Kandee's Words of Wisdom

I've been asked to write a post on how to do your makeup for photos. Instead of being longwinded, I have decided to separate my advice into several posts. Since I know I learn better with the help of visual aids, I have decided to introduce my how-tos with a video by celebrity makeup artist Kandee Johnson.



In my last post, I was a little harsh on poor Kandee. Maybe it's guilt or something, but REGARDLESS, I think anyone can benefit from watching Kandee at her finest. This video will help get you started with a basic approach to makeup for photography.

Unimpressed with un-petroleum

Petrolatum and mineral oil are two ingredients you want to try and avoid in all your beauty products, but unfortunately they're in something like one out of every ten or fifteen cosmetic products on the market. Like many consumers, lately I have been trying out more "natural" or "organic" products as a healthy alternative to petroleum-derived products.

I use quotation marks here because there really is no such thing as a natural or organic cosmetic. The words are just marketing terms some companies use--ethically or unethically--on their labels. These terms are not monitored by the FDA like food is because, well, the FDA doesn't regulate cosmetics.

Regardless, petroleum jelly or Vaseline is a staple that you can find in almost every American household and for good reason. Though sticky and occlusive, it is a universal salve often used as a moisturizer or chapped skin. No other balm on the market has successfully usurped Vaseline in this manner. I myself have found myself reaching for it again and again this winter for chapped lips and cracked hands.

I decided to change this habit and found myself in the beauty section of my local Whole Foods where I saw a product that looked like the miracle product I'd been waiting for. Alba un-petroleum Multi-Purpose Jelly. It was around $6 for 3.5 ounces, packaged in a squeezable tube, which is more expensive than Vaseline but relatively cheap compared to other natural skincare products on the market. (Part of the reason petroleum products are so frequently used is because they're so inexpensive.) There were few ingredients: castor oil, coconut oil, beeswax, and Vitamin E. There were no testers available for this product, so I purchased the product blindly.

I hate this product. I never say that. I always try to find some way to make a product useful. But really, I hate this product. And apparently I'm alone in this because sales for un-petroleum are skyrocketing since last year and getting rave reviews. In fact, I could not find one negative review on it. The closest I got was written by a girl who said she didn't really know how she was planning to use it because she has oily skin and doesn't need something this moisturizing.

I still hate this product. It's slimy. It doesn't spread evenly. It won't cling to dry patches and instead runs onto oilier or moist areas that need it. I woke up one morning after using it as a lip balm to find that not only were my lips still chapped (more than before, actually) but the product had seeped into my mouth and covered my gums. the inside of my lips. (That's not normal.) I tried using it as an eye makeup remover, then spent literally twenty-four minutes trying to remove the product, which didn't come off until my shower the next day. I have dry skin that's been clear for years until this product somehow migrated off my lips and onto my face with a mission to seek and destroy. Even on my scaly hands and feet, it sat on my flesh like cling wrap, doing nothing but making everything I touched disgusting. I hate this product. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it.

How this product become so popular? It all started a year ago when celebrity makeup artist Kandee Johnson posted a video about her skincare routine on her YouTube channel. If you haven't already seen it or any of Kandee's video, check it out below:

I love this girl to death, and I'm not alone. Her videos are not only informative, but her enthusiasm for life (and makeup) is absolutely addictive. And I agree with her on almost everything. When I first started watching her videos (recommended to me by a client), I was floored that there was someone else out there who loved the same products I do. (Actually the MyChelle Fruit Enzyme she mentions in the beginning is my daily cleanser. If you're interested in trying it, know that it is a glycolic acid cleanser and will double as an exfoliator.)

I don't want to say Kandee talked me into buying the un-petroleum. I was looking for a product like this anyway. And like I said, this video's a year old, and she's posted a new skincare video since then. But I do know that almost every review I've read of this product cites her as the driving force behind their purchasing decision. Kandee is like an alchemist when it comes to beauty products. Anything she mentions turns to gold.

I hate to say anything negative about Ms. Johnson because I really find her to be the smartest and most talented guru on YouTube. But when I rewatched this video, I realized that we were all buying un-petroleum for the wrong reasons.

Kandee may have beautiful skin, but her reasoning for using un-petroleum doesn't make any sense. There are no products on the market that seal in your moisturizer. (The closest thing I can think of is Clinique Moisture Surge, an aloe-based product for those with an impaired moisture barrier.) If your moisturizer isn't adequately hydrating your skin, suffocating it with occlusive products (natural or synthetic) is crazy talk. Your moisturizer, unless prescription, is a cosmetic and can't (by order of the law) penetrate your skin enough to structurally change it, so you're just piling on layers of oil upon oil onto your skin and clogging your pores in the process. Many experts, like Dr. Hauschka,even believe that using night creams alone--without an added "sealant"--is bad for the skin, which needs to breath and repair itself while you're sleeping. Un-petroleum applied on top of moisturizer will probably end up doing you more harm than good in the long run, even if you are seeing good results now.

