Period Makeup

Today started off with me feeling very sick and nauseous but I couldn't let it stop me from doing my class, so I had Errol drop me off. I was excited about this class because I was teaching period makeup, Renaissance to 1990's. I worked really hard at putting together a power point presentation. I scanned photos from every decade as well as wrote numerous notes for every period. Gotta say, I was very happy with the entire presentation. Preparing this class was a lot of work and a lot of fun because there is so much research involved, it brings out the researcher part of my personality. It also confirms my love of makeup. I gave my students a lot of homework because part of being a great makeup artist for film is your ability to research and bring real life to the character. So tonight they have to research and develop two characters from two different periods. In class they will have to present the characters as well as how they are going to execute those characters. They also have 40 questions to answer over the next two days. I did a demo of the 20's and then they had to do hands-on of the 20's. They worked on each other then we critiqued the applications. I made suggestion and they had a chance to make corrections which went really well. They got it. that's very exciting. When that light bulb goes off, I feel good. After cleaning up, we watched Elizabeth and Titanic. Watching these two movies also gave them opportunity to look at two very different periods. So, even though I started my day feeling like shit, I felt great seeing how much was accomplished. Way to go.

Don't Feel like writing

The past couple of days have been spent trying to get better. Coughing all the time is no fun. Hopefully some of these concoctions that I have taken will eventually work. Don't feel much like writing today.

Applebee's, Interview & Concoctions

Today was not as productive as I would have liked it to be. I attended a fundraiser at Applebee's this evening. Part of the proceeds will be donated to the school. We actually had a pretty good turnout. Gregoire had his final interview with the priest tonight. He did very well. We are so proud of him.
I need to do one more thing before hitting the bed. I made a concoction of crushed garlic, lime juice and honey. Let's see if this work.

Errands, Trial Makeup & Product Reviews

Friday evening we went to church to observe Gregoire participate in "Stations of the Cross." He carried the cross from station seven to fourteen. He did very well, we were proud of him. By the time we left church it was a little late so we stopped and grabbed a bite before we came home. By the time we got home, I started feeling achy. My throat was sore and my body ached. I putzed around a little and then I finally had to call it a night.

Saturday was a busy day. The day started out with Gregoire and I heading over to the British Market Place and Tea Room over on Stirling. the owner gave us permission to take photos of the tea room for the school's cookbook. It was great because we got a chance to see the preparation of the dainty cucumber and egg sandwiches along with the scones. We also got a chance to take some photos of the store. Gregoire is my photographer in training; he has such a good eye for detail. After leaving there, we did a couple of errands, then we stopped and grabbed a quick bite before heading home. I came home and prepped for my first client. I had to do a consult and trial makeup for an upcoming wedding in May.

My bride-to-be arrived just shortly after 2:00PM, along with her mum. The Bride's hair was stunning. I loved the soft, sexiness of the cascading curls. We started our consult by going over the time of day of the wedding and the style of her dress. She described the dress as a champagne, vintage dress with lots of detail. We decided to do very smokey eyes, with three-cluster individual lashes, soft romantic blush and pale pink glossy lips. She normally uses Channel foundation, but she was open to trying RCMA's Gena Beige. It was a perfect match to her skintone. I applied and blended it with one of my new favorite products The Beauty Blender created by my friend Rea Ann Silva. Can I tell you how much I love this hot pink, egg-shaped sponge applicator. The Beauty Blender allows you to create a flawless application without demarcation lines. It also works great for cream blush application. For more details visit http://www.thebeautyblender.net/

For her eyes I used Shadow Shields, which are great little under-eye patches that catch all the mess when applying eyeshadows. They really help you keep your work clean. Shadow Shields was created by Michelle Villanueva. For further details visit www.shadowshields.com

You know in these hard times beauty doesn't have to be expensive. It can be very practical. I used a combination of products from the beauty supply store, drug store and department store.

1. Skincare -primer - Embryolisse 24-hour miracle cream. (it allows the makeup to glide on smoothly)
2. Foundation-RCMA Gena Beige
3. Blush -Cream Blush -MAC Pink/Lancome Cedar Rose
4. Powder - under eyes Laura Mercier eye Brightening Powder
-face William Tuttle's Extra Fine Translucent Face Powder
5. Eyeshadows - Lancome Nude eye primer (keeps shadows on all day)
-Shadows - Palladio -Beige all over eyes, Champagne all over eyes, outer corner Black Raven, Charcoal, Cocoa, all smudge and blended
-Mascara - black-several coats
6. Lips - Palladio Natural liner blended with a combination of glosses Physician's Formula-Misty Rose Potion, Revlon Lip Glide 010- Sheerly Bare and Lancome Spring Fling
7. Highlighter Pen - Lancomes's Flash Retouche 02 Rose Lumiere above browbone, around mouth, under eyes above cheekbones
8. Concealer - Clinique 02 Moderately Fair
9. Finishing Powder - MAC Belightful lightly all over face

Crystal and her mum loved the finished product, so that made me feel really good; especially since I nailed it on the first trial. To make sure that the look is duplicated on her wedding date,I awrote everything down and separated all of the products that I used on her and put them in a ziploc bag. It's done, I don't have to figure hers out anymore. I will print up my makeup sheet and have it ready for her wedding day.

