Double Happiness

Helen was a breath of fresh air - relaxed (even on her wedding day!) and so fun to hang out with.  I loved how she and her friends couldn't keep a straight face for very long.  There were too many stories and clever quips floating around.  My kind of people.

She had a traditional Jewish wedding ceremony with elements of Chinese culture throughout the day to really represent the couple and the two families coming together.  I thought she looked absolutely beautiful in her lace gown.

I also had the pleasure of doing the mother of the bride and the bridesmaids' makeup.   

And speaking of makeup, I have to credit the mother of the groom (a real makeup junkie!) for urging us to try a brighter lip color at the hair and makeup trial run.  I really love how it photographed.

Mazel tov, Helen! I wish you and your husband a lifetime of double happiness.  Thank you very much to Michael Brook and his second assistant Anthony DeCarlo who took these lovely photos and even took time out from moving to send them to me!

Bobbi Brown Beauty Photography Workshop

One of the worst ideas I ever had was to try and save money by not taking any classes for a whole year, even though I am living near some of the world's top artists.   It was a kind of torture that I don't care to ever repeat!  I'm a big believer in continuing education - no matter what field you're in - and one class I'd been waiting over a year for is the Bobbi Brown The Studio Makeup Photography Workshop.  For every stunning image in a magazine or portfolio, there is a team of people behind it - planning and executing every aspect. This workshop brought makeup artists and photographers together to talk about common vocabulary, roles and responsibilities during planning and on-set, handling delicate situations, conceptualizing a shoot and assembling a team, and loads and loads of technical nitty gritty stuff.  Participants also got to network with each other and form groups that carried out actual photo shoots on day two.

 

We started out at Bobbi Brown The Studio, a gorgeous loft-like place in Montclair, NJ that is part intimate retail setting and part classroom dedicated to the study of makeup. This is also the place that those in the Professional Makeup Artist program such as myself go to buy products.  We were met by The Studio manager Kim Richards (love her!) and one of our instructors, Bobbi's brand ambassador and professional team member Gregg Hubbard.

We then took off to the site of our workshop at nearby Unique Photo, which hosts lots of similar workshops and had the perfect space for both the makeup artists and photographers to learn and collaborate.

There we met our co-instructor and photographer extraordinaire Claire Rosen  of North 7 Studio.  Not only do Claire and Gregg have GORGEOUS portfolios, they are both excellent and taking what they know (which is a lot!) and sharing it with others.

Claire and Gregg proceeded to pack our brains with all kinds of information - from different types of lighting to different types of concealing.  "You don't take a photo, you make a photo."  They talked to us about different ways to tap into our own creativity and how to channel it,  map it out, and translate it through planning. 

The photogs and makeup artists later split up to talk more in-depth about their craft.  Gregg rolled out his kit ("You guys have to be able to do this in seven minutes or less!") and let us snoop around in all his stuff - which we loved.

He demonstrated one example of a classic Bobbi Brown-style face: pretty, flushed, polished.  We were free to ask his advice on any aspects of his work and he showed us how he handles various application details such as false lash fittings and liner options. The thing about Gregg and Claire is that they are both so generous with what they are offering.  There was not a sense of "we are here to impart our knowledge unto you" but more a sense of them inspiring us, teaching us, encouraging and building us up, helping us take ourselves to the next level.  I would like to thank everyone involved who helped put this workshop together and to the participants who were such a great group of folks.  I hope to be seeing many of you again soon!

Get Glowing: Tips from an Expert

As a makeup artist, I love giving people that flawless "lit from within" glow.  But what a difference when the person sitting in my chair already has glowing skin to start with.  We all want it, but how can we get it for REAL? This was the topic of discussion at an exclusive Beauty Influencers event I recently attended with Dr. Jeanette Graf, renowned and well-respected dermatologist and former NIH fellow.   Beauty bloggers, tweeters, and vloggers (yes, that's a term!) were treated to cocktails overlooking Manhattan while learning about Dr. Graf's research, which has become quite a hot topic in the beauty world. It all started with some frequent flier patients at her dermatology office.  You know the ones - botoxed, plumped, peeled, lasered, and slathered with all of the best serums and creams - but STILL that glow eluded them.  The scientist in her decided to investigate and got busy researching and testing.  What resulted her groundbreaking premise that "our cells, and consequently our skin, can only function best when the pH balance of our bodies is at its proper level".  

