Cotton Rouge - blog of Makeup Artist, Katie Cotton

Got the Dry Skin Blues?

2012-01-11T10:47:00.002-05:00

This article has been written entire by me. If you wish to use any portion of it, please be sure to credit me, Katie Cotton of Cotton Rouge. (and let me know, so I can check it out!)

Got the dry skin blues? I hear ya! My own skin is incredibly dry and also sensitive to both many ingredients in cosmetics and skin care products as well as adverse weather conditions. In other words…. My skin isn’t exactly my friend. Not fun for a makeup artist! But I will say that it has helped me to provide the best to my clients. Before any product (skin care or makeup wise) goes into my kit, it gets tested on my own skin first. If my skin doesn’t like it, it doesn’t go into my kit. So at least I know that my kit is pretty sensitive skin friendly!

Over the years of dealing with my own skin drama, I’ve picked up a few tips and tricks! Since many experience the dry skin blues this time of year, I wanted to share them with you! Remember that flaking or cracking skin is a sign of DAMAGED skin! Its not just that it’s dry, it is actually damaged. You need to repair the skin barrier. So simply smoothing on lotion isn’t going to do the trick, you are only adding some moisture to some dead skin sells that are still sitting there. So here are some tips to fix the damage without seeing a specialist.

1. Drink plenty of water. This is by far my biggest downfall because I really really really don’t like water. I know, it may be weird, but I just don’t like it! So I must force myself to drink it. Often times in winter and cooler months, your body doesn’t sweat as much, therefore you may not “feel” the thirst as your body becomes dehydrated. You also aren’t using a cool drink of water to help cool your body down from summer heat. But your skin, your poor poor skin IS dehydrated as all that moisture and humidity of the summer is not hydrating your skin and therefore you skin really needs you to drink that water! So get to it. (now reminding myself I better go grab a glass!) OH, and the coffee and even tea that you love to drink in the winter for it’s warm comfy-ness… also not your skins friend. Caffeine is a diuretic. I wont go into all the mumbo jumbo of that, but overall it means your kidneys process more of it out that you retain. It’s definitely not a substitute for water (though how I wish it was!) Same thing goes for smoking and alcohol which luckily for me, aren’t my vices.

2. Considering switching out your cleanser to a non foaming one. Cleansers that suds up have loads of detergents in them to make them bubble and later. Detergents dry out your skin. So while you may feel like those bubbles make you nice and clean, they also dry out your skin. This includes shampoos and body washes, though non suds versions of those are slightly harder to come by.

My favorite for face wash is Aveeno Calming Cream cleanser. If you are breakout prone, try the Aveeno Clear Complexion cream cleanser. For body washes and shampoos, read the label and see if you can find sulfate free products.

3. Exfoliate! Perhaps this should have been listed as number 2, but I really feel like the switch to a cream cleanser that I made years ago on the advise of my dermatologist made a ginormous difference. But exfoliating is also key to removing the dead skin cells that have built up. Use a gentle one and don’t go overboard. The Clear Complexion facial cleanser I mentioned above does have tiny granules in it that will help to exfoliate. I like to swap that out with the non exfoliating ones because I feel like if I am always exfoliating, I expose too much new skin. New skin is the most sensitive. So maybe go on an exfoliate every 3 or 4 days. Find the pattern that works best for you and your skin. We are all different.

4. While we are on the subject of washing… watch all that hot water! I know it feels oh so good in the cold months, but the hot water does nothing for you skin. The hotter the water, the more it wicks away the natural oils of your skin which only makes dryness worse. Same thing goes for long showers. Try to keep them short and to the point and warm but not hot and also avoid over doing like multiple showers and face washes in a day.

5. Make sure to moisturize – and continue to read those labels and look for lotions without sulfate in them. This may seem slightly daunting as so many have sulfates in them, but particularly those with sensitive skin should steer clear of sulfates whenever possible. Also avoid those with alcohol in them as they also can dry out the skin. Personally, I skip the lotions all together! I use pure oils you can find at health food stores or specialty online shops. My personal favorite is Evening Primrose Oil (which is fine in a lot of high quality lotions). After washing I simply put a couple drops on clean fingers and smooth it over my skin. Other great oils to use are Jojoba Oil, which I believe is the closest oil to skins natural sebum though don’t quote me on that! If it isn’t the closest to it out of all oils, it’s at least very close! Hazelnut, Avocado, Grapeseed and Olive Oil are also good options. It is also most beneficial to moisturize on freshly clean skin. If your skin is still damp (not wet and dripping, that will only dilute your moisturizer) you will trap some of that moisture from being damp into your skin.

6. Silicones CAN be your friend. They can also be your enemy. Personally, I do love products with silicones. The silicone molecule actually sits on top of the skin, trapping moisture inside. So this is a good thing! However, it can trap dirt and dead skin cells inside as well, which is not a good thing (obviously!) so make sure your skin is clean before applying silicone products and you are good to go! A special note to add is a lot of conditioners have silicones in them as well. Do you get the dreaded bacne (pimples and such on your back or chest)? Make sure that you wash your skin focusing on back and chest AFTER you’ve rinsed the conditioner completely from your hair. I can almost guarantee this will help your blemish problems. Same things goes for your face. Wash your face AFTER rinsing all conditioner from your hair. This will help with any pimples you might get on your forehead and hairline.

7. Now that we’ve chatted about how to get that skin nice and supple from the get go, lets chat about some makeup alternatives to help in the winter months. As mentioned before, a lot of makeup has silicones in them…. So that’s a help. Just as mentioned… make sure they go on clean skin! My 2 absolute favorite traditional foundations (I say traditional because I am using airbrush the majority of the time on set and photo shoots and I wouldn’t want my clients to be thinking… well that’s not what she used on me) is Makeup ForEver’s HD foundation and Face Atelier foundation. Both do have silicones in them and can be quite moisturizing. They also come in a wide color range.

8. Use cream based products when possible. Cream Cheek colors (my personal favorite is the Multiple by Nars. They come in many colors and are just fab. 2^nd up would be the convertible cheek colors by Stila. When cheeks are already dry, I find that these just give a little bit more moisture. They also blend beautifully with the above foundations! When applying, rub the color between your fingers (it warms the product and helps it to blend better) and then apply to the apple/ball of your cheek first and then blend up and out with your fingers. Also to note… ring finger is best because it is weakest causing the least amount of pull on your skin.

9. Again with those cream based products… cream eye shadows are great for dry eyelids. I know you don’t think of eyelids as being dry, particularly if you are young, but now that I’ve entered my 30’s I can definitely see that extra dryness there. Another bonus to cream based shadows is they are pretty long wearing. Even in summer months, I often put cream based shadows under shadows to help up the color potency of the dry shadow as well as the long wear. My favorite cream based shadows include Bobbi Brown, Benefit and the MAC paint pots.

10. Last but not least, remember too that dry skin is not necessarily a winter thing. Why does it happen more in winter? For one, the air outside is less humid. But for another… the ways you stay warm (a fireplace, furnace, etc) are adding dry heat to the air which is only furthering your dry skin suffering. I’m not saying just be cold and don’t turn on your furnace! Just be aware of the changes. If you start when winter starts, you’ll have less repairing to do. :D

Well, it was a long winded post, but hopefully these tips will have the dry skin itches gone and you feeling beautiful and radiant!

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

2011-11-07T23:42:00.004-05:00

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

2011-09-16T10:36:00.003-04:00

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!

2011-09-02T10:57:00.003-04:00

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...

2011-07-24T22:06:00.012-04:00

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?

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

2011-07-15T10:53:00.003-04:00

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

2011-07-01T09:56:00.005-04:00

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

2011-05-30T16:27:00.009-04:00

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

2011-05-09T19:01:00.003-04:00

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

2011-05-05T10:55:00.006-04:00

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

2011-03-21T14:56:00.003-04:00

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?

2011-02-24T21:57:00.002-05:00

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

2011-02-19T18:05:00.002-05:00

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

2011-02-11T17:21:00.006-05:00

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

Makeup Brushes!

