Beauty for Brown People

My new Nail Polish Blog

2009-11-14T12:38:00.001-05:00

Not only do I love all things makeup, but I've had a love affair with nail polish since before I was too young for my mom to let me wear makeup. This blog will include color swatches, reviews and other random musings on nail polish. If you love polish like me, come on through! www.lacquerholic.wordpress.com

Back with a Quick Review L'Oreal Paris Telescopic Explosion Mascara

2009-11-13T18:52:00.003-05:00

You have no idea how excited I was about L'Oreal Paris' Telescopic Explosion mascara. As a Makeup artist and product junkie I love buying products and when Givenchy's Phenemoneyes came out, I wanted it so much, but spending $28 on a mascara you're supposed to throw out in three months to avoid bacteria... well, I just can't justify it in my mind.

Armed with my $5 rewards cupon from NYC staple Duane Reade, I headed there to get the new mascara, happy I was going to save more than half the price! I couldn't wait until the next morning to try it. Luckily, I remembered that Makeup Alley has great reviews so I read the reviews before I tried it. According to the reviews there's a trick in the application. You've got to hold the wand vertically, and you've got to wipe the wand before you start. You pretty much have to coat each lash individually. Then go over it a second time. The effect...once I was finally done 20 minutes later was nice, but I've gotten better results with other mascaras. I probably won't buy this again. I wonder the Givenchy Original version is any better...

Product Review: RapidLash Eyelash Renewal Serum

2009-07-22T19:01:00.005-05:00

Hi all, or whoever still checks my blog to see if I've updated it. I wanted to start my blog revival by reviewing a controversial product, RapidLash Eyelash Renewal Serum.

I bought it for about $50 bucks at Drugstore.com after reading an Article in Allure regarding the new prescription brand of eyelash growth treatment Latisse and it's fellow competitors. Since Lastisse is priced at $125 bucks and I don't really have gainful employment at the moment, I decided to invest for the cheaper RapidLash.

I used it nightly as the package described by applying it like liquid eyeliner to my lash line. I did feel some minor irritation in the form of itchiness where I applied the product. After about 4 weeks I did notice a difference. My lashes are longer. They aren't much thicker, but when using mascara the effect is definitely noticeable. My lashes, particularly on my left eye are curlier too. Also for once in my life I noticed my lashes hitting my sunglasses!

Now if I had read this warning about RapidLash I may not have ever tried the product. I am happy to report that as of today I can see as well as I always have and my eye color hasn't changed. I haven't decided if I'm going to continue using this given the warnings. I'm a makeup artist, my eyes are very important to me. Why can't there be a product that actually works without consequences?

My Website is up!

2008-10-22T22:57:00.001-05:00

Thank you. That is all!

Random Makeup Musings

2008-10-19T18:16:00.002-05:00

Since becoming a full time freelance makeup artist, I've quickly learned that it's a feast or famine job. Right now, it's famine time. I got a jury duty notification that set me back two weeks of work. I have yet to recover from that. I went out hustling, selling myself the other day and people were responsive but responsiveness doesn't turn into cold hard cash. Every opportunity that does come up, seems to interfere with my schedule, not to mention I made an error in my resume that could explain why my phone hasn't been ringing. Because my damn phone number was incorrect! What a stupid, rookie mistake. I'm old enough to know better and I didn't. It's taking me a while to get over that too.

So as of late I've been test shooting, printing new pictures for my book, GETTING MY VERY OWN WEBSITE TOGETHER! and contemplating selecting pictures for my comp cards. Then will come the full on assault and any and every agency in New York City. Wish me luck!

My website is coming!!!

2008-10-19T18:11:00.002-05:00

I finally took the plunge and registered my own URL. I'll make another announcement when it's ready but let it be known that www.makeupbyaina.com is coming soon to a computer near you!

In the meantime you can click on my portfolio on Dripbook and take a look at some new pics I've added. Enjoy!

Mineral Makeup, Part 3

2008-08-25T21:11:00.003-05:00

Alas, my long overdue part three of my experiences with Mineral makeup.

After getting a chance to play with them at a private event at the Bare Escentuals boutique I decided to give mineral makeup a try on my own face. I bought the "dark" kit which includes two shades of the mineral powder foundation, a mineral veil, "warmth" and "clear radiance" the highlight & shadow products.

Yes, I'm a makeup artist, but in my everyday life, I don't wear much makeup, unless I'm up for a makeup job, or going someplace special. At most, I'll wear mascara, eyeliner and lipstick or gloss and that's it. I certainly don't wear foundation every day, but I wanted to take the new makeup for a real life test drive so I wore it for a few consecutive days.

The first time I tried it, I used the light to medium coverage brush. It took longer than I thought. By the time I "swirled, tapped and buffed" the fourth step, the clear radiance onto my face, I knew that I wasn't going to do this every day, even if I was the type who wore foundation every day. Despite the lengthy application process, the final product looked nice. I thought the makeup gave natural but even coverage and my face looked nice, but not overly made up.

A I suspected, I got tired of the four step process, not to mention mascara, blush and lip stuff I needed to compliment the look since you can't really wear just foundation without doing a full face of makeup. Also, I noticed that my face started itching. It didn't turn in to a full blown reaction, and I'm not sure if it was the powder itself, the summer heat (so not fun to wear a full face of makeup in the heat of the NYC subway system) or the semi harshness of the brushes you have to use to apply the product.

So my final verdict is mineral makeup is a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there!

Sharon Gault Workshop

2008-08-11T20:10:00.014-05:00

Last month I attended a workshop through my Makeup Artists Meetup Group hosted by the awesome Makeup Forever NYC store and presented by the awe inspiring Sharon Gault.

