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

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!

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!!!!!!!!!!

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!

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!

MY FIRST PRODUCT REVIEW - LUMINESSAIR BRONZERS

Hi guys!

Well I've finally gotten a chance to do my first product review off of products that I purchased recently.  The products that I am reviewing today is from the brand LuminessAir which specialises in airbrush makeup.

I was searching high and low for a bronzer that could contour and give that earthy glow to the face from light to medium skin tones and I looked at LuminessAir for a while.   I should tell you though that when I first started to do airbrush makeup, I bought this brand but it didn't give (at the time, not sure if it changed) proper coverage that was also of a matte texture.

However, after their recent revamping, I decided to give them another try and I purchased the items in the pic below.

The bottles provide approximately 0.55fl oz of product which is water based and contain shimmers and highlights which are great for effects on both the face and body.  The second one to the right, is a gold highlighter which I have used as both a face highlighter and as an eyeshadow.  They both go through the airbrush without any clogging and when dried, the finishes were beautiful and blended really well.  They didn't run or crack when I passed my hand over it.

I haven't used the bronzer shimmer as yet (on the left) on clients, only on me, as I am still sorta picky as to choosing where to use it.  The colors are very intense with a lot of shine and if not applied slowly and evenly, can be a bit jarring.  So I would probably use it on a bride that is having an outdoor wedding where the sunlight would play with the skin as opposed to an indoor wedding - where my choice of makeup application would be more of a more matte nature and the lighting would not be natural. 

A really great place for me to use both would be an upcoming pageant called Ms. Elegant Mom in Cascadia Hotel, Trinidad which is happening next weekend.  So the lighting would definitely be to my advantage for my contestant.

The second set of bronzers, in the pic below, are matte in texture when they dry and I LOVE these.  The finish is beautiful and very easy to control and layer so I don't ever have to worry about creating that 'drag queen' effect.  They are the same colour even though the flash of the camera may make it look different.

Overall, I feel comfortable with the improvements and I would easily recommend these to anyone who wants to create a bronzed airbrush look that is either sun-kissed or softly contoured.

You can get these products at http://www.lumcos.com/.  The purchase was easy and if you sign up for the club subscriptions, there are discounts which make it a little easier to afford (they are kinda pricey)!

Until next time, I am signing off until my next review - Graftobian Powder Foundation Palettes!

DAJ Out!

PRINCESS BRIDE

Hi!

Yesterday I had a wedding with initially a bride to do makeup for, however it turned into the bride and her chief bridesmaid with lovely eyebrows.

Here is a pretty pic of what I call my princess bride.  I just rushed to put this on so I didn't breakdown the makeup used.  Will do that in another posting.

Before Pic:

After Pics:

MAKEUP PIC MISHAP

Hi!

I did promise (especially myself!) to come back and update the blog with the other look of the Muslim Bride - Farah however my camera malfunctioned and I lost the pic :-( sigh....

So, I have a bridesmaid and friend to apply makeup tomorrow and I intend to do airbrush eyeshadow and lashes as well on them both.  I will list out the products during the Easter Holidays.

I am waiting on my products that include eyeshadow and airbrush eyebrows from Dinair & TemptuPro.  As soon as I get them I will take out some pics and post a review.  So exciting!

I also mentioned that I will be taking pics of the stuff I do carry and I will review which ones are better.  I wish I had a camera to do this so ppl could see, but bit by bit right?!  I do enjoy blogging though when I actually could get off my ass to do it lol.

Anyway, I will be back during the week so bye bye....

DAJ Signing out!

RECENT BRIDAL PHOTOS

My bridal season has officially kicked off and I have taken some pics of some before and afters that were done.  Interestingly enough some of my clients happen to be Muslim Brides as well as from the Christian fraternity.

