10:00 AM 4
Hi Bellas!

I get a lot of questions from my viewers. Many are just starting to get into makeup and want to learn the basics. I get this question a lot so I thought I'd just copy and paste my answer in case some of you had the same question. Here is my literal cut and paste response to a viewer asking what basics they needed for everyday makeup:

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Hi Hon,

Thanks for watching! If you want a neutral everyday look, here are some basics I can suggest. I’m not sure what you have, so I’ll list everything you need. I'll try to include both budget friendly drug store brands as well as some popular MAC items.

FACE
-moisturizer - always wear a moisturizer everyday, especially under makeup to help prep the skin – I recommend cetaphil…it’s cheap and works really well.
-face primer – this helps your foundation stay all day and makes for a smoother application. It keeps the grease at bay by acting as a barrier between the oils in your face and the foundation. There are a million primers out on the market. Drugstore brands include Rimmel, Revlon...you can even try out Monistat Anti-Chafing Gel. Some popular higher end brands are Laura Mercier, Smashbox, and Makeup Forever.
-concealer—depends on your coverage needed…some great ones by MAC are select cover up (light to medium coverage) or studio finish pot(high coverage). As for drugstore brands, I've heard good things about the NYX pot concealer. Use this to touch up any blemishes or cover undereye circles.
-foundation – if it’s everyday, go with a tinted moisturizer or a mineralized powder like MAC’s mineralized skin finish natural. Revlon Colorstay is a great drugstore brand for liquid foundation. Many people love Makeup Forever's high end foundations...and of course there's always MAC.
-powder - If you use a liquid or cream foundation make sure to set it with powder...you can get a translucent powder from pretty much every brand. Or, you can buy one that can double as foundation. L'Oreal true match makes a great pressed powder...and I love MAC's Mineralized Skinfinish Natural. Powder will keep makeup from greasing up.
-everyday blush or bronzer …MAC has great ones…but it depends on your skin tone. NYX also has great, affordable blushes. I love NYC's bronzers...cheap but works great!

EYES
-eyebrow pencil – clean brows completely change your face for the better. My favorite drugstore brand is Rimmel for brow pencils. If you have full brows and don't need to fill in...I recommend clear mascara to comb them into place.
-eyelash curler – shu uemura makes the best but every drugstore brand has one. You'll be amazed at how much better an eyelash curler will make your lashes work.
-mascara – depends on ur preference. Covergirl Lash Blast is great for volume. L'Oreal Voluminous is a fav of many makeup artists
-eye base – either urban decay primer potion (l'oreal decrease) if you have oily lids…or a neutral base like MAC’s painterly paint pot. This will make eyeshadow "pop" and last all day.
-eyeshadow: you’ll need a highlighter color (shroom, ricepaper, naked lunch) a good lid color (woodwinked, satin taupe) and a contour/crease color (espresso, embark, sketch). These are all in the brown family (it's good to start out with neutrals) and they are MAC eyeshadows that work on everyone. You can also buy pre-made quads...I really like Maybelline's quads...they're affordable with decent payoff and even show you wear to place colors. Some other affordable drug store eyeshadows or great quality are Milani, L'Oreal HIP and NYX.
-eyeliner: if you’re starting out, go with a pencil (love Revlon Colorstay) or gel liner and a liner brush(mac’s fluidline in blacktrack or L'Oreal HIP gel liner)

LIPS
-chapstick or some kind of lip moisturizer to prime lips - I swear by Aquaphor.
-lip liner – get a neutral one that matches or is a bit darker than your lips - it will go with all looks. From there, you can then branch out into other colors as your makeup collection grows.
-everday lipstick - depends on your skin tone but get a lipstick that is my lips but better(I love viva glam v on everyone...Revlon also makes great lipsticks)
-everyday lipgloss -generally something in the peachy pink family looks good on most(viva glam v or love nectar). Some people like lipstick, some only like gloss..some like both...it's preference.

These are some of my suggestions…I’m not sure which skin tone you have so I made recommendations based on colors that I know work on everyone…most of my suggestions are MAC products because that’s what I know best. Hope this helps and good luck!

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That's it for now! I have another giveaway this week, stay tuned!

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1:50 AM 7

Hi Bellas!

I'm back with another tutorial for my bridal makeup series. I get a lot of requests to do bridal for women of color. As a result, I used my best friend Alex as a model. She is around NW45-NC50 skin tone. I show you how the colors really complement her skin tone. However, this look would look great on everybody...you just have to tweak the amount you apply. This look is more geared for a fall wedding look. I plan to do at least one more look for this series...a bridal smokey eye. I hope you guys enjoy! If you have any bridal requests, please leave them in the comments below!