Before I even get into the details of the workshop, I'm taking a moment to freak out about how amazing the Makeup Forever store is. I absolutely loved being there surrounded by all the beautiful colors, the open space. They have such great products, it was difficult not to lose my mind and shop my ass off.

As soon as I walked in, Sharon came right up to me and introduced herself. Moments later, she was asking me to be her model for one of the three demos she planned on doing; apparently her model wasn't going to show. I happily accepted, I mean, come on! to have Sharon Gault do my makeup! Dude!

On top of that, there was a camera crew there! Sharon is shopping a potential reality show and they were filming the workshop...and OMG I got to be in it since I was one of the models. Lord knows it it will ever appear on a TV set near you, but it was still exciting to be involved!

Sharon's first demo was a look she created doing the makeup for Keri Hilson's video "energy". The look was pretty natural, but the concept of the video was a sort of "Million Dollar Baby" look so the skin needed to glow. The most important thing I learned was that every part of the body shown on camera is the MUA's responsibility. During her demo, Sharon like audience particicaption, so one of my collegues got up and helped put MUFE face & body foundation on the model's legs.

I was next! This fun demo came from the Solange video for "I Decided". We now interrupt this regularly schedlule blog post to gush about how freakin' inspiring Solange's look is. She is really working hard to stand out from the other female solo artists out now and I have to say, it's turned my opinion of her as an artist completely around. Whoever was involved in creating her look and sound needs recognition ASAP!

And now back to our regularly scheduled blog: This look was all about the lashes, and I'm sure you're familiar with MUFE's amazing selection of eyelashes! I had about 8 lashes on my face. She even had one of the participants come up and do a little something something to one of my eyes and it looked fierce!

The cherry on my sundae was the fact that I got to keep ALL the lashes they used on me! Yippie!

After several shopping breaks (more on that later) we were given a third demo. Sharon did the makeup for the poster for the upcoming film Red Sonja staring Rose McGowan (I know, right!!!). this was super drama, and gorgeous! Keeping the whole face simple, she used black eyeshadow in the crease and winged it out. It looked awesome!

Okay, now the shopping breakdown. All of us were able to enroll in the MUFE discount program (yeah, baby!) and we took full advantage of the discount! I got a few shades of their HD foundation, which has quickly become my most favorite foundation ever. I've only used it a few times on a few test shoots, but it just goes on so nicely and looks so damn good, I don't think I'll be buying much else in terms of foundations for a while. I also picked up the HD powder which is so fantastic all my other supposedly translucent powders are collecting dust in my kit.

Above all else, above the demos and the makeup and the lashes, it was just inspiring to be around her and to hear her encouraging words to all of us. The timing of this workshop couldn't have been more perfect for me. Just weeks ago I left the corporate world to pursue makeup full time, and when I'm down, doubtful or just plain scared, I remember workshops like Sharon's and am filled with hope, confidence and that fire in my belly to continue to persist and I know I'll make it! It was an amazing opportunity to share with her and with all the participants and my colleagues and friends.

(MUFE makeup images courtesy of Make up forever)

I know I know

2008-08-10T19:19:00.002-05:00

it's been way too long since I've updated this blog. I have so many experiences to share with you, but before I get into all that here's a brief update on me:

My full time job finally set me free last month and I've taken the plunge into being a full time freelance makeup artist! So far it's been great! My first week out the gate, I got a call to assist on a foreign film. This was my first experience doing makeup for a film and while the schedule was killer, it was lots of fun. I can't wait to do it again.!

I've also been working with the amazing Anne DeMarco and she's asked me to be on her team for fashion week! It's only for one day, and it's not even paid, but I'm overcome with excitement!

I still have so much work to do on my portfolio. More connections to make, so much more work to be done, and I'll be updating you every step of the way now that I have the time to update this baby!

Just A Girl Photo Shoot

2008-03-17T12:45:00.006-05:00

A few weeks ago, I did a photo shoot for the new R & B Group called Just A Girl (AKA: JAG). Last week I finally got the pictures. I love them. The Record Company Loved them, and I could not be happier! The photographer is Roberto Chamorro.
I did Makeup on the young lady on the right, Charlie.

Mineral Makeup, Part 2

2008-02-25T11:45:00.012-05:00

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending a meeting with the Makeup Artists Meetup Group. This was my first meeting with them and it just so happened to be at the Bare Escentuals Boutique in Manhattan! I didn't even know Bare Escentuals had a store in the city. I'd always walked right past the BE section at Sephora because I just didn't know enough about mineral makeup.

The first thing we did was watch a demo of the basic foundation application on a model who was one of the attendees. The Makeup artist started by doing a quick color match on the model's skin. She was a brown skinned girl, which I was glad to see because it's still difficult in 2008(!) to find good foundation that matches darker skin tones. Someone asked if they were going to address their limited shade selection, and happily, they are! They are coming out with three more shades to address darker skin!

First was a quick prep with some moisturizing spray and a light moisturizer. You can obviously skip this step if you've already cleansed and moisturized.

Next came the color foundation. There are two types of brushes that come with the starter kit, the light to medium coverage brush and the full coverage kabuki brush. The model wanted full coverage so the MUA used the kabuki brush. First she placed the mineral powder in the cap of the jar. Then she demonstrated the famous swirl, tap, buff technique. You shouldn't be able to see any foundation left in the cap. Then you tap the excess and cover a small area at a time. There are two types of brushes you can use. One for light to medium coverage and one for full coverage.

