New Look Tuesday + MAC Spring Colour 1 Forecast Collection

Okay, okay, okay. I know I'm late on the Spring Colour 1 Forecast look but please forgive me. It's been a rough few months.
Anyway, in an effort to not let my blog go completely into shambles, last night I mustered up the energy (i'm so lazy these days) to do the look with the pigments. Let me just say 1. I love that these colors come in mini-pigments. The regular sized pigments are just entirely, ENTIRELY too much color! Who the hell is ever gonna use all that color?? The new crushed metal mini-pigments in this collection are not only smaller, but they come stacked in convenient little plastic rounds which totally works for my kit.

Looksee:

I didn't get the entire collection, mainly because the blushes, lipsticks, and nail polishes were basically duplicates of colors I already have. But I didn't have any pigments in any of these colors, and I promised myself I'd get more.

The look I did last night is was prepped with the following:

Olay Refreshing Toner
MAC Prep + Prime Foundation primer
Too Faced Shadow Insurance (my favorite eyeshadow primer, btw)
MAC Cash Flow paint pot (as a cream base for eyeshadow)

It's always tricky to use pigments and not have them end up all over your bathroom sink, your table, or yourself. There's just too much of it. The best way to apply pigments, I've found, is to use a synthetic brush that's meant for creamy products: foundation, concealer, flat eyeshadow brushes. Fluffier brushes will have pigment falling every which way and lemme tell you, it is HELL to cleanup. I used my MAC 239 Flat shadow brush but even that was too fluffy...so I switched to the 194 concealer brush. Perfect. Depending on how bright or intense you want the color, you should only dip the brush into the color halfway down the bristles each time. Pigments are buildable (like most MAC shadows) so if you have the patience to build up to a vibrant intensity, pigments may work for you. The crushed metal pigments don't have individual names (way to go MAC) but I started with the lightest lilac color all over the eyelid. It takes a few minutes to get even coverage because the pigment will fall off if you don't press it on hard enough, or if your cream shadow base (if you used one) gets dry. But, press the first color on so that it sticks, AND so that it covers the cream base. *note: only do this if you WANT the cream base color not to show thru. In my case, I didn't because Cash Flow is a greenish/goldish/olive color and didn't really work for the look but it was the only thing cream I had to work with.*

Once the first color covered the entire eyelid, I cleaned the brush a bit, dipped it into the second pink color and pressed it on just beyond the halfway mark on my eyelid. Not in the center because that would look weird, lol, but at about the 3/4 mark. Before I forget, let me mention that after this look was finished, I did go back and press these colors on again because the fallout dulled the colors down a bit. So, a second "coat" might be necessary, if you want it vibrant. Once both colors were pressed on,  I used MAC's Carbon eyeshadow to smoke out the outer eyelid corners (using the MAC 217 brush) and to softly line the bottom lashline using the MAC 219 brush.  I blended Carbon up into the crease about halfway.
Pulling the color softly from the outer corner towards the middle of the lid, I also blended the Carbon with the pink pigment color until they were seamless. Ditto with the lilac and the pink pigment colors. You don't want the colors to bleed into each other because they'll get lost and just be a bright shiny mess. In the picture below, i tried not to overblend so that you could still see the lilac, the pink, the black, and the purple individually. Sometimes when I do a smokey eye, I never know what to do with the top of the eye, especially when using metallics. It's like...now what? So, I learned to use a contour color in the crease. Usually, a dark brown will work on any skin tone. But, since this look already included a black color, a brown would probably have gotten lost. So, I took my fluffy 217 brush and just smoothed out the edges of the entire eye with MAC's Fig. That's the color that you see just below the highlight of my brows. It's kinda brownish purpley (is THAT a word??). Blended that allllll the way over to the inner corner, down to the lilac color, and that was it for the shadows.

