I'm a little bit addicted to makeup, skin care, and hair care products. It probably all started with the way they smell, because I've always had a special place in my heart for good-smelling products. I'm a non-practicing media makeup artist. At one time, I had a lot going for me in the makeup world. I trained under a high-profile celebrity makeup artist, had a handful of great connections, a three foot tall makeup chest on wheels (equipped to walk onto any set and do any style of makeup on any ethnicity), and an excellent starting portfolio featuring shots from an amazing photographer.
I worked on one movie, which was amazing. Being on set for 16 hours a day was exhausting and exciting. And a lot more work than you'd ever imagine. I loved it though. I worked on a few tv shows which never aired, but most of my makeup career time was spent managing a Nordstrom makeup department and doing tons of bridal makeup. Working retail was so not for me, and the brides? Well, let's not go there.
Makeup became less and less fun and more and more work for me. And I wasn't about to move my husband and I to Los Angeles where all the fun jobs are. So I slowly let my makeup kit dwindle and what you see below is what's left of my kit that I actually use on a regular basis. I wanted to share a few of my favorite makeup products with you:
1. MAC Eyeshadow (my "everyday" palette is pictured above. It's one of four). Among the best shadows I've found so far. When looking for a quality shadow there's two factors to pay attention to: pigmentation and blendability. A lot of cheaper shadows are full of fillers, so you need to apply several layers in order to see the color on your eyes. Other shadows have a great amount of pigmentation, but aren't very forgiving. They stick where you place them. To test a shadow, set your finger onto the shadow (don't twist or rub, you shouldn't have to) and then rub your finger on the back of your hand. You should see a lot of color and it should be able to spread over a fairly large area of your hand (at least a square inch). It should appear to set into the pores of your hand, rather than looking like it's sitting on top of your skin.
2. MAC Pigments (these are the stacked bottles in the back of the picture - and yes, of course you would find them stacked perfectly like this if you were to walk into my bathroom on any given day). These pigments will last you forever and are so, super fun. You can use them for anything. I've used them as eyeshadow, blush, mixed with clear lip gloss for a perfect lip color, with lotion for a body shimmer, even into clear fingernail polish. RAD.
3. There's a tie for my favorite lip gloss: MAC Lip Glass and Benefit's VIP glosses.
4. Brushes are very important. In the picture are MAC brushes but they're not the only brushes I use. Cinema Secrets have some great brushes, even Sonia Kashuk's Target line has a few great brushes. How to find a good brush is another book entirely.
5. My favorite mascara is L'Oreal's Telescopic. The brush takes getting used to, but it makes your lashes look super long. One thing I absolutely hate from MAC is their mascara. It smells like crap and takes 2-3 coats to look good. I don't have time for this stuff! Mascara is one thing you don't need to spend more on to get great quality. Find the perfect marriage of ink and brush that works for you.
Yay. I should review stuff more often.
I worked on one movie, which was amazing. Being on set for 16 hours a day was exhausting and exciting. And a lot more work than you'd ever imagine. I loved it though. I worked on a few tv shows which never aired, but most of my makeup career time was spent managing a Nordstrom makeup department and doing tons of bridal makeup. Working retail was so not for me, and the brides? Well, let's not go there.
Makeup became less and less fun and more and more work for me. And I wasn't about to move my husband and I to Los Angeles where all the fun jobs are. So I slowly let my makeup kit dwindle and what you see below is what's left of my kit that I actually use on a regular basis. I wanted to share a few of my favorite makeup products with you:
1. MAC Eyeshadow (my "everyday" palette is pictured above. It's one of four). Among the best shadows I've found so far. When looking for a quality shadow there's two factors to pay attention to: pigmentation and blendability. A lot of cheaper shadows are full of fillers, so you need to apply several layers in order to see the color on your eyes. Other shadows have a great amount of pigmentation, but aren't very forgiving. They stick where you place them. To test a shadow, set your finger onto the shadow (don't twist or rub, you shouldn't have to) and then rub your finger on the back of your hand. You should see a lot of color and it should be able to spread over a fairly large area of your hand (at least a square inch). It should appear to set into the pores of your hand, rather than looking like it's sitting on top of your skin. 2. MAC Pigments (these are the stacked bottles in the back of the picture - and yes, of course you would find them stacked perfectly like this if you were to walk into my bathroom on any given day). These pigments will last you forever and are so, super fun. You can use them for anything. I've used them as eyeshadow, blush, mixed with clear lip gloss for a perfect lip color, with lotion for a body shimmer, even into clear fingernail polish. RAD.
3. There's a tie for my favorite lip gloss: MAC Lip Glass and Benefit's VIP glosses.
4. Brushes are very important. In the picture are MAC brushes but they're not the only brushes I use. Cinema Secrets have some great brushes, even Sonia Kashuk's Target line has a few great brushes. How to find a good brush is another book entirely.
5. My favorite mascara is L'Oreal's Telescopic. The brush takes getting used to, but it makes your lashes look super long. One thing I absolutely hate from MAC is their mascara. It smells like crap and takes 2-3 coats to look good. I don't have time for this stuff! Mascara is one thing you don't need to spend more on to get great quality. Find the perfect marriage of ink and brush that works for you.
Yay. I should review stuff more often.
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