2011-02-03T20:00:00.004-05:00

Ok makeup fans! I tell my clients and those I teach in class settings that the key to makeup application is the right brushes! You wanna know who makes some GREAT brushes? Sigma Makeup! They make exact duplicates of some of the name brand companies and without a price mark up so they are very very affordable. Check them out!

Ok, I've been meaning to type up a post on makeup brushes for some time now. I've even filmed a you tube video and just havent gotten it all edited together (and in fact, i think i lost it in the computer meltdown crash so i'll have to re video anyway.) SO boo on that!

BUT.... Sigma Makeup is a great company that makes truly fantastic makeup brushes. The best part about it is that they are AFFORDABLE! I tell my clients as well as those I teach in consultation and class settings that the key to makeup application is good brushes.

Sigma makeup makes a lot of the "popular" styles made by big name companies and sells them at NOT a big name price. SO, if you are looking to get some new makeup brushes, they are definitely worth looking into!

On top of that, they are current having a few promos! 1 is to get a free gift with a purchase over $30! Another is that they have just created an affiliate program. If you arent sure what an affiliate program is, it's a way that the company can track where their customers come from. SO for example, if you click on one of my links, I get points. Woohoo. So yeah, it's good for me, but I'm really just looking into getting more makeup brushes and also looking to supply some give aways for my clients and blog readers. But if you also have a beauty blog or have a lot of makeup loving friends, you might want to sign up for the affiliate program yourself!

SO... if you havent checked out Sigma Makeup yet (yes they have makeup to, thought i must admit i havent tried their makeup, just their brushes) you really should! :D

Click here to visit www.sigmabeauty.com

2011-01-25T15:52:00.004-05:00

Ok, I know most of you don't really care about this.... but I am very excited to be one of the wedding Vendors in south carolina to receive this award! :D

Here's the press release they sent me!

Greenville, SC - January 25th, 2011 - WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, is thrilled to announce Cotton Rouge has been selected to receive the prestigious annual WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 for the upstate of South Carolina! Recognition for the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 is determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 750,000 WeddingWire newlyweds. Our past clients are among those that shared their experiences on WeddingWire, the largest wedding review site in the nation. Cotton Rouge stands among the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire community, representing quality and service excellence within the wedding industry. Awards were given to the top wedding professionals across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, and were based on the overall professional achievements throughout the past year. “WeddingWire is honored to celebrate the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire community,” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “With the annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program, WeddingWire has the unique opportunity to recognize the best wedding professionals across the US and Canada. We applaud Cotton Rouge for their professionalism and dedication to enhancing the wedding planning experience last year.” We are happy to announce that Cotton Rouge is among the very best of the Upstate within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Martha Stewart Weddings, Project Wedding and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for nominating us to receive the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011. For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today at Cotton Rouge on Wedding Wire. For more information on the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

Busy Busy Busy and a portfolio builder shoot

2011-01-13T17:56:00.005-05:00

Ok, so i really truly wouldnt have thought I would be as busy as I have been this winter!

I am definitely not complaining! But my grandiose plans of getting my youtube channel and this blog updated better has well... not happened very well!

I did have 3 weddings in December as well as family in town, but also lots of bridal consults.

I have already had 2 weddings this month and I have another 2 to go this month... but here's the amazing thing, I have 34 weddings booked so far for 2011! So if you are a bride... please dont wait to ask me about your date because I'm getting calls daily!

I've also had lots of portfolio building shoots for both models and photographers as well as some boudoir sessions (most of those I am not able to show you, but if you are interested in having boudoir photos taken, please let me know and I will point you towards the photographers I work with on these).

It's been crazy fun! I will try to be better about updating some of these portfolio building adventures on here!

SOOOOO... where to start?!

Let's start with a shoot i did last month. I was learning studio lighting with photographer, Alex Frazier. He was also taking the photos, but then we let me try each shot when he was done. The shots shown here on my blog are ones that i took with my camera. :D

Model is Sarah Ingle.

This was a portfolio builder shoot for the photographer, though i really think we all won out with this shoot!

With Portfolio Builder shoots I like to show the progression of the looks and what i do to successfully go from one look to another.

First, we start off a little more simple. You definitely need to be able to add on from this look.

We started with a sophisticated look that could easily be modified. I used the icon eyeshadow palette from Smashbox with a fluidliner by MAC in wavelength. Her lips is one of my new lip tars from Obsessive Compulsive cosmetics ( will do a whole post on this new gem of a product soon!)

Her hair we pulled to a low side braid. Sarah has extremely long hair! It was so much fun to play with!

Next up... what i call the Edward Scissorhands if he were a beautiful model!

To change her eyemakeup, i actually just wiped off the blue and started fresh on her lids only. I did have to use a bit of eye makeup remover to get the fluidliner off. The trick to that is to just put the makeup remover on a qtip and wipe off exactly what you want wiped off leaving the rest safe! Then i used an eyegloss i picked up what seems like ages ago from Frends Beauty Supply. It was just dying to be used! Of course in these photos, you can't tell at all that it's an eye gloss! Oh well!

For those gnarly lips, i used a black lipstick i picked up from the halloween section!

For her hair, we actually twisted it up the back (like you would if you were just using one of those massive claw clips) and used the big bobbi pins to secure it. Then we teased the snot out of it!

And now... look 3!

From the start I knew the plans were to have these shot options in both black and white and in color. So i had a lot to think about for color options. I wanted something easy to build off of for the next look... but still look different. Hmmmmmm. Oh yeah, it also had to look good in black and white!

And in color... ok, so my color version is a little enhanced...

I went with bright oranges and yellows because I knew in black and white they would add a nice contour shades even in the black and white photo. Colors too similar to the skin tone in brightness just get washed away in a b/w photo, and i didnt want to get too dark because I wanted to really change up the look for the final look.

I used the bright orange on both her eye and her lips (using a paintstick by MAC in genuine orange) Her lids were heavily lined using a cake liner by Kryolan.

For her hair, it's pretty self explainatory! We combed out the teasing (not... do not put a ton of spray into teasing if you know you will be brusing it out later, just be on standby to beef up the teasing if need be) And then we flat ironed it so it would be silky smooth!

Ok, are you ready for the final look?

Well i started playing and decided to leave her lid and added more yellow tones. The original plan was to add the dark silver to her lid as well, but i was really feeling this random eqyptian mode thing so i ran with it!

First i extended the shadow to her temple. Then i extended her brow with dark silver shadow and extended her bottom lashline. The inside designs were painting using the cake liner by kryolan and a small brush. I love kryolan's cake liner!

I did add more of a blush to her cheek to balance every thing out and i toned down the lip color by adding a pinkie brown right over the orange.

Hair: we just turned on a fan. hehe.

So that was our portfolio builder shoot and while I did take the photos, Alex Frazier set up the lights (except for the last shot in which he challenged me to do it myself!)

Is there something you'd like to see posted on my blog? Let me know and I'll try to get it done for ya!

Vintage Mod - Makeup and Photography

2010-12-09T14:49:00.006-05:00

So i have been doing a lot of shoots lately with different models where I am both the makeup artist and the photographer and i must say, i am loving it!!!!

Now my first passion is still makeup and I will continue to work freelance doing makeup and hair only, but I have found a lot of fun and satisfaction in photography!

Here is the shoot i did yesterday morning with a model...

I had so much fun creating this vintag-ie style shoot. The poncho I had picked up (for myself) from Old Navy a couple weeks ago for a mere 15 bucks! I just thought it looked warm and snugglie! Since the weather is getting colder, I told the model she could wear it. ANd since she has very straight and fine hair, i knew we might be somewhat limited to what it wanted to do is the cold dry weather outside, so teasing it up seemed a safe bet. Suddenly, i felt this very vintage mod mood overcome and and we just went with it! Her eye makeup is a little geometrical which is something that really started in the 1960's with twiggy (the most famous model from the time era.

When the 1960's came about, makeup started to really get FUN! Now don't get me wrong, i love the makeup styles of all the different decades for different reasons and it isnt that makeup wasnt beautiful prior to the 1960's, but in the 1960's, makeup got more playful. It was no longer just for adults and being glamourous, but more teenagers began wearing makeup thus bringing out the "trend" factor. The eyes were the main focus in the 60's. They were played up with false lashes, geometric shapes and sometimes bold colors. The crease was often shadowed heavily making the makeup very visible even from far away. Eyeliner was also used often with thick lines and eyelashes accentuated with either a LOT of mascara or the addition of false lashes. Lips were often muted out with pale colors.

