My Beauty Blogs: From Eyes, Lips Face beauty blog: February 12, 2010

Covering a Tattoo

What a difference covering a tattoo has been, from the time 20 years ago I was asked to cover an actor’s tattoo for a scene in a film and slapped on a bunch of cream makeup and powder only because I didn’t know better, to being on-call all the time covering full tattoo sleeves, chests and backs on brides, actors and the like with makeup specifically designed to cover even the darkest and brightest tattoos.
 
Here’s a bunch of tips for covering your own tattoos, or playing makeup artist and helping a friend cover hers or for that matter his.
 
•  Clean the area with 70% alcohol. If needed, shave the area.
•   To cut the blue tattoo ink, add orange (the compliment or opposite of blue) either alone or added to white to lighten the area with stippling strokes using a makeup sponge.
•  Use a “full cover” cream foundation or those products made for tattoo cover like Kat Von D or Cover FX. Mix a few shades to find the prefect skin match and apply in a stippling manner with a sea sponge over the tattoo area blending into the skin.
•  Powder with a translucent (no color) loose powder by loading a puff and pressing the powder into the skin. Then brush the excess powder off with a large powder brush.

•  If you are into airbrush makeup, (fabulous!), you can use either a waterproof, theatrical or silicone based foundation airbrushed onto the tattoo in the same manner of color as the full coverage foundation. Airbrush will stay on longer and look more natural.
•  Add back in some freckles or add a few extra.
•  If needed add a little Evian mist to the area to give a natural look to the skin.
•  I like to use a little test to be sure the makeup doesn’t rub off on clothing either yours or someone else’s by lightly blotting the area with a tissue, sponge, or powder puff.
•  Have a “backup” kit available with foundation, powder, sponge and if needed setting spray. In regards though to setting spray. I’m not a fan. It dries sticky and too unnaturally shiny.
•  Take a picture both close up and further away and download it to your computer to check your work.
•  Make sure the covered tattoo cover-up doesn’t look too thick, shiny, or matte for the rest of the skin.

These application tips work best for me and lasts for hours, sometimes days. Give it a try and let me know how it turns out. 

January 12, 2010 http://www.eyeslipsface.com/

I love smoky eye makeup, but even us professionals have allowed misdirected dark eyeshadow to cascade down to the cheek and under-eye area. This can be a real bummer if you’ve already applied foundation and concealer. We are faced with all bad options to remove the specks of dark pigment and mascara globs ruining our makeup design. Well good news! Along comes a nifty solution by creator/owner Michelle Villanueva, called Shadow Shields. Hailed as The Best New Find of 2009, these light-weight disposable little half-moon pads attach under the eye with a peel off adhesive edge, and form a “tray” to catch falling makeup residue. I love being hands free to apply the shadow while, the adhesive backing stays put under the eye. Yet the adhesive backing is gentle enough to be good for sensitive skin around the eyes.  Shadow Shields are perfect for all makeup applications for the real woman struggling to hold a makeup brush and mirror in her hands, professional bridal makeup, airbrush, special event and prom makeup, plus lash tinting and extensions! Even quick touch ups are hassle free! Like I’ve always said, your makeup sponge is your friend and now so is Shadow Shields! Shadow Shields come in a box of 30 for $9.95 and can be purchased at several makeup sites and stores, including their own site where you can follow a video on its application at shadowshields.com

December 15, 2009 Holidaized!

Holidaized OK, I've done the research, checked out the clothing racks, combed makeup counters, and came up with yet another perfect black dress, dark hose, and 3" pumps. Now how to holidaze my makeup, impress my boyfriend, and feel great. Palettes! Love holiday palettes! there's a plethora of colors and textures to choose from. Shimmer, glimmer, frost, matte..each has its own magical story. soft light blues.. lots of bronze, gold, and matte dark shades for the eye crease. use included black pencils for liner and set it with dark shadows either in browns, blacks, deep blues and greens... whatever works for the color scheme of choice. bright eye.. sultry, smokey with an addition of extra mascara and fake lashes on the top. And when it comes to lashes, they are still spectacular with, colors, glitter, sequins, and feathers adorning your lids. And now there are easy applicators to apply your false lashes. They hold the entire lash and allow you to press right into your (already lined) lash line.
Your lips... red, baby red! in matte, satins, creams and glosses.. if you have a red skin undertone, use a berry red. Yellow undertone may look better with a bronze red or red in more the fire engine red tones. Hint: add a drop of powder to the lips. apply lipstick and blot.. then another cote. Speaking of reds, with my light skin and red undertone even with auburn hair a berry red looks best.... what's your favorite? my ELF beauty Blog for December 2009