My day still wasn't over yet. With everything cleaned up and packed away, i was out the door at 5:00 pm and on to my next appointment. I had to be there by 6:00 pm. I arrived early and proceeded to set up my makeup and I waited for Neki to arrive. She was attending a gala. Again I did a ver dramatic eye with light lips, added a bit of dazzle on her bare shoulders and she was out the door.

You know makeup people are like bag ladies in training, we are always packing up and schlepping stuff. Before leaving I cleaned my brushes. I bought this new brush cleaner at the last makeup show and I haven't tried it yet. I think I will try it soon. By th etime I left neki's house it was raining cats and dogs. I hate driving at night especially in the rain. I kept praying t make it hope safely. Thank god I did.

Pizza Friday, Invitations & Stations of the Cross

I left the school about 5:00pm after serving pizza, coke and pound cake. It's "Pizza Friday" the regular weekly fundraising event at the school. I came home and started working on the invitation for Gregoire's First Communion. I sent out request for letters, now I am formatting the invite. I think it looks pretty good so I am goint to print it. I have to get them in the mail ASAP. We have to get ready to go to church because he is doing the Stations of the Cross tonight. Hope to get a chance to drink a cup of tea before I go. You know this island girl is a tea tottler. Oh, I forgot, I also worked on the deal memos and invoices for the upcoming shoot this weekend, then I confirmed some rates for the upcoming press junket and press tour for the soloist-Jaimie's new movie. Gotta run.

Kermesse, Makeup Classes & Tarte Tartin

This past weekend Gregoire's school had an all day bazaar followed by an outdoor dance. It was a wonderful day. I spent it promoting the school's fundraiser cookbook "From our school to your Kitchen". I was excited about the response that I received. Most people were pleasantly surprised because they did not expect a book of such high quality. They expected the typical school cookbook - a Kinko's runoff. Surprise, surprise, that's not how I operate. I don't like mediocrity, I prefer to think on a much grander scale; to create something that will bring the school residual income. I am so hyped by the positive feedback that I received from the folks who expressed interest in supporting this project. I got friend in the hot sun, even the hat and sunscreen didn't protect me.

The bazaar or kermesse as it is known in France wound down about 5:00pm. We came home showered and changed then went back to the school to attend the party. The DJ was great. his musical selection kept us going until late in the evening. The hit of the party was the French families, they hung until 1:00 am or I think until the wine ran out. After the DJ packed up they drove their cars onto the basketball court and turned on their CD players in the car. Way to go party people.

I spent Sunday editing and inputting more recipes into the cookbook. It's a lot of work but hopefully in the long run it will be all worth it.

I have been working with the teenage girls at the school. We have been rehearsing for an upcoming fashion show scheduled for the Saturday before mother's day. So I have been training them on how to walk properly. It's been a challenging task...but who doesn't love a good challenge?

I cook on a daily basis, lately I have been photographing everything that I cook before it's eaten.
Everyone laughs when I tell them that. In between all of this I am working on improving the manual for the makeup school where I just started teaching.

My favorite dessert is Tarte Tartin, I ate it the whole time I was pregnant. It's just so good. well since it is that good, you know I had to learn how to make it. Guess what...I did. On Tuesday I gave it a shot. it was PERFECT! Yes, PERFECT!!! What is it you ask? It's caramelized apples baked in a cast iron skillet with a puff pastry on top and then turned out onto a plate. Errol did a perfect job turning it on to a large plate. WOW, umh! umh! good. I must confess, Gregoire ate quite a bit of it and I didn't want to share.

Yesterday was a busy day I had a lot of appointments. first I met with a parent who is going to help me with fundraising and marketing for the school. We are always looking for more creative ways to raise money for the school. She has some great ideas and the drive and tenacity and the ability to follow through. I am so excited about working with her. After meeting with her, I had a meeting with the owner of the British Marketplace and tea room. I think there are several things that we will be able to work on together. Then I picked up Gregoire from school and we headed over to Pier 1. I actually got permission from their corporate off to photograph some of their table settings. Gregoire did the photography. He has an excellent eye for photography. He shoots beautiful photos and can actually operate my camera better than I can. So thanks to Whitney at Pier 1 for granting me permission to shoot in the store.

