Tame That Bush Tip!

Have you ever had to work on eyebrows that are totally unruly, even after grooming?. I'm talking about those eyebrows that have a combination of straight and curly hairs or hairs that simply grow in the opposite direction to the others!

Extreme case!

What about foundation?  Trying to avoid getting foundation into the brow hairs can be tricky (pet peeve is seeing a great beauty shot, but noticing that the hairs are coated in foundation!)

Well. to get those suckers clean and laying right....

I DONT use a Mascara Wand

..and I don't use a Brow Brush/Comb

I use one of these!

Yes you got it! It's a baby/toddler toothbrush! You don' t have to go for a top of the range either, you can get 3 for a £1 in Poundland (and Power Rangers or Barbie design is optional!).   This brush is softer than the bristles on a brow brush (which I find quite stiff and coarse) and the depth means it covers a wider area. But as it's not as big as an adult toothbrush, it's great for covering such a narrow area. After brow has been groomed.  Just brush the hairs into the required direction and  when you are happy with the effect,  dab your toothbrush with some Clear Gel Brow Set. Available at Screen Face(RRP £8.99) and comb until you have the correct brows.

As for the removing of foundation, just spritz your brow brush with toner or some Evian Face Spritz if you already have it in your kit, if not, plain old water will do!  Shake off excess moisture from your brush (test on the back of your hand if you wish) before brushing through the hairs, once dry, groom as usual.   It's ideal for removing  powder from mustaches,beards and sideburns  when doing male makeup too!

Perfect!

Too Many Lip Sticks!

So you have 20 or 30 lipsticks in your kit and the only way to see the colours is to open each one and see...boring!!! not to mention time consuming!

You can buy an empty pallet..... scrape the lipstick out....smooth it into the pallet so that it doesn't look like you've had it done by a two year old, but that's all so very messy!

Alternatively, get yourself down to my old friend MUJI (they really are a treasure trove of  'stuff') and get yourself  several sets of PP Pillcase - 7 days (RRP £2.25). As the name suggests, these interlocking pill cases come in sets of 7.  Screw out your lipstick to full capacity, lob it off at the base and it drops right into its compartment. No wiping, no smoothing required.   I club all my colour ranges together; all the reds, pinks etc and then make a little sticker to go underneath so I know the brand and colour I'm using.  As I said these pill cases can slide in and out so you can make them into sets of  5, 6, whatever works best for you. They also open independently and if there is a shade you never want to use again, you just slide that case out and chuck it away (unlike a lipstick pallet that you would have to wipe and clean and then get under your finger nails!)

False Lash Glue tip

Have you ever put on strip lashes and found that the inner or outer corner, due to sweat or rubbing, starts to come away from the eye?

Well get yourself down to Guru Emporium and get yourself a pack  of  Point Tip Liners (RRP £4.95 for 25). Quite frankly, they are far too hard to use as eyeliners as they are quite stiff  but they are absolutely great for taking a little bit of glue and getting it in the exact position on the lash. It's precise with no gloppy mess! Don't forget to clean your strip lashes regularly by  gently using a cotton bud and surgical spirit....a build up of glue is not a pretty look...trust me!

Space Saver Tip!

So if like me, you buy a box of man sized tissues to go into your kit but by the time you have squashed it into your bag or case, when it comes to unpacking,  it looks like you picked the box of tissues up from a skip along the way!

An inexpensive solution is to purchase an A5  E.V.A Zip Pocket plastic folder from MUJI (RRP £1.50), cut a slit in the middle and viola! A compact, neat tissue holder, that doesn't take up a lot of space and won't break the bank!

Top Tip of the Week

As of this week I am starting a Top Tip of the week selection of products which I love and/or find invaluable.

How to Apply Mascara on bottom Lashes without leaving a mess?