After eyeshadows, I lined with my favorite BlackTrack gel liner, curled my lashes for a full 2 minutes (it is HARD to wait a full 2 minutes while you just stand there with your lashes caught in a death trap a.k.a. eyelash curler), then put on one coat of mascara. While waiting for my mascara to dry, I filled in my brows with MACs Spiked brow pencil, and used MAC's Jardin Aires pigment to highlight just under the brow. It's perfect because it's not too much shimmer and blends really well. Blend that down into Fig so that it's seamless, and it's done. Once my mascara was dry, I applied Red Cherry false lashes in #15. Let me justify how sloppy this lash job is by saying that because it was late at night and I knew I'd take this makeup RIGHT OFF, I only put on enough glue to hold the lashes in place long enough to take pictures, lol. If I were actually going to wear this out of the house, they'd be way more secure.

For blush, I started with the MAC cream color Cherche' as a base. It wasn't dark enough, so I topped it with a combo of MAC's Blunt blush (which i always default to for contouring my cheeks) and Sweet As Cocoa just under the cheekbones for contouring. For the apples of the cheeks, I used MAC's Azalea, below:

Though this is a bright pink color with an icy shimmer (and yes, it is THAT bright in real life so be real careful when using the blush brush. Tread very VERRRRY LIGHTLY, lol.), the look still looked a little dead so I highlighted this color with Mineralize Skin Finish in Porcelain Pink:

This completely awesome product is the culprit for the beautiful glow on my cheeks:

(Again, ignore the shabby lash job, please and thank you :-)  )

My concealer is MAC Studio Tech concealer in NW43, the closest thing to my perfect concealer I've ever found. I am one of those weird people who applies foundation and powder last, so after the concealer I applied MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NW43 all over, i set my concealer with Mineralize Skin Finish in Dark, and kinda bronzed my whole face (just one light coat, didn't buff it in) with Mineralize Skin Finish in Sunny By Nature, below:

Lips are based with MAC Young Spark, one layer of MAC Veneer lip lacquer, and topped with Prescriptives' Cosmic lip gloss.

I'm teaching a class/having a makeup party this weekend and I'm really excited about it! Stay tuned for pictures from the party...

Lemme know what you think in the comments!

Oh! After the look was complete, I decided to get fancy and add some glitter to the eyes...it ended disastrously (read: all over everything in my bathroom) but I did get a few pics of it before bedtime.

 

The glitter doesn't really show up on camera as much as it does in person, of course...but trust me, there was glitter E.V.E.R.Y.W.H.E.R.E.

Until next time, loves!


<3 BD.

Upcoming Wedding

Really excited about a wedding Im working on Friday. Its at a Catholic Church in DC. I met the bride, she's totally awesome, and she's one of my new favorites because she loves her dramatic makeup. I'm doing hair and makeup for her. She was really really excited about her look during her trial so that always gives me a rush, lol. Her wedding is Friday at 4.

I'm so glad I am over and done with having the flu. It's the pits :-(. I have been REALLY lax with taking my camera with me to my trials so i PROMISE I will take my camera with me to the wedding (and my next trial).

I'll post the pictures (that i take on friday) here on Saturday....the pro photogs take FOREVER!

Houston, we have a problem...

So, remember that gig that I was so boosted about with the lady I'd been working with since early July? The one who wanted the really dramatic look? yeah, CANCELLED. We had her trial, which didn't go exactly as planned for a number of different reasons. She cut her hair, which I was not prepared for *totally and completely my fault. I should've been prepared for her to show up bald. That's the mark of a great artist, i think.*.

