Clean, Breezy & Beautiful

Todays look is a really pretty and simple look to do. You do not need to have any fancy schmancy skill for it. It's basically my "daily" look for just looking fresh, clean, not a lot of makeup but enough to look nice. Its fantastic for those that dont want a lot of fuss or to look to done up, but that want or need a little more than the "3 minute makeup"


Here's the Video...





Here is a list of all the products used


Start:
Smashbox Bronzing Primer - any primer would do. In fact, you could skip this part, but overall, i love the look that the bronzing primer gives. If you were going for a bare minimum day, you could wear this solo!

Foundation : i use Lola Cosmetics in Sand

Concealor: Here i used Sheer Covers concealor duo in Light/Medium

Eyes: (what i used are in parenthesis)
All Over Shadow: should be close to skintone, a little shimmer is ok (Rice Paper by MAC)
Warm Pink Tone for fleshy part of eyelid (Dance Mix by MAC)
Dark Brown for lash line faded into crease (Showstopper by MAC)

Eyeliner: any dark brown or black pencil you have will do

Blush:
Warm Peachy tone that matches skin undertones (i use Canteloupe by MAC)

LipLiner or Lip Crayon (Baby Lips Blush, Soap and Glory aka Sexy MotherPucker)
Lip Gloss (Dolci by Bloom Cosmetics)

Lashes
Curler and Black Mascara of choice

Product Review

Quick Product Review today...

Pixi Natural Mineral Palette




Target is now carrying the Pixi Beauty line of makeup! They are making colors and palettes exclusively for target as well. WHats the bonus here? Well, I had never tried Pixi Beauty, but it's a higher end than typical "drugstore" brands and it's being carried at a drugstore. Which means items get clearanced as barcodes change, you can use giftcards that you wouldn't be able to use at other makeup places and um, you can tag things onto your weekly shop bill and hubby's might not catch on (thank goodness mine doesnt read this blog!).

But there is still a downside. Most makeup stores (like Sephora, Ulta, etc) have testers sitting out. Sometimes you'll see testers at a place like Target, but not like at a makeup retailer. Plus you dont have anyone who works there to ask. Trust me, the employees at target dont know the makeup specifics.

I was on the bonus side because I found this little kit sitting on an endcap, being clearanced most likely because of a new color coming out, or possibly a changing barcode. It was the only of it's kind (probably was hidden in the back during the normal markdowns) and i scored it for only 6.25. It was originally 25.00. I figured it was worth testing out.

Here is my review...

The shadows are heavily pigmented which is fantastic! Definitely what you miss when you buy are cheaper "drugstore" variety (they arent all bad, i'm just saying they dont often have the staying power). I applied the shadows which came in a beautiful shimmery champagne, a peachy bronze, a richer cocoa bronze and a shimmery soft black with gold flecks in the morning and it lasted the entire day. So a big woot woot for the shadows! I was impressed.
The next layer of the compact was blushes. One is a cream blush that seemed too dark for my skin tone, so i admit i havent tried it yet. I will amend this review when i do. The bronze tone seems harsh in the box as well. As long as you buff it on in a quick motion and dont add too many layers, this looked very nice on my NC30 skin. Not muddy and not too shimmery which is definitely what i feared by looking in the compact.
The final layer were 2 lipgloss pots. I'm truly not a fan of lipgloss in palettes because they just get messy to me. But since these have their own layer and wont gunk up the blushes or eyeshadows... there may be hope. Like many glosses, these were pretty going on, didnt last all day, but not a lot of glosses do. So they were fine, but they wouldnt be the reason i would purchase this product.

SO - all in all - would it be worth the 25 bucks? maybe, if you didnt have these eyeshadow colors (they are gorgeous, but "common". Its an easy think to go in your makeup kit if you arent a makeup artist, perhaps a pain in the rear if you are. The chunk box wont fit in with any of my palettes so it will remain in my bathroom drawer for when i do my own makeup. if you happen to find it on sale or clearance though, i'd say snatch it up! :)

Who I AM as a makeup artist!

One of the questions i get asked the absolute most (whether by clients, models, friends, fans (if i can say i have fans, hahah) etc... is how did i get started.  Why do i do makeup.  How LONG have i been doing makeup, etc.

