MAKEUP AND SUMMER HEAT!

Well it is definitely summer and the heat is not being sensitive at all to those of us who wear makeup. I hear ladies complaining all the time about their foundation not staying on, their eyeshadow is creasing and even eyebrows sliding right off of their faces. Well, as you can see in my pics, I am a minimalist when it comes to foundation. These pictures were taken in winter and in L.A. that means nothing when it comes to heat. It was a very warm day, and the only thing that kept me intact was the breeze we had from the ocean. I didn't even bother filling in my brows until we changed clothes and did more formal shots because of the heat. Sometimes less is more and summer is the time to do less with your makeup. Take a good look in the mirror and ask yourself how much foundation and powder do you REALLY need.

If you must wear foundation because your skin tone may be a bit uneven, try MAC FACE AND BODY foundation sold only in the MAC stores or online at www.maccosmetics.com for about 28.00. Always use a primer before applying your foundation to help it maintain it's wear. Another option is to take the liquid foundation you're already using and add a couple of drops of moisturizer in it to thin it out a bit, but you'll still get a nice finish to even out your skintone. I have dark circles, but NEVER wear foundation, so I use MAC FULL COVERAGE that matches my skin tone under my eyes, and then set it with a very sheer bronzer about a shade lighter than my skin tone to give my complexion a nice highlight in the T zone.

Tinted moisturizers are another great option. They're very sheer but you can build or layer it to give you extra coverage. How to you build it? Lay down one layer, let it sit for about a minute to dry a bit, then add another layer. Add concealer in those imperfect areas for added coverage. Set with a loose powder or bronzer. You will still look natural, yet even.

Use blotting papers or MAC's blot powder to avoid a caked on look because of excessive powdering throughout the day.

If your eyeshadows are not lasting there are two that I know work well. Makeup Forever water proof eyeshadows and Tarina Tarantino water proof cream shadow. You can use a powder eyeshadow on top of your cream shadows that's close to it's color. This will hold your shadow intact for a longer period of time. Also water proof eye pencils are also a great option and they come in fun colors as well. Again you can set your pencils with an eyeshadow by layering it on top. Makeup Forever makes beautiful waterproof pencils. Makeup Forever and Tarina Tarantino is sold in Sephora.

The bottom line is heat is heat and there is no magical cure to keeping your makeup from sliding so I say again, less is more and let your skin GLOW!

GREAT ADVICE FOR THE BRIDE, HAIR STYLIST AND MAKEUP ARTIST

My cousins Damon and Liz
Makeup by Val

It's wedding season and I'm getting booked through 2011! Next to television and fashion, I love doing makeup for brides. I haven't tried to count how many weddings I've done over the past 20 years, but I'm sure it's close to 200. Weddings are fun for me because I enjoy pampering my brides and making them feel like they are Queens for the day. Well they are Queens for the day and the Queen of their new homes. I've also been very fortunate to have worked with amazing, beautiful brides who have been able to maintain a very calm spirit, with the exception one, but the poor girl was so stressed out.

Things to remember as either a hairstylist or makeup artist is how to map out your day. If you're doing hair or makeup for the bride only, then your day is probably going to be pretty easy, especially if you've already had a consultation. However, if you're doing h&m for an entire wedding party, you need to have a very strict schedule. Bridesmaids are pretty good at being on time for h&m, but there are times you will experience tardiness and delays. Consult with your bride and let her know you have to have the girls on time, because they will possibly miss out in getting their h&m done if they're tardy. If you're doing h&m for a party of 6 or more I strongly suggest bringing an assistant to help you, unless you're a fast working artist. I usually work alone, but now I'm going to start bringing an assistant for large parties. Give yourself plenty of time so you're not stressed, and have a time assigned to each girl so they can keep their appointment.