For Kelsey's eye makeup, I used deep purples along her crease and brought them much further into her nose than the tradional crease makeup. Often in the 60's, the crease was shadowed in a very round shape, which is not something I did here. So i guess this is a bit of my modernized version. :D I did use a thick black liner straight across her lash line with nice long false lashes!

Here is a close up shot where you can see the makeup a little bit better, without the color story corrections.

You can see her mouth is very muted in a pale pink (I used Obsessive Compulsive's Lip Tar in Hush).

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Feel free to leave a comment with what you'd like to see!

I'm a photographer now?!

2010-11-28T13:01:00.009-05:00

Hello everyone!

Well i have a fun announcement... i'm diving into the world of photography!

Don't worry, i would never forget my first love of makeup and beauty! But i do love all facets of the fashion and beauty industry which has lead me to take up the camera!

I know i still have a lot of learning to do, but for the last month and a half I have been studying and studying aperature, ISO, and all sorts of other fun terms i never paid much attention to before! I have a new camera, with new fun goodies to attach to it (lenses, flashes, etc).

Here are some shots from my first shoot (and yes, i did makeup and styling as well)

I got the idea from a magazine tear sheet of a Oscar De La Renta gown. Ok, so my final shots have absolutely not one thing in common with the tear sheet other than the fact that i'm looking down at the model! HAHAHAHA. But it sparked some ideas. And i knew i wanted a gown... um, but i had no access to a gown. That's when my brain went to tulle, and I decided to make a brown tulle ballet skirt. FYI - sewing a tulle ballet skirt is not as easy as it looks!

My dear and darling hubby.... we have no leaves in our yard (or didnt at the time). Especially in our back yard. I wanted bright colored and beautiful fall leaves... so i sent him on a mission to find some. THe best ones he found were at a another house in a neighborhood (mind you someone we did not know). He knocked on the door and asked if he could rake some of their leaves for his wife who asked for brightly colored fallen leaves. The man laughed a bit and said rake away. And so he did. Didnt he do a good job? I heart my art department. :D

Oh - i suppose i should talk a bit about the makeup, huh?

I started off using Dinair Olive Beige airbrush foundation for a smooth and flawless fresh face.

Next I added some of the bronze Stila Smudgepot around her eyes and then smoked that out a bit using MAC's sable shadow. Her eyes were then also lined with a thin line of black to intensify the black mascara i'd be adding on her.

Blush is GARB by mac and her lips are Boss Brown (my favorite mac shade of prolongwear lipgloss).

Next up, we switched up the shoot a little and changed wardrobe and makeup.

This "bamboo forest" is actually in the backyard edge of a house for sale very close to mine. We just borrowed it for a moment. :D I actually do like the house even though a bit smaller than ours, and would buy it for the large property lot if we could sell our house! haha.

Here is a close up shot so you can see the makeup a little better....

I used MAC pigments (golden lemon, electric coral and shadow in steam) to create the eye look.

Her lips i juse added a little bit of myth lipstick by mac to tone down the existing lipcolor.

Here's one more shot...

I'm very proud of myself! I know that i still have a bit to learn, but i'm getting there.

Stay tuned!

Morgan's Wedding

2010-11-10T09:48:00.005-05:00

In late summer, I was fortunate to work with Morgan for her wedding. Let me tell you, this girl is so sweet, but very fun at the same time. And she is hip to the latest trends thats for sure! She wanted feathers in her hair (i have been gathering info for a post about feathers and should have that up later this week.... consider this my introduction!). Feathers in hair is a very popular concept right now! And with white or ivory feathers, it's just gorgeous on brides!

Here is a rundown of our get ready followed by some awesome pictures of Morgan and her hubby. All photography is by Jeff Hall Photography. His business is set up in Greenville South Carolina. He has an amazing eye and captures weddings in such a fantastic style! You really should check out his portfolio, whether or not your looking for a photographer in Greenville!

Here's us getting ready. I'm not sure what I was looking for. Morgan looks bored. Ah, well it was early and I dont think they had brought her STRONG coffee yet. ;)

I started by spiral curling Morgan's hair, which is pretty straight when left alone.

I teased the hair at her crown and since it was being pined in low curls, i didnt want the weight of all the hair to bring down the "bump" so i started pining the curls low and added on top.

The final layer of hair I used a criss cross pattern above. This is something i do often. I think i just love the way it looks and gives a little bit of a different vibe than being pulled straight into the hair design. Plus and added benefit is that the light cross over pattern allows minimal weight pulling down the height at the top, which is good for the style and also good that the teasing doesnt have to be so extreme that it's difficult for the bride to get out later.

Below is a final shot of the hairstyl after I added the feathers as well as some small flowers and stemens (pearls that were actually created to go in the center of fake flowers)

Next comes makeup! I LOVE when a photographer gets me some action shots of makeup application! Thanks so much Jeff!

We started with the airbrush... i love my airbrush system!!!! The airbrush i use is by Dinair and I actually use the Paramedical makeup. It has a 24 hour wear and is completely water proof so just in case there are tears (at a wedding??? never!) or a rainstorm, this makeup isnt going anywhere!

It's all about the EYES! Morgan is stylish and CLASSY! She wanted a lot of sparkle to her eyemakeup without it looking too overdone. After priming her lids with Urban Decay Primer Potion, I mostly used shadows by Stila Cosmetics. They pack a shimmer factor, without a lot of fall out (you know... all those random sparkles that fly off your makeup brush and land Lord knows where). They also arent glittery, just perfectly shimmery!

Here's another shot of the in process eye makeup. I used a lighter shadow over the whole lid (i THINK moonlight in the inner corner and brow bone with wheat over her whole lid) And then to intensify her look, i used Go Lightly along the lash line and in the outer view blending it into her crease. What you dont see in this shot is the later addition of false lashes and Expresso shadow more intensly along her lash line and just outer v corner.

Her cheeks we kept a lightly peachy pink (um... i THINK peaches by MAC, may have been a light application of Garb. Sorry, it's been too long!) And her lip color we kept night and light as well. Below are 2 final shots that you can see her makeup.

Doesnt she look smashing! Ok, so she's a pretty girl to begin with, but i love the final looks!

Here's alot shot of that hair! :D

This shot is precious... that tree is in Falls Park in downtown Greenville. I know you've seen it in wedding shots on my blog before... but isnt it gnarly cool!

Okie dokie - thats what i have for ya today!!!! Check back soon for that "feather post" and why every gal should have some feathers for her hair!

Wanna win a Mac $50 gift card?!

2010-11-05T10:54:00.004-04:00

Hello Lovelies! Sorry my posting has been a little everywhere. I have been SO BUSY! Last weekend i had 3 weddings, today I have a bridal portrait, 2 weddings tomorrow and then a bridal portrait on sunday! To many, "wedding season" is in the summer. While i do stay very busy in the summer for weddings, since i live in the South, the busiest wedding season here is FALL! It's not so densly hot and sticky, but it's not very cold yet either. The leaves here are just starting to turn... it's gorgeous! Maybe i'm partial since I was married in November!

As soon as the photos start rolling in from these weddings, I will post them, i promise! And I just got a new and better video camera! So more video tutorials and such will be coming SOON! Keep posting for casting calls!

Ok, while I wanted to update everyone on whats going on with me... there is something that i'm sure will be far more exciting for you! A chance to win a $50 gift card from MAC!

You all know that i LOOOOOVE my MAC!

This contest is being sponsored by MakeupTalk.com

Makeup Talk is a super fun community online! They have recently revamped and redesigned their website as well so if you've been there before, but not for awhile, you should check it out again. At Makeup Talk, you can chat with other beauty lovers, read reviews about products, and swap out some products that didnt work you you with someone else who may have something you've been lemming after!

So check out their forum, and if you want to enter to win, here is some details on how to do it!

Now i'm off to prep for the bridal portrait today! Chat with you all soooooon!

