Eyeshadow Primers

While talking with a friend, I found out that a MAC employee recommended painterly paint pot as a primer.  My friend also mentioned that she has oily lids and the MAC employee recommended a paint pot?  Well, I learned the hard way a long time ago that it DOES NOT work as an eye primer if you have oily lids.  That's pretty sad when an employee can't recommend the right product for the brand they work for.

Overall, I must say I like the NARS smudge proof eye primer the best!  It is pricey at $24, but it works!  I have extremely oily skin and it makes it sooooo difficult to have my makeup stay without any sort of primer. I have tested Urban Decay primer potion, TooFaced shadow insurance, MAC prep + prime eyeshadow primer, and the generic eye and lip primer from Beauty from The Earth.

I think I need to film a demo video comparing all the different eye primers listed above (it's on the to do list now).  It took me a long time to actually find one that I loved.  I honestly don't wear makeup too often, so I don't mind paying a premium for a product that will work on my oily skin/lids. 

What's your favorite eye primer?  Is there one you recommend that I don't already own and will it work for oily skin?

<3 Kat

BLUSHING ARTISAN MAKEUP PRO SHOP: showcase preview + coupon code

Purchase these items at http://blushingartisanmakeup.com

Hey hey hey,

Here's a quick showcase video on the items that are currently up for sale in the PRO SHOP.  You can also find a coupon code at the end of the video.

HAPPY SHOPPING!

<3 kat

SNEAK PEEK: makeup organization/storage items!

this video can be found my "BlushinArtisanMakeup" youtube page.  

this channel is dedicated to product demos from the Makeup Artist's PRO SHOP on http://blushingartisanmakeup.com.

Hey everyone,

I made a teaser video of the makeup organization items from my MUA PRO SHOP.  I tried my best to find items that would work for makeup storage.  This is an ongoing inventory check.  Each item featured in the video will have between 5-12 pieces of each item.  The items that sell out will get reordered.  There is no guarantee that the items in this video will be part of the PRO SHOP in the future.

Any comments about the items would be greatly appreciated!  Let me know what you think.  Let me know if you would even consider buying some of these.  I found a bunch of items that I will probably use for my own makeup room. 

I also made another channel a while back named "BlushinArtisanMakeup" on youtube.  The video above is the first video, but I will have more coming.  Each item in the PRO SHOP will eventually have a short video for a product demo.  My goal is to feature the items in the store and show different uses for each item and maybe throw in some makeup artist's tips on how I use everything.  There will also be some videos that contain COUPON/DISCOUNT CODES for the PRO SHOP!  So if you think you might shop, I would say subscribe to get your discount codes and be the first to know about sales and monthly specials!

Thank you for reading!!!

<3 kat

IMATS SHOPPING LIST!

Hey everyone!

I’m so excited for IMATS! I will be leaving first thing tomorrow (Friday) morning! I can’t tell you how excited I am. All I have been thinking about is which classes to attend and how am I going to fit shopping in between the classes. I will only be at IMATS on Saturday and will fly back to the bay Sunday morning.

While in SoCal, I plan on visiting my makeup school too. They recently changed locations and I wanted to check it out. I also wanted to get some info on their eyelash extension course, but I’m not sure if I really want to pay for it. Since the economy isn’t too hot right now, I sometimes wonder if it is a good idea (the course isn’t cheap).
 Another thing I want to do on my short trip down south is to track down the Gobi truck (am I spelling that right?)! There is one up here called Mogo, but I haven’t had the chance to track down this truck yet. If you don’t know what this is…its basically a taco truck but instead of traditional meats and fillings, they use Korean BBQ for the meats. YUM!

But the main focus of this trip is IMATS! My poor bank account is in trouble this weekend! I wanted to share some products that I have been eyeing for a while now, but decided to wait for IMATS to purchase them (why not…I gets discounts here!). I will just list the booth/brand and what products I will be checking out. Anything in bold means I will definitely be purchasing. I am just going down the exhibitor list from the IMATS site, so the vendors will be listed in alphabetical order.

My IMATS shopping list:

Does one need to attend Makeup School to become a makeup artist?

This topic seems to come up quite often in the makeup community.  I have seen some pretty strong opinions on the subject and wanted to share my two cents. 

I attended Westmore Academy for Cosmetic Arts in Burbank, CA.  It was a wonderful experience and I learned a lot.  I can confidently say that it was a good investment for me and it made me a better makeup artist.  Now with that being said, I don't think one needs to attend makeup school to become a makeup artist.

Don't get me wrong, school could be that extra bit of training needed to fine tune some makeup skills or learn the basics (which I needed).  The reason I decided to attend was that I didn't have a variety of makeup experience.  I am the type of girl that wears very little makeup.  I would say 90% of the time I go out with absolutely no makeup on at all.  So for me, I wanted to learn the basics (especially foundation, skin matching, etc...).  I also found the business lectures/discussions very helpful.  The instructors were makeup artists actually working in the field (movies, photoshoots, runway, music videos, etc...) so they gave us lots of tips on how to market yourself, contracts, agencies, and lots more.

Now for someone who has experience (applies makeup regulary on themselves or anyone else), I think they could easily become a makeup artist without going to school.  There are so many self taught makeup artists on youtube (and in general) and they are amazing.  I look up to many of them because of their makeup skills. 

Makeup artisty isn't something that can be taught in a classroom and the individual instantly becomes a makeup artist.  It takes work and practice.  Some people have natural talent and that will get them far.  For others, school might be needed to give them some new techniques and inspiration.  In any case, I think it is really up to the individual to decide if its right for them.  I don't think it is necessary.  But its a nice extra to have if you have the extra money.  I won't lie; school was pretty expensive so it was an investment for me.

Let me know your thoughts on this subject in the comments below.  And feel free to ask questions if you have any.  =)

<3 kat

MUA Stuff - Skin Matching Exercise for Foundation

This was a simple skin matching exercise I did while attending Westmore.  We had to do this exercise while studying color theory.  Items needed for the exercise are pretty inexpensive and easy to find; I bought the paints for $1.60 each at Micheal's.

You will need:

6 Acrylic Paints

     - White

     - Burnt Sienna

     - Brunt Umber

     -Yellow

     - Blue

     - Red

Cotton Swabs / toothpick (for mixing)

Wax / Parchment paper

Base color

First, choose 3 patches / areas of your skin that are different tones.  Your goal is to use the 6 paints to match your skin color.  The first 3 colors on the list are your base colors used for skin tones.  For light - medium tones, mix white with a little burnt sienna as your base.  For deeper complexions, mix white with a little burnt umber.  

Correctors

Now figure out your undertone and mix the corresponding color to your base color.  I have a warm (yellow/golden) undertone, so I added a bit of yellow.  When first starting out, this process may be hard but you keep adjusting the colors until you match your skin tone.  

Checking in the Mirror

To check your color matching, I was taught to stand in front of a mirror and see if you can see the swatch of paint in the reflection.  If you can't, then you have a pretty good skin match.

I hope this was helpful...or at least interesting.  

<3 kat