Category Archives: Professional Makeup

Dinair Airbrush Makeup

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Imagine if Julia Child taught you to cook, or if Lance Armstrong taught you biking. I know it might sound like a stretch, but that’s exactly how I feel about my trainings with Dina Ousley, the Godmother of airbrush makeup who originated the medium 25 years ago long before it was the ‘in’ thing to do. All makeup aside, she is the sweetest, most energetic ball of fun whose passion for her craft is contagious. I took the classes to really hone in on airbrushing so I could use it for foundation application, but I didn’t know that over the span of two days I would learn more than I have in years and completely change who I am as a Makeup Artist.

Why use airbrushing for foundation only when the soft, natural, long-wearing properties translate so beautifully to cheeks, eyes, and lips? I created Robin’s look below using 100% airbrush makeup- yup, even the eye liner and I did it in about half the time it normally takes me for a full face.

I watched in amazement as one by one, we all were transformed into better looking versions of ourselves with perfect skin that was almost glowing. The photos told the story though, since you can’t hide anything from a camera.

Here’s me after a quick spray of their foundation, it got rid of my unevenness and redness in just seconds. I loved how perfect my skin looked for once. It stayed on until I washed if off late that night, it looked so good I even considered leaving it on for the next day!  Oh, and I wasn’t mad, I’m just horrible at the self-portrait thing.

It’s also the best method for tattoo covering. Now, he didn’t get his skin back to the exact color, it was just a quick demonstration on how complete the coverage was. He even added a few ‘spots’ to make the skin look more realistic. For scaring, eczema, redness, and port wine  stains I think an at-home kit would be beneficial. It’s so easy.

I also had the privilege of being in the makeup chair for once, and not hovering over it. Below you’ll see a quick video that shows our educator Al applying airbrush shadow and liner on me. It took about 7 minutes for the whole look and didn’t budge an inch. Pretty amazing right?

Dinair is fantastic. The makeup stood on its own, but the throngs of professional makeup artists who work on the top A-listers in the biz (even Tom Cruise) who were in and out all day buying Dinair and visiting Dina all proclaimed that her products were the gold standard in the business. Yes, even when Dina was well out of ear shot. They’re located in Hollywood and offer personal classes to teach you how to apply airbrush makeup with confidence. They also pride themselves on excellent customer service, so you can call them or have a live chat to determine what colors and personal everyday system would work best for you. If perfect looking skin is something you’ve always wanted, Dinair has you flawlessly covered.

Dinair

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Graftobian Hi-Def Glamour Creme Foundation

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As a Makeup Artist, I sometimes forget that women want to know what I’m using in my kit to get professional results especially when it comes to foundations. I often wrongly assume that results would take a back seat to convenience since a little digging or online purchasing is required for lines like Graftobian that are hidden away where mostly professionals look to buy them.  That said, I think Graftobian is well worth the hunt.

I tried Graftobian last year after hearing how fantastic it was from the pros at Makeup Mania. I loved the backstory of how the line came to be using Hollywood Makeup Artist Brad Look (who painted faces for Star Trek Enterprise). He collaborated with Graftobian to create a line with the most commonly used foundation shades around that perform under hot lights and long hours giving the best looking skin- even by HD standards.

I can say this in all honesty. The finish and look of this foundation is the best I’ve found to date. That’s a pretty serious thing to say since I’ve used essentially every professional and mainstream line out there. Application is everything for the finish, so it’s important to invest in a latex-free Beautyblender. Run it under water first to get it super wet and the squeeze out the excess. Use the tip of it to grab just a little of the foundation and pat it into the skin starting at the center of your face, and blending your way outward. Do one section of your face at a time until you have a coverage you like. If you need a little more coverage, just use a concealer brush and work it into blemishes or discolorations. You’ll be amazed at how the smallest amount is needed to create an airbrushed look that’s light and natural.

You’ll see a helpful listing on their site of equivalent shades matching up to other popular lines, for instance, if you know you’re an NC 15 by M.A.C standards, you’ll wear ‘Ingenue’ for your Graftobian foundation. They also match up for Cinema Secrets, Black Opal, and Visora.

So in true infomercial style I’ll ask; How much would you pay for such a foundation? $30 maybe? If you wear a department store foundations it’d be $40? Higher end ones are $50.

Save it. You can get a big pan of their Hi-Def Foundation from Makeup Mania for under $10.

Small disclaimer though, I probably wouldn’t suggest this makeup for everyday use to someone acne-prone, but for special occasions and weddings a few hours is fine. All other skin types, go for it. You won’t be disappointed.

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Face Atelier Eye Shadows & Lip Glaze

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Face Atelier is a true Makeup Artist’s line tucked away in boutiques worldwide that cater to the pros and serious makeup gurus alike. Once you find it, it’s an addiction.

