Halloween!

This holiday is all about makeup! For me, at least. Since I became a professional artist I won't do a costume unless it involves a major look. A few years ago I was Tammy Faye Bakker--it was so fun to cake product on and then ruin it with eyedrops to get Tammy's tear-streaked, runny face. This year I was Snooki from Jersey Shore, a costume I did for my 30th birthday party this summer and liked so well I had to do it again. Of course, when you're an artist, everyone comes knocking for you to do their costume makeup, and if you're me, you never turn them away.

Halloween is a time I get to explore some new techniques and really push my creativity. Several years ago a friend was dressing up as an anime character and wanted me to create those huge stylized eyes such characters have. I turned her entire lid into an eye so that when she closed, they looked open. It was a really interesting concept that awed. I did this with a lot of black liner, electric blue and white eyeshadow. I turned her brows into her lash line and made her top lashes into her bottom row. If you look at it for a while it's kind of mesmerizing!

Another time, a friend of my former boss wanted to crash his fiancee's batchelorette party looking like he'd staggered in from a brutal bar fight. I had never done injury makeup before and enjoyed creating several different types of bruises and a shiner. While I was blending hot pink blush, navy liner pencil and shimmer powder into his face, he practiced moaning. We dotted on some fake blood to finish the damage. Apparently when he walked in his fiancee freaked out and rushed to him in concern (the desired effect?).



Pam loves Halloween. Every year she tries to outdo herself with her amazing crafting and costuming abilities. For the past several years she's been some form of sea life--stingray, narwhale, seahorse, etc. This year she decided to be a land animal and settled on a deer. We instantly agreed that I would do her makeup and she would handle the costume. The lighting here doesn't quite show the colors as they appeared in real life, but you get the idea. We got this look by using a ton of bronze-y eyeshadow, white cream and powder shadow, black liquid facepaint and fine white-gold glitter. In person her skin had almost a liquid metallic sheen and the bronze graduated from darker around the white of the eyes to softer towards the edges of her face. We popped out all the white with an ample tap of glitter (seen best on her nose and freckles). I love doing Pam's makeup for Halloween because of how seriously she takes her costume and how much fun she has with it.

As you might imagine, when I was done with the makeup appointments I had yesterday I barely had the energy to coat myself in orange-y bronzer and black eyeliner for my Snooki look. I managed to pull it together to go out to dinner in costume but was back on the couch for good by 9:30. It does beat the years I lived in AZ and would come home from the MAC counter after 8 hours of Halloween makeup and pass out on my face by 6pm!

Collaboration

Since I've undertaken this makeup endeavor I've realized the importance of collaboration with fellow artists. While I could scour fashion magazines for the latest trends, read other makeup blogs for new technique ideas and paint faces all day and all night, I don't think I would learn half as much as I do when working with other artists. I've been fortuante enough to have several people emerge as potential collaborators and I look forward to seeing how we can support each other towards better work and more exposure.

I have known Jenn Tran for over four years, since we were working the cash registers in the basement of the University Book Store. When we met, she had just started her sophomore year at UW and I was a few months out of my masters program. In that time, Jenn has emerged as a stunning visual artist whose photography is breathtakingly gorgeous (http://www.jenn-tran.com/). In the early days of our friendship Jenn was grappling with future planning ideas and was torn between law school and art as potential (and profoundly different) career paths. At this time, Jenn is pursuing a second degree at DigiPen where she is exploring game design. I am incredibly proud of her for following her passions, and have felt challenged to get in touch with mine as a result. She continues to develop her eye for photography and has recently agreed to a continued collaboration with me that involves the intersection between makeup and portraiture. All of the phenomenal shots on this blog or my facebook page were taken by her. It is an absolute honor to partner with her, and I am so excited to see what we come up with.

Jenn Woodason-Svarplaitis and I became fast friends when we met by the mailboxes in our apartment complex in Scottsdale, AZ seven years ago. We started talking about how irritating junk mail is and the conversation has flowed endlessly since then. Jenn has been a visual artist for many years, once founded a co-op gallery in Phoenix and continues to create and sell work of all kinds (http://liquidimagination.weebly.com/updates.html). Jenn and I haven't lived in the same city for a long time, but time and distance hardly seem to matter. Our collaboration seems to occur on a plane that is both spiritual and emotional. During the times that I have felt creatively stuck in my life, I have sought Jenn to help me search out and find meaning. More recently Jenn and I have been talking across the distance from upstate New York to Seattle about art, inspiration, connection and lessons learned. Jenn is an amazing, supportive person who has always believed in me and pushed me towards being my best self. I know Jenn and I will continue to pursue our artistic passions in our parallel physical, spiritually intertwined lives.