Ever tried to apply mascara to the bottom lashes, using the tip of the mascara wand, but getting more on the skin, than on the lash? Trying to remove some of the smudge only to realise the mascara is still wet so now there is even more of a mess! You can stick a tissue underneath but due to the shape of the eye (and probably the person you are working on), it's not always easy to coat all the lashes evenly whilst trying to balance a tissue and stretch the models eye open.

I use two methods: 1. A lash fan brush (Available at http://www.love-makeup.co.uk £3.99)

You just dip the tip of the fan into your favourite mascara via the wand and gently stroke the lower lashes using an upward motion. It's great for lifting  right into the roots of the upper lashes too!

2. If that's too much for you, the next best thing is Cliniques Bottom Lash Mascara (RRP £10) It comes in deep brown or black and with a really tiny wand that  is great for coating even the sparsest of lashes.  And with a steady hand (which you should have if your poking around anyones eye!)  no smudges. Just the right amount of mascara comes out on the wand, so no big blobs to smooth away, just natural defining lower lashes.

 

Alternatively,  you may wish to get some Mini  Detail Mascara Wands via Guru Makeup Emporiom (RRP £4.95 for 25).     I much prefer the Clinique brush as I have tiny hands and find it much more manageable but if it is too small for you, go with Guru as their tip is slightly longer and thinner.

There endeth this weeks top tips.  Feel free to leave comments if you want me to review anything in particular.

We Are Our Own Worse Enemy!

Now once in a while, I feel the need to go into a rant and this week has seen my blood, slowly bubbling away!

Last week I went to the farther regions in the Cotswolds  to do the makeup for a presenter and writer.  She was a lovely, articulate lady, blond and of Irish descent.  She had a mixed race daughter.  Now, I'm a bit of talker when I do the makeup as I am fascinated by other peoples lives (OK....yes I like to gossip too).  So when she told me she used to live in London, but decided to bring her child up in the Cotswolds, even though she was aware that her daughter, more than likely, would be "the only black in the village".  I felt the need to ask why.

She then went on to tell me the catalog of abuse she and her daughter had been subjected to here in London, not only by whites but mainly by black women!  This lady lived most of her adult life in a section of North London that one can safely say has a high brown skinned population.  She had many black friends and colleagues, so it wasn't surprising that she would one day meet one that she would have children with.  Yet she has been PHYSICALLY attacked  several times when out with her daughter and told to "Stop nicking our black men"!  Once,  an old Irish man came up to her and spat in her face and told her she was a disgrace to her race.  She was carrying her  toddler daughter, her daughters face on her shoulder at the time!

Now this didn't happen in the 50's this happened little over 8 years ago!  I am not that naive to assume prejudices do not still happen (and to be frank, I have a few of my own).  But the fact that that level of abuse still happens in one of the most diverse cities in the world really shocks and appalls me!  We are not as bad as certain areas in the States (where a black post man cannot do his job in a white neighbourhood and visa versa) but clearly we still have serious problems here.

Now I have been hearing for years the old cry of why do successful black men always go out and get themselves a blond, what's wrong with getting a "sister".  Well I'm sorry to have to let you in on this, but even the unsuccessful black men will dabble in that pond.   It's just that its more "in your face" when that person is a celebrity. Black women love men like Obama and Denzil because their wives are neither white or mixed race but the truth is there will always be a mixing of the races. Attacking the woman as the villain of the piece is, in my opinion wrong.  Whether it is going with someone from out of your race of having an affair, why is it ALWAYS the woman's fault?  You only have to be out around clubland on a Saturday night to find one women trying to tear the skin off another for even daring to "look at her man"...why not belt the man for looking at the woman? We really are, our own worse enemy!

So what happened to the little girl who had such a traumatic start in life.  Well as the only black in the village, she is thriving! They love her brown skin that she doesn't have to ply with fake tan.  They think it's SO cool to be half Jamaican and she has become a favourite amongst her friends at school simply because she is black (I love a happy ending!)

The racists say that if we don't put a stop to all this mixing, we will soon be a country of cappuccino coloured people.  A country like Brazil, where they have several words to describe the various tones of brown skin....beats pale and pasty...... BRING IT ON!

