Week 3: Foundation and Powder

September-Fundamentals

Foundation and Powder

What I Tried:

When I first started I really did not know what to look for in a foundation. I didn't know to look for high pigment, coverage, type of finish, or whether it is build-able. This was before going to IMATS, before realizing there were amazing people out there blogging about makeup, and sharing their expertise on you-tube.

So blindly, for my first project, I just went with L'Oreal True Match foundation. They were really inexpensive, and I had used them personally. I purchased just a few bottles: their lightest and darkest shade and a few in between. They are pretty blendable so they were easy to mix, but really they were so sheer it didn't really matter what color I used. In retrospect, it was probably the worst drugstore one I could have purchased. It was too sheer, had a slightly ashy finish and started to fade and break apart in a few hours.

After that, I went through a lot of videos on the topic and foundation product reviews, both high end and low end. Getting the skin right really is the most important part. Even if you don't like looking all dolled up all the time, everyone wants a beautiful, clear, natural looking complexion. And because it is so important, everyone has a video on it. Here are some of my favorites on this topic.


MakeupbyRenRen


I discovered MakeupbyRenRen recently and I think she is my new favorite. Here she covers everything for a whole face, from priming to finishing with powder and adding a little highlighting and contouring.


I ended up purchasing a smaller version of the palette used in the video so I could get a feel for it before committing to the full size palette. It is so much easier to find the right color by holding it up and then swatching, rather than going through individual bottles and comparing. Temptress blended right in (4th one down).

Pixiwoo


I like this video by Pixiwoo because she goes through a few drugstore brands. Not all of them are terrible after all, but they are sometimes hard to pick out since you can't test them. Ultimately, you buy a product for what is on the inside, not the brand on the outside. She takes you through what to look for on the inside. And I love that she actually tests them and lets you see what they look like, rather than just talking about what they are like.

GossMakeup Artist


This is kind of an older one, but it is true to the title. Basics of Foundation and Powder. I've been watching Goss for a while and have yet to find a video I didn't learn something useful from.

What I learned:

While I would love to own the entire Make Up For Ever HD foundation, it is not realistically in my price range. Considering it runs $40 a bottle, I couldn't even justify getting even one bottle in my own color. I practice every night, so I needed a cheaper alternative to play with. I opted for Revlon Color Stay after several reviews stated it was comparable to the MUFE line, at 1/4 the price. Its fairly pigmented and has pretty full coverage. But, you do have to blend quickly or it becomes impossible to blend. It doesn't feel cakey, but I definitely can still feel it on. But it does lasts longer than any other drugstore brand I have tried. MUFE obviously has a wider color range, and the option of trying it on before you buy. But when I took a sample home, I honestly didn't see that much of a difference, not a $30 difference anyway. It's not that MUFE isn't fantastic, it's just that Revlon Color Stay is just fine for what I was doing.

But I won't be toting around all 30 MUFE bottles, or even 15 Revlon bottles around with me. I needed something that would give me a full color range and was cheap enough to practice with. I love Kevin James Bennett's In My Kit. It is such a great place to start if you are looking for the biggest bang for your buck when stocking your kit.

That being said, Revlon was fine for practicing at home, and even a recent media promo I did, since the actors needed to look like regular people. However, I needed a more professional brand that I could use on various project. The nice people over at Frends in North Hollywood were great and helped me decide between RCMA and Graftobian. I went with Graftobian because it is a little creamier, so it is easier to handle. It also doesn't require a mixing medium. What a difference using a highly pigmented project makes. Just take a look below.

It covers beautifully, photographs great and a tiny bit goes a long way. For a natural day look, you can just use your fingers to apply it, since the warmth from your hands helps blend it. You could also use a foundation brush to buff it in, like you would with any liquid foundation, for a ultra polished look. I used a dry sponge in the store and loved the coverage. But I like my foundation to take drab skin to just more radiant and even skin, so I use a damp sponge. I then set by dusting on translucent powder, not colored pressed powder which can look a little too made up. The wet sponge helps sheer it out and make it look more like skin, and since it has so much pigment to begin with, it still deposits a lot of color. Even when sheered out, it is still far more pigmented that any drugstore brand, or even high-end department store brand. And the best part is, it is super affordable. Graftobian, you have made a convert out of me.

