Happy Halloween + Tips on Pro Makeovers

Halloween: The one day you can dress up as anything or anyone you want without getting strange glances. It’s also a day when many people have their makeup done by someone else. This should be a great and fun experience but sometimes things can get in the way. Here are some of my favorite tips for helping things run smoothly any time you are having someone else do your makeup, Halloween or not.

1. Have an idea of what you are looking for and bring examples (color swatches from fabric, photos, or anything that inspires you). If you aren’t certain of what you want, brainstorm with the artist to help come up with some ideas.

2. If you bring a photo of what you want, remember that may not be the exact look you get. A good makeup artist will try to work with your own unique features to replicate the look, but sometimes our faces are different then our inspiration model’s and things might have to be tweaked. For example: You may have a more delicate eye area then the model in your inspiration photo, and doing the same dramatic smokey eye in exactly the same way might make you look like someone punched you in the eye.

3. Relax! When your body is relaxed, we are able to work more efficiently. It’s hard to apply eyeshadow on someone who is closing their eyes tightly and it’s harder to enhance the brows of someone who is moving their face. Relax your face and follow the directions of the artist of when to open, close, and look up.

4. Know that there will usually be a fee to have your makeup done. If makeup is “free” you are expected to purchase at the end of your makeover session. Having worked cosmetics retail myself, I can tell you that it is very rude to get your face done and simply walk away. The associate/artist is spending valuable company time with you. Most counters and stores nowadays charge a fee up front to ensure their time is not wasted. If yours doesn’t, it’s because the company has good faith that you will purchase something. Freelance artists (individuals that do not work at a counter or store) will usually discuss a fee up front when you book your appointment.

5. Do not think that it’s okay to bring a friend to your appointment and expect to have their makeup done. Most companies assign someone to do your face and will not often have the time to accomodate an extra face, especially on a busy day. If you plan to bring someone with you who also wants a make-p application, call before hand and see if you can book an appointment for them after yours.

6. If you do not like the direction your makeup is going, please speak up. We want you to be happy, so please let us know how we can better help you. There’s nothing worse than having a client proclaim they love what you’ve done only to find out later that they didn’t like it.  Things you can say if your wishes aren’t being meant, “I was hoping we could try it another way,” “I thought I’d like that color/look/method/etc. but it may not be for me afterall. Can we try something else?” Just be honest, and be polite. It’s much easier to fix something as it’s being done then at the very end.

7. And the most important: BE ON TIME (yes, I am yelling). It seems like people these days have either A.) No sense of time.  B.) Respect enough for themselves (it’s YOU that looks bad when you show up late) and the other person to be on time.  C.) Some other reason, which is still no excuse for tardiness. If you will be late, please telephone to let your artist know. Often times there is only a certain amount of time alloted for your appointment and your time will be cut short by being late. Give yourself enough time for travel, finding the location (if you have never been there before), and time for parking and walking to your destination. Also, give yourself at least 15 extra minutes, just in case there is unforseen traffic or other circumstances.

Busy Bee!

I’ve not had much time for myself lately, let alone post any blogs. My days off are spent pretty much going crazy; errands, helping my mom, working on projects, and trying to (unsuccessfully) catch up on missed sleep. I was also stressed out for a few weeks because there was something terribly wrong with my car. I promise there will be more blogs to come in the next few weeks.

I have also had a little lapse in going to the gym. Most of the time after work I make the excuse that I’m too tired to go or I have too many other things I need to do instead. So to re-motivate myself, I’ve booked more personal training appointments, purchased a few cute new workout outfits, and uploaded a new workout music mix. We’ll see how it goes.

Too Faced Primer & Luminizing Primer Inspired by Carmindy

Too Faced Primed & Poreless Skin Smoothing Face Primer: You will see instant gratification from this primer. Pore perfecting, smoothing, and longer lasting makeup are just a few of the perks. Mulberry extract is added for a boost of brightening. This also contains vitamins A & C plus a small dose of retinol to refine the skin over time. Always make sure to wear sunscreen whenever using a retinol product, no matter how small the concentration. The texture feels like that of a typical primer-. It does contain dimethecone and I have not yet broken out from it. To me, it doesn’t feel like I put anything on my skin and I like it a lot. I have been using it for over a month now and I don’t notice a huge difference in the texture or my pore size when I am not wearing this. All in all, I feel like it’s a decent primer and I might be inclined to buy this again. $30 for a 1 oz tube at Sephora.

Carmindy for Sally Hansen Luminizing Primer:  This pretty primer features subtle luminzing particles to give a radiant glow to the complexion. It helps to subtly brighten the skin while smoothing over fine lines, wrinkles, uneven texture, and pores. Like the Too Faced primer, it feels soft, slightly slick, and smooth. I don’t really notice much of an added glow after I apply a fuller coverage foundation. When I am wearing this under a sheer tinted moisturizer my skin looks slightly more radiant. I tried this on my mother who happens to have dry skin, noticeable pores, a little redness, and minimal signs of aging (mostly around the eye area) and it seemed to suit her skin type much better then mine. If you are curious, I would recommend trying it, just take caution if, like me, you are on the more oily side. For where to buy near you, check http://www.sallyhansennaturalbeauty.com/where-to-buy/