Consulting on Makeup

I had my first makeup consultation the other night. It was so much fun!! I worked with Chanel makeup (which blends in such an amazing way!), did some smoky eyes for the mother of the groom, and booked myself a job for the day of the wedding! Hopefully this is just the beginning of a great side job!

M had had surgery on her eyes a while back, so without any makeup they are a bit red. But never fear! We used Prescriptives Flawless Skin concealer on her eyes and in no time, they were just the same color as the rest of her face, which gave me a fresh canvas to work on.

I used the new Chanel palette - Quadra Eye Shadow. It has white, silver, charcoal, and black in it. The colors blended beautifully. I used M's liner (I think it was Lancome), but I suggested she switch to the Prescriptives Softlining pencil. It goes on much better and darker, which is perfect for the smoky look. I also used her three Estee Lauder mascaras, along with shu uemura curler.

For her face, I did my typical combo with her products. Bobbi Brown tinted moisturizer, Laura Mercier primer, Prescriptives foundation, Chanel Bronzer, and Chanel blush. Her face makeup looked awesome and I really think it was due to the bronzer and blush - the must-have finishing touches.

We worked on a few things and now know exactly what we'll do for the big day. Can't wait to show you pictures!

-A

Making Up an Appointment

A makeup appointment is something that can really help you understand what you should be using daily. For my cousin's engagement party last year, we went to Smashbox to get our makeup done and that was my chance to really talk to the makeup artist about what I needed for my face or her suggestions on what to use if I was unsure. In fact it was there that she told me I should be using a moisturizer daily despite the fact that I had such oily skin!

Of course I walked out of the makeup appointment with a lip gloss (which I liked at the time) and the Photo Finish Color Correcting Foundation Primer (which I actually don't use anymore because after a while I didn't think it did much). But it's really good to get a sense of what a professional thinks of your face and the products you use.

It's a great opportunity because although they tend to coax you into buying products, you'll learn more about yourself and you'll get a nice makeup face out of it - so make sure you've got somewhere to go afterwards!

Some common places* to get your makeup done:
- Sephora only does half your face, as a consultation, but you'll still get some expert tips and tricks
- MAC in Macy's does your whole face, as long as you buy $50 worth of products (but that's also totally worth it)
- Smashbox in Nordstrom did my face for free and I bought a few products

*You usually do need to buy a product or two to get your makeup done. Also, check with your local store to see what they do because they may or may not have the same stipulations. These were just a few examples.

-A

Photo: TooFaced.com