I will get better at posting, i will get better at posting...

I feel like i should be writing this across the walls of my home (which we are currently painting... yea for fresh looks!)

But this time I mean it! Ok, I always mean it but as the wedding season winds down I feel like I may actually be able to follow thru. At least a little. :D

I do have some fun news... I recently won the Makeup Artist of the Week award on Model Mayhem. This is my 2nd honoring win. And yes... I will get around to sharing more photos from the shoots below. They were super fun!

I will also be a participating vendor at the U Designs Drop In Bridal Event tomorrow evening (November 8th) at Grace Hall in downtown Greer. I will be doing some airbrush demos, so if you are a bride to be in the Upstate of South Carolina, you should come! Even starts at 6:30!

And one last thing before I go... I am curious to know what my readers are most interested in reading from my blog... seeing photos of work? Tutorials? Product reviews? mix it up?

I want your suggestions afterall without you i'm just typing to the wind!

Send your suggestions to makeupbykatie @ yahoo .com with the subject blog suggestions

Thanks so much everyone!!!

Makeup for the Weekend Tips

Once upon a time... (ok, 1 time) i posted a makeup tip on a Friday. I had quite a few people suggest I do it every friday. Welllll... since Friday's are my prep day for the weekend wedding warrior (AKA, me) sometimes i forget. But I do love the idea!

I posted on Facebook asking if anyone had a question and got 2 right away... SO, i'm going to answer both. :D

Question 1: How do you put on eyeliner without looking like a goth girl?

I had to silently laugh about that one! The biggest thing, is that you probably arent using the right eyeliner. Now i'm not saying you have to go out and spend 20 bucks on an eyeliner, but if it doesnt say smudge proof or waterproof, chances are you going to look a little bit like you belong in Blondie.

Typically, eyeliner pencils like to "melt" when they get warm. And unfortunately, skin gets warm so therefore, the liner smudges down a bit further than you'd like by midday.

I most often use a cream based eyeliner and a brush. This sets far more quickly and it's going to run away from you. Lots of companies make these now. Even Maybelline has one (that i havent tried, but i've heard good things). My preference is MAC's fluidline in blacktrack for a seriously all day stay. 2nd up is Stila's smudgepot in black.

Is you dont feel coordinated enough to use a cream liner and a brush, try setting your eyeliner with a bit of dark shadow. It doesnt have to be a black shadow, a very dark brown will do the trick (my fav is Showstopper from MAC). You can use a small brush and pat the shadow on top of the eyeliner. This will set it. Think of it like you set your foundation with powder so it stays put. :D

Question number 2: "What is the best way to cover up blemishes so that they don't look like makeup caked scabs?"

OMG you guys are funny! Well, here's the first thing... don't pick at blemishes to create scabs in the first place! I know i know, it's hard, but really, try to leave them be so you dont get the crusted blemish. Because as much as you can do to cover color, there really is very little to cover texture.

The first part of my answer, really isnt going to help you do it on your own. But i have to put it in there for those who hire me to do their makeup! I cover all blemishes with my airbrush. It's the absolute best for longevity and without the oils and such that normal concealers have, the airbrush foundation truly STICKS to the blemish and doesnt wear off like other concealors. Whats more, is because the airbrush sprays such a fine thin layer (i feel an article about airbrush coming on!) and it's buildable, it doesn't add texture and it has full cover coverage.

SO, stressed out brides and models... you can relax a smidge because I can fully cover those uninvited guests so that they are unnoticed on your big day or photoshoot!

Now, for those wanting to take care of those pesky buggers at home. As already mentioned, STOP PICKING! And really truly resit the urge to just pick the scab off so that you have a smoother surface to cover with makeup because you are only going to give yourself a little scar which will just be a darkened area of skin that will last 3-4 times as long as that blemish will.

Wash the area well each night (with an exfoliator, but dont OVER exfoliate) and then put a good moisturizer on. Be really focus on moisturizing the blemished area so that it doesnt dry out and get so scabbed.

Next when doing your makeup routine, if you can get away with just putting a dense powder over it, it will look less cakey. If that isnt an option, or you really need more color coverage, apply the concealer with a small brush in a dotted fashion. You can pat around the edges of the blemish with a clean finger to fade out the concealer. This gives a better texture plus the brush strokes will just take the makeup right back off where you have applied. Then dust a powder on top (lightly again, just pat it over). These steps will help the concealer last longer and also will help it to not look so crusty. :D

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

A lot going on with Cotton Rouge!

