K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simply Sexy)

Hey all! Summer is just around the corner, (though you wouldn't know it by the weather here), and most women start opting for lighter texture foundation, more natural skin toned bronzers & blushes, glosses over lipsticks, and pretty pops of color for the eye. Keep the makeup routine simple. Cover redness, usually down the center of the face, next to nose, in the crease of the chin, get rid of those under eye circles with a yellow toned concealer or salmon/peach for women of color. Most makeup companies recommend tinted moisturizers, but I feel there is not enough coverage in a tinted moisturizer, plus if you tend toward oily skin, the LAST thing you want is to put a moisturizer on! Instead greasy gals, use a little plain milk of magnesia as a toner, moisturize under eye area only.

Keep makeup texture light by using a matte mineral foundation, concentrating only on areas that need coverage. Make sure foundation matches your skin tone exactly, especially if you tan!

Most mineral setting powders (mine are called mineral sheers) contain some oil absorbing ingredients, like kaolin clay, silica, & cornstarch. Some use talc, calcium carbonate, or rice powder. most also contain ingredients that blur imperfections, such as silica and different micas. Mineral powders can be used before & after foundation for extra oil absorption, or to refine the skin's surface.

Bronzers should be used sparingly and in a natural skin color. (see my post on bronzing) Blush looks most natural when it mimics your own natural skin's flush, usually in a pinky/red shade. Look at skin just after vigorous movement for a few minutes, that's your natural blush! For Glowing skin use an illuminizer or light colored blush/bronzer with a hint of shimmer. Sweep from temple down next to eye onto top of cheekbone, stopping just before the apple of the cheek in a downward C motion. This creates a lovely glowing skin!

Eye color that pops! Brown eyed girls are the luckiest because we can wear pretty much any color, depending upon the shade. For Summer pick a bright color like turquoise, hot pink, or emerald green. Blue or grey eyes look amazing in shades of copper, bronze, or rust. I love to intensify green eyes with purples, but pinky coppers & bronzes look fabulous on green eyed vixens.

For brights, concentrate color in the center of the lid on the top only. Use a neutral liner, brown being my favorite for all eye colors, and line right next to the lash line. For a simple, clean face line only the top lid. Curl those lashes ladies! It will truly open up your eyes and intensify your eye shape & color. Heat your eyelash curler for just a few seconds under hot running water, or under a blow dryer (test on cheek or lip, Be careful if too hot, wait a few seconds & test again) Using this method, or a self heating eyelash curler, like the one from Japonesque, will keep your lashes curled until you wash your face at night. (you do wash your face every night, right!?) Use two coats of a brown mascara for a soft daytime look.

Slick on a peachy pink gloss for a sweet neutral, or look for a color that matches your lips for sheer shine.

Pores! Pores! Pores!

