Meaningful Makeup

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Growing up I always had an interest in dressing up and playing another character, whether that be in my own room, for Halloween, or for a play. When I was younger I would just put on a princess dress and play heels and maybe try and sneak some lipstick out of my moms bathroom but as I got older I came up with different ways to create the character I was aiming for, rather it be buying pieces that resembled them, making it myself or watching a tutorial on youtube on how to do my makeup that way or researching online.

I was and still am obsessed with becoming another character or being able to change the way I look just by using different makeup or putting on another outfit. What really got me started in this ongoing obsession is theatre. I was in my first play in the 4th grade and was one of the ladies at the ball in Cinderella. I had the best and biggest and prettiest pink dress you could find and often would put it on long after the play ended, until I grew out of it. Then I was in other musicals and plays in middle school but once I got to high school, my theatre teacher Mrs. Powers really encouraged me to continue my passion and grow with it. I would dress up for spirit days and help come up with the makeup for different shows I was in and of course Halloween was my favorite time of the year because I got so into the character I dressed up as and I still am this way, just with better makeup skills. In the plays I sometimes had to do old age makeup which took and few trial and errors and also make myself look like a doll.

Being in theatre helped me realize my passion for makeup and costumes and special effects and different characters, that’s why I love makeup so much today. It allowed me to escape who I was and become someone completely different. I didn’t care if I was judged for looking weird and being different, I enjoyed it and still do and that’s all that matters, isn’t it? Just being able to do something that you love.

This is my first time ever having a blog and I honestly love it so much. I have always been interested in creating some sort of platform where I am able to share things I like and post about different things involving makeup that I can share with other people, not just by social media. At one point I actually wanted to create my own youtube channel but that requires a lot of work and I am still learning how to edit videos and do not have the right tools at the moment to create quality content. But hopefully that’ll happen sometime in the future.

The tools I liked best during this process were being able to promote my blog on twitter and getting to choose my own layout on how I wanted my blog to look. What I had a little difficulty over was being able to move the text around, especially when adding a photo but I’m sure as I continue to blog more I will get more comfortable with the different tools and formatting. In the future with this blog I hope to improve upon the graphics to each post and add more contrast and design to make my post more elaborate and eye catching, and then broaden the range of what I post about, not just makeup but about lifestyle and important issues in the beauty community and also just female lifestyle topics. This experience helped me learn what types of things I like writing about the most and why I am so obsessed with makeup and it helped me learn how to better navigate through the internet and what to post and what not to and what catches people’s attention and well as finding my own voice and style when it comes to writing. I will be able to keep things more organized and professional when posting to social media and online and how to be able to code and upload post better. For career wise I plan on being in the media or advertising business so getting more comfortable with promoting my own work is sure to help me in the long run.

My most popular week was in the middle of November from the 17th through the 23rd, with 20 views and 9 visitors. My most popular post was budget friendly with makeup, which isn’t surprising because everyone is always looking for ways to be more cost efficient when it comes to obtaining makeup. Nothing was really that surprising to me in the data because I knew my blog was not getting that many views, but I plan on changing that by promoting it more on all my social media sites and maybe going back and fixing and editing some of my post.

 

Dr. Seuss’s “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”, the live action movie with Jim Carry is one of my favorite Christmas movies. Not only by the way Carry portrays the Grinch but also by all the whimsical special effects and details throughout the movie that every part of the crew had a hand in. Especially when it comes to the costumes and makeup. I love how they took a simple children’s book and brought the characters to life and gave them each a unique personality and trait with all the different hairstyles and noses and costumes. The most noticeable feature being the Who’s noses.

I was always fascinated by the look and shape of the who’s noses because they are very interestingly shaped. With the top part between the bottom of the nose and upper lip being pushed outward and then the nose curving up, almost like that of a mouse. So, as I have gotten more interested in makeup and special effects makeup over the years I knew I just had to try and recreate the signature Who nose. Although it did take me a few tries and I’m still going to keep trying to get the best end outcome, I came pretty close on my second attempt.  Basically, I just layered and layered unrolled cotton balls and liquid latex over and over each other than shaped and smoothed them with a palette knife to get the desired shape I wanted. After the basic shape of a Who’s nose was finished I had to wait for it to dry and then I could powder it and begin coloring it. So far in my kit I only have the basic makeup supplies and tools, so I just used regular foundation to spread over it and try and blend it in with my skin as best as I could. Then, I just shaded and contoured it and added a red tip to the nose. Finishing the look, I added bright rosy red cheeks and long lashes and green eyeliner to give it that Christmas touch, and of course a red lip.