Where in the world has the summer gone? Well I know that I have certainly been busy with lots of weddings, photo shoots and the like. Not to mention the fact that summer time means no school for my kids so I did try to spend as much time as possible with them at the pool and just outside having fun in between consultations, shoots, weddings and such! It was definitely a fun but busy busy summer!

Now that school is back in session, my working schedule seems to be busier than ever with fall weddings! I'm so thrilled to be a part of these ladies lives on their important day!

Luckily, fall also means school for my boys so my hopes are to be a lot better about updating my blog! But as always, i do get the chance to update my Facebook page more which has gotten to over 500 likers so thanks so much fans!!!

In other fun news, I recently connected with a new company, PageantDesigns.com! Pageant Designs is a division of Dimitra Designs, which is a company that many of my past brides had told me about after purchasing their dressed and or accessories from them. Let me tell you, they have GORGEOUS items! But Dimitra Designs of course isnt all bridal, they also are one of the biggest suppliers for Proms, Pageants and other special event wear! Now with their new website, PageantDesigns.com is definitely South Carolina's source for elegant evening gowns and other pageant accessories.

They haveTony Bowls pageant dresses and other pageant dresses that are just beyond gorgeous! But truly, whatever you need is, from the dress to the shoes to the jewelry and more, they have you covered!

You can also check out some of their blogs, Brides and Beauty and DressProm.net for more inspiration no matter what your occasion is!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!!!

A little bit of my photography...

So as many of you know, I have been dabbling in photography for the better part of a year now. I will never ever ever leave my love of makeup and never intend on leaving makeup artistry as my main business, however I have loved playing with the camera!

Recently, I have a bridal client who was not going to be getting bridal portraits or engagement pictures done. Her photographer is a family friend who is not even from this area. He will be coming in and taking photos of the wedding and everything but nothing prior to that.

I know all of this because I was careful to find out this info prior to saying, well I'll take some for you! I would never want to step on any toes!!

Anyhoo - I did do Bobbi Jo's makeup and hair before her engagement shoot and then we headed to Greer City Park to take a few fun shots. Given that close to sunset photography is not something I've had a lot of practice in, I felt the shots turned out ok and I decided to share them here! :D

We started in downtown greer...

And then it was time to get some more personality into the photos...

I broke the ice first by telling Jack's (my 5 year old) favorite joke. It worked!

Here's the same location... the shot i'm showing now has a bit of color processing which i just love to do. The photos are all being given to the couple in standard editting as well. :D

Next we changed the scenary a bit and went to the grassy knoll area in front of the clock tower...

Hehe, i was determined to get this shot.... we actually got it a few different ways. :D

Then we moved over to a small pond area... i love the shot below because to me it looks like a clip from a movie. :D

Walking along the tracks
And now for some really fun shots...

Bobbi Jo really loved fountains and wanted some shots with the fountain in them.

After we were done shooting... I asked if they minded getting wet! Both thought it was a very fun idea (i think the bride may have thought it was a little more fun than the groom! ha!)

The shots we got were so fun!

And after the fun pretty shots, we had fun!

Then after a lot of fun shots of them totally getting wet... i got a shot which may be one of my favorite pictures i've ever taken! Now if i could just decide my favorite edit of it!

I think my favorite is the middle... the color processed one... because i just love that look, but the older photo look kinda steals my heart as well! Which do you like?

or

just another fun shot of the soaked couple!

So thats it! My first ever engagement shoot which a super fabulous couple!

I've already done some bridal pictures of Bobbi Jo, but I cant post those until after her wedding in August. Wouldnt want the groom to see early!! Just in case!

Fashion Shoot with Brian Miller Photography

Recently I had the honor of doing a super fun fashion shoot with Brian Miller Photography and Jennifer McAbee in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

When I was first contacted by Brian to do the shoot, he told me the direction he wanted to go with Jennifer. It was just a fun, edgy, and a little bit rock idea, as Jennifer (a fab model) had a lot more of glam and pinup style in her portfolio and we wanted to shake things up a bit.

Then... the idea of a mohawk came into play (i think it was Jennifer's idea). Brian says to me, she has really long hair, can you make a mohawk? Oh yes... yes i can.

Introducing as I have dubbed it... the Rock the Hawk shoot!

