What an insane past week! I feel like I've gotten nothing done, but have had several things break and had to get them fixed!
My camera died. Very sad. I can salvage the photos from the SD card no problem, but the camera is no longer able to take pictures. :(
The water heater blew up and damaged personal items. Thank God that's over! And our awesome apartment has helped us with expenses!
The air conditioning died in our apartment for 2 days and we slept in the 100 degrees. Thank God that's fixed!
Now I feel like I can get back on track with things. Sorry for you followers out there who were missing their "Fresh Friday" this past week. I have some sweet posts coming out that you wont want to miss! My good friend Whitney told me I should do a special on Foundation for the girls who are afraid of it. HAHA! That gave me a sweet idea, to go through all the steps of makeup application and explain who what where why when, etc. So stay tuned for that!
Meanwhile, in skin care land, my face was getting SO dry, that my tried and true friend Mr. Neutrogena Oil Free Moisture Sensitive Skin lotion hasn't been able to keep up. I don't want to throw him away because he is wonderful, so I bought something new to boost the moisture in my face and it is AMAZING!!
May I introduce to you the new Neutrogena Naturals collection! Clean, smooth, beautiful skin with no harsh chemical sulfates, parabens, petrochemicals, dyes or phthalates.
I bought the night cream, featured in the front round jar on the left. Let me tell you!! I added it to my night regime and YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAWWWWWW!!!! My face was like....YES!!!!!!!!!!! FINALLY THANKYOU!!! It's super soft, moisturized, clean, clear, and happy!!
So stay tuned for new posts on your favorite subject! YOU + YOUR FACE + MAKEUP!
So yesterday, I was doing a little organizing of my makeup, tools, and books and I found my old notes from makeup school! I think I sat and read them for about an hour. In this industry, it's always important to go back and revisit the basics!
I was reading and reading and I thought to myself, it would be cool to do a little bloggy post on the top 10 biggest mistakes we all make when doing makeup! I've done it, my friends have done it, and I'm sure your favorite makeup artist has blooper-ed once or twice!!!
So here's my list of what I think are some of the 10 biggest mistakes in makeup land:
1) No confidence! - the fear of what other people think makes you produce that bad energy while you're either applying makeup as an artist or a consumer.
2) Not waxing or plucking facial hair and brows. - Your hair will NOT grow back thicker. Actually, the more you pluck, tweeze, and wax, your hair is least likely to grow back.
3) Not blending! - My amazing teacher beat the art of blending into our heads!! MANY THANKS TO HER!!!! <3 <3 ****If you don't blend one color into another, it looks streaky or like a paint by numbers painting! HA HA HA
4) Misusing bright colors - There is some pretty RAD makeup work out there with some pretty KAARRAAAZZZZAAAYYYY colors!!! But if not applied correctly, the colors can highlight or draw attention to features in a negative way or just sit on top of the face without looking like a part of it.
Here's a photo of some crazy colors applied by yours truly! VERY blendy. VERY careful to place color in good places. I had a blast doing this one.
5) Not thinking about the person's age and style - People can look great at any age!! The same makeup cannot be worn at 65 as at 18.
6) Wrong foundation choice - Most people have yellow undertones, not pink as many think. When you choose a foundation, it's always safer to stay on the yellow or golden side. If you're at Sephora, MAC, Dillards or any cosmetic counter trying foundation, you want to test the foundation on your neck. Not your cheek, not your arm or hand. Why? Because you're ultimately trying to blend your foundation down your jawline and neck and you don't want that unsightly color line where the makeup ends and the color of your skin begins.
7) Not curling your lashes!! - It is necessary!! If you apply mascara without curling first, it actually closes the eye rather than opening it.
*******TIP O' THE DAY******* ~Take the curler and place it at the base of your lashes. Squeeze and hold for a good 5 seconds. Then slowly start walking the curler out towards the edge of the lashes, squeezing as you go. This will help prevent the ugly right angled look.
8) Applying powder eyeshadow or powder blush without any makeup or just foundation - Your skin has many natural oils that will grab the product and hold on tight!!! It will darken and look super splotchy. After foundation, you should apply face powder to look your foundation and create a perfect canvas for blush and shadow.
9) wrong tones - When you're applying makeup on a dark goddess, makeup with blue tones in it can make them look very ashy. I hate that!! They have such beautiful skin, why not maximize it?!!?! Use golden-orange colors instead. These brighten and warm the face.
10) Last but certainly NOT LEAST!! Smoking. - This isn't my political stand, but let's be honest here.... Smoking is bad for you. We all know the long term effects, but did you know that smoking constricts blood vessels in your face, deprives the skin of oxygen, and also dries the top layers of your skin like the sun can!! YIKES!!