Homemade Makeup and Skin Care? November, 2009

Thanksgiving. It’s the time for family and friends to get together for the day-long festivities of football games, laughing, and cooking. Can you stay fresh all day without your skin looking dull and your makeup fading from too many turkey-basting visits in the oven? First off, starting now, don't miss the nightly washing of your face. Not having a regimen will   bite you in the butt later with blackheads, dry skin and blemishes. Being the fabulous recessionista that you are, you can buy inexpensive but great quality cosmetics, or put together a few ingredients from your kitchen and make your own recipe for cleansing and makeup.. Homemade sugar scrubs work as well as oatmeal and honey to exfoliate dead skin cells. I just read a recipe for a cat litter body scrub.  We’ll leave that to another article. Or out completely.

Use foundation in thin layers instead of concealer to lighten the undereye area. Cucumber slices and steeped tea bags are good to reduce eye puffiness. Dual finish rice powders, and mineral powders don’t build up in tiny facial lines and will keep your skin looking good all day. Two coats of black waterproof mascara on the top and one on the bottom lashes will have great staying power. So will waterproof liner pencils. Use lighter shadows on the lid if you want to look vibrant and awake into the night. If you want a smoky eye, use a bronze shimmer shadow. Your lips will always stay fresh when you apply longwearing lipstick and gloss for color that stays on 8-12 hours.

What did our great, great, great, great grandmas do to stay fresh and pretty? Probably stained their lips and cheeks by rubbing on warmed cranberries. What’s your favorite cosmetic to take us into the holiday season looking fresh? ELF Cosmetics November 2009

At The Counter

At the opening day of Nordstrom in Cherry Creek, I didn't have the best of experience at the Clinique Counter. It was havoc when I walked into the cosmetics department at the grand opening of Nordstrom in the posh Cherry Creek area of Denver. Most of the cosmetic brands were offering incentive gifts with purchase and each hired on extra help. I first went to the Bare Essentuals counter and asked to sit down and try their face powder/foundation on just the left side of my face. I wanted to see the difference in how it would look as to my natural skin. The makeup artist was pleasant and gave me a decent size sample of the shade she chose for me. From there, I pushed my way to Laura Mercier Cosmetics counter and found another makeup artist to apply Mercier's mineral powder foundation to the right side of my face. She explained that it takes a few minutes for the powder to work itself into the skin and achieve the glow everyone is talking about. I never saw the glow, maybe they chose shades that were too light, but really I liked my natural skin with it's glow from excellent skin care and a drop of moisturizing foundation under the eyes. As I was walking through the very crowded department I was stopped by a sales women who I thought worked for Lip Fusion of which I wanted to try again and maybe get a sample. Instead she was a hire-on for Clinique. Now, I like Clinique, but what I learned is don't go to learn about a product line during a grand opening sale. The saleswoman was not educated in the product line, and needed to constantly call over a more experienced associate. Finally I asked the associate to assist me and show me the fall line. (which come to think of it, I never saw). The two saleswomen could not find the proper foundation shade for me. I asked them to test the foundation on my chin, but they must have learned the shade testing procedure for the cheek, and ruined my mineral powder makeup test. Several times I requested a sheer coverage foundation like one I had used before from the line and liked. They ignored me and pushed a much heavier foundation and skin care. I presume Clinique wants the sales associates to not stray from the sales routine. "Start with skin care and type the face" I finally had to tell them I was writing a review of the line. They became nicer, but I still never got to see the fall collection. I stopped them, thanked them, and left the store frustrated. I'll go again on a SLOW day after they are all established and the sales associates have more experience with their products. Darn ... never got to the sweater department! Back to home

About Davida

Helping women feel good about themselves is a creative force that runs through makeup artist Davida Simon. Simon has worked in film, television, and photography for over 20 years with such notables as Susan Lucci, Demi Moore and Brad Pitt, as well as CEOs’ and government officials.  Besides working as a makeup artist on television and commercial shoots, Davida’s busy life includes testing and reviewing cosmetics, beauty expert on ABC, CBS and Fox affiliates, educator and freelance beauty writer.  A special passion is helping women and teens undergoing chemotherapy, through American Cancer Society’s Look Good Feel Better program.

Davida was on the show Extreme Makeover and consultant to several of Denver’s News Channels. Davida created “The Makeup Room”, an educational studio and website for women seeking makeover consultations and helping budding makeup artists realize their professional goals.  “The Makeup Room website gives me the opportunity to provide information to busy young women that gives them more insight on developing their image.”

 

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