The Makeup Junkie

Lights and Music are on my mind....

2008-03-24T15:28:00.000-07:00

So at this exact moment, I am actually quite angry about something that happened ages ago, that I only just found out about. However, I will not let this affect my day because today I got the new Cut Copy album, "In Ghost Colours". I am in love with these wonderful gentlemen from Australia. I have tickets to their next show within driving distance, and you can bet I am damn well excited.
You can listen to the whole album on Cut Copy's MySpace Page. I recommend "Out There On The Ice Again", "Lights and Music", and "Hearts On Fire" The whole album is a masterpiece, just those are my absolute favorites right now. I've loved "Hearts on Fire" since I heard the single when it first came out like eight months ago. If you really like the album, buy it through iTunes because that one's got extra tracks!

Also, in case I haven't mentioned it yet, because of these lovely Australian fellows, I discovered several other musical artists. Through the FANTASTIC online release of their "SO COSMIC" Mixtape, I discovered Bell X1, Lifelike, and several others.

You can listen to "SO COMSIC" by clicking on the pretty logo to the left there.

Back on my usual subject, I'm booked up for a month all of a sudden! It's crazy. I'll be working more in the next four weeks then I normally do in six months. I think I actually have some work I did recently that I haven't uploaded yet, but instead I shall leave you with two videos. One is the official video for my current favorite Cut Copy song "Lights and Music"

And this here is a mix video of some Olivia Newton John video set to my favorite song EVAR "So Electric" by Lifelike (Which you will also hear on SO COSMIC gracefully mixed out of a Fleetwood Mac song)

This music should be listened to LOUD!!

Quick, make a new mascara!

2008-03-06T11:01:00.000-08:00

In the past month or so, I've seen at least eight new mascaras hit the stores. Add this to Imju's Fiberwig which is not new but sold out country wide when Rachel Ray mentioned it on her show, has finally become available again. So today, I have a catalogue of what's new in Mascara Land.

1) Imju FiberWig

This mascara is touted as being the the best thing for those of us who want maximum length from their mascaras. The fibers adhere to the lash lengthening and thickening and is water and oil resistant.

As mentioned earlier, FiberWig was mentioned on Rachel Ray some months back, and sold out across the country. It has recently become available again, although it is still consistently selling out as soon as it comes back into stock. People are buying two and three tubes at a time. Retails for $22

2) Cargo's Texas Lash

Everything is bigger in Texas; hair, cars, etc. Now those of you who want the maximum volume possible have a new option.

TexasLash uses a space-age polymer that creates tubes around each lash, and this prevents it from flaking, smearing, or running. Unlike other "tubing" mascaras (TooFaced Lash Injection, Blinc Kiss Me), it can be removed with eye makeup remover, instead of having to pull them off still tube-shaped in the shower. It also has the "TeddyBear" brush that DiorShow made so popular. Retails for $20

3) The Balm Two-Timer

This mascara has been in the making for nearly two and half years. The Balm's creative director Marissa wanted it to be "just right". After two years of waiting here it is! It has one extremely unique brush to lengthen and separate, and a second brush to build lots and lots of volume. It has a rich creamy texture which allows it to be luminous-looking on the lash, without flaking or smearing. The Balm's Two-Timer gets two thumbs up from me. You've got to see the page on the Balm website too- it's priceless. Retails for $19

4) Guerlain Le Deux (Le 2)

I am genuinely excited about this mascara. I've been told it's as good as my tried and true Fresh SuperNova, and it has a second brush small enough to use on my lower lashes. The second smaller brush is also for grabbing those smaller lashes on the inner and outer corners of the eye with precision, equaling no smudgy mess. It lengthens, thickens and curls, and lasts all day without touch-ups. The tag line? "So no lash is forgotten." Retails for $35

5) Stila's MAJOR Major Lash

Stila took their tried and true Major Lash, and hybridized it with their Multi Effects mascara formulation, gave it the giganterous TeddyBear brush that everyone seems to love, and POW! The result is the new MAJOR Major lash. It also looks like they fixed the failings of the previous versions; the orignal Major Lash flaked and dried out quickly. However it was a skinny tube, and only $9, so one can't complain too much. Multi Effects had the awkward curved brush that fell out of fashion in the mid-'90s. All the good, and none of the bad in one well-priced tube: $22

6) LORAC's Visual Effects

This mascara has a lovely creamy texture, a nice stiff four-sided comb-style brush that builds both length and volume without a single clump in site. Comes in black and grey-blue, this is the mascara for women who want fool-proof, one-step lashes. It was a wonderful recovery after their last mascara failures; Lotsa Lash (messy fibers, clumpy, fragile brush) and the atrocious Publicity Stunt which was almost immediately returned every time. Visual Effects is a winner, and manages to stand out in the crowd of mascaras just released, as well as on the Red Carpet. $19.50

7) Smashbox Bionic Mascara

We can build you better, faster, and stronger then ever before! And seriously, no kidding. This revolutionary ionic mascara contains nourishing aloe, wheat, and silk proteins to help build longer stronger lashes while remaining extremely effective for volumizing and providing a long-wearing and beautifully water-resistant formula.

Retails for $19

8) Cargo Blu_Ray

The idea behind this mascara was to create a formula that would look good in conjunction with high-definition cameras. This is another fool-proof mascara. Lengthens, separates, curls and volumizes; unique quick drying formula allows you to build as much volume as you want, and because of the brush, it never clumps. It maintains a lustrous glossy finish even after drying. Retails for $20

the most exciting thing that's happened in weeks

2008-03-05T10:44:00.000-08:00

This is going to sound really silly to most people, but because my photographer boyfriend and I are a team, it's exciting. His website is finished! A close friend of ours who works for Google was kind enough to put it together for him.