If anyone has questions, comments, or ideas for the blog feel free to comment below!! Would love to do what you guys want!! Hope everyone has a fantastic day!!!
To color matching and curled eyelashes!!
Lenea <3
Proverbs 31:30, "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."
This past Saturday, I had the privilege of spending some girl time with a very deserving young woman: Cara, a wife, mother of two, and full time worker.
About a month ago, I nominated Cara for a hair makeover with my good friend and hair stylist Ariana Thiem (Visit her site here).
Ariana changed Cara to a platinum blonde with splashes of chestnut low lights. WOW! What an amazing change! Cara loved it. Then the cogs in my head started turning... what if we took this a step further?!!??
So what did I do? I brought Cara to my house for a day of pampering and fun. The ULTIMATE GOAL: to deposit seeds that demonstrate higher value. (thanks VH1's The Pick Up Artist!) I want Cara to feel good about herself on the inside and out!
First, I introduced her to facial products that will fit her face perfectly and that wouldn't bust the budget! Hey, sometimes I can't afford Oil of Olay prices! A great simple cleaner for her was Neutrogena Extra Gentle skin cleanser. Easy, oil free, and helps keep her sensitive and dry skin moisturized. Next, my absolute favorite light weight facial moisturizer is Neutrogena Sensitive Skin lotion. It's oil free, easy, and gets the job done. Apply this after you wash your face in the morning, and after you wash your face at night.
Step 2 was going through all her makeup. Cara loves blues, blacks, silvers and grays. It's only natural to find these eyeshadows and colors in her little bag. I made a deal with her. I told her she could keep those colors if she would let me teach her the more advanced smokey eye techniques in the future after she's nailed applying her new look on herself. She agreed. I don't know about any of you, but I love Walgreens' Drug store. They have a gigantic cosmetic section and we're having a L'Oreal sale while we were there! Score! I helped her pick out some eyeshadow palettes that were complimenary to her skin tone and eyes.
This quad: "Subtle Berries"
And then a quad similar to this one:
Next, was foundation. Cara needed a medium coverage foundation to help with the redness in her face. One of absolute favorite drug store foundations worked perfectly for her!! L'Oreal's Visible Life with Serum and SPF 17. Everything her face was screaming for!!
We also purchased Maybelline Define-a-lash mascara, and I gave her a bottle of Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion that I had lying around.
We ventured back to my house and then I plucked, shaped and groomed her eyebrows. Then the makeup began! I did one half of her face and showed her every technique she needed to achieve the desired look. Then, she had to do the other half!! With me standing next to her of course! Hands on training is the best!!
After finishing that, I made her sit down, and I gave her a glam look with fancy glittery lip gloss and false eyelashes to make her feel extra special!!
DRUMROLL PLEASE!!!!! Introducing the new Cara!!!! YAY!!!
Doesn't she look great??!? It's been two days now and she's told me, "Thank you for believing in me! It feels good to have people supporting me in bettering myself." And that's what being friends is about. Using what you have to bless others.
I live in Arizona. My home town, in Flagstaff, is absolutely gorgeous with four seasons and pine trees, mountains and lakes. About eight months ago, we moved to Scottsdale. Let me tell you, the winter months are nice with the 70 degree weather, but next week it's supposed to be 100 degrees!!!
Me and my husband are both gingers. For those unfamiliar with that lingo - Gingers are red-headed, fair skinned, freckled, and magically turn into lobsters after 20 mins in the sun. I especially love the lobster part. NOT!
Though this is not me, you get the idea that if this face has no sunscreen...... DUN DUN DUN!!
So now, it's lava hot outside. Time to get by the pool! But don't forget the sunscreen! Here's some of my favorites!
**NO AD Sunscreen is my absolute favorite for the body! It's not oily, it stays on all day and its kind of moisturizing! I also have SUPER sensitive skin, so this doesn't break me out. I recommend this if you're hiking, or hanging out at a baseball game. Kinda your everyday wear for body.
**My next favorite is Banana Boat KIDS. It's perfect for my sensitive skin, and itstays on all day even in the pool!! This was a no-fail when my Mama slapped it on me as a kid.
**Dermalogica makes the best face sunscreen on the planet! It doesn't burn my face or my eyes when applying, and it doesn't give me zits or acne! It's very moisturizing, and you're not left with a greasy, yucky feeling on your face. If you're a ginger, or even a very pale person, I REALLY recommend getting this. It will change your face in the sun forever!!!!