If the bridesmaids are getting their hair and makeup done at a counter (MAC) or salon, they should make their appointments at least two months prior to the wedding date to secure an appointment. This is also a little more cost effective for the bridesmaid if she has to pay for her own services. Bridesmaids usually don't want the added expense of paying for hair and makeup which is totally understandable, so I suggest the M.A.C store or counter for a less expensive rate. ($40-45).

A little bit of advice to my Beautiful brides. When budgeting your wedding for caterers, photographers, flowers and your dress, make sure you have a budget for hair and makeup. Brides usually don't consider the cost of professional services for hair and makeup and may be under the impression that we come kind of cheap. Well, that is so not true. Seasoned artists can charge anywhere from $500-$1000 just for the bride alone, sometimes more or less. If you have a bridal party of 4-7 you can sometimes expect to pay over $1000, and if your party is 8 or more, you can definitely expect to pay up to at least $2000. Some hair stylists and makeup artists are flexible and will work within your budget, but if you have a very large party, you should expect a very high price. Also consider destinations. If an artist has to travel more than an hour to your wedding location or has to travel out of state, then this should also be taken into consideration of your price.

I hope this blog is very helpful for us as artists and to our beautiful brides.

JUMPING OFF THE DIVING BOARD

Black Barbie started as someone's dream, then she became a reality because someone dared to JUMP!

When I was 6 years old, I took swimming lessons at Compton College and I had so much fun. I remember the first month we learned all the basics for survival. Holding your breath, floating, kicking and backstroke. Then, it was time to go to the NEXT LEVEL, the Diving Board! Well, the day came and all of children marched over to the diving board where there were two, a low diving board and a high one, that to a five year old looked like you were jumping from a cloud. We of course had to jump off of the low board. All the children went and then, it was my turn. I climbed on that board, walked to the edge, looked at the water, then at my teacher who was in the water waiting to catch me, then back to the water that looked endless and most frightening. I cried and said I couldn't do it. I must have stood there for what seemed like an hour, frightened out of my mind. I would not jump. I did not jump.

Well, at age 12 I finally jumped off that diving board into the swimming pool at my dad's house. I conquered the fear of the diving board but as life went on, there were times when I wanted to jump to the next level, but fear held me back. Faith and Fear, eventhough the complete opposite of each other, can sometimes work well together. FEAR creates the desire to conquer and once you conquer your fears, faith kicks in, takes over and moves you to the next level, kicking fear in the butt!

Some of you are trying to go to the next level in your careers. Whether you're hair, makeup, wardrobe, or an actor, model, banker or teacher, we're all striving to reach a goal which moves us upward. During this journey, I'm learning patience is the golden key. Make no moves without prayer and make peace with your inner spirit. If you're a believer, then you know that God has to move ahead of you to clear the path of anyone in your way who may want to hurt or harm you. He opens doors that you will never dream you ever deserved. People ask me all the time, where do you go after working with Oprah, I tell them if God placed me on that level imagine what He can do at the next level. I have to JUMP in order to find out!

Ask God to mold your dreams to fit His will and once you relinquish that control, powerful things begin to happen. Yes, we have to step out on faith and jump off that diving board, and it may not always be a comfortable move, but move anyway. Make that phone call or send that email and let people know you're interested in working with them. The worst they can say is no. But then, you'll have no regrets, you just move on and create something bigger and better for yourself. Whatever you do, dream... then create.

Professional Models In Your Portfolio!!!

SHAUN ROBINSON OF ACCESS HOLLYWOOD...MAKEUP BY VAL!!

I've been working with Shaun Robinson for many years and it was great taking her from entertainment news to PADOW!!!