Behold: www.adurovisum.com

What this also means to me is that our buddy at Google is now free to work on my website. Granted, this also means that a great deal of my own work is already on his website, but I still need my own. Now I just have to decided on a name so I can get the bloody domain name sorted.

sources of inspiration

2008-03-02T22:43:00.000-08:00

Because everyone needs some. Some of my favorites from the Fall/Winter 08/09 collections. Enjoy.

Hugo Boss Fall-Winter 08/09

Louis Vuitton Womenswear Fall-Winter 08/09:

Taking a bit of a page out of old Balenciaga's book, no?

Jil Sander Menswear Fall-Winter 08/09

Beautiful, clean lines, and gorgeously tailored, if you ask me.

Dior Homme Fall-Winter 08/09

So elegant it makes me want to cry. Way to step out of Hedi Slimane's shadow, Kris van Assche

Prada Womenswear Fall-Winter 08/09

Love the lace.

Balenciaga Fall-Winter 08/09

I love you, Nicolas Ghesquière. You managed to tie with F-W O7/08

Burberry Menswear Fall-Winter 08/09.

Bloody brilliant.

Yves Saint Laurent Womenswear Fall-Winter 08/09

Stefano Pilati: Sexy AND brilliant. Of course, the clothes too. :)

Lanvin Menswear Fall-Winter 08/09

Elegance incarnate.

That's nearly an hour of fashion. Watch it. Live it. Love it. For even more current catwalk vids, visit Mr. Trollo's YouTube page

better late then never....

2008-02-29T10:29:00.000-08:00

I know it's been ages since I've updated, but I refuse to natter on at people when I don't feel like I've got anything to say. I am not so enamoured with myself, that I will write/talk just to hear myself.

Anyway, my struggle continues as usual. My photographer boyfriend and I have had a couple of projects. It can be very nice, and also very frustrating. I know my boyfriend's style of lighting, and it IS good lighting. But sometimes it just doesn't bloody work with what I want stuff to look like. He prefers to use shallow depth of focus, and low contrast film. This is not exactly the ideal way to show off brilliant makeup. I've adjusted to be sure but sometimes I still want to tear my hair out.
Now keep in mind, this image has been retouched a bit, but can you see what his weird multiple side light arrangement has done to my cheekbone highlight? It's DISJOINTED! My other problem with this also has to do with the fact the model's fringe was way too long. Eyeshadow? Why bother? It's there but you'd never notice. Sure am glad of those eyelashes though. Add to this the fact that the hair stylist flaked on us, so I ended up doing what I could with the hair, which wasn't much. Her hair was very soft and fine, and there was TONS of it, as well as being very straight. I back-combed until my arms hurt trying to give it a bit of body... it sort of worked. She was a really beautiful girl who really ought to try to get with an agency, and not the rubbish local one. So while that image will probably not go into the portfolio, THIS one probably will, because I like two page spreads.

I might actually have more to say pretty soon. Promise. You know how things are. Life often gets in the way of purely creative pursuits....

Finally, some personal work

2008-01-02T15:29:00.000-08:00

Hopefully everyone had a safe and happy new year? All present and accounted for? Excellent.

Finally I have some of my own work to show you, my valued readers. This is a model test we did for a model friend of ours, otherwise known as "personal work". I'm quite proud of it. First, I am going to show you the first test we did with her a year and half ago:

And now, the new image! This one is my favorite:

And here, you can see the makeup a little better in this one:

I feel like this demonstrates a lot of progress in my work, and ability to predict my boyfriend's oft-changing lighting styles. Trying to decide which one to put in my portfolio- I think the second one is a better example of my own makeup, and the first one is better as an example of my boyfriend's photography. Unfortunately, I LIKE the first one more. It's so Steven Miesel!

Anyway, that's all I have today. Lot's of new products for spring coming out soon, so I should have some interesting reviews. Brand trainings also start again next week, so I should have some info on NARS new spring products so look forward to it!

Merry....Whatever

2007-12-24T14:43:00.000-08:00

What it says. I'm glad it's nearly over. Then retail can go back to normal, and I'll have time to schedule shoots again, and new product will be released so that I have something to update with other then just my own goings on.

So yeah. Two days late, but happy winter solstice. Now the days are getting longer again. Or Happy Baby Jesus Day. Whatever your religion, I hope you eat lots of delicious food, (other then models, who should at least watch delicious food being consumed) and get that expensive new something or other that you wanted so badly.

You may now return to your regularly scheduled life.

A light in the dark

2007-12-19T10:40:00.000-08:00

I admit right now, that this post has very little to do with makeup other than what inspires me to work with it.

I work in retail cosmetics, which as you might guess means that because of the winter holiday season, my soul is currently being sucked out through my eye sockets. This an excellent reason to feel inspiration flagging, with the economy in such poor shape; plummeting house prices, and skyrocketing gas prices. I like to think that what makes me different from a lot of the other drones who work in cosmetics these days is just this: I try to find ways to keep myself inspired.