After the color foundation, came the "Mineral Veil". I'm still not 100% clear on what this product does or why you need it, but here's my best explanation: It enhances the foundation. I think it's supposed to add a "glow" to the skin, and give the skin a more refined finish. I know... very vague, but like I said, I still don't fully understand this product. I think it made the skin look a little more "made up" like you could totally tell she had foundation on, you know?

Next came "Warmth" This product looks very red/bronze and you use it in select spots to bring the features back out that you've just flattened with the foundation. The MUA applied Warmth on the cheeks, around the forehead around the sides of the chin, much like contouring.

Finally, came "Clear Radiance". This is the highlighting product, you use on the tops of the cheeks, the chin, down the nose and the forehead.

When she was done, the model looked great. Honestly, she could have put on some mascara, and lip gloss and been done with it. The MUA used the full coverage kabuki brush and it definitely gave full coverage. If you don't like to look like you have a bunch of stuff on your face I suggest you use the light to medium coverage brush which gives a more natural look.

After viewing the basic demo, my attention turned to the eye shadows. These are also minerals in loose powder form in tons of colors! They all have a slight shimmer to them, but that shouldn't scare women with maturing skin into not using them. What I loved about these shadows was their versatility. Again, you only need a tiny bit of product to use on the eyes. The colors are very blend-able and can create subtle or more dramatic looks.

My absolute favorite product is the eye liner sealer. You can take any shadow, add the liner sealer and use it as liquid liner. Let me tell you, that liquid eyeliner does not come off. It just doesn't. Not until you want it to. One of the MUAs demoed a basic smoky eye, then did some really cool face painting.

There are just a few simple general rules to follow when using mineral makeup...

You must use their brushes to apply the foundation and the concealer - This was one of the first questions I asked the MUA during the demo. The reason being that other brushes aren't built for all that buffing that is needed to apply the makeup. The bristles will eventually fall apart...on your face. I plan on testing that theory, but since the brushes come with the starter kit, it's not like you have to shell out extra cash for the brushes.

You only need a tiny bit of each product - They aren't kidding. It's nice to know that even though the starter kit is a bit pricey, it will last you for a very long time because you need so little of the product.

It's all in the application - by working the product in one area of the face at a time it really makes a difference in the way it looks. Once you get the technique down (and they provide an instructional DVD so you can learn the proper technique) you're good to go!

After seeing, hearing and playing with the product, I broke down and bought a starter kit for myself. Check back soon for Mineral Makeup part 3 where I share my personal experience with the products!

My latest Show!

2008-02-05T17:30:00.000-05:00

I recently helped design the makeup for the off Broadway play Oroonoko along with my mentors J. Jared Janas & Rob Greene. It's a fantastic play set in the 1600's in Africa. It the story of a would be king who through a series of events gets sold into slavery. It's also probably the most depressing play ever but extremely compelling and very well acted by the cast.

I learned so much working on this show including some great special effects like putting whip scars on the backs of one of the slaves. I learned how to work with 3rd Degree, which is a SFX material that is used to make all kinds of gross looking scars, burns, etc. I was thrilled about that because I have been itching to learn some SFX and now I can say I've at least had some experience. More pictures to come!

The sweetest thing is seeing my name in the Playbill. That is truly a thrill. I'm so happy to be doing what I love, even if I'm not Pat McGrath yet. I'm on my way!

Online Portfolio

2008-02-05T17:20:00.000-05:00

Hey All!

Check out my bootleg version of an online portfolio. This will have to do until I secure a domain and build my professional website. Comments and constructive feedback is welcome. If you don't think the picture could be in Vogue, It won't go in my port! Enjoy!

Mineral Makeup, Part 1

2008-02-05T17:14:00.000-05:00

Every time I tell someone I'm a makeup artist, the question I get most frequently is, "What do you think of that mineral makeup stuff"? Then I have to reply, "I've never tried it". Finally I've decided to go get some and try it out. Step 1: go to Sephora and pick up some Bare Minerals or whatever. I'll keep you updated on my progress!

Okay, I'm back!

2008-01-10T09:49:00.000-05:00

And I'll be giving you mo' beauty, mo' tips, mo' product faves, and more updates on my life as a makeup artist just starting out. I promise!!!

It's been way too long!

2007-11-24T17:01:00.000-05:00

I'm so sorry It's taken me so long to update this blog. Since I finished beauty school I've been non stop hustling! So far I've done a few test shoots, I did makeup for The Ohio State Murders and the launch event for Beauty.com. Dude, I'm a makeup artist!

Check out some of my work on Model Mayhem.com. The link is posted above. And I promise to update this more often from now on!

Beauty School Wrap Up

2007-09-24T20:11:00.000-05:00

I've spent the last nine weeks at beauty school learning all about fashion and glamor makeup. I have loved just about every minute of it, even those days when I felt like I should have never picked up the foundation brush. I'll try to give as much detail and share as much knowledge with you as I can. But I won't give away all my secrets - I still need to make a living at this eventually!

As a woman in my 30's I was afraid I'd be surrounded by a bunch of girls just out of high school, thus making me feel old as hell. Luckily there was a nice mix of girls in their 20's and women in their late 30's early 40's I was kind of in the middle in my almost mid 30's. We were all so nervous, and quiet. Luckily, there's nothing like celebrity gossip to bring people together. That and our makeup teacher Frederick Sanders. He is a fantastic teacher and has really become a mentor to me and all the women in my class. He's also an awesome makeup artist!

