think that its the best thing to have, but I did go through a few years of a MAC obsession and that was all that I would buy.  I know better now.  MAC, I love you... but I have to let you know that you are not the only one I love.

Signed,

The Makeup Artist with the BIG Heart <3

All the FUN is Backstage... really!

On Saturday, I had the opportunity to work with some amazing Makeup Artists in downtown Los Angeles.  We worked on a theatrical fashion show, which turned out to be FABULOUS!  I cannot wait to get the pictures from the show to share with all of you. 

One of the most rewarding things about being a Makeup Artist is meeting and working with people who share the same passion as you.  Each one of these artists and I met for the first time backstage, and we just had SO much in common and to talk about.  We even had some down time to be silly and have a little fun.  Here are some of the pictures of us backstage.  I wish I could have taken more pictures, especially of the models, but working on a runway show, there is no such thing as time to take pictures of and/or with the models because our focus and attention is 100% on getting the job done.  There is no time out card or redo... its intense, crazy, and I love it! 

When I first walked in, there were about 30 makeup artists from a makeup school.  Boy, was I intimidated because I never went to makeup school.  After talking to some of them though, it was their first makeup gig, so I felt a little bit better about not having the background they did because I have experience to compensate (I think).  I must say though, that all of their skills were superb!  Lucky for me, I was one of the four makeup artists chosen to work upstairs... backstage during the show.  That means we were the chosen ones to do the harder work... the transition of about 7 or 8 looks between 40+ models within a two hour show.  Gosh... that was probably the most intense two hours of my life.  I loved the rush of it all though... and I definitely want to do it all over again.  Runway makeup is a challenge, but I love the adrenaline rush and I am up for that challenge!  :)

Oh... the glamour of BACKSTAGE! Haha...!

I need to go find me one of these hats. SO adorable!

Definitely need to start my own wig collection. They are SO fun!

"MJ! Can I have some lipstick too?" - haha thanks girl!

Showin' off our pretty lip colors... and hair colors too!

Hard at work... but it doesn't even feel like work!

Serious business. Look at that concentration! HAHA

With one of our beautiful models... the Queen. Her dress was so awesome... pure leather and it was so heavy! LOVE it!

Had to take a picture with one of the Hairstylists... thanks for my braid!

US with one of the best Makeup Artists in the area... Eric!

Soft & Pretty!

My next model is a young lady who has big beautiful eyes that I loved working with.  She is blessed with the most gorgeous long lashes I've seen in awhile.  Since she is so young, I didn't want to mess with her natural full eyebrows (which I love) too much... I liked how you can see that they were naturally kept.  She has beautiful thick hair which I attempted to put into a loose fishtail braid.  The layers made it a bit difficult, but it worked.  Such a natural beauty, I wanted to keep her look soft and pretty. Personally, I love the lip color I used.  It was a mixture of a few different colors that I had... and this is exactly why I don't stick with just one lipstick at a time.  Mixing and experimenting is more fun and I am pleased with my outcome.  Same goes for the cheeks.  Its normal to love your own work, right?  :)

Bronze Goddess

Its so hard to find anyone who doesn't look good as a bronzed Goddess.  This model is already beautiful, so my job was a breeze!  Her eyes are gorgeous, so I wanted to play that up more and leave the lips soft and neutral... but not nude enough to make her look pale.  She has a very strong jawline, so I wanted to contour and bring out her cheeks more.  Not to toot my own horn, but I think she looks amazing!

Rockin' it out...!

A few weeks ago, I was doing makeup for a photo shoot.  This is an aspiring model and these are a few of the headshots that she will be using for future bookings.  For this look, we wanted something simple, yet bold that would go with her outfit.  I figured a smokey eye is always good with the tough biker girl slash rocker outfit (hence the fishnets and the thigh high leather boots).  Though her eye makeup is already bold, I figured red lips would complete the look... and a little pop of color never hurt anyone, right? :)

Makeup - Young & Youthful

Whenever I am doing a young girl's makeup, it is so important for me to keep her youth and not go over the top with the "look" that I am giving or trying to achieve for her.  Whenever I feel that a model is more on the younger side, I tend to ask her how old she is.  In this photoshoot, the director wanted her to look young and fresh (as she is). 

What I did was conceal any "imperfections" (I hate that word) such as undereye circles and blemishes... without hiding her sweet freckles.  I hate sticking to only one color of concealer because no one's face is completely one color.  I almost always custom blend any foundation to fit my clients (again, I don't think its possible to have one color to suit each person I may work on)... so thank goodness for multiple colors that I can play with.  I also gave her cheeks a subtle peachy pink color with a bit of highlight at the top of her cheekbones and a soft stroke or two of bronzer at the hollow of her cheeks.  For her eyes, I wanted to make her pretty blues pop, so a shimmery light gold color at the inner corner of her eyes was what I chose.  After the foundation and concealers, we tend to lose a little depth in the eyes, so I used a light brown to bring back that depth.  I wish I remember what exact colors I use, but in such a rush, I don't usually pay attention to the name of the colors like most, I just try to find what looks good and move on (since we were in a time crunch).  Since I didn't give her eyes too much color, I figured that the pink lips would give her lips a slight pop... and it did.

Note:  It is so important to fill in eyebrows because it really defines the eyes and the face... especially when in harsh light (such as for a photoshoot).  It might look a bit harsh and dramatic in natural light, but trust that if you don't fill it in, your eyebrows will look thinned out and sometimes barely there if you don't fill it in.  But do NOT go overboard... no sharpie looks, please.

Makeup - Fresh, Clean, Natural

Before I started this blog solely for my makeup business and hobby (always), I wrote this in my more personal blog. Check it out!

Cherish the Moments...: Makeup - Fresh, Clean, Natural:

Not too long ago, I was fortunate enough to work with a beautiful Model and a renowned Photographer to work on her headshots.  Nia is beautiful and had not worn makeup in four years.  Amazing, right?  I wish I can do that!  Anyway, I wanted to share a photo... just because I can and... why not?

As you can see, it is a light and natural look, but I must say that it is most difficult for me to achieve a natural and "barely there" look.  Fun eyeshadows and colors are easy to work with because if you "mess up" somewhere, you can turn around and make your mistake look like its intentional!  ;)  One of the most difficult part of doing a natural face is concealing.  We all have imperfections on our face somewhere (show me one person who doesn't have any and I will give you a hundred bucks!).  Dark undereyes, scars, scabs, discoloration... we all have one or the other.  I have all of the above!

I'm not going to post a "before" picture because... thats just mean.  Anyway, though my model was already beautiful, I had to prepare her for the crisp clear picture and the harsh lighting and such.  This was a test shoot (for me), so I can honestly say that I learned a lot from it.  I also confess that I haven't done very much work with people of her skin tone, so this was an awesome experience AND opportunity.  I cleaned up and shaped her eyebrows a tad and tried to keep the makeup light and enhance her eyes a tad bit but still try to keep it natural.  The eyeliner was a little bit stronger than I would have it if I was to do it all over again.  See?  Thats what test shoots are all about... to learn something about your work from your work. 

Foundation:  RCMA (cream formula - self mixed)
Blush: MAC in "Format"
Eyeshadow:  MAC & Smashbox (combination of a few I don't remember names of... "Tempting" and others I used to crease, highlight, and blend)
Eyeliner:  MAC (fluidline in Blacktrack)
Mascara:  Maybelline "The Colossal Volum' Express"
Brushes: MANY!!  ;)

... more looks and work to come.  I don't want to post them all at once.  


Any requests on looks to show?