YouTube Make-Up Artists

Here is part 2 of the YouTube make-up guru blog series. I decided to do this series because although I have been doing make-up for over 10 years I have learned so many great tips and ideas that I feel it is my duty to share these channels with my fellow make-up artist friends as well as anyone else that is into the beauty industry. Not only do these talented artists show you step by step how to recreate day, evening, wedding, celebrity, holiday and runway looks but they also do reviews on their favorite products and tools. 

The Channel: The Queen of Blending MUA

 The third channel that I subscribed to was to Lauren’s channel aka The Queen of Blending MUA. A total California girl and young mother (http://www.youtube.com/user/QueenofBlendingMUA). Lauren reminds me a bit of myself in that she seems like a girl that never leaves home without at least doing her brows, a coat of mascara and some gloss. A true girly girl diva, I LOVE IT!! 

How I Got Hooked: 

At the time that I subscribed to The Queen of Blending MUA’s channel I was newly hooked on YouTube and was searching for new channels to subscribe to. I came across a thumbnail photo that was so outrageous that I had to watch the video. This beautiful, sweet girl proceeded to slap on (and I do mean SLAP ON) make-up in the most shocking manner; she had lipstick and eyeshadow everywhere. It was all just a put on but she kept such a straight face throughout the entire video that anyone that didn’t know better would have thought she was deranged. I however, was intrigued. (It has been a few years so I was unable to find the video but here is a Holiday spoof video ((so befitting for this time of the year)): http://www.youtube.com/user/QueenofBlendingMUA#p/u/101/7lWdnwW7qmM).

I laughed so hard through that first video that I had to watch a few more and what I discovered is the girl has mad skills.

Why I Still Watch:

What I love most about Lauren is that she shares my love of tranny lashes (like drag queens wear), and colorful simplistic looks. I also love that some of her favorite make-up and tools that she’s loving right now can be found at your local Wal-Mart, Target or CVS. For example her favorites of the moment are an eyeshadow brush by Sonia Kashuk (Target) and eyeshadow palette is by Wet and Wild.

She does great haul videos as well showing the latest and greatest from IMATS (International Make-up Artists Trade Show - http://www.imats.net/newyork/newyork_index.php) and other events. Through “The Queen” I have learned about brands like Inglot (http://inglotcosmetics.com/), Sugar Pill (http://www.sugarpillshop.com/) and am convinced that she was the first guru I saw using the OCC Lip Tars (http://www.occmakeup.com/lips.html).

Over the years Lauren “The Queen” has stayed true to what she loves and she has even incorporated a few nail art videos to her channel. Being a fellow make-up and nail artist I love this channel because I learn new techniques in both arenas.

The Channel: Make-Up by Risa

 How I Got Hooked:

 At this point I was a full on YouTube junkie. I would watch tons of make-up videos to see who I would subscribe to next. Sometimes I would stay up all night researching and watching videos.

There were many - many candidates out there but I clicked my next subscribe button on an amazing artist that has not posted a video in quite some time: Make-Up by Risa (http://www.youtube.com/user/MakeupByRisa).  

 Risa used to work for MAC and has been blessed to do make-up at NY Fashion Week as well as other fashion and trade shows. I noticed on her blog today (http://www.makeupbyrisa.blogspot.com/) that she is working on getting her channel up and running again. I will continue to try to follow Risa to see if she has a new channel that she is uploading her videos to, so stay tuned. I am sure someone with that level of talent is still doing make-up but may no longer have the time to do videos. COME BACK RISA WE MISS YOU!!

For now Risa’s channel is still up and I highly recommend you check out her archives because her work is incredible.

The Channel: Goldie Starling

Over time I found a few more gurus here and there but when I saw Angie aka Goldie Starling’s channel I knew I had found an artist that would teach me more than any other (http://www.youtube.com/user/goldiestarling). You see in addition to the standard haul and tutorial videos Angie creates looks (not as much lately) to enter contests on other gurus’ channels.  She really goes above and beyond in order to win. I will never forget the time she created Van Gogh’s Starry Night on her face. It is so cool that I am adding the link to it here:  (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl82x9Th1tQ).

 How I Got Hooked:

I am really bummed that so much was going on in my life during Halloween this year because I wrote an amazing blog about my favorite Halloween gurus to which Angie is my hands down favorite. That is really how I got hooked on her channel years ago. It was Halloween time and Angie puts out more Halloween inspired videos than any of the other gurus I subscribe to.

