Monday, July 28, 2014

BB Creams, Satin Finish, Matte, Who Cares?: Deciphering Between Foundation Finishes

     It's summer time, and everyone is telling you the best way to go is a lighter coverage foundation, such a BB Cream, to avoid having you face melted off by the end of the day. Because that doesn't look good on anyone. Heck, what's a BB Cream? Whose to say it's any different from a liquid foundation? Matte foundation? What are you talking about? I am here to put those questions to rest.

     To start, a BB Creams, is the second lightest coverage you can go for next to a tinted moisturizer, which honestly doesn't do much difference. BB Creams will even out you skin tone while letting your natural color shine through, without it looking like you've caked on five pounds of makeup. If you're not looking to cover up a huge breakout of acne, this is the one for you. They also usually come equipped with their own defense against UV/UB rays (SPF). It is also the best when Earth has turned up it's thermostat, and outside feels like the inside of an oven.

     After BB Creams it's on to liquid foundations. Liquid foundations come in many different finishes and offer several levels of coverage from medium to full coverage. The finish of a liquid foundation refers to the amount of, hmmm how should I say this, glow the foundation has.
     Satin finish offers the best "glow" of all foundations. It gives your skin the appearance of a healthy, natural glow and shine.
     This is the best one go for if you are looking for a medium coverage, and have dry to combination skin texture. You do NOT want this if you have oily skin as it will only add to the excess shine that will accumulate on your face throughout the day.
      Matte finish, is just the opposite, the lack of a glow. Matte finishes, even out your skin's texture, gives you a nice level of coverage, but has to shine. All you will see with this foundation is a nice even canvas.
     This is the best one for you if you are one with combination to oily skin texture. This way you have some control over the shine that natural oils your face produces, and there is not too much shine on your face when you are prepping for your close-up.
   
     Still it is always, always, always a good idea to carry a little package of blotting papers in your purse to clear up that T-zone throughout the day to clean up, and to help prevent future breakouts.

     With all these different kinds of foundations on the market it is easy to get lost and confused amongst all of them when shopping for the best match. Don't be afraid! Practice, practice, practice always makes better, and you will soon find you are the master of your canvas.

     By the way, almost, almost, almost nearly finished with my makeup course! Oh so close to printing off my certificate!!

Loves,
   Jessica Ashley


   

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Trifles of a Makeup Artist: Dealing With Disappointment

     When you're a makeup artist, you have this captivating vision set out in front of you. A vision that is full of success, and even possibly fame. One where everyone that meets you knows and loves your work, and wants you to come be the expert on their set, because they know you will be spectacular.

     Sometimes, your assistance is requested, and you become excited and hyped, ready to conquer the world. Your imagination flutters with creations and designs of how to beautify the models and subjects placed before you, and you can't wait to prepare and get started! You have all these extraordinary and unique ideas, and then without warning...the plug is pulled, and your once ginormous pool of creativity, swarming with magic, is now a swirling tub of water funneling down the drain. Ouch.
     It hurts, it does. But you can't let that get you down, you have to keep making goals, and working towards them, and above all, keep doing what you love; because one day, you will be noticed. Never stop practicing, practice makes better. The more you practice, the better you become. Thus the more magnificient your beauty profile, and your talent!

     What might one need to stay motivated? A new product to try? A new challenge? A checklist of things to do? Or how about all of the above? Oh! Almost forgot, chocolate. Chocolate never fails to better my day, even if it's only minimally, it always helps to have that goodness to savor and melt in my mouth. :)
     Ok, so a new product. What does one need for such an item? Money. Yes, that's right. Especially when you're stuck on a student budget, making a fund for "pick-me-up" splurges like this helps. For all you artists out there who love the feeling of holding new makeup for the first time, and taking it out of the crisp packaging, know how hard it is to SAVE that money. Now you need a way to make it FUN!!

