Drudstore products

Hey guys

So I wanted to take some time to talk about drug store products. I know we always want to get a good deal on well..everything ha. Most of us are on a budget and it doesn't always necessarily mean we have to give up a few luxuries like makeup =]. I'm always trying to stress how you don't always have to use high end makeup to get quality results. It's all about your skills and how well you can work with what you have. Even if you had almost the whole MAC collection it doesn't mean you know how to apply it. It's important to know that you can use drugstore products in way that makes them look like they cost you an eye and an ear.

Below are a few pictures of makeup I have done using drugstore products. There might be one or two high end products involved but sometimes you have to mix and match to get the cheap stuff to work haha.

This picture is actually my default that I used as the icon. This is an example of half high end products and half drug store Products used here were:

MAC e/s top hat
MAC e/s avalanche
Loreal hip pigment
Loreal hip shadow duo (Just pink side of the brown and pink duo)
Jordana e/s peach
MAC studio fix fluid
Botanics pearls bronzer
MAC C-thru lipgloss






This is a look I did on a Model who was taking a few sexy shots for her boyfriend so excuse the cleavage ha. Again her I used about half and half

MAC e/s scene
MAC Ricepaper
MAC Blanc type (Best highlight My fave!)
Victoria's secret e/s vice (Best purple e/s I've ever used!)
Jordana e/s
Jordana blush
Elizabeth Arden lip rose
HIP cake liner

I've actually posted a similar picture on here before.
I've done a lot of photo shoots but if I have to prove a point I'll use them a few times haha. Here I only used DRUDSTORE produtcs.

Loreal Hip e/s duo (Purple and gold duo)
Revlon colorstay foundation
Wet n wild lipstick (Forget the name)
Maybelline Blush
Maybelline xxl curl power mascara
Nyx lipliner

The following pictures are looks I created using the 120 palette. No other e/s are used here aside from the 120 palette.

My eye haha. This is actually using the 88 palette

Bye guys!

MAC Make up Art Collection Haul

Hey guys

Today me and my assistant Amber went to MAC to check out the MAC Make up Art collection. I had a few things I wanted to get already in mind so I had an idea of what I was going to get. When we arrived there was a sketcher sketching pictures of people. We went straight for the the collection. My first thought was, where's the high strung lipstick? Oh well I guess they ran out. I wanted to get the "in the gallery" quad and the "photo realism quad". In the end I opted for the photo realism quad and the Notoreity quad, personal taste lipglass, violet trance e/s and prr lipglass that wasn't in the collection but got it for my sister.








There was another e/s I wanted to get called strike a pose that was in the "love that look" collection. It was this gorgeous teal eyeshadow. They were sold out =[ I went to the mac counter at my mall but they were sold out as well. Darn. Just have to get it online. So instead I got Sumptuous olive to get over my disappointment.









Unfortunately something is wrong with my scanner/camera thing so I can't put any of the pictures I took. But here's what the products looked like based on the pictures from the website:




Yea I couldn't find a picture of prr lipglass but whatever.

We were there for a total of three hours haha. We looked at the products for a while than their artist sketched a picture of us, went across the street to benefit while we waited for it to be 1 pm. Amber had an appointment with mac to get her makeup done there to see what it'd look like. And even after we got out of there, we still went to the mac counter at our mall to see if I could get Strike a pose there. The collection was pretty good. Definitely worth checking out.

Bye guys!

Sandy's photoshoot

Hey guys

A few weeks a go I had a shoot with my friend Sandy. It was actually with one of my fave photographers (Ryan Chua) This guy is awesome! The shoot was more sexy and flirty and of course Ryan can pull this off. Unfortunately Ryan was still busy with his other models that were there before us so he suggested that his photographer friend Mike that was there do the shoot for him. I totally trust Ryan so we went along with it and really there was no drastic difference. Mike was awesome. Really laid back like Ryan. No wonder they're friends haha.


My friend Amber (Now my assistant!) wanted to see what a shoot is like especially since she's an MUA in the making. Also she's the one who gave us a ride =] Thanks hon! She did a great job
taking pictures during.











Loved her skirt














































Talk about sexy
















Back to the makeup, for Sandy I wanted to do something flirty and hot especially since she was wearing her color contacts. And if you haven't noticed already, when I see color eye's I see black, grays, and silvers! We we're rushing a little because of our horrible time management so I did a shorter version using black and silver. Sometimes a little goes a long way. Check out the first shots:








For the next couple of shots I changed up her makeup. I decided to go with turquoise's and blue's. It gave me a chance to use my 120 palette. I like to prove that you don't always have to use high quality makeup to get awesome results. I LOVED how the makeup turned out in the next shot.



Us at the end of the shoot. I had just pulled an all nighter that night so I was BEAT. I could barely smile haha. That's amber on the left, Sandy in the middle, and me looking horrible on the right =[





















Bye guys!