New at Shu Uemura

I was a busy little Bee today.  I did a photo shoot for an up and coming British singer Katie Owen, who was absolutely lovely (with a great voice), long may it continue. I hope I don't hear she has been asking for new born puppies in her dressing room, in a few years time!

Katie Owen

But earlier in the day I attended the shu uemura press launch.  Products in the shops this August/September

is their new mascara.  The wand promises to deliver a truly black colour without an extreme build up of mascara,  the wand colours and seperates lashes, giving a natural but fuller lash..

Now I'm not sure if its Mr Uemura who designs his lashes, but if not, whoever designs them deserves every penny they are paid.  Shu's lashes are expensive, but the designs are, in my opinion, second to none.   Block colours are in trend at the moment and so they have brought out a range of colourful lashes.

My favourite were these, they were colourful tips, but the baby feather lashes in between will mean I for one will be first in the que when they hit the shops. 

Finally, Shu has brought out an eyeshadow/blusher slide action palette (so no more holding your favourite shadows over a candle to try and pop them out of its container!).  You just slide the old shadow out, slide the new one in, simples!

Will review and price all once I've got my hands on them in the summer.

Applying Foundation

There are 4 main ways to apply foundation: Fingers - not my favourite as not only are you 'massaging' the foundation into the skin but any residue on your hands is also getting messaged in too (not so bad when you're doing it on yourself, but not so good for the client...actually want to gag when I see girls using this method to put their makeup on when on the tube!...but that's OCD for ya!).  Sponges - now, unless you're using thick cream foundation (and you should only be using the cream if you have really bad skin), I personally, wouldn't use  latex/non-latex sponges. Using the sponges with liquid foundation for me, not only wastes the product (think about it, liquid + sponge means absorption) but you're spending so much time going over the face trying to blend as you dab away, so it soaks into the sponge and dries in patches on the skin. I knew a makeup up artist who would apply liquid foundation like this in 3 layers and yes the skin looked flawless but there are more effortless ways to achieve the same look and certainly less expensive!

Airbrushing - now I lerve me a bit of airbrushing! I have the IWATA  Silver Jet Compressor which I bought 3 years ago. I don't think there is a more effortless way to apply foundation and the results are always flawless, but most people, especially when you first start out, find it hard to meet the £300+ price tag, besides, as you have to keep you eyes closed, its near on impossible to do it right on yourself. But this is by far the best for me as it uses very little product whilst giving fantastic results.

Brushes - My favourite, everyday foundation application brush is the Duo Fibre/Stipple Brush. The first one I owned was from MAC 187 Large Duo Fibre Brush (RRP £31.00) which I had to return a couple of times due to the excess shedding (clients used to end up looking like a yeti with alopecia by the time I finished!) not to be confused with their small  MAC 188 Small Duo Fibre Brush (RRP £26.00) which I use to blend near the hair line and which is still going strong.    I now have about 20 of these brushes, from different sources. Why so many? Well I do music videos and fashion shows where there are a lot of dancers and/or models and the foundation will only blend correctly if the brushes are clean. Sometimes there just isn't enough time to wash the brush in between uses(and dipping in brush cleaner is a no no, it ruins the brush). So why is this my favourite? well, like the airbrushing, you need a small amount of product as the filaments allow you to blend effortless, using feather like strokes and if you are doing HD and haven't got round to getting an airbrush kit yet, this is the closest you will get to it. They don't have to be ultra expensive either. In fact the less expensive ones have survived long after the more expensive ones have given up  for dead!   CrownBrush.co.uk C406 Large Duo Fibre Face brush £8.91  or Fero Beauty who sell their Stipple Brush (same thing) for £8.35 one third the price of  MAC or Laura Mercier versions and still going strong! Note, when washing, make sure the water is luke warm, not scalding hot, otherwise brush will remain in a droopy  position (think 90 year old without the Viagra and just as useless!)