Week 2: Color Correction and Concealer

September-Fundamentals

Color Correction and Concealer

What I tried:

I tried researching color correction and came up empty handed for a few days. I've seen the little green and pink and yellow tubes in several stores, and I kind of knew the basic concept. Use green to cover red, yellow/orange/ salmon for under eyes etc. But honestly, I didn't really know why. This video was one of the first I watched on the topic. I appreciate this video because it shows just how far a little color correction can get you.



I immediately wanted to buy the wax based palette featured in this video, but I knew I shouldn't, not just yet anyway. I think that when you are first starting out it is easy to get into the mentality of "if I just had this one thing, then I could really do it." I've made that mistake too many times already. I have a drawer full of cute workout clothes- it certainly has not made me any better at working out. I got excited about gardening too and bought a bunch of flowers and gardening tools. But they all died because I really didn't know what I was doing.

The point is, makeup for me is just a hobby right now. This blog is my attempt to look at it more professionally, but there is a chance my excitement will wane. And if it does, the last thing I want is to be stuck with hundreds of dollars or products I won't ever use or do not know how to use.

That being said, I paid a visit Frend Beauty Supply Store in North Hollywood. I picked up a Mehron Nuetralizer Pro Color Ring for $12 instead. I was familiar with the brand, it's cheap, cream based and it sheers out really nicely, which makes it easy to apply.

(Mehron.com)

What I learned:

What I really learned this week is that color corrector is just a fancy name for concealer, or rather it was my fancy "incorrect" name for it. There are two types of concealers, neutralizing concealers, and color concealers. Color concealers are the skin toned ones.

Neutralizing concealers are the green, purple pink and yellow concealers you see in the store. Several makeup lines carry them, from the lower end like L'Oreal Studio Secrets Professional, to the higher end like Make Up For Ever. (Both examples given here are primers, but the corrective color principle is the same).


Color correction is based on the color wheel. The color directly opposite will cancel out the other, meaning that when mixed together, you get brown. That's why green works to neutralize red, yellow neutralizes purple, and purple livens up sallow, yellowish skin. But it actually isn't as easy as picking up a tube of pink or purple or yellow, because everyone's skin tone is different. The yellow that works on my purplish under eye circles is definitely not the same that would work on someone else with blueish under eye circles. Whether you are buying the super pricey correctors, or the the lower end drugstore brand, the color is what matters most. That is why I like the Mehron color ring, because the colors are bright enough that I can mix them together to get the right shade.

However, I will admit that this is probably the most difficult part for me. I know I have somewhat of a purplish hue under my eyes, but as you can see, there are several shades of purple. And in order to neutralize, you have to get the right corresponding color. Right now, I am still working on the right shade of yellow green for myself. Below is my work in progress.

On the left, I have no makeup on. On the right, I am only wearing the neutralizer color ring. I covered the pink in my cheek with a little green. I used purple to cover the brown spot near my eye, and I mixed yellow and green for under my eyes. I have a little bit of purple still coming through, but it should disappear once I apply foundation and set with powder.

The other thing that is difficult is that I don't have the color wheel emblazoned in my brain yet. I think of it kind of like trying to memorize a complicated formula in Calculus or Econ. Right now, I have to constantly reference the formula (color wheel chart) and use it as my step by step guide. With some practice, I'll eventually have it memorized and will be able to use it without actually looking at it.

But just like in math, formulas aren't really what you need to learn, they are just a way to remember all the principles of what you are doing. But once you really understand the concept, the formula disappears and becomes nothing more than a shorthand description of something you already know. I've only really gotten there a few times in math, I hope my learning curve here is a bit faster.

Week 1: Face Shapes, Skin types, cheeks and blush placement

September-Fundamentals

Face Shapes

What I tried:

I have only taken one art class, and it was about 8 years ago, so sometimes basic concepts like shape and shadows are difficult for me. I tried to determine my own face shape by eyeballing it, but couldn't decide if it was oval, round or heart shaped.After some time on-line, and at the bookstore, I settled on this face chart and diagram from Our Vanity.
My first idea was to trace my face in the mirror, using a sheet of saran wrap. Turns out that was a terrible idea. I had to close one eye to do it, and I kept moving. I don't know who this person is, but it isn't me. But I think the face shape is right.

Oval shaped is considered the ideal, and any other shape is a based on mathematical deviation from that. You'll see it sectioned in thirds in art books all the time. But since I can't copy my own face on paper yet, I decided to actually section off my face, on my face.