     I find that one way to make it fun, and to help keep myself motivated to do so is to keep it where I can see it, but always in a place where it's not easy for me to reach it. This is where a simple DIY project with a traditonal mason jar comes in handy.
     But just placing a plain mason jar on your top shelf isn't very motivating, is it? No. You have to make the marker of your makeup fund look appealing, so to keep the goal of having a fund appealing. Slap a picture of your next big splurge item on the front of it, tie some ribbons around it, use a stencil and some paint, just make the jar itself look fun. :)

     Now, whenever you have any extra pocket change, or after each paycheck, put some money in there.
Maybe $10-$20 every payday. It'll add up quick, I promise. :) Never lose sight of your goals. Without goals you lose your ambition, and ambition is a big part of reaching for the stars!

Talk to you all soon!

Loves,
     Jessica Ashley

Monday, July 14, 2014

Makeup Artistry 101: Makeup Kit & Client Hygiene is VERY IMPORTANT!!!

     As a makeup artist, I have the skills and abilities to make you look how you wish, and how you don't wish. Whether that is glamorous and ready for the spotlight, or gruesome and ready to scare someone it is all up to you and what we discuss and plan out together. If you are also a makeup artist, you probably already know this, so that is nothing new, but there is one very essential thing you must NEVER forget when working with clients, and that is one very vital thing...HYGIENE IS CRUCIAL FOR THE HEALTH OF YOUR CLIENT!!!

     I am taking the time to give you this lesson so to protect you and your future clients (paid & not paid). So please, heed this wisdom, it will be very useful to you.

     Never is it okay or in any way a valid excuse to use your own personal makeup products and brushes on a client, whether that person is paying you or not it doesn't matter, NEVER use your own makeup and/or makeup brushes. There is a very specific reason that girls do not share makeup with each other, this includes everything from makeup brushes to mascara, and why makeup artists have a separate kit for their clients apart from their own personal makeup kit, and that reason is BACTERIA.
     Yes, that's right. As gross and horrifying as it may sound, there are thousands upon thousands of little, tiny, microscopic bacteria all over your makeup products. Do you know how many mites (microscopic little "bugs") live on your eyelashes? Or how many bacteria are in your eye alone? You reapply it day after day, and why doesn't it harm you, you may ask? Because it's all bacteria from YOU! But take those same bacteria-infested products and put them on someone else and that can be very harmful; anything from rash to infection can spread out on your client's face all from just one application of your own personal makeup.

    This is one very important reason why we makeup artists disinfect and sanitize all the products in our clients' makeup kit after EVERY SINGLE use. It doesn't take long, and it is not an expensive process, but this is an extremely crucial step to keep both you and your clients safe. Now this isn't to say that you need to personalize a makeup kit for every single client, that's going overboard; that's why we sanitize everything after every session, to make it clean and safe for the next client we use it on. Also especially be careful and cautious when using mascara. NEVER double dip the same mascara wand into a tube of mascara. If you do, plan on giving it to your client at the end of the session, or throwing it out. This is why we use disposable mascara wands, and get a new one for every time we need a new pump of mascara.
     Never use you hands and fingers directly on the client's face. That is what makeup sponges, brushes, powder puffs, mascara wands, and cotton swabs are for. Just because you wash your hands before beginning a session does not mean there is no bacteria on your hands. There is still bacteria that creeps back onto your hands, and there are still the natural oils on your hands and fingers that will dirty your client's face, and effect the application of makeup if you touch their face with your bare hands.

     So, please, please, please, PLEASE practice good hygiene and sanitation habits for the betterment of your career as a makeup artist. You will thank me.

I will talk to you all again soon!

Loves,
    Jessica Ashley

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Birthday Bash Bragging Rights

     As an newly official member of the club of 22-year-old blonde ladies, I claim to the bragging rights of my birthday, it's festivities, gifts I received, and all events that took place there in.
     That being said and done, I had an awesome birthday!! I got the day off of work, I slept in, and my mom brought me baked oatmeal with home-grown raspberries in it for breakfast! How awesome is that?? Yummy. :) For most of the day, I just lounged around, chilled in bed, watched some cool videos, worked on my channel a little bit, but unfortunately, the event of my birthday does not cancel summer classes...so, I studied a bit, grabbed my books, and went to class.