Oftentimes, I am so head over heels in love with the idea of giving the bride exactly what she wants, I'm unprepared to let my aggressive lioness take over when it becomes clear that she may actually have no earthly idea what she wants. When we met, I sensed that this particular bride is one who is not strong in making decisions. She tends to waffle back and forth..with most everything. So, during the trial, when i noticed that she needed me to take the upper hand and make decisions for her, I should have done that. Instead, I waffled with her, naive to her signals of "help me decide" and "I just don't know what I want!!", lol. Yeah, I totally missed those. I became Vanessa Bell-Calloway in "Coming To America" (i blew it) with the "it's whatever you like" and "whatever lip color you prefer is what I'll give you". *laughing*

I don't think it's my job to hold your hand, and tell you what makeup you want. You know what you want to look like on your wedding day, there's no way I can tell you if you like your red lip or not. That's why I'm horrible at sales jobs. You either want it or you don't, I'm not gonna sell you on it. You either like it or you don't, ma'am...be an American; make a choice! (i stole that quote from my favorite psych teacher from Varina High School, who also happened to be the varsity baseball coach. shout out to Coach Steele.) That's also why I spend countless hours with brides, going back and forth over various looks and designs. I look at her face, study it's structure, choose what look I THINK will be right for her, send her (first) my suggestions, take (second) her personal preferences, and then she accepts or rejects (third) what she likes and dislikes. We're not curing HIV, but it's still serious enough that I take the time to do it. It's important so we don't waste more time than necessary. But, because this is America, and because being in the service industry--service and beauty, for that matter--I learned a great lesson: sometimes, i WILL have to tell people what they want. And then, I'll have to give it to them.

My inability to read her "waffling" cues, take hold of them, and be firm with her had me at her house for 8.5 hours. Yep. You read it correctly. I bet i won't ignore those damn cues again. Hmph.

Between her hair flop which took two hours and still ended up wrong, her makeup which actually came out great, her sister's makeup, and her mom's makeup (all great as well), I spent my whole day with this great family of women, helping them decide what should be and what would not be her wedding day beauty design.

At the end, I collected my fees, deposits, and contracts, and I left, with the promise that I would see them bright and early the following Saturday morning....exactly 7 days later.

On Tuesday morning, she called to cancel. *gas face*

What went wrong? She assured me that it had nothing to do with my skill level, my professionalism, or anything of that nature. Simply put: her mom has a friend who owns a salon and wanted to contribute. So, she offered to do the bridal party's hair for the wedding, and as a bonus, threw in makeup for free. "But, you already paid your NON-REFUNDABLE deposit! What's happened??" Yeah, doesn't matter...thank you for all your time, though. I feel really bad, but sorry. Thanks. bye!" Of course, it wasn't as cold as that; her apology seemed genuine and heartfelt. But, either way, that's one face I don't get to add to my portfolio. ANOTHER face, it seems, since it's like pulling TEETH trying to get a bride to send you pictures of her after her wedding. I got to keep the money (yay) but i didn't get to do the work. Only problem with that is, i don't work in makeup for the money; I love makeup as my work, and the money comes as a bonus. I love doing makeup, and when I can't, it saddens me. Oh, TRUST AND BELIEVE, i took that check STRAIGHT to Citibank when I left her house, lol, so there was never a question of returning the money. But, the cancellation stung for a day or two. First I was angry. Then I felt hurt, and rejected. But, then, I got over myself and made the choice to not take it personally. The selfish angry bitch in me wanted to wish horrible things for choosing someone else for her wedding makeup, after i'd put in so much time and communication with her. But, the grown and sexy, mature and professional Strong Woman in me went ahead and silenced that little girl, lol.

I'm sure her wedding went fabulously, and I wish her nothing but the very best for her big day, as I do for each and every bride I meet. I haven't spoken with her since that day, and I probably never will. I am still glad, though, to have met her and had this experience as an artist. This is the kind of thing that will happen at some other time in life, on a much larger scale, on a higher level, when i'm working as a pro artist full time; I need to be prepared for such things. there will be plenty of times when, as a freelance artist, a client will reject my prices, reject my services, reject (gulp) my skills, reject my attitude, reject my appearance, reject me directly...for reasons I may or may not agree with. Its the nature of the beast. And today, thanks to my last Saturday bride, I'm ready to strap on my "thanks but lets keep it moving" slingbacks....and walk it out.