What I learned:

I am actually really glad I sectioned it off, because I saw things I never would have seen otherwise. I've always felt my face was not symmetrical at all and my left side was much smaller than my right. Turns out, it actually is pretty symmetrical. After sectioning it off this way, I realized my left side isn't really smaller, the curvature is just different, it falls away much closer to the center. I can see curvature on other peoples faces, because they are 3-dimensional. But with my own face, I can only ever see a 2-dimensional version. Adding the lines helped envision the 3-dimensional version.

Skin types

What I tried:

I'm kind of lucky because I have normal skin, it's not very oily and I almost never break out. Normal skin is great for practicing makeup because I can play with lots of product and not really worry about it. In fact, it's even gotten better since I've been practicing, mostly because I am so meticulous about washing it off now and taking care of it. I was a bit of slacker with my skin before. But it also meant I didn't spend much time really studying this topic this week.

What I learned:

But I did find this helpful article on All Women's Talk. I like that it included a tissue test to actually figure it out. So I slept in late and did the tissue test in the morning, yep...normal. I still need to do a little more research on products for different skin types.

Cheeks and Blush placement

What I tried:

Blush usually goes on after foundation, but I wanted to include it this week as an add on to face shape. I spent some time at the book store, copying what I needed to study out of books and watching a few YouTube videos. Why not try it all.


Goss Makeup Artist has some really great videos and I particularly like this one for finding cheekbones and creating a lifting look. I like his finger to ear method for finding cheekbone. Alternatively, you can place a pencil against you cheek to find the line as well. Because he is a male, its almost easier to understand what he is doing, because you can look past just the "pretty" and focus on the technique.


What I learned:

Along the cheekbone is great when I want a more polished or when I want to look my age. Slightly above the cheekbone will create lift, while slightly below cheekbone will create some depth and accentuate bone structure. Below the cheekbone wasn't a good look for me since my cheeks are pretty full, so there wasn't any structure to accentuate. I had to contour my face first to make it work.

I agree with Goss, that placing blush on the apples of your cheek is a very young look and will otherwise drag your face down. But I realized that since I still have a youthful appearance, it still works for me.

Planning Makeup Curriculum

I don’t know if you knew this or not, but the internet is kind of, well, vast. I could probably spend countless hours on-line researching makeup techniques, watching videos and reading product reviews. In fact, I have spent hours doing just that, only to walk away feeling overwhelmed by what I still need to learn and wondering why it is now 2 a.m.

But as with anything that is new, the key is to stay focused, take it one skill at a time, and fit in as much practice in between. You can’t really expect to learn in a few hours what has taken people years of experience to master. So it’s time to do what I do best: put all my academic skills to good use and study.

I like learning with a purpose, so I had to plan it out. I actually used to be a teacher, and every summer I would take out my calendar and tentatively fill in what I wanted my year to look like. I would then go back and fill in week to week, and eventually day to day as I became more familiar with the curriculum. Below is my projected curriculum:

Sep-Nov: Beauty Makeup (Fundamentals, Modern Looks, Techniques for various mediums)

Dec-Feb: Out of Kit Special Effects (blood and wounds, appliances, characters

March-May: Sketch Work (Faces, Costuming, Sets and Room Perspective,)

June-August: Sewing (Fundamentals, Period Fashion, Major Alterations)

Final Examination: 5 Test shots which combine all three skills. These will be based on character breakdowns from books, scripts, comic book images etc.)

This is obviously still a tentative schedule, but I like having a trajectory. I’ve actually worked out my entire workload week by week. I am sure this schedule will change, as I learn more about each of these mediums and start to see what I need more time on. But for now, I thought I’d show you a little closer look at what each week looks like for September.

Course 1: Beauty Makeup

September-Fundamentals:

Week 1: Face Shapes, Skin types, cheeks and blush placement.

Week 2: Color principles, the color wheel and color correction

Week 3: Foundations, powders, face contouring and highlighting

Week 4: Eye shape, eye lining and eye shadow, eye brows, false eyelashes, mascara

Each week, I will be scouring blogs, forums, books and magazines, researching each topic and then applying the best strategies. I will be sharing what I’ve learned and highlighting how I learned it, as well posting pictures of my progress. So check back often and happy studying!