This became clear to me when I was speaking with a makeup artist acquaintance of mine who happens to work for my favorite brand of all, NARS. Talking to her always makes me happy because she takes so much joy in what she does. I admit to being geeky and trying to find some of the movies that I know Francois Nars named some of his eye shadows after. This is because I wanted an idea of what inspired him to create those colors. Of course watching '70s French films like Night Porter and Emannuelle led me to find other interesting movies of a similar feel. I also discovered a Japanese film called In the Realms of the Senses, which reminded me that I needed to watch Memoirs of a Geisha again, which in turn led to that extremely long post on traditional Japanese makeup.

After a mention on the Imagist, I added many films directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini to my Netflix queue like Teorema, The Decameron, and Momma Roma. This led Netflix to suggest many of the films by Federico Fellini, many of which I have been meaning to watch for ages anyway, films like La Strada, La Dolce Vita and Nights of Cabiria. I've also made a pact with myself to watch as many Akira Kurosawa's films as I can as well, partially because I love most all things Japanese (Except Ichi the Killer; but that has nothing to do with Kurosawa) Knowing that I have all these amazing films waiting for me makes me incredibly grateful that Netflix was invented. NONE of these are available at my local Blockbuster.

I read the fashion and photography blogs too. I am not content to be what I am now, and as such I need to learn as much as I can about what I want to do. I have very little interest in doing movies or television shows, and three operas was enough for me. This may be egotistical of me, but it is rare that I look at a fashion spread and am boggled by the makeup. Not because it isn't good, but because I know that I could accomplish the look. What is more important then tehcnical is the one final quality: the inspiration to create the look involved. And so I flip though YouTube because often times people scan editorials and set them to music to watch like a small movie. After happening upon a Miesel work involving very shiny helmets, somehow this reminded me that Daft Punk had put out a new live album which I had to have.

While on that subject, did you know that Daft Punk's signature leather uniforms were custom designed for them by Hedi Slimane while he was working for Dior Homme? The duo also did the music for the SS08 Marc Jacobs/Louis Vuitton show, which should it interest you, can be seen here:

And for those of you who haven't seen Electroma yet... I enjoyed it but it was certainly hard to watch. It's as opposite from Interstella 5555 as can be.

At this point I'm just rambling. So I pound down endless energy drinks to go to work, and it is as my favorite comic book hero Spider Jerusalem said: "I do it to keep me here. To keep me interested." My point is this: Being an artist is just as much about what you take in as what you produce. I am an artist because I made a decision to be one, to educate myself on what I need to know, and to fill my mind with as much inspiration material as possible. That is what differentiates me from the other retail cosmetic drones.

Irritating

2007-12-17T10:30:00.000-08:00

The only thing more irritating then working in retail cosmetics during the winter holiday, is knowing that places like QVC get all the new stuff first.

Click this link to behold Smashbox's new Spring Collection.

Create the best eyelashes possible

2007-12-11T12:05:00.000-08:00

It seems to me that I have not yet said anything on the subject of mascara, and this is a terrible oversight on my part. I actually have a whole process that leads to people to ask which brand of false lashes did I use on that shoot? I didn't. Here's my process:

First I use the Paula Dorf Eye Definer brush to line the inside of the top eyelashes.I generally prefer to use the Stila SmudgePots for this purpose.
This is about when you bust out the trusty Shu Uemura Eyelash curler:
Next I layer on the Shiseido Mascara Base using a mascara fan or flat eyeliner brush to apply. Place a tissue under the closed eyelashes, and apply to the top, then have the model/client open half-way, and apply to the underside.

Finally here's the important part: what the best mascara? Some say it's DiorShow. I disagree- DiorShow clumps, the rose oil is irritating, the fibers can get into contacts lenses, and it dries out in 4 to 6 weeks.

Some say it's Benefit's BadGal Lash. This stuff is pretty great. Don't have any complaints about it, other then it too dried out a little faster then I would have liked, but is still a really good all around mascara. This will survive fights with boyfriends, still on the lashes, as long as you blot with a tissue and don't rub your eyes. This one is a very close second.

The number one spot goes to, undoubtedly, Fresh Cosmetics for their SuperNova Mascara. This is hands down the best mascara I have ever used. It lengthens, thickens, and yes, it even curls the most stubborn straight lashes.

Use the mascara fan, or flat brush again to apply in the same manner as the base, then comb out if needed. There you have it. My top mascara secrets. Do with them what you will.

Breaking News!

2007-12-10T14:42:00.000-08:00

A post on ModelMayhem today was brought to my attention, and while I don't know the source for it, I hope it's completely true:

"MAKE UP FOR EVER DIRECTOR: Make Up For Ever LLC. has appointed Emmy Award winning makeup artist Kevin-James Bennett as Director, Artistry and Development US. His duties will include developing and managing relationships with the professional makeup artist community in North America, support of the Make Up For Ever Academy US, as well as overseeing an elite group of artists specially trained to represent the brand’s unique professional DNA. He will also serve as research and product development adviser to Dany Sanz, creator and artistic director of the Make Up For Ever brand in Paris. Based in New York, Bennett reports to Gilles Kortzagadarian, General Manager of Make Up For Ever, US."

Twas a cold winter's night...

2007-12-10T14:10:00.000-08:00

And indeed it twas. Not cold by many people's standards, but when the wind is kicking, and you're on top of a seven story building, it goes right through your clothes. I felt rather bad for our model, as my hands were freezing. Luckily the actual makeup construction took place elsewhere where it was not quite so cold.

I am exceedingly proud of the work I did yesterday. It was certainly my most experimental work to date. My boyfriend/photographer watched the process, and when I had started laying the ground work, I could see the dismay starting to show. It wasn't till some time later when I had all the contouring in place, and the highlights blended out that I think he realized what I was trying to accomplish.

