How to clean your brushes

The other day I was asked what I use to clean my brushes. After working on a client and especially more than one model I use 99% alcohol. I just pour some into a little spritzer bottle, spray the brushes and wipe them off on a towel. It clean's them good and fast. You don't want to be waiting around for your brushes to dry on a shoot. Then once I get home I wash my brushes with a baby shampoo and water to keep them soft. I use to use an actual brush cleaner and decided that I can just use products I already have at home that will clean the brushes just as well. I haven't noticed any difference in my brushes, they don't seem to be drier or any different in any way. 

If you do however want to spend the extra $ and get a brush cleaner here are some that I have used and loved

You can get this cinema secrets brush cleaner at Camera Ready Cosmetics

you can get the cover FX brush cleaner either at Sephora or at Cover FX

Here are 5 at home recipes for brush cleaner's you can make that are super easy! Found here

1. 1 cup of Warm Water
1 TBSP Liquid Dish Detergent


2. 1 cup of Warm Water
1 TBSP of Baby Shampoo


3. 1 cup of Warm Water
1 TBSP of Woolite 


4. 1 cup of Distilled Water
2 TBSP of Rubbing Alcohol
1 TBSP of Baby Shampoo


5. 1/2 cup of Warm Water
1/4 cup of Vinegar 

Even using a combination of Baking Soda and Baby Shampoo would work too. After cleaning brushes you want to hang them upside down or flat on a towel so that the liquid doesn't seep back into the base of the brush. Washing your brushes once a week (even if you're the only one using them) is the best way to avoid any bacteria, oil or dirt. It also helps keep the bristles clean and fluffy soft.

What are your favorite brush cleaners to use? 

Foundation 101

While spending some time with family a couple weeks ago my cousin asked me about foundation. She said she doesn't like to wear foundation but every now and then will use concealer to cover up scars, blemishes, dark circles, freckles, etc. We just got to talking about foundation and its importance so I thought I would do a post about it!

Alot of times we think foundation just feels cakey and cloggy and yuck! But it doesn't have to be that way! There are 3 different types of coverage. Sheer coverage, medium coverage and full coverage. There are also different types of foundation; powder foundation, cream foundation, and liquid foundation. 

So, lets talk about WHY we would even wear foundation in the first place. To me, the whole reason to wear foundation is to even out your skin tone and add some radiance to your complexion. A lot of women have red parts in their skin, around their nose, around the corners of their mouths, maybe even on the cheeks and forehead. So the skin then appears blotchy. Foundation will help even that out!  Another thing is the correct  foundation can make blemishes look less noticeable and it can make you look younger. Now just because I am saying that these are the reasons for foundation does not necessarily mean you are going to go cake on a thick layer of goop. Foundation is there to enhance and compliment your appearance, not change it. Do we understand the difference? =)

So what kind of foundation and coverage does your skin need then?

Sheer Coverage: If you are blessed with a clear and smooth complexion go for the sheer coverage! It will feel very light and give you subtle coverage. Sheer coverage foundations come in liquid, powder compact or a tinted moisturizer. 

Liquid is the greatest foundation to get for all skin types, you can either get an oil-free formula for oily skin or a moisturizing formula for dry skin.  

This is NARS Sheer Glow Foundation $42 at Sephora good for Dry skin 

or you can find the NARS Sheer Matte Foundation for Oily skin at Sephora as well. 

or 

Laura Mercier's Moisturizing Foundation $42 at Sepora

This foundation can be a very light coverage but is build able to create a more fuller coverage, so great!

Powder Compact is a dual finish powder foundation that gives you a quick sheer coverage. Just apply with a brush and your set to go! Super easy and great for touch ups on the go. What's great about powder foundation is you can also use a wet sponge to apply for more coverage if you ever needed to.

This is the Laura Mercier Foundation Powder $40 at Sephora

Then there is a Tinted Moisturizer, which is by far the sheerest of all sheer foundations. What it is is actually what it sounds like, a moisturizer with a little color added to make a tint. This is perfect to use during the summertime when your at the beach or lake and you don't want to wear much makeup. It definitely evens out the skin but at the same time provides very light coverage. Plus, a lot of moisturizer's have sunscreen in them so this is great in protecting your skin from the sun!

