Tuesday Tip!

My favorite season is here.....FALL!!!! Oh, can't you smell the warm apple cider and pumpkin pie?  Cozy up in your favorite pajamas and hideous wool socks (you know you own a pair) and check out the fall beauty trends this year!

1. Bold Lips and Pale Skin
For all of us that didn't hit the beach for a tan!  Reward your pale self and try this trend out soon!






2. Strong Brows
These seem to always be in style these days, especially paired with a red lip.







3. Nude Face
Just put your whole make up bag away because everyone's favorite is back... the "no make up" makeup.







4. Winged Eyeliner
Check out last week's video for tips!

Tuesday......Video?

Les Temps Nouveaux expands to YouTube!
I had been toying with the idea of making a few videos because some techniques are hard to explain.  There are some great videos on YouTube, but I honestly can't stand listening to those people talk!  So, all my videos will be music only.  I had picked out two lovely songs to use and then YouTube squashed my dreams with their strict copyright laws.  I had to opt for the generic iMovie songs.  The video is actually the last half of a full length video I had made, but it was way to long.  So, I chopped it in half to make one video about applying your foundation and the second about winged eyeliner.  If you did not feel fulfilled with my post about winged eyeliner, check out the Tuesday tip VIDEO this week!  If people like the videos, I may make more so put in your requests now!  Disclaimer: My awful hair is due to no power and no hot water.

Business Cards Are In!

My friend, Rebecca, recently informed me about a great deal on business cards from Minted.  I paid $11.95 for 50 business cards, which I thought was a steal!  They are very nice quality and had a better selection of designs than VistaPrint.  I compared it to being the Vera Bradley of business cards because all the designs were very bright and modern.  My only regret is not putting my title (makeup artist) somewhere on there because that would have helped me get a MAC Pro card for MAC Cosmetics (gives you crazy discounts on their makeup and special products not available to the general public).

They just arrived today!  Check them out below!

Adorable box they came in!

So nice and neat!  25 cards fit in the box.

Tuesday Tip!

Following the trend of last week's post, I wanted to make women aware of the types of foundation that are available.  I just did makeup for an outdoor wedding and the main focus of the makeup was light enough to sweat through!  I know I did some tips about makeup on the beach, but what about a formal event?  You want to be able to sweat without feeling like your makeup is running off your face.

Tinted Moisturizer: Congratulations if you have a wonderful skin complexion!  You can get away with using tinted moisturizer as a base with a sheer mineral powder to finish the face.  I use tinted moisturizer as my everyday mixed with some concealer on my red areas and under my eyes.

Cream Liquid: This is my go-to foundation.  I mix it with a tinted moisturizer, which seems to give me enough coverage for a more formal occasion and be sweat-through proof.  My current regimen is a small pea-size of Pixi Tint and Conceal (no longer sold in this version, but now this version) and one pump of Chanel Pro Lumiere foundation.  I cover with Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil.

Cream Base: Very heavy.  This is usually only used for television or theater makeup, but may be useful to cover tattoos or dark birthmarks.

Spray Foundation: There are mixed feelings with makeup artists on this product.  It sounds easy to apply but isn't.  I would use it for body makeup more than facial makeup.  It tends to look dry.

Airbrush Foundation:  There is so much hype on airbrushing these days and many brides jump to airbrush makeup because even the word airbrush sounds tempting.  I love the outcome of airbrush makeup, but I think the same look can be achieved with the right foundation brush at half the cost.

Mousse Foundation: This foundation is relatively light and could probably be used during the summer too.  Most are silicone based, so I am not sure how they would do mixed with sweat.

The main tip for outdoor makeup is not too much powder.  If you are sweating, blot your face with a handkerchief or paper towel (toilet paper or tissue will leave pieces behind so beware!).  Don't add more makeup on top of sweat because it will cake.  Choose an oil-free foundation or something mixed with moisturizer so your skin can breathe!