Here's a shot after i had finished the makeup and I was at work getting that MoHawk up there!

Here's another favorite...

And here's another one after a wardrobe change... i love the change of feeling to punky and free to lost and lonely!

And anyway you turn that head... the mohawk stays! Thats fun too!

So since most of my followers are other makeup artists and models... the biggest question i got after posting these to my facebook fan page was how on earth did you get it to stay?!

A bunch of teasing, hair spray and manipulating until I had it how i wanted it. I did try a few hair products first, and I decided, just using up the can of hair spray was the best bet. The other products added too much weight to the hair. It was easier to just layer the hairspray on!

It also helped that Jennifer has bleached her hair, um, at least once so the hair itself is very porous and took to the hairspray well. :D The sides were french braided back and then flitered into the back side of the mohawk. :D

Lauren's Wedding

Summer is in full swing! And so are the weddings! Phew!

I love my life and my work, so I am continually thankful for each and every bride i have!

Here are some shots of a recent wedding I did hair and makeup for.

All shots by Yellow Umbrella Photography (with Kapture by Kolby as her second shooter)

I gotta admit... this is one of my favorite shots ever! Thank you so much Elizabeth for capturing me at work as well as the beautiful bride so well!

Be sure to find my page on facebook as well for more bridal updates!

www.facebook.com/cottonrouge

Libby's Wedding

I have some photos to share from a wedding I did back in April.

All photos in this post taken by David Whitlow Photography.

Libby was so fun to work with from her consult to her wedding day!

Not only was she a gorgeous bride, but she also had a fun and almost earthy/vintage/rustic/urban vibe to her wedding. I know those don't seem to go together, but they did! It was a BIG bridal party, so I enlisted the help of some other artists to make sure everything was done perfectly! Here's what Libby had to say!

Here are a few more photos of the bride!

Special Note: Click on the photo if you'd like to see it larger!

And some more photos just cause i like them. :D

Have a wonderful Memorial Day everyone!

Beautiful Bride, Leann

All photography in this post by Yellow Umbrella Photography

Leann was one of my fabulous brides in March. I have had the wonderful pleasure of doing Leann's makeup and hair 4 times now! She was previously a bridesmaid in 2 other weddings I've done. Then I got to do her hair and makeup for her bridal portraits and then her wedding!

She truly is just such a fun and wonderful personality and beautiful person!

Leann's photographer for her portraits and big day was Liz of Yellow Umbrella Photography.

Liz has amazing talent of really capturing the personality of her client. I was thrilled with the pictures captured.

Here are a few from the big day! I also did the makeup and hair for Leann's bridesmaids.

Have a wonderful day everyone!!!

Susanna Bridal Pics

Well I have been busy busy busy!!! Lots and Lots of weddings, consults and portraits! I am not complaining! As I always say, I will try to be better about keeping my blog updated!

If you havent become a fan of my facebook page please feel free to do so! I'm better about keeping things update over there! :D

Here are some photos of one of my latest brides!

Her name is Susanna and she is just one of the sweetest things since hawaiian bread!

I also had the pleasure of working with Jana Candler, finally! We had chatted before, but not had the chance to work together until now. She too is a pretty awesome chick!

Check out Jana's photography at www.JanaCandlerPhoto.com

For Susanna's makeup, I used dinair airbrush for her foundation and blush (Natural Beige and Bronze Rose) and traditional hand application for her shadow (Stila Moonlight, Mac Satin Taupe and Showstopper). Lips were Boss Brown ProLongWear lip color from MAC.

For her hair, we used a conical wand to curl it and also added some clip in extentions for fullness! This was my 2nd time working with the conical wand (my first was at her consultation!) And i was very pleased with the final result!

Here are some photos from Susanna's bridal portraits. These were shot by Kim DeLoach who is another fantastic photographer and an associate of Jana Candlers.

You may notice her hair is a little different here. This is before we discovered we liked the conical wand better. Susanna saw someone else who had used it and called me up and said, could we give it a shot? She really liked the style of the curl it provided. I said I was always willing to learn new tools! And so we did! I think both styles are nice and will continue to use both the traditional curling iron and the conical wand depending on which style of curl is preferred by the bride!

So there we have it!!!! Hopefully I will have more photos to share with you soon!!!!