On the first day of class, he said to us "show me what you got". We did our own faces in our own style to show him what we could do. He wanted to get a sense of our skills and our aesthetic. I'm sure we all thought we rocked it and walked out of class all cocky. Then the real work began.

It is a well known expression that you have to crawl before you walk. Most of the girls in class wanted to use crazy colors and really let lose and be creative. But you've got to learn the basics first. This began with Documentary makeup.

This is best described as they way you wish you looked when you woke up in the morning. It's a no makeup look. the crazy thing is, it takes a lot of makeup to look like you're not wearing any! Here's a pic of one of my first assignments.

One of the things I struggled with the most was eyebrows. Before school I never did anything with my eyebrows, and certainly didn't know what to do with other people's eyebrows. It took a while for me to understand how to shape and fill in and blend them.

As we moved on in the class we learned what's called Stage 1 makeup. Think a housewife on a TV sitcom. Not a glamor look by any means, but probably more made up than the average person. Still natural, but with a little something extra. Here's a pic of Stage 1

Eyebrows looking better, yes? I think so!

Then we did Stage 2 which is a red carpet look. We still weren't using much color as our makeup kits only had neutrals. The wildest color we had was black. We started gradually using color. Okay, here's a tip: Just because it's blush doesn't mean you only use it on your cheeks! Color is color and you can use almost any product anywhere on the face! It was really fun to experiment!

Finally we started using colors. Our kits only came with the basics. Frederick took us on a field trip and we found the most amazing bargains on makeup. What I loved more than anything was experimenting with color and buying colors I would have never ever bought before. I never thought Pink eyeshadow would look good on me, but check me out!

One of my favorite moments was learning how to properly do an open and closed smoky eye. Here's my version of a closed smoky eye using black and pink eye shadows.

Eventually we had to do our fantasy looks. This was particularly difficult for me, as I am not a particularly experimental makeup artist. We had to get inspired by something and then interpret it. My inspiration was Star Trek of the 1970's. Particularly Lieutenant Uhura. I love her look! So glamorous with her black winged eyeliner, frosty lipstick and big hair. But then I thought that was too simplistic. so I started thinking Klingon. I will not show a pic. I absolutely hated what I did and never took a picture. Everyone else did an amazing job. I just wasn't proud of what I did and it was probably one of my lowest points in the class.

For our final exam there were three parts. One was we had to interpret a look that was "J-Lo meets Lucille Ball" on our own faces. WTF? I unfortunately don't have any pictures of my creation, because I got a near perfect score! The second part was the written exam. Finally we had to work with a model (one we weren't used to) and re-create a look from a face chart. I loved my look and so did my teacher!
The two lines extending from the inner corners of her eyes were part of the look. I thought they looked weird, but ... My model said her eyebrows were the best they've ever looked. I was really proud of that!

Guys! I'm a makeup Artist!!!!

Love the new Nail Polish Trend...

2007-09-03T08:18:00.000-05:00

Which is Navy Blue Nails. I don't know where I was but I completely missed the whole Black Nail Polish Trend. I'd never even heard of Chanel Black Satin until a few days ago while flipping through Australian Vogue at a newsstand.

I've always loved dark polish and when Chanel's legitimized dark nails with Vamp in the 90's I was all over that!

My favorite color is Russian Navy by OPI. After picking it up on my lunch break, my co workers all loved the color and wanted it too. I'd taken a picture to show you guys, but my digital camera is uncooperative at the moment.

I'll be doing a beauty school update really soon. Suffice it to say that I am ready to be a makeup artist and can't wait to get started.

Drive-by Entry

2007-08-15T15:41:00.000-05:00

I wish I had more time to dish, but my schedule is crazy. I'm on the go from 6 AM to 11 PM. Plus I've had to work the past two weekends and will have to again this weekend.

I will say this: I love my makeup class. I'm learning so much and the way I do makeup has changed so dramatically. I have so much to tell you about and I can't wait to share pictures of my work and great tips I've learned. I just have no time to share. I promise I will as soon as my schedule calms down.

Yes, You Should Wear Sunscreen!

2007-07-09T22:43:00.000-05:00

I know you don't wanna. You're saying to me right now, "but I'm brown. I've been blessed with melanin. I already look several years younger than my age, and my granmama ain't never had no real wrinkles like that!"

Au Contraire, mis amis (if that's not spelled right, I only took one semester of French and got a C). black people get skin cancer too. Plus just because I don't have wrinkles now, doesn't mean I'll never get 'em!

I consider myself a connoisseur of sunscreens. Most of them ain't worth a damn. They leave your skin feeling greasy, or looking chalky, or they just have a funny smell. Below are my picks for the best and worst sunscreens for face & body for darker skins:

No Ad SPF 30 - $6.39 - $9.49, drugstore.com. I Love this stuff. It's not heavy or greasy, it makes you smell like the beach, and your skin actually feels moisturized and not just sun-protected! My favorite thing about this product is the size of the bottle. Most sunscreen products only give you 4 ounces. The magazines tell us we need to put on 1 ounce over your entire body. If that's true and you use sunscreen over your whole body consistently, then you're constantly buying tiny ass tubes of sunscreen. At least No Ad will last you for a long time!

Sage Advice Skin Care, SPF 25 $16.00, www.zerozits.com - This is my holy grail sunscreen. Their SPF 25 is the best sunscreen I've ever used on my face. You can wear it under any moisturizer and it works with all the foundations I've ever used in conjunction with it. No ash, no chalk and it's water proof. It may be more than you want to spend on a sunblock, but that 4 ounce bottle will last you through several months even if you use it every day.

And now the worst...