Tuesday Tip!

Recently, I was asked about moisturizers.  Many women with oily skin, or women moisturizing in the middle of summer, find their skin feeling greasy most of the time.  There are several ways to avoid the greasy effect when moisturizing.

#1-If you have oily skin: Do you have problems with shine in the middle of the day?  You probably have oily skin.  Skip the moisturizer and use a primer!  Or if you are stubborn like me and feel the need to use a heavy moisturizer with sunscreen, use blotting pads in the middle of the day to dab off excess oil.

#2-If you have dry skin, but find your moisturizer leaves an oily sheen:  Use an oil-free moisturizer!  A great buy is Mac Oil Control Lotion.  This moisturizer is oil-free and dries to a matte finish leaving your skin fresh for makeup application or bare for a natural look.

#3 My skin feels oily any time of the year: Exfoliate!  If your skin is always feeling greasy, you may not be cleaning your skin well enough.  Use a good facial cleanser and exfoliate regularly (at least once a week).

Tuesday Tip!

What the Brush?!?

Ever been perusing the make up brush aisle and said "That brush looks great, but what the heck would I do with it?"  Here is a guide to the brushes that may look a bit odd at first.

Precision Sponge- Ok, technically not a brush.  The sponge is great for applying liquid foundation, cream blush, or concealer.  It gives an even application and reduces streaking sometimes left behind by foundation brushes.



Kabuki Brush- Is this for traveling?  It could be!  These brushes gained more awareness when Bare Minerals commercials used them to apply their products.  They are great for picking up loose powder and buffing it into the skin for an even, smooth application.




Fan Brush- This odd little thing is not for make up application at all!  It's actually used more like a broom for your face.  It helps "fan" away fall out (the eyeshadow that ends up on your cheek and not on your eyelid) from underneath the eyes.  I just use my big powder brush for this and it works just fine.




Angled Brush- Mine's broken!  Oh wait, it's is supposed to be like that!  This angled brush is the same eyeliner brush you've been using to apply your liquid eyeliner, but it is angled for easier application.

The Big Gig

After Jessica graciously allowed me to do her make up for her engagement photos, she hired me for her wedding!  I was totally thrilled to get a big event like this even if I was still not charging for my services.  Due to my perfectionism, I do not want to charge until I am confident in my abilities.  Jessica offered my services to her bridal party and, to my surprise, six people jumped on the bandwagon!  Oh, I really had myself up a creek at that point.  No turning back now!  Jessica came over to my house with one of her bridesmaids a week before the wedding for her consult.  I was much more relaxed this time around, which was probably better for everyone.  The consult went rather smoothly and I did get through two different looks on each eye this time!  We decided on an overall look and everyone was so excited!  The lip color I had picked for her was a perfect fit!  Maybe practice does make perfect. 

The night before the wedding I was probably as giddy as the bride.  I was pacing and knew I was rambling up a storm to Carrie (who did very well at not strangling me at any point during my manic phases).  Several thoughts were going through my head at this point.  Maybe I took on too many people?  Seven women was a lot for my first wedding!  What if I am slower than I planned for and run out of time?  Can I create six different looks with no preparation ahead of time?  I nabbed Carrie while she was relaxing on the couch and tried out a couple techniques that are still shaky.  They were all making her look slightly gothic and were not boosting my confidence in the least.  I went to bed hoping for the best.

I arrived at The Terrell House a couple minutes late; went in and set up my space.  They had a great small bedroom with a table and chair that was right next to the window.  I had been hoping for natural light because make up is always easiest to apply in natural light.  I met a few people and everyone was busy getting ready and going off to hair appointments, which I was glad about cause I didn't want to be the center of everyone's focus.  Ready (no), Set (wait!), GO!

