Your Makeup & Industry Questions ANSWERED!

I get a lot of people always asking me tons of makeup and industry related questions that I figured why not have these questions up on my blog and I can share the answers with all you wonderful people.  Thank you to all the awesome people who participated.  I love paying it forward in any way that I can, whenever I can.  As promised, here are the answers to the questions that were sent to me these past few days.  Here we go!


1. What's the best product to minimize shine on skin for flash photography?

I personally really love pressed powders.  I’m not a huge fan of loose powders (plus, most wardrobe stylist I know and work with hate it too because it gets all over the clothes).  Three of my favorite blotting powders are:

For Fair Skin (to Medium Skin)

Camera Ready Oil Control Pressed Powder

For Medium Skin

Face Atelier Ultra Pressed Powder in Medium

For Dark Skin

Black Opal Oil-Absorbing Pressed Powder in Classic Espresso

I’m also not a very big fan of primers but two that I have used and am happy with the results is the Boots No7 Mattifying Makeup Base and the Laura Mercier Hydrating Foundation Primer.  These work really well on summer brides to keep the shine down to a minimum.  Works great on men too!!


2. How do I use the MUFE flash palette correctly, how does it work and how do I intensify colors?  Do you use it on set?

There really is no correct way to use the Flash Palette.  It can be used for eyes, lips and cheeks.  You can use it as is or you can mix the colors till the cows come home.  I’ve even used the green shade as an under base before applying concealer.  As we all know with creams, if you apply too much you’ll get lots of creasing.  The brush I use to apply on eyes is the Sephora Pro Airbrush Concealer Brush.  Establish a technique that works for you.  Unfortunately I cannot tell you what that technique is because everyone’s technique is different.  Patience, practice and trial and error are the best way to learn.

If you want to intensify, you can use a powder eyeshadow in a color near the color you used (or mixed).  I also like to use a translucent powder to set it so it won’t crease in the case that I don’t want to use a colored eyeshadow.  Another way to intensify color is to just build the color on little by little until you get it at the intensity that you want.

I have used it on set plenty of times and I never leave home without it.  It's a kit must have!


3. I've been meaning to try the MUFE HD Foundation but there are so many colors.  How do I know which one's to get?  Where do I start?  Which one's do you carry in your kit?

I totally understand your frustration.  With 26 colors, exactly how DO you choose?  Well, try basing it off the type of clientele you work with.  Do you get a lot of fair skinned clients?  Or are they mostly dark skinned?  Perhaps your clientele is a mixture?  The one's I carry in my kit are #110, #118, #128, #177 and  #180.  With those I mix to get anything in between if needed.


4. Are there any skin prep products and foundations in particular that you use specifically for African American clients?

I like to keep my skin prep products pretty simple.  I’m not one to carry a bunch of different products so I tend to purchase products that are wonderful for all skin types and color (makes for a lighter kit which is always nice).

For toner I use Kiehl's Ultra Facial Toner.  It just works well on everyone, it's unscented and makes the skin super soft.  For Moisturizer, again I love things that work for everyone.  Most of the time, I reach for the Embryolisse 24-Hour Miracle Cream.  I always recommend for everyone to carry this product.  It just looks good in your kit and clients instantly recognize it and it makes them feel at ease.  I also carry the Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream and/or the Aveeno Ultra Calming Moisturizer (really great for those who have red in their skin).  I've had clients who are allergic to the Embryolisse so it's nice to have a back up.

I love so many foundations but I find that the best for African American skin is Graftobian, Black Opal Stick Foundations and the MUFE HD Foundations.  I carry #177 and #180 in my kit.  If you do a lot of beauty/fashion and like the skin to be a bit dewy, the Face Atelier Women of Color line ( #10, #11, #12, Heat and 0++) is gorgeous.


5. How do you break away from testing?

I believe this is a very important question that I’m sure everyone has on their minds at one point of their career.  But I must warn you that for everyone this is different.  What works for me might not particularly work for you and it all depends on how long you’ve been in the business professionally.

Only you know when it’s time to slow down on the testing.  You never really “break” away from it completely, you just don’t do it as often and when you do test, you do it with a team that you know and trust and have worked with numerous amounts of times.  Everyone knows to always test up but there comes a time where you will feel that you’ve reached a plateau.   I always suggest taking a little time off from testing when this happens.  No more than a month.  Perhaps sit down with your usual team and discuss ideas.  Maybe one day you can test for an idea you have and then next time test for an idea the photographer has etc. that way everyone is happy and the creative juices are flowing.  If this doesn’t work and you feel that this particular team is holding you back, then it might be time to move on and find a new team. 

I tested non-stop anytime I could, summer, winter, weekends, weekdays at night after work when I had my day job.  I basically had no life for about 4 -5 years.  So if you’ve only been in the business for 2 – 3 years, I’m sorry to say that you have yet to pay your dues and your testing days are far from over.  2 years ago I met a wonderful photographer and hairstylist who brought my portfolio to where I needed it to be and I’ve never tested with anyone else ever since.  In fact, we all brought our portfolio to where we wanted it to be and I’m glad to have been part of that process.

