What happens when you use cheap products?

 Beauty Tip, Black Opal, Black Opal Foundation Stick, brushes, Clinique, Cover Girl Queen Collection, Crown Brush, eye shadow, Eyeliner, FOTD, Lips, lipstick, M.A.C., MAC, Makeupchat, My favorites, playing with colors, product review, Queen Collection  1 Response »
Jan 202013
 

 I’m always experimenting with inexpensive products to see what alternatives I can recommend to my readers and clients.  I recently purchased four eyeshadows and two more foundation sticks from Black Opal.Black Opal Purchase Now if you’ve been following me or if you’ve ever had a conversation about makeup with me you already know how much I adore Black Opal Foundation Sticks.  They’re an absolute staple for my personal use as well as my professional kit.  HOWEVER, I was not pleased at all with their Oil Blocking Powder. Click here on my thoughts.  It was a risk when I decided to try these new eyeshadows.Black Opal EyeshadowsHere’s the look I created with these colors. Even though they’re pretty bold, I wanted a softer effect.  Now, it’s very important for me to point out that I did NOT use a primer or base before applying the Black Opal eyeshadows.  I wanted to see exactly how pigmented they were. I have to say I was very pleased with the results.  I didn’t have to build up the color a whole lot either.  Quite impressive for $5.LOTD 1-19-13 Close eye picI decided to try them out with some other inexpensive products such as Elf, NYX, and Cover Girl Queen Collection to complete my look. Below is everything I used.  Even my brushes were inexpensive.  They’re a combo of Coastal Scents and Crown Brush. :-) LOTD 1-19-13 makeupNow granted I did still incorporate some MAC, Clinique and NARS but overall my look was pretty cheap. LOTD 1-19-13 Looking to leftLOTD 1-19-13 Looking StraightSo to answer the question “What Happens when you use inexpensive products?” My answer after using these would be that you get great results.

I’m a firm believer that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to achieve a pretty makeup look.  This look validates my belief that technique and quality trump prices. ;-p
Do you only use expensive products or do you venture out and try drugstore brands?

Clinique Metallic Sand LOTD

 Clinique, lipliner, Lips, lipstick, LOTD  No Responses »
Jan 202013
 

It’s always nice to go through your old makeup stash and find a treasure.  While organizing my old lipsticks, I came across a bunch of Clinique lipsticks.  One in particular stood out to me and put and instant smile on my face.  Metallic Sand. Metallic Sand Collage

I worked for Clinique for about 2 1/2 yrs before I began working for MAC. I can’t tell you how many tubes of Metallic Sand lipstick I went through and how many I sold, but there were lots.  It’s such a gorgeous color and it’s very versatile.  Metallic Sand lipstickI could put this color on just about anyone regardless of age or color and it worked well.  It’s also easy to use with different color eye shadows and blushes.  Metallic Sand on lips up closeMetallic Sand is a great neutral color and can be blended with an array of lip liners.  Below, I blended it with MAC Plum lip pencil.Metallic Sand with Plum PencilMetallic Sand and Plum SwatchMetallic Sand applied to bottom lipMetallic Sand and Plum applied to TopMetallic Sand with Plum on lipsI’m probably going to wear this combo a lot for the next couple of days.  I can’t believe I forgot all about it.  Have you ever found a lipstick from a while ago and fell back in love with it?

AJ Crimson Keynote Speech & New Creme Foundation Review

 AJ Crimson, AJ Crimson Creme Foundation, Celebrity Makeup Artist, Cream Foundation, Event Coverage, Foundation, Make-Up techniques, Makeup Application, The Makeup Show, The Makeup Show Orlando, Trade Shows  1 Response »
Dec 132012
 
Keynote Speaker AJ Crimson on stage

Keynote Speaker AJ Crimson on stage

Celebrity Make Up Artist AJ Crimson was a keynote speaker on Day 2 of The Makeup Show Orlando. Hey gave great advice about working as a freelance makeup artist and how to really market your brand.  He has an agency called Blackboard Group and talked about how he would love to see the makeup community share more and work together.AJ Crimson Keynote speech

AJ stressed the importance of MUAs taking an active role in their personal brands and when working on photoshoots.  He encouraged us to stop undercutting ourselves and re-evaluate what’s working vs. what’s not.  For MUAs transitioning from retail, he urged us to stop thinking about makeup like you do when working at the counter.  Most products have multiple uses and it’s not always required to use so many different things to achieve a look. For example, you don’t always need a separate concealer as well as a foundation.  If you use a full coverage cream foundation, it can work as a concealer.  Sometimes, those extra products are just selling points. This tip is helpful when building a kit.  You can save money by investing in multi-purpose products.