Neutrogena Fresh Cooling Body Mist Sunblock, SPF 30, $8.99, drugstore.com - I had high hopes for this product. First of all you need a mask over your face before you spray it because the fumes are more powerful than spray paint. Even if you do get past that part, the oily texture it leaves on your skin is not suitable for every day use. Maybe it's better suited for the beach where there is a breeze and you're not concerned with your clothes getting greasy!

Until next time, y'all!

Body Lotion of the moment

2007-06-27T22:35:00.000-05:00

I've never been much of a scented body lotion person, but on a whim at my local Target, I picked up new Suave Exhale body lotion, scented with Lavender Vanilla. I absolutely love the scent and what I love more is that its not thick and goopy. It's the perfect lotion for the summer months when you don't want to feel the lotion on your skin, but still need moisture. My skin would laugh in it's face in the winter time, but this, I declare is the perfect summer lotion!

Until next time. Thanks, all five of you for reading! ;)

Beauty School Dropout

2007-06-27T22:31:00.000-05:00

Make that "drop in". That's right, y'all I've gone and enrolled in beauty school! In 9 weeks I'll have the knowledge and experience to really make my dream of becoming a freelance makeup artist happen! Wish me luck!

My Makeup Idols

2007-06-16T19:37:00.000-05:00

As a young girl, I'd dream about being a famous singer like Mariah Carey or Whitney Houston. When I got seriously into makeup, my day dreams changed. Now I daydream about being a makeup assistant in a fashion show, or arriving on the set of a photo shoot ready to make someone beautiful. Like a goofy groupie I worship the following phenomenal makeup artists and hope to be like them very soon!

Pat McGrath - What can I say about her? She's the Michael Jordan of the beauty biz right now. She does practically every fashion show and probably has more makeup than Sephora. Her work is amazing, genius and it is my dream to assist her one day. Hey, Pat? Are you out there? Call me!

Kevyn Aucoin - A rockin' Saturday night to me is following the techniques from his books and trying to replicate the looks on my own face.
May he rest in peace and even though I never knew him, I hope to one day do him justice when I get my own career off the ground.

Sam Fine - I LOVE him. He made every black woman who ever appeared in a music video in the 90s look amazing. He's done more Essence Magazine covers than I can count. His look is so signature; clean and fresh, but polished, always with the lightened brow, that I am too chicken to try out on myself, but I admit looks awesome. He can pull off the dark lip liner, light lipstick thing and make it look classy and decidedly, un-ghetto.
A few years ago, when I found out he'd done a book I ran right out and bought it and just like Mr. Aucoin, I practice practice practice the techniques on my face...and sometimes my thigh just to get a feel for what it's like to work on another person.

Bobbi Brown - What list of favorite makeup artists would be complete without Bobbi Brown - the queen of invisible makeup. For my 9 to 5 job, I sometimes travel to schools to coordinate PD workshops for teachers. I recently went to one at Jane Addams High School in the Bronx. She has done so much for their cosmetology students, including actually coming to the school to teach master classes! She's also donated makeup chairs and equipment, and donated money. That is awesome, and I wish I could have been there on the days she comes there to teach.

All of these makeup artists inspire me and I can't wait until I'm telling people the story of how I got started and people are inspired by my own signature look...um...when I create one...

Beana's Favorite Eyeliners

2007-06-03T21:17:00.000-05:00

I've always loved the look of eyeliner. My favorite way to wear it is just on the top lid. I've always felt eyeliner around the entire eye was overkill, plus it made my eyes look smaller. To look more natural, I went through a phase as a teen/young adult where I wore brown eyeliner every day. I'm back to basic black now, especially after seeing The Devil Wears Prada. It is my personal belief that Anne Hathaway brought eyeliner back just as JT brought "sexy back".

I'm not so steady with eye pencil, though. I haven't found one that glides well enough across my eyes, and I refuse to spend more than five bucks on one. Luckily I've found a few eyeliner products that I absolutely love!

M.A.C. Fluidline - $14.50. Even though you need a brush to apply this gel-like liner, you can't beat how highly pigmented the shades are, and how nicely it goes on. this stuff is perfect for that 1960's glamor girl look with the winged eyeliner and all.

Maybelline Express Finish Easy Lining Pen - Unfortunately, you can't find this stuff much anymore as Maybelline discontinued the product. I still have mine from many years ago and still use it. It gives the prescision of an eye pencil with the look of a liquid liner. It goes on very wet at first so I suggest you keep your eyes closed for at least 30 seconds after applying...that is if you can ever find the stuff! And if you do, let me know where I can get some more!

Photo courtely maccosmetics.com

My Lipgloss is Poppin'

2007-05-27T14:28:00.000-05:00

As much as I HATE that song, I couldn't resist using it at a title for my post because my new Carol's Daughter Candy Paint Lip Gloss, $13.50 really is poppin'. I wanted ALL of them. Even the red shade, "Diva"and I'm usually not a red girl. I ended reigning myself in and buying only two. "Hot Mocha" which is a lovely dark brown that is exactly the type of brown I always go for. I also bought "This is me", which is probably the best nude lip gloss I've ever had. I have been waiting a long time for a lipgloss like this and now I finally have it! All the shades are very sheer and are not porn star shiny, but shiny enough to make an impact.

The glosses go on so smooth and feel so good on the lips. They also have a hint of peppermint that is not overpowering at all. I have locs so I don't have the problem of hair sticking to my lip gloss, but they aren't tacky feeling on my lips so I imagine that hair wouldn't stick to it. I will be rocking these lip glosses all summer long!