Today was a great day, I taught an intro to film class at Cosmix. I had a small class only seven students. They were a good group. I explained the ups and downs of the industry and some of the advantages and disadvantages of this industry. We touched upon several topics. It's hard to get everything across in such a short period of time. I was basically given them a teaser class. I think it opened up their interest to go further in their education and learn as much as their can so that it increases their chances of having a more successful and rewarding career. I lectured the entire day expect the last hour where I had them do a makeup application. they had about 15 minutes to complete a clean beauty makeup for film. One of the things that I try to stress while teaching is how important it is for them to be able to extrapolate the necessary information from what they learn and incorporate it into something that will help them create their own unique style. This is so important so that they wouldn't become cookie-cutter makeup artists. I think potential artists need to understand how crucial this is to their success as an artist.

After work, I picked up Gregoire from a friend's house I came home and made dinner. Dinner was simple, nothing special but we did finish off the Tarte Tatin.

I just finish watching President Obama on the Jay Leno Show. I just love Mr Pres. He is so cool, so natural, no pretense. A great show.

I have to go clean up the kitchen, then get ready for bed. Tomorrow is another day. I have a couple of deal memos to work on for this Sunday. On SaturdayI have a trial run for a bride then I have to do someone's makeup for a ball that evening. I also have to work on the invites for Gregoire's First Communion.

Oh well, it's time to go finish clean the kitchen and then hit the sac.

Makeup Classes, PAC & Lent

I haven't written in a couple of days and part of my quest is to write over the next 40 days. I thought this would be easier to establish my blog concurrently with Lent. Even though I haven't written for a couple of days, I still feel that I will be able to maintain some consistency and write on a regular basis. it is important for me to maintain stick-to-it-iveness (not sure how to spell that) because it will allow me to develop my blogging habit.

Friday was a PAC meeting, since I am chairperson of the the parent association, I constantly have to be on top of everything. With all the budget cuts that we have been experiencing, it has taken a lot to get parents involved. It is like pulling teeth sometimes. However, I am grateful that we do get the participation of some parents. I guess that's better than nothing.
So we had a so-so turn out. I kept hoping for more. We went over the fundraiser cookbook. We have some great recipes so far but I keep hoping for a few more. I really want the book to reflect the international flavor of the school. I would like to finish the book and have it ready by the end of the month. After that I still have to start the yearbook plus get started on my journal.

Saturday, I finally started my exercise routine which is all part of my commitment to myself for Lent. We went to the park, Errol, Gregoire and myself. Errol rode and Gregoire and I walked and stretched. It was great because it got me going; plus it was such a good family outing. Later that day Errol and I just hung out because Gregoire went off to spend the afternoon working on a project.

Sunday, I ached quite a bit from all the squats that I did at the park. I spent all day prepping for the makeup class that I was teaching today. I spent a lot of time creating a power point presentation. As a matter of fact, I never got out of my pj's. I was so involved in my writing and preparing for my class that the time just quickly flew by. After writing for hours I finally took a break and made dinner. You know part of being a working mum is being a good multi-tasker. So I mentally prepped dinner then I went into the kitchen and spent an hour making a quick delicious meal of sauteed talapia, broccoli and this great congo red rice from Thailand that I discovered through my client Lalette. I love the deep rich red color and the texture. I like it a lot more than brown rice; it just has such a great natural flavor. I made enough to have left overs.
I worked quite late last night to finish preparing for my class today. The last hour was spent braking down a script for the class.

Waking up this morning was a chore because the clock was moved up one hour. I was also aching from exercising yesterday... You know how sore the body gets when you start conditioning from a long break. Part of my goal today was to make sure that I put in at least half hour of exercise. Hurrah after work today I was able to get in about 45 minutes. We all walked after dinner so it was wonderful. I had 12 students in class. We spent the day discussing the ins and outs of this business. I focused on making sure that we discussed many things that won't normally be covered in a class. I feel that part of my duty as a makeup instructor is to provide as much pertinent information about the industry as possible. I want my students to learn the ups and downs of the industry so I do not sugar coat my delivery. I give it to them straight; sometimes too straight. I really enjoyed to the class today. I felt that the information delivered was very meaningful and much needed.

I just received a call from someone that I haven't spoken to in about 30 years. She is planning a reunion of the Caribbean Club of LIU. I look forward to receiving further information.

Enough said... Time to take a shower and get to bed.

Looking Back

Today was a busy day. I met with Kathleen at Cosmix. We had a great meeting. I also met some of the students that I will be teaching next week. I will teach Monday, Tuesday and Thursday plus a couple more days at the end of the month. I also have to work on the syllabus this weekend. In addition, I am working on creating a Manuel for the film and television class. I am excited about that because these are some of the things that I really enjoy doing.