Mother of the Bride: I have had the least practice with mature skin, so this was a challenge to start off with MOB, but in this scenario, you have to be able to roll with anything.  She was so kind and my nerves were not showing up in my voice.  She wasn't a big make up wearer, so I decided to take a lighter approach.  As I did her make up I tried to remember all my mature skin tips (not too much product, really really blend well, no harsh eyeliner, not too glossy on the lips).  The hardest part was mixing a custom lip color, but I think this is my knack because I mixed customs for almost every girl that day.

Aunt of the Bride: I have not had much experience doing makeup on women with blonde hair, so this was a challenge.  For some reason, my go to color combos don't work on blondes, but I think we achieved a great look!  She was specific in her needs, which helped me because requests are always easier to me than people saying "whatever you want".  She complimented my blog and I was so thankful!  Most times, it seems like I am talking to myself so whenever people say they enjoy certain posts I think I've done my job.

Bridesmaid #1: We did a little chatting about what kind of make up she wears everyday, which is helpful because I know how much or little I can do.  She had a request for a certain look and I was relieved because it wasn't overly complicated.  For some reason I had imagined people requesting ridiculous looks the night before (Amy Winehouse anyone?).  She had brought her own false eyelashes so I gave them a quick trim and we were done!  She looked really good!  Even I was impressed with myself.  Whew!

Bridesmaid #2 Dang! Another blonde.  Ok, moving on.  Things were definitely getting smoother and I didn't look or feel as nervous as the beginning of this session.  Pulling out a different look for each girl/woman wasn't as hard as I had imagined.  All went well!

Bridesmaid #3 I had been eyeing her beautiful red hair since the engagement party and already knew I wanted to do bright red lips.  Thankfully, she agreed to it!  She said she had only done red lips once and it wasn't full on RED.  Looking back, for as long as I had wanted to do red lips on her I didn't come with the supplies I should have ( lip liner, appropriate red for her shade).  If I had done better with the preparation, they would have lasted all night...alas...we got most of the night out of them so I was ok with it.  I custom mixed a red for her from my lipstick palette and I was super impressed.  She seemed to really like it too!  Score!

Bridesmaid #4 I knew this bridesmaid the best, so I was probably the most nervous.  What if she doesn't like it?  We know each other personally so I didn't know how she would feel about me being so into her personal space also.  People don't realize how vulnerable you have to be to have someone do your makeup.  Not only do they see you without any makeup on, but they are all up in your personal space.  She was very happy and very pleasant with which to work!  I was running behind so she ended up doing her mascara on her own, but came back to get a lip color picked out, which I took as a big compliment! (meaning she must have liked the rest of it and trusted me enough to not screw up the lip color)

Ok, need to admit something at this point in the day.  During Bridesmaid #4, I was starting to get VERY dizzy.  I had eaten some lunch and been drinking water, but maybe all the standing?  It was major dizziness mixed with a little nausea.  I am sure that no one there noticed anything, but I felt like crap....and who is left but the most important person THE BRIDE!!!  Somehow, I was able to push it to the back of my mind for the finale.

The Bride: Jess and I had a consult prior to this day, so I had my guide sheet ready to use.  The mistakes I had made or steps I had forgotten during the engagement session were fixed and I was ready!  As I went through putting on her makeup, I really felt great about the way it was turning out.  The bridesmaids would come in and ohh and ahhh every now and again and it was a lot of fun!  The photographer showed up and snapped a couple action shots.  I was really feeling like a professional!  I had really encouraged Jess to use the lip color that we did and I am so glad because she looked amazing!  We also used fake eyelashes and that was a good choice because her eyes stood out just the right amount.

After I packed up my stuff and got into my car, I felt awesome mentally and horrible physically.  I stopped on the way home to pick up a gatorade and laid on the couch until the wedding.  I guess five+ hours of standing on your feet and concentrating on fine details would make anyone feel like crap.  But, I did it and I was happy with my work and everyone was happy with their makeup.  Success!!

Check out the great pictures below!  Thanks to Maile for her great photography and Jess for letting me be a part of her wedding!