Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Hmmmmm!

o.k so i'm still trying to get the hang of this video camera- ok, well not the camera per se, but the actual downloading of said video to the computer....
Apparently imovie is standard for everyone- but me cause it wasn't on my computer...
so webguy, yes he is now webguy again since he officially completed my webstore & is even as we speak putting together my professional makeup artist website...
any he installed it,(remotely-how cool is that?)
 but I still can't get my video to download to imovie so i can edit it... curiouser, and curiouser...
I need an in person visit from webguy, then youtube time! yay!

Tuesday, May 11, 2010


O.K. here it is! After several months of research I made my choice. The Vado HD 3rd Generation is my new video camera for making Youtube videos! Yay! It is MAC compatible, has fairly simple to use functions, gets good reviews for color saturation which is important in makeup tutorials, and downloads the videos directly to iphoto or imovie for editing from a usb port right in the camera. basically for computer dummies like myself! It's due to arrive may 17th and I'll definitely need to figure this sucker out, but expect videos to be up & running soon! I will, of course embed them here as well for all my blog followers! and on Facebook as well! (as soon as I figure out how exactly to do this, that is) The only thing missing is a macro function so I can get really up close to show you detail, but I'm hoping the 2x digital zoom will assist with closer detail. 
Anyway- if you have suggestions for some tutorials that you've been really dying to see- now's the time to add those comments!

Bad Karrie, bad, bad, Karrie!

I have put off posting. I'm sorry... it just kept getting shoved to the back of the to-do pile.
anyway, it's official- Fortunate Face cosmetic products can now be found at Choice Health on route 20 in Westfield, Mass.- yay! Another location is pending, so i'll update you when it's a go!
I had an unfortunate experience yesterday- drove an hour and 45 minutes to Concord for a shoot with 2 models, one at 10am and the other at 1pm- wouldn't you know- first one with a last minute cancellation- by email- that we didn't get until too late that morning, and a no show for the 1pm model....seriously- so i drove the 1 hour & 45 minutes home- sad- because I've been waiting to work with this photographer for a year now, sigh, and also because I missed my sons lacrosse tournament at Umass- with nothing to show for it! *le sigh* total bummer.
Now to some fun stuff- I posted last about all the new great products I bought for my kit- and I tried several of them out, and wanted to give you all a review.
I started out with the Eve Pearl's mattifying gel in medium all over my whole face. Then I used her salmon concealer in medium under both eyes.  I have to say- that the salmon concealer was much too orange for my skin- I have some blue under eye circles and a yellow concealer tends to work better with my complexion. I removed the concealer from under one eye & replaced it with my Prep Step- I then mixed some Face Atelier foundation- I purposely got colors in a light to dark range, as well as, the plus 0 and minus 0- so I could custom mix- to match any and every skin tone.  I used (on one side) #4 & 0 Plus (darker color) to create my personal tone. The foundation went on smoothly & nice and  light- it definitely has  a weightless feel- which is nice. It is very sheer coverage- similar to a tinted moisturizer- and I needed a second coat- to achieve better coverage, but for a model with good skin one coat would be sufficient. I would have liked a teeny bit more coverage, but that is my personal issue with my skin. Face Atelier uses silicone in their formulation to it leaves a dewey look to the skin, which was rather nice. I mixed #7 and 0 minus (white color) on the other side just to test out how easily these could be mixed and customized depending upon the skin tone in front of you- this one was a little darker- since #7 is way too dark for me, but again- it was more about mixing & playing than exacts- it does mix well & again leaves a nice dewey glow to the skin. The silicone did not feel heavy, or break up on my oily face, but  also attribute this to the mattifying gel- this stuff worked, and worked well- usually I have some oily shine, but this really kept the shine at bay- All day! (a miracle!) I bought this primarily for men's grooming, but have to say that Iw as quite impressed and may be stealing this tube for myself, and buying another for my kit. I powdered both sides down well with my Luxury Sheer (after blush application below) and it lasted all day, gave beautiful dewey looking skin- again I would have liked more coverage, but for those with nicer skin- this is a great foundation choice. As a pro artist- the ability to blend is nice, but I won't be trading in my RCMA palette- as I still find it superior and covers every possible need from concealer all the way to sheer foundation, as does my own powdered foundations. I will, however, add a few full sized to my kit- especially the +0 and -0.
I then tried Urband Decay's Primer Potion on one eye and Too Faced's Shadow Insurance on the other. I did my makeup using my own mineral powders as liners and shadows as I wanted to see how these compared to my own Prep Step. Both sides performed evenly- they held up well for several hours, with only a slight bit of shadow creasing right in the corners of each eye. I still prefer my own- because it doesn;t move, but I am naturally biased as well!
Lastly on my face and lips I tried 2 different Stila Convertable colors. One side I used Rose, which in the compact- looks like a medium brown toned burgundy.  On the other side of my cheek & lips- I used Stila's Poppy- one of their more popular shades, which in the compact looks like a richer reddish tone. I have to say that once on my cheeks, and side by side on my lips- there was not a huge difference in tonal quality, which frankly surprised me.  In the compact you can see subtle difference, but even on my lips they were so close that I don't know if anyone would have noticed, and actually, no one did- I walked around like that ALL day! I could see a slightly more yellow red on the poppy side & a slightly more bluish red on the Rose side-. I usually look better in colors slightly more bluish in undertone- and I could truly wear either. They are very sheer- which allows your own natural undertones to enhance what you put over them- which is why both colors could look equally nice. They will really only last on the lips as long as a sheer gloss- but if applied, powdered, and re-applied you can definitely use as more of a sheer stain, and extend the wear time. They are nice and creamy, without being at all greasy- and over a liquid or cream face makeup- like Face Atelier, they enhanced the dewiness of the skin- and when powdered down didn't lose the dewiness- which can often happen- so a big plus there for both lines!
Feel free to comment or ask any questions!