MAKEUP TRANSFORMATION TIME

Hi Folks!

So I'm back to quickly show off a couple pics of a bride and bridal party that was done yesterday. These ladies were a lot of fun, let me tell you, and kept the long hours very entertaining for both myself and my other Makeup Artist - Dalia Denny....even their uncle got in on the act of entertainment lol.

Anyhoo, here are the final pics of the wonderful ladies, and to Nekeisha, many happy blessings on your union with your now husband!!!

The makeup used was a combo of airbrush & conventional as serious acne coverage was required.  We just wanted to create glowing, flowing skin and of course, airbrush is the go to thing for that wish to come thru!

My photography skills are kinda decent (smile) but if you want to see some of the individual makeovers, go to my website : www.dixieannjohn.com 

Signing Out!

DAJ

New Photoshoot tomorrow!!!!

Hi folkses...

Well tomorrow I'm doing a photoshoot to update portfolio but I won't go into too much detail. I'm doing two different themes and one of the props I'm using is in the blog. I guess some of you can figure that part out, duh.

I'm doing this post via my phone and it won't allow me to attach a photo that easily so o have to do it via Twitter. Check it out here:

www.Twitter.com/dixieannj

I'll do like one of my mentors @bgdmakeupartist and tweet some behind the scenes as we go along tomorrow. I really hope to finish quickly so I can get home in the afternoon.

Anywayz...signing out!!!

DAJ

Why are some Women afraid of Makeup? A question that tugs at the heart

This question came to me as I went to do a demo at a business place during the recently concluded credit union week.

I met an older woman there approx in her 50s and she was very critical of makeup and what it stood for and stated that she didn't need it nor like it. Let me quote one of her statements: "it's like mud".

I thought that her stance was kind of harsh. I must be honest, I started to get hot under the collar over her comments but my more rational side (yes I have that :)) quickly came to the fore and told me that ‘there is more in the mortar than the pestle’ here.

I engaged her with more enthusiasm because I wanted to find out the real reason for her apparent dislike and she said that she does lots of research and was convinced it's neither good nor needed.

Now that piqued my interest.  I asked her what was her skin care routine and she noted that it consists of just toner and moisturizer.  A simple and honest assessment of her skin would be that it doesn't appear to be well taken care of as it looks ruddy and heavily shadowed with dark circles and marks although she swears differently. 

I then asked her about her makeup experiences in the past and came to realize that they were few and far between and the overall results damaged her impressions of makeup on the whole. 

It made me wonder what did makeup actually do to her, that she could carry such a conviction for so many years and not want to try again? So this leads me to the subject of my topic. I had this on my mind for a while and I have realised that a lot of women of different ages tend to think this way. 

Can women really verbalize this and answer my question?  I am not sure but I’ve noted previous articles before where its been stated that makeup application and purchases have can be arguably tied to the clients’ emotions.  I can see the authors’ point as the clients want the tool – makeup – to make them look beautiful.  This now assumes that the clients are not.  Incessant product marketing is also to blame for this as well…

As a makeup artist, I don’t agree with that sentiment at all.  In fact, I have seen and worked on myriads of women of all colors and I can categorically say beauty comes in all forms.  To me, makeup is just a tool to pinpoint and enhance the face.  That’s it.

Unfortunately, there are those that like it too much...I have seen abuse of makeup application on some faces where I can actually take a spatula and scrape it off.  I have had a friend like that and she actually said that she never even felt the breeze on her face (lol!).

This type of woman tends to feel comfortable with this amount and may be saying to the outer world 'I have something to hide' or 'I don't want to show my true face to everyone'.  

Conversely, there are women like the one I noted in the introduction, who just may have been given very bad advice, had disastrous results and decided ‘to hell with it’.  

In the first case, that may be harder to solve because it goes past makeup application and goes to self image and confidence issues.  That takes time and willingness on the client’s part to see the natural face as beautiful.

Whereas the minimalist is much easier to guide as I can always tailor a makeup application that she can accept without much challenge.

Is there any easy way to deal with people like these?  No, but for each one that I meet, I try to explain what I do and why and try to compromise so that the client always feel involved and comfortable.  If you want to try and experiment with it, I would suggest just a couple tips for now:

Tip 1:

Start slowly and use one product at a time.  If you feel comfortable with just lip gloss and mascara, then just use that.  If you want to go to something else, like lip stick, use a shade that is close to your colouring so it won’t be dramatic or uncomfortable. Plus the lip gloss will tone down the colour further if you’ve made a mistake in your purchase.

