The Home of a Make-up Artist

I got into a weird mood the other day and just decided to clear out my make-up closet, and inventory everything. It's such an important process, it's really easy to just let a storage area go and that's just a bad time- product goes bad, you end up with multiples of the same items, stuff gets crushed or you just cant find what you are looking for in a crunch. It just helps to know EVERYTHING that I have. I try to go through my stuff at least twice a year and edit it down, donate or give away the stuff that I know I'll never use or that would benefit somebody else a lot more than me- so, that being said, it wasn't TOO bad- just a mess. I cleaned all of my brushes and freshly marked them, I realized that I haven't marked any brushes in YEARS and things just go missing way too easily- they are just easier to recover if they are clearly "dipped".  I use nail polish to dip mine, a coat of turquoise, a coat of glitter polish (because I'm girly like that) and then a clear coat to seal it in.

Dipped brushes.

 Make-up artists can never really keep what they do a secret, at my house at any given time there is always something make-up related happening or lying around. I recently pulled out my copy of Kevyn Aucoin's Face Forward and Paul Starr's On Beauty to have on my coffee table. As I was looking through the pages of Face Forward it dawned on me just how important Mr. Aucoin's books were to the artist community. Before I even fathomed that a person could make a living doing make-up, my friends and I would just sit down and dissect every look in Making Faces and The Art of Make-up and just gather everything we could from each others' make-up boxes to recreate the looks. I can't even fathom how many other artists' passion for the craft was sparked by his books. For me, my love of make-up started in theater with that little standard issue Ben Nye starter box and I loved it so much that some of my teachers gave me leftovers from the production, so I've always had a fairly large collection. In the 5th grade, Mrs. Sommers taught me how to do a couple latex/tissue FX and in 8th grade when we cleaned out the "drama closet" I scored all of the extra make-up that had been left behind as payment for my services. I scored similar when I was in high school cleaning out the costume closet, however at Elsinore High some of the old stuff was 1970's Max Factor grease paint tubes, so there wasn't a whole lot I could snag. My Dad used to bring me home eyeshadows and nail polishes when he'd find them on clearance. In high school I discovered Pic-N-Save and figured out that I could buy a TON of make-up for super cheap. My collection continued to grow. Eventually, in college it led to me discovering higher end make-up lines, fashion, and an entire online community of people who loved make-up as much as I did, I actually met quite a few people who are also now making their mark into the profession.  I can't believe that my parents were surprised that I chose a career in make-up artistry... but I suppose that's not exactly the direction people expect a person to go after they graduate with a Bachelor's in History & Political Science.

Coffee table.

 So to all of the educators who wrote the books, gave me the spare Ben Nye kits, let me clean out the drama closets in exchange for 5 year old Clinique shadows and taught me how to create wounds, thank you.

Work Updates

The past month has been a busy one. I've been relishing my spare time like no other.  Here are some photos of jobs I've worked the past few weeks.

When there just HAPPENS to be a camel on location, a picture is necessary.

I swear, this camel was up to something. 

 

Ms. Hagendorf hosting the black carpet for Myspace Music at the VMA's- Hair & Make-up by me

Look at that skin!

Shooting a press kit for The Dahls with Tyler Parker. 

Here's a sneak peak of the shoot. Make-up only by me.

Ah, yes, the studio warehouse floor of Naimie's. I know thee well. Bobby Pins by the pound and every product a person could think of.

A bag full of wigs on set with Alex Prager.

Ginger-me in one of Alex's wigs.

Such a hot day to be chic in a long black dress and docs, but the photos are going to be so cool. I'm so excited for her next art series.

Assisting my BFF Chris Guerra on a commercial. Coolest crimson ghost mural on the wall.

Feet on set. Chucks, Vans and Sandals

Crazy camera aparatus

I've discovered my love for Rockaholic (TIGI) smoothing cream. I did hair for a couple of tween/kids fashion shows at the D23 Convention.

Things that are necessary after working with kids in a high stress environment for hours.

Having a total fan moment with the new OPI Muppets collection.

Taking a picture with the poster, like the big ol' nerd I am.

Red Hot Chili Peppers

I've had the opportunity to work with the Peppers a few times in the past couple months. For their featured Hoppus On Music episode, Fuse Presents Red Hot Chili Peppers Live at the Roxy and On The Record: Red Hot Chili Peppers. Here's a couple behind the scenes shots of those escapades.

The elusive crew pass, I'm not going to lie, no matter how many of these passes I collect- I still get stoked every time I get a new one. One of these days, I'll post a picture of the huge box I have full of them. They are the best keepsakes of the best gigs.

Huge billboard on the side of the Roxy.

I fell in love with the belt wall in the headliner dressing room.

Marquee

Surprisingly this was my first time at the Roxy.

Setting up the stage. My day started at 7am in a cushy hotel room, the crew dudes started at the same time and their work did not end till hours after the show.

My view- keeping an eye on talent and walking backwards simultaneously is a gift.

Juliya's mean shoe game.

When they started loading in the crowd and my day was ending.

On The Record: Red Hot Chili Peppers

Fancy Rug.

Fancy chandelier.

Fancy location, does not always equal fancy station set up.

 

I do Mark's show when we film on the West Coast, here's a clip from Chad & Flea's interview on Hoppus On Music. 

Most of the time when I'm working with dudes, the product usage is very minimal. Here are some of my male grooming essentials that I couldn't live without. 

Clean & Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets

I can't tell you how many of my clients have walked away with this in their pockets. But it really is my favorite and the price point is very affordable, so it's worth it to pick up a few for the kit and let clients who love it walk away with it.

This is my favorite liquid foundation for men and women- it's perfect for spot coverage, to add a bit of color and it never looks like make-up, just skin and when you are working with dudes, it's essential.

Cover FX Matte FX powder is a newer addition to my kit, but it's perfect for touch-ups that are time sensitive and when you've only got 10 seconds to get somebody camera ready.

OCC Skin: Primer is the male host's BFF.