She decided to write the book Stop Aging, Start Living (which I am really enjoying BTW) about this and detail exactly what people can put in their bodies to get their cells and skin on the fast track to glow central, while slowing down the things that make us age.  She challenged us to give her program a try and promised us we'd see immediate results.  I like the sound of that!

Most people experienced a complete life change in terms of skin glow, energy, healthful feeling, and brighter eyes in two weeks.  We were all given a set of pH testing strips (high school science class flashback) and were told not to get depressed if we had a low score because hers was quite low the first time she tested.  The goal is to get a reading between 7 and 7.5 and I rang in with a 5.5.  This is lower than the bad case cited in her book. Yikes.  [Note: The next day I grabbed a neighbor who has been looking radiant these days.  Everyone, including me, thinks she looks fantastic. She has reduced stress in her life and and only eats healthy stuff.  I forced her to put a pH strip in her mouth and it was a perfect 7.0! Maybe there's something to this...] 

Dr. Graf then outlined the three main things we need to do right now to try this. 

1.  Buy some greens powder which is sold in health food stores (her favorite brand is Greens First) and mix it with a scoop or two of fiber.  Yeah, it may look and taste nasty but it's the antioxident  power equivalent of TEN servings of fruits and vegetables.  So pretend you're on a  Beauty Survivor show, mix it with some 100% fruit juice, and down the hatch!

2.  Start taking mineral supplements with lots of calcium. We need it big time! Did you know that because of commercial fertilizers and acid rain, the veggies we eat today have up to 75% less minerals than they did 50 years ago? Even things like table salt have had all the minerals processed out of them (so you gotta use sea salt).  When she brought up salt I raised my hand to ask about my beloved sugar.  We all know it's bad, but why?  Alas, it is one of the big acid-producing age accelerators - especially refined sugars.  I was afraid she'd say that :(  Better to stick with raw honey (the kind that you scoop out) or alternative sweeteners like stevia, agave, fruits.  Even splenda and raw sugar is better than refined.

3.  Start taking probiotics - 5 billion colony-forming units per day to be specific (she prefers the refrigerated kind).  Wow, that sounds a lot but we actually need a lot of good bacteria in our gut to keep our immunity up.  Did you know skin issues like psoriasis (I have this myself), dermatitis, and acne are immune-related skin disorders?  These good bacteria also help keep the bad ones and yeast from producing too much acid in your stomach.There goes your pH reading if they do!

As for overall eating she had a lot of tips and the book is chock full of them too.  Think cave man and eat more like our early ancestors did: leafy greens, fruit, seeds, and roots, with occasional wild game (organic meat for us modern hominids). Eat real food, not from a package.  Eat organic food - remember those higher mineral contents.  Colorful food is good, beige food is bad.  Dr. Graf left us feeling inspired and I actually felt like this is doable.  And as I mentioned, I like the immediate results.  In the coming weeks I'm going to report about this.  Does anyone want to try it with me?  She also gave us a great swag bag full of products she uses in her dermatology practice.  Of course I will report back on those too.

As you can imagine, this was stylish crowd and  I had a great time putting faces to names I had already been following on-line. Hello The Informed Makeup Maven and twitter juggernaut  This That Beauty .  I was also introduced to new artists -hey Vintage Soul Beauty- and some young mavens of the video world.  

Chloe Beauty NYC and her BFF kept me completely entertained while we waited for Dr. Graf to inscribe our books.  And Musings of a City Girl told me about her surprising 25,000 YouTube followers who check in regularly to learn different makeup looks.  