Tips on moving quickly as an industry professional

Hello Lovelies!!!! Me thinks it's about time for an update! I have been a crazy fool working. I truly love it! Sometimes of course you feel a bit swamped and it's easy to get overwhelmed! Especially like the case of my past weekend! SO it prompted me to think of this post! This post is really geared for the industry professional or aspiring industry professional. Someone who is planning on making this artistry into a career. :D

This past weekend I had back to back weddings, and received an email friday evening that my assistant would be unable to assist afterall. After making a few phone calls to find a replacement and realizing that a new assistant for the day wasnt going to be happening

and faced with back to back weddings with what seemed too many people for just 1 person, it was time to buckle down and make sure everything was streamlined.

After chatting with some other makeup artist friends, I knew i could do it if i just remained calm and followed the quick tips I often try to go by anyway.

Tip #1 - Do not panic! The moment you panic you begin to get flustered, misplace items, drop items on the floor that then need sanitized. All too time consuming. Remain calm, and if you feel that tension start to rise in your gut. Take a quick second to take a deep breath in, hold for a second and exhale. It doesn't need to be obvious, but takes the 10 seconds to get yourself composed will greatly help your timing in the long run. And then also abide by these next tips!

Tip #2 - Suggested to me by another MUA, create a palette to work from. Since I already keep my makeup in palette forms and everything is already labeled, this was easy. I did stick to the same color scheme on everyone to create a signature look for each wedding. This helped keep up the speed so that I wouldnt be fumbling around my kit for a different color pattern. If you do not keep your makeup in palettes, creating a palette or mini kit for each wedding would be a huge benefit. Also choose the signature lip colors. Opt for colors that suit most all skintones and opt for a nude lip liner and a spritz bottle of alcohol so that you can easily use the lip liner, spritz, and then it will be ready for the next client.

Tip #3 - Bring a couple jars to set on your station of your go to products. This is something I have at my work station at home for consults so I knew this would be helpful at the wedding. Keep disposable applicators in 1 (mascara wands, lip gloss brushes, and also the mascara and your 2 go to lip colors. That way you dont lose precious minutes going, shoot, where did i lay down the mascara! The other jar use for hair items (if you are also styling hair), the comb, teasing brush, etc. It's too easy for those to get buried under other items when you are working quickly!

Tip #4 - If lashes have not already been decided on, create a little kit that the bridesmaids can decide on their pair so that way you arent sitting and waiting for them to decide wasting those precious minutes. I love using a little tool assortment box my husband got me. It was less than $5 and easily organizes all my lashes and has a good little spot for the glue, another easily buried item!

Tip #5 - If you are also styling the hair, it is a great benefit to have some signature styles and in the event of a big time crunch have a few great styles to suggest that do NOT require the time of setting curls! Currently very popular and do not require curls is a wrap around french braid that wraps low on the back of the head and goes into a low side bun. You can also take a piece of hair by the bang to braid and lay on top of the hair to go down into a low side bun. Adding a braid to a simple hair style can add a bit of flair and elegance to a simple hair style. And the client is still getting something they likely couldnt have acheived on their own!

Tip #6 - bright a zip lock baggie for each client and a sharpie. For each client, write their name on the bag. As you are working, put the brushes used on them in their baggie. If for any reason they come back to you for a touch up, you have their brushes ready to go. This is also an extremely valuable tip if you are on a long day production set. You can easily go thru a lot of brushes if you have to grab a new one every time.

Tip #7 - Wax Paper Tablets can be your best friend! Some beauty stores, like Frends in Los Angeles carries them in very handy sizes, but you can find them at most art supply stores as painters often use them as their palettes. You can work off of this friendly non drying palette and go back for your touchups when needed.

Tip #8 - Paper Lunch Bags - I always keep a couple folded up in my kit. Putting one on your station to quickly toss used disposables, etc in will save time from you running back and forth to a trash can!

AND my last tip... have a friend on speedial! Seriously! They dont need to be a makeup or hair professional, but someone else there really will just make you feel more relaxed. They can wash brushes, hold things for you, or in the case of my friend who came to my rescue in my last hour when i realized, these flowergirls arent getting done by the 4:00 picture time (the wedding was at 6) without a miracle, someone to just put some curls in hair for you.

I have loads of pictures i need to share. My facebook fan page has been updated with most of them, so go check it out!!! :D

When did this happen?

When did it happen?! My sweet little baby grew up to a KID! I mean, he's not even little anymore!!!! Today he turned 5. And next year he will start kindergarten. Man, they grow up so quick.