McAuley's Fall Fashion

2010-10-26T14:45:00.011-04:00

It's a beautiful fall day here... ok, not quite. It's been rainy and miserable! Luckily, it wasnt miserable last weekend when I worked on the fall fashion shoot for McAuley's Unique Boutique!

This shoot was SO much fun! Although we started a smidgen early, filled to my brim with coffee and with bright eyeshadows in hand, I had a lot of fun to say the least on the looks for the models!

We met up at the Vintage Hair Loft in Anderson, SC where Hannah was busy at work on the models hair. After the makeup was all done, i trekked it on over to a warehouse Missy (owner of McAuley's) owns in downtown Anderson where Jake Simpson was waiting to get started.

Now for the record... Jake is an phenom photog who has moved from South Carolina to New York City. I am often fortunate enough to work with him when he comes back into town, but if you are in NY, or traveling to NY... you want to book him!

Ok, so here are some of my favorite shots. I have more of them uploaded to my facebook page if you are interested. While you're there, become a fan why don't ya!

Tish

Chelsey

Taylor

Ashley

Katie

And just a couple behind the scenes... because i think they are so fun!

Such a fun fun day!!!!!!

Sarah's wedding!

2010-10-21T14:37:00.005-04:00

As promised, i'm finally getting around to some much needed updating! These pictures are actually from a wedding i did makeup for about a month and a half ago (but i just got the photos so i'm not that much of a slacker!!!) If you'd like to see more of this photographer (a husband and wife duo that are just a joy to work with!) check out their website, www.lumosstudio.com

I had so much fun getting to know Sarah over the course of her engagement, bridal portraits, and consultations. She really is just such a pleasure to be around and can i say that i am beyond bummed that she's moved away to CALIFORNIA of all places. *sigh* I will miss her, and i only knew her a few months!

Here's a more black and white version of the previous photo. Sarah wanted a very classic look and while polished, she didnt want to look overdone or TOO glam.

this photo is precious, and since her eyes are closed it shows off the makeup well! haha!

While i never saw sarah not smiling, she looks so regal here! I love it!

A little harder to see the faces, but I also did the makeup on her bridesmaids. :D

Check back soon for some WAY fun pictures of fashion fun and bright makeup for McAuley's!

An Ice Princess for If Only Photos

2010-10-10T18:57:00.003-04:00

Hello Makeup Friends! I PROMISE i'm going to have some tutorial updates and things very very soon! I've just been consumed with WORK (and my little guys, which they are just so cute i cant resist park playdates and whatnot while the weather is nice!)

I do have 5 weddings booked this month alone, however and some other fun shoots so yeah, i've been a busy (and happy) gal!

Here's a shot from a shoot i did this past week with a new photographer friend!

You should be seeing a lot of collaborations with him! His work is fabulous! His name is Alex Frazier and he shoots EVERYTHING! If you are a model in the greenville area, book him! He has a Hasselblad camera which translates to extreeeeeemly high def pictures (makes me very happy as a makeup artist!) But he also does weddings, portraits, family stuff, kiddos, etc. You will not be sorry. You can see his website at www.ifonlyphotos.com

Fun stuff huh? I don't get to do "extreme" makeup nearly as much as i once did. Now that the kiddos are a little older and I can at least leave them with a babysitter that i know i can hire again and she wont run away screaming (ok, she still might, i have a hyper 2 and 4 year old), I can take on more of these types of shoots that are more for fun than anything else.

For Becca's makeup, I used Dinair white glamour airbrush makeup. I focused the white along the outer edge of her face and worked inward leaving the center. I then used Alabaster to airbrush the center of her face giving it a "thawed ice princess" vibe. I didnt want her face to just be ghost white.

I used a number of different blue shadows on her eyes and brought the shadow down along her temple and cheek bone using a duo fiber (or soft stipple) brush.

Lips were colored by mixing MAC Pigment in cornflower with clear lip gloss. This gave the blue effect without being BLUE. Had the pigment been mixed with a thicker medium or with using a LOT of pigment, you could achieve denser coverage.

Her eyebrows where shaded in with a dark blue eyeshadow as well. Since Becca bleaches her hair (noooooo, really? hehe) her eyebrows were already a little bit darker than her haircolor. However, a lot of that color was taken out by the airbrush. I wanted her face to be striking and really bring out the blue tones, so i added the blue to her brow, but her brow bone was highlighted with a white silver first.

The "cracks" in her skin were a story of a lot of testing! Originally we were wanting to use silver leaf but it wouldnt stick to ANY of the adhesives i had on hand. grumble grumble. So i resolved to hand painting the "cracks" which were meant to resemble cracks in ice.

Becca's hair was teased to all High Heaven. Thankfully she was a very good sport! I actually added in pieces of cotton batting (yes, the same stuff that is in your pillows) under the bump to make sure that the teasing stayed put instead of falling flat.

Overall i was extremely pleased with this shoot! I had a lot of fun with the model and the photographer and can not wait to do the other half of this shoot which will be all fire oriented!

RayCroftArt Photography for a wedding i did

2010-09-22T22:40:00.004-04:00

So as i mentioned a couple of days ago... this has been a very busy summer! And this is large in part to a lot of weddings! My wedding season is letting up until the middle of november (which i'm not complaining about!) but i still have so many weddings i never even posted pictures of! Its a shame really!

Ok, so here's a recent one i did and i am just really wow'ed by the photographer. RayCroftArt is a husband and wife team that specialize in weddings, senior and family portraits. I really love the personality they capture in their pictures as well as the vivid (or not so vivid) colors. They really know how to play up the artistic content! I would love to work with this outstanding photography couple again.

Here are a few shots they posted on their blog... i have some coming from the bride, but i simply couldnt wait to show these! Not all of them really show much by way of makeup but the photos are just too cool not to share!

I will mention a bit about the makeup since this is a good shot for it...

As with all my brides, I started with my Dinair Airbrush makeup kit and since it was going to be a long and hot day (it's august in aouth carolina people!) i opted for the Camouflage formulation which is a 24 hour wear and waterproof!

Ann wanted to be glamourous and really wanted to play up her eyes but still didnt want to look overdone. This is a common request from brides. No one wants to be recognized just for their makeup on their wedding day! We did a bit of a smokey eye without being done up too much and used a neutral blush... enough to accentuate her cheekbones but not so much that it stole focus. I did add a pair of 747xs lashes (my fav) and gave her a nice berry lipcolor.

I also did all the bridesmaids makeup. :D

Below are just some more fun photos to show off this awesome photog pair's work!

Thats all for now... I'm going to work on getting more photos from wedding this past summer and will keep updating as i can!

and i know, i know... i'll work on some more tutorials soon!

Fashion Shoot with Brett Marler and Emily!

2010-09-21T17:34:00.010-04:00

This past weekend I had the priviledge of working with a photographer from Atlanta named Brett Marler. He is a great photographer and had some really fun ideas to do with our muse, Emily.

Now I have worked with Emily many times this summer as she really works on her modeling porfolio and she is just as sweet as can be! You wouldnt believe the legs on this girl and her devotion to learning about the modeling world!

Ok... i've gotten off track. Back to the shoot... the shoot is what I would label as a Portfolio Builder shoot. And i LOVE working on Portfolio building shoots! What happens in a shoot like this is that the model will be dressed in very different outfits. The overall goal is to get numerous different looks for her portfolio or look book or possibly even develop a new comp/zed card.

Where this is fun for me is that I get to help the model achieve those very different looks. I do not want the model to simply look like she changed her clothes. What fun is that? I like to really vary her styling from makeup to hair, but you cant wash it all off each time... so this type of shoot must be PLANNED to be successful.

First I talk with the stylist or photographer (and model if she is planning her own wardrobe) about the looks that will be shot. Then I help to plan their order and how i can adjust her makeup and hair with each look. Having it planned out also helps the shoot to speed along. You dont want to spend 30 minutes with every change. That is only going to cause the flow of the shoot to slow down.

With Brett we discussed the outfits right down to the accessories. It was great to have a photog know exactly what he was shooting. Often times, that only happens when there is a stylist involved. Then i planned the hair and makeup and sent it to him for approval. Things may change of course, and you need to go with the flow, but this greatly helped me make sure i had everything mapped out for the shoot.

