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.