I can’t tell you to save up X amount of money, quit your job and stop testing because I don’t know your financial and portfolio situation, but I can tell you that when you’re ready, whether it’s to go full time or whether is to slow down on the testing, your heart will tell you and only YOU will truly know.

Note:  Here I’d like to give a special thanks to my amazing husband who put up with hardly seeing me and even went to great lengths of coming with me to shoots just so we could spend some time together.


6. One of my biggest dreams is to do makeup for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, do you have advice as to what steps I can take to one day in the future have the opportunity to do so?

I wont lie or sugar coat, getting into Mercedes Benz Fashion Week is tough.  Most of the Artist I know that have worked Fashion Week (myself included) have gotten in by assisting senior artist who have keyed Fashion Week plenty of times.  After assisting these artists several times, you will eventually get to key one of your own shows.  Many people love Fashion Week, many people hate it.  Personally I'm not too fond of it, I feel its too much work for little to no pay.  That's probably why I lean more towards tv/film and catalogue.  None the less, I feel that everyone in the business should do Fashion Week at least once.  It's definitely quite an experience.


7. I am a self taught makeup artist who has never taken a class or course to learn makeup. Do you think it is necessary for a striving MUA to invest in going to a makeup school to become successful?

Absolutely not!!  This may come to a surprise to you but there are MANY self taught senior artists (myself included).  Attending a makeup school is something that is completely up to you.  But this is how I feel about going to a makeup school.  Yes, you learn a lot but you don't really KNOW the industry and how to be on set until you assist.  There is where you will learn the tricks of the trade and see how things work on a REAL set.  Even if you're just holding an eyeshadow palette or washing brushes, I feel that assisting is where you get the real training and a wonderful learning experience.


8. How long should I work on my portfolio before approaching an agency to seek assisting openings so I can learn?

You should always be working to make your work better.  Always test up.  Make sure you have all ethnicities and skin colors.  Everything in your photos should work.  If the makeup is beautiful and the hair really isn't up to par, your whole image will fail.  Your book should look like what you would see in the magazines.  That isn't to say that you should wait till your book is "perfect".  It's always great to go into an agency, show your book and get some constructive criticism.  It's the only way to really know what you need to improve on.  Always remember that all agencies are different.  What one agency loves, the other won't like it as much.  It's up to you to use your judgement on what to keep and what to take out of your book.  Always ask if you can be put on the assistants list and keep all of your work clean.


9. What are your favorite eye shadows and products for the eye?
Man, I could make a list that goes on forever but I do have a few favorite eye shadows that I tend to revisit a lot.  I use anything from Face Atelier to Makeup Forever to Urban Decay.  Here are a few of my favorite colors:

*Face Atelier – Metallic Taupe, Copper, Iced Champagne, Carbon
*Makeup Forever – Flash Palette (I mix to create certain desired colors)

*Urban Decay – Naked Palette, Deluxe Shadow in Zero

*MAC – Vex

*Smashbox – Fizz

*theBalm Shady Lady Eyeshadow – Luscious Lani

*Vincent Longo – Wet/Dry Diamond Shadow in Sparkle White (discontinued)

As far as products go, I don’t use primers for the eye.  Personally I've never liked them much.  I “prime” the eyes with a thin layer of concealer followed by a cream eye shadow such as Ramy Cosmetics Cream Quads (which, unfortunately are being discontinued) or you can use any cream eyeshadow lighter than the skintone for a base before applying regular powder shadow (makes the eyeshadow stick better and intensifies the color).


10. What are your 3 great tips for a new makeup artist?

There are so many great tips I can give you but the top three are:

a.       Practice, practice, practice!  I cannot stress enough how important this is!  Just when you think that you can’t practice anymore, practice again!!  Practice on friends, family – aunts, uncles, husband, boyfriend, mom, dad…whatever it takes.  You can’t ever get enough practice and no matter what stage of makeup artistry you’re in, you will always learn something new.

b.       Be patient!  Being in this business requires a lot of patience.  It will not happen overnight.  I don’t say this to be negative; I say this to be truthful.  The jobs you want WILL come.  Might not be in 2 years or 5 years or even 7 years.  I’ve known artist that didn't really start seeing constant work come their way until their 7^th – 10^th year.  Very few have been fortunate in their 5^th.  There will be days where you don’t even want to look at your kit and you want to quit.  We’ve all had it, heck even I’ve had it!  If this is truly what you want to do, NEVER give up.

c.       Leave the feathers and rhinestones HOME!  Nothing more screams amateur than a portfolio filled with blue eyeshadow, feathers, rhinestones, glitter and crazy colored lashes.  We all need to have those creative days, I know, every now and then I like to smudge a little yellow paint across someone’s face.  But I do it because my book is FILLED with a ton of clean work.  A client doesn’t want to see how good of a smokey eye you can do or how well you apply crazy eyelashes.  A client wants to see how well you make the skin look.  Master the clean look on ALL skin colors and ethnicities first and then reach for the crazy stuff.  Also, the clean stuff is what pays the big bucks.  Pretty much anything commercial such as Dove, Neutrogena, Colgate, Olay, etc. are the kind of clients you want to have if you want to pay your bills.