Left-no coverage

Right- Mineral makeup

For those of us with excruciatingly obvious pores, you know who you are, we are always desperate for a solution! There are no magic wands of makeup that will make these suckers just disappear; there are, however, some makeup tips that can significantly reduce their overall appearance.
Most anyone even remotely interested in makeup have heard of makeup primers. They are the newest creation in a long line of makeup products designed to hide/cover/distract/erase, or otherwise diminish, facial flaws.
Almost all liquid or cream primers contain silicone as it's primary weapon. There are multiple types of silicones available. Those that absorb into the skin, those that sit on the surface of the skin, or hair shaft (as in the case of heat protectant hair products), and a combo of the two. These create a barrier visibly smoothing pores, lines, and other imperfections. The makeup is then deposited on top of the primer creating a more refined skin surface appearance. There are many types of barrier primers for eye, face, lips, hair, etc. Not all are created equal. One of the distinct advantages to this type of product, the good ones that is, is that it works quickly and efficiently, and really does help keep makeup in place. With the good, comes the bad however, many people find the silicones to create a heavy feeling on the face, no breathability to the skin. mostly found with the barrier silicone. Oily or sweaty skin can find the makeup beading up & separating on the skin, or sinking into pores rather than gliding over them and actually calling more attention to flaws rather than minimizing them; This problem is most often seen with the silicone combos, or skin absorbing silicone.
Some well respected brands of primers are Primer Potion by Urban Decay, Benefit, That Gal face primer, FX Skin Prep which was created in a hospital for serious skin disorders, and Smashbox Photo Finish primers. These can all be found at Sephora, of course, a great resource for upscale, high quality beauty products. In fact, type in primers at Sephora, and there will be a Plethora of product to choose from.
Now when it comes to powdered, mineral makeup, primers take a different perspective. Naturally, I am partial to this type because I own a mineral makeup company. face, eye, and sometimes lip primers can be found in a mineral, all natural, or combo (and believe me, there is a difference so read your labels ladies) My own mineral primer contains silica, from which silicone is created. Silica is found in sand, and is naturally occurring. Silica is tiny, round, light reflective particles that glide over lines and pores reflecting light away from the depression created in the skin. Mica is another mineral ingredient that works in this same fashion, though I personally find the coated, or treated mica's give great adhesion, but less reflective properties, so a good primer powder will contain plain untreated mica, or at least a combo of both. Lastly my favorite underdog in the world of corrective cosmetics is Cornstarch. Cornstarch is light, fluffy, oil & moisture absorbing, and floats beautifully over pores giving instant light as air coverage. The major drawback with this product, however, is finding non-genetically modified corn products. There is only one company that I have found where I can purchase Organic, non-GMO cornstarch, it's great, but not cheap!
These are by no means the only primers ingredients available, but they are my favorites, and the ones I personally use.
One major drawback with mineral primers, and powdered mineral products in general, is the mess! I keep a box of tissues on my vanity & spread one out under my mineral jars everyday when appling my makeup, you can swirl minerals right onto the tissue or a paper towel, and this absorbs the excess intead of keeping it in the cap or fling loose in the air. Also tapping the handle of your brush on the surface where you apply your makeup to disperse it into the bristles (rather than tapping excess off back into the cap) can cut the flyaway powder, also using the sifters rather than removing them like some prefer to do. These sifters dispense smaller amounts of minerals into the cap, but usually they are enough for one application, you can always apply a second coating if more is needed.
As a makeup artist, and a makeup creator, I am always hunting for new ingredients or products, and work hard to find a great balance of naturally occurring, unadulterated ingredients, but ones that still show superior performance in makeup. Yes gals, we can have it all!
I always welcome yout comments and questions, so keep them coming!
Happy makeuping!

Thank Goodness it's over!

Whew, o.k thank goodness the dance showcase for the year is over! What a lot of work & energy. Four of my family members, myself included, performed in at least 2 out of 3 shows this weekend. I don't think I've quite recovered yet. The one thing I can rave about though is how well my makeup lasted! I sweated through 2 hip hop performances, 2 excruciating hours supervising the boys dressing area/demolition zone, and the second show running around backstage helping in quick changes, hair/makeup/costuming etc. I put my mineral stage makeup & included long and luscious false lashes at about 11 am. My minerals were still there (No eye creases in sight) at 1 am when I finally got to wash my face and collapse into bed! talk about long wear! I love love love how my skin breathes, doesn't feel cakey, & yet the makeup stays put! All without artificial ingredients, dyes, or nasty unwanted ingredients. all it took was a little blotting with m oils blotting papers & voila! beautiful makeup, perfect for stage with no touch ups needed!
this is the beauty of minerals ladies, gorgeous makeup, no nasty ingredients, and long wear, all while being good and healthy for your skin! If you haven't tried minerals yet I highly encourage you to do so. My advice is instead of one of the commercial lines found in your local drug or department store, instead Look for anyone of the great smaller boutique lines out there online. many of my closest friends have some great online stores , or if you wish to test drive my line of Fortunate Face Mineral makeup just leave a comment and I'll contact you!
Happy makeup-ing!