How To Master Your Makeup; there are no RULES

Having worked at several makeup counters for the past almost 8 months I have learned a few things about my fellow women. We are afraid that we are breaking the rules. We are not sure if we are applying our lipstick right, if our cat eyes are sharp enough, and is it ok to wear bronzer as blush? I find myself trying to convince these women that there are no rules to makeup just guidelines and preference.

Let's be clear here! There are some rules to makeup but those rules are not rigid. You can spend thousands of dollars to go to makeup school to learn all the rules. Just to go out in the world and become famous for breaking them. There is certainly merit in learning the "rules" and proper techniques but let's be honest it is much more fun to experiment. The makeup that you wear on your face is like paint applied on to a canvas. If we used the paint straight from the tube and never blended or mixed, paintings would be filled with primary colors. We would have no gradient sunsets, no shades of light and dark.

I would like will assure you for once and for all that no, red eyeshadow doesn't make you look bloodshot. And no, that lipstick isn't too orange and no that lipstick isn't too red and no that lipstick isn't too pink. Makeup is not about if the color is flattering or not. What matters is do you like it? Remember that you can blend your blush colors together, you can put lipgloss on your eyelids and eyeshadow on your lips. You can wear lip pencil by it self as your lipstick. Your lipstick can be doubled as cream blush. Sheer out your full coverage foundations with moisturizer. But for god-sake don't use tinted moisturizer as your moisturizer.

Makeup can be overwhelming, especially when stepping into a Sephora. But remember you have to practice to be good at something. So go in front of a mirror and spend 20 minutes practicing. Once you get used to the angles and shapes of your face it will click. Go watch a video, ask a counter artist, buy a book, or read a magazine article. You can do it.  I have faith that everyone person can do it. It took more than a year for me to figure out how to properly line my eyes and I still sometimes struggle in the morning. I am always learning new tricks and techniques so don't feel bad if you make a mess of your face the first few times.

If you still aren't convinced that there are no "rules" and you are desperately wanting some, here are some flexible guidelines that might help.

1. Your face isn't Neapolitan ice cream. Highlight, blush, bronzer and contour should be blended into a gradient. Not stripes of solid color. 
2. Lipstick with blue undertones will make your teeth look more white. 
3. Color correcting is for severe discoloration, not mild redness or normal under-eye discoloration
4. Tinted moisturizer isn't the same thing as moisturizer 
5. Your fingers are your best tools 
6. The color of your hand isn't the same color as your face. So stop matching your foundation to your hand. 
7. Bronzer should not be used for contouring because it is too orange/yellow. Contour colors should be cool toned to mimic natural shadows on the face 
8. Most of your under-eye darkness is the shadow cast by your brow bone and forehead so don't stress out about it. 
9. None of these rules matter. don't listen to them if you don't want to. 

Warm Regards, 

Emma Elizabeth

WOW it has been weeks but it feels like years

Guess what it is August and I haven't posted anything because my life is so busy and filled with awesome amazingness. Going to school at MUD has just changed everything for me. I am so busy that I really have neglected this blog but I am coming back. I am really looking forward to shifting this blogs focus on being a professional makeup artist. I want to share what I use in my kit, what I am trying out, and just what life is like as a makeup artist really just starting out in NYC. I am about to finish the beauty part of my schooling and I am moving on to special effects. I am so excited!!!!

I want to share my opinions about professional makeup and how the everyday makeup user can utilize professional techniques using high quality makeup. Professional makeup brands are actually very reasonable and their products can range from drugstore prices to more high end price tags. By using professional makeup you are really in control of the product. Professional products are build-able and very versatile once you learn how to use them.  

If any of this interests you please stay tuned because post are coming, I promise. If you want to keep track of me follow me on bloglovin (click the button in the side bar) and follow me on my social media. 

Here is some of my recent work!

Emma Elizabeth 

Update #2

Hello new readers and regulars! I am in my first official full week of school and oh boy and I tired. I am going to school five days a week, taking care of a baby bunny and working on the weekends. My days are so filled with activity that when I get home from school I just have no energy to blog and take photos. Then because I am going to school during the week I have been working every weekend to make some extra cash. I really want to document my time at makeup school so I am going to start taking photos of the makeup I do in class (hopefully). I don't want to just abandon this blog because I am busy. For the past couple of months I have spent a lot of time trying to create good content that I would like to see in the blog-o-sphere. The goal is to continue to make good content while I am in this new chapter of my life.

I knew that makeup school was going to be hard I just didn't think it was going to be so fast paced and intense. In just a few days I have learned so much. MUD is such an amazing school. I really love my class and my teacher. I am slowly becoming familiar with the MUD products and I am preparing to review and talk about some of the products that I bought for my class. MUD carries a full range of professional beauty and special effects cosmetics. Their products are really for professionals. The packaging is amazing but very plain because it is all for function and not aesthetic. If you are looking for makeup that works well without any fuss then I would definitely look into MUD. 

Since the arrival of my new bunny Bowie my life has been so much brighter. Coming home to him is so amazing and really just makes my day. However he has added a lot of new complications to my life. For one thing, he is a very curious little boy which means he is constantly getting into trouble. I can't leave him out of his hutch when I am not in the room or else he will destroy everything. Hopefully as he gets a little older he won't be as naughty. Another worry is that I also have a dog named Buckley. Buckley is very interested in Bowie and all he wants to do is be near him and lick his little furry body. However Bowie has no interest in Buckley but, he is not scared of him so that is good. 

Have a wonderful rest of May,

Emma

Update and Other Things.