Tip 2:

If you don’t want to use foundation all over but just want a little colour, then take a pea size of your cream or liquid foundation and mix with your moisturizer and apply it on your face.  This works well as it will thin out the foundation and you will have made your own tinted moisturizer!

Tip 3:

If you want to try your hand at foundation, then just take a pea size of it and apply only where needs coverage.  I changed my own routine to doing just that and its so much better and it allows the skin to breathe.  I then apply a light dusting of powder all over and blot during the day for shine.

These situations make it even more imperative for potential clients to use good judgment and go to makeup professionals, that are good at their craft, for advice because there are those that sadly are not knowledgeable and can ultimately give makeup a bad 'rap' by giving the wrong information.  Thus continuing the cycle....

If you want to post your own experiences/comments, feel free to do so.  I would love to hear from you.

BTW - In the end, the woman and I were quite friendly afterward and she was willing to hear what I had to say about makeup and its application.  To me, I saw that as a triumph, yaay!

DAJ

NEW CHANGES IN BLOG

Hi Folks

It seems that my constant fiddling trying to find the right look for the blog has now upset it somehow and my layout has now gone bonkers...

So, I have to now redirect you guys to my new blog.  I will send the link to you to become followers again.  boohoo....

I'm really upset here but nevertheless, the show must go on.

D.A.J.

Is there an Eye Shadow Primer out there that lives up to the Hype?

Its interesting that in my adventures as a professional makeup artist, I have met a lot women that enjoy using eyeshadows and yet are suprised at the possibilities of an eyeshadow primer and what it can do for them.

Just as there are tons of eyeshadows out there for our pleasure, there are equally the same amount of eyeshadow primers products that profess to be the 'best thing since slice bread' or in regular english words - ensure that the eyeshadow will be longer lasting, more vibrant and won't crease when used with them.

What I intend to do over the couple of days is create a series of where I will look at products from Trinidad and US that's available and give an honest assessment of them and how they hold up.

Part 1 - Urban Decay
I have encountered a couple primers and have even entertained the notion of using concealer/foundation on the eye as a makeshift primer and I can say it worked, sometimes.  However, thanks to some friends in the industry, they turned me onto a product line called Urban Decay.  I was aware of this product for a couple years now and I am a constant internet researcher, so of course I investigated it.  I understand that it was beloved by many for its 'powers' of 'staying put' but I was put off by the packaging. The original - Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion has a narrow shape with a wand.  As a makeup artist, I have two issues with that:

• 
  
  For the simple reason of hygiene, I am not going to put a wand on anyone's eyes or even swipe on hand before application
• There is a limited amount of product to be desired and I like to have a large amount since I work with a lot of faces that can last for a long time

So I didn't purchase it.  Until now....The good people at Urban Decay have apparently heard the many, many voices of makeup artists and users alike and have decided to not only increase the amount of product available but change the size to be more user-friendly...

So guys, no more cutting in half....yes, its over!

It is the Eyeshadow Primer Potion Professional Size and this is only a recent development and I was lucky enough to actually get it when they debuted it.  I can say that the size is actually quite large and as the website claims "with 150% more Potion" available.

You can see in the inset picture that the nozzle is very tiny and non-drip and it allows for better control.  It dispenses about a pea size of product and the color is nude and dries to a matte finish and is not irritating to the skin. 

I used it on Thursday with a Coastal Scents Eyeshadow palette and after application, there was no problem with layering or blending of the eyeshadows.  It held up really beautifully for the entire day until 5pm when I returned home.

  

It retails for USD$29.00 which is approximately TTD$190.00 and can be found via this Link.  Its a great buy especially for the size as it will last you forever!

For those of you that can't wait to get it, I am going to search for a product that's available in Trinidad that can be a good alternative until it reaches in your hands!

OVERALL RATING: I give it 5 out of 5 stars

I will post up Part 2 tomorrow - Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse....

BRIDAL TRIAL RUN FOR UPCOMING WEDDING

Hi folks!

Its been awhile since I've put fingers to keyboard but I have been on vacation and to tell you the truth, I've really just been doing a lot of nothing :).  I still have 2 weeks and a couple days left and yet time is flying by so quickly but I will try to utilize as much to get as much done as possible.