Here is look 1...

Her makeup was kept clean and simple. For a shoot with lots of looks, this is the best thing to do first. If the model does any acting, this would be where you would do an actor's headshot. I did of course cover any blemishes, etc and do a bit of contour around the eyes to make sure they were seem. Liner was kept to a minimum, but i did use a bit of shadow to help inhance her eye shape. Blush used was just a sheer peach tone to make her naturally flushed.

Her hair was a bit more fun. I made 2 side ponies and then wrapped her hair inwards and secured with large bobbi pins. You dont want to use TOO much hairspray because remember, you will be changing the look shortly.

Look 2...

This look i think was my favorite of the 5 (actually, the next look which i dont have a photo of yet was very similar with only a hair change and lip color change).

Makeup I added a bronze smokey eye using the Too Faced Natural Eye palette. I dusted a light highlight powder on her cheeks. I wanted to leave the color, but give her higher cheekbones for a slightly edgier look. Lip color was changed to a very pale/blend into the skin tone (i used Myth from MAC).

Hair - super easy! Pulled back into a moderately high pony and fluffed a bit. Added a wooden headband. The focus was on her face. :D

Look 4

Now we started to play a little more with wardrobe and makeup. I actually used a very bright purple liner and a purple shadow to smoke out her eyes just a bit. We ended up playing with the glasses a bit more so you dont see the eyemakeup as much (totally fine, it happens!) There may be a shot or 2 in there that shows more of the makeup, but i havent seen them all yet. ;)

I changed the lip color again to a brighter cool pink (scandal by Too Faced) and added a touch of a pinker blush to her cheeks.

Hair again, pretty easy, just taken down and tousled.

Look 5

are you ready for this...

Ok, last look of the day is always going to be the most extreme. It doesnt always have to be THIS extreme, but it was the reason i was called to the shoot. :D

Now the above image isnt super sharp as it wasnt meant to be a close up but i cant explain the makeup very well in a shot too far away ;)

Since the outfit was um, bright, we went with a lot of bright colors! For her eyes, i used a Kryolan Cake Liner in purple (this was actually just left on from the previous look) and then i extended it for this look and also used a MAC shadow in leisuretime. I used MAC paintsticks in genuine orange and true chartreuse to extend beyond the eye and add a lot of popping color. A black liner (also a kryolan cake liner) was added on top to break up the color a bit and extend the lashes. False lashes (Creme 507) were added on top. her cheeks i used a brighter pink by Trish McEvoy (sorry i cant recall the color name). her lips were fun as well... i used the genuine orange paint stick on her lower lip and a bright pink lipstick on her upper lip.

Her hair... well as you might guess, i just tease the snot out of it. :D And used a lot of hairspray.

So thats what i call a Portfolio Builder shoot! If you are interested in booking me for a portfolio builder shoot, contact me for rates.

Quick Update... more posts to follow

2010-09-21T17:31:00.002-04:00

Holy cow i've taken a break from this blog! It doesnt mean i havent been working though! In fact, i've been working a LOT! With my boys out of school for the summer, my husband working much more in the summer and then a lot of weddings and events... i took a step back from blogging about things and just focused on running my businesses and family life. BUT, now that the fall is here, which is always a very welcome time in my life, the boys in school and my hubby at home a little more, I am planning on being MUCH better about updating this blog. So stay tuned! Lots of fun stuff to follow and i'll do my best to update you with some photos of work from the sumer!

McAuley's Shoot

2010-04-24T20:13:00.010-04:00

The new look book is up at http://www.shopmcauleys.com!

McAuley's Unique Boutique is a fashion boutique in Anderson that carries the lastest fashions and trends. This was my second opportunity to work with the fabulous store and the super fun models! I did both hair and makeup in all the pictures. We decided to keep it fun and use lots of bright colors, without detracting from the clothing!

This months shoot used the fabulous Jake Simpson as photographer!

You can "like" his work on facebook HERE

Here are a few of my favorites from the shoot...

Model Katie Barrs

For Katie's hair (thats just about shoulder length) I curled and added clip in extentions!

I was super happy with the outcome!

For Katie's eyes, I used a turquoise shadow along the lash line (condensed with liner sealer) and then a paler sea foam to blend upward.

The rest of the face I kept bronz'ie and sun kissed with a very light shimmer bronzer and muted coral lip.

Model Taylor Fitch

For Taylor, I wanted to play more on the intense color on the lid and really make her green eyes stand out. I used Mac's waveline fluidliner and blended smashbox's iconic eyes quad to blend upward. I kept her porcelin skin smooth with a pretty mauve blush to compliment her skin tone and used a prawn lipcolor.

Model Ashley Martin

Ashley's eyes are insanely blue! I really wanted to make them pop by using their complimentary color, orange. I used MAC pigments electic coral and a bronze to acheive the effect but used a jet black liner to avoid the whites of her eyes looking red (a trick to do whenever using a red, very pink or firey orange color on the lid)

Ashley's skin is also very tanned so I used a bronzer to emphasize her cheekbones and used a berry/fawn lip color.

For Ashley's hair, we played it simple by running a flat iron thru it, and them sweeping it all to one side, securing it with pins and wrapping some of the strands around it to give a slightly messy and loose/fun side pony.

Model Chelsey Crookes

I had a lot of FUN with Chelsey and she was a great sport! I used a bold fuschia color on her lid and very instense false lashes. I kept her cheeks subtly pink since her eyes were so bold and completed the look with a berry lip.

The last shoot Chelsey had with McAuley's used her incredibly long locks in curls, so we decided to play a little different by putting them into long braids. Everything was secured with bobbi pins so that the braids could easily be removed later for a different look and the braids would leave a little bit of wave and texture to her hair.

Model Kayce LeNeave

For Kayce, i used a beautiful aubergine color on her lid. The color is more intense towards her lashline and then fades up to a pale pink/peach tone. Her cheeks and lips I kept soft with a pink brown tone.

I LOVED her hair. it held curl like a DREAM! I put 1 inch barrel curls through out and then separated it to create 2 piggie tales. Again, everything was secured only by bobbi pins so that they could be removed later. To do this, separate your hair down the back like you would to create to low side pig tails. Using the hair at the nape of your neck, coil it around each side and secure with boppi pins. It's a great spin on a hairstyle you wore as a young girl, but giving it a little bit of a more sophisticate flair. When you take the pins out, just run your fingers thru your hair for a softer curl, and viola, new hair style, no kinks from pony tail holders!

Well, thats what i have for you today!

Have a wonderful day everyone!!!

Spring is here.... and some nail polish trends!

2010-03-30T10:05:00.008-04:00

Spring is here! Flowers are blooming on trees, the warm weather is ever so slowly coming... so i thought it might be fun to go over some upcoming trends for spring!

I'm not sure why i associate spring with nail polish, but it's this time of year that i start painting my nails again. Maybe it's because the winter is so dry which makes my skin so dry that my nails split and my cuticles are a mess so i dont bother, or maybe it's that i get to break out the clothing i like much better than my warmer clothes. Who knows, but I do love spring, and i love the new trends that it brings!

So here are some of my nail polish predictions that i've seen here and there (and EVERYWHERE or it wouldnt be called a trend!)

1. Go Neutral with beige, brown, taupe and anything that might resemble a skin color.

Bonus when it actually matches YOUR skin color!

I saw a picture of a well manicured hand in a makeup book (i think it was Trish McEvoy's The Power of Makeup). The picture wasnt about the hand, but about the other item in the picture, maybe it was a makeup brush, i dont remember. The purpose was probably to not draw focus to the hand, but to the product but, OMG, i fell in love with the look! All winter long i searched for skin tone nail polishes and just could never find the perfect one. Now i have an arsenal of these "skin tones". Well lucky me, because as the weather warms, i'm seeing more and more and more of these hues! My chances of finding my perfect shade are good, and i have a bunch of other top colors. Whew knew i was so good at predicting color trends? hahaha!

In the picture above is a new nail polish line from Rimmel. Very afforable and dries very fast. Color is desert sand.

