♥ My Black Is Beautiful Event ♥

So this pass Saturday, I missed school and it was WELL WORTH IT!! I was called by one of my friends to do makeup and facials for the "My Black Is Beautiful" Event at the JW Marriott in Downtown Los Angeles and I had an AWESOME TIME! = ) All of the services were FREE which is ALWAYS FUN!

At this venue there were hair stylist, makeup artist, massage therapist, nail technicians, and fashion designers and stylist who were all of color! They had sponsors such as Oil of Olay, Pantene Pro-V, Always, Secret, Cover Girl Queen Collection & of course P&G! This was such an awesome turnout!

Thank you BET for such a wonderful event!

♥ About the Movement ♥

Procter & Gamble's commitment to celebrating and connecting with African-American women is stronger today than ever before. That commitment has spanned more than a century and continues to grow. It's rooted in the vision and actions of our leadership and the interests of our consumers and employees.

Our extraordinary new initiative, My Black is Beautiful, celebrates the diverse collective beauty of African-American women and encourages black women to define and promote our own beauty standard — one that is an authentic reflection of our indomitable spirit.

Recognizing that beauty and self-confidence are intrinsically linked, My Black is Beautiful is designed to ignite and support a sustained national conversation by, for and about black women — the way we are reflected in popular culture and how we serve as the catalyst for a movement that effects positive change.

♥ More Exciting Ventures Await ♥

Things have been so great for me! I have been networking like crazy, and it seems to be paying off pretty rapidly! 

I was invited to a networking event this past Thursday in Santa Monica at Destination 1610. It was given by celebrity stylist Joe Exclusive and his partner "Miss Echoattix"! It was great opportunity for me where I did quite a bit of networking, ran into some familiar faces. They definitely know how to throw an event!

I just so happen to bump into my "Makeup Mentor", Miss Neema Ali! We greeted each other with smiles, a nice warm hug, exchanged a few words, & she reminded me that she is definitely here for me as far as training me to get better with my craft! As I always say, "there is always room for improvement"! She also told me she put in a few good words for me with some of the wonderful ladies over at "Makeup Drama"! That really made my ♥ smile! 

I am really flattered with all of the positivity I have been receiving in my circle. I am quite inspired and it feels great to be doing something that I absolutely love! I also received a phone call earlier this week from a friend in regards to working on a project titled, "My Black Is Beautiful" which is being sponsored by Pantene Pro-V, Oil of Olay, and Cover Girl. To my understanding BET MAY have something to do with this. This event will be aired on television so be on a look out for me. = ) I was pulled as an Esthetician and a Makeup Artist. Stay tuned for more details for air date(s)\time(s), etc. 

Things are moving so quickly for me. Never give up on your hopes and your dreams! You can do all things through Christ, which strengthens you. Stay positive and stay optimistic. Sometimes it seems like it’s a hard struggle to accomplish anything you want. If it were all so easy, then you wouldn't appreciate it as much! Thanks for reading and I will be back soon!

♥ the M.A.D. Diva - Miss Lynique

♥ My First Experience Working With Makeup Drama ♥

So this past Saturday, I got called to actually do 3 different gigs. Of course I was suuuuper excited and extremely overwhelmed. I really wanted to be at all 3 places at one time but of course that's impossible. So I had to narrow down my options. I decided to take amongst the opportunity to work with the wonderful ladies at "Makeup Drama". My friend Starr pretty much plugged me with this company through one of her male friends who knows the lady who is a part of the company. Not sure if she is the owner but I will not name drop anymore names because it’s so not my style! = )

So moving along, I ended up assisting with makeup for the Musical Theatrical Show named "Sing"! There were mainly teenagers in this show and they had great energy! It was such a blast to work with them as well. It took place at the Orpheum Theatre so "yaaaaaaay me", my first credit on a show doing makeup. Two of the makeup artist had cancelled at the last minute, so by me stepping up and filling in, that granted me access for a full year membership which would normally be $15.00 a month to join, and they will call you for other projects.