Kandee is flat-out wrong when she says natural ingredients can't make you break out. Any imbalance of oil and water in your skin will result in blemishes, and furthermore, coconut oil is a saturated fat. And saturated fats, like lanolin which comes from sheep's fat, is too heavy for most skin types, except the very, very dry. I'm talking exposed to radiation, lizard dry.

Lastly, moisturizer will not repair wrinkles. Wrinkles come from a breakdown of collagen and elastin, not dehydration. Yes, dehydration will make wrinkles more apparent, but oil alone is not an anti-aging ingredient.

If you find that moisturizer alone isn't satisfying your dry skin, then I have a few alternatives to slathering yourself in this junk:

• Get a different moisturizer. The one you're using isn't emollient enough.
• Exfoliate more often. You may have a build up of dead skin that is keeping your moisturizer from doing it's job. There are a lot of great physical and chemical exfoliators on the market. Or you can mix plain old sugar (white or brown) into your cleanser until it has a grainy consistency. Wash your face as usual with the sugar cleanser, then rinse with warm water. Afterward, you can splash your face once with cold water to close pores.
• Use a serum under your moisturizer that contains a humectant like hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid is produced naturally by your body, so it works on both oily and dry skins. I suggest Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair, but there are natural products on the market that use this technology as well. In fact, I believe MyChelle Dermaceuticals makes one.
• Try spot treating dry areas with a light oil. Jojoba oil is gentle and noncomedogenic. Many claim that it is the closest oil to our natural sebum, making it the most recognizable to our skins. Drier skins might even want to try shea butter before turning to coconut oil.
• Use a moisturizing mask once a week. For a full facial experience, boil some water with a few drops of the essential oil of your choice and steam for ten minutes before exfoliating with a gentle scrub. Once your pores have been opened and cleansed, you can apply the mask and sit back for ten or fifteen minutes before rubbing in or rinsing off. (Which technique to use will be specified on your product's label.

As I post this, I would like to say that I hope this review is helpful to people. I do not mean any disrespect to Kandee. But as a dissatisfied customer and a product reviewer, I couldn't stifle the urge to voice my dissenting opinion on un-petroleum. Feel free to disagree with me. In fact, I would love to hear anyone's comments on their experience with this product.

Banana Republic to the rescue

I am a big believer in internet shopping. In fact, I never go shopping without checking out the websites of the stores I plan on perusing. Aside from being prepared, it helps me plan what to look for and often has links on what's trendy, what's classic, and what's been featured recently in magazines. In my opinion, this is important info.

Anyway, I was looking at the Banana Republic website the other day and noticed a link I'd never noticed before. They now have a feature on dressing for your body type. Right now it's limited to dresses, but still...WHAT A NOVEL IDEA! Even if you're not a fan of Banana Republic for whatever reason, I urge you all to check out their recommendations on http://bananarepublic.gap.com/ if you've ever asked yourself, "Does this dress make me look fat?" It couldn't hurt!

P.S. While you're at it, check out their online exclusive sales on Pima Cotton. Gotta love markdowns on stylish comfort.

How To Start A Brush Collection

I have an unhealthy obsession with makeup brushes. Yes, I'm a makeup artist, but I'm not kidding when I tell you that everyone I've worked with comments on how many brushes I own.

In my opinion, makeup brushes are the most important component of your makeup kit. (Okay, obviously they're useless if you don't have anything to apply with them, but you know what I mean.) But they can get expensive. And for most women they're not the "fun" part. It's exciting to buy a new shade of lip gloss, but there's not a lot of instant gratification in buying a new brush if you're not a makeup artist.

Regardless, brushes are one of the best investments you can make. If cared for properly, they will last a lifetime. And it is literally impossible to get a polished look in photos without them. Aside from distributing product evenly, your brushes will give you that polished, blended look you may have thought only the pros can accomplish.

For new models, I strongly encourage purchasing a set of good brushes of your own. Even if you work with makeup artists frequently, there will be times that you will have to do your own makeup. As a professional, it is imperative that you can create a polished look on your own when necessary. In my kit, I have mixed and matched brushes from many different lines, but if you are starting from scratch, a brush kit will probably be more economical.

