Welcome to 2012! I hope you all had a joyous Holiday season and are ready to hit the ground running for this new year. I know I certainly did and I certainly am!

1 ) Even Out Skintone – Draw – My first goal from last year was to even out my skintone from years of past breakouts and sensitivities. Well, I’ve known for a while that my skin is sensitive to acids which are the primary ingredients used in almost all peels. So even though I went a professional, my skin still did not take well to the treatments. This year we are going to try a much lighter acid and I am going to try a holistic approach. Continue reading →

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As the year draws to a close, we at Makeup to Go! are wishing everyone the Happiest of Holidays and a most prosperous New Year!

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Sheckys Girls Night Out LA - The LookStore's booth for The LookBag Beauty Club (event co presenter and one of the few beauty vendors at the event)

The Holiday season is underway and with it comes the start of Holiday events. I try to attend as many events as I can in general as it is important to see and be seen in this biz, but there is an extra little “something” about events during the Holidays. Two of the events I attended were open to the public and you may want to consider adding them to your Events Calendar next year.

Make Up For Ever Mixer:
Amidst much fan-fare and excitement, seminal makeup artists’ brand Make Up For Ever (MUFE) opened it’s West Coast flagship boutique this Fall. The boutique opening was a private affair, so to officially open its doors to the Los Angeles professional community the boutique held a “mixer”. For those who’ve never attended one, a mixer is basically a professional excuse to get together and have drinks with peers and colleagues. There was music and energy, goodie bags were given to attendees (a sample of the now iconic HD powder and a tube of MUFE’s waterproof mascara which is pretty much the only waterproof mascara I have found to be vaguely tolerable), wine was poured, and all of the store’s product selection was on display. Continue reading →

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1 ) Tarte Friends and Family Sale

2 ) Stila Los Angeles Warehouse Sale
NOT to be confused with the online warehouse sale, this is the real deal. Line up early (some folks start lining up at 4am, I think we got there at around 6am last year) or do not bother.

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I previously did an article listing various Black Friday events and then I realised two important things: A ) everyone beauty blogger on the planet was surely giving the same information and that’s assuming followers of beauty blogs did not already have that information from the myriad of Black Friday emails. and B ) I do not really care about Black Friday. At all. There, I said it. I actually often participate in the anti-Black Friday event “Buy Nothing Day” and make it a point to do no shopping whatsoever on Black Friday.

When I do shop, I actually greatly prefer to support small business during this time of year. The Big Girls and Boys are going to get theirs regardless. Small business needs love too. Also if you are a pro makeup artist, there are other things to think about besides buying more product (fun though that may be ). Here are some cool Black Friday / Cyber Monday (my birthday!) sales that you may not have known about… Continue reading →

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Red lipstick. Outgoing, sexy, bold and daring, red is the Porche Carrera Cabriolet of lip colors yet so many women are afraid to wear it! To help you quell this fear, for this month’s installment of Maquillaje Para Go Delia is covering the best in red lipsticks. Enjoy… (English translation follows below…)

Yo soy un firme creyente de que cualquiera persona puede usar un labial rojo. Escucho a las mujeres que dicen que no pueden usar un color rojo por que no se ve bien en ellos. Bueno a eso digo tonterías! Hay un rojo para todos. Es importante recordar que el “rojo” viene en varios tonos y no es sólo el color en la caja de lápices de colores que pensamos. Continue reading →

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Early on in my career, the end of the year would generally slow down for me so I would assume “Oh, Okay. There isn’t much work in the industry this time of year.” and settle for not working. It is easy to think this way what with the holidays and people leaving town, etc. Oh how wrong I was and if you are still thinking this way how wrong you are. In the years since then I have worked right up until and sometimes ON major holidays (I did a job once actually on Thanksgiving Day) and then right up through the new year. This is a year round industry. If you are a junior artist there is a Key artist working who could use an assistant and if you are a Key artist, someone out there is booking a job right now. Even for those of you who focus on Bridal – in October I worked with a hairstylist who said that Fall is her busiest time and I have a bridal makeup artist friend who is booking into 2013. No matter what facet of the industry you are in, there is work happening all the time. Here are my thoughts on how you can stay in the game and prepare yourself for the coming year so you can keep working all year round…

1 ) Just keep marketing. If people are not interested they will decline to respond. Simple as that. Do not make the mistake of taking yourself out of the game by stopping your marketing plan. Continue reading →

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As an artist and as a woman I am a minimalist. When it comes to my makeup – both personal and professionally – I have always aspired to carry as little as possible and still be able to get the job done. When I heard that makeup powerhouse Francesca Tolot often carries little more than a small sized Art Bin™ box, she became my patron saint. I do not know if that rumour was ever true but it’s my goal and I am sticking to it!

1 ) Tarte Ring It In Mini Cheekstain Set (pictured above) -
I mentioned these here on Makeup to Go! when they first came out, but these are worth a second mention. As we all know, I think the Tarte Cheekstains are some of the most fab makeup items ever, and this little set in three great shades is just the perfect size for work and play. Continue reading →

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The Classic - Nars Orgasm Blush

Needless to say, all of the products I’ve mentioned thus far in this “The Basics” series are my completely subjective recommendations. I recommend them based on my usage and generally long-term satisfaction with a product. If another makeup artist were writing these articles, they might recommend entirely different products. That said, things are about to become even more subjective as we move away from skin/foundation products and into the vastly huge world of color products. We begin our look with Cheek colors.

I am starting with cheek color because I find that when it comes to makeup most women focus on their eyes, some of us focus on our lips and then cheeks are generally ignored. This is unfortunate because few things will make a woman look fresher and YOUNGER faster than a well applied cheek color. In no particular order, here are some cheek color products that I love and use on the regular… (for cheek colors specific to women of color, revisit my previous article “Beauty Noir: Best Blushes for Darker Toned Beauties”) Continue reading →

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Pangea Organics Facial Scrub

While most women are mourning the end of Summer I am singing Hallelujah for the start of Fall! Autumn, as I’m sure I’ve mentioned before and I am certain I will mention again, is my favorite season of the year, November being my fave month (Thanksgiving and birthday month!) Admittedly this probably comes from having been born and raised in Southern California where I get all the sunny beautiful days without all the heat of summer. Makeup-wise, fall is a time of transition between the easy breezy days of summer and the deeper tones of winter. It is also likely that you’ll need to start tweaking your skincare routine a bit.

Trend-wise, Fall 2011 went refreshingly against the grain. While the tendency is to jump to dark and dramatic colors in the cooler and colder months, this year the trend is more towards a softer, more neutral palette. Soft eyes (even when “smokey”), soft lips, a soft blush of cheek and a soft matte finish is not only more wearable on the day to day for more women, it is also more flattering for more women. Dramatics can be great but the harder, darker colors can also be quite aging. Here are a few things I am loving going into Fall… Continue reading →

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