The other makeup artists that I worked with had really great energy and spirit. I really liked how before they got started, they all joined together, said a prayer and they kept smiles on their faces the whole entire time. I suggest you jump on the team if you are a makeup artist. I learned so much in that 4 hours of working with them! = )

Also, I found my official Makeup Artist Mentor while on board! She was very sweet and humble and she has been doing makeup for over 10 years, her mom is an esthetician and I know I will learn so much from her. I love the fact that she is so willing to help me advance in our profession. I love people who are willing to help others! This was a really great first experience for me!

♥ I am so happy things are starting to go in the direction I've been praying on! ♥

 God answers prayers!

♥Always P.U.S.H. = Pray Until Something Happens ♥

♥ More Electric Blue ♥

Tamaya came in to get her makeup done. I also went ahead and waxed her eyebrows for her to give her a nice fresh clean look. She didn’t know what colors she wanted to go with, but came in with the cutest turquoise bag, and she said she wanted something dramatic, so I went ahead and went with “true blue”!

She left out feeling like a brand new woman!

That always makes my <3 = )

♥ More Eyebrow Waxing ♥

Here I had one of my classmates and friend Allenia refer her mom and her aunt to me after I waxed her eyebrows. Her mom got her eyebrows and chin waxed. Her aunt got her eyebrows and lip waxed.

I was very pleased and flattered to know that they both couldn't stop talking about how much they loved their eyebrows. They both said that they would like to continue coming back for their eyebrows from now on. Her mom said she loved my spirit.

Here, Tamaya came in to get her makeup done, but since I am so big on eyebrows, I went ahead and waxed her eyebrows before I did her makeup.

♥ Pretty In Pink ♥

On Miss Kaitana, I wanted to go with something really nice and soft. Again I only used bronzer, because I am not a huge fan of packing and caking makeup. Especially, when your skin his little, to no flaws. I went with "Pretty In Pink" for her. She really liked it! I want to do some more PINK shadows!

* I ♥ PINK! *

♥ Item Pick of the Week ♥

M.A.C. Studio Fix Plus Foundation

This powder foundation is a #1 pick for those with oily skin.  It gives great coverage and is packed with Silica which acts as a oil absorbent agent.  Studio Fix is long wearing and will leave you with a toned, flawless complexion.  For best results, apply with a brush after the skin has been cleaned & moisturized. http://www.maccosmetics.com/

Cetaphil Moisturizer

For a light and quick application of moisturizer, I recommend Cetaphil. It's non-greasy and fragrance free.  It eliminates flakiness, and will not irritate the skin.  A dime sized amount is all you need.  Applying too much may have a negative affect on your makeup application.  Recommended use of this product is twice a day, prior to your makeup application and at night after cleansing your skin.  Cetaphil can be purchased at most drug stores.http://www.cetaphil.com/ 

♥ ...And the BIG DAY is... ♥

APRIL 22ND!!!! That is when I will go take my State Board Exam to go get my Esthetician's License!! I am very excited however a little nervous. You may see me on some DOWN TIME for a little bit shortly so I can focus on studying. 

Please keep me in your prayers and pray that I pass with flying colors! I then would like to gain more extensive training on makeup! There is ALWAYS room for improvement. 

After school, I plan on working maybe at a  Hotel Spa or Cruise Line since full time for an Esthetician is only 20 hours per week. I would like to continue to freelance with my makeup and or eventually get on set doing makeup. I want to learn airbrushing, I want my own airbrush kit and the whole "9"! 

♥ Purple Rain ♥

This is one of my favorites! Miss Karmen had a purple tint of highlights going on in her hair, so we went with a purple lip and dark purple shadows making sure her lips were not competing with her eyes but we wanted to focus on making her lips pop more. It was a perfect match with her hair. She liked it a whole lot! 

♥ Another Natural Look ♥

Marina mainly wanted to even out her skin tone here. She doesn't really like heavy eye shadows, so I took it easy on this one here. She just wanted a nice, soft, clean cover up. Always apply moisturizer before applying your foundation. Tinted moisturizers are good foundations because they can moisturize your skin and at the same time act as a concealer. 

♥ More Dramatic Eyes ♥

For this look, Samantha is rocking some really nice earth tones, such as gold, green and brown. 