After meeting with Kathleen, I went to pick up my son at school. I was a few minutes late picking him up. I then came home and immediately started dinner which involved a quick preparation of pasta and chicken because my husband had his friend and his wife stop by for dinner before making the three hour trip back to Orlando tonight. Now with the kitchen cleaned up, I can sit and focus on me.

You know, the life of a makeup artist in film is such an exciting and rewarding career but I don't feel that it is conducive to raising a family; it is a big juggle. As much as I loved and enjoyed it,I couldn't juggle anymore. My priorities changed, the older my kid became. Once your child starts to develop your priorities shift to accommodate their growth. I look at my son and if my husband and I didn't move at the time we did (from Los Angeles to Florida) we would have to wait until our son graduates from college. It would have been very difficult on all of us trying to move my son at this stage of his life. Sometimes you don't know if you are making the right decision or not but when I look at his growth and development, I don't have to second guess myself; this was the best decision. So many people have asked me if I miss working on the set. I did a few things but I don't miss the hours. Yes I miss the money but not the hours and some of the BS that goes on. I do enjoy teaching and watching the light bulb go off when students get it.

One of the things that constantly goes through my mind is figuring out how to keep up with the constant reinvention of oneself once you hit a certain age. I will soon turn 51 and I listen to many of my friends, and for so many of them they are just not happy. they are like flotsam floating in the sea of life. they do not enjoy life. Life is short and not promised to us. so we have to be able to go with the flow. in this industry because we are basically unemployed after every job, we tend not to take vacations because this industry preaches feast or famine so we take every job offered because we are afraid we don't know when the next one is coming. It is just a vicious cycle. So what do makeup artist like myself do.

I worked many years Union artist to lose my industry roster standing because
I didn't work x number of days; basically according to our union president contract services penalized us for being a mothers who wanted to have a hand in raising our children. Oh well c'est la vie. We have to learn how to continuously reinvent ourselves. reevaluate our skills and talents and try hard to branch out into other areas to create a living. They are several things that I have started to work on . I must I am always busy sometimes too busy. The school's fundraiser school book plus my memoirs as well as writing this manuel for film and television; I would say that i am pretty busy. I now have to find a way to turn that busy into a salary and residual income; that's really the key to our industry is learning how to create residual income. what is residual income...it's doing something that will bring you money even when you stop doing it.. so makeup artists like myself should focus on creating residual income .

I think I am going to sign off now. tomorrow I have to prepare for the parent meeting and try to encourage these parents to participate in the upcoming fundraiser kermesse.

Cookbook, First Communion & Makeup

Today, I worked on the fundraiser cookbook for my son's school. It is a lot of work. I commit to doing things and its difficult sometimes because I just don't know how to do anything halfway so I always end up putting 300 % into whatever I do. I worked for a few days to input recipes and photos in an effort to create a sample book that we will use to generate sales at the upcoming Kermesse within the next two weeks. I rushed with all the errors and uploaded the book, hoping that it would be printed and shipped in time for this event. I am still trying to figure out the price of the book. Hopefully at this Friday's PAC meeting we will reach some consensus. I hope that I can show the book at the meeting. I have received some feedback. I know many things are missing. I need some more great photos that's what's going to make the book sell. I look forward to completing it because I think it is going to be a very nice cookbook. I have been taking photos of everything that I cook.

My son is preparing for his first communion, so last night we went to a penance service where he did his first confession.
I made dinner and cleaned up the kitchen, now I am sitting here returning emails and trying to figure out my schedule for tomorrow. I will be teaching a makeup class next week, just for a couple of days, so I am preparing myself. I will also meet with Kathleen, the owner of the school, for lunch and we will discuss the plans for next week classes. I am also happy because the new Corson' s book is out and I am happy with the revisions of the chapter that I did.

Since I moved to Florida, makeup work has been very scarce. I guess they really don't shoot as many movies. Also, no one calls me for films here. I did one movie since I have been here. I did Rita Wilson's makeup for Old Dogs which should be coming out this year. I think she was happy with what I did. It was a good experience for me. It also made me realize that I really don't have much of a desire to spend those kind of hours on the set. I enjoy being able to prepare meals for my family but I also need to figure out a way to make additional income. I am currently working on my memoirs. I haven't been able to type from my notes the last couple of days because I have been so busy working on the school's cookbook. However I will get back to the book as soon as I am finished preparing for my class next week. I want to have my book finished within the next couple of months and have it ready to sell at one of the makeup shows. I feel that it will be well received.

There is so much to write. I am getting tired, so I might call it a night and continue tommorow.