These ladies were as smart as they are beautiful and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them.  Good luck to all!  Thank you to Gorgeous on the Go's PR Goddess Genevieve Santos for rounding us all up. And most of all, merci beaucoup Dr. Graf!

Sweltering Summer Skin Care

I meant to post this before going on vacation in early July but time got the better of me.  Now I'm back in the hottest and muggiest part of the year and am thankful I have these products on me. What I've learned through the years of testing summertime products is that there's no silver bullet that "feels like nothing at all".  When you're hot and sweaty, the last thing you want to do is put something on top of that.  Even so, if you want to prevent burning and aging, you've just got to.  And remember, if you don't moisturize your skin, your body will produce its own moisturizer and the only kind it can make is oil.  That's why you'll wake up with an oily sheen on your face even if you didn't put anything on.  Moisturizing will tell the skin there's no need to produce oil. Sometimes there is an initial breakout with a new product regime as your skin adjusts to everything.  This is quite normal so give things a good two weeks before you make up your mind.  Here are my top summer picks:

DAYTIME FACE - DDF (Doctor's Dermatologic Formula) Mattifying Oil Control UV Moisturizer SPF 15.  I had been using their Ultra-Lite Oil Free Moisturizing Dew in SPF 15 for about seven years but I saw they had a new similar product and decided to give it a try.  I could find very little difference between the two and recommend them both.  Using these in a humid climate still feels like product on the face, but still they're the lightest feeling ones I've found.  I was surprised to find the mattifying one actually felt matte when I was on vacation in a drier climate.  No weird perfume-y smells either.  Two thumbs up!

NIGHTTIME FACE - Dr. Brandt's Pores No More Anti-Aging Mattifying Lotion.  Back in the day my only summertime concern was keeping breakouts at bay,  but now that I'm getting older I need something that also combats aging.  My go-to product for years was a sheer coat of Murad's Skin Perfecting Lotion, an oil-free super light moisturizer that did amazing things to my face overnight.  But a sample of the Dr. Brandt led me astray and I decided to give it a try.  It feels a little more matte on the skin and is producing great results.  It has an earthy smell which might be from the alpine extract used to control the oil.  I hate flowery scents but this seems doable. I highly recommend both of these.

NIGHTTIME HELPER - Clean & Clear Advantage Acne Spot Treatment.  I always have a little tube of gel that contains 2% salicylic acid on me.  It dries up little breakouts in a day or two and is great for prevention.  I often trace it along my hairline and dab it on my nose before I go to bed when I feel a breakout coming on.  I've tried several brands and they all seem basically the same to me so I've just resorted to buying the cheaper ones.  Clean & Clear has reformulated and repackaged theirs and it seems to blend into the skin better.  However, it now has more of an alcohol-y feeling.  I don't want to use the word "burn" but you definitely feel it on the skin at first. 

DAYTIME BODY - Neutrogena Ultra-Sheer Dry Touch Sunblock SPF.  I love this whole line and have the SPF 30, 70, and 100.  What's amazing about this line is that it is thicker and more "hard core" than anything I've ever used but once it's dry it is truly dry to the touch.  Kudos to the chemists who came up with this.  My mommy duties take me to many outdoor parks where I'm basically baking in the sun and these have really been a savior.  When I worked in an office and spent very little time outside in the summer, I always used my beloved fragrance free hypoallergenic Coppertone Oil Free Lotion SPF 15.  

Experts say you need at least an SPF 25 if you are spending much time in the sun but I have yet to find one for the face that is bearable.  Not giving up hope on it though.  Last but not least, don't forget your lips - any lip balm with SPF will do!        

California Love

When I first talked to Dale on the phone about her wedding, I could tell that this native of the New York area had crossed over and adopted the laid back cool California style of her new home. We wouldn't have a chance to do a trial run beforehand, but just chatting with her put me at ease and we were laughing about wedding madness together in no time.  She decided on some loose waves pulled casually to the side.  Although I curled the hair sections in various directions, they seemed to have a mind of their own (hair just does sometimes!) and looped around each other naturally when pulled together.  That and a last-minute addition of flowers were such a surprising and beautiful touch.  As for the makeup, all she said was "I don't wear makeup. Ever.  Like any."  Her sister Jill put in a request for a smoky eye but I thought that might be too big of a leap for someone who doesn't wear any makeup.  We decided that a light touch of neutrals was the way to go. She had such beautiful skin that I barely touched her face with sheer foundation. Softly glowing cheeks and sheer shimmering pink semi-permanent lip color and gloss topped off the look.