I had spent weeks planning that look, obsessing over it. It seems to me that makeup artists these days are all focused on lips and eyes. That's all anyone cares about these days, is advanced eyeshadow techniques. The look I created was all focused on this model's beautiful ethnically African cheekbones. And while that look included the eyes, their own contouring was simply an extension of what I was trying to achieve with her bone structure.

It seems to me also that when people think of makeup artists these days, they think of these black-clad, multi-colored haired, tattooed, and extremely heavily made up humans you see in the MAC stores. Now, don't get me wrong. I have tattoos and piercings. But at my job, I have to cover them. They are not part of our mise-en-scène. When I am on-set, I wear jeans, loafers, a t-shirt, and whatever layers I need to keep myself comfortable. I generally have my hair tied back in a bandanna. The only thing that separates me from an anonymous lighting assistant (which I have also been known to do) is the ever-present overloaded brush belt. I very rarely wear more then sunscreen, foundation, powder and eyebrows during these things. I am not, nor will I ever be the makeup artist clicking around in stiletto heels.

But seriously: What happened to skin looking like skin? Or using beautiful ethnic features to an artist's creative advantage? Why must everything be "corrected"? It hurts me so much when I see the plastic-looking PhotoShop employed on so much commercial work today. Skin has a texture. There are certain creases around the eyes and face that are not so much a sign of age, but the stamp of the character that makes the individual what and who they are. While I am certainly capable of applying makeup in a way that will speak to the person' strong points, I see no reason at remove all a person's "flaws".

Anywho. As soon as the photos have been finished, I'll post a couple highlights. Look forward to it.

Information Compilation: Portfolios

2007-12-08T13:09:00.000-08:00

It's probably weird for me as a makeup artist to read the photography blogs, but as someone who needs to know the business side of things, I have no other resource. Much of the advice given can certainly apply to more then one field. Today's subject: The Portfolio, AKA The Book.

The consensus, from what I can glean from other blogs written by people who actually know what they are talking about, seems to be that it should be 11 x 14 inches made of leather, leather substitute, bookbinder's cloth or similar. For those new to this then even I am, that means the prints the book should be able to hold should be 11 x 14. It is also important that the book be sturdy, not too flashy, and not be ridiculously large. Purchase many extra sleeves, because if you are actually in a position where you are actually showing it to people who the difference, sleeve in bad shape reek of unprofessionalism.

Basically anything else I could say on the subject would be blatantly stolen from this blog post at What's the Jackanory? about "How to Stand Out in a Crowd" which should be followed by reading these entries at A Visual Society, Portfolios Part 1 , and Part 2. There is also Jackanory's responses to both A Visual Society and also A Photo Editor. I did not link the APE comments because they simply agree with a lot of what Jackanory and AVS have already stated.
I however, am not going to go with a standard black book. It's not going to be overly flashy or anything, I just want red acrylic because I think it's pretty. On the subject of my own book, we've re-booked the model for the shoot that has been canceled twice due to illness for tomorrow. Hopefully very soon I'll have enough really good images so that I don't feel like a lackwit when I do need to show my book to somebody.

PS: I really want this

2007-12-06T12:50:00.000-08:00

This has nothing to do with the previous post at all, except that this too is awesome:
Click the pretty picture!

New Winner for Most Useful Thing Ever

2007-12-06T12:00:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure how I didn't know this, but Smashbox Cosmetics/Photo Studios (The Home of LA Fashion Week) has a MySpace Video Channel. Well honestly, lately I've been fixated on Francois Nars- and while Davis Factor is amazing too (co-owned with his bro Dean, both descendents of The Legendary Max Factor himself), in the case of Davis... the Hasselblad is always in the way. In the case of photographers, the camera always acts as a barrier to me, even with my own boyfriend. When the Mamiya is in his hands, there is work to be done. But I digress.

The Smashbox MySpace Video Channel is 19 short videos of pure usefulness, regardless of skill level. I don't know about you, but when I finally see the photos of my work, I am never happy with it. I know the day that I can find nothing wrong that I have failed myself. There are always subtle tips and tricks that are wonderful to integrate into an already established technique, and sometimes the back to basics approach is what is needed. I've been taught five million ways to do a smokey eye, and god knows, I have my own way as well. This was perhaps the best one that I have seen yet:

The Smokey Eye

Add to My Profile | More Videos

I have several of the Smashbox brushes mentioned. I love them. I recently tossed aside two of my tried and true eyebrow brushes for the Smashbox #12. Twas worth it.

Have a look through all the videos. I promise you'll learn something.

AMP Cosmetics Part 1 of 3: Review

2007-12-05T18:40:00.000-08:00

I had briefly mentioned my buddy Ralph Kacy's fledgling cosmetic line, AMP Cosmetics. It was brief only because I didn't know much about it, other then it had cool colors, the product was good sized, and they offered a good discount to working professionals.

So when I ran into Ralph at my "day job" last Saturday, I told him how I stared my own blog, and remembered to honor my buddy right away. I also apologized for having not been able to purchase any of his product yet, and as soon as I did that I would write a review for him. Lo and Behold: Guess what was in my mailbox this afternoon when I got home from work? A box with the AMP logo. Thank you, Ralph.

I tore into the box as soon as I made it in the door, and screeched when I got through the packing tape. The next ten minutes or so are a blur because I was frothing at the mouth in cosmetic glee.