I have re-discovered the Face Chart and I intend to use for every look that I plan to do as it makes everything so organized.  However, let me put in a disclaimer immediately, I am not in any way neat but for some reason it provides a sense of order and memory recollection (which I sometimes suffer from) for what I products I want to use and in the proper direction.

This one is for my Bride-to-be Nekeisha and her wedding is scheduled for in a couple months...I had fun doing it so check it out!

For those professional makeup artists out there or budding professionals, you can download it by using this link Blank Face Chart!

Have fun painting!

DAY 2 OF PRODUCT TEST

Hi Hi!

Saturday 2010 August 28

10:15 am:


I applied my makeup again but this time I used the airbrush gun to apply the Model in a Bottle - Original Formula on my skin.  I was thinking that maybe it would be more evenly spread and dry faster but to tell you the truth there was nothing different in the length of time it takes for the skin to shine.
 
My skin's t-zone area is very, I mean very shiny after a couple hours, so if I find a product that can work on me can keep my makeup matte for more than a couple hours or at least have a nice, dewy look (not the fugly shine) then I will say 'woo-hoo!" and recommend it to everyone I meet. I'm my own best guinea pig before I use anything questionable on my clients.
 
For this product, I think, however, it can work with airbrush makeup as opposed to regular makeup as the airbrush formulas are already designed to be more longlasting and matte-looking.  The other claim that the website carries is that it won't rub off. Let me tell you, it did.....
 
Overall rating - 2.5 out of 5 :(
 
Recommendation how to use it - If you already have it, do the double step of makeup application (foundation & powder twice) and then apply it or use it with MAC's Prep & Prime silicone Primer
 
Stay tuned for more Product Reviews!
 
Laterz....

DAY 1 OF 2 DAY TEST OF MODEL IN A BOTTLE

Hi Folkses!


Friday 2010 August 27
6:15 am:


Started using Model in a Bottle after makeup application.  I did not deviate from my typical makeup routine and I used:

• Neutrogena Shine Control Moisturizer
• Temptu Silicone Primer
• Avon Loose Powder as my foundation and finishing powder (in one) for a light application

I arrived at work at 7:20am and my skin started to shine and it wasn't pretty...I will give a true look of the face at around noon for you to see how it looks after the makeup starts to melt away.

12:00 noon:
As you can see, my nose is very shiny and the pic was taken with an IPhone so there was no flash.  In fact my face was incredibly shiny for the entire day...and it wasn't the pretty kind of shine either.

I will try it again and this time I will use foundation (mousse formula) and then set it over.  Another thing I will do differently is airbrush it on, I mean after all, this is what I do...

After I come home tomorrow afternoon, then I will give a final rating. 

2 DAY TEST - MODEL IN A BOTTLE PRODUCTS

Hi All!


I'm back with doing some product reviews.  I want to focus on the product, Model in a Bottle and the Lip Conditioner/Lip Sealer.  As an Airbrush Makeup Professional, I'm constantly perusing for the "next big thing", whatever it may be.  Considering that I live in country that has two main seasons, lots of heat and then lots of rain.  So the weather doesn't help with the makeup application and its a challenge to have it last for hours at a time.


So enter "Model in a Bottle".  I went onto their site, read up on the reviews - which I always do before I do my buying.  I hardly do impulse buying when it comes to makeup unlike everything else I own. 


What I found interesting about it was the claims and the advertisement (its on Oprah, Tyra Banks shows etc) - the makeup product doesn't rub off, be it eyeshadow or foundation and it sets everything.  (see website here http://www.modelinabottle.com).  I bought a couple items, namely the Original Formula & the Sensitive Formula.


What I will do is from tomorrow, I will actually take pics to document how the Original Formula looks after priming and full makeup application and it how holds up vs my Ben Nye Final Seal.  We'll see....


So onto to my 1st day of testing: Friday 2010 August 27th....


Stay Tuned!

LATEST INFO

Hi All

I had promised to post up some pics of my latest work, however unfortunately my pics resolution aren't too great and it wouldn't be beneficial to me or the bride.

I have to apologise to those that wanted to see them...:-(  I really expected that they would come out well but I will focus on new ones in the coming weeks.

Also, I plan to take some vaca for the month of September from my 7:00 to 4:00 job, so that means more rest during the week and more portfolio building for my business.  That means more shoots....yaay!