Wedding Makeup Test

2007-05-20T21:56:00.000-05:00

Last week a friend of mine from work came over to test some evening wedding looks as she's getting married in September. If there's one thing I learned from the experience, it's that I need much better lighting in my living room! I need a studio, or at least a good overhead light and a big mirror. Anyway, here are the shots. I think I used a bit too much gold on the browbone, and I'm still not crazy about the lip colors I chose, but anyway here you go! Isn't she purrty?! Never mind the 2002, never could figure out the date feature on my digital camera! LOL And please ignore the mess of video tapes in the back.

All About My Mother

2007-05-13T08:52:00.001-05:00

On this beautiful Mother's Day, I'd like to pay homage to the most beautiful woman I know, my mom!

One of the most memorable times in my childhood was watching my mom get ready for work or a night out. My mom is one of those old school, full face of makeup every day people and I loved watching her pull out her dusty, powder stained makeup bag filled with all her goodies and her makeup mirror and bring it to the dining table so she coul glam up for the day. She'd spend at least 30 minutes on her face, which I always thought didn't need makeup. I'd never seen her with a blemish, even now. And my mother is a beautiful woman, with or without makeup.

She's only made a few adjustments to her routine in the 33 years I've known her. Her essential supplies include the ubiquitous big red round sponge she uses to apply powder. She buys them in bulk now because they are getting harder to find; the painted red Maybelline eye pencils in black she'd light with a match to soften the liner. And I'll never forget Maybelline great lash mascara in blackest black (note: she takes the smaller lip inside the tube out so that she can apply thick, black coating of mascara on her lashes. She LIKES the Tammy Fay Baker look, apparently). Her rouge (yeah, she still says "rouge") was always either a cream or she'd just use one of her red lipsticks. She draws crosses on each cheek then blends.

I also remember her liquid foundation. Flori Roberts in "Chroma C". It didn't quite match her skin, and if she didn't blend it correctly, you could see the line around her face as perfectly round as if she were trying to look like a mime. Luckily I've been able to introduce her to the wonderful world of custom blend foundation at Prescriptives.

When I was girl, I would get all up in her makeup at every opportunity. She'd get so mad, but I'd do it anyway. I'd test all of her lipsticks, in various hues of red, on my lips, wiping them off and trying on another one. To my mom, red lipstick equals glamour. I've never seen her in anything other than red lipstick lined with a wine colored lip liner which she REFUSES to blend together, drives me nuts! Sometimes I just want to ambush her, hold her down and swipe on a pretty neutral or brown shade, but she just won't let me! She says, "It's just not 'me".

As much as I love makeup, I don't wear it every day. But when I do sit down to really do my makeup, I do the same thing my mom does. I pull out all my makeup and accessories, sit at my vanity with my super magnified lighted makeup mirror and really take my time with it. We may use different colors and have completely different looks, but It was all influenced by my beautiful, glamorous mommy whom I love very much!

The Clueless & Lazy Woman's Guide to Eyeshadow

2007-04-17T22:22:00.000-05:00

It's been way too long since I last updated this blog. Unfortunately, the job that pays the bills is keeping me very busy. I promise to make more time for this so for those of you out there still reading, there will actually be something new to read every week.

Shocking confession: I'm pretty clueless about eyeshadow. Yes I do makeup, and I've taken classes, but when it comes to my own face, I just don't know what to put on my eyelids! The experts will tell you that you need three colors; an all over color, then the color that is applied up to the crease, then a highlighter shade applied just under the brow bone. Most of the time when I bother with eyeshadow I just slap one color on and call it a day. Here are a few things you can use to get some color on your lovely lids without really trying.

MAC Paints, $16.00 - I absolutely love this stuff. My favorite shade is "art jam" which is a sparkly violet/red shade, but not remotely as scary as my description sounds. All you need is the smallest amount. The cream is very highly pigmented. If I really have the time, I'll make sure the color is heavier towards the bottom of my lids and lighter at the top so it looks like I actually did something special. Most days I just rub on your eyes and go! As you can see from the picture the paints come in tubes, which can get messy over time, but I've had one of them for years and have barely made a dent in the tube. The other great thing about these is that the color just doesn't come off until you wash your face or use eye makeup remover. No creasing I swear!

Bobby Brown eye shadows, 19.00 - A few weeks ago I went into Bloomingdales in Soho needing to use the restroom, but the very first thing I saw as I walked in was the Bobbi Brown counter. I was instantly drawn there, but knew I needed more makeup like I needed a hole in the head. In order to avoid buying yet another needless lipstick, I decided my mission was to find great eye shadows. I acted as though I was a complete novice to makeup, and that plan backfired on me when the makeup artist suggested the same damn colors everyone else recommends, which I already have. I told her I wanted to kick it up a notch - not an easy task at Bobbi Brown since her entire makeup philosophy is all about the natural look. We finally decided on the beige eyeshadow for the all over color, which I thought was a bit too light for my face, but I could use a highlighter color, and the Black Plum eyeshadow for the crease. Using a small amount of color, it looked really nice! I recently wore it to a good friend's wedding and it looked like I'd just put it on at 1:00 AM when I got home. Definitely worth the money.

Milani Eye shadows, $2.99 (at Ulta.com) - This is my drugstore pick. Good color selection, the color lasts and doesn't crease or look cakey even after wearing it all day. My favorite color is Antique gold, which is a lovely green-gold with a lovely shimmer. I wore it at a wedding shower once and got so many compliments on my makeup. I just used that one color; no all over base, no highlighter. Super easy!