I know I mentioned in the past that Mr. Kacy was on the Dior National Artistry Team, and currently is a National Artist and Trainer for The Balm (Best. Concealer. Ever.), so homeboy knows what needs to go into cosmetics to make them quality.

AMP's ten eye shadows and four blushes are certainly high pigment, but not to the point where they become unworkable. There is an excellent balance here between form and function, because they contain four ingredients that I love to see on a eye shadow label: corn starch, silica, nylon-12 and zinc stearate. These are all ingredients that are oil absorbing, helping those of us with oily eyelids to know that our eye shadow will not crease. The blushes also contain Kaolin clay, another oil absorbing stay-put indicator.

You will also quickly notice from a jaunt through the AMP website that all the colors are named after iconic rock songs from musicians like Blondie, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Joan Jet, Echo and the Bunnymen, Iggy Pop, and Guns and Roses. The colors are well represented by the names chosen for them. The lipsticks are all the fun colors that lady rockers wore in those music videos I grew up seeing on MTV. Everything is $13 each, and if you are a pro artist, contact Ralph though his website for information on his generous pro discount.

What are you waiting for? Everything is %40 for the holidays! www.ampcosmetics.net

Look forward to part 2, in which I extract an interview out of Ralph's tattooed hide, and part 3 in which my photographer boyfriend and I are planning a photo shoot so that you all may better understand the colorful awesomness that is AMP Cosmetics.

Horray for brilliant ideas

2007-12-04T11:47:00.000-08:00

I know what you are thinking. It's just a pencil sharpener. How is this pencil sharpener special, how is it different from other pencil sharpeners? Why would you pay $11 for just a pencil sharpener? I will tell you what makes this particular one such a brilliant idea.

This is the DuWop Beauty Blade. Aside from the fact that its shaving catch is larger then most... The blades are anti-bacterial.

It can be a struggle to maintain proper hygiene standards while out on a shoot. This is just one less thing that you have to worry about cleaning, and also means you don't have to alcohol your pencils before sharpening them. Personally I do it anyway because it's so ingrained in my thought process, but that just means your models have less worry about contracting pink-eye and blaming it on you. So are all of you going to run out and buy one? Even if it's just for yourself, and not for your kit? I would, if I was you.

Because this is NOT okay

2007-12-03T18:34:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I've talked a lot about what to do, and what to buy, and where to get it. It's probably time to talk about what NOT to do. I'm sorry y'all have to see this, but here's the horrible truth:

This is what mineral makeup does under flash photography. This is TV Actress Joan van Arc. Honestly, this is what ANY powder makeup rich in mica will do. It will make every line on your face stand out making the subject look older, and the face will glow with an eerie zombie-like pallor. The makeup artist (or herself) also tried their hand at corrective makeup, and put a darker color on her nose (which resembles B.E. "Warmth", methinks) to try and make it appear smaller. Her eyebrows and lower eyeliner were done with the same pencil. Her brows are far too harsh, and too red for her hair color, and the eyeliner would have been okay if someone knew what a smudge brush was or had a q-tip handy. Additionally, the "nude lip" is not for her. By that I mean she literally does not have any lipstick or gloss on at all. The nude lip is a notoriously tricky thing, because "nude" is different for every person, and relies heavily on their original lip color, and their inherent skin tone. She would have benefited a lot from a pinky-brown lip-liner to give her lips any shape at all, and sheer matching lipstick, as well as a subtle mauve blush. And her eyelashes need combing out. I seriously would have done plum shadows and grey liner for her.

Who knows? Maybe it looks okay in regular light, or even sunlight. But if the camera adds ten pounds, mineral makeup adds a hundred years. I.E. old enough to be a corpse.

/rant

Time Capsule: Traditional Japanese Makeup

2007-12-03T13:30:00.000-08:00

This is an obscure subject, and one that I am nevertheless very interested in. I have an intense love of Japanese culture, and as such their traditional forms of makeup have always fascinated me. It is also something that is rather hard to find information on, and even harder to find the traditional products and brushes.

The application of geisha and kabuki makeup starts with cleansing of the face, and then the application of an oil called Abura. They also use a wax called Taihaku to block out the eyebrows. The white face color is then applied. It is called Oshiroi, literally meaning "honorable white" ( The "O" is an honorific, and "shiroi" is the word for white). It tends to be made of kneaded white rice powder, and several minerals including zinc and titanium. In the past lead was used (yuck!) and as a result many geisha developed lead poisoning. In geisha makeup the oshiroi is applied to just below the hairline in a very sharp line outline, on the ears and around on the back of the neck, also forming a very distinct shape like a giant "W". In kabuki makeup it is applied so that no skin is showing. In the era before theater lighting was developed and candles and oil lamps were used, this allowed the kabuki performers to be more easily seen from stage. In both kabuki and geisha makeup all visible skin including the arms, hands, and in the case of male kabuki performers, also the legs and feet.

From there, for geisha how the rest of the makeup is applied is based on the age and experience of the geisha in question. More information on this is located in this section of the Immortal Geisha Website. There is also a step-by-step guide available at the Mitsuyoshi Professional Cosmetics website

You may have noticed that the above website does not sell direct from their page. This got me down quite a bit because I have been wanting authentic brushes. NARS actually does carry domestic replicas of the Kabuki Botan foundation brush (Nothing like your standard mineral makeup kabuki brush- it's about twice to three times as large.), the Yachiyo brush, and two different sizes of the Ita brushes. All of you know of my NARS obsession, but I also wanted to know if the authentic versions were available on this side of the pond.