New Wedding Episode Today!

Hi All!
I have another bride to do today so as soon as I can 'ketch' myself or be fully rested, I will be able to put up a new blogpost.

I haven't done a trial so I'm not sure what she even looks like...but that shouldn't even be a problem for me as that's happened multiple times before.

Anyhoo, gotta go!

Enjoy ur weekend....

UPDATE ON THE LAST FEW WEEKS!

Hi All!

I've been away for awhile clearing up my cold and just getting some much needed rest.  I must say though, that I had a wonderful experience with the TemptuPro Educator - Ms. Shannon Pollitt and of course I had a couple weddings to handle during the time.  So let me give a brief rundown as to my comings and goings!

TemptuPro Workshop - 2010 August 01 & 02:
I decided to stay in town since I live about 1 & 1/2 hrs away and I didn't want to be going back and forth for the entire weekend.  At first, I checked in to Chancellor Hotel and I immediately regretted it.  I wish I had asked someone about that hotel as the room was extremely 'old' looking and not 'quaint'...It was old with mosquitoes flying around and the tv was skipping....

I stayed one night and then checked out and went to Trinidad Hilton, needless to say, I felt at home with the luxury and food.  I could definitely go back there again.

I met a couple known airbrush makeup artists at the workshop and a lot of 'newbies' that were interested in it as a career.  Best of luck to them!!!  I must say that I learnt a lot more than I thought and Shannon had a ton of information for each of our concerns.  Actually, she cleared up a lot of stuff for me, so much so that I can do everything with the airbrush namely: eyeshadow, eyebrows, lips, cheeks you name it!

Overall, it was really fun and a great investment.

Weddings:
Although I had a couple weddings since the start of August to now, the pics weren't so great until this last weekend that passed.  My bride wanted a look that was classic and fitting for her beach styled look and it looked great.  I did a retro styled makeup channeling Dita Von Teese with the liner and the nude eyeshadow.  I was also supposed to do her family members but the rains were pouring and they ran late and in the end I was dog tired.

Did I mention it was in Sangre Grande, a 3 hr drive?  Anyway, I must say that everything came out really well, check out my before and after pics.  Everything except the lips were airbrushed, yaay!

Weddings and Workshops!

I have a bumper packed weekend where I have two weddings on Saturday and Sunday and a workshop with TemptuPro.

Now that has me really excited as I get to meet the people behind the brand and they can help me fix wherever I go wrong in the application of airbrush makeup.

Here's the funny part though - I have to leave part of the workshop on Sunday in order to do the wedding and come back in the afternoon. This wedding was already booked prior to the workshop so there is no way I can re-schedule. I'll keep my fingers crossed that everything goes well.

I will carry my trusty camera for pics for both weddings and the happenings of the two day workshop.

Laterz!

BRIDAL EPISODE #7 - BOLLYWOOD BRIDE

Hi All!

I just came back from preparing a Hindu Bride for her wedding in Claxton Bay and we wanted to achieve the Bollywood Look for her Hindu portion of the wedding.

She has such fair skin that we just wanted to lightly contour her face without distorting anything but she asked for very dramatic eyes.  I did a winged liner with MAC Kohl pencil and lined inside her eyes to continue the drama effect and used Loreal Mascara for the eyelashes.

We kept the lips simple with a lip pencil from Jordana and Loreal Infallible lipstick in crimson.  Of course, without stating the obvious, I used airbrush makeup in OCC and Graftobian Powder/Foundation palette in Neutral.

In the end, she looked exactly like the Bollywood bride she wanted to be!  It was fun and we are going to continue her transformation again next Saturday as she wants a simpler approach to her wedding dress.  Of course, I will be there with my camera to take the after pics....
Enjoy!

BRIDAL WEDDING EPISODE #6

Hi Hi!

I am very tired right now but I really wanted to put up these pics of today's wedding.  I went to San Juan for a bride and bridal party and it was another fun today but this time a little more hectic.

One of the ladies (the first pic) had a serious sweating problem and that was affecting the makeup to the point that it was not setting on her face.  I thankfully did not panic after a little while and had to matte it down with a sponge and then re-applied the airbrush makeup onto her face.

I used OCC Makeup and Coastal Scents Lip Palette on everyone and had to rush to make sure the bride was ready to dress and leave on time.  Sorry I couldn't go into more detail today regarding the makeup, but I will do so for tomorrow's Hindu Wedding.  That should be interesting and pretty.