     Class wasn't actually too bad, we watched movie trailers for a good part of it, haha. We watched an I Love Lucy clip, and then finished of class with a documentary of Johnny Carson, we even got out early! I loved my Communications class, my teacher is awesome. :)
     Though it had cooled down a little outside, it looked like rain, that's because it was...no! Not on my birthday! I had to walk home! I didn't want to go out to dinner looking like a dripping rag! In somewhat of a panic, I called someone dear to my heart, that was coming to dinner with me, and they speedily came to my rescue. Thank heavens, because just as soon as I had shut the car door it truly started raining. From there, it was onward to Spicy Thai!

     It is not weird being the first ones at your own dinner? I mean, when you're not the one hosting? "Yay, thanks for taking me out to dinner!...no one is here yet...", is that weird? So, not being the name on the dinner reservation, we waited in the car for the others to show up. Even after they did show up, I was surprised how long it took us to actually walk INTO the restaurant. Was I the only one that was hungry? But it was cool, because my mom pointed out and found a duck's nest under a little bush near the restaurant. It was actually really neat. Snapped a few pictures, and we finally went inside.
    Once we got into our seats and opened our menus, my eyes immediately darted for the curries. I LOVE Thai curry, especially green curry. So, naturally, that's what I ordered. Think I need to branch out a little?...Nah. I forget how much I really love Thai food. It's so good, and I love the spice, but my mouth can't take too much at once, but I kept eating too fast! My mouth was on fire! I glanced over at my significant other's plate, and I was even eating faster than them!! No way! As much as I love Thai food, I couldn't finish all of my curry, so I got a take-home bowl.

     At this point, I had to say goodbye to my dear sweetheart, being loaded with the burdens of a tough math course, they had a lot to get working on the was due the next day! Still, I thank him for the lovely flowers he sent me, and the lovely handwritten card. Mostly, thank for coming to dinner. :)

     Next of the agenda, I went back to my family's home, it's nice only living about 10 minutes away, and it was time for presents! The awesome part about it? Both me, and my sister got mostly makeup for our birthday. Haha. I got my little sample gift from Sephora, Urban Decay primer potion, zebra-print note cards, birthday money from the grandparents (at this point, they don't know what to get their 22-year-old grandkids, haha) and an amazing eyeshadow palette from Sephora! Complete with eyeshadow base, eyeliners, a brown eyeliner pencil, and a double-ended brush for eyeshadow and eyeliner. I'm having so much fun with it! :)
     After I got home, I changed into my pajamas, and had nearly gone the entire day with no one singing Happy Birthday to me, then a friend in my ward stopped by. Chatted about this and that, invited me to come along for slurpees, and then..."Happy Birthday to you..." ugh... Why is it so embarrassing to be stuck in the spotlight being serenaded with that song?? Oh well...all in all it was a great day.

As another piece to my rights of bragging, I feel like showing you my spoils, and what I purchased with my spoils (yes, I already found good use for the birthday money). Check out the video below. Enjoy!



New tutorial coming soon, thank you for joining me here in the limelight. :)

Love,
   Jessica Ashley

   

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Happy Birthday to Me!: Festive Birthday Makeup

     Today is my birthday! Yay! It's not a very important number, actually no number is really, I still only stand 5' 1'', and always will. So throw some confete, and let me blow out the candles on some pretty-looking birthday cake, and call it a day. Yeah? Even still in the mist of all those short festivities (Ha, see what I did there?) shouldn't I at least take the time to get myself ready to party? Of course I should!

     Well, I definitely want to play it up, but still want to look like myself. You know, keep it realistic. No green eyebrows or anything.
     There is actually a makeup artist from MAC (unfortunately, I can't recall her name) that literally loves to look as fake as possible. Pink brows, green eyeshadow, and purple or pink lips. Now don't get me wrong, purple or pink on the lips, and green on the eyelids is lovely, but pink eyebrows? Unless you go to costume party every night or work in the circus for a living, keep your brow hairs to their natural color, please.
     So, what should I do? I natural smokey-eye with some bronze hues? Or maybe I should just go straight for a classic black, gray, and silver smokey-eye with a timeless red lip. I'm known for my glamourous and feminine looks, especially when it comes to makeup. Count on me to be the one making a statement with my makeup when I walk into a room. Oh yes.
     Or what about keeping it simple and just wearing a monotone look? Possibly, a nice pink the eyes, cheeks, and lips, and pair it with a sheer bb cream. That will certainly let my natural self through. Hardly any filters there.