AJ Crimson Demo 1AJ Crimson Demo 2AJ also did a makeup demo to promote his brand new Creme Foundation line.  He has 8 shades that were hand mixed and according to him were made with a lot of love. ;-p

DSCF6687I got a chance to talk to AJ.  He’s really passionate about makeup and having a product that’s easy to use on a diverse clientele.  His creme foundations as well as his lipglosses can work on anyone.  He had a booth set up in the vendors hall as well. Where he and his staff did demos and allowed us to test out his products.AJ Crimson Booth 2AJ Crimson BoothAJ Crimson Booth DemoAJ Crimson Booth Demo 2 AJ Crimson Booth George applying lipgloss

I wasn’t able to get all 8, but I did get three of them: 2 which is a light shade,  4 which is a medium shade, and 8 which is a dark shade so that I can mix them to work with my clients.

AJ Crimson Creme Foundation

I used this foundation for the 1st time on my fellow Houston Fashion Blogger Shasie.  I did her makeup last week for our Holiday Party.  I’m totally in love this foundation.  A little goes a long way.  Even though it’s a cream, it’s very light weight.  Shasie said it felt really good on her skin and she got lots of compliments.  I’d highly recommend this makeup!! Shasie b4 and after makeoverBelow is a picture of the two of us at our Houston Fashion Blogger Holiday Party sponsored by Saks. 380364_432160143504520_1388214687_n

You can purchase these incredible foundations at AJCrimson.com

 

 

Make Up For Ever Pro Road Show Dallas Day 2

 Continuing Education, Event Coverage, How to, MUFE, MUFE Pro Road Show  No Responses »
Oct 282012
 

Day 2 of the Make Up For Ever Pro Road Show was just as good as day one.  The first class of the day was Red Carpet Beauty facilitated by Celebrity Makeup  Artist Patrick Eichler. He was introduced by Mariel Guay of Make Up Forever.

In the above picture, Patrick is teaching us that orange and pink colors work really well as blushes either alone or mixing them.  They tend to be universal. 

Above he is applying MUFE Smokey Lash MascaraHere Patrick is showing us where he will Highlight/Contour

These are the finished looks below

The 2nd class of the day was HD For All facilitated by Joy Hom.

Joy shared with us the techniques she uses when applying makeup that will be recorded in High Definition.  Unfortunately, I got to this class late so I don’t have a lot of pictures to share. :-(

Joy stressed the importance of prepping the skin and keeping in mind that less is more when working in HD.  You have to go softer with colors and texture because it will be amplified with the HD lens   Stay away from frosty textures and dark colors if possible because they will be extremely dramatic.  She also said it’s important to pay attention to your application.  Be ware of the strokes and finger prints that may be left on the skin.

Above is the finished look that Joy created with HD techniques.

Above is Michael DeVellis introducing Lija Stewart who taught the 3rd class of the day titled The Beauty and Business of Bridal.  The class served two purposes.  Lijah had a Q&A portion at the beginning then she did an application towards the end.  The Q& A portion was extremely helpful.  She did a terrific job in answering questions about how to deal with issues when working with brides and their bridal parties.  I’m very happy I attended this class.

First Lijah prepped the skin with HD Primer. 

Then she applied concealer under the eyes to highlight the area.Next she contoured the model’s cheeks to bring more dimension to her faceLijah believes in taking care of the skin first, so she did all of the face work before the eyes.  In the above picture she’s working to give the bride a soft smokey eye.

Here are the finished looks below. 

Below are Lijah and I.  I know I’ve already talked about how awesome Lijah is in my 1st post about my MUFE Pro Road Show Dallas experience, however I just wanted to reiterate just how amazing she really is as both an artist as well as a facilitator   She teaches the type of class that keeps you wanting more.  When you get to the end, you’re like “awww man, it’s over”.  I’m thrilled that she’ll be facilitating a couple of classes at The Makeup Show Orlando.  :-)

As I mentioned in the Day One experience of the Pro Road Show, Michael DeVellis stated there were 3 goals of this weekend. At the end of day 2, we completed the 3rd goal which was to network.  Because Make Up For Ever is so totally awesome, they had a special Meet and Greet Social Cocktail event for all of the attendees at the MUFE Store in Dallas North Park Mall.  It was after hours and pretty much open exclusively for us.  How cool is that???  We had the opportunity to not only network with one another, but also MUFE staff.