Well, in a nutshell... i think i've done makeup since in the womb (ok not really).  I think i have wanted to do makeup since in the womb (this is probaby true if as a not even born baby i knew what makeup was) and I do it because it's all i've ever wanted to do! 

Yep... thats pretty much the short answer.

Ok, on to the LOOOONG answer.  haha.

I grew up in a theatre.  My dad is a set designer.  My mom (though she doesnt do it as actively anymore) is a costume designer.  Usually when i get to this point in my "story" people go OOOOOOOH.  They see how I'm like, what else would i do?  haha.  From a very young when i would go missing in the theatre building, my parents could find me playing in the makeup room.  Or watching someone else do makeup.  I put makeup on all of my dolls, but not even normal makeup.  i would take my rainbow brite dolls and take my moms makeup to put scratches and "dirt" and other makeup on them to make them look like they had been off in the woods or whatever other crazy story i could come up with (remember i was very used to watching theatrical makeup applications as well as special effects makeup!).

Starting at the age of 6 I started taking dance lessons at a ballet academy.  It was hard work.  I know, a 6 year old with hard work... but i continued to dance thru early highschool.  But what was my favorite part of dance?  Getting ready for the performance and photos!  And not like the practice getting ready for the big show... i mean the literal get ready right before the performance.  I routinely did everyone else's makeup as well.  I just LOVED that part!  In highschool i was pretty sure i'd end up going to cosmetology school at some point.  I did my friends makeup all the time.  I did prom makeup for everyone.  I did makeup for all the school plays.  I did makeup for the choir.  I also worked in community theatre.  All while trying to have that "normal" highschool life.  haha.

Then came college... I decided to study Musical Theatre (because of my love of dance and singing) but i still thought i'd do a beauty school after.  I took ALL the makeup courses from the university that i could (lucky for me, it was a university with a stellar theatrical and arts program).  I also really got into the film department there and quickly realized i loved everything there was with film making (and photography).  I did makeup for many many indepent and university driven films (some went on to be nominated for Academy Awards - yes they have those for university level films).  I did makeup for a lot of the stage productions as well.  I also did a bit of modeling during this time.

So then after graduation I had the big decision of New York or Los Angeles.  I chose to move to LA (against my parents lean towards New York since my dad is from those parts and i have family in the city).  I worked on my first independent film thru some friends i met. ( The producer of that film is now my husband, hehehe).  Under this advice, I started working with some modeling agencies and found some other photographers who's work I admired to build up my book rather than spend oodles of money on a cosmetology school when i was really only interested in makeup and some hair styling and could kinda care less about nails and other things.  Soon after I had a meeting with a makeup artist agent (yep, makeup artists have them too) and they decided to take me on.  WOOHOO!  This is how i booked my first big gigs.  Starting as an assistant and moving up to a Key Artist position.  From then i just was working as a professional artist.  I did a lot of music videos.  But also some commericals and fashion shoots, runway, you name it.  

Then came a time when my hubby and I decided to have a family.  :)  Since my hubby was a weeeeee bit tired of the "LA scene" i somewhat reluctantly agreed to move across the country to the Carolinas.  Now dont get me wrong, it's lovely here.  Not as trendy as LA and certainly not as exciting however, I'm sure it's a better environment for child rearing.  hah.  So thats where I am at now.  I do a lot of weddings and special events.  I also do the makeup for one of the senators when he's on CBS Face the Nation.  I do makeup consultations and other high profiles clients from the area.  I am a speaker and adjudicator for the American College Theatre Festival Region 4.  I still work on film and theatrical projects when the timing and other things are right.  So thats who I am as a makeup artist!  Whether you wanted to know or not!  :)

This is an older tutorial i did for my crafting blog after i had a  lot of requests to show some "mommy" makeup.  You know... the kind that takes very little product and very little time, but still makes you look presentable!  Yeah, being a mommy of young ones... i get to spot this look a lot.  :)  but now that I'm keeping track of makeup happenings on a new blog... i thought i'd post it here as well.  

Who is Katie Cotton?