My search led me to the eBay store Hannari-Ya, based in Kyoto, Japan, home of the geisha tradition. They sell all the needed cosmetics and a few brushes individually. They also sell other geisha oriented items like the combs used in the fantastic wigs, geta sandals, tabi socks, and so on. They also sell a large kit for about $250 with shipping, of all the needed cosmetics, primers, and brushes.

For those of you who are not satisfied with the brush selection, even more of the traditional brushes are available through Violet Moon Works, based out of Australia. Considering the currency difference, most of their prices, except of the Botan, are very reasonable. The least expensive option for that remains the NARS replica at $75. The Hannari-ya authentic Botan is $99.99, and through Violet Moon works out to about $125 US. (I used www.xe.com for currency exchange rate) As far as I could tell, Violet Moon is the only place to get the brushes not sold on Hannari-ya.

Hopefully this has been a throughly educational post- I know I learned a ton when I was doing the research. If any reader has any better information please please please leave a comment!

And now for something completely different...

2007-11-30T08:43:00.000-08:00

Tis the season for red lipsticks, and while my favorite one is still my NARS Jungle Red, a very close second has shown up. There's sort of a story in how I acquired the products, so I had better tell that first...

My boyfriend was doing some work for magazine, and they were doing a review on 29 Cosmetics and it's creator, Lydia Mondavi, of Mondavi Winery fame. It was named after highway 29 that runs through the heart of the great Napa Valley, so it was off to Napa with a car full of gear, trudging around though vineyards, and cramping up my arms holding a reflector while we waited for the sun to come into just the right position. Anything to get the shot, right?

Anyway, after all my dedicated photo assisting, and my boyfriend's charming witticisms, we were taken back to the house by Lydia herself, and her husband Robert Mondavi, Jr. After given more wine to drink then we should have before needing to drive home, they gifted us with six fresh chicken eggs, a mason jar of honey comb, four bottles of their private label winery MEDUSA, a chunk of catnip, and the promise to send us assorted cosmetics. I received three eyeshadow quads of good color coordination, but the real star was the three lipsticks.

They all three have witty names, "Smokin' Cab", "Sinful Zin", and my favorite "Call me a Cab". They have a beautiful rich color, a surprisingly light and moisturizing texture, enriched with grapeseed extract and a sunscreen and they still stayed on! Thirteen shades are available, plus the rest of the fairly extensive line exclusively from Neiman Marcus. Everything in the line contains that grapeseed extract. This is a beautiful thing because grapeseed, like wine, is very high in anti-oxidants. Just in case we have some newcomers, anti-oxidants help combat free-radical damage, which along with sun damage are the two more preventable forms of aging.

"Call me a Cab" is my favorite 'true' red, and at $24 each, they're very reasonably priced for a luxury cosmetics brand thats going to help me from aging prematurely. They also make a fantastic lip scrub ("First Crush"), and moisturizing lip treatment as well ("Hint of Honey"). Read about the rest of the line at www.29cosmetics.com and available exclusively from Nieman Marcus

Sidebar Madness

2007-11-29T14:03:00.000-08:00

I added some linkie goodness to the sidebar. Every cosmetic company that I have used and love...or desperately want to try! Go forth and surf.

Mineral Makeup Hatred Explained

2007-11-28T18:23:00.000-08:00

I'm probably about to alienate many of my readers, but I mentioned in my previous post that I have a blind, unadulterated hatred of mineral makeups. This is of course my personal opinion, but after being at work all day, where I am forced to swirl, tap, and buff my life away, I feel this hatred is justified. There are several different reasons for this, the first of which is simply this:

Do you see what that says? So pure you can sleep in it. That's great. So, you've been wearing your makeup all day, and now you have a fine layer of sebum, dirt, and carcinogens on your skin from having even gone outside, and they are telling you it's fine to go to sleep with all those free radicals bouncing around? Hello premature aging!

Secondly they are messy. Loose minerals are more pure, this is true. But they get everywhere. I come home from work everyday covered in every sort of powder you can imagine, and then this stuff came out and made it a million times worse. I don't care what line you work for, the dress code in cosmetics is "cosmetic black". You can't carry the stuff with you or it gets all around the inside of your purse, not to mention the brush gets destroyed.

There are brands that have created "pressed" mineral powders. Chances are they've had to add binding agents to make them stay pressed. Not to mention all the interesting chemical colors they need to add to have anything like a decent shade range. There are liquid mineral makeups too! At that point why bother? They've added god-knows-what to those too. You've just defeated the entire purpose of a mineral makeup.

So your mom wears it. So does your cousin. And your best friend. And your grandma. And your mom's co-worker's transvestite nephew. So because it works for them, it's going to work for you? Maybe they don't have large pores and you do. Maybe they don't have fine lines that you do. Maybe they are blind and don't realize that mineral makeup makes both of the above mentioned flaws look worse. But seriously, the old adage applies here: If everyone you knew commited suicide by jumping off a bridge would you do it too?

And finally. FINALLY. You're getting married. And you want to look natural in your wedding photographs, so you want a mineral makeup.

Can someone please just kill me now?

Minerals reflect off the flashes or strobes when they fire. Your face will be a different color then your body, and take on a bizarre ghostly sheen. There's one for the wedding album. Stay away from anything with a high mica content whatever the brand, people! That "healthy glow" makes your skin look clammy and zombie-like in photos.

