Drag!

So another day on the set of Smash, another fun makeup!
This one was a big challenge for me because I had never done drag makeup before. And my lovely subject was a performer used to drag (read: Broadway dancer starring in Priscilla Queen of the Desert) but not a professional drag queen so the eyebrows were a challenge. In fact, they were THE challenge aside from going against ALL of my instincts as a makeup artist and doing MORE MORE MORE! I took some tips from the beautiful Manila Luzon, a lovely and fierce DQ who is, according to her website, in a relationship with another DQ. I love it.
I first used a thick adhesive called pros-aide to glue down the eyebrows. My particular subject had particularly strong eyebrows so it took some doing. Then a quick blast with the blow drier on cool to speed up the glue drying process. Next we had to smooth out the glue which took a powder puff FULL of loose powder mashed into the eyebrows to really tamp those suckers down. Poor contact lenses! Then foundation all over and then contour up to where the eyebrows used to be and drawn on eyebrows daintily above that. Then more makeup and eyelashes than I had ever previously put on a person's face in my life. SO FUN.
My feeling is that this poor guy was my first attempt and if I could have had the chance to do it again or do another lady after him, I would be much less ham fisted. But isn't that just how the world works? Anyway, it was a delightful way to spend a morning and fun way to make a living!

Flapper Makeup for the Holidays? Why Not?

So I have been working 2 days a week (now that I am no longer able to pull 70 hour weeks, thank you, Arthur!) and have been frequently pitching in working for my friend Persefone over at the soon to air show Smash (debuting post-Superbowl, Feb 6 on NBC). Its a show about the real life drama in putting together a Broadway smash hit and it has SUCH fun makeup. Working there has been like a continuing education course in stylized makeup. Every week it is something fun and dramatic from Flapper makeups to Drag. This week I'll focus on the Flapper Look we achieved for the dancers in one of the show-within-the-show's musical numbers.

Persefone designed these makeups to look authentically of the period but they came out so beautifully that it got me thinking that they were the perfect starting point to think about holiday party looks as well. What is most stunning about this particular makeup is not only the use of dramatic color but the specificity of shape for the eyes and lips. The eyes were deep, plummy greys that had a soft glossiness (but not sparkle) and a super round eyebrow. The key to the look is the shape of the shadow. Instead of a contemporary smoky eye, we didn't follow the natural contour of the dancers lids but instead created an almost horizontal teardrop shape which imparts a sleepy, pouty look. Try Mac Carbon layered with Blackberry and then use a light shimmery grey like Crystal to smudge and blend it out. I pretty much did the whole look with one domed contour brush and my fingers. Then tons of mascara and a strip of lashes if you've got 'em. It screams "Damn Prohibition! Get me a gin cocktail!"

The skin is flawless and contoured (my latest favorite as discovered by my friend Dina, is the Kevin Aucoin Pure Powder in Natura) but without any serious blush and the lips are a deep, vampy plum or red. Try Mac Seeds of Desire Mattene Lipstick with Absolutely It liner. The key to these lips is that the line doesn't extend all the way out to the corners of the mouth but instead comes up in an almost heart shape to create that Clara Bow lip. The combo of the sweetness of the shape with the drama of the color is striking and easy to recreate. Add the wig, headpiece and costume and the result is a transportive, gorgeous 20's flapper.

Now, if you take the makeup apart and just do the eye with a glossy nude lip or the stylized lipline with just blush and mascara, throw on one of the MANY sequined tops or dresses I've been seeing around and forgo the feathered headdress, you can reinterpret the look for a modern update and just in time for all the holiday parties I'm sure Pigment readers are headed out to. Have fun and stick a flask in your garter for me!

Avon Calling...

So my sister Rachael has come up with a business idea for me and then made it happen. I have become the modern day Avon lady! The idea came when her friend Eugenie was saying that she didn't know what of her makeup she should keep and what she should toss and what she could add. She said to Rachael "What I REALLY want is for Rebecca to go through my makeup bag" and this got Rachael's wheels spinning. So she and Eugenie both organized parties and invited around 8 of their friends who attended for a (modest) fee. There was wine, there was cheese, I gave a schpiel and a demo, no big whoop. Then I sat with each woman individually and with a face chart, sorted their makeup bags, made suggestions as to what to add and was ruthless about what to toss. I had my whole kit with me so that I could give very specific product recommendations and the ladies could see for themselves if they liked them. And since I'm not selling anything beyond my service, there was no pressure although I'm pretty sure that there will be a bump in sales at the Westchester and Cold Springs Sephoras in Tarte products since I had a bag of their blushes/cheek stains/lip stains/ etc. that were all the rage. They even have some sparkly lip lusters that are perfect for holiday. I also brought catalogs for companies that are kind of under the makeup retail radar that are great values and not necessarily known outside of the industry. And while I was meeting with the individual ladies the rest of the gang was chatting it up party style. It was a really fun way to spend a Thursday evening for me and hopefully them too!