This year she did everything from a reverse sugar skull (you can really see her detail work in this video: http://www.youtube.com/user/goldiestarling#p/u/17/DggkZycrgoo) to a ½ rotted face using liquid latex and tissue paper. AMAZBALLZ!!

Why I Still Watch:

This year Angie revealed something that I did not know about her, she is a cake decorator in her “real” life. It all makes since now because occasionally she will do incredibly small and detailed work on her face just like decorating a cake. (See this year’s reverse sugar skull video – link is above)

I also enjoy watching Angie because she is not only stunningly beautiful but she is hilarious, sweet and the all important adjective, talented.

These are just 3 of the make-up gurus that I am featuring today, more to come.

Stay Fabulous!!

YouTube ADDICTION!!

I am going to start a new series on my blog of my favorite YouTube make up gurus. I decided to do this series because although I have been doing make-up for over 10 years I have learned so many great tips and ideas that I feel it is my duty to share these channels with my fellow make-up artist friends as well as anyone else that is into the beauty industry. Not only do these talented artists show you step by step how to recreate day, evening, wedding, celebrity, holiday and runway looks but they also do reviews on their favorite products and tools.

The Channel: Make-Up by Ren Ren

I have been a YouTube subscriber for a few years now and what got me completely addicted was this incredible make-up artist named Ren from Atlanta. When I first started watching Make-up by Ren Ren (http://www.youtube.com/user/MakeupByRenRen ) I learned so much about over the top eyeshadow looks as well as the proper technique of blending bright colored eyeshadows.

How I Got Hooked:

The first look that I recreated was a tiger eye look with orange and brown shadows. For anyone that has ever tried to blend those 2 colors and keep the look wearable knows it is no easy feat. I was able to rock the tiger eye look to my corporate job (Ren is also a corporate girl by day and fierce make-up artist by night) and people loved it.

I watched a few more of Ren’s videos that day and because she made everything seem so simple I immediately subscribed to her channel and became a YouTube addict. THANKS REN!!

Why I Still Watch:

Over the years Ren has concentrated more on natural looks that are more daytime wearable but I continue to watch her channel because of her make-up and beauty product hauls. Hauls are when a guru purchases new products or are sent products from a manufacturer to review on their channel. Many gurus detest the word haul but no one has come up with a better one.

Whenever Ren suggests a new product I want to run out and purchase it which I am sure is true for her hundreds of followers. For example about 2 years ago Ren did a review on the Seya Train case that she purchased at Yasmo.com. If you are a make-up artist looking for a new train case check out Ren’s video where she discusses why she loves the Seya train case and shows all of the amazing features it has. Keep in mind the video is about 2 years old so it may take some effort to find.

BONUS: I totally love the intro to her channel and at the end of each tutorial she shows photos of the look and always does one with a crazy gangster face, too funny!!

The Channel: Panacea 81

 The next channel that I subscribed to was Lauren Luke’s channel, Panacea 81 (http://www.youtube.com/user/panacea81). Like me Lauren is self taught. One day she just started playing around with make-up and decided to film it.

How I Got Hooked:

 I watched a few of her videos and instantly feel in love with her accent and long gorgeous brown hair. Because Lauren was new to the game and decided to learn through trial and error it endeared me to her and I knew that I would also learn new tips through Lauren’s efforts.

Her looks are always amazingly creative and easy to recreate. She loves doing celebrity looks and during the season she does great Halloween looks.

Why I Still Watch:

Over the years Lauren’s skills have definitely improved and soon after she started broadcasting her channel took off and her career skyrocketed. She now has her own make-up line which debuted in New York and sold in US Sephora stores a few years ago. Her newest venture is her make-up brush line which can be purchased through her website (https://laurenluke.com/shop/). I hope to purchase the new brush set soon so that I can do a review on them.

I hope to one day follow in Lauren’s career footsteps because she is really making a name for herself. YOU GO LAUREN!

BONUS: At the end of each tutorial Lauren smiles and says, “Zoom zoom” which is then followed by photos of the look she just created.

This is just the first installment of this series on my favorite make-up gurus. I hope you all will check out these YouTube channels and come back to my blog for more.

Stay Fabulous!!