     What am I saying?? It's my birthday! I must have fun!! That includes my face! Right?! That's right, I'm going for a nice classic natural smokey-eye with a red lip. Can't go wrong with that.


I'll keep you updated with the days festivities, follow me on Twitter! @makeupfanaticme

See you all soon!

Loves,
   Jessica Ashley

Monday, July 7, 2014

Men's Commercial Makeup: It's Finally Done!

     Wow, you wouldn't believe how hard it is to find a guy that is willing for you to patch his face up, and make minor corrections so that the close-up looks as best it can! Honestly, even after you promise them that they will not look like a drag queen, and that they can wipe it off immediately after you're done with the assignment, they're STILL reluctant.

     With that said, after all this time, I finally completed that assignment, and just like I told my model after, he did NOT look like a drag queen! This was the quickest assignment ever, only took about 10 minutes. Unfortunately, do to touchy issues with "man card" reason, I had to promise I would not publicly post pictures of the before and after project. Only my instructor is able to view those handsome pictures. I'm very sorry for the stubbornness of men, but what can you do?
     I can tell you that it went well, and that it was some of the best makeup I've ever done. :) Yes, definitely building my confidence. So, thank you to my male model who shall remain annonymous. You're assistance, was much appreciated, and needed.

I will talked to you all soon. New tutorial coming up!

Loves,
   Jessica Ashley

Friday, July 4, 2014

Stars and Stripes and Cateyes!

     It's that time of year again. Yes, the wonderful anniversary of our beloved country of the United States of America. Time to fly our colors high, for anthems, music, and to dawn the colors of our nation all over. That includes ourselves!



     I thought I might try something I've never done before. I usually only sport blue on my face, being my favorite color, but this year why not all three? On top of that, why not pair it with a glamourous cateye? Yes, yes, sounds like a party to me. :) What makes a celebratory party look even better? Glitter! Whenever you feel that your look, whether clothes or cosmetics, needs a little more spice, add some glitter! When in doubt, add glitter, that's what I say. It's the perfect kind of sparkle to show others your ready to have some fun!


     So get out there, be brave, and show some patriotic spirit! I know you have it in you. You won't gain that confidence until you've done the scary part first. Try something new! Who knows? You might actually love it! :)

Happy Independence Day! Talk to you all soon!

Loves,
   Jessica Ashley

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Going All Natural

     I know I'm not the only girl that struggles with this. We're all unhappy with our hair texture. If you have straight hair, you wish you had curly hair, because you swear your hair never has any body to it, and it won't hold any body you give it. If you have curly or wavy hair, you wish you had straight hair, because your hair never does what you want it to, and it never stays straight and ALWAYS gets frizzy. Am I right?

    You know what I say? Embrace your natural hair texture! Have fun with it! Let it do it's own thing, and learn to see it in a light that makes you unique and beautiful! Try it for a week, and see how you like it. I'm sure you'll be surprised how much you love it, plus how much time you save. That's always a bonus. :)
    Of course, never forget heat protectant. Even if you're not using any heated styling products, you'll be exposed to the sun, and you want protection from that. Even for your hair. Sure, there may be a few things that you want to mend here and there. Maybe add some serum to help add shine, and help with frizz, but seriously. Once you hop out of the shower, slap on that heat protectant and that serum, and from there just let your hair do it's own thing!

    I've been trying it out for myself, and I love it! Sure maybe one side of my head has more wave to it than the other, but the natural waves that come out of scrunching my hair a little and letting it air-dry are brilliant! Even better than the curls I get from a flat-iron curl or barrel curling iron! Much less frizz from the natural curls, than when I use heat on my hair. It's great!

Honestly, one of the best hairdos I've ever had. :)
Pictures coming soon.

Talk to you soon!

Loves,
   Jessica Ashley

(P.S. I'm going to play it up for Fourth of July, so get ready for a fun tutorial!)