As I said, I hate sponges, so even if I am not using liquid foundation, I will apply using a brush, but instead of the duo fibre one, I will use a flat foundation brush which again you can purchase at the high end MAC 190 Foundation brush (RRP 26.00) or the less expensive version by Fero Beauty Large Foundation Brush £9.85 these brushes are versatile as you can use them for both liquid and cream foundations (too heavy for HD TV though).

Bobbi Brown Great News!!!

I have been a fan of this company ever since I started as a makeup artist and although they haven't been as adventurous in their colours as say MAC, there are some products I really love to work with. So, today I have been down to Bobbi Brown to look at some of their new products and of course, checking out if they have added any new colours to the current range and I must say I have come away very happy! 

The first time I went to a Bobbi Brown counter and saw their lip glosses I thought they were testers so I didn't think the size was value for money and I absolutely hated the brushes inside, so I avoided that product at all costs, no matter how intriguing the colours were.  Well listen up!!! Ive been told by their PR department that those fiddly glosses will go to that great discontinued department store in the sky,  And as of August this year, not only will they have the bell tip applicators but the glosses will be a  little bit longer too....Horay!!!!

Now to the rest. First off, we have Luminous Moisturizing Foundation (RRP £29.00).  This is an oldie but a goodie, it is heavy coverage so only a small amount of product is needed, but its great for older skins as it hides all those thread vains and fine lines perfectly. I usually apply using a Fibre Optic brush so it goes very lightly on the skin and because of the luminosity (and built in collagen) it works really well with my more mature clients.

New out is SPF15 Tinted Moisturizer Oil Free (RRP £27.00) For a tinted moisturizer this product initially felt quite thick but it spreads quite easily, so only a small amount was needed. Its quite sheer so for those with oily skin but  fairly good complexion, this product should be ideal.  It comes in colours from Alabaster to dark and should be great to use to balance out skin tone, leaves skin quite matt.

When doing dark skin, I like to achieve a subtle but contoured look to the skin and Bobbi Brown has brought out a range of  Matt Bronzing Powders (RRP £24.00) in rich dark colours such as Dark Copper and Deep Golden Brown which is ideal for black skins.

Their face highlighters (RRP £25.00)  are nothing new as highlighters have been around for sometime. Putting it in pen form is interesting but not sure if its practical (the brush tip is far bigger than an under eye concealer brush but a lot smaller than a blusher brush, so to get control of the amount of product you use, you would still have to wipe it onto the back of your hands and dab on cheeks or brow bone, using your fingers as usual, but that said,  I love the colours, especially the rose pink which had tiny bits of shimmer dust as well . Unfortunately, I couldn't get anything out of one of the pens, so after pumping it for a few minutes I gave up (typically it was the rose pink!) but you shouldn't have a problem returning it to Bobbi Brown, should you have the same problem. Hopefully this is not down to congealed glitter. Will keep you informed.

I actually like the consistency of Bobbi Browns cream concealers, so am glad to see that they have put their Tinted Eye Brighteners (RRP £22.50) in pen form and so can dab directly under eyes. Comes in colours from Light Bisque to Dark Peach and covered up my trunk sized bags a treat, will be interesting to see how it holds up under TV and editorial situations.



For lips, they have brought out Treatment Lip Shine SPF15 (RRP 17.50) For moisturizing your lips whilst adding some sheer colour. Its small and sexier looking than the Clinique Chubby Stick version and there's more colours to choose from, but other than that, it works just as well.

Also for lips is their Rich Lip Colour SPF12 (RRP £16.00) they have brought out colours like Sweet Nectar, Guava and Soft Coral, which is quite bright orange for Bobbi Brown, but ideal for this seasons block colour trend..

Now we have all seen those mascara ads with the lash inserts and the photoshop, so finding a mascara that does what it says on the tin is really tricky. Lash Glamour Extreme Lengthening Mascara (RRP £18.00) makes bold promises and comes with the brush, which is the type I would usually go with to build up lashes, (its similar to L'Oreals Lash Architect RRP £9.00) only with a thicker tip .  Will have to review this one at a later date as I am presently conducting my own consumer data on mascara's ...watch this space!!!