Rachel Zoe Project – Bah-Nan-Ahs

I found myself watching back to back episodes of season 4 of the Rachel Zoe Project on Bravo! I love that viewers get to watch this time during Rachel’s pregnancy because I think she looks the best she has ever looked. Being 8 months pregnant has given her the weight she really needed to fill out her face and make her look radiant and beautiful. Normally, I think she looks tired and older than she really is when she is stick thin. I just hope that now that she has had the baby she will consider keeping a bit of the weight.

The other thing I noticed that I hadn’t noticed before is that she looks like she has had some Botox in her forehead but not in her chin area where I feel she needs a little something. I guess I never noticed it before because I could only focus on the bags under her eyes, the mark of a true stylist as anyone in the fashion industry knows.

I have to say that I love Rachel and hope to one day follow in her career footsteps but there are definitely a few things that I would do differently.

First, I would like to say that Rachel’s LA style is not really for me. I am an east coast DC girl so I tend to lean more on the conservative side of the fashion spectrum. Rachel loves the ease and flow of the 70s era where I am more of a fan of the 40s, with the structured suits and polished hair and make-up.

Secondly, being an African-American woman I think that Rachel could benefit greatly with more diversity on her staff, you know someone like me. I could guide her through the world of urban fashion. I think that she could use with more influences like Kimora Lee Simmons Baby Phat collection as well as the amazing local DC designers KAS (http://www.kascollectioninc.com/) and Andrew Nowell Menswear (http://www.andrewnowell.com/). These designers know how to do urban with edge and luxury.

Talking about these last 2 local designers brings me to my final point of what I would do differently from Rachel. I would support local designers and do what I could to elevate their collections to an international level. I believe that someone that has that much influence in the fashion industry should be doing more to seek out amazing local talent and mentoring them to the next level.

In spite of these differences I will say that Rachel and I do have quite a bit in common. We both love the drama and artistry of couture and love high art designers such as the late great Alexander McQueen, Prabal Gurung, and Alexander Wang.
Now back to the gossip of the show.

I adore the new guy Jeremiah that she hired. Not only is he adorable, talented, and has a great eye but he seems like his going to be a great asset to the Zoe team. I feel that he will not become a media whore like Taylor and Brad were. Oh the drama those 2 created in the first 3 seasons. Of course it made for great TV but they were annoying and let the cameras make them loose site of the main goal of styling.

Jeremiah also thinks outside of the box in a thoughtful manner, really wants to please Rachel, and most importantly is willing to learn the fashion industry from the ground up and who better to learn from than the amazing Rachel.

On the other hand Joey is the epitome of every gay stereotype that I hate. I should first say that I started my career as a dancer and have been around gay men all my life. Most of my men friends are gay and I love them all but this Joey character (I call him that because it is so obvious that he is playing a character) is so over the top and flamboyant that it takes every ounce of my strength not to reach through the TV and slap the shit out of him. I liked it better when we only saw him every few episodes sitting quietly doing Rachel’s hair and make-up; interjecting every once in a while on Rachel’s wardrobe. Now that they have decided to make him more of a main character on the show I am seriously considering hulu’ing the show so I can skip all sections he is in.

I know this is just a shot in the dark that the incredible Rachel Zoe would actually read my little blog but on the 1 and a million chance that she does I have 2 pieces of advice for her and the Bravo! producers of The Rachel Zoe Project:

1. Hire me to diversify your staff, I have been in this business for over 15 years and have incredible knowledge of fashion history. I know your favorite color is white but if you don’t diversify your staff people are going to think that you are prejudice and you will never get amazing African American and Latina stars on your client roster. I know you are currently styling Eva Mendes but what other ethnic stars are you styling?

2. Give Joey less air time because I feel that he is offensive to the gay community. So many gay men are doing their best to not become the stereotypical gay man that the hetero world pigeonholes them in. I believe that Joey just sets gay men back on the evolutionary scale.

Stay Fashionable and ABsolutely FABulous!

First Day of DC Fashion Week S/S 2012 - H Street Festival

I had been listening to the weather all week and I heard cold but nothing about rain; so when I woke up this morning to clouds and a drizzle I was not very happy. For the past 3 or 4 years that I have been doing make-up for the H Street Festival it has always been really hot. This is the first time that this event could potentially be rained out.