 Above is a picture of me with Patrick Eichler during the Pro Social event.

MUFE Pro Road Show Dallas Day One 1st Class with Lijah Stewart

 Continuing Education, Event Coverage, MUFE, MUFE Flash Palette, MUFE Pro Road Show  1 Response »
Sep 282012
 

Yay!! One of the events I’ve been waiting for all year was the Make Up For Ever Pro Road Show. I attended it last year in Austin, and it was truly life changing. It was held in Dallas this year Sept 15-17.  I was able to network with amazing people and I gained a plethora of knowledge…for free.

In case you aren’t familiar with this event. It’s a complimentary 3 day workshop/seminar with educational classes for professional make up artists. According to Michael DeVellis, the three main goals are 1.) Education 2.) Product Knowledge 3.) Building the MUA Community. I can honestly say I accomplished all three of these.

Michael DeVellis interacting with the MUAs after his Branding class.

The first class was The Art of Highlighting and Contouring by MUFE Educator Lijah Stewart.  In the above picture, she’s prepping the model’s skin. Lijah told us that she likes to actually touch her client’s skin to really get an idea of the facial structure she’s working with.  It also allows for a connection between MUA and client.   I never thought about that.  I always use brushes.  It’s rare that I really touch my clients’ faces, unless I really needed to blend the under eye concealer.

She used liquids with a flat foundation brush to highlight and contour to provide a skin finished effect and reduce that cakey look.

Above Lijah is contouring the eye with a matte brown color in the crease

She used the tighlining technique instead of lining the top lash line to add subtle definition to the eye without being too dramatic.

The completed beauty look with Highlighting and Contouring is above.

Next she took the look from a beauty look to a fantasy look starting with pink brows.  How awesome is that? :-)  I’m totally trying this.

Next she used the MUFE Flash Color Palette and mixed colors to make a gorgeous pink cheek contour.

 She used a sponge because of the easy to use shape.

Then she added a soft white cheek highlight

Lijah completed the look by contouring the forehead, lips, and eyes with pink. It’s incredible that even though this is a fantasy look, the model still looks pretty not scary. :-)

It’s so hard to put in words how fantabulous (yep that’s what I meant to say LOL!) Lijah Stewart is.  She was one of the 1st people I met when I walked into the room.  I didn’t know who she was until I introduced myself and she said her name.  I was like OMG you’re one of the presenters.  Can’t wait for your class!  Even then, I had no clue what I was in for.  I was blown away by her ability to not only create beautiful work but also engage the audience and make  the class really enjoyable.  It’s so clear that she truly loves what she does both being a make up artist and an educator.  Her personality and overall aura is just so pleasant, vibrant, and fun.  I’m so happy I was able to be in her class.

My 1st Experience at Make Up For Ever Store in Dallas

 MUFE, MUFE Pro Road Show  No Responses »
Sep 102012
 

Woo Hoo!!! I finally made it to the Make Up For Ever (MUFE) store in Dallas! I intended to post this weeks ago, but somehow never got to it.  I visited the store last month.  I had such a wonderful experience that I wanted to document it on Beauty By LeRenda.

First I have to say I was ecstatic that they allowed me to take pictures.

 

I was like a kid in a candy store.  Soooo many amazing products, so many I didn’t get to play with last year at the MUFE Pro Road Show but now had the opportunity.

This was definitely a time that I had to prioritize needs vs wants. I have a MUFE Backstage Pass (makeup artist pro card) so I had to resist the urge of purchasing a bunch of stuff just because I had a discount. LOL! I also had to keep in mind that I would be returning in a month for the 2012 MUFE Pro Road Show being held in Dallas. Ahhh, decisions decisions.

I knew for sure I wanted some Aqua Creams so that’s what I went to first.  I also needed some brush cleanser so I got that as well as a beautiful teal eyeliner that’s 100% better than the Elf one a purchased a couple of months ago from Target.

 

Here I am with one of the MUAs, Jaimie, who helped me.

 Here I am with Charlie, the other MUA who helped me.

I’m a firm believer in giving praises when they’re due especially when it comes to customer service.  Too often we hear negative and not positive.  These two were tremendously helpful even before they knew I was a MUA.  I’m looking forward to seeing them again this weekend at the Pro Road Show.

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