The internet and Facebook, in particular are the grand connecting tools of our age. A facebook friend from high school introduced me to her sister, La Shaun Daye who owns a salon in South Seattle (http://www.lashaundaye.com/). The timing was perfect--La Shaun is a hair designer who was looking for a makeup artist to partner with for special occasion beauty services. She graciously invited me to her salon to talk about my ideas for my makeup business and shared her vision with me. Tonight I head back to the salon to demo my work on her, so that she can see my abilities and decide if she wants to refer her clients to me. I am stoked to have this unique opportunity to showcase my work on a fellow professional who has an established business. I hope La Shaun and I will find some fun ways to work together. We both agree that having a one-stop beauty services package for weddings, prom and other occasions is a great idea. La Shaun Daye Hair Studio is a great space--on the second floor of a small office complex off of Rainier Avenue it offers hair design and other beauty services and products in a fun, relaxed convivial atmosphere. Maybe you will see me freelancing in there sometime...

What is a Smokey Eye, Anyway?

Kim Kardashian, smokey eye proponent

Ahh, the smokey eye. The nouveau classic and source of confusion, envy and wonderment for many. I am asked a lot, "what is a smokey eye? what colors do you have to do? would it look good on me? how in the world would I ever be able to do it on myself?" I'm here to help, people! Let's break it down.

Deep grey matte shadow on the lid, blended up into the crease, bright ivory shimmery shadow on the brow bone, copious mascara

The elements that go into this look are (generally speaking) a dark, matte eyeshadow, a light-colored eyeshadow and a lot of eyeliner and mascara. On a basic level, the smokey eye is a wash of light shadow all over the eyelid up to the eyebrow, with a darker and/or brighter color in the crease. The crease, if you are unfamiliar, is the area that your eyelid recedes into when your eyes are open. We all have a natural shadow in that area, and so the smokey eye is essentially a dramatic way of highlighting bone structure. The look is typically finished with a generous amount of eyeliner around the rim of the eyes and (if you're me, above) gobs of mascara.

Contrary to popular belief, there are no rules for how a smokey eye should look. You can use as many colors of shadow as you want, or as few as one or two. There is no rule that says you must use black for any of it. I've done pairings such as gold on the lid, black in the crease, and a lighter champagne on the brow bone (on Lisa, above). I personally get bored by an entirely charcoal grey or black smoked-out eye. On Lisa I wanted to pop out the green tones in her eyes and define her incredible bone structure. The key piece to this look, and any smokey eye is well-blended eyeshadow. You can see how the black in her crease goes from being dark to soft and wispy as it moves up toward her brow. If you want to master this look it takes patience and good brushes. To master a well-blended crease, you will need a brush that has a tapered tip and soft bristles. Use a circular stroke when blending--think little circles.

All eye shapes, all skin-tones and all ages can wear this style. There are endless ways to wear it, from subtle mattes, to bright and colorful to shimmery tones and beyond. The key things to remember when trying a new look is that makeup washes off so there's no need to freak out about getting everything right the first time. Keep a box of q-tips and bottle of remover handy and you're ready to play without fear! I have taught many a lesson on doing the smokey eye and would love to show you how!

Getting Back Into It

A close-up of my work on Dani

It really comes together once the bride is in full regalia

Since I moved back to Seattle in 2006, I haven't done much with my artistry aside from making up friends for Halloween, a girls' night or the occasional wedding. I certainly haven't worked at a cosmetic counter since I left MAC down in Phoenix. It's a skill that I exercise every day on my own face, but has largely lived in my back pocket and on my resume for the last four years. I felt no need to explore artistry or learn new methods or study images or follow trends closely. It was enough to do my own face well and leave it at that. Then I received an email from Dani, a friend of one of my husband's colleagues--she was looking for a makeup artist for her wedding.

Dani showed up fresh-faced with her mother and future mother-in-law in tow for our demo appointment. We hadn't met prior and we were both hoping we would be the right fit for each other. It was my first time making up a stranger since I was working the counter in Phoenix! It was a great experience, because not only is Dani extraordinarily pretty, with radiant young skin, she's also great at communicating her wants.