The most economical but quality brush kit that I know of on the market can be found on http://www.sigmamakeup.com/. Specifically I recommend the Professional Brushes Complete Set, which contains 12 versatile brushes that can achieve almost any makeup look that will ever be asked of you. To learn more about these brushes, check out this review by TiffanyD.


Personally, these brushes are not my all time favorites. I think Lancome, MAC, and Bobbi Brown have superior brush kits, but unfortunately they are only around at holiday. But these brushes work extremely well and are a great value.

My only complaint about them is that after repeated deep cleansing, some of mine have stained, shed, or slightly lost shape. But this is not something I think the average consumer will experience. Since I am a professional MUA, my brushes take quite a beating. They must be sanitized after every use and deep cleansed daily with an antibacterial shampoo and sprayed with alcohol before left to dry overnight. An individual using them for personal use will (hopefully) treat them a bit more gently.

Despite this criticism, check out the website. I think you'll be pleased with the results you can achieve with a good set of quality brushes.

I worked for Victoria's Secret one summer in college, so I don't think I'm making assumptions when I say that women hate shopping for strapless bras. It makes sense. Women hate wearing strapless bras. So what fun is shopping for them?

Regardless, the fact is that a versatile strapless bra is a wardrobe staple that most young women can't do without. But if your strapless bra alters the way clothing lays on your body, it can seem like a wasted investment.

My biggest problem with strapless bras is that they always seem to stretch too high if they're not slipping down. And my second biggest problem is that they can distort the shape of your body--minimizing when you don't want it too or packing into the cup a pillow's worth of padding for some kind of cleavage substitute. If you too are tired of settling for sub par straplesses, I suggest checking out Calvin Klein's Perfectly Fit Petites Tailored Strapless Bra, available in black and nude for $44 at Macy's. It is quite honestly the only strapless bra I have ever owned that I don't consider a burden. It's seamless and provides light padding that shapes without adding any obvious bulk. But mostly what makes this bra so different for me is that it works perfectly on those of us with short torsos and smaller frames. Comparing it to another strapless by Calvin Klein in the store, there was absolutely no difference in band or cup size. However, you will see a difference in where the cup falls. It's cut maybe a third of an inch lower than a regular strapless. In my opinion, this makes a better fit. Since it stops on your bust--rather than above it--you won't have any puckering or gapping. And being cut lower, you can wear it with more clothing. What's not to love about that?

Healthy-looking nails

One of the seven deadly sins for models is nail neglect. (Our version of sloth? I gotta step away from the metaphors.) It's also the most common faux pas I see and a surefire way to spot an amateur.

I could leave it simple and give the advice most people give, which is to be sure to get a manicure and pedicure every week (or every two weeks if you must.) But lately I've found myself walking a few miles in the shoes of a model, and it's been more complicated than I expected.

As a makeup artist, I am constantly washing my hands and slathering hand sanitizer on them, and my nails pay the price for it. Since my hands are in people's faces constantly, I religiously manicured once a week, sporting whatever OPI summarized the trend du jour. A few weeks ago though I needed something more neutral and decided that nail maintenance comes with some tricky decisions to make.

In my case, I decided that my naked nails were too homely to look good with just a clear polish, so I did something I haven't done in about a year. I asked for a full set, and I've been mad at myself ever since.

The problem with getting acrylics is that every girl knows that she has to keep up with them or face the horror of her God-given nails when they come out from hibernation. To top it off they're plain bad for you.

I wish I could embed this clip I'd like you all to check out, but it's not available on YouTube. I'd like you all to check out segment from Dr. Oz on acrylic nails. (Pay attention to the other topic discussed because it's relevant to our discussion of hand and feet aesthetics. Follow this link to view the video:
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/treating-hammer-toes-and-dangers-acrylic-nails

I did some thinking, and I realized that this expectation for models kind of sucks. We're not all born with great nails, and while we can take care of our health to help them out, models don't live in a bubble just because they're models. And life can take a toll on your fingers and toes.

Below you'll find a video that offers a compromise, and I never thought this would be something I'd advise women to do. But if your nails are looking a little gnarly and you don't want to make them worse with acrylics, there is another option available. It's also a great idea if you're hating the way your nails look now that you've removed your acrylics.



I have been seeing these a lot lately and seriously couldn't tell they were press-ons. Since I hadn't worn press-ons since I was--literally--ten years old, it never would've occurred to me to try them. The girls I've seen wearing these bad boys looked like they'd spent some cash getting their nails professionally done. Impressive.