These gorgeous sisters, along with their mother and photographer friend had me dying laughing over their uproarious stories that included full volume re-enactments.  I love a good storyteller so being with this family is like winning the storytelling lottery (definite reality show material!).  The girls talked of warning past boyfriends before bringing them home for the holidays - where the whole house would be filled to the brim with family and friends who were just like them.  I imagined a ruckus of 20 people shouting crazy stories at each other all at the same time.  Knowing not every guy made it out alive, Dale cautiously warned her man before his first visit.  It was a major sign when he not only survived, but said he quite enjoyed himself.  The rest, as they say, is history...           

Good luck you two!  I hope we meet again somewhere down the road and then let's try that smoky eye! Thank you very much to Mike Losquadro for the photos.

The Makeup Show NYC 2010 Report

I had such a great experience (as always!) at The Makeup Show NYC this weekend.  It is certainly sensory overload from the minute you enter this trade show.  One of the first things everyone notices is the body painters.  I am always amazed at the type of creativity and precision that these artists possess!

The big highlight for me is getting up close and personal with famous and legendary Makeup Artists.  This year attendees were treated to a keynote presentation by Charlie Green!  Not only did we get to pepper her with questions about makeup and her career, we got to watch her do a smoky eye step by step just like she would do on a sexy celeb or perhaps one of her Victoria's Secret models.  I won't even attempt to describe her quirky and eclectic style which made it all the more fun to watch.

  

And speaking of smoky eyes, my favorite seminar, Achieving Editorial Beauty with Jon Hennessey, featured a beautiful editorialized version.  In other words, it's the type of makeup that you might see in a fashion magazine instead of the red carpet or on a celeb.  The way he manipulates the skin and eyes with very little product is really something.  I especially loved hearing his thought process about achieving these looks ("How can I take this basic idea and make it my own?  How can I modify this color, shape, or texture?"), where he finds inspiration, and how he tries to push his artistry continually in new directions. 

 

The kids from MAC Pro never disappoint either!  Keri B and Romero J tag teamed to show us lots of backstage runway tips and tricks, all while taking typical kit items and making them work quickly for any challenge.  Who knew you could prep brown brows and then comb through concealer to turn them blonde?!  Loved the cheek sculpting method too!

Of course the main attraction for the 4,000 makeup artists that attended was meeting up with industry friends shopping like crazy!  Some newcomers such as the Inglot booth were so crowded I could only get my hands on some thick and deliciously sticky pots of gloss called AMC lip paint.  These were exactly like NARS lip lacquers but with more colors to choose from. Another thick and long-lasting gloss discovery was from Armour Beauty. Impressive staying power! There were some surprises such as the Egon Schiele Cosmetics booth.  My husband is a huge fan of Schiele's artwork but he doesn't exactly conjure up images of lovely ladies the way some artists like Vermeer did.  Turns out the lady at the booth (founder perhaps?) was friends with the Schiele family.  Very cool story!  I revisited the Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics booth again, to buy some more of last year's breakout hit: Lip Tar.  They have re-packaged it and added new beautiful colors. Lip tar is so extremely pigmented it's like putting house paint on your lips and having it dry into a smooth satiny finish. There is nothing else like it out there.  Some of the vendors were nice enough to give us some goodies for free!  Thanks L'Oreal Studio Line and Geri G. Cosmetics!

My niece had just graduated from high school three days before the show and tagged along to learn more about a career in makeup artistry.  She was blown away by the experience.  Thank you to The Powder Group (TPG) for producing another amazing show!     