BRIDAL EPISODE #5 - MUSLIM BEAUTY

Hi Hi!

Today I had so much fun with this bridal party in San Juan.  They contacted me over a couple mths ago based on another wedding I had done for a Muslim Bride (you can check back my earlier posts for it) and they were impressed with the simplicty and flawless look I gave her.

I didn't do a trial so I wasn't sure what I was going to meet but was glad that they all had somewhat good skin and were so excited to get airbrush makeup done.  A couple of them inclusive of the bride had sensitive skin so I was extra careful to ensure that the products were properly sanitized prior and after application for each of them.  All they asked for was a little drama on the eyes and definite liner to accentuate.  I used OCC Airbrush Makeup and Coastal Scents eyeshadow and Ben Nye Fireworks Wheel to highlight.

The tranformations were subtle but effective for each of them but not everyone wanted to take out Before Pics...that 's ok though, the Afters were great!

The bride is in white ( of course) & gold.  Just Beautiful!

BRIDAL EPISODE #4 - WOMEN OF EBONY SKIN TONES & AIRBRUSH MAKEUP

Hi Hi!

Yesterday I was so happy to be in my hometown to do a wedding...it meant that I would've been able to relax a bit before getting ready to prepare the bride and mother of the bride.  The only thing that was a concern was the weather...it was so cloudy and rainy, she was concerned (and rightly so!) about her outdoor pics.

I'm not sure how it turned out though but when I left it had stopped and I do hope everything went well.  Anyway, my focus today is to show how airbrush makeup affects women of very ebony skin tones.  The mother of the bride is ebony skinned but also has serious discolorations, however, its not placed in the regular places, in fact it was in the inner portions of her face as opposed to the typical placement of the face perimeter (outer parts of the face).

I used TEMPTUPRO S/B for her and the bride to ensure that there was longevity of the makeup especially in relation to the weather and I like that TEMPTUPRO carries 12 shades which will ensure that dark to ebony skin tones will be covered.

As you can see here, around the eyes and mouth are really dark.  So I decided to use Shade 011 in the S/B Collection and created a flawless canvass that was lighter, more in keeping with her hairline.  

Eyeshadows:

I also notice that women of dark skin tones are afraid or stay away from dark shades of e/shadows.  I used on her eyes Ben Nye Fireworks Wheel cream makeup a Bronze shade as a base and Coastal Scents Shimmery Grey as the main color.  It was as expected very sultry and yet simple.

This wheel from Ben Nye is incredible and flexible as it can be used on any part of the face & body.

The end result was suprising to all of us as it took years off of her face.  She was fun to work with and I hope that they had a wonderful time yesterday!

 
Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!

GRAD MAKEUP! GRAD MAKEUP! GRAD MAKEUP!

Hi Guys!

I'm baaack blogging and I know it took awhile but I was really busy every weekend and today was the first time since my last blog that I could take the time to actually write something for you readers.

Well as per the obvious, graduation time is upon us and I have done a couple grads but I have a really good pic to show you the transformation I had done to one of my clients, Samantha...

I took liberties here to make the makeup look fresh, flawless & also fun.  The most fun for me was the eyes, of course.

Her makeup was airbrushed with TEMPTUPRO S/B as she had serious acne scarring so I wanted complete coverage and I know that this brand could do that...Contouring was applied but remained soft as she was transitioning from afternoon into evening and I didn't want to go overboard as per her age as well.

Her eyes were also shaped and contoured starting with the eyebrows (wow! lol) and I used two eyeliners under the eye with complimentary colors - bright green & purple but the second color is not coming up too well in this pic.  Believe me though, the color combo was stunning!!  I just winged up the shimmery eyeshadow and made sure the double under-eye liners followed suit.

Check them out below and enjoy!!!

Review of Dual Finish Powder Palettes - Graftobian

Hi Hi

I have another review today and it will be on my recently purchased Powder/Foundation Palettes from Graftobian.

Let me back up a bit and give a little background as to how I discovered the brand.  When I first started out officially as a makeup artist in 2006, I spent a lot of $$$ as I went with over the counter brands & others that you know, that could be quickly found in Trinidad pharmacies and cosmetic stores.  I had to compile this case quickly as I wanted to be ready to advertise for work and be on hand for potential clients.