Theatre Darlings

Theatre

This is a hard nut to crack as you will need experience for this one. The majority of actors will have trodden the boards and appeared in rep though out the country ,so are well used to doing their own makeup.  A makeup artist is only required if it is specialist makeup, think of the Phantom's scar makeup in Phantom of the Opera or the extras at the Royal Opera House. Mostly you will be asked to look after and repair the wigs,  so for this medium, you will have to brush up on your  special effects and  hair skills. These positions are usually advertised in The Stage newspaper.

Makeup for theatre is the heaviest form of makeup, it's horrendous up close but works well on stage as its seen from quite a distance.  As for the hair, when you are not looking after the wigs, you are dressing them onto the artist (or working with there own hair) a lot of time will be spent back stage changing the hairstyle. Should quick changes be required,  you  will have to work fast and know where you need to be at any given moment.   Mama Mia was the last West End show I worked on and much as I used to love Abba, after a while you zone it out and start chatting to your colleagues, but its amazing how your brain will click into gear the second a couple of bars are played and you rush to wherever you are supposed to be back stage.  There's great comradery with the crew and cast and many a night was spent in late night member bars in Soho who catered to the theatre fraternity who wanted to drink themselves into a stupor until dawn, for a fraction of the price it costs for drinks in central London. Go home, sleep until early afternoon, turn up for work at 4pm, only to start the whole thing all over again!

So there you have it, all 3 mediums, hopefully it will be helpful to those of you starting out. Good luck!

Will you be the next Pat McGrath??

Fashion
So continuing from yesterday. How do you get into fashion?  Well, first make sure you have a) a trust fund  b) an understanding partner  c) parents with deep pockets! because before you get to the stage of the likes of Pat McGrath and Val Garland, you will have to do a lot of work for FREE... that's with a capital "F"!

Contact agencies and ask if you can assist their top makeup artists. You may spend the day cleaning brushes, but the tricks you will learn will be invaluable. It would be wise to have something to show the agencies in the form of a portfolio, it doesn't have to be many pictures, but it should reflect a variety of the work you have done so far. Get yourself the hide of a rhino, it may not be pretty but it will be helpful, so ask for feedback when they look at  your work. (When I was a recent graduate, I turned up at various agencies with pictures I had done for my college work. I thought they would take one look and take me onto their books immediately....It was only after a year of working with professionals, that I realised that with all the back patting I got at college, the college work wasn't as good as I thought it was...feel quite embarrassed thinking about it!).

A good idea is to get yourself registered on ModelMayhem.com. This website lists makeup artists, hairstylists,photographers, stylists and models.  Get a good crew together and hopefully get some great pics for your portfolio. Beware of some of the "models" on this website, although I have worked with some professional models from here, there are a lot of 5'4 wannabees who will do you no favours unless you are doing a beauty shoot (closeups) or glamour (think page 3).  Beware also, if one of the crew want to get a mate in "who wants to do a bit of modeling" unless the mate is Kate Moss (lucky you) usually, she won't know how to pose and you will have spent the whole day, using your valuable products, with pictures you wouldn't wipe your arse with!

A great tear sheet ( page from a magazine) can be worth more to you than a test shoot picture (Vogue Italia being the holy grail), but chances are you won't be paid for either.  Unfortunately, when it comes to fashion, most of the magazines feel you should be grateful for the opportunity, it's just a pity that excuse doesn't work on your landlord! You will normally be contacted via the photographer or the stylist so it pays to be friendly and approachable to both. I have been contacted by clients who have seen my work credited in magazines, so don't ever feel that your roll isn't as important as the others!.

Networking has never been so important than in this medium. As these positions are NEVER advertised.  Make contacts wherever you happen to find yourself.  If you make your money by working for the cosmetic counters, try to go for MAC and/or Estee Lauder as MAC staff usually get to do London Fashion Week. The hub that happens backstage will either excite you or scar you for life, but it will be memorable.

