I really don’t know where to begin this review. Uhhh okay, so let’s start with a question. I think this is a great way to lay down the tracks for this post.
Sooooo, let’s say you’re a Professional Makeup Artist. And you’ve been in the entertainment and beauty business for close to 30yrs.You’ve used every brand of makeup (unknown brands to designer brands) in your makeup kit for your clients in every medium from print to film. So, what kind of makeup do you wear personally? I mean do you even wear makeup?
Answer: Well, I have to say there are days that I wear makeup and days where I just simply don’t give a rip!! But when I do wear makeup you can be rest assured I hold no punches on the beat!!! Hahahaaa!!! I have to say I have a few staples that are in my personal makeup kit and one brand I totally stand by is YSL!!! Tried and true. I know exactly what I’m gonna get with this brand and its perfection!! And honestly for me it all started with the Touché EClat Pen. Can I tell you how that pen has always given my work life on set! And yes, I then started using it for myself as well.
Honestly in the early days of YSL they really did not have my color foundation available at the time but I would wear the mascara and the lipsticks (which I loved). For me like most women the packaging is a classic and this brand is definitely a classic upscale brand that exudes style and taste. Now when I say classic I mean more mature women but how would that classic translate to millennials? Well trust me it has translated well!!!! The brand has gotten some new chemists or something and definitely have awesome package designers and product developers.
Oh and YES THEY HAVE MY COLOR NOW!!! Thanks YSL my classic beauty brand on full display. http://www.yslbeautyus.com
Oh how I love the men!! Male grooming on set has to be one of my fave moments,UNLESS….unless you get a diva acting male client, which can become a nightmare! Now, most of the time working with men is easy breezy work. The work with the gentlemen consists of mostly creating clear skin (unless you are doing a special type of makeup, i.e. Special Effects), highlighting, contouring, manicure, beard, brow, ear, nose and moustache grooming.
Aaron Merino I absolutely love him!!! He keeps it real for men and, Ladies we can learn from him so we know more about how to care for the men in our lives. YAAASSSSSSSS!!!
This guy and his male grooming is way too much for my tastes in everyday male grooming. Fine for a photo shoot but daily wear…not so much.
As I’ve been researching on the internet I’ve found this new term floating around “STROBING”. I’m like what the blaze is that about?!? These kids making up names for this we’d already tagged for years!!
It made me chuckle a bit to think how everything in life really does go in cycles. Contouring is a cycle revisited in every generation and it seems so again with STROBING! Ok I’d done this look on several occasions with my Musical Celebrity Clients all throughout the 90’s only we never called it strobing.
My Makeup look for Mary J Blige for Interview Magazine shot by David La Chappelle. Here she is strobing with NARS BODY GLO and Johnson’s Baby Oil Gel.
The look for me took me back in different eras 20’s, 30’s, 40’s and 70’s Disco. One of my fave sites to see some vintage looks is http://www.queensofvintage.com you will see nothing is really new, it’s just revisited by an era that comes behind it. It’s rediscovered and in some cases redesigned but never re-invented!!
Here’s Ms. Marilyn Monroe clearly 50’s style strobing
I mean just look at these Legends looking glorious and just that hint of sheen and highlight in the right spots. Meanwhile the natural contours of their faces were strong to begin with.
All Strobing is is a play on light, highlighting and a little sheen or even a high gloss for extra drama! It’s not to be confused with a dewy look. A dewy look is lightweight and pretry much consistent all over the face. Strobing is focused either in a mild way or in a dramatic way (that’s when I break out the oils, not just creams or shimmering powders) it’s really making use of the light source on your subject and reflecting that light.
My latest Strobing makeup work with the lovely Model Olivia. See how the light hits her face in strategic places?
This is Rapper Charli Baltimore in a shot we did for Honey Magazine again a play on light and liquid to create this strobe look.
Now I’m going to share with you how my creative mind worked at that time (and trust me it saved me many a day when I had countless models on set to do full face and body makeup). Believe it or not I would use a can of Isoplus Oil Sheen Spray!!
Yes I used a hair sheen spray, yes it worked and yes it looked good!!! No streaks just an even stream of sheen in all the right places and the formula was thick enough to stay in place yet thin enough to coat and spray and no harm was ever done to anyone’s skin!!
My personal technique for “Strobing” is equal parts foundation to liminzer (MAC Strobe Cream, Gorgio Armani Luminzer, or a loose shimmering powder and all other makeup are also creams) I like to use my fingers on the skin to warm it up and move the product better. Then I go in and stipple brush in circular motions to blend. And then I’d finish off with a mist of sheen spray (well now I use Caudalie as my sheen spray).
I strobe on the body as well. I would use the same technique with the body and a larger brush (no sponges!). My fave body strobing options today are
Caudalie (The spray bottle and scent make this one #1 choice for numerous purposes)
NARS Body Glo
Body Shop Honey Bronze
My Makeup for Lil’ Kim in this video is “Strobing 101: For Dummies ” music video style. Check the pause at counter 3:44-3:45 you will see STROBING at its best!!
“Soul Sista” Written & Sung by Bilal, Directed by Nzingha Stewart , Makeup Consultant by NZINGHA . Here we are STROBING to the 11th power!!!
Right now this is my “Go-To” on set STROBING body oil by Caudalie’…WHY? Smells great, sprays (that’s the deal breaker for me) and they’ve got mini’s (also a deal breaker for me, remember I bought the mini Isoplus’ because they were mini and spray!) for my On-Set bag!
Had we had Caudalie’ in the 90’s I would’ve bought them by wholesale case as I prefer to have bulk of my fave Go-To products. That’s the other thing. When you’ve been at it for years you develop a signature Pro MUA style, presentation and you become set about the products that will become long term staples in your Kit.
Right now this is mt “Go-To” on set body oil…WHY? Smells great, sprays and they’ve got mini’s for my set bag!
The Glam Squad Files... 