Even if you don't care about whether or not your nails are healthy, this is undeniably budget-friendly. Beauty upkeep can get really expensive. Where I live, a full-set at a licensed, sanitary, reputable salon runs $45. A fill-in costs $35, which you'll probably need every two weeks. To put this in perspective, imagine that you got a full-set put on New Year's Day and kept up with this maintenance for a year. That's $850 out of your yearly paycheck on nails--pedicures not included. And that's assuming you never break them or need a new set during that time.

We'll discuss pedicures soon, but hopefully this has helped some of you who think beautiful nails are out of arms reach. They're right at your fingertips, and that's not just a cheesy pun.

Contouring/Highlighting for Beginners

Even if you have your pictures taken by a professional, they may not look like the ones you see in magazines if you don't adjust your makeup for the camera. (If you haven't already read my posts about photo-friendly foundations, be sure to check those out.) I know many models or other women who know how to apply their makeup so it looks stunning day-to-day but only look so-so in photos. Most of the time this is because they haven't defined their featured by contouring and highlighting the planes of the face.

I myself was nervous to sculpt the face when I first started out. I didn't want to look--or make my clients look--80s or drag queenish. Even once I started trying it, I contoured and highlighted with caution--thinking it was only needed for those who wanted to slim the face. I have since had a change of heart. While I don't use these techniques in my own morning routine and consider them optional for shoots taken in natural light, I truly believe that putting on makeup at all is a waste of time if you neglect these steps in your makeup application.

My favorite how-to book on this subject is Robert Jones's Makeup Makeovers, which is an excellent manual for any woman looking to better understand how she can enhance her personal appearance with makeup. (The messiah of transforming women's faces, Kevyn Aucoin, has also written some excellent books that explain facial sculpting, but his amazing artistry skills are often more interesting than applicable for the average woman.) In this book, you will not only learn the basics of sculpting the face, you will also learn how to apply them to your own face shape (and, using these same principles, to your eyes with shadow.) I recommend this book to all my clients who want to find a good makeup manual and find it extremely helpful because it contains before and afters of ordinary women, as well as models. You can purchase a copy at http://www.amazon.com/.

While you definitely want to customize your contouring and highlighting techniques to your own unique features, let me share with you some pointers you may not find from reading Robert Jones.

• Here are the basics: The principles of highlighting and contouring are relatively simple and come from rules you probably learned in art class. If you would like to make an area come forward (highlighting), you will need to use a lighter color than the one used allover. Conversely if you would like to make an area recede (contouring), choose a darker color than both the highlight shade and the allover color. (You can also achieve this effect by using the same allover color but using different finishes that attract light differently, such as a shimmer for a highlight or a matte for a contour. While this is important to note when purchasing products, this technique is way too subtle to be used in a studio setting where the flash washes out color almost universally.)



• The general standard of beauty in our culture, which we want to emphasize in the fashion or entertainment industry, consists of the following criteria:

1. Flawless skin



2. Oval-shaped face--although certain face shapes are gaining similarly coveted status as celebrity icons become more and more diverse



3. Symmetrical features



4. Large, bright eyes



5. High cheekbones--ideally because of a slim face, not angular features



6. Full lips



7. Straight, thin nose
   


8. Defined eyebrows arched above the iris
   


9. Slight glow from a sunkissed tan or rosey flush
   

The reason these traits are worth noting is because the principles of contouring and highlighting should help you appear to have these features in photos whether you were genetically blessed with them or not. Determine for yourself whether your techniques will be accentuating the great features you were born with (that the camera can wash out) or will be corrective. The products you choose may be different depending on the effect you want to create.

Note: If your features are different from I'm not saying that your highlighting and contouring techniques have to be corrective. A picture is a two-dimensional image or a three-dimensional being. Highlighting the bridge of your nose and contouring the sides doesn't have to change the shape of your nose, but if you would like for it to look slimmer, you may want to use products that create a more dramatic change.

• Select products you can blend easily. Some people find liquids easier because they glide smoothly over the skin; some prefer powders they can buff into the skin with a brush. Just as important as how blendable a product is, you also want to avoid using any products that are too messy. If you choose a dusty loose powder with a high concentration of mica for your highlight color, for example, you may have fallout all over your contour, and your hard work hasn't paid off.



• Consider your skintone while selecting colors. If you are very light, avoid anything too intense. You'll look like a mannequin. In contrast, women with darker skins should seek out intense pigments, or a well-done contour can look like skin discoloration and a highlight can look ashy.



• Avoid anything too sparkly if you have oily skin, which will look greasy. If you have enlarged pores, follow the same advice because shimmer will highlight textured skin as well.