♥ True Blue ~ More Eye Shadows ♥

On Kendra, I used different shades of blue. Cool colors are always nice! She wanted a little bit of shimmer, so I used a couple of light blues with shimmers in them. Here you can see her before and after picture. I used concealer under her eyes to conceal her dark spots. And she's good to go!

♥ Colors! ♥

Here on Nikki, I first touched up her eyebrows a little bit. I have a thing for eyebrows, so ladies, if your coming to get your makeup done, I prefer you coming with your eyebrows already arched! But if they are not, NO WORRIES, I am also an esthetician so I also do eyebrow waxing. You can see some of my work in my other blog post about eyebrows.

♥ A Little Bit of Cover Up, But Not Too Much... ♥

I am not the type of makeup artist that likes to "cake on" makeup! I like more of a soft, natural look. Since I am school for skin care as well, I have learned that wearing too much makeup, too often, can clog your pores so it is always good to give your skin a break, and treat it to a nice relaxing facial at least one time a month.

As you notice, there were just a few minor blemishes to conceal, so I did just that. Then I smoothed her skin tone out with a liquid foundation.

Here on Ashley, we went for a more natural daytime look. I really liked the gold liquid eye liner on her. 

She said she received many compliments so I was pleased!!!

♥ Miss Mean Green Velma Jean ♥

Here I used different shades of green! Some shimmers, some matte colors. Little Miss Velma was my model here, who also attends esthetics class at Marinello Day Spa with me! She did not foundation applied to her skin, so I just did her eye shadows for her.

♥ Smokey Eyes ♥

Here below I used different shades of grays, silvers and a black shadow with a red lip. I only used bronzer on her face! NO FOUNDATION HERE! She wore black leggings and a gray top and set it off with a red clutch purse! This is one of my good friend's Tamie, who was on her way out to dinner and she usually doesn't wear makeup. She doesn't need it either! = )

I was honored to do her makeup! She's definitely a true diva!! 

= ) ♥ you girlie!!

♥ Eyebrow Waxing & Some Things You Should Know ♥

I♥EYEBROWS

 I am very big on eyebrows! As a matter of fact, I am an EYEBROW FAN!!! They are very important when it comes to making and shaping a face! I prefer thick over thin! I try to tell all of my friends about the nail shops, their waxing and the sanitation rules that a lot of them break. Most girls go to "Nail Technicians or the Cosmetologist" that work in Nail Shops only. An Esthetician has more extensive and intensive training on "body waxing" so you do the math! Would you want your waxing done by a nail technician, a cosmetologist, or an esthetician? We only learn about FACIALS, SKIN CARE, BODY WAXING and MAKEUP only.

* Here is some more of my work! *

Most nail shops that I have been to, I see them "double dipping" in their wax pots and I have heard "horror stories" as well as I have seen e-mails circulated about wax jobs going bad! State Law requires that EVERY SINGLE TIME they dip back into that wax, they are supposed to use a NEW WAX STICK! So just because they get a new stick FOR YOU, once they dip BACK into the wax to apply wax to you AGAIN, the wax is now CONTAMINATED! No bueno!! Imagine that same wax pot being used on someone's nasty Brazilian Wax, and then they are swirling that same wax all around, applying it to your face! All of a sudden you get a break out or a rash! LADIES PLEASE SEE YOUR NEAREST ESTHETICIANS for your Wax Jobs! I don't play when it comes to hygiene and sanitation! You only get 1 body so TAKE CARE OF IT!

* This is some more of my work! *

I can only get BETTER, right?! = )

♥ Individual Eyelashes ♥

Be careful when applying individual lashes. Some of the glue that these nail shops use is very strong. Most salons do not give PDA Test before applying the lashes to make sure that you are not allergic to them. This is something they are supposed to do 24 hours BEFORE having them applied, that way they know prior to application. I've even seen some shops use ACTUAL HAIR BONDING GLUE! Yiiiiiiikes! When removing lashes, you should always use an adhesive remover to avoid losing those beautiful lashes of your! *winks*

*These are individual lashes I applied for my friend's sister! I don't like lashes looking all "clumpy" with too much glue! I try to keep a very natural look!*