TOUGH LOVE
TOUGH LOVEOne thing about being a ‘green’ makeup artist which parallels what it was like to be a personal trainer is that each person needs to change things up every once in awhile. What worked for each of us a couple years ago may be different than what we need now. If we make another change, like our hair color or cut, often a makeup change can be seamless and fun! It does not mean making any huge transformation in what we have been doing, we may just need a little less of ‘this’ and a little more of ‘that’. Or we may need to be looking at our eating lifestyle too to keep our skin supple and bright, not just workouts and makeup. It is about a more holistic approach to life as a whole. What is great about asking a professional is that sometimes we are not sure about the changes we are feeling and need that second opinion. And by ‘we’ I mean ‘me’. Even personal trainers need personal trainers. It is easy for anyone to get into a rut.
Maybe it is just naturally the tomboy in me and maybe it has something to do with growing up on the farm but I am a very practical, no-nonsense type of makeup artist. I usually draw clients to me who have never worn a stitch of makeup in their life, but at thirty or forty they want to try it. I like tackling every day, real life problems in the realm of beauty. I tried doing editorial-type makeup and film makeup but it was painful having to apply such heavy makeup on someone. It looked fine behind the camera but in really life it was hard to spot a freckle or any sign of life. I was sometimes fired from jobs because I was creating too ‘natural’ of a look. Instead, I am in my element teaching someone how to smooth and fade scars from extreme cystic acne. All too often I am teaching a client how to recreate the look of an eyebrow as she waits for her own brows to grow back after a second round of chemo. Or a client comes by with her teenage daughter who is feeling insecure. That is the other thing that is similar about green makeup artists and personal trainers. You give people options on little changes they can make that not only improve their health but make them feel better about themselves. To me that is an honor and a privilege.
I have also had the privilege of doing my mom’s makeup for over three decades. For as long as I have been able to hold a pencil I have been holding a makeup brush and practicing my techniques on her. What I have learned through my mom over the years is that the more we are able to embrace the changes we see, and even laugh at them, the more beautiful we feel to ourselves and others. Now in her sixties, I encourage her to wear a little more color on her lips and cheeks and concentrate on her brows a little more. She used to spend time perfecting her liquid liner but now she just likes a little Raspberry Elixir around her eyes, a touch of Brightener, and mascara. To me she can never not be pretty. Her inner strength is beautiful to me and no amount of fine lines could change that. They add to her beauty.
PERMANENT MAKEUP
My thoughts on permanent makeup are not all bad. First, for anyone considering getting it done, you should ask the technician what is going into the ink that is going into your skin. The ingredients can vary. As our eyebrow shape and thickness change we need to do more corrective makeup to maintain that thick brow. Even after you have had your permanent makeup done in the form of eyebrow makeup or eyeliner, you will still need to get it touched up. As much as you think it will cost you to have it done initially, the maintenance as the color fades will cost you too. One thing I like about it is that a professional is doing your makeup for you and carefully assessing the placement of it from all different angles. As we get older it is not always easy to see what we are doing. Our near-sightedness gets a little fuzzy. The other alternative to permanent makeup is getting two really good magnifying mirrors. One should be larger, for your bathroom or bedroom and the other for travel. The part about permanent makeup that scares me is that some women tend to go with what is trendy and they may not like it a few years down the road. Also, as I explained above, our makeup placement may need to change as our face changes. ‘Permanent’ means just that.
DATE NIGHT MAKEUP & LASH EXTENSIONS
I have a favorite look for anyone 35+. If you tend to be a little shaky when it comes to eye makeup, this look is a good one to try yourself. It is all about blending and softening lines. It brings out the eyes and not only lasts but looks better as the night wears on! Click HERE to see a great tutorial on the LIGHT SMOKY EYE. Try choosing a smoky color that brings out your natural eye color. If you want to really kick things up a notch, find a makeup artist close by who could spare fifteen minutes to apply some false lashes on you. This is also a great option if you are getting professional photos done or if you are going to a wedding. I highly recommend opting for formaldehyde-free, paraben-free, toxin-free vegan lash glue and test it beforehand so that you do not risk irritation. If you have been on the fence about getting LASH EXTENSIONS, I have never tried them myself but I would have to admit that I am not too keen on the glue that is used. Secondly, I don’t know about you but I like to cleanse my face in a ‘deep massage’, no-holds-barred kind of way. You cannot cleanse your face with that kind of enthusiasm when you have lash extensions. You have to cleanse carefully, very carefully. And even then, eyelashes will fall out so they need maintaining. Instead, treat yourself to a Shu Uemura eyelash curler and a couple more coats of mascara or try faux lashes and achieve the same results or better.
YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL
“Growing old is a mandatory process. For women, for a period of time, we might even resist aging as we try our hardest to fight off wrinkles and hang on to the physical beauty of our faces. Yet, getting old is a natural process where things are slowing down, and you’ll begin to see that the sparkle in your heart and the twinkle in your eyes make you beautiful in a way that’s not achievable in youth. ‘Age’ is the acceptance of a term of years. But maturity is the glory of years.”
-Clare Langley
Have fun trying something new and glorious!
Jo