• Don't try to multitask by contouring and highlighting with color on the face. It will look terrible, not to mention dated. You should never use these techniques when you are wanting to brighten your complexion--especially if you're going for a rosy glow. Except for those with the most alabaster skins (who often have a hard time finding a highlight shade lighter than their complexions that don't look like chalk) avoid pink tones all together.

So enough of what not to do. I've compiled a list of the products that are user-friendly and create the beautiful results you want without costing you an arm and a leg. (Some may look expensive but last forever.) Without further ado, here are some of my favorite products for highlighting and contouring:

• Benefit Hoola: the ultimate matte bronzer

Benefit's collection of Box O' Powders pack a lot of pigment. In fact, I've never finished using a single one of them. This particular product is not only a good investment though, it is the only matte bronzer on the market--and I've tried them all--that can handle the job. A true brown with absolutely no orange, it creates the most believable shadow on most women. It's also buildable, making perfect for a variety of skintones. On women with darker skin, I still find myself turning to this product. It can blend together highlight and contour shades on skintones that have difficulty finding shades that won't look ashy or muddy. And on the very dark, I've even used it as a highlight where I was amazed that a matte powder product not only worked but didn't look fake or chalky. Another perk? The brush in the box is actually a great tool instead of another packaging afterthought.

P.S. If you fall in love with this Box O' Powder, check out 10. It contains two shades--a highlight and a contour. Why isn't this one on the list? Well, maybe it should be. I use this product a lot on both myself and clients. But I only like it on the very fair, and the pink highlight only works with certain undertones. It also has quest a bit of shimmer, which I usually can play down with a dusting of loose powder over it. And I generally try to avoid powders for highlight/contour products. A lot of them look dusty or unnatural. But you may like it. Very convenient and a great into product.

• Benefit Moon Beam: highlighter for those peaches 'n cream girls

I know, I know. I said not to use highlighters to add color to your face. I still stand by that statement! This is my one exception, and I'll tell you why. I really don't know what possessed me to buy this product because I absolutely hated High Beam, which I bought years ago at the urging of a friend who worked for Benefit.

Moon Beam and High Beam are the exact same product in different colors. High Beam is an icy pink instead of "golden pink" (which I'm pretty sure is a fancy way of saying peach.) Like I said I hated High Beam, and I tried to force myself to like it for years. It just didn't work for me. I thought the nail polish bottle packaging was stupid and couldn't figure out what I was expected to do with the flimsy brush. It was very liquidy, so I had a hard time placing it in just the right spot. And at the same time, it didn't blend very well, so I looked like I'd tried unsuccessfully to do some kind of pixie, whimsical something. (Since this experience, I've made peace with High Beam, which looks good on certain people on select occasions, so don't mind me if you love it. You're probably just one of the few women I don't hate it on.) Anyway, a lot of the reasons I hated High Beam are what makes Moon Beam so versatile. The opalescent pinky-peach color may not seem very different, but it is universally flattering on women of any undertones, since it has hints of both gold and pink. Since it isn't icy, it doesn't look harsh like High Beam, which contains a little bit of silver--a color that I've found is unflattering on almost all women when it's not jewelry or eye shadow. Though the texture is still the same, it doesn't require nearly as much effort to blend. It's close to most skintones and also blends seamlessly with almost any blush or bronzer. If you think you're too fair or too dark for this product to look natural, mix it with your liquid foundation for a foolproof perfect shade.

I recommend applying Moon Beam to the back of your hand before applying it with a foundation brush, angled blush brush, sponge, or fingertips. The brush is still stupid. I also recommend applying it after your loose powder to give the liquid something to grip on. Dusting with powder again is up to your discretion.

• Estee Lauder Spotlight: A Colorless Highlighter

If the packaging of Moon Beam annoys you or you don't want to use any color, check out this option from Estee Lauder. Like Moon Beam, you can use it alone or mixed into foundation, and it comes in a squeezable tube that will last you a long time. I'll be reviewing this soon, so stay tuned to learn more about this versatile product.

Other options include...

If the products above don't work for you, you may want to use foundation. You can use the same formula you use allover in shades one to two shades lighter for highlight and darker for contour. (I know this is quite expensive, but some people think it's worth it. If it isn't in your, maybe you can sweet talk that girl behind the counter into offering up some samples the next time you go in to replenish.) If you want to use foundations to sculpt your face, you'll probably love the convenience of a foundation stick, like Bobbi Brown's, for precise contour application. Women who can't wear it allover often love it for this purpose, and it's very easy to travel with.

Hope this was helpful! Feel free to leave me a comment or question about contouring/highlighting or makeup for photos in general. Happy picture taking!