This is Urban Decay's Urban Defense Tinted Moisturizer SPF20 $30 at Sephora

or

The Smashbox Sheer Focus Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15 $30 at sephora

Medium and Full Coverage: Medium to full coverage have thicker consistencies. You're going to want to use this type of foundation for concealing breakouts, scars, and even for just wanting a longer lasting fuller coverage. Types of medium and full coverage foundation are creme, stick, creme-to-powder and mineral powder. 

Cream-to-powder is so quick and simple, it has two in one! It goes on creamy and dries with a powdery finish. This type of foundation is great for oily skin because the powder part of it helps cut down on the shine. I also love that this foundation has buildable coverage, starting at medium and can build to full.

This is Clinique's City Base Compact Foundation $24 at Sephora

Mineral Powder is a loose powder that sticks to the skin, creating a medium to full coverage. This foundation is also great for oily skin because the mineral's help soak up the oil and feels really light.

Bare Minerals Foundation $26 at sephora

Cream is a foundation that is very smooth and creamy. It can be great for dry skin, however, you want to make sure you don't do too heavy of an application otherwise it will make your face look "cakey". I love to use a sponge for cream foundations and instead of a swiping motion I do more of a stippling motion. Also, the great thing about cream foundation is you can mix in a little bit of regular moisturizer to the cream to create a more sheer coverage. Cream really can be used as all three coverage's!Another thing that is great is you can always use the cream foundation as a concealer. It's so versatile!

This is Cover FX Total Coverage Cream Foundation $42 at Sephora

Stick  foundation basically is very similar to cream foundation, its more of a cream foundation and concealer in one. This is probably the best type of foundation for someone who wants the fullest coverage there is. It is ideal for normal to dry skin and someone who needs the coverage. On someone with clear skin it might look too heavy and cakey. 

This is Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick $41 at Sephora

These are all just examples and I am sure there are a ton of other brands that work just as well! These are just a few that I really like. If you are wondering what color of foundation to get check out my other blog post here about how to find the correct color of foundation! 

Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading!!

Have a great day =)

Leah

How do you know that?!

So many people are interested to know where I learned all about makeup. So I thought I would share in a blog post! I have learned from various places, but makeup books are my favorite, here I will talk about some of the best and maybe it'll help you for next time you are in need of a new makeup book.

My very first Makeup book that I have ever owned was by Bobbi Brown, called Teenage Beauty. I think I must of been about 13 or 14 when I got this book.

 What I loved about this book was that she focused on teaching you that everyone is beautiful no matter the size of your nose or how many freckles you have. She helps you find your true individual beauty. It's so important to bring out and focus on the beautiful features on your face rather than trying to cover up your flaws and focusing on the negative. She goes on to teach you about how you can achieve a natural, beautiful, everyday look rather than caking on a heavy mask of makeup. I would say that this book is the perfect guide for beginners. It is perfect for finding your inner beauty!

The next book I got was called Ultimate Makeovers by Robert Jones.

In this book you will learn all about various facial shapes and how to convert any face shape into the ideal shape. It talks about different types of makeup and why each product works and how to apply it properly. There are a ton of gorgeous pictures throughout the book that I think are great to look at for inspiration. It has a big section of the book that cover's bridal makeup. Overall, I think it would be a great book for anyone starting in the beauty industry, whether you are a makeup artist, hairstylist or photographer.

Then I got Make-up Designory's Beauty Make-up Book.

This book is great to have! It is one of the actual books that they use at the Make-up Designory School.  There are a lot of very useful tips and tricks in there. This is definitely a MUST HAVE for anyone aspiring to become a makeup artist. I would highly recommend it!
It gives a complete and thorough presentation of the basics of Makeup Artistry. Basically it will give you a greater understanding of color and beauty through the use of makeup. I still go back to this book from time to time to refresh and re learn the skills it teaches in this book.