They were truly lovely Ladies...Check out the first - Kareema and what I used below:

Foundation  - Airbrush Foundation Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Bottle Y3

Powder - Temptu Invisible Difference Powder

Blush - Lush from Obsessive Compul 

Eyebrow - MAC Eyebrow Pencil in Stud 

Eyes:

 Eyeliner - MAC Kohl Eyeliner Pencil

 Eyeshadow - Coastal Scents Warm Palette in colours - Warm Gold, Brown and Black in the crease

 Eyelashes - Mascara Black with Loreal

Lips - Graftobian Lip Palette in Rose Pink and Lip Balm from Lauren Hutton

I seem to be having a problem so I will post the others tomorrow.  (I promise at least myself as I know my track record is terrible with blogging).

DAJ Signing Out!

TEMPORARY TATTOO APPLICATION & MAKEUP APPLICATION

I have another hectic day today starting with applying 2 temporary tattoos via airbrush and the persons want it to last for the entire Carnival Monday & Tuesday.  So I am walking with an arsenal of stuff to ensure it stays.

In addition, I have to do Renee Cummings' makeup for her hosting gig today as part of the hosting team for Carnival 2K10 Dimache Gras competition.  So of course its definite glam stage makeup today.

I will have some pics put up and explain some of the stuff used.  I realise I should start doing that :-) to make it even easier for ppl to understand.

DAJ Signing out.

MORE STUFFS TO LOOK AT!

I got some more pics to share with you guys! Its a nice change from the norm.

 

RECENT WORK - A GREAT GLAM LOOK!

I recently did some airbrush makeup for a friend of mine as she wanted a glam but polished look for her graduation.

Below are the pics of her before and after and even with me applying her makeup. She kinda looks like a voluptuous take on Jessica Rabbit lol :)! 

Her look encompassed false eyelashes that were cut to make her eyes more almond shaped and elongated as well as evening out her skin tone with Temptu Airbrush Makeup.  Contouring was applied but not too harsh and obvious.

CARNIVAL MAKEUP UPDATE

For all those that want to book appointments, please contact me via my website or blog...I was in the process of planning my flyer...

see some of the pics.  All photos were done by AngelEyesPhotography.

GREAT LIPSTICK FOR THE BRIDE AND THE MODERN WOMAN

Thanks to my friend BGD, Brandy Gomez-Duplessis, she gave an overview of the newbies making a splash on the international market - OCC LIP TARS.  They have been featured on YOUTUBE in particular and have been dissected with all the diff colours.

As a makeup artist, I also have to be mindful of the products, what the newbies are, the trends and also what really works. As such, I glanced at them, then reversed or as how us Trinis say it 'wheel' and I am really going to get them.

The product carries hemp and peppermint oil which should be soothing (will need to ensure that the really sensitive lips could take it)  to make the lips feel soft and pliable.

See the link here for her review.  When I get them I will def try and post the results.

Review of LipTars

Carnival Makeup Pics from C2K9

Well, I can finally put some 'pen to paper' and talk about my experience with Carnival and the makeup applications...It was fun, hectic and of course didn't get a chance to do all the makeup I would have liked to do...but I am happy with how they turned out.

From 1:00 a.m. we were out from Point Fortin and our first stop was at Woodford Street. From then on we went straight to the Mas Camp and it has been pace since then...my body still is recovering.

Check out some of my pics! My album is on my both my website (see on the right) or facebook page!

I just want to say again thank you for your patience and your willingness to wait for me...I really hope it was worth it.

Next year, I am going full on airbrush with not just the makeup but the body as well (as in abs etc), so look out for that.

DAJ Signing out!

Recent PhotoShoot - Mature Skin

These pics you see represent a recent makeover I did on a woman with more mature skin recently.

I specialise in Before & After transformations with my little airbrush machine...Incredible right?!

Monica was doing her own photoshoot that same day and wanted to look special...I think that was achieved.

Carnival Makeup & Location

Folks

My team and I are going to be in POS for the C2K9 and our prices are as follows.

In terms of location, we are in the process of trying to confirm this...keep checking back and I will let you know...