So what is it good for then? Well if you have rosecea or acne it's good. And there is actually a clinical reason for this. Mineral makeups do contain Zinc Oxide which is an excellent anti-inflammatory. That means it takes the red out of your rosecea or acne. It calms it down so it's not as inflamed or infected. And I suppose minerals makeups are good for moms or other women who have zero time, and want to feel like they are wearing makeup and getting coverage. Honestly to get the coverage you have to pack it on fairly heavy, and people don't like to feel like they are wearing a mask. Back to square one again.

So those are the reasons I hate mineral makeups. It is just my opinion, of course. But really folks at the end of the day mineral makeups are just dirt in a jar and I don't care if the rest of the world disagrees with me.

The Infamous "Kit"

2007-11-27T11:21:00.000-08:00

In this town that I live in that wants to be hot shit and isn't, (read: I live in neither Manhattan nor LA) the aspiring artists all ask each other, "What's in YOUR kit?" It's like those horrible Capital One credit card ads that used to be on TV all the time.

Well, what IS in your kit? What should and definately should NOT be in your kit? How should it be put together? What kind of case should you use? I know many people who want to have multiple train cases for their kit. For people who do this, I'm so glad that you have an army of servants and infinite amounts of space, both in your home to store everything, but also on the sets your working on. The most practical thing I've seen is a large soft suitcase on wheels. Everything inside is separated in clear vinyl bags which are labeled in Sharpie and thrown away when they get yucky.

No, this is not what I have. I personally have a three section metal Stanley toolbox on wheels, which I had purchased as a roll-about during cosmetology school before dropping out. And I am considering very seriously the vinyl bag option instead of the weird drawer divider things I picked up at the office store. I'm tired of all my lip and eye pencils taking up the same section, and the lip-glosses spilling over into it.

But nobody really cares about the case. What are the things you would absolutely never go on set without? These are my top items.

1) MD Skincare Alpha/Beta Daily Face Peel. ($75)
Um. Not makeup. I know. But before you even think of matching them for a foundation, you've got to know that their skin is smooth and clean. This does both in two simple very effective steps. Even the best foundations will look cakey and gross over uneven, rough, dry, patchy skin.

2) Dr Perricone's Face Finishing Moisturizer. ($55)
Excellent all-purpose moisturizer. Unlike most Perricone products, does not smell like fish.

3) Lorac AquaPrime. ($30)
You know I had a male model tell me once that he didn't drink or eat for two days before a shoot to make his muscles stand out more? That's great man, but at twenty-four years old your wrinkles now look like the Grand Canyon instead of a creek bed. This primer contains Hyaluronic Acid which helps bind moisture to the skin, and can dramatically decrease the appearance of lines if the cause is extreme dryness. Still need spackle?

4) Smashbox Photofinish Foundation Primer (To Go Version in squeeze tube, $15.50)
Contains dimethicone and silicone to help fill in fine lines and pores. Helps keep face from eating makeup, or vice-versa, i.e. makes makeup stay on longer.

5) Smashbox Anti-Shine. ($27)
A godsend for the chronically shiny. And it's a simple thing to dab a bit onto a sponge, run up to someone, blot them, and dash away. Careful: a little goes a long way, especially on deep-toned skin. It's clear.... mostly.

6) Smashbox Browtech Wax ($20)
I don't care what product you prefer to use to structure, fill in, or reshape someone's eyebrows; this will make whatever that is go on smoother, stick better, and be absolutely waterproof. If you rub them, they will still smudge, but if you get a bucket of water dropped over your head the eyebrows will still be in place. To create brows which were nonexistent stipple wax on first, and then press brow powder or appropriate eyeshadow over top.

7) Shiseido Mascara Base. ($22)
Best mascara primer ever. Prevents any mascara no matter how crappy from flaking, smudging, etc. This is one of those things where I have one for me, and one for my kit.

8) Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler. ($18)
This is should be a no-brainer. Although to be honest, I do like the Sephora eyelash curler just as well.... ($16)

9) MakeUp ForEver Mist and Fix ($27)
Does exactly what it says. You mist it on, and it freezes everything in place without feeling like you just blasted your face with AquaNet. And you can apply makeup right over top of it if you need to! Common to use this at various stages to prevent certain things from creasing (like concealer, ugh).

10) Shiseido Cotton. ($8)
Best cotton ever. Excellent for makeup removers and toners.

11) Duo Eyelash Adhesive. ($6?)
Industry Standard.

12) MakeUp ForEver lashes. ($14-ish)
But throw away the glue. It's horrible. See (11.

I could keep going, but everything else is of lesser importance. Good shopping list, no? And now what you've all be waiting for: What should never ever be in a kit that is used for anything that requires your model to be seen in anything other pure darkness: Mineral Makeup. Of any kind. Liquid, pressed, loose, I don't care. My hatred of mineral makeup knows no bounds. However, I think that is a subject for another post.

I want to take a minute...

2007-11-26T13:17:00.000-08:00

Now that I have your attention, I'd like to introduce you to a newly founded cosmetic line. It's owned by an friend of mine who was once on the national artistry team for Christian Dior. He's a rock and roll loving man, and as such wants to help promote cosmetics that rock, and the women who wear them.

Meet AMP Cosmetics.

His eye shadows and blushes are large, highly pigmented, finely milled, and come in really fun brightly colored shades. His lipsticks are also highly pigmented, and creamy. He also offers a really nice Pro discount, so contact him through his website for more details.

I had better explain this now.