2. Matte

The matte nail polish trend started last fall and continues to go strong with new colors being introduced this spring. It's a fun new look and way to wear your polish with a bonus that when the idea gets tired, you can always put a clear top coat to bring back the traditional nail polish shine. Other bonuses to Matte polish is it dries SUPER fast. Downside is i think that it takes a little more maitenence than other polishes as it seems to chip more easily. Maybe thats because i was wearing it in the dryer monthes though, so who knows.

In the picture above is Opi Matte polish in You Don't Know Jacques. Other companies are jumping in on the matte trend including Essie, Sephora Nail, Alpha Nail and more.

3. Pretty Pinks

Always a popular color in the spring to match all the blossoming buds. The color above i just got yesterday. :) I needed a new not too 80's pink so i chose this pretty pink by Opi called Pinking of You. Its a softer pink and really quite lovely without too much shimmer. Now i dont mind a frost-ie nail polish, but frostie and pink just make me think of barbie and big hair. So when it comes to pink, i like it glossy, but not too shimmery. Personal preference. :)

4. Colors of the sky and sea

Now the polish above is an older polish of mine (i cant even remember the name) but more and more for red carpet events and the like i've seen some pretty light blue nails paired with darker dresses. it's a great way to carry you little black dress into the spring!

Last but not least...

5. Barely There but not Bare

I truly think the barely there colors are timeless and work with most seasons, but Spring is the best. You get to go for broke in the summer, the winter and fall are the times to be daring and dark, so spring is a perfect time to lighten things up a bit. Bonus to the slightly colored polish is it works great to cover a few imperfections while you get your nails and cuticles back in shape for the warmer weather. The colors match everything and can easily be touched up. If the look is too blah for you, go for a 2 tones look (another popular trend i've seen on runways and red carpet events) and paint either the cuticle base or the top nail a different color!

So thats what i have for you today! Now get out there and enjoy some sunshine!

What's in my bag?!

2010-02-01T11:16:00.012-05:00

Hey everyone! I know i've neglected this blog a bit lately, and that time has got to change!

I'm really hoping to pick up my tutorials and such again for you! But i also want to use this venue to chat to you about some other makeup and beauty related things, current product trends, upcoming trends, product reviews, etc maybe without videoing everything. Videoing is easy... editting, not so much! haha! And with a full work schedule and 2 little guys at home, the editting part gets put to last and well, then there is nothing going up on the blog!

So here's something new... every month or so (i'm going to try to shoot for the first of the month! haha) i'm going to do a little bloggie post about "what's in my bag!" This is going to just be what my current top picks are... the stuff i use daily, etc. Hopefully this gives some insight to what some rockin' products are and helps you plan what you might like to try out next!

So.... What's in my bag?!

Let's start with my basic skincare routine.... my skin is super dry and even worse in the winter months, but i still have some combo oily areas.... joy.

I wash my very sensitive dry skin with Aveeno Ultra Calming Creme Cleanser....

As you can read on the package... it has no fragrance which is good for those with skin sensitivies... it also has feverfew which is fabulous for those with roseacea problems (thankfully, not a problem that i have) and it's a cream base which is good for those with very very dry skin. They also make a foaming cleanser that i havent tried, i don't do the suds.

Next at night i use pure Evening Primrose oil. I'm old school. If it worked for grandma then it can work for me! My grandma is 95 and looks 15-20 years younger than her age. I trust her. haha! But seriously, if you have skin as dry as mine and is sensitive, a lot of the moisturizers you might be using may actually make your skin more dry believe it or not. There are some pure oils that are fabulous for your skin, and are natural oils so they wont blog your pores. :)

Another skincare line i use a lot is Aloette.... Its a fabulous skincare line. Their enzyme peel is AMAZING! Its super gentle so it doesnt irriate my skin at all (which is hard not to) and just gets rid of all the flaking dead skin cells on top. I often use this on clients before i apply their makeup to get the smoothest possible start. You only need to use this once a week or so. THe price seems high, but i promise this stuff lasts forever!

And one more skincare product that i just have to mention is my new love for a moisturizer! I mean this stuff boots my others (except for my evening primrose oil for the super dry days!) to the curb! It's by RareMinerals (a branch of the Bare Escentuals company)

It's a super lush feeling lotion that is paraben free (major bonus!) but does not feel even the slightest bit oily to me. I had no flakey skin issues for the entire day the first day i tried it! Love this stuff! I definitely recommend it!

Ok, so thats that for the skincare routine! Now let's move on to my current everyday makeup routine. Now remember, my daily wear is not extensive! I'm a mom! Just an everyday mom who does a lot of other stuff, so i dont have a lot of time to spend dolling myself up for the day especially if my biggest plans are to hit Target. I barely even get dolled up for a makeup job anymore! haha! I keep it basic and save all the fun stuff for everyone else! hahaha!

Ok, so here is my current makeup choices....keep in mind the weather plays a major factor in what i choose for makeup. I do plan on doing a special video tutorial on dry skin makeup application. :)

Foundation... i love the new Stila One Step Foundation.

Bugger is it doesnt come in a tone of colors so finding your shade might be tricker. But the new release of the larger size bottle provides 8 different colors... which i havent tried all of yet, but my guess is it'll be easier to match than i might think. :)

Next is cheek color and in dry months i usually always opt for a cream color. My current favs are the Nars Multiple in Malibu and the Stila Convertable cheek color in

There are other cream blushes out there of course, but these are my 2 favs and in my 2 fav colors. :)

My favorite eyeshadows remain the velux or satin mac shadows. I dont even use them on a daily basis (a litte cream blush on the brow bone is fast and very fresh looking, check out my 3 minute makeup video - that i need to reshoot... haha) for more info on that!

But my favorites in these shadows are

Rice Paper, Arena and the Notoriety Quad (skipping the 1st color, i dont like the lustre finish)

My favorite mascara is by sheer cover because it doesn cake on and removes easily without a black runny mess down your face, though from what i've read and heard from others, the closest rival is the new tubes mascara by Loreal. I just havent tried it yet.

And last but not least, my favoritest lipgloss.... i fear i'm going to have to pick a new fav soon because mine is almost out and the color is no longer available! But the lipgloss is sheer and not sticky, truly beautiful! It's by Bloom Cosmetics and my favorite color is Dolce. :)

So thats it for this edition of Whats in my Bag! :)

Tune in next time... hehe.

Bridal Hairstyle Trend

2010-01-11T18:53:00.004-05:00

Oh my! I have been bad bad bad about blogging makeup! I've been worse about filming tutorials! I do apologize! With the travel and the holidays i just havent been working on them. With the start of a new year, I always have a lot of bridal consultations. I think all brides just think, oh it's finally the year i'm getting married and get into gear with their consultations, etc. I had 3 consultations this week alone! And each of them wanted to try out a "half up" hairstyle. So maybe that will be a bridal hair trend this year?

Here are some hair pics from this week's hair "trials"...

Feel free to use the pictures as inspiration or to take to your own hairstylist if it's a style you like. :)

Lauren's Wedding

2009-11-22T12:39:00.003-05:00

I finally get to post some pictures from one of my favoritist bride's i've ever had the pleasure to work with! Lauren is just an awesome girl and I had so much fun in the process of her wedding from consults, bridal portraits and then her wedding! She is an absolute doll with a classy personalty and clean, simple but still elegant style.

Her wedding was so exception. She was married on her family's farm (which if they asked me to move in with them i would in a heart beat! It was gorgeous!). She really had all the details down! Her photographer i mentioned before in my posting about her bridal portraits but I just cant say enough about Altmix photography! They are based out of Atlanta Georgia and their photography skills are AMAZING! they are able to capture such beautiful and intimate moments without it ever looking posed. You can see many more of the photos from Lauren and Matt's wedding by seeing the blog post at Altmix Photography

Here are some of my personal favorites (of course they show off the bride... hehehe)

Subtle Purple Smokey Eye

2009-11-18T22:32:00.002-05:00

Ok everyone, i'm so sorry it's been a minute since i've posted a video! We've been redoing and remodleing and painting and i've even tried taping some videos but just havent had the time to edit them!