Sneak peek into a photoshoot

Hey guys

I recently did a video on a sneak peek into a photo shoot. A lot of people have never seen what a photo shoot is like and who's part of it and what goes during one. Which is why I made one. It didn't go into too much detail but it gave my viewers an idea of what it's like. It was basically two shoots in one. I have a model friend (at the time just a model, now my friend as well =]), who contacted me through Model Mayhem to do her makeup for a shoot in my city. I agreed wet along to the shoot. The shoot was really fun. There was a hairstylist as well which made it better. The more the merrier =]. Any who two days later I did another shoot with her but this time with another photographer in San Francisco. I took mini clips in both shoots so I could make a sneak peak vid for my subscribers. So the first shoot is in my city and the second clip is in SF.





In the first shoot I did a midnight blue smokey eye. I used Revlon matte eyeshadow. The dark blue one. Who said you can't use drugstore in a photo shoot?! I also used an electric vibrant blue to tone it down in a way and create a lighter color effect. Sometimes with eye shadows instead of using a white or highlight e/s to create a lighter effect you can use a lighter version of the the other e/s to give you the same or better results. For her lips I went with a bubbly pink lipstick gloss and paired it with a darker pink lip liner to give the effect of plumper lips.

For the second shoot I did very sexy smudged eyeshadow. Like the "I just rolled out of bed and I have on whatever's left from last night sexy eyes" haha. I used a hip duo for this one. It was the purple and dirty gold duo that's right below. I love duo's. They give amazing results for half the price of mac shadows.

These pictures are in random order.

Bombshell smokey eye

Hey guys

A few months ago I did a tutorial on a bombshell smokey eye. Yes A few months ago! Anyways, this time I decided to use my friend Arooj as a model. She's got the longest lashes ever. And he wears color contacts as well. Combine this with black and silver eyeshadow and we get a bombshell! I wish the video and pictures would capture how she looked in person. Oh well. This is the next best thing.






Products:

Eye's-
Mac painterly paintpot
NYX e/s in charcoal
Mac e/s in carbon
Jordana e/s in peach
Mac e/s duo in silversmith (silver side)
Maybelline liquidliner
Maybelline define-a-lash mascara
Estee Lauder artsit's eye pencil

Face

Covergirl trublend in creamy ivory
Rimmel london pressed powder
Bare minerals warmth
Bonnebell Blend n' glow

Lips:

Mac blankety lipstick




Bye guys!

Theresa's bridal makeup

Hey guys

So a few weeks ago I had a bridal gig in Burlingame. Luckily it was with one of my favorite clients that I had previously done makeup on a few times before. Unfortunately I got there about half an hour late but no worries, I called her in advance and told her I would be there a few minutes late and she said it was fine. I had to go from San Jose where I was with another client to there and well, it wasn't an easy transition. My sister came along with me and had a gps in her car which I refused to use because I hate those things haha. I always get lost because they're not always accurate so I brought my own directions. We ended up using the gps anyway and we got lost. Ain't that something. I was extra worried because Theresa wasn't able to make it to our consultation the day we we're going to have it and we couldn't re-schedule so basically I needed to come up with a look on the actual day of.



Anywho I got to the hotel where the girls were getting ready. I was doing makeup for the bride, and two of her bridesmaids and flower girl which happened to be her daughter =].



I'm gonna do a follow thru of what I did on each one. For Theresa, since we hadn't had a consultation she said do anything you want I trust you. Normally I hate when my clients say that because ultimately the makeup is for them not me. I asked her if there was a look she had in mind or any specific colors. She said brown. I ended up doing a smokey brown look on her. I used blanc type, rice paper, espresso, and scene from mac. For her lips we decided to do something toned down but at the same time have a little color. I opted for Revlon Creme Gloss in Strike a Rose (Yes I use drugstore too!). She loves loves loves this color. I had used it before on her and she's been hooked ever since and she wanted that color for sure on her wedding.

Next, one of the bridesmaids mentioned that the colors of their dresses were orange which I already knew. She wanted anything that would compliment her but would still go with her dress. No problem. I decided to do oranges, gold, and cranberry's. I used, well a lot haha. I used a hip orange eyeshadow (I forget the name), mac goldmine, mac carbon, mac sushi flower, mac blanc type (my fav highlight!) and a jordana cranberry eyeshadow. The eyeshadow looked AMAZING! Everybody loved it including the bridesmaid. She absolutely loved the colors together.

For the next bridesmaid she wanted something VERY natural. No problem. I decided to use my estee lauder quad that had pinks and browns. I did a sweep of pink on her lid and smoked out her outer corner with one of the browns. I applied a light creme color as her highlight. For her lips we did a natural gloss with no sparkle. Even though it was toned down she looked great.




At last I was left with the flower girl. I barely did anything because she's so young and I hate when MUA'S blast pounds of makeup on little girls with perfect skin =]. I added a light pink blush to the apple's of her cheek's and combed through her eyebrows with a brow gel. For her lips I added a pink gloss that brought out her lips. Too bad you can barely see her in the picture. She's the one on the far right with the flower on her head.

The girls. So adorable!

The beautiful couple!