One of the most challenging aspects of makeup artistry is articulating a person's vision onto their face. I tell wedding clients straight away, "look, I'm an amazing artist, I know everything I do looks good. That's not an issue. What matters is if YOU like what I'm doing." I say this with humor, partly to break the ice, but also to let the client know we will work from her specifications. The last thing I want is for a bride to feel less than perfect because she didn't feel like she could give me direction.

Dani sent me pictures of looks she likes, pictures of herself so I could see how she likes to wear her makeup and we kept in touch in the months leading up to the big day. When the day came, it felt like a privilege to hang out with the bride and her girls and moms. I think I ended up doing four or five faces besides Dani's. It was a very different experience from past wedding parties who all came in to the MAC counter for their appointments. I realized how much more creative and free I felt meeting the party on location, with my own kit and time frame. There was no walking away to help other customers or rush to finish. It was me, my tools and a church backroom full of women of all ages, pulling together for Dani's wedding.

I credit Dani directly with my recovered passion for artistry. From her wedding demo last November I started rediscovering my love of creating new, beautiful looks and experimentation. This past spring/summer I did bridal makeup for several women. My obsession burns anew and I am grateful and excited to see where this leads....

Inspiring Women

Meryl at 60

Meryl at 30

Have you spent much time thinking about the roles celebrities play in our lives? I know I spend a lot of time looking at gossip rags when I'm at the gym, google image searching, and mining sites like gofugyourself.com for makeup ideas and missteps. A lot of celebs I feel affection for (Gaga, Snooki), am horrified by (Courtney Love, Lindsay Lohan), am tired of seeing (the Kardashian crew) or feel indifferent to (Jennifer Aniston). Feeling inspired by celebrities doesn't come as easily, however.

Their images are everywhere, and we know all about their private lives and dieting and beauty tips. It's kind of exhausting to be bombarded with before pics of celebs when they were "fat" (yeah right!) and "unsophisticated" and after images where they are "fit" (more like skeletal) and "polished". I think it can send very confusing messages about how women are supposed to look, and lead us to believe that how we look is more important than how we feel. In an age where women are supposed to be 24 years old, have line-free, airbrushed faces and curvy, size 00 bodies, where do most women fit in?

I think Meryl Steep is an incredible beauty role model for women of all ages. I chose these two photos of her from a recent issue of Vanity Fair because I think they highlight how gorgeously and gracefully she is aging. Would that I look like her when I'm 60! As far as I know she hasn't done any cosmetic surgeries or botoxed herself. She has always been a minimalist when it comes to makeup, choosing instead to work her unique bone structure. I think she is living proof than women can age glamorously and need not hang on to unrealistic (and frankly frivolous) standards of beauty.

Progression Part II

I wanted to wear as much color and drama as I could on my face for this particular New Years Eve. I layered on blue and purple eyeshadow of various hues (all shimmery textures) and paired it with a strong, deep wine colored lip. I used a sheer, highly concentrated glitzy pink/purple powder on my cheeks. You can see the glow even in low light. This is a look!

New Years Eve 2002

It's not entirely fair to stack pictures of myself for the sake of comparison. For one thing, hair and makeup styles change dramatically from decade to decade, year to year. And for another, personal sense of style is fluid--as it should be. What I thought was a great look when I was 22 is quite different than what I think looks hot at 30. Our personal concept of beauty should always be evolving as we are as individuals (hopefully). I don't know about you, but I've fallen into serious style ruts at times. I'm talking about those times I've felt 100% uninspired and just reached for the same old combo of colors. For years (all of college) I loved to experiment with all kinds of colors and looks on others, but for my face it was gold eyeshadow, thick face powder and silver gloss, every single day. Getting the job at MAC blasted me out of that hole and into looks like you see above.

September 2010

Now when I go out it's not about packing on as much color and drama as possible (unless it is). Instead of a color-loaded smokey eye, wearing lashes is essential. I think they bring a lovely element of drama to the eye, and need not be overwhelming. I encourage all brides to wear them (they photograph beautifully) and personally wear them on all special occasions. A key piece to looking polished is beautiful skin. I do this with liberal use of highlighting powders and plenty of blush. When I was younger I experimented with wild and fun color combinations, always trying to push the envelope with a neon face. At this moment I'm more interested in exploring bone structure and subtle use of color, shading and highlighting to get maximum effects.