Right now, as I'm typing this, I'm laughing at myself because A) I hate putting on sunscreen, and B) My kids get annoyed at me because every time they get in trouble, I try to talk to them and teach them a lesson in it. So kids, here comes the moral of the sunscreen lesson today!! HAHA
It's really important to wear sunscreen because it is an investment into yourself. Do you really want to deal with that lobster skin for 2 weeks? The pain, the discomfort, the peeling.....ewwwww. Not so much. My dad didn't wear sunscreen for years and years and years. Poor guy is now dealing with skin cancers and junk all over is forehead. I know he hates it and wishes he could go back and wear the dang sunscreen.
EWWWW!!! GO AWAY!! (don't worry I found this image on Google)
Even God thinks we should wear sunscreen! The only thing different is, I think God would have it as SON-SCREEN. I talked about what beauty is in the last post (read it here) and what it was like to be beautiful on the inside and out. Believing in God and having Him as a part of my life is really important to me. Jesus is the SON-SCREEN for my heart and soul. Without faith in Him, I'd get burned up by the junk and crap of the world that desensitizes us. And I don't want those ugly dark spots all over my heart!! Just like I don't want ugly spots on my skin!! I can't tan, so I have to maintain my healthy glow, by maintaining my inside. That's where MY spark comes from! I glow from the inside, out.
Romans 12:2, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of
your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and
acceptable and perfect."
DON'T FORGET THE SUNSCREEN!!
Psalm 28:7, "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoices; and with my song will I praise him."
Welcome to the very first posting of my very first blog! I love to write so this is going to be fun!
(To all my school girls! I love and miss you!)
I've been thinking about starting one of these things for awhile now. Everyone and their dog has a blog these days, so it's been interesting trying to convince myself. I've also been concerned about the content: what am I going to write about? What is going to make my blog any different from any other beauty blog?
Of course I'm going to keep you all updated on the latest, greatest, most amazing makeup and tips! Who loves SEPHORA, MAC COSMETICS, NARS, and MAKE UP FOR EVER?! I will also be giving you as much VIP access as possible to the photoshoots and gigs I do. Watch for videos, tutorials, and behind the scenes footage!!
On the other side of things, I also want to share with you my own personal journey of continuing weight loss and finding true inner beauty and peace. For those of you who know me very personally, you know that I enjoy a truly awesome relationship with our Lord, Jesus Christ. If you don't know me, please don't be alarmed by it. I'm not here to shove religion down people's throats. My whole purpose in life is to live it out as a testimony to what God has done for me and through me, and to share what I've figured out along the way.
Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and its better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring. - Marilyn Monroe
As a professional makeup artist I've been asked a few times what my definition of "beauty" is. Here's what good ol' Webster has to say...
Interesting right?! It's like those cliches, "It's all in your head", or "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder". BUT IT'S SO TRUE!! Except God, I don't believe there is one person, entity, or magazine, that has the final say on what is beautiful.
A couple days ago I was talking to a woman about her goals with makeup and her "beauty" regime. She expressed to me that she didn't think she was beautiful, or that she deserved someone investing time into her. This crushed my heart! Thankfully, she is a fellow believer and I was able to tell her that her thoughts about herself could destroy her. I reminded her that she was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) and there was no way she could be ugly. Even Webster states in his definition that it is a "meaningful design...in which high spiritual qualities are manifest".
But Lenea, what does "...high spiritual qualities are manifest", mean?
It means that God don't create no junk! God created us women to be beautiful INSIDE AND OUT. Spiritual qualities are inside of us; our personality. I don't know how she managed to do it, but my wonderful wonderful mother pounded cliches in my head!! The one I heard the most growing up was "Garbage in, garbage out!" But it makes perfect sense if you think about it! Would you wipe oil and trash all over your face? No way!! You'll break out in zits!! Garbage in, garbage out! So why should we women continue to speak garbage or bring garbage in our life? Lying to yourself by saying that you're ugly is going to do the same thing. Your view of yourself dwindles to nothing. You feel like nothing.
Let me tell you a universal secret. SHHHHHHHHHH!! Whatever you put voice to in this universe happens, good or bad. If you continue to tell yourself you're a failure or ugly, you probably will not amount to anything. It's your OWN choice! I've had to learn this lesson over and over and over!!! I'm no size 4 model, but I chose to grasp the confidence that I am made in God's image and that I can do anything I set my mind to. (See Philippians 4:13) This has made me an all around happy, confident, and beautiful woman inside and out! Wonder why I'm usually happy, joking, and smiling? BINGO.
To some of you, this is probably pretty preachy, but I don't mean it that way. I just hope to see women become stronger, more confident, and POSITIVE THINKERS!!!! Come on girls, let's pull our big girl panties up!!
This is a great song!!
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers (and sisters!!),whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things.