Eyes to the skies, loves!

Beautiful Dae

Here Comes the Bride

So, as many of you know, I recently made the switch over to doing bridal makeup as well as print and editorials. And I could not be happier! I thought I would hate being around all those fire-breathing psychotic bridezillas. But, actually, the exact opposite has happened. Turns out that most brides -- read: MOST not ALL--brides are just really scared that everything will come crashing down around them on their wedding day so they are really happy to have a smiling face offering them something fun in the midst of all the turmoil that is wedding planning.

I swear, I am so glad, so thankful, so appreciative of whoever that magical person was who decided to make makeup artistry a profession. There could possibly be other jobs that I'd be good at doing, but I may not like them as much as others. There could be other jobs that I love to do (like staffing and human resources) but am not experienced in so they require additional training that i can't afford. There could also be other jobs that I'd love to do but would suck at (like being Beyonce). But, nothing in this world that i've encountered yet does for me what makeup does. Sometimes, i cant believe i get paid to do this job. Even though it's not full time yet, I thank God for each second that i get to spend doing my job. This was the Holy Grail I spoke of in earlier years when I said that if I could just do makeup in addition to whatever day job i had to have to pay the bills, I'd be totally fine. And I am. I work in purchasing at my day job, and I do makeup on weekends. And if my day job paid a bit more than it does, I'd do this the rest of my life....that is, until Ken Barboza comes calling. *oh, and he will call*

I've found that I love being the one source of fun, entertainment, and calm that brides need on their wedding day. Everything else is sooooo crazy for them, lol, that by the time i see them, they're practically bananas! With me, they get to sit down, be pampered, be fawned over, feel like a high queen, breathe and relax. Loves it!

Realizing that, in these economic times, makeup truly is one of those things each and every bride has to strongly consider incorporating into her big day beauty regime, I try to keep my pricing competitive yet affordable. And when i have to charge extra for things, or when I sense that a bride may not be so happy about her price quote, I go above and beyond in great service. Good artists typically cost anywhere between $120 to 200 for bridal makeup and/or hair. This could potentially put a serious damper on the fun of getting dolled up for one's wedding day... if one is strapped for cash...as many of us are. It could also cost me a lot of business because every bride reserves the right to have her baby cousin's daddy's big sister's best fried who dropped out of hair school 4 years ago do her makeup for free. Now, only God knows what her makeup will look like on the day of, but I understand the financial concern. Most good artists worth their salt simply won't do it for less than $100. For some brides, that's a LOT of money to spend on makeup when everything else is 10x more expensive. Though that's the nature of the beast, I still try to be reasonable and understand that every bride simply doesn't have it to spare. If you catch me on the right weekend, I may be running a special where you can get a certain percentage off your package price if you sign your contract and pay your deposit on the same date as your trial. Or, I may offer discounts if you have a large bridal party, say, more than 4 bridesmaids. I've also been known to give huge discounts for makeup and hair services. I think it's these things that set me apart from the rest. I think I'm a pretty decent makeup artist (1); I offer already reduced rates (2); I also offer timely and deep discounts on large parties and hair services (3); AND I give superb customer service (4, 5, and 6 because that counts for 3). It is frustrating at times because some of the other artists I know wouldn't dream of charging less for their services; it would cut too much into their overhead...and I sometimes feel less than professional for offering to do it for my customers. But then I remember, my goal as an artist isn't to make the most money off of each client. My goal is to simply give each client what they want, at any and all costs....which means that I can't always go for the jugular.

If you do the work you love, the money you need will come.

For this reason, we must always remember to strive to do that which we love to do--would do for free if given the opportunity--and not always that which pays the most.

Thank God for horrible customer service associates. They it so easy for a client to spot good customer service, it almost makes my job a cake walk, lol. *Ahem* Almost.


Good night, my loves!