Royal & Langnickel Brushes

A few weeks back I was invited to a Royal & Langnickel Blogger Breakfast where they would have a complimentary breakfast, a presentation by Kevin James Bennett and complimentary gift bags.  Inside the gift bag was a Royal & Langnickel S.I.L.K Pro Synthetic 12 Piece Set and a Majestic 7 Piece Paint Brush Set.  I know what you're thinking, Paint Brush Set?  As someone with an art background (drawing, painting etc) I've purchased art store paint brushes to use in my makeup kit.  Sometimes the art store quality has been better than some of the beauty brushes out there.

Royal & Langnickel is a family owned business that started out making paint brushes and within the past few years started making Beauty Brushes as well.  One of their best sellers is the S.I.L.K Pro collection and I have to say these brushes are absolutely amazing.  They're soft to the touch and literally just glides over the face for a flawless finish.  The construction of the brush itself says a lot.  The ferrule (the metal part that connects the bristles to the handle) is made of chrome-plated brass which pretty much guarantees that the metal wont deform or rust and because the ferrule is pressed twice into the hard wood barrel handle, your brush handle will stay put and never become loose or fall off.  My favorite brushes from this set is the Angled Eye Shadow Brush and the Blush Brush.

SILK Pro 12 Piece Set

The SILK Pro 12 Piece Brush Set Includes:

Powder Brush

Blush Brush

Eyeshadow Brush

Foundation Brush

Smudger Brush

Liner Brush

Eye Fluff Brush

Eyeliner/Brow Brush

Flat Liner Brush

Brow/Lash Brush

Concealer Brush

Lip Brush

Majestic 7 Piece Round Short Handle Paint Brush Set

The Majestic set is also super soft and already I've used them for applying foundation on face and body, concealer (both large and small areas), smudging eyeshadow and applying lipstick/gloss.  Another thing that I love about this brush set is that the handle comes with a slanted end which is absolutely perfect for scooping out product (in the case that you don't have a spatula or mixing knife).

Majestic 7 Piece comes with brush no. 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 & 24.

As for the event, the Royal & Langnickel staff and president were so nice and helpful in answering any questions I might have had.  Here are some photos for your viewing pleasure.

For more information on Royal & Langnickel, their brushes, brush sets and instructional how to videos please visit www.royalbrush.com.

A Secret Weapon for Skin Care

A Secret Weapon for Skin Care
by Laura DeAngelis, NASM CPT, AFAA Group Exercise Instructor 


No doubt you visit Yisell’s blog and website for great tips about how to keep your skin looking its best. Whether it’s a skin-smoothing body scrub for the shower, oil-free foundation for the face or night cream to keep those Crow’s feet at bay, many of us invest in products to maintain a healthy glow from head to toe. Well, guess what? There’s a secret weapon that can help these products do their jobs even better. It’s called exercise.

There are a several ways exercise can improve your skin’s appearance:  

1. Bye-Bye Toxins! Whether you break a sweat with a morning run, after-work interval training on the elliptical machine or a Zumba® class, sweating cleanses the body of toxins that can actually clog pores and cause breakouts.
2. Boost Your Blood Flow! One of the countless benefits of exercise is that it increases blood circulation throughout the entire body. That means better delivery of oxygen and nutrients to all your organs, and your skin happens to be the largest organ in the human body. Considering many of us purchase skin care products based on the beneficial nutrients they contain, exercise is a way to compliment those products from the inside out by pushing essential nutrients to the skin so your skin can radiate a  natural glow.
3. Get Rid of Stress! It’s no secret stress has a laundry list of negative effects and wreaking havoc on your skin is one of them. I can honestly say a good workout has always been able to right whatever ailed me whether it was a stressful day at work or a challenging time in my personal life. Stress can also lead to flare ups of certain skin conditions including psoriasis, so exercise can be one way to this aggravating factor in check.

One final note: It is crucial to keep your body fueled with the right foods if you want your workouts to produce maximum benefits, including healthier-looking skin. As a lifetime Weight Watchers member, I follow what I call the “everything-in-moderation lifestyle,” and my daily diet is filled with healthy options like fruits, veggies, whole grains and lean protein. Here’s a link to an article that lists some specific foods that have been linked to better looking skin.  

If you’re still looking for some motivation to incorporate fitness into your life, hopefully knowing you’ll be on your way to achieving that healthy glow from the inside-out will get you moving and start your journey to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!

Laura DeAngelis is an independent personal trainer in New York City who received her certification through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). She’s also a certified Group Exercise Instructor through the Aerobics & Fitness Association of America (AFAA) and a Licensed Zumba® Instructor. When she’s not training, Laura currently works as the Director of Production at West Glen Communications, Inc. where she also hosts “Health & Home Report.” For more of Laura’s health and fitness tips, check out her blog at LauraLovesFitness.com

How To Handle Peer Over Stepping

In a world where there are so many creative minds all in one room, many times your peers don't realize that they're crossing the line from suggestion to direction.  I'm always open to suggestion.  If you can improve on something, why not?  But when your peer is actually giving you direction and over stepping the boundaries, something needs to be said.

I had this happen a few months back where the stylist of a production I was working on was doing a lot of over stepping.  He felt that because he was friends with the director of the project, that he can tell me what to do.  He was pushy, loved to hover instead of doing what he was originally there to do and I even caught him "adjusting" makeup & hair! As many of you know me, I wasn't having it.  I took steps to make him aware that he was over stepping his boundaries.  Sometimes following these steps works and sometimes it doesn't.  Whether you want to deal with it or not is completely up to you.  Here's what I did:

• I spoke to the AD (Assistant Director) about how I felt.  She pulled him aside and expressed how I felt (that didn't work).
• I spoke to the 2nd AD (that didn't work either).
• I pulled him aside myself and expressed how I didn't appreciate his constant over stepping (that worked for all of 2 days).

In the end, the production and I didn't see eye to eye so it didn't work out, but I can't say that I never said my piece.  It works the same in photoshoots.  Be open to suggestion but the minute it feels like someone is over stepping, stand your ground.  If one runs you over, they all will and you've lost all control of the situation, and that's never good.  You don't have to be mean about it, but a simple "I appreciate your input and I'm very open to suggestions but I feel that you're trying to take over creatively...."  That may or may not work and it may or may not feel tense for a while but you have to express how you feel.  You were hired for a reason and that's to do makeup.  Because the client trusts that you can execute the job.  If they wanted wardrobe to do it, they would of hired them.

A Little Extra...
Did you know that in the real (union) world of TV/Film if anyone over steps their boundaries you can be fired on the spot?  Whether it's hair or makeup or props, you're there to do what you were hired for and in no way are you to over step or give any kind of suggestion (unless you're the director, producer etc).  A friend of mine who's in the union told me a story about a makeup artist who lint rolled the actor (that's wardrobe's job).  Although she meant well, she over stepped and was heavily reprimanded.  If you're makeup, you're makeup.  That's it!  You can't go around handing out bobby pins (that's hair) or giving out band aids (that's props).  Take care of what you were hired to do and everything will go smoothly.

New Work - Ferragamo Catalog

Salvatore Ferragamo Spring 2012 Collection

Always a pleasure to work with the Ferragamo team

Makeup & Hair by Yisell Santos (Me!)