What I like about Face is that they understand makeup and do it well. Their color line is concise offering basics with splashy colors that are made in a way that makes them wearable and unique. Their Eye Shadows have a formula to be envied, so silky to the touch they almost feel creamy. Mattes are offered, but the true genus of their shadows lies within their delicately frosted formulas. More punch and easier to blend than a matte, but not a traditional shimmer to give all eyes (young and more mature) a healthy glow without settling into and emphasizing fine lines.

I load up my brush typically using Anti Gold or Iced Champagne and press the color into the base of my lash line blending up into my eye’s natural crease for a light color wash effect. Just a small amount goes a long way and the color is pigmented enough to build up into a more dramatic look. You won’t have any creasing and you’ll find your other shadows hard to blend and dull looking in comparison once you’ve tried these.

Check them out online, their color representations are incredibly true to the shades, but a tinge less bright than the shadow itself, so no surprises.

Also worth looking at are their Lip Glazes, ideal for gloss addicts since the tubes are a generous half ounce size, a ton of gloss when compared to the tiny tubes I’ve purchased for the same price or more.

Face Atelier

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Three Custom Color Specialists Opaline Creme Eye Definers

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At first glance, I thought it was just a purple creme eye liner. But wait, that’s not purple, it’s actually…brown?

In one of the coolest uses of color theory, Three Custom Color Specialists take black and brown creme liners to a whole new level. They’ve noticed (like I have) that when a black or brown liner is applied to the lid, they often times dull out.

For instance, I love an ultra jet black liner, but sometimes after it dries, it looks sort of grayish. Then there’s brown which can lose so much depth that I have to draw over the liner with a deep brown shadow to intensify it.

Their solution? Adding a hint of blue pearl to Aurora (their black liner) for a jet black that stays that way well after it dries, and some violet pearl to Jupiter (the brown) to brighten and deepen the brown chasing away any signs of dullness. Adding the blue and violet hues also make the whites of your eyes seem extra white because of the contrast.

To the eye, the shades look a little skewed but on the skin the colors are vibrant black and brown. Of course makeup artists wouldn’t create just any formula for these one-of-a-kind colors- they’re smudge proof, transfer resistant and carry a texture that binds to your brush in a way that virtually applies itself.

$22, 2 Shades, ThreeCustom.com

Three Custom Color Specialists Opaline Creme Eye Definers

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Gaston Photography Shoot Part 1

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Today I got to shoot 2 beautiful girls with a fantastic photographer, David Gaston of Gaston Photography.

Here’s part 1 and how to get the look;

Since Carla has the luxury of having basically perfect skin *sigh* I didn’t want to take too much away from that. I used my latest professional makeup obsession, Graftobian Hi Def Glamour Creme Palette, pressing the color into her skin with a dampened sponge so it covered any discolorations while still allowing her skin to show through. I’ll have a full review of that line here in a few weeks, trust me- you’ll love it.

I really wanted something to bring out her hazel eyes, so I chose the one and only Bobbi Brown eye shadow I carry in my kit at all times; Forest. This metallic deep olive is the perfect cure for a brown shadow rut because it looks fantastic on everyone, but gives that depth you can’t create with neutrals alone.

Adding a flash of gloss to your lids is gorgeous for photos, but not much else. If you’re looking to duplicate, use Aquaphor or Vaseline pressed into your lids over the top of shadows. The clock starts to tick immediately once you apply, and then the creasing begins and the color starts to deteriorate so act fast.

Coral cheeks and lips are unexpectedly chic and a nice departure from the ho hum nudes that would usually accompany a look like this one. Smashbox’s Reign Fusion Blush in Regal is probably my favorite peachy blush to date, a precise blend of shimmer and matte in a delicate peach that suits all skins.

Enjoy a few more snaps, part 2 tomorrow.

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Ben Nye at Makeup Mania

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Makeup Mania is quickly becoming the place for makeup lovers to find hard-to-get, top-quality lines here in Denver (and at their NY location).

Last time I was at Makeup Mania, I picked up some  La Femme eye shadows and told you all about how they’re an amazing steal at $2.50 a pop.

That same day, I also picked up some Ben Nye.

Their Primary Creme Colors have every color you can imagine that can be used for just about anything. The bottom row are creme blushes, I got two of them.

Carnation Pink and Sandy Rose I believe. They’re so creamy and easy to blend into the skin and they last a ton longer than powder blushes alone. For photography, layer a creme under a powder for best results.

Ben Nye’s shadows are legendary, they use such a finely milled powder they’re almost creamy to the touch. They grab onto the lids locking in rich, bold colors.

You don’t have to live in Denver or NY to get La Femme and Ben Nye, they do a ton of online ordering. Click HERE to see these collections plus many more.

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