Photo courtesy MAC.com

New Drugstore Finds

2007-04-03T13:18:00.000-05:00

Whenever I get the opportunity, I can spend hours going from drugstore to drugstore in the city looking at all the new products from the major drugstore brands like Revlon, L'Oreal & Cover Girl.
Here are a few things I've found that I love!

Revlon Midnight Swirl Lip Gloss in Lick-Orice. $11.50 @ Drugstore.com - The color reminds me of Tarte lip gloss in "Anthony & Cleopatra". But a bit cheaper of course. The color goes on sheer and very shiny. The swirl part of it is hardly noticeable, though. Maybe that's because I haven't swirled it enough, though! What I really like about this lip gloss is that the applicator is an actual lip brush instead of that fake ass felt thingy everyone puts on the end of their lip glosses. Having the brush alone makes me feel the $11.50 is worth it.

Cover Girl Tru Shine lipstick -I love this new lipstick. The texture is smooth and the effect on the lips is smooth and shiny. I picked up two of them. Cinnamon shine and Chocolate shine. Cinnamon shine is great for a nude lip, ecpecially when blended with a darker lip liner. Chocolate shine is a nice berry brown shade. Mere minutes after putting it on I was in a store and the clerk complimented me on my lip shade!

Cover Girl Queen Lip Gloss in Million Dollar Mocha - Very pretty dark brown shimmery lip gloss Definitely great for night time! This is the first product from the Queen collection that I've actually liked. I bought two lipsticks from the Queen collection but I noticed that like many Cover Girl products I find they are not highly pigmented. With this lip gloss, the color really shows and lasts for quite a few hours.

photos courtsey revlon.com, Covergirl.com &drugstore.com

Kerry Washington's Rosewood

2007-04-02T21:40:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite things to do is scope out the local drug stores for new makeup. While at my local Duane Reade I noticed the new L'Oreal Paris Star Secrets collection, featuring signature shades from celebrities such as Eva Longoria, model Leticia Casta and Kerry Washington. The individual tubes have their signature engraved on it. I was all excited to see what Kerry Washington, the one black celeb agreed to sign her name to as her signature shade. Imagine my disappointment when I actually got a look at the color. It's called Rosewood, and apparently Kerry Washington thinks this mauvey pink shade looks good on her and will look good on most black women. Um...I beg to differ.

While I completely agree that contrary to old school belief, black women can wear pink lipstick (hell, we have pink on our lips too). This shade, however....just. doesn't. look. right. I've been searching the Internet all night for a pic of Kerry wearing this pale ass shade. It's just not right! Kerry, what were you thinking? Couldn't you have picked a deeper color? Eva Longoria seemed to get it right with her "Caramel" shade. Kerry's lipcolor just looks..off.

Here's a link. You tell me if I'm wrong...

2007-03-26T13:01:00.000-05:00

Just saw this great article in Yahoo News about how retailers are moving ethnic beauty products to the front of the stores!

I'll be back later for a full report of the Bridal workshop I attended last week. I promise!

Bridal Makeup Workshop

2007-03-14T20:50:00.000-05:00

I signed up for a MAC Pro Master class in Bridal Makeup. The great thing about the Pro classes at MAC is that for the money you pay, a certain amount is redeemable in makeup. In this case, all of the money I spent was redeemable in makeup so I was really happy about that!

I had no idea what to expect since I'd never taken a master class at MAC Pro before. I do not in any way consider myself a pro, let alone a master, so I was afraid I'd be intimidated by all these real professionals around me. It didn't help that I showed up late because I got confused between the MAC store and the MAC Pro store on 5th Avenue. When I finally arrived, they told me they didn't have my name on the list and they never charged my credit card! Everything got straightened out quickly and I discretely joined the group of makeup artists scribbling notes on everything the presenting makeup artist was doing.

I dug through my purse, looking for the notebook I usually keep in there to jot things down and of course, it's not there. I improvised with blank deposit slips from the back of my check book. I was tired from a long day of work, plus I was leaving the next day to go away for the weekend, but all of the stress I had previously felt went away after a few minutes in class. Makeup is my Zen. I really got into the demo the makeup artist was doing. The audience absorbed every word out of his mouth, that is when he had an opportunity to actually speak. Most of the time, before the makeup artist could open his mouth to explain which brush he was using, hands were raised and questions were asked. Much of the time was spent dealing with a few ladies in the audience firing question after question. The makeup artist didn't seem to mind, but one of the ladies stood up and said, can we get back to what he's doing. Because he had started working on the model's lips and, God forbid, we had no idea which lip liner he was using or what color!

A few techniques he used that I thought were really cool was using a darker face powder as eye shadow, Not putting foundation on the cheek area and using cream blush on the bare patch of skin because the makeup will adhere better especially during a wedding where it may be hot and the makeup may melt off. He used alot of products from the limited edition collections like the Raquel Welsh and the Barbie collections. the model he used for the main demo was white, but I still found many of his techniques useful for women of color. At the end of the demo, he took a woman of color out of the audience and showed us how to use airbrush makeup without the airbrush. Her face looked great afterward. I put the airbrush makeup on my list. Other products on my list art the tinted brow gels and pigment in "Helium".

After the class we had 45 minutes to shop for everything the makeup artist mentioned during the presentation. Unfortunately I had to run home to pack for my trip, but I'm glad I did because I didn't have time to take in the grandeur of the MAC Pro Store. If you think the regular MAC store is like a candy store, the MAC pro store is even more amazing. They way everything is presented is so appealing it's all looks too good to be true. After the class, people were everywhere grabbing as much as they could. I figured I'd go back in a few weeks when some of their stock is replenished and I won't have to fight a girl for a lipglass.