Lastly, another one I own is Rae Morris's Makeup: The Ultimate Guide

Hands down, this is my FAVORITE one!!! The photo's are gorgeous. The tips and explanations on how to do makeup is awesome and easy to do yourself. She gives step by step instructions on how to do certain looks. I love the way she explains how to groom and perfect your eyebrows (which, by the way, is how I learned how to do mine). There are color charts and tips on contouring and highlighting. Really, this book is the perfect addition to your makeup book collection and will help you improve your makeup skills. Rae Morris has another book called "Express Makeup", which is on my list of books to get!

There are so many other books out there that I am dying to get my hands on. But some other really great ways to learn and grow makeup skills are from other makeup artisits on the internet, I love following different blogs and youtube channels. You can look to the side and I have a list of Blogs that I love that will give you an idea of which ones I follow. Some favorite youtube channels that I like are Wayne Goss, Kandee Johnson, The Queen of Blending, and Lisa Eldridge are just a few to name! Check them out! 

What are your fave makeup artists to follow?!
Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!!

Leah

I met Kandee Johnson!!!!!

I wanted to share with you guys about my fun story of meeting Kandee Johnson the other day! If you don't know who she is I suggest checking her out! Go here for her blog and you can see her youtube video's here. 

Let me start out with how I came about becoming such a HUGE fan of her...When my youngest son was a couple months old I was feeling pretty stressed with having two babies 12 months apart. It was at that time that I found out about Kandee and reading her blog posts and watching her youtube video's helped me at that time in my life.

 So it was about June or so of 2010, during the nighttime feedings I would watch TV or movies to keep me entertained while I fed my baby. One night I decided to look up video's on youtube and I came across this video. It was Kandee Johnson doing a tutorial on a costume look for Tinkerbell. I loved it! So, after that I sat and watched all of her video's every night! Then I realized she had a blog as well and so every time I was sitting down to feed my youngest son I would sit and go through and read her blog posts. 

Not only did I love the way she did her tutorials but I also loved how she had some video's that talked about how she got started as a Makeup Artist. It was so inspirational to me to hear her story of her struggles and how she finally came to be where she is now! I felt like I could relate to her because she has kids and so do I!   and reading about her life and about makeup helped me out with my stresses in life, took my mind off of it at least for alittle bit!

 I have always had a passion for makeup ever since I was old enough to have makeup! But I wasn't sure how to make my dreams of becoming a makeup artist come true. Then I came across Kandee Johnson and as soon as I watched her inspirational video about how she made it happen it was totally what I needed to hear! I realized that even though I have kids I can still make time for me and do what I love and I can still be a mother and be good at that too. I also loved how positive and optimistic she was in her video's! She truly is a sweetheart and so kind and loving to everyone. What an awesome example she was and is to me! I feel so blessed that I stumbled upon her youtube video's and blog at that time in my life. 

So, time has gone by since then. My youngest son is now almost 2 years old. and things aren't as stressful as they used to be! I have been trying really hard to make my dreams happen! I have been busy with practicing makeup on anyone who will let me! Trying to get more experience and learn and grow at being good at makeup. I still have so much I want to accomplish but I know if it weren't for Kandee Johnson's example I wouldn't be where I am and where I am going!

This last week my Grandmother passed away and I was feeling very sad and trying to remember her and reflect on the time I was able to spend with her in this life. On Tuesday, I drove about 4 hours from my small town in Idaho to Salt Lake City, Utah to board a plane to Houston, Texas so that I could attend her funeral on Wednesday. In those 4 hours of driving I had cried a little bit and was feeling pretty sad. I got to the airport pretty early and while sitting at my gate I thought maybe I'll go for a walk since I had been sitting for awhile and I had tons of time until I boarded. So, I walked down this really long hallway they have in the airport, I stopped and looked out the window, took a picture and put on some lip gloss and then turned around to walk back. 

I started to walk back and I look over and see a very cute zebra zuca bag

I thought to myself...Hey, thats a Zuca makeup bag! The bag that Kandee has talked about in her video that she uses to carry her makeup when she travels! I just thought, that's so cool someone else uses that same bag as Kandee Johnson! hahaha 

Then I notice that the girl with the bag was pushing, I think, a stroller with a car seat on it that had all this fluffy cute leopardy goodness! lol and I thought ohh how cute! and right at that moment it just all clicked! I looked over to see who it was pushing the stroller and pulling the cute bag and sure enough it was KANDEE JOHNSON and her beautiful Mom and baby girl!!!!!  