Hello all that are reading this. If you follow my blog or you just stumbled upon this right now I wanted to say hi. My life is about to go through some pretty big changes. I will be starting school at MUD in Manhattan and will be now be busy five days a week for the next six months. I also just got a new job so I have been extra extra busy. I don't know if I will have much time to blog because of school and work. So the blog posts will be slowing down from twice a week to the occasional post every couple of weeks. 

I do plan to do post about going to MUD (which is a makeup school). I have purchased a lot of new supplies for the courses I will be taking so as I learn to use my new materials I hope to blog about them. I really am so excited for this next chapter in my life because I have worked so hard to get to this point. 

Wish me luck, 

Emma

p.s. 

I got a baby bunny and his name is Bowie! 

Pro Kit: Blush Palette

I have been de-potting quite a few blushes to create a palette for my kit and I thought I would share it. The palette is still a work in progress but I wanted to show it any way. I personally don't like spending tons of money on blush when there are so many inexpensive and amazing blushes in the drugstores. I store all of my blushes in the large dome z-palette. I use the dome palette because it allows me to store baked blushes which are thicker than regular blushes.

I love all the blushes in the palette, I choose blushes for my kit that work on every skin tone. I tend to like matte blushes more than sparkly blushes because they have smoother textures. If I want the cheeks to have a glow I add a highlighter on top. I also have one face powder that I use as a highlighter because it is so soft and illuminating.

I haven't arranged the palette in any order I just pop them in randomly. The dome palette is pretty big so on small jobs I take out my favorites and put them in a smaller palette. Of course I have NYX blushes in my palette. I have the original powder NYX blushes which I think NYX might be discontinuing because they just released the HD blushes. I have been looking for them in stores and they have consistently been on sale. I really hope that they don't go away because they are so inexpensive and great quality

(top to bottom) Tangerine, Mauve, Dusty Rose, Bordeaux, Pinky

NYX
Mauve: Light baby pink with a matte finish.

Dusty Rose: Medium rose pink with a matte finish.

Pinky: Hot pink not really a matte finish, I think it looks more satin on the cheeks.

Terracotta: Golden peach with a satin finish.

Tangerine: Matte orange coral.

Bordeaux: Deep red brown with subtle shimmer.

Taupe: Dusty cool brown

(*I haven't photographed taupe and terracotta because they don't swatch well but they look great on the face)

I have one Miliani baked blush and it is amazing. If you are going to go pick up some new blushes to go the drugstore and get them. Both of the finishes are really amazing. The matte line is so smooth and pretty.

Milani Baked Blushes
Bella Rosa: Bright magenta with a matte finish.

I have two Nars powders they are both eyeshadows but I use them on the face. The first is a pink eyeshadow that I use as a highlighter called Nepal. The other is a eyeshadow from a duo that is a great under-eye setting powder. the last powder that I have is an avon foundation that has too much sparkle to be used all over the face, so I use it on the tops of my cheek bones.

(top to bottom) random bronzer, Avon, Nars, Nars Nepal, Bella rosa.

If you are a blush addict like me I would totally say that you should go make your own palette. I hope that this was helpful and gives you ideas for your own organization.

Make Any Eyeshadow Pop

Not all eyeshadows were created equal. Some are soft, buttery and pigmented while others are powdery, chunky and sheer. However just because an eyeshadow doesn't have the most amazing formula doesn't mean it should go in the trash. All you need to take the shitty shadow and make it pop is it put it over an eyeshadow base. 

There are lot of eyeshadow primers on the market that are advertised as bases. Eyeshadow primers serve a different function than a primer. Primers make your eyeshadow last longer, it can improve the quality of the shadow you place on top of it but ultimately it just prevents creasing. An eyeshadow base is a sticky, creamy, and emollient cream that you put on top of your primer. This base will  act as glue because it is so creamy, the eyeshadow will stick to it and the color will be more saturated. 

Eye shadow bases come in a range of colors but the universal color to really make crap shadows look amazing is white. My favorite eyeshadow base is the NYX Eye Shadow Base in White. This product is so creamy and a little goes a long way. If you want your eyeshadows to be vibrant and have no fall out this is what you need to start using. NYX has a few colors but the white is far superior than the other options. You can get this amazing eyeshadow transformer for seven dollars. Go get it and see the different in your shadows. 

Pro Kit: Mac Pro Palettes and Inserts

I really have been working on my kit and I purchased some Mac Pro Palettes and inserts to really stream line my lipsticks and foundations. Cream products are great for makeup artists because you can put them in palettes instead of carrying around 30 different lipsticks tubes or 10 different foundation bottles. The process of de-potting or de-tubing is pretty messy so I didn't take any process pictures but I have re-organized all my lipsticks and foundations. I am really happy with the whole process and I wanted to share it with you guys.

The Mac Palettes are really decently priced. I looked at other brands and there palettes were 40 to 35 dollars while I spent 16 for the palette and the insert. All mac palettes are empty and then you buy inserts that click inside. There are a range of different inserts for different functions. I bought the 24 well insert and the twelve well insert for cream products. I bought two palettes, the doubled sided and the single.

For the single palette I put in the 24 well insert for my lipsticks. The wells in the 24 insert are very shallow and are for lipsticks and concealers. The reviews on the Mac website told me that they would only hold about 1/3 of a lipstick which was true. Personally this wasn't a problem for me because I was taking de-tubed lipsticks and putting them in the palette. The single palette has a clear top so you can see what goodies are inside. 

For the double palettes I put in two 12 inserts. The 12 wells are very deep and are able to fit entire NYX Mineral Stick Foundation but only a little bit of my ELF stick foundation. The process of putting foundation into the wells was so messy and the palette looks kind of gross. But this is about function not esthetic.

If you are looking to consolidate your kit or your personal collection I would definitely recommend getting these palettes. I am not sure if you can buy these in store. I purchased mine online and they came so fast all wrapped up in perfection.