I truly believe that I have always been an artist. I grew up loving all things creative. And both of my parents are artists in theatre! (my dad is a set designer, my mom did costume design for a loooooong time before she ventured into other areas of art) So you can imagine the creative freedom i had growing up! I always knew i wanted to be a part of it! As a child, i did a lot of dancing, acting, singing, modeling, blah blah blah but always knew i wanted to go into makeup. I would put makeup on my dolls even! When learning to perform, my favorite part ways always getting ready for the performance! So that was definitely clue number 1!

So after I graduated, I moved out to Los Angeles to become a Makeup Artist! I love it there and worked professionally there for some time doing makeup for music videos, commericals, fashion shows, films, tv, etc etc the you get the idea! If you can get paid, you do it! However, after marrying the love of my life and us deciding to start a family, we decided, welllllll, maybe we'll relocate. My hubby needed the break from the LA scene and I wanted the opportunity to be at home with my kiddos while they were small... at least part of the time! Not pulling 12-16 hour days on set and not really knowing when the next job was.

SO, we relocated to the upstate of South Carolina.

The jobs I do these days may not be quite as "glamorous" as my LA days, but for me it's all about the makeup! It's all about giving everyone their chance to twinkle! Whether it's a model, bride, or just a friend! I do some commericals and film works around here as well and also freelance for Coplons, which is an upscale boutique here in Greenville.

It's a great average of the time I spend at home with my little guys (3 and 1) and the time i get to spend out doing makeup. I did develop another fun hobby after I moved east because i was desperately looking for something creative to do AT HOME. It wasnt that i didnt want to be out doing makeup, it was right after moving here, not having the clientele to work from!

Enter paper crafting into my life! I met some friends who introduced me to the work of paper crafting, stamping, scrapbooking, etc. It was fun. But i had ideas! On top of that, i discovered COPIC MARKERS. Love those little guys! They reminded me of makeup! Picking colors, blending together, lots of different techniques and ways to use them. They were definitely love at first site. With the desire to color more, came more ideas! SO, i started my own stamp company! I named it appropriately, Paper Makeup Stamps.

So now i kind of have 3 worlds that i live in! First and foremost, I am known as Mama... to my 2 little guys. Even my hubby calls me Mama. haha. But then i have my life as a makeup artist and my life as a paper crafter. Its fun living in my 3 worlds, if not exhausting.

I'm also a teacher. Yep, lets just add one more thing to the list! haha. But i love to teach. I love to extend the knowledge that I have to others! I have taught makeup to collegiate students for some time. Letting them know the ins and outs of becoming a "makeup artist". I also became certified in Copic Markers so i could teach coloring classes (which i teach locally and online).

However, i still wanted to be able to share my knowledge MORE! So in the fall of 2009, i discovered the fun world of you tube! I'm hoping that the YouTube videos I can provide help others to learn because I am a big firm believer in that the best way to learn to to watch and PRACTICE! Gather information from ANYWHERE and EVERYWHERE! Then practice it so that you can develop your own style! Never take anything that someone says as absolute! But do take it in! Everyone has something to teach you! Whether its what will work great for you or what doesnt work for you... it still teaches you! So research! Expand your horizons! Learn all that you can and then PRACTICE it! Hone it! Make it your own!

We are ALL stars and we ALL have the right to twinkle!

My Makeup Artist Site

http://www.katieshawger.com

(Shawger is my maiden name for those who are curious!)

My makeup artist blog (NEW)

(where the YouTube makeup videos are also posted as well as other pictures, info, etc)

http://makeupartistkatie.blogspot.com

My Paper Crafted Blog

(where the YouTube copic tutorials are posted, as well as all my cards, and other things)

http://papermakeup.blogspot.com

My Stamp Company, Paper Makeup Stamps

http://www.papermakeup.com

Stamp Company Blog

http://papermakeupstamps.blogspot.com

Hello Everyone!  I have decided to keep a makeup "blog".  I am hoping to provide some fun tutorials, some artistic inspiration and some product reviews that will help you know some of the ins and outs of my world in makeup!

You can go to my website www.katieshawger.com to see some of my work.

You can also email me any questions or suggestions at Makeupbykatie @ yahoo (dot) com!