My Muse

Tiffany is one of those rare friends with whom you just know you're in it for life together. She showed up at my previous day gig as the new manager of a project I was working on. As we were introduced we looked into each others' eyes and there was an instant understanding. Tiff feels more like a long-lost cousin than a former colleague and as you might imagine we've spent a lot of time exploring beauty together. I like to tell Tiff she's my muse because from the first time I put makeup on her I found her to be the most open to exploration of anyone. Tiff believes the artist works best without direction, when she can completely tap into her creativity. As a result, she and I have tried many different styles on her deep brown eyes and smooth skin. I love knowing that I have a canvas that is completely mine on which to explore new techniques and color.

Fresh-Faced

Tonight I did a shopping trip/lesson with one of my colleagues from my day gig. I've been offering people a whole constellation of beauty services lately. People will show up with their entire makeup collection feeling like they have no idea what to do with any of it anymore. I sort it with them and toss the old/dated/useless stuff so we can see what they actually have. It's a purge that helps people make sense of their makeup collection, so that it can be fun again. If needed, we take a trip to the counter where I help them select new products and brushes to supplement what they have, or help them start from scratch. After that we typically do a lesson where I teach them to use the new tools and product. It's all part of demystifying color and technique so that each person can feel like they know how to maximize their features. MAKEUP SHOULD NEVER BE A DRAG. If it is, call me. I can help.

Tonight, my colleague went for the full spectrum of services. We cleaned out her bag, went shopping and did a lesson. She has beautiful skin and bone structure. I wanted to make her skin appear as fresh and bright as possible. We decided that well-placed, buffed concealer could be a new alternative to coffee for looking awake. She prefers a subtle touch when it comes to color so I used soft gold and pink tones to bring out the blue in her hazel eyes and define her amazing cheekbones. When we finished she was impressed by how great her skin looked and how well-rested she appeared.

Progression

I started playing around with makeup as a toddler (much to my mother's chagrin). One of the most exciting gifts I received as a fifth grader was a Revlon set of mini lipsticks and matching nail polishes. I would do "makeovers" that involved application of lipstick and a matching mani or pedi. In middle school I got really into Cover Girl and Wet n' Wild stuff and loved to experiment with pretty much anything. My best friend at the time and I used to do full makeup applications on each other every weekend night, in an attempt to look "hot" and "older". Since as twelve year-olds we couldn't go out to the clubs, we mostly just looked in the mirror a lot and wished the boys we liked could see us all glammed up. As a high school kiddo I was the friend who picked out looks for everyone for our formal dances and usually ended up doing hair and makeup on everyone.

Eventually this love of makeup evolved into a passion-obsession. In college my roommates and I spent many a dark Seattle evening bent over Kevyn Aucoin's "Making Faces" and selecting looks for me to try on them. I offered brow plucking services and personal shopping for cosmetics. When I realized that my English degree wasn't leading to a clear career path, I knew I had to become a MAC artist.

The second picture above was taken about six months after I graduated from UW and was proudly working at the MAC counter. I posted it along with a picture taken this spring (by the amazing Jenn Tran) to show the progression of my tastes, style and skill. As you can see, I love wearing color on my eyes, always have. I chose the two photos because they showcase a similar look--bright, color-washed eyeshadow, well-defined cheeks and sheer, glossy lips. Since the early aughts, my work has become more controlled, more detailed and defined.

Portfolio Shoot I

This weekend, I was able to procure the services of my friend Jenn Tran, an amazing photographer. I had four friends model makeup looks for me (Jenn included). It was a lot of fun to showcase several looks and to play around with different features and skin tones. None of the girls had met prior to our session, but by the end we all felt it had been a uniquely fun, girlie experience. It got me thinking about the importance of bringing women together to celebrate individual and collective beauty. In today's horrific economy I doubt many of us are taking time together to feel pretty and feminine--there are too many things to worry about. It was an amazing opportunity that I hope I will get again.

There's Not Enough Glamour in Seattle...

...which is part of the reason I decided to get serious about my artistry again. I've decided it's my mission to bring glitz and polish to this (at times) drab city. We're headed into the dark season, and we will all need some color and life in our faces. I'm here to help! Welcome to my blog, a place to talk about beauty, technique and to pretty much dork out about all things makeup!