I forged ahead anyway making sure my make-up looked flawless: soft gold on the lid, soft bronze in the crease, and skin-toned highlighter - Red Ginger 88 palette in matte and shimmer; a touch of bronzer and highlighted with a soft pink – Coastal Scents 8 palette, the amazing Ardell 117 lashes and my MAC Pro Longwear Lipcolour in Passion Preserved.

The outfit was cute but workable for the task at hand, with my jet black skinny jeans, dusty rose tank top, V-neck cable knit long-sleeved Kelly green pullover sweater and black gladiator style peep-toe 3” booties.

When I got to the gym on 10th and H Street NE the models and make-up artists were getting set up and it just felt amazing to be back with my true fashion friends. I came in and got big hugs and kisses from my dear friend and fellow make-up colleague Lynette Evans (seek her out, she’s amazing) and my beautiful friends, Model Coordinator, April Miller (one of the best walkers in the business) and Model, Heather Shue (as tall as she is beautiful). A few moments later, Executive Producer, Jimmy Jones came up behind me and gave me a huge hug and kiss and a bit later the founder of DC Fashion Week and Creative Director of Corjor International, Ean Williams came in. I jumped away from my model to give him a hug and kiss. Aaaahhh I was home!

The make-up look for today was a black smoky eye and a red lip for the female models and a light coverage and powder for the male models. Any make-up artist that has worked DC Fashion Week knows that is the standard make-up vision. It is a look that is striking on the runway and works with the varied skin tones of the models as well as the varied artists that present their collections.

The mood was uplifting and fun as I worked on the 5 models that I glamourized for the show. There was laughing, catching up, and a bit of gossip; all the things that I love about backstage at fashion shows.

We finished right on time and everyone noted that it was cloudy but not raining so the show was going on. I stayed to pack up my kit as the models made their way to the outdoor stage on 12th and H.

I was unable to see the first designer but I made it backstage to the tents in time to see the Corjor collection up close and personal. Ean Williams, Creative Director for Corjor International and Founder of DC Fashion Week, restyled a few of his classic pieces from a previous collection giving them a freshness and modernity. The pieces I have not seen previously were spectacular. He has been playing with shredding for a few seasons but this season Ean took his signature classic silhouettes, shredded 1” strips of chiffon in a neutral palette of chocolate brown and black and layered them to create his pieces. He gave us short and long halter dresses but the piece that blew me away was the cutest pair of black hot pants done in the same shredded style paired with a corseted black satin spaghetti strapped top that was pleated like the top of ball gown - AMAZING!! At the end of the show I told Ean, who also MC’s the shows, that I was dying over the new pieces and he told me that I have not seen anything. He said that the pieces that he will be showing later during DC Fashion Week are over the edge. All I can say to that is, I am holding my breath in anticipation.

The next designer was a DC Fashion Week favorite Renee Frances Designs (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Renee-France-Designs/192230820822696?sk=wall#!/pages/Renee-France-Designs/192230820822696). Renee does knit wear like no one else. She takes traditional crochet shapes and string them into tropical confections. What other designer do you know can create swimwear and beach looks from knitwear fabrics? Renee’s pieces are always bright and fun, but most importantly sexy. I don’t know if Renee grew up in a warm climate but she creates like she was born in Brazil. From photos that I have seen of Brazilian beaches they wear very little and that is exactly what you get when you wear Renee’s bathing suits. She always peppers the collection with adorable crocheted cocktail dress as well as long pants finished with ruffled hems. Great collection as always Renee!

The final designer of the day was a lovely young woman names Elizabeth St. John. I first saw Elizabeth’s collection at last year’s DC Fashion Week S/S collections during the bridal show at the Textile Museum in DC. Elizabeth does incredible evening gowns as well as bridal wear. Her choice of fabrics is impeccable and it is evident that she has a great understanding of the female body and passion for her craft. Today she showed gowns with a high level of sophistication, vibrant colors, and fantastic skill; pretty remarkable for someone so young. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

All in all it was a great day. It didn’t rain and the sun had actually come out by the time the show was over. The festival was in full swing when I left shortly after the show which I think is the mark of a great event. If you get the opportunity to catch this amazing festival next year I high recommend you check it out.

For more information on the other shows being held at the Spring/Summer 2012 DC Fashion Week go to the website: http://dcfashionweek.org/dcfw/index.php/schedules/.

Make sure you come back to my blog later in the week for more backstage scoop and my insights into Spring/Summer 2012 NY Fashion Week.

STAY FABULOUS!!