Anyhoo - here is a super fun one using PURPLE! I love purple. I've tried to say i dont (high school color, i think i OD'ed on purple in highschool) but truth be told, i just really love the color purple! Not lavendar as much, i'm talking deep rich purple. Love it! The great thing about purple as an eye color is it truly works well with just about any skin tone! It's a great way to pull off a color look without going overboard.

This video makes a very easy smokey eye using purple but it's also not over the top so ANYONE can wear it! Check it out!

My apologies...

2009-11-13T19:25:00.003-05:00

I am so sorry for the lack of posting! My wonderful husband was repainting my master bath at my request. I wanted a better wall color that wouldnt wash out the video tutorials so much. So that meant the filming would move to the next best list room in my house... the kitchen. Then he decided to start painting the kitchen! So needless to say, i havent had a good place to film. And with the shoot for McAulley's and the fashion show (which by the way went great and Lela Rose is the most down to earth designer i've ever met!), it's been a hectic week! I did take the time to reorganize my makeup closet and go thru all my brushes so that i could do the best brush review to my ability! I actually filmed it, but left out something i wanted to talk about. WOOPS!

SO, thats all coming, bare with me while i get back into my groooooove. :) Photos to come from the shoots earlier this week soon! :)

Lela Rose Fashion Show!

2009-11-09T10:03:00.002-05:00

What a weekend, what a day, and it's not over yet!

Sorry for the lacks of posts this past week! I've been cuh-razy busy! Some of you know i own a stamp company called Paper Makeup Stamps (appropriate, huh?) Well, in any case, we had a new release on saturday, so a big part of my week last week was getting ready for that.

I also am doing makeup for the Lela Rose fashion show tonight! Here, in G-ville baby! It's always very exciting when someone from New York or LA comes here! So i'm way pumped for that! Part of this past week was also dedicated to preparing for that. The show is tonight! If you are local, you should come! Fashion, Food, Drinks, i mean, whats not to like? Oh, and you get a goodie bag! hehe.

I also did makeup for a fashion shoot yesterday for McAulley's Unique Boutique which is in Anderson South Carolina. Once i get some of the shots from that, I'll post em.

But for now, i'm off to get some models ready for the luncheon with the designer. Not like America's Next Top Model where they have to do their own makeup! (ok, so usually models DO for luncheons and what not. I'm just being helpful, i.e. not getting paid. hahahahahaha)

Ok, chat with ya'll on the flipside!

coming up...

2009-11-02T10:00:00.004-05:00

So i had a client come over on saturday for a super fun makeup... and who forgot to take a picture? Yep, that'd be me. *sigh* oh well, it was a very "halloween-ie" makeup anyway.

Here's a fun look using some deep plums and purples. I looooove plum and purple and they look great on so many different skin types. The trick for me? Keep it warm. The warm purples wont wash you out as the weather gets cooler and skin tones get more pale.

Tip 2, keep some lighter shadow towards your lashline. The effect is pretty, but it also helps to "open up" your eyes! Too red of a purple right around your eyes wont help the whites of your eyes if they are a bit bloodshot. :)

I did try to do a film tutorial on this but i think the lighting was not the best. We'll see how it looks though and I'll get it up as soon as i can!

MAC Notoriety Quad, review & tutorial

2009-11-01T08:50:00.005-05:00

Hey everyone! I finally got my little video about the MAC Notoriety quad up on youtube! I love this quad.... very gorgeous warm colors....

I'm a little frustrated with the video as I dont think you get the full warmth of colors on there. Must be something i'm doing wrong in the uploading because it all looks a little washed out to me! You can see see whats going on since it's HD, but you just lose colors. I'm mad at it! SO if you happen to know what in the world i'm doing wrong, please let me know! It's not the lighting because the colors look fantastic on my computer and in the editting software. It just looks blahzay (i'm sure that is not the way you are supposed to spell that) on youtube!

Here it is....

For those that has asked for makeup looks, creating eye shapes, and such... they are coming! :) I'm also working (well, it's filmed, i just need to edit it) about my favorite makeup brushes. :)

Thanks everyone! Remember everyone is a star and has the right to twinkle! :)

Base for Makeup & learning contour!

2009-10-25T09:18:00.002-04:00

I have 2 youtube videos for you today. The first is just a very basic video explaining the products that I like best for prepping your face for makeup. As with all artistic things... a good application of the art medium starts with a great canvas. This video explains how to get your face to be the best canvas it can be! And you'll be amazed at the results of your overall makeup!

So check it out!

The next video i have just goes over basic contour. Contour can be a great asset if you dont like something about your face. Its not just for stage and film makeup anymore!

So check it out!

Lauren's Bridal Portraits

2009-10-22T18:42:00.000-04:00

It's been a couple of busy weeks, but i do have some fun pictures to show you of Lauren's briday portraits. Ok, so the portraits were awhile ago (and in fact, i just did Lauren's makeup on friday for her rehearsal and then on saturday for her wedding) But this is what i have for you for now!

The photographer for Lauren's wedding was Almix Photography. Kate (who i met) and her husband Matt really have a great thing going! Their photography is funky and fun, vibrantly colored and just very very cool! Not to mention that both of them have an extremely artistic eye! I was very impressed!

Here are some pictures from Lauren's portraits...

You can view more of their photography HERE! *hint hint, the pictures are nice and LARGE on the altmix phography page! :) )

I"M BACK!

2009-10-08T16:52:00.000-04:00

Phew - we had a very fun trip, but came home to THE FLU! I do not like the flu... i do not like it at all! So i havent filmed any new tutorials because, ahem, i dont exactly feel like being on camera when i have the flu. Though i suppose if i could have mustered the energy, it would have been a good one to learn... how to make yourself look undead! hahaha.

Earlier this week i did a photoshoot for Kentwool (a golf company) and got to meet some fabulous ladies from the LPGA and Future's tour! Let me tell you, they are FUNNY! If i get any photos from that and permission to post them, i will.

I do however have some pictures from a wedding i did just before we left town. The bride looked stunning even though she had the flu then!

The photographer for the wedding was Kim Deloach. Her photography is very artistic and just stunning! If you live in the Upstate of South Carolina, i would check her out!

Pink and Plum makeup Tutorial - with Video!

2009-09-23T09:27:00.001-04:00

Woohoo! I finally figured out my new video camera! This will greatly help out the video tutorial plan. I just wasnt pleased at all with the outcome before. This will also help me to show you products, and such because the camera will focus on the product so that you can go out and find it yourself. :)

ETA: the youtube video still looks a little choppy and but the video on my computer is sharp as a tack! Is there something i am doing wrong? Any helpful tips are greatly appreciated! :)

Today's look was created using the Stila Lotus Bloom palette. Now I am going to warn you that this palette was a limited edition as are most palettes with major companies. BUT, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I'm going to show you close ups of these colors so you can compare to what you have already in your own collection. :)

And away we go!

Some pretty pictures from Joy's wedding

2009-09-23T00:33:00.000-04:00

These pictures were posted on Sposabella Photography's blog. There were just some fun ones of me on there doing makeup as well as some shots of the bride on her wedding day since i only had rehearsal dinner pics posted before. :)

Have a wonderful day everyone! Tune back in tomorrow... i think i finally have my video camera and new edditng software figured out.... yeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaah!

Need a video camera suggestion!

2009-09-17T14:42:00.000-04:00

Video Camera that works well with MAC computers? I've been on the hunt for a video camera that is compatible with a MAC computer. I would like to provide better detail in my tutorials and quite frankly, my point n shoot and webcam just dont do makeup justice when you are trying to teach someone how the look is done! If you have any suggestions, please email me at makeupbykatie (at) yahoo (dot) com

Thanks!

Hair from the weekend this wedding

2009-09-16T13:06:00.001-04:00

Just some bridal styles. These were all from the wedding i did this past weekend...

What a weekend! and a Stila review

2009-09-15T20:12:00.001-04:00

WHat a weekend i had! On saturday I did hair and makeup for a pretty good sized bridal party.... the Bride, 6 bridesmaids, 2 flower girls, a mama and a grandma. And this was Makeup AND Hair! Needless to say i was pretty pooped by the end of the evening! haha.