However, as jobs slowly (and I mean slowly) came round, I noticed that the brands were not performing at the premium levels I expected. In fact, some were causing problems - I'm sure you can identify/have seen some of these - skin irritations, discolorations due to incorrect undertone coloring, and I had to constantly switch out products for my clients' benefits. 

Enter the Internet....Like a internet makeup junkie, I was searching and reading about products that were for professional makeup artists of different categories such as stage, film, television, bridal...you know the drill.  What I found was that there are hundreds out there but particular brands stuck out at me...Graftobian, Ben Nye, Mehron.  These are considered some, if not, the best in stage makeup and in the other areas that I mentioned before.  What also sealed the deal for me was the price....people, most of the products are cheap.  Very easy on the pocket!.

So, I decided to try out a couple items and depending on their performance I would either keep or dump.  I was pleasantly suprised at how well they applied, in fact, you may not even tell the difference.  I should note that these brands are internationally known especially in the arena of body art.  In terms of beauty, have no fear as Kryolan, for example, is the official sponsor of the Ms USA 2010 Pageant, so they are very relevant.

On to my discoveries....After many trials and errors, I have discovered some fav products that fill up my kit making it quite ecelectic.  At another time, I will show them off but for today I speak on my Palettes.  The Graftobian Brand I thought was quite thoughtful in creating not 1, or 2 palettes but actually 3 pro palettes.  They are called Dual Finish which means that they have 2 purposes of application.  It can be applied as a powder and as a foundation as well.  They are very pigmented, giving great coverage and blend on the skin easily.  Its also great for ppl who don't want a lot of product as it applies like a powder and doesn't have this heavy feel.

I only have pics for two of the palettes below though...if you want to see other pics go to http://www.graftobian.com/:

 - Dual Finish Warm

 - Dual Finish Cool

 - Dual Finish Neutral

I love them....They provide all the colors so far that I have seen and needed.  Before, some palettes had too much yellow undertone or too much red undertone and never 'met in the middle'.  Our societies are filled with people of varying colors and I was tired of carrying around so many individual shades and still not matching them and yes, making my case heavier.  I was especially glad to see our women of Indian descent skin tones welll represented here.  

They are pricey at  US$80 a pop but are so worth it....The contouring colors are a dream and the in-between shades for women which are sometimes difficult to match without making them look pasty and if you feel that you have made a mistake, don't worry, these can cover them easily.

These are one of my favs, until something else comes out! lol!

DAJ Signing Out!

BRIDAL BEAUTY - EPISODE 3

Hi Hi!

Love to start like that....anyhoo, so I kinda like some form of order so in order to introduce posts on brides that I have done, I will sort of label them until I find something else that suits me.

In this episode, I had to do airbrush makeup for the bride however we've never met.  Therefore, you can just imagine her jitters of the makeup application, not just the ceremony.  Come to think of it, I believe women are more 'jittery' of that than anything else.

So, of course, she told me that she doesn't wear makeup at all and was very antsy to see the finished product.  I had to keep turning her from the mirror (we were in a hair salon by the way) and calm her down with the airbrush mist.  Oh yeah, airbrush makeup also has the ability to make people feel more relaxed as the cool mist is blowing on the face, it acts like what I like to call it 'a mini airconditioner'.

Her sister, friend and hairstylist were there as well to help give her confidence and as they put it 'to tell her if the makeup doesn't come out well'.  Of course you know, not on my watch! Lol!

The pic below shows the before and after....Her skin is really lovely up close and wasn't hard to manipulate but as she has a fuller face, I had additional contouring to do around the perimeter of her face and light color to the cheeks as opposed to obvious blush applications. 

Her eyes also had to be contoured (slightly) as they have a tendency to droop, so I applied the outer crease colour in an upward fashion to make it more almond shape.  She also is not a lover of lipstick (no suprise there!) and I applied generous lipgloss applications where it was in keeping with her simple, yet sophisticated look.

You can just imagine her reaction when I showed her the pics!  She loved them and then turned into a diva...continuously posing for our cameras in all different angles at the same time saying, "I feel I will give the photographer trouble today"...yeah right :-).

I was very happy to see her light up when she realised it was just enough for her and how the overall look would be with the dress and accessories.

By this time, she is a happily married woman and I wish her all the best!

DAJ Signing Out!