At that moment, without even thinking, I yell out "ARE YOU KANDEE JOHNSON"?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? 

She turned around and said Yes!! 

I was in complete shock! I felt like my heart could beat right out of my chest. She came over and gave me a hug and at that moment I was shaking from my hands to my toes lol. It was literally a dream for me! In those short couple minutes the pain and sadness I had been feeling about my Grandma were now feelings of gladness and happiness. Her Mother even gave me a hug, which I thought was so very sweet! 

I felt like such a giddy little school girl meeting my favorite superstar!!! I don't even really remember what all I said to her because I was so flabbergasted lol. Her mom suggested we take a picture and I am so grateful for that, I will forever cherish it!

What an honor it was to meet her! She truly is the sweetest person! She even complimented me on my makeup! Seriously, that made my day! That made my year! haha

There was so much I wanted to say to her but because I was in complete shock lol I only managed to tell her that she was an inspiration to me! Everything else out of my mouth was such a jumble.

After taking the picture she was on her way to LA and I went my way to Texas. I felt so grateful for meeting her and called my husband right away and told him all about it! He couldn't believe it! (He know's how much I love her)

The rest of the day went great, I arrived in Texas and was surrounded by all my family. Felt so much love from all of them. We had the funeral the next day. It was a very sad day, we were all crying so much. I loved my Grandma so much and will forever keep her in my heart. By the end of the day I realized that she is in a better place now and her pain is gone (she had liver cancer). Just knowing that gives me peace. We need to cherish the people we love right now!

Go and hug someone you love and tell them you love them! You never know when it might be the last time you see them. 

Anyways, hope everyone has a great day! I hope you enjoyed my Kandee story as much as I did!! I just love that girl! I wish I could be her little makeup assistant/intern, even if she just needed someone to clean her brushes for her I would LOVE to do that! haha 

Loves Leah

Product Review: Smashbox "Click, You're It" Eye Palette

What is it:

An eye palette with 15 eye shadows, 5 cream liners and 1 travel size eyelid primer.

Where to Buy:

Sephora

Smashbox

Amazon

Ebay

My Opinion: This palette includes 15 shadows, 3 are a matte finish and the rest are shimmery. I love the selection of colors. They go on smooth and pigmented with not a whole lot of fall out. There are plenty of colors that can work for either day time or night time. Of course I used the eyeshadow primer on my lids, which works great.

The cream liners are awesome! They glide on smoothly and it comes with 5 fun colors that could easily be used as a base under your shadow. I even liked the red box that it came in, classy and very holiday for sure. 

My only thing that I might not like about it is it seems like the pans are pretty thin with not a whole lot of product. I can't really tell unless I were to pop one of the pans out. Overall, that doesn't bother me that much and the colors are all great and are easy to blend and great to work with so that makes it worth it to me. I also love that they mixed in shadow and liner. 

Price: $48 (I got mine on sale for $38 at Sephora...not sure if that sale is still going on)

Would I buy again? Yes, I think so!

Swatches:

So, there ya go! My very first makeup product review!

Leah

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year 2012!!!

I am SO excited for this year, I have so much planned and I just can't wait to dive in and get started. 

I have a little surprise for you all! 

Drum roll please........

I am starting an Etsy Shop selling Make-up Brush Rolls, Make-up bags and Make-up brush aprons!!!

If you don't know what Etsy is, it's an online place where you can sell and buy handmade items!

One of my hobbies other than makeup is sewing! I did some sewing a little bit when I was a teenager and hated it haha. But once I become a mother I suddenly had this desire to make and sew things for them! That's when I found out that I do indeed love to sew. 

I am going to the fabric store today to pick up some supplies and then I will get started! 

I will be letting you know my progress and when they are up and selling on Etsy!!! 

I'm SO SO excited! 

Leah