Recently at his preschool they had a "muffins for mom" day. Each child drew a picture of their mom and also answered 3 questions (what is your mom good at, what does she like to do and a finish the sentence of my mom _______). Jack says "My mom is good at making up people". My mom likes to go to makeup stores and my mom rocks.

I love my kid!

MakeupTalk Beauty Blog

Well, i know I wrote a similar post once before with Makeup Talk had a giveaway of Mac gift cards. They are doing it again this time giving away entire Luminess Air systems (for airbrushing)! Many of you already know i totally heart my airbrush when doing bridal makeup. It gives flawless application that I can quickly address the entire bridal party. I must admit, I have not used the Luminess Air products before, but I am always looking to try out new products to ensure that what I use is the best! :D

SO... what is up with MakeupTalk.com? Well they have a great beauty blog for starters. Their is also a great online community of makeup loving fans. Some are artists, others are just lovers of all things beauty. You can find great reviews, fun contests and just a lot of good commraderie when it comes to makeup chatter!

Now I almost for to post about this contest (EEK!) but there is still time for you to get on the action too. Check it out HERE.

Here's a few other things you might want to check out!

• Like MakeupTalk on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MakeupTalk
• Like LuminessAir on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Luminess-Air/145980855356
• Follow MakeupTalk on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MakeupTalk
• Follow LuminessAir on Twitter: http://twitter.com/LuminessAir

Have a great day everyone!!!

Beauty Shots

I am continuing my quest to become a better photographer for beauty shots.

As always, I'm a makeup artist first, but I've really enjoyed the idea of learning photography and

being able to take beauty and headshots for models and actors.

Today, I got a new lighting kit!!! This will just be in addition to the lighting kit I already have... so bring it on models!

Here is a recent Beauty Shoot i did with a model named Angel Nikole.

She was a fabulous model and just a sweetheart! Doubling the fun, she has a big interest in makeup and is currently in Cosmetology school so we used the session as an information learning session for her as well! In fact, I've had a lot of student contact me lately, so hopefully I will be able to provide more information for them as well as other readers thru my blog in the upcoming months. I had no idea so many students followed my blog! It's great! I love to teach!

Ok, back to the shoot... We were really focusing on tight shots. You know, the kind you'd see in a makeup ad. These were shot with my Canon T2I camera with a 85mm 1.8 prime lens.

I love this shot! It really shows off the eye makeup without being a closed eye shot. Angel Nikole already has great bone structure for days! For makeup, I used my airbrush and Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics for the foundation. Blush is Garb by MAC. Lipgloss in Pout by Smashbox. and nails were painted with Pink-Ing of You by Opi.

Eyes as always were a mixture of many eyeshadows. Mac Skintone 1 (the gold tone), Mac Ricepaper for a bit of highlight. Stila Go Lightly and Barefoot Contessa for the darker shades.

As you can see in the above shot, I really focused the darker tones just above the crease as opposed to inside the crease. This is because I wanted to enlarge the eye and really show the depth of the crease tone without loosing it behind the falsh lashes in the more opened eyed shots. Her eyes were lined with a black gel liner with a fine point brush and NOT smudged.

Her lower lash line was also lined but was smudged for a softer look.

After the above beauty shots we taken, we decided to play a little bit more!

I added some brighter blue and green tones right on top of the existing makeup. To make sure the blues popped, i did layer some cream based blue to the outer corners. This helped for the blues to stick and have more vibrancy than if i had just added them to the top of already laid brown shadow. Shadow colors used, shimmermoss by MAC, Waternmyph by MAC, Blue by Ben Nye , Gold Luminess by Ben Nye.

She looks like a dancer to me here! I love it!

I did change her cheek color a bit to a more vibrant pink (i THINK it was hush by OCC) and changed her lipgloss color. I also added some half lashes to her lower lash line.

Then playing even more... we had the addition of some super fun feather lashes to her upper lash line! And shadowed under her lower lash line even more with the blues to compensate for the extra weight on her upper lashes.

Below is the same makeup but with a white background put up and a beautiful scarf wrapped on her head. She was channeling JLo from the American Idol show the night before. :D

I love how such subtle changes can really change the look.

What ideas would YOU like to see me create and shoot! Send me an email at Makeupbykatie@yahoo.com or put a comment on my facebook fan page; www.facebook.com/cottonrouge