OK, so I know you have a sister, cousin or friend who is drop dead gorgeous and has been told by a million people that she or he should model or be on television. That's wonderful! Hey, I've been told the same thing, but guess what? I had to take some professional photos by a real photographer to find out if I had what it takes to ever be picked up by an agency to model or act. That's never been my heart's desire, modeling that is, but I LOVE making them beautiful! Here's the thing, if you have a relative or friend that you think has what it takes to make it in the biz and you want to use them in your portfolio, ask a reputable, professional photographer to do a test shoot with you. What you will need is a crew to make your model look her very best! The photographer finds the location or studio, but you need a hairstylist and wardrobe stylist to make sure your model is looking like a magazine ad. If the photographer is a REAL pro with a REAL eye he will make sure your lighting is perfected and your set is decorated to fit the subject matter. Check out http://www.dripbook.com/ for the REAL DEAL on how your portfolio should look. Also, check out Crystal Wright's book entitled Hair, Makeup and Styling Guide which will give you the 411 on how to make it in the business and what clients are looking for when searching your portfolio and resume. It also gives you pertinent information on how well you need to be groomed in every facet of the business. Crystal Wright is also on Facebook so she's a great friend to add and pick her brain for tons of important information that you'll need to be a success.

On Dripbook there are makeup artists, hairstylists, and wardrobe stylists with beautiful portfolios on the site that you can pattern yours after. You may have to join the website, and even if you join as a client instead of an artist right now, that's fine. What you want to do is look at all the portfolios and see how they're set up. Dripbook is a great site because they are very exclusive and particular who they allow on their site as artists and your portfolio has to be exquisite. Check out my friend on the site Bret Boreman, makeup artist and see how beautiful his portfolio is.

Now as far as getting your models, usally photographers can get the models faster. So, if you have a great photographer that you're shooting with ask him if he has access to PROFESSIONAL models. Photographers are very particular who they want to shoot for their own portfolios, so I can usually trust that they're going to choose a model of great caliber. You also want a photographer who is experienced in shooting fashion and beauty, not sex or porn.

A model doesn't always have to have a modern standard of beauty, but what you want is an unusal beauty that can capture the lense of the camera and sell what ever your brand is. You want him or her to captivate your audience and mesmerize your client. If they're selling a shoe, their feet must be pretty, or if they're selling a bathing suit their body must be fit. Their hair and skin MUST be in tip top shape and hair extensions MUST look like a million bucks.

Talk to as may professional makeup artists, hairstylists or wardrobe stylists as you can and ask them if they know of great photographers in your area that are doing test shoots. The idea of testing is to build your portfolio, but it must look like a story book or magazine. Each shoot tells a particular story about your brand. The photographer will be happy to help you in this area. Again http://www.dripbook.com/ will have a number of great photographers whose portfolios are displayed and if you like their work, you can contact them and talk about a possible shoot.

Feel free to ask any questions. Good luck and keep me posted!

GOING GREEN!!

Makeup by artist from Kett Cosmetics.

GREEN is one of my favorite colors and sometimes it's embraced and sometimes it's not. What I love about green is that there's a shade that will look great any skin tone. When it comes to eyeshadows you may have to try a couple of shades on to see which one suits your taste. You don't have to go as broad and bold as these models, but you can use the green as a pretty smudged liner around the lashes.
Makeup by Kett Cosmetics

Green shadows paired with black eyeliner and three coats of mascara is a very FIERCE look that anyone should be willing to try. The cocoa brown model below is rocking her green very boldly with a soft yellow shimmer on the brow bone that sets the look off quite fabulously. What I love about green eye pencils is that they're easier to use and you can smudge them to look like a shadow. So go for it and feel free to ask the pros at the your favorite makeup counter to help you achieve these looks!

GETTING PAID A FAIR RATE!