In the end, everything was completely worth it. The bride was so happy with the results that it made up for the fact that I had slept 2 hours the night before. Bye guys!

Makeup Kit/Traincase

Hey guys

So I wanted to do a post on what you should have in a makeup kit if you're starting out in makeup. Keep in mind that everyone is different and you may not always agree on what you should have. But this is my point of view. Check it out:

Foundations-
Creams, liquid, powder, pressed powder. It's good to have a variety to choose from. Some clients prefer you use mineral powder. Some want extra coverage so they opt for liquid. Either way, it's a good idea to have at least Liquid, Powder and Cream. Some brands you may want to consider are Makeup forever, MAC, Graftobian, Benefit or even Revlon colorstay if you're on a budget.




Eyeshadows-
Whether it's cream, pressed, or loose, eyeshadow is one of the most important thing you will need in your kit. Eyeshadow is sometimes the only thing a client cares about. Get neutral eyeshadows such as creams, browns, light pink, champagne's etc.. Remember, some people don't like over the top makeup. Some like a more natural look. It's also essential to get wild funky bright colors for the clients that want party makeup.



Blushes, Bronzers-
Pretty simple. You can get 10-15 blushes and you're good to go. Or you can go for the costalscents blush palette if you're on a budget. Bronzers are good to have for adding sun glow to the face. Some brands are Sonia Kashuk, MAC, Nars, etc.





Eyelashes-
Most of your clients are going to want lashes. So you should definitely invest in them. Some popular brands are red cherry, ardell, Mac, Select lash. Use duo lash to apply. It is the best lash glue. Have a different variety to choose from. From a natural lash to a very dramatic lash. Even individaul lashes.





Eyeliner/lipliners-
Pencil, liquid, cake, gel. I wouldn't pick and choose here. These types of eyeliners are in my kit. Not everyone is comfortable wearing liquid liner. Some get allergic reactions. So it's good to have alternatives. For cake/gel liners, you really only need black, brown, and maybe one other bright color if the mood strikes. As for lipliners, pinks, browns, neutrals, and clear are good choices. Remember to get them in different colors. Like for example get four or five different pinks. Do the same for the other colors.



Mascara-
You can have a volumnizing mascara. Maybe you want one that curls your lashes. You should invest in a few different ones. Have atleast one of two waterproof mascara's for the clients that tend to tear up. Get them in black or brown. Use disposable mascara wands. Never use the lash comb it come with. That is extremely unsanitary.





Lipstick/Lipgloss-
This is where it's important to have as many as you can get. Red, pinks, frosts, nudes, browns, plums, wines. These are colors that are musts in you kit. Remember to never use the applicator it come with. Use disposables or a lip brush you can sanitize. Grab some carmax or lip conditioners because 80% of your clients will have chapped lips.






Primers, eye bases-
Invest in eye bases because they're the most important thing when it come to eyeshadow application. It will not last as long or even show up as vibrant if a base isn't used. Invest in a face primer for foundation. It will help the foundation last longer and even make the application much smoother. If you client has oily skin use oil blotting sheets or oil control powder. If your client had dry skin, use a moisturizer before or after the primer.





Palette's-
It's good to have palettes. That way you don't have 400 loose eyeshadow compacts in your kit taking up room. One of the most popular palette's out there are MAC palette's. These come with 15 empty slots where you can put depotted eyeshadows. They cost about $12 MAC PRO online or at the MAC pro store. I recently saw them on their Mac cosmetics website. If you're on a budget, It's good to invest in the 88 palette's. They are sold on coastalscents.com or starsmakeuphaven.com. I have seen them for half the price on ebay. If you're clients include brides, invest in the 28 palette that has pinks and browns.



Brow kit-
Brow gel, tweezers, brow powder (or eyeshadow), miniature scissors should suffice. Even a brow pencil.










Miscellaneous-
90% alcohol, sponges, makeup remover, apron, baby wipes, aspirin, hand sanitizer, cape, disposable wands, mints (Altoids), cd's(for mixing products such as foundation, concealers or lip glosses), cotton swabs.




Brushes-
It's really important to have brushes. Foundation brushes, blending, crease, pencil, flat, angled, eyeliner, tapered, shader, blush, stipple, concealer, buff, face, contour brush and so on. Invest in a brush belt or holder so they're not lying around and it makes your job easier when you're on a gig. Use brush cleanser and sanitizer to clean your brushes through.


Traincase-
Of course you need something to carry all these wonderful products in! You can use a rolling aluminum traincase which is the most popular kind. Or a regular traincase you can carry yourself. Make sure it's big enough to carry everything you need. Don't get one that fits exactly everything you're gonna need. Get one that's a bit bigger because trust me your kit will grow.



Airbrush kit-
This is completely optional and not all Mua's have one. It just gives a dewy flawless look. It's very popular for brides and sometimes photoshoots and fashion shows. They run anywhere from $200-$900. The contents can depend on the type of kit you buy. It may only have the airbrush compressor. Some have a few foundations to start you off with. Look at some youtube videos if you want to see how they work and what type to invest in.