WHO SAYS YOU CAN'T HAVE FUN WITH COLOR?

Hi Hi!

I had a hectic Saturday as I was asked by my favorite girls to do their makeup starting from early in the morning.  They each have a penchant for being asked to be part of some wedding - either through coordination or designing the outfits, they are very popular as they are sweet!  So, they told me that they wanted to look 'hot' or as Tyra Banks says it 'fierce'.

Although four of them requested makeup, I got really great pics with two of them and only one was actually part of the bridal party, Angel.  With her, she has acne scarring so I had to use TemptuPro S/B Makeup on her and I also included the Airbrows and DINAIR Eyeshadow to complement the outfit.

I chose a jewelled turquoise eyeshadow tone and eye contour color to complement the orange in the dress (which she made by the way!) and bring shape to they eye.  I also added pink hued lipgloss to tie the look together.

With her sister, Crystal, she always asks for contouring on her nose, but I also wanted to include some sea colors on her and show that dark skin shouldn't shy away from them.

The colours on her were from coastal scents which were a mixture between aqua blue and violet.  I contoured her eyes with a dark violet to give some depth and as she has small eyes, rimmed the entire with the mixed colors (inner corners - lighter blue and outer corners - indigo blue).

Sufficit to say that these were my best pics considering they were rushing out the door.

Who says you can't have fun with color?  If in doubt, pick up a Color Wheel and look for the color you like and then check it for a color that will complement it.  The idea is to emphasise each color and add to the overall vibrancy and not look too 'matchy-matchy'.

I have some other blogs to do on another bride I did today and an upcoming 'Makeup Lookbook Series' which will detail step by step with text how to do eye looks.

So until then, laterz!

TOBAGO BRIDAL PARTY

Hi Ya Peeps!

So as you know, I tweeted that I would've been going to Tobago to do makeup for an entire bridal party.  I must say I was excited for months...The day finally arrived, yesterday and I arranged with the wedding coordinator to ensure that all arrangements were put in place for both myself and my cousin (Assistant MUA).

The call time for tobago was 9am, so in order to get there by that time, we had to be up by 4am to leave home at 5:20am.  That's what happens when you live in South, planning and arranging takes a couple hours before.  We arrived on time at the airport to check in for 7:10am as our flight was timed at 8:15am.  

The flight was great, I must say although 20mins, I saw portions of Trinidad and the sea by Tobago and the views were breathtaking....I am so sorry that I couldn't take out pics.

When we arrived, our driver was not there as yet so I had to call the coordinator to locate his whereabouts.  After about 20mins again, he finally arrived.  I was informed that the entire party would be located at Stonhaven Villas - which of course were Queen Latifa stayed and other celebrity musicians for Jazz Festivals in Tobago.

I took out pics for that though (of course!), see below.  The bridal party were loads of fun, I must say.  They had us cracking up with their escapades in Tobago but as we had more to do than we catered for I only have some of their before & afters available.  However, I made sure to take pics of the bride (duh!)

Their skin was also affected by the sun as there was mild sunburns around their bodies and their skin had some marks from previous scarring, so we had a lot of coverage to do.  We used a combination of TEMPTUPRO, OCC Cosmetics and Black Opal to match skin tones.

After we made sure that everyone was completed by the end of the call time which was 4pm, we were packed up and ready to go back to the airport to check in our luggage.  Our return flight was timed for 5:10pm.  This was where things starting getting haywire.  Scratch that, that's where there was no coordination.

I had to call the the coordinator a couple times to find out when our driver was coming to pick us up and by then we started to get very concerned as to what time we would actually reach the airport.  Would you believe that everyone left the villa and we were still waiting for our transport at 4:30pm?  Ridiculous and up to now, no contact from the coordinator who after the last conversation, suddenly couldn't be reached.

Anyway, by divine order, the driver finally arrived and thank God, knew some back roads to get us to the airport with 15mins to spare to flight time.  The airport officials were able to board us and luggage and we sprinted (sorta) to the plane.  Long and short of this rant is that we made it back starving as we got no food since breakfast.

Anyway, I still have good memories from this trip, I will just learn to place greater insistence on particular things like providing food for the Makeup Team and knowing who the driver is and our pickup times.  This is definitely something I can do again, local & international...I am putting it out there to the universe and you know what they say, "the universe is a friendly universe"....

So with that I am signing out, and btw - enjoy the pics below!