So time has gone on and you have held on with gritted teeth. You've been living on beans and cigarettes for more months than you care to mention.  You have some great pictures in your portfolio and you are still assisting.  This can be a trap, as you will probably never be seen as an artist in your own right, so take yourself off to a few other agencies, show your portfolio, name drop some of the artists you have worked with and if you have crossed all your digits, one of them will take you on.  From there you can do pop videos, magazine shoots etc and if you are very lucky, travel the globe but more importantly, get paid more money! (note: for some reason agencies usually pay in 90 days as apposed to 30 days, so you may still need those parents with the deep pockets!) but hey that's fashion!!!

Tomorrow we will talk about theatre.

Which Tip: Now What???

Which Tip: Now What???: "So you did your makeup/and or hair course which took you 3mths - 2 years depending on what course you do...and now what? Well first decide ..."

Now What???

So you did your makeup/and or hair course which took you 3mths - 2 years depending on what course you do...and now what?  Well first decide what avenue you want to go in to. Film/TV, Stage, Fashion?

TV/Film

You will need to know how your makeup will look under HD (I think it's safe to say that all TV and Film will be using this medium in the future). Now you could beg and plead with film production companies  to give you a try, but that, in my opinion, is a futile exercise. Your email will be lost amongst the 1000s they receive everyday. You could call in a few favours from friends or family (never knock nepotism, you will need every bit of luck you can!).  What worked for me was contacting a film school.  One with a good reputation was            The London Film School
       24 Shelton Street
       London, WC2H 9UB

But there are many  all over the country. Basically you just go there and they will have a notice board and you just pin a note on the wall stating they should call you if they are looking for a makeup artist. Make sure you highlight your talents eg. special effects and hair styling, make it standout as it will only be visable for a few days before someone else sticks their's over yours (yes it happens) . You will not be paid, but you will have expenses reimbursed and a good lunch. They usually shoot for 2 days to 2 weeks so make sure you can afford to do this. Note: if you are not that confident, go for the 1st year students, you will pull your hair out at times but once you have got the 1st one out of the way and know how to design the makeup for a script and how putting a film together works, go for the final year students only (they usually have a bigger budget and sometimes will get a  well known celebrity to appear in their films).

Alternatively, you could look on website MANDY.COM they will constantly list student films. So you can choose who you want to work with before applying for the position.

Usually after editing, there will be a screening which is done at a local cinema.  It is a good way to see your makeup blown up 100 fold!! Pay close attention and make note of any mistakes you think you made or things you could improve on.  If you can afford to do it, keep on until you feel very confident and you have a nice set of DVDs. If you have done it well, you will have bought some nice products for your kit even though you weren't getting paid. And I don't care who you are, nothing beats seeing your name on that screen (everyone thinks next time HOLLYWOOD!......even if you only end up in Borehamwood, it's still a touch!)

Once you have a couple of good DVDs of the films you have done, contact a few film production companies, include a link to your dvds which you can upload on youtube so they can see examples of your work (this will get you a little ahead of the majority of other applicants),  (no need to mention its a student film, if it's a really good film, they won't notice!).

A good money spinner is Corporate Films.  You can look online for  companies who make corporate videos. These are usually internal films made by large companies such as Tesco and B&Q to help their staff . They are not the most exciting jobs generally, but they are well paid and it is, like everything you do from now on, a networking exercise.  This industry is very much about WHO you know, so the more people you know, the more chances of getting work. Just make sure you have the personality and skills to back it up.  Many a door is opened, but its up to you to stay in the room! Be helpful (I'm alright Jack or Mrs Jobsworth won't last very long) The gaffer guy you ignored  or were rude to, could be the nephew of Ridley Scott, who had you been doing your best, just happened to mention your attributes, because he was so impressed with your talents on set....you never know!

Now I have a very early start in the morning so next issue...Getting into Fashion.