Two Innovative, Lovely Spring Faves

Call me a traditionalist but I want my spring makeup to be fresh and pretty - even if the runways are trending otherwise.  I mean petals are blooming about and my skin looks so GOOD (not dried out like in winter or summertime greasy).  There are two major standout discoveries on the product front this spring that I'm pretty much dying over.  First was Make Up For Ever's High Definition Blush, a highly pigmented cream that comes in a pump. Cream blushes are an obsession of mine and I don't think there's anything on the market that's quite like this.  Once applied it doesn't feel like cream.  It kind of bonds to the skin (longer lasting than any I've tried) and feels smooth and weightless.  Cream-to-powder blushes come close but end up feeling and looking powdery.  This one does not- it gives off a very subtle light.  There are no shimmery particles at all so that is the mystery.  How does it subtly glow like that?  I am already using these on my brides and they love it.  The most used and universally flattering color is #3, a rose with a touch of brown  (their site calls this fuschia but it is not even close to being that bright).  A similar color for warmer complexions is # 7, a  light warm pink  described on their site as light peach.  I personally enjoy wearing the bright  peach #14.  A little goes a long way so you'll want to barely touch it and apply in a series of rapid pats and sweeps with your finger. You cannot really judge the colors by looking at them in the bottles or the site swatches so it's best to try them in person.  

I struggle with lip stains because I LOVE the look of them but I don't like the weightless feel ones.  It feels like I'm drawing on my lips with a magic marker. Others feel and smell like lipstick, which I don't wear much.  I really want to reward the people who came up with Tarte's Natural Lip Stain with LipSurgence Technology.  This solid gel (just like their amazing cheek stain) feels like a minty moist lip balm but leaves a stain behind when it wears off.  The closes thing I've tried is a tinted lip balm, but those don't come in a gel form and don't leave behind a stain.  It feels GREAT on the lips and looks so fresh!  As an added bonus, I have finally found a gorgeous SHEER tomato red lip product that can be worn in spring . Although the color is called Lust, I don't think it's too overtly sexy.  I hope they come up with more colors.  I feel like their future cult favorite color that everyone will love is just around the corner.

My Very Own Freida Pinto

Anjali is not a model but she is one of those "regular people" that is quite a head turner!  When I first met her it was during Slumdog Millionaire mania.  Like everyone who watched the movie, I was enthralled with Freida Pinto's beauty.  Then she was featured in that pinup style photo for Vanity Fair and I totally wanted to re-create it.  I asked Anjali to be my Freida and was so glad she was into it.  As the  planning progressed, we began to lose sight of the retro theme and it took a new direction,  She wanted big hair and I wanted to use my Liquid Metal greenish gold cream shadow from Illmasqua.  What a fun night vamping it up for the camera!

 

Bowled Over

Nicole is from a family of hard core bowlers so it was no surprise to learn that she met her man (where else?!)...bowling!  And while the girls spent the morning of the wedding primping, he was (what else?!)...getting in a few frames before the ceremony.  I loved this family so much and really enjoyed spending time with them.  Nicole wanted a very classic look for herself and the wedding details so she chose a classic updo for her hairstyle.  She had been using black eyeliner with white shimmery shadow but I thought it was a bit too stark of a look for her.  We softened it with an espresso brown liner with taupe and shimmery champagne shadow accents.  She loved it and agreed that it suited her skin tone and style perfectly. Like many people, Nicole's eyelids tend to get oily so we primed them with Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion and used Tarte's waterproof creaseproof Lock and Roll Eyeshadow Duo in rose gold on the lids.  Nicole's sister (who was more nervous than her!) opted for a "french twist with a twist" hairstyle.  Nicole surprised her with a beautiful gift of custom made jeweled hair pins - perfect for an updo.  Mom went for a nice blowout to give her bob a little shape and movement and very natural makeup to show off her beautiful skin.  I heard the groomsmen were blown away when they saw the ladies.  That's what I like to hear!  Good luck Nicole!  I wish you and Frankie the very best.  These lovely images were taken by Zaven's Photography for Bella Pictures.