The one major thing I wanted to convey while I was talking and giving the demo was that I want to change the dialogue when it came to talking about makeup. Too many women said to me 'I want you to help HIDE...' or 'help me CAMOUFLAGE...' or 'I just get INTIMIDATED by makeup' and it bums me out! Makeup isn't chemo! Thank god. It's totally inessential and fun! Sure, makeup can sometimes look funky - so just wash it off! Instead of hiding, HIGHLIGHT! Instead of camouflage, ENHANCE! I once worked with a woman who was wearing neon orange mascara. Was it a look for everyone? Probably not. But was it striking and fun to look at? Yep. Concealer can help you cover a blemish but sometimes my bright pink lipstick simply brightens up my day. Makeup should make you feel better but not because it's covering you up. I think we should all think about what we look to makeup to help us with and then cheer those thoughts up.

Lace!

So I sat myself down after the baby went to sleep determined to figure out how to work those Sally Hansen Nail Effects and it turns out that you can do it all wrong and it will still look fabulous and last a week. I chose the lace effect and even though they kept getting mistaken for those digital widgets that are everywhere on magazines and windows, I thought they looked pretty cool.
All you do is clean your nails, fit the decals (there are 16 in a box so that you can get the ones that fit your nail bed best), peel off the plastic and stick them to your nails. You then pull them and they break off and then you file the ends away. The result is very smooth and, quite frankly, easier than polish because you don't even need to wait for them to dry! And I've never gotten more "whoa! Cool nails!" comments in my life. Even my nieces thought I looked cool.
Mission accomplished.

Magnets!

So, every once in a while Vogue does a piece on the latest in nail fashion. Usually its a little much for me - $300 for pieces of shed snakeskin glued on to a pedicure? Probably not gonna happen for me. And I hate the look of those little flowers drawn on to a manicure. But the latest is all about nail polish infused with...MAGNETS! Special effects nails with an edge! So exciting although I'm not sure why. I marched myself to Sephora and bought the badass gunmetal gray color and then went to my favorite ladies at Polish Nail Salon in Park Slope ($20 mani/pedi!) and we tried it out. It took some experimenting to get the effect right but, since I've been going to Polish for 8 years, they humored me and really got into it. You have to do one nail at a time, two coats per nail and then immediately hold the magnet that is built into the lid of the polish over the wet nail. But then voila! Voila what exactly? I'm not sure. But it looks cool and what's wrong with a little nail fun in these dreary news cycles.
Which got me thinking about those Salon Effects nail kits from Sally Hansen. I bought the Lace Effect one and will be experimenting with it tonight. Stay tuned.

Also, next week I will be working on the soon to air show Smash doing period 1920s and 50s makeups. Stay double tuned!

Back In Business

So sorry pigment readers. I solemnly swear not to let this happen again. A year ago I got my world rocked when I discovered I was pregnant and the accompanying morning sickness/exhaustion whittled down my ability to multi-task. Tisa, my former teammate over at SVU can attest that in between scenes I was passed out. So I dropped the blog ball but now I'm back! I left SVU in the capable hands of my friends Tisa and Dina and am now galavanting in the wide world of tv/movie makeup freelancing part time so I can still bring home some bacon but be the one raising my baby, a particularly fat little angel named Arthur.
Some things I discovered in pregnancy as it relates to makeup:

- That 'glow' that people told me I had was really achieved with makeup and moisturizer (thank you La Mer). I actually found that pregnancy sapped all of my skin's moisture so I had to light that glow myself. But people just want to tell you you're glowing so just say thank you.

- Tarte came out with these new Amazonian clay 12 hour blushes and they are for REAL. I put some on, never took it off after work (see above re: exhaustion) and had a super glamorous night sweat (TMI, sorry) and I woke up and STILL had the blush on. If there is a better endurance test for blush, I can't think of it. And the blushes come in all sorts of fresh great colors from neutral to really cute and bright.

- Cocoa Butter, Shea Butter, Bio Oil, Bag Balm, Belly Gel...they don't work to prevent stretchmarks. Even when applied religiously. Sigh. However, I have an appointment with my Derm tomorrow and besides my annual skin cancer check, we will be discussing LASERS! So ill keep you posted. Btw, my derm, Dr. Julie Karen, is featured in this month's Vogue. No wonder its so hard to get an appointment!

I'll be posting every week from now on with new Tales from the Trenches, product reviews, and updates about the new makeup parties I am starting to throw! Please keep tuning in!