So out of the loop

2007-03-05T21:42:00.000-05:00

One of the reasons I wanted to start this blog is that it would give me a great excuse (as if I needed one) to keep up with all the new makeup trends. My actual job has kept me so busy lately that I haven't really gotten my glam on, and I usually wear no makeup to work (I know. How could I!? I work in a very casual environment though) and after work I just head home and catch up on "Lost" and "Heroes" (I never said I wasn't a nerd at heart).

Last week after my friend J and I went out to dinner in Soho, we stopped by makeup mecca Sephora and checked out some goodies. I realized I've been out of the makeup loop for a really long time. There were so many products I just didn't know about. I didn't understand how I let myself get so out of touch! Like any other makeup maven, I read Allure every month, but I guess that's just not enough. Here are a few products I checked out...

Cargo Purse Gloss, $16.00
The packaging looks cute, but I think the best way to tell if packaging works in the long run is to check out the testers and see how gross and messy they are. These were pretty gross and the colors looked a little sheer. Cargo lippies tend to be a little low on pigmentation so apply at your own risk. Plus I didn't see any colors that appealed to me. Pinks and berry/fuchsias just don't do it for me. Sigh...I'm getting older.

Fiber wig Mascara - $22.00

I already had mascara on my top lashes so I only tried this on my lower. Can't say this made much of a difference, but I did notice that I had a little something on. Mascara is one of those things I go cheap on because you have to throw it out every three months so why bother spending over $20 bucks on the stuff!

La Vanilla Vanilla Grapefruit - $56.00

I really like this! I usually hate vanilla scents on my body, but the combination of the citrus with the vanilla works well. I may have to save up and splurge for this on my birthday. I'm not a big fragrance girl, but I'll spend money on something I really like.

Well that's all for now! Until next time!

all photos courtesy Sephora.com

Beana's Favorite Lip Products

2007-02-23T23:30:00.000-05:00

Out of all the beauty booty out there, one of my favorite items to buy and collect are lip colors. I don't think one could ever have too many- especially when you find a great lipstick, gloss, or liner that enhances your natural beauty and stands the test of time. Below is my list of lip goodies I wouldn't be without.

Mac Satin Lipstick in "Photo" - Lobbyists in Washington D.C. are passionate about many important causes. I consider myself a lobbyist for women of color wearing brown lipstick! MAC "photo" is my standby lipstick. Old faithful. Whenever I don't know what lipstick to wear, I put this on. There is a tube in my purse at all times. What I love the most about this lipstick is that's it's really brown. Not some fake ass brown that is actually red or berry like I used to rock in high school (Revlon's "Toast of New York" and "Raisin Rage" come to mind). And on the flip side, it's not too brown like what Whoopi Goldberg would wear.

Clinique Almost Lipstick in "Black Honey" - This lipstick got my attention in the early 90's and I think it still works today. The sheer berry color is so pretty. And I think it looks different on every one who wears it. the best part is that (in my humble opinion) the color works on EVERY woman.

MAC Lipglass in "Oh Baby" - Its bronze-gold tone is perfect for nightime, without looking too over the top. I stole this look from an up and coming actress friend of mine. Combine "Oh Baby" lipglass with one of the lip liners listed below:

MAC lip liners in "Chestnut, "Cork" and "BBQ". Well, if you haven't noticed, I'm a MAC girl! Chestnut is the deepest brown, Cork; light and neutral. BBQ is right in between the other two liners in shade. If you want that neutral lip look, use one of these liners (depending on your coloring) with a sheer or sparkly lip gloss and there you go!

Bobbi Brown Lipstick in "Chocolate" - Now I don't consider this lipstick to be actually chocolate. It's more of a berry-brown in my opinion, but it's your typical Bobbi Brown-classic- can't-go-wrong-with-it-shade. I wore it on my wedding day. I still have the lipstick. I no longer have the husband.

MAC Lipglass in "Shock O' Latte". I love this! I thought I'd never find a basic brown lip gloss and now I have it! This is my desert island lip gloss. Which reminds me, I'm running low on the stuff. Any reason to hit the MAC counter!

Until next time

Pilot Post - Brown is Beautiful!

2007-02-23T20:49:00.000-05:00

I'm sure there are plenty of blogs out there you could be reading. Makeup junkies like myself scour the web for all things beauty related. Maybe I haven't been looking hard enough, but I don't see many beauty blogs for women of color. Or maybe I'm not looking hard enough because I'm afraid, I'll find a blog that is exactly what I want my blog to be or better, get discouraged, and give up. I'm not letting myself off the hook this time!

After seeing a feature story in Allure Magazine about popular beauty blogs, I thought, "Hey! I can do that!" Most of the time, when I think that thought, I never actually...do anything about it. So now I am.

A little background on me. I'm a (recently) single, African American woman living in New York City. I'm 33 years old. I have a full time job in the education industry, and I also do makeup artistry and writing as a hobby. I plan to one day make makeup and writing something that takes up more of my time - and actually pays my bills, but until I get up the chutzpah to moon my bosses and walk out the door, I'll be writing my thoughts and feelings on makeup and beauty products for brown people like me right here!

My makeup Philosophy - less is more.

I haven't completely fleshed out how I'm going to format each post, or how often I'm going to post but I do know I'll be sharing with you:

My favorite products
Product reviews
Any beauty news as it relates to women of color
Anything else about me and my quest to make beauty & writing a real career

If you have questions, suggestions or just plain' ol love for me, get at me at beana73@earthlink.net.

Well, that's about it for now. Thanks for reading and...well.. that's all!