Fall Nails

This fall it's all about purple and grey for me.. not just with nails but clothes too.  This was my way of combining those 2 colors for my nails. Fall generally calls for deeper colored nails than in the summer which is all about bright colors. I'm still tan from the summer so the deep colors work for me until it fades. 

As a side note, I do my finger nails once a week, although I use Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat my nail polish still seems to chip.. it may be the base I'm using so I'll give my fast drying top coat the benefit of the doubt. However I think that the fast drying agents make the nail polish more susceptible to chipping.. just my observation.. I'm not so sure if that's scientifically proven or not!!

I used O-P-I's Funkey Dunkey and China Glaze's Recycle

Have fun with your nails and NEVER be afraid to try out different fun colors, I never strayed from the reds, and deep pinks and burgundy's but once I did I fell in love with doing my nails and wearing all the pretty colors and experimenting with different designs!! PS it is also really important to me to keep my nails in shape now that I do makeup at Macy's I find that I big part of my clientelling is looking nice, including my nails.

All About Foundation & Application- Sponge vs Brush

I noticed that many girls don't quite know how to apply their foundation, whether its liquid, cream, stick, or powder so I'm here to help!

Primer- I think using primer is very effective but only after you moisturize your skin. So you'd wash and moisturize your face let it dry and then apply your primer and let that dry before you apply your foundation no matter what kind it is.

I use Laura Mercier's Oil Free Primer and I like it it's not bad.. I may experiment with Shiseido's new primer though. If I do I'll do a comparison review.

Setting Powder- very important for liquid and some cream foundations, if not you end up with a greasey, runny look and the makeup can run and get on clothes.

I use Make Up Forever's HD Setting Powder.. it's amazing you may get a little white cast if you don't blend it out well with a brush!

Concealer- use on dark circles around eyes, and scarring, hyper pigmentation, rosacea, etc. Apply after liquid, or cream foundations so that you use less.. if you want you can use it before it's up to you. Using a concealor brush works best, and they smooth it out with your fingers if you need to.

I use Smashbox Healthy FX(i think) concealer

Types of Foundations-

Airbrush- More rare special occasion use, pricey and full buildable coverage, no setting required

Liquid- Special occasion to everyday use, moderately pricey, medium to full coverage, need to set

Cream/Stick- Moderately everyday use, not too pricey, medium to full coverage, should set

Powder- Everyday use, relatively inexpensive, sheer coverage not too buildable, no setting required

I use Smashbox Healthy FX Liquid and Sephora Brand Mattifying Powder Foundations.


Okay now for application. Working in cosmetics and helping women choose what foundations are best for them and teaching them how to apply it I found out that many women aren't applying their foundation right. For a natural, polished look applying your foundation correctly is KEY.

Airbrush makeup if you have the compressor and airbrush you don't need anything else. However, you can use airbrush makeup with out all of the fancy equipment. Simply use a few drops on your hands and rub it into your skin quickly because it sets fast. You may not need to prime your skin when you do this, and definitely no setting powder.


Liquid Foundation-

Sponge

• Pros
• Full coverage
• Don't need as much as if you were using a brush
• Blocks out glands in your face
• Cons
• Looks unnatural
• Messy 
• May not get into creases in the face
• Doesn't blend well

Brush

• Pros
• Blends well
• Full/Medium coverage you can determine that
• Buildable
• Get all your creases
• Looks natural
• Cons
• Use more foundation
• If your brush isn't clean it can look streaky

With liquid foundation using a brush to apply is a must. For those of you who want the extra coverage then a sponge may work better but you can distribute the coverage better with a brush. 


Cream & Stick Foundation


Most cream foundations come with sponges, if it's a cream to powder finish a sponge is ok for application, other wise a brush is always better in terms of coverage and to get a nice finish. If it's a stick then you can use a brush to blend out the rough spots.


Powder Foundation


For totally sheer coverage a brush, for medium coverage a sponge. Most come with sponges.


All of the products I use can be found at a Sephora or Ulta :) if you have any further questions comment!!

Should I offer makeup services?

I made a poll above and here is what I am considering.

I was thinking about offering make up services for all occasions.. weddings, proms, homecoming, formals, fashion shows, dance troupes, parties etc for fun.

My rates would be :
$15 for eyes with or without falsies
$20 for full face (using your own foundation)
$25-30 for full face (using my products depending on the occasion)

For a group the rates will be lower*($10-15 per girl full face etc depending on how many girls)

I want your thoughts on if I should pursue this on a larger scale or not.. I always do friends/family members make up but I'm thinking about advertising myself on craigslist and facebook but I won't if no one's interested you know?

So comment below or vote on my poll with your thoughts on pricing etc.. if the poll disappears and I can't repost it PLEASEEE comment and let me know what you think!