In the beauty game whether you're a hair, makeup or wardrobe stylist and you've worked for a number of years, you've probably gotten paid many, many day rates where some would be considered high, others may considered low. But at the end of the day, it's about what you consider fair and also what kind of financial position you're in. Some companies will automatically try to low ball you simply because they don't want to pay you. Even personal clients, whether they have wealth or not don't like to pay our day rates. I don't understand why it is some people feel that the beauty artists are not worth what we ask. It upsets me sometimes, however, if they don't have the budget for your $2500.00 a day rate, they just don't have it. The question you have to ask is, is it worth the huge jump down to the $500.oo rate that they're offering you instead.
I've taken jobs on a lower pay scale for a few reasons: If the client is a reputable name and I would like them on my resume then I compromise. If I know a relationship is building and we'll be working together on several occasions or, if they're really nice, honest people who really just don't have my rate, then I'll work their budgets. You have to make the decision. What you don't want to do is become a "DAY RATE SNOB"! Don't turn down money, especially if you're just starting out in the biz! You are trying to build your resume, a good reputation and future relationships so by all means, WORK!

Now once you've gotten to a status where you've become accustomed to your $2500-$5000.00 a day rate, it gets a little harder to work for less money, however, you still need to consider that if you don't do it, someone else will. Are you a super model artist and won't roll out of bed unless you're getting paid a certain rate? I think the best in the biz still work from time to time for less than their day rates, however, if they ask what your rate is....tell them! They're going to gag, but hey, they asked.! I've played the game where they ask my rate, I ask their budget, and we ping pong this conversation for a couple of minutes. I tell my rate and they gasp!! That's why I asked your budget because then I can decide if I want to take the job. See if you can negotiate a fair rate between their budget and your day rate, but don't be afraid to speak up. If it's just not working out, then you make the decision to work or not. Again, a true pro will probably take the job, and just trust something good will come from it.

Be strong, encouraged, and make every effort to get paid what you're worth! Just be WISE!

SET ETIQUETTE

Working on television and film sets can be a lot of fun, but this non glamorous job can be grueling with long hours and very little rest. It takes on average about 3 months to shoot a film and although you're working a minimum of 14 hours per day, the money can be quite lucrative if it's a high paying film. Television shows and commercials can have long hours as well. Sitcoms and television series shoot as long as 8 hours a day, however, you're usually only shooting 2-3 days a week. Soap operas and news are daily shoots and those hours can range anywhere from 8-12 hours.

I enjoy Access Hollywood because we only shoot 2 hours for our daily show. The show does shoot 5 days a week. Our long days are usually Wednesday or Thursday where we shoot two shows, the daily show and the weekend show. Sometimes we have set visits where we go to different television, film or music video sets and the talent interviews different stars between their shooting time. Or we have Press junkets at various hotels where stars are interviewed for their upcoming film. Red carpet movie premieres and Awards shows are also part of our job and I'm pulling my makeup bag along for the ride to make sure my talent, Shaun Robinson is always looking fresh.

With all this being said there is an etiquette that goes along with these jobs. As an artist, whether you're hair, makeup or wardrobe there is a professional protocol that you are required to adhere to. Working on music videos, film or sitcoms your days are quite long, however, you still need to maintain a very professional demeanor. I've seen artists talking on cell phones on set, sleeping, being disruptive talking with other artists, or cursing, causing the director or assistant director to reprimand them. You will lose your job. Yes, this really happens!

Unprofessional dress code such as wearing revealing clothes is also unacceptable. This can be a distraction and is just in poor taste. Always make sure you're dressed appropriately. On certain sets high heels or open toe shoes are forbidden because of the risk of falling on set with all the wires or possible equipment falling on your feet. Some sets are a little freer with their dresscode, but even still, you always want to display a professional look. Men this goes for you as well. Wearing bagging or sagging jeans is inappropriate so you too want to have a professional look at all times.
Always listen to the stage manager or assistant director and follow instructions without talking back or getting an attitude. Even if you have a difficult talent in your chair, try to maintain a professional demeanor at all times. If you are being disrespected by your talent, don't try to take the situation into your own hands, get the director IMMEDIATELY! Why? Because more than likely, the talent will usually win and you could be sent home.

Make your job as easy on yourself as possible by using great common sense and extremely good manners. These jobs are lots of fun and a real privilege so enjoy them but take them seriously. Have fun!