2007-11-26T11:04:00.000-08:00

It will become obvious to anyone who reads this blog that I am probably desperately in love with Francois Nars. Luckily, my significant other is fine with this. Being a photographer himself, he can understand the holy glory that is Francois Nars. After all he bought the Nars makeup instruction manual "MakeUp Your Mind" for himself, in hopes that better knowledge of makeup would help him improve his retouching.

For those of you who don't know, Francois is a quiet secretive man who grew up in the South of France, with fashionable parents. He went to the Carita Makeup School in Paris, and with some help from his mother's connections he was very quickly working on fashion shows in Paris on the early supermodels. Suddenly he was in New York working for Karl Lagerfeld, Marc Jacobs, Gianni Versace, and Dolce & Gabbana. He has also done makeup for twenty-six consecutive covers for American Vogue. TWENTY-SIX! A record that has not since been broken, I might add.

It was in 1994 that he formulated and released his first eight NARS lipsticks, all of which are still available shades. These include several of the best red lipsticks in exsistence, and stay on better the nearly anything.

New product lines need advertising. And even though he was a world renown makeup artist he still didn't have an advertising budget. And everyone knows that when you want something done right you do it yourself; you guessed it. He picked up a camera, and shot the ads himself.

You can tell from his ads that he grew up reading French Vogue, and he has gotten to work with such celebrated photographers as Helmut Newton, Richard Avedon and Steven Miesel. The photographer I know he admires most, I don't think he ever got to work with: Guy Bourdin. He has licensed several Bourdin images that have been used in his ads, but the most telling sign is that he named one of his blushes after a Bourdin book. For the folks that have been to a Nars counter, that bright red blush is called Exhibit A for a reason. If any of you own both, and you set the blush compact down on the inside cover, the red-orange colors match exactly. It's also indicative of the blush color nearly always used in his photographs. And for gods sake if you are reading my blog, and don't know who Guy Bourdin is, educate yourself.

Honestly you can't talk Nars cosmetics without mentioning his blushs. They have interesting names like Deep Throat (although it has been years since I worked at the porn store, this still makes me giggle), Orgasm, and one of my favorites, Sin. There is a Nars blush for everyone. There is a fantastic selection of various shades of peachy gold (Orgasm, Deep Throat, Torrid, Gina), pinky apricots (Gilda, Amour) a couple of excellent mauves (Sin, Oasis), several that look like nondescript browns but actually bloom into fantastic warm natural colors (Zen, Madly, Nico), intense berry shades (Mouina, Crazed) and shocking pinks (Angelika, Desire). There are also couple of shades you can use to scare clients: Exhibit A, Taj Mahal and Cactus Flower (cream).

Finally, if I have to pick a favorite Nars product it is the Balanced Foundations. I would never recommend these for daily wear (try the Oil Free formula for that,) unless you have very dry skin and no chance of getting a blemish. They do contain mineral oil. But you know what? I don't care. They look better in photographs then any other foundation I have ever used. They look just like skin, and has the mostly lovely non-streaky finish, doesn't look like a ton of foundation, and still evens out the complexion. If you're really worried about the oil, slap a silicone-based primer (read: Smashbox Photofinish) on your model/client first so it doesn't directly touch the skin. Word to the wise: Nars foundations and stick concealers don't like brushes. Use your fingers, and the warmth of your skin with help the pigment spread much more naturally.

Now that I look like the obsessive stalker that I am, I will say it again: I love you, Francois Nars!

Nars Cosmetics
UK Telegraph Article about Francois
Makeup Your Mind
X-Ray

Experimentation

2007-11-25T17:09:00.000-08:00

What's life without a little experimentation, eh? Originally, we had a shoot planned for today. Although I sometimes didn't like how the model had behaved, she did have the look for something I wanted to try out very badly. I had been looking forward to this simply because of the shape of her cheekbones. Strange, I know. I often pay my clients strange compliments of this nature, like "You have the most lovely eyebrows." I'm a makeup artist. I often need to focus on a small part of a person's face for longer periods of time. You begin to appreciate the small intricacies of what makes an individual unique. Anyway, I digress.

The model in question has taken ill (most likely with the same thing I had several weeks ago when we originally had to reschedule the shoot) so I was convinced to do an experiment of a different kind. Today, I was handed an old Bronica medium format camera, and a light meter. After an explanation of f-stops and shutter speed, I was turned loose in a historic old graveyard. At first I was hesitant. When asked why I wasn't shooting, I replied "I don't... really see anything. There's nothing terribly interesting here." This earned me a disappointed frown from my would-be teacher.

I pocketed the light meter, hefted the Bronica in my left hand and went to have a closer look at things. I did in fact find several things to take photos of. Whether they are in focus, or completely under/over-exposed is another matter entirely.

Important lesson for today? Look more closely at everything before making any judgment. And learn to be flexible.

So we begin...

2007-11-24T22:11:00.000-08:00

The first post on something like this is always hard to compose. Honestly I put this together several days ago, and have not posted anything, simply because I did not know where to begin. I suppose the easiest thing to do, would simply be to jump right in.

So, I have a shoot tomorrow, with a model I have worked with before on several different occasions. She was the first person of which I had a photo of makeup that I had done that I could use to start my portfolio. As I already have an excellent photo of her, originally I wasn't in a huge hurry to work with her again. Since I started thinking about it though, I came up with a bunch of things I want to try on her. If anything, I'm going to use her as a measuring stick to see how much I have improved since I started doing print work. Three operas, two independent films, and innumerable photo shoots later, she was still "my first". And honestly, that does count for kind of a lot.

That, and I have a bunch of new NARS Multiples I want to use on her. I'm like a little kid with new toys.