UPDATE ON MAKEUP WORKSHOP

Hi All!

Well I have a tad bit of sad news as the carded Makeup Workshop that I previously mentioned was happening on Saturday has again been re-scheduled to a new date in June.  Its supposed to coincide with Fashion Week 2K10 however I won't be able to attend cause of the timing within the week.

So sad face :(.....Anyhoo, I will have to check out and see if Revlon's Sam Fine appearance will be on a weekend and the price.

DAJ Out!

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE?

Hi Folkses!

A follower indicated to me that she found the blog entertaining, (thanks Kim!) however it is from my point of view.  So I want to involve some participation from you guys and what I will do is request from time to time that you send me requests of what you will like to see reviewed or discussed.

Oh by the way, I am attending the Celebrity Makeup Artist Worshop with Theo Faulkner this Saturday at the Hyatt Regency in Port-of-Spain.  The event is carded for 1:00pm to 6:00pm.  If you google him, he's quite an accomplished makeup artist who has worked with Tyra Banks, Oprah, Magazines, Ciara, Runway Designers and the like. Click on the link to see the details Workshop Details.

I will be taking pictures and making notes to come back and report to you guys what it was like to interact with someone of that ilk.  Exciting!  If you only know how long I was waiting for this to occur.

Also, I have updated my website, so please check it out and forward to friends in need.....:)

Laterz!

HEALTH & BEAUTY TRADE SHOW 2010

Hi Guys!

I seem to be getting a bit more regular at this blogging bit (somewhat) cause here I am again. 

I apologise for being late with this post but I will give a run-down of what I experienced at the last Health & Beauty Trade Show 2010 held at Crowne Plaza between May 01 to 03, however, I was only able to attend one day - the opening and can talk about that.  To tell you the truth, I have always seen it advertised and noted the fact that airbrushing was also noted in the list of activities but for some reason was never inclined to go.

I can usually be found at bridal expos, so when I was invited to attend by international hairstylist - Mr. Clem Lue Yat to do makeup for his model, my interest was piqued to see what was offered and guage the crowds/audience's reactions.

Let me say that I was pleased to see the number of booths that were there, probably over forty (40) booths (if I am off in the numbers, forgive me).  There were skin lines, cosmetic lines, hair products and spas to name a couple.  As such, there was a lot of information available but the times I was on the floor, the crowd fluctuated ranging from very busy to few attendees.  I think that from a supplier of services perspective, if I were to offer classes in airbrush makeup, this would be a great vehicle to advertise but if I were looking for clients, I would focus on bridal expos.  Some pics are below.

I finally perched at Clem's booth, of course you know that he will attract attention as he is not only considered a 'master weaver' but he was one of the few actually styling a lovel model's extremely long hair in front of the patrons.  He was kind enough to let me set up and advertise my airbrush skills and pass out cards (thanks Clem!).  I did her makeup to suit her face and overall look which was slightly smokey in the entire crease and everything was airbrushed except her blush and lips.

Her foundation was OCC Skin foundation and setting powder was from my trusty Graftobian Powder Foundation Palettes.  The eyebrows were done with TEMPTUPRO AIRBROWS Kit - which I must say is very, very nice....quite blendable.  The eyeshadow colors used was DINAIR AIRBRUSH EYESHADOW in Gold & Blue and also blendable without clogging.  A great feature of the Dinair Line of airbrush makeup.

Her skin was bronzed with LUMINESSAIR Matte Bronzer around the perimeter of her face to create a glowy effect and blush was an orange tint from SACHA COSMETICS.  The final look is below.

Some really cool items on the activity list for the opening were the Hairstylist & Makeup Artist Competitions.  What I was told was that students from YTEPP compete in this competition every year, and let me tell you, from the little I did see of the Hairstyles, these students are INCREDIBLY talented.  Unfortunately, cause of my duties, I was unable to stay and view the Makeup Artist competition but if the first one was anything to use as comparison, I am certain, they would be just as great!

So after all that rambling, yes I had a good time, met some great people and would suggest that you go, to get some excellent savings as a regular citizen.  The question remains, would there be benefits as a service provider? Well there were a lot of them there so it would appear to work in their advantage but I personally prefer bridal expos.  I would only consider if I want to advertise classes, but considering the budget that will be involved in that, I am sure there is another way to advertise them.  Again, only my personal opinion!

DAJ signing out!