Check out the video tutorial!


FACE
-Nurturing Force oil control lotion and primer
-Kett Hydro foundation 07 and 09
-MUFE orange corrector
-graftobian powder foundation
-definite and shadowy sculpting powders
-azalea blush
-brunette msf
-model in a bottle setting spray

EYES
-Urban Decay Primer Potion
-soft ochre paint pot
-all that glitters e/s
-spiced chocolate quad (pink, burgundy and brown colors)
-Revlon colorstay liquid liner in blackest black
-spiked brow pencil and espresso and embark e/s to fill in brows
-ricepaper e/s
-spiked brow pencil
-ardell 120 demis
-graphblack technokohl
-splashproof mascara

LIPS
-chesnut lip pencil
-NYX silver plum gloss
-queen bee lipglass

The final look!



9:44 AM 2
Hi Bellas!


Back with another review. You might have noticed a trend that with most of the mascaras I receive for testing...I often give them to my good friend Melissa for review. She wears mascara everyday and is more of an expert on it. I'm going to start calling her "Mascara Melissa"!


Check out her latest review on L’Oreal Telescopic Explosion Mascara :

Pros:
- It lengthens as advertised.
- One coat is sufficient to get the length that you need.
- The actual mascara can stand up on its own due to its wide base.

Cons:
- Since the ball on the tip of the wand is small, you have to almost wipe on each individual lash. This is is somewhat time consuming and tedious.
- You have to be careful when applying the mascara as it tends to get clumpy.
- Due to the small size of the ball, it’s harder to apply on the bottom lashes. I think it’s because there is less surface area longwise that makes it more difficult to apply on the smaller lower lash line.

Would You Purchase Again? No, I would not repurchase but because what I want out of mascara is moreso volume than lengthening.

Left eye with mascara, right eye without.




Both eyes with mascara





You can check this out yourself at your local drugstore. Ciao Bellas!


Atlanta Makeup Artist
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2:41 PM 4
Hi Bellas!

It's been another crazy day at work so I thought I'd leave you with a quick post. A few weeks ago, one of my lovely YouTube viewers contacted me requesting a makeup lesson. Half of my gigs are actually makeup lessons for both everyday makeup wearers as well as aspiring makeup artists. I love doing these because it's always a good feeling to help others learn and embrace the craft.

My client was interesting in creating a look for a wedding she was intending. I always request the clients to bring their makeup bag and brushes to make sure they know how to use their products to create the look. There's no point in using my products when they don't own them.

We had two options: a green or a purple look. I ended up only taking pictures of the green look but both looked great!

Each time I have a client, I try to take some jewels of wisdom and add it to my makeup knowledge bank. Here are a few highlights from the lesson which I hope you all can benefit from as well:

1) If you go to a MAC counter for help...make sure they try the product on you. If you get a snobby artist...ask for someone else or go to another counter. The truth is...in the makeup business, there are a lot of snooty people out there. However, this is a service industry and you should be able to get great service. I hate when people think they're better than you just because they work at a certain cosmetics brand or even a clothing retail store...to me, it doesn't make sense. They're in the service industry to serve others not to stand there with a superiority complex. Many brands have a return policy even for used cosmetics - just make sure to bring it back with a receipt within the allotted time frame. If you don't like it...return it. And don't feel pressured to by something just because someone pressures you. You guys know what i'm talking about!

2) If your skin is starting to mature and you start to notice those fine lines especially around your eyes and on your eye lid...avoid frosty, super shimmery eye shadows. They only accentuate the lines even more and make you look order. Instead, stick with mattes or satins with a slight sheen.

3) Don't be afraid to experiment! Try going through your makeup stash and practice pairing different colors together. You'll get a lot more miles out of your makeup that way then sticking to the same combinations.

With that said, here are pictures from the lesson. I didn't get a chance to take a before and after but at least I got the latter!




Here's What I Used:

FACE
-moisturizer and primer (don't remember which ones)
-MUFE corrector palette - the darkest one...I used this for concealer, foundation and contour
-Azalea Blush
-Bobbi Brown concealer

EYES
-gorgeous gold e/s
-sumptuous olive e/s
-femme noir e/s
-bamboo e/s
-prescriptives gel liner
-ardell false lashes
-mascara

LIPS
-client's own MAC lipstick and gloss
-chesnut lip pencil

That's all for now folks!

Atlanta Makeup Artist
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