Permanent Makeup & Why It's Never a Good Idea

We’ve all seen a woman at some point in our life who has permanent eyebrows, eyeliner, lip liner, blush or even lipstick. Aside from wondering how excruciatingly painful that must have been to get done, we may have also thought for a split second how great it would be to wake up with makeup already on, right? Wrong. Permanent makeup is tattooed on, which means a few things, for those of you who don’t have tattoos, so I will point out the obvious for you. It’s a painful process with needles (plural) injecting ink at a rapid speed. Removing a tattoo is even more painful and consists of a needle to numb the area, lasers to burn it off and scabbed skin left to heal, possibly with a scar.

Tattoo ink pigments change color when exposed to the sun, and over time the colors change, fade and bleed (look smeared). Since your face will always see the sun, you can’t control that change process with sunscreen, and you will experience those side effects. So imagine this; the once brown or black eyebrows you had tattooed will eventually turn to orange and blue over time. The fine line eyeliner will also change color and transform into a thicker, smeared looking line due to ink bleeding. Lastly, the process of aging will change our face once gravity takes over and will make lips thinner, brows lower and eyes droopier. So if you tattoo your face with brows at 30 years old, you will have them too high on your forehead at 60. See my point?

Also the permanent makeup needs to be touched-up every few years because of those fading, bleeding and color changing issues, so it’s not a onetime deal. It’s also expensive and although it may look good once it’s done, it never looks good as time goes on. I have yet to meet a woman who doesn’t have obvious tattooed makeup or that looked good with it. I have however seen so many women before me getting their makeup done and regretting their decision and asking me to “cover up” the tattoos. Sometimes I can, but usually it’s only a temporary fix for something that they have to live with.

Although there are reputable companies out there that specialize in permanent makeup, you can’t see into the future of how you will look with it, so is it really worth saving you an extra 10 min every morning? Part of the fun of makeup is to try out new colors, trends and application techniques, but if you are already tattooed, you give yourself no options and are stuck with what you have. That’s one regret I wouldn’t want and I can't think of many who would.

Who Uses an Eyelash Curler?

Every womans hand should be raised! This tool, as barbaric as it looks, hasn’t stuck around since the late 1920’s for nothing. It really does what it promises; to make your eyes look refreshed, wider and brighter by curling the lashes up and creating the illusion of longer looking lashes.

First, know that you curl your lashes before applying mascara. Once you’ve curled them (always follow manufacturer instructions), apply mascara from root to tips wiggling the mascara wand as you go up and through. Apply a second coat before it dries to eliminate the chance of clumps. If you curl lashes after mascara, it only presses your lashes to stick together and clump.

There are a variety of curlers (metal, plastic and heated) ones out there, so buy what you are comfortable with and don’t be intimidated by the way it looks. It’s quick, effortless and the results will turn you into an instant fan.

The Best Beauty Accessory

Your smile. Never leave home without it.

The Importance of Eyebrows

A friend of mine forwarded me a comical email that showed pictures of women with eyebrows gone bad. Really, really bad. After I stopped laughing, I realized that a lot of women just don’t realize how important our eyebrows are. They are the “frame” around our face, so like any work of art; you need a subtle way to draw attention to the beautiful picture without distracting from it. The wrong “frame” can alter how you perceive the picture entirely so it’s important to find the right balance.

When attempting to shape your brows for the first time, leave it up to a professional because your features and face shape are a factor in what will look best for you. They can clean up, create an arch, trim and groom them to the point where you will be able to maintain them yourself…or go back once a month for a touch up. The most common mistakes women make when doing their own eyebrow grooming is over-tweezing by making them too thin or plucking too much between the brows so they don’t begin where they should (parallel to the inner-corner of the eyes). So, whether you tweeze, wax or thread them, be cautious of not over doing it.

If you do need to fix a mistake, there are brow powders and pencils you can use in the meantime to fill them in until they grow back, so put down your tweezers. Trends come and go with eyebrow shapes, so I suggest never following the trend and just do what looks best on you. Also avoid tweezing with a magnified mirror; it always makes you over pluck! Good luck and happy grooming.

For The Love of Makeup on a Budget

With so many cosmetic choices out there, and everyone on a budget, there is a resource for every woman to still look her best. Whether you are on a department store or drug store makeup budget, you can find fabulous products that won’t deplete your bank account.

My favorites from the drug store are a staple in my makeup case because they work great, look luxurious on and are affordable for the amount of makeup I go through. Although I mainly use airbrush cosmetics, I do incorporate traditional makeup as well that won’t take away from the airbrush effect when trying to create a desired look, and here are some of my favorites:

1. Maybelline mascara formulas in “Lash Stiletto”, “Lash Discovery” and “Full & Soft”, all in Very Black color.

2. Revlon eye shadows in rich purples, sage greens, grays and golden beige colors.

3. Prestige water-proof lip liners in Angora and Plummy colors. They look great on everyone and go well with many lipsticks (just blend evenly with a lip brush to avoid the obvious lip liner look).

4. Cover girl blush in peach tones. They look so beautiful on everyone, like naturally sun kissed cheeks.

5. L’Oreal eyeliners in dark purple or gray colors. These look fabulous smudged for a smokey look and don’t fade.

6. Foundation- well this is a tough one for me since I only use airbrush for that, BUT, I have to admit that mineral powder formulas are the best route to go for a more natural and even color that I’ve seen.

Compared with drug store and department store mineral brands, I couldn’t tell the difference when worn because both were pretty. Buying liquid foundation in a bottle has never been an exact science, so if that’s your choice, choose wisely and always match your skin tone to get the best coverage.

Don't Be Afraid of Makeup Artists

As women, we all have a horror story of getting our makeup done at the mall and hating it. But luckily those days of clownish hooker makeup are long gone because cosmetic companies today spend thousands of dollars in training their sales people to be makeup artists as well. The best way to ensure you get a great mall makeover is find someone who works there, whose makeup you like, and ask them to do your makeup. Be prepared to pay a small fee or purchase some products though when they’re done, because even a “free” makeover is meant to make a sale.

When it’s within your budget to hire a professional makeup artist (who is not in makeup sales), do not choose them on price alone. Pick an artist whose makeup style you like, one who has quality and quantity of photos that showcase their talent, one who is professional and seems to display a strong work ethic based on their experience. Don’t be embarrassed to ask for referrals of past clients or ask questions to see if they are the right makeup artist for you and your event. We are not only here to do your makeup, but to gain your trust as a potential client so you will refer us to others and come back to us again and again.

How to Take Your Makeup from Work to Play

You may be dressed for business, but your makeup can speak another language once you leave the office. All you will need are 5 things, in 3 easy steps, to transform your day look into a night on the town. If you always keep these in your makeup bag, you will be ready at a moment’s notice to touch-up and go meet the girls for a cocktail, or your honey for dinner.

1. A gray or dark purple eyeliner (looks great on everyone)

2. 2 Q-tips (to smudge liner on top and clean up on bottom)

3. Lip liner in a shade darker than your natural bare lip color

4. Lip gloss

5. Blotting sheets (oil absorbing papers)

STEP 1: Line your upper lids with eyeliner and use a Q-tip to smudge and soften the line for a sultry smokey look. Clean up any transfer or mascara flakes on the bottom with 2nd Q-Tip.

STEP 2: Line and fill in your lips with the lip pencil and apply gloss liberally.

STEP 3: Use the blotting sheets to absorb any oil you accumulated throughout the day.