I will show all the hair pictures probably tomorrow, but i wanted to do a quick review of a new makeup palette (well, it's new for me).

The Stila Smokey Eyes palette... First let me say that it talks to you! Really it does. You push a button on the inside and it says "Thank you for purchasing the Stila Smokey Eye Palette". It then goes on to give you step by step instructions, which i didnt actually listen to. So i suppose I should have done that to give a full review, huh? Well, it also gives a drawn out diagram that i do agree with, so I'm gonna guess that the wording review i'd agree with as well. haha. The talk button will also tell you which of stila's brushes they recommend you to use.

The "base" (lightest color in the palette in the top left hand corner) is pretty darn shimmery. Dont get me wrong, it's LOVELY, just very shimmery. It does not look shimmer in the stila photo... trust me, it IS! You have to be a little careful of fall out. (Fall out is those little flecks of shadow you get on your cheeks or elsewhere on your face from the makeup brush, most common with dark shadows or ones with a high glitter content). Its nothing major, but definitely something you'd want to be aware of. If you are just doing makeup on yourself, you'd probably be fine, but if applying on someone else who will have their photo taken (or you plan on having your own photo taken) be aware that as with all glitter flecks, they can catch the light in a photo leaving the photo with a white dot on the skin.

The 2nd color or your "lid" color (top right hand of the quad) is a gorgeous shimmery grey brown. This color could hold it's own when you you want a much less dramatic look (so no smokey eye) but still a gorgeous color.

The Crease color (bottom left corner of quad) is a more matte version of Espresso but is also more of a warm grey that brown like espresso. Its a great color. In my opinion, adding in this color much more matte than the shimmer of the previous 2 colors really proves that Stila knows how to make a smokey eye! If you use a shimmery dark color as your crease or contour color, you are just going to end up with too much shimmer. It will look ULTRA glam and maybe a weeeee bit um... drag queen. If you are using a dark shimmery color, you should stick no non shimmery all over colors. :)

And last but not least in the palette is your liner color. I used a Stila Smudge Pot in black to get the definition of eyeliner and then smudged over it with this liner color. You could also wet your brush or use a liner sealer (my favorite is by La Femme) to turn this into more of a cream base liner.

Here is a photo of one of the bridesmaids that I used this palette of shadows on...

We wanted to keep her look glam, but not TOO much. She was just a bridesmaid afterall and the bride did not want to be too done up either. I used a sheer foundation to start (Lola Oil Free Foundation in sand mixed with a little bit of wheat since she is fairly tanned). This allowed her freckles to show thru a bit without being very predominate. I used a MAC blush in Canteloupe with a little but of MAC's blunt for contour.

For her eyes, as mentioned previously i used the Stila Original Smokey Eye palette. The nice thing about this palette is by varying the intensity of the shadows provided, you can either create a very dramatic look, or a more subtle yet still glam as I did here. Her wet line was lined a little bit with the smudgepot in black using a liner brush. And the lid color smudged only slightly under the bottom lash line. Should you want this look a little more dramatic and edgy, the lower lid could have been more heavily lined and use the liner or crease color under the bottom lashes as well.

Thanks for stopping by to read up on my Stila Product review!

Project in the Works

2009-09-08T00:35:00.001-04:00

I'm working on a project with my husband. We are looking for photographers local to the area as well as any girls interested in modeling and associated with Clemson University.

I'll post more details and pictures as we get them! :)

Quick Pic

2009-09-07T01:39:00.002-04:00

Ok, so like a dummy I totally forgot my camera today at the wedding I was working on. I hope to get some pictures from the photographer that i can show you later. but i did take this quick snap shot of the bride before her rehearsal dinner... so at least i have something. haha. Unfortunately my camera was even a little bit out of focus. One of these days i'll get the settings better on my camera!

Used on Joy...

Stila smokey eye kit in Bronzes with Pinch of Peach blush (MAC) and Revlon Colorstay lip in a berry color that i cant remember the name of for the life of me!

We kept the look soft and pretty since she was going a little bit more glam on her wedding day. Her dress was an ivory chiffon off the shoulder flowy dress (and was gorgeous) She looked stunning in it!

I neglected to get a shot of her sister. She said she'd email me one. But i figured i'd at least get this up from my busy weekend!

Depotting Mac Shadows

2009-09-05T20:24:00.000-04:00

Hello my beautiful friends! Ok, i got around to putting my very very ghetto fab tutorial on how to depot eyeshadows onto you tube. So long as you dont mind the fact that my soon to be 1 year old (waaaaah) trying to steal the camera tripod a few times. Oh, and the lighting isnt the bestest. Note to self... do not film things in the evening until i get a better video camera! :)

Here's the video....

It's really super easy to do and trust me, once you have all your shadows in 1 palette, you will LOVE it! It's so much nicer than opening little pots one by one. Now i personally have 10 palettes. Ok, i dont know how many i have... hang on let me count.... holy cow... i really DO have that many! And those are just the MAC palettes. I have another 4 Stila palettes and lots of singles i still need to depot. Do i need an intervention???

2009-09-05T14:04:00.000-04:00

Man, i just get this thing started and i'm already slackin'! Ok, I dont think i have any readers (yet) that dont know me thru papercrafting since thats the blog'verse i'm in. But JUUUUUUST in case, here's a quick run down.

Yes i started in makeup artistry about 11 years ago (ACK, i'm getting old!). After moving from Los Angeles to the good' ol south east after having bambino number 1, my world seriously lacked creative-ness. I needed to let creative energy OUT. So i started papercrafting (stamping, scrapbooking, etc). And then after some prompting of my hubby who said, you know this papercrafting world well... start your own company. So i did. I own a stamp company called Paper Makeup Stamps (because paper and makeup are my 2 worlds!). AND, i have a new stamp release coming up. So needless to say, i've been busy! Lots of posting to the paper crafting blog and the company blog. but never fear... i will get back to posting on here soon!

I actually depotted quite a few eyeshadows the other day and filmed a mini tutorial on how I do it. I havent watched the footage yet. The baby tried to take the tripod numerous times. But i'll get that up here soon.

I also have an event to do makeup for this evening and a wedding tomorrow. SO... maybe i'll have some photos on here from that. We shall seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

For now... i leave you with some pictures of my sweet baby boy who's hair i cut yesterday. Sniff sniff. He's getting so big!

(and yes, we often go running around naked in my house!)

Free Ugg Boots!

2009-09-03T09:27:00.000-04:00

Ahhhhh, it's starting to be FALL! I'm so excited! I love the fall! The falls means a lot of my favorite things are happening!

The air is starting to cool (i dont like cold, but man, do i not like the hot humidty of summer!)

I get my September issue of Vogue (it's the fashion bible for the whole year, people!)

New fashion and makeup trends to play with! Gotta love playing with what's "in" for fall!

I usually change my hair color... again

Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks!

Time to pull out all my BOOTS! I love boots! I've always loved boots! Sadly, my favorite pair of uggs have seen much better days. I wore these puppies into the ground when they first came around. I wore them with jeans, with skirts, with pajama pants. I wasnt even trying to be "trendy". They were just so comfortable! And when i was on set nearly every day standing for 16 plus hours, this was a major bonus to have my feet in toasty snugglie comfy goodness.

Then my friend Ashley pointed me towards a way you can win them! Woot Woot! Since i just bought 2 new pairs of boots (some stylin' not really cowboy cowboy boots and a pair of suede grey knee highs) it would be lovely to replace my old uggs (i mean if it's so much as wet outside i'll fall on my batooskie because the tread is completely gone!) with some fun fabulous new ones. No doubt the colors have changed anyway since mine are almost 6 years old! :)

So the likelihood of my winning, obviously is not so high. But it cant hurt a girl to try, right?? :)

Clean, Breezy & Beautiful

2009-08-31T15:17:00.000-04:00

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

2009-08-30T15:54:00.000-04:00

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!

2009-08-29T12:38:00.001-04:00

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! :)

2009-08-27T12:11:00.001-04:00

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?

2009-08-26T23:35:00.000-04:00

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

2009-08-26T12:58:00.000-04:00

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

2009-08-25T12:19:00.003-04:00

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