Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Pale is not acceptable!

Hey everyone, with winter hamering it's icy fist into most of North America it's about this time of the season that I personally start to feel as if I'll never be warm again, & my face takes on a lovely yellow-green cast (sans makeup, of course) now, more than ever, I need a judicious application of color to my face. My foundation must be an exact match, never try to darken your complexion by choosing darker than reality. But, that doesn't mean you can't have a beautiful rosy complexion (or fake one) Choose a cheek color that is sheer, creams work well for this, but many mineral powders have a tendency to be sheer. Just don't put cream over a powder, or you'll end up w/ a muddy mess!
the best way to choose the perfect color is to jog in place for 5 min, or just spend 2 minutes outside in this New England weather. Then check to see what color your cheeks naturally flush. better yet take a snapshot! That will give you a really good idea of what color to choose for a natural, beautiful glow!

Thursday, January 15, 2009

15 Years

Happy 15 year anniversary to my wonderful husband Sean! Thank you for being my best & most reliable friend. I could never imagine my life without you.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Cold!

When the weather changes, so should your skincare and makeup routine! Everyday should be a new evaluation of how your skin looks acts & feels. It should be cared for accordingly. I have some of the oiliest skin known to man, in spring, fall, & summer I take special care to prepare my skin to combat the greasies, I never moisturize my face except for the under eye area, & I am especially careful not to strip my skin with harsh cleansers, scrubs, or any alcohol based products so as not t0o send my oil glands into over-production. In the winter, though, in New England where the weatherman just announced daytime highs of 10 degrees ( you can imagine what night feels like), I re-evaluate my skin. This is where a light, non-oily moisturizer will protect and calm my skin, keep it from getting chapped or dry, or, God Forbid, cracked. My makeup routine stays similar, but I increase slightly the coverage of my foundation, I add a bronzer to my routine to achieve a healthy glow, and warm all my colors up just a little to brighten my face. I also make my eyes the focal point of my face. In other months even with the use of sunscreen, my medium dark skin takes on a golden glow & improves the overall appearance of my skin's quality & texture. In winter, however because I don't actively tan, I am pale as pale can be, & because I tend toward sallow, My skin carries a greenish-yellow cast. My pores are more visible, & any blemishes are more vibrantly colored than the skin around it. For this reason I downplay my skin with good coverage and excellent concealing, and play up my deep brown, almond shaped eyes with warm or smokey colors. I make a point to curl lashes & add lots of mascara, & I never go without a lip gloss or stick 1. for a punch of color (though less vibrant than the eyes) 2. to protect my lips with a waxy barrier from the same bitter weather.
If you don't usually change your routine based upon weather, this is a great time to start. Spend some time evaluating how the seasons affect your skin & adjust accordingly. Of course if anyone have specific questions, just leave a comment & I'll be happy to give more personalized advice.
Happy make-uping!

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Foundation

I know, I know, i did things a little backwards. I blog & talk about my stuff that I make & love, yet give you nowhere to go and check it out. Good news, though, I have enlisted the services of a professional web designer, sent him ideas of what I am looking for & he is, as we speak, putting together some ideas for creating a fabulous place for you to see, not just hear, what I mean!
I try not to make this too much about advertising product for myself though & a little more about giving you all information on makeup & its uses whatever brand you decide to use. To me helping women look & feel their best is number one, sales, while important of course (I do need to make a living), are a bonus for me. If women don't know how to correctly use makeup, & cannot achieve what products say they are supposed to do, more & more of us will become frustrated & give up. ( kind of like me and creating a website, hence hiring a pro)
Then nobody will be buying makeup, from anybody.
Let me just clue you all in to the number one, basic, most important aspect of makeup ( in my humble opinion). Your foundation must match your natural skin color, tone, & shade.
Sounds simple, but every woman will tell you, it's not. Heredity, nationality, sun exposure, etc. all play a part in making that choice, but there are NO absolutes. I can't tell you that because you are Italian, with dark hair, and brown eyes (like myself) that you are automatically olive in complexion. I myself am actually more sallow(yellow undertones more commonly associated with those of Asian descent) than olive(greenish undertones mostly associated with those of Mediterranean heritage) yet I could be described as either.
Very confusing, I know. My very light skinned, green eyed, light brown haired friend swore she was a cool ( pink/red) based skin type. Because she had pale skin, with light freckles, and pink undertones. She is actually a neutral, equal parts warm & cool (Beige tones if you will). This confused her to no end because when she looked in the mirror she saw pale & pink. She needed to look beyond that to all the tones in her face. I also know that she is of 100% Jewish, Middle Eastern, descent, therefore warm tones are part of her heritage. Taking all of these factors into account I was able to correctly choose a light neutral foundation as the correct color for her skin.
Now, by having the appropriate color with the addition of more yellow tones (which is the color of Melanin, the pigmentation in each of our skins) it warmed up her face & made her look natural, not mask like, or as if she were attempting to change her skin tone using makeup. It also toned down some of the pink in her skin.
My advice to most women, is if you are confused get a professional consult. Those of you who are in my general vicinity can, of course, schedule a consult with me.(I'll include a link to my current website & I do travel) First choice is a makeup artist because this is their job. Next would be to
consult an Esthetician, or esthetics school. ou can also try higher end brand cosmetics counters, but remember not all are trained beyond selling product.
Feel free to post a comment or question here, or fill out the contact page on my website & I'll get in touch with you that way!
Have a great day!
Karrie

Friday, January 2, 2009

Can't Stop Making Colors!



I can't Stop! I seem to be addicted to color! Right now I have over 45 different colors for eyes alone, with no end in sight. (see display right for some of my colors @ Balance Salon)

I love dreaming up new colors. I love envisioning how they'll look with different women's eye or skin coloring. I also love dreaming up funky & unusual ways to use those colors (like the intense camo in blues & silvers) I had fun with these!

Well I just hope I never run out of inspiration, until I do I promise to keep create rich, beautiful colors with all of you in mind!

Eye Candy



Brown eyed Girls Try Turquoise shadow to make the brown POP!

Ladies with green eyes can do the same with a medium purple (Think the color of violets) to make the green jump out.
Blue eyed girls, coppers & bronzes are a sure fire way to get those baby blues noticed!
Now use those pretty eyes & flirt!


Eye Colors: Flirty Girl (turquoise) &

Bling! (sparkle white)







What's your New Year's makeup Resolution?

I'm curious to know if any of you out there have determined to change, improve, update, whatever your current makeup look? What I would really love is to get a great dialogue going with people out there to answer questions, and provide a little info as to go about doing this.
For myself, I think I'm going to play with textures this year & really see what I can do by combining all sorts of textures all over the different features of my face, but in my business, also really expanding the profile of my textures. my shadows for example, I've recently nailed down my bases to create a creamy, but totally matte base, but also a beautiful satin, as well as a shimmer that has lots of sparkle. I'm really interested in creamy textures that give all these different finishes!
Write your comments /questions here, or contact me @ www.fortunatefaceminerals.com you can go to the contact page & I'll get back to you!
Karrie