My Resume

Design Credits

Key MU/Hair for Promo Materials Apehangers Grill, Oceanside CA

Key MU/Hair McAulley’s Summer Fashion

Key MU - Rex Rice for Congress Video Campaign

Key MU/Hair - Lela Rose Fashion Show, Coplons

Key MU/Hair - McAulley's Unique Boutique, makeup and hair for fashion promo materials

Key MU - Kentwool Golf - promotional materials, makeup for pro golfers

Key MU - Astonish Results, Palmetto Insurance commerical

Speaker and Adjudicator - American College Theatre Festival Region 4 (2008, 2009)

Key MU - CBS News, Face the Nation, Senator Lindsey Graham (ongoing)

Key MU - Carolina Uplink Makeup Artist

Key MU - Southern Bridal Couture Fashion Show

Key MU - Film, Leverage, Lydia Martinelli dir.

Key MU, Hair - Switchfoot, Music Video, John Watts dir. Smuggler prod.

Key MU, F/X & Hair - 10 Years, Music Video, Kevin Kerslake dir. Crossroads prod.

Key MU - International Model and Talent Association, Hooray For Hollywood Competition

Key MU & Hair - 2nd Edition Promo Materials, Sterling Mngmt

Key MU - Music Group Promo Materials, Dollshouse

Key MU & Hair, Expert Advice - Cheeracise Video, Todd Rungren prod.

Key MU & Hair - Press Conference, etc, Christmas in The Clouds

Key MU & Hair - Band Promo Materials, Ordinary People

Key MU & Hair - Keith Ferrazzi, TV Pilot

Key MU - Spa Soiree's "Extreme Makeover" Spirituality Edition

Key MU - World Championships of Performing Arts, dance show

Key MU/Hair - Sterling Mngmt Resource/Promotion Materials

Key MU/Hair - GNC NPC Los Angeles Figure and Fitness Championships, Lindsay Productions

Key MU - JLee Couture Print Ad Campaign 2005

Key MU/Fx/Hair - Indy Film, Premonitions Dir. Shawn Sourgoose

Key MU - 2005 MVPA Awards, dancers and celebrity presenters

Key MU/Hair - Star Power Entertainment Agency Shoot

Key MU/Hair - Orange County Muscle Classic XXIX

Key MU/Hair - Mag Cover & Feature, Prosperity Magazine

Key MU/Hair - Mag Spread: Best Selling Author Dan Carrison, Research Magazine

Key MU/Hair/fx - PSA W/ Alan Thicke and Bill Kirchenbaum, Baldguy Productions

Asst MU/Hair - Infomercial/Commercial - The Color Company, Jill Kirsh

Asst MU/Hair - Nike Commercial, Smuggler Prod.

Workshop for Ball State University; taught students makeup use for film

Key Hair, Asst MU - Yoko Ono Music Video, Every Man/Every Woman, Partizan Prod

Key MU/Hair - Fashion Runway, Kami Shade - The Collection

Key MU/Hair - Beck Music Video, Black Tamborine, Associates in Science dir., Partizan prod.

Key MU/Hair - Barbizon Modeling School (Long Beach) IMTA competition (Runway, Fashion, And Print Commerical)

Key MU/Hair - Barbizon Modeling School (Sacramento) IMTA competition (Runway, Fashion, And Print Commerical)

Asst MU - ADIDAS - ad campaign, NBA stars

Key MU/Hair - Fashion Runway - Designer Kami Shade

Key MU/Hair/fx - Searching for the One, independent short; First on Earth Productions

Key MU - Destructed, independent short Rochelle Productions

Key MU/Hair - Infinite Talent Orange County

Key Hair, Asst MU - Creme de la Creme, models and dancers

Key MU - Album Cover, Singer/Artist Faezeh

Key MU - Featured Artist, @ Magazine, @ Your Entertaiment

Key MU - Featured Artist, Trashee Cosmetics

Key MU/Hair/fx - Downtown Fairytale, independent feature

Cardinal FilmWorks

Key MU/Hair/fx - Outside, independent short Featherwind Productions

Key MU/Hair/fx - Library of Poetry and Song, independent short Featherwind Productions

Key MU/fx - Boy Gets Girl, Cave Theatre, IN Carinne Uslar, Dir

Asst MU - Lysistrata, University Theatre, IN Karen Kessler, Dir

Asst MU - SideShow, University Theatre, IN Judy Yordon, Dir

Asst MU/fx - Romeo and Juliet, Minnetrista Cult. Center, IN Don LaCasse, Dir

Key MU - Egomanagement Productions