Overall, I loved being able to transform myself into a Who, but I hope to continue trying to make it look as seamless as possible, I just have to get the right tools. I found one video on YouTube by the you-tuber Lacey Noel and her own Whoville Who look was amazing. So hopefully in the future I will be able to achieve that sort of precision, I just have to expand my tool box of makeup and special effects products first. The only downside to this look is that with all the layers over my nose it made breathing through my nose a little restricted, so I had to work on being a mouth breather while this was on.

Purchasing and building your makeup collection can get pretty expensive and costly very fast. So, finding the right mix between high end and low-end makeup is key to keeping your makeup addiction cost efficient. Plus, sometimes the best products out there are from drug store brands. The trick is to know which ones work best for you and then how much you’re willing to spend on something that you love or want. There’s no shame in wanting to buy makeup for under $10 or wanting to buy something over $50 if you believe in that brand and know that the product you’re buying is worth it.

First off though, do the research before buying any product. Make sure that the brand is safe and trust worthy and whether or not it is vegan or cruelty free if that is something that is important to you. The best thing about going into makeup stores like Sephora and Ulta is that they have testers on all their higher end makeup that lets you try it out before hand or see if that shade matches your skin tone. If you want to try something for the first time, then you can always ask if they have samples first which many stores do carry. Or you can see if they have a smaller travel size of that same product so if by chance you end up not liking it, you do not spend as much and don’t feel obligated to keep using it since it’s not the full size.

   Something I recently discovered is that stores like Marshalls and TJ Max carry knockoffs of high-end makeup, smaller cosmetics brand products and older products from top name brands for half the price. Much of it ranging from $3 to $20 which is a great steal. Just last month I purchased an eyeshadow palette that cost $4.99 and I was thrilled by how high of quality the pigments actually were. You never know what you’ll find there so it’s always great to go check it out and maybe you’ll discover your new favorite products.

Although makeup is constantly changing and evolving, everyone has their own personal favorite brands or products that they can’t live without. Whether it be a small travel size that you always keep in your purse or your favorite go to eye shadow palette, everyone gets addicted to a certain something and then it becomes a staple in their everyday routine. Once you find a certain product that works the best for what you need, it’s hard to switch to anything else. Why try something new when you know that the cover girl concealer works the best for you.

My current favorites are both high end and low-end brands that I use every day. For skincare I use the Korres Pomegranate Moisturizer that is perfect for my dry skin, especially in the winter months and it’s a reasonable price too which is always great for something you know you’re going to want to buy again. For eyeshadows I tend to stick to about 2 palettes, my favorite being the Jaclyn Hill Morphe eyeshadow palette because it has the other shades I tend to use every day plus some fun bright unique shades for when I want to try something new and fun. I personally recommend this palette for anyone looking to expand their own collection and if you’re wanting to be able to create different looks, plus it’s at a pretty reasonable price as well. My third favorite is Wet and Wilds contouring sticks. It’s a cream stick that blends in perfectly with my skin and is great for bronzing and contouring and since its cream based, it doesn’t dry the skin out as much as powder.

Finally, my last current favorite is the Milk “Kush”  High Volume mascara. The last time I was at Sephora back in Dallas, I went in to get my usual Benefit Roller Lash mascara since I just ran out, but as I was looking around I had the urge to try something new and one of the sales associates talked me into trying a CBD infused mascara because of how much she said she loved it. I had also heard of it from Jeffree Star and knew he approved of it so why not try it. Overall, I love this mascara and I do feel like it has helped keep my lashes looking better, though I will warn if you do not like clumpy thick mascara, this might not be the one for you but if you’re willing to give it a try a simple spoolie brush is all you need to help comb out your lashes afterwards.

One of my favorite things about makeup is that there are endless possibilities. The sky is the limit when it comes to coming up with new ideas and creating them. Not only can makeup be used to make a person look beautiful, but it can also lead to creating creepy, haunting, and head turning looks that are sure to catch people’s eyes. That’s where special effects makeup comes into play. Many examples of this genre of makeup come from classic horror films like “The Exorcist”, “Halloween”, “Night of the Living Dead”, “Silence of the Lambs” as well as many others. Just by sculpting and designing with many different mediums, makeup artists and crews are able to create realistic nightmare haunting looks that make movie goers and the average person want to turn away.

Special effects makeup used to only be seen in the theatre or on tv or maybe at a haunted house. Today it is becoming more mainstream and popular online and on social media with makeup artists. Anyone is able to create mystifying looks as long as they know what to do and what tools to use. There are hundreds of Instagram pages as well as YouTubers that specialize in creating these looks. My favorite being Mykie from Glam and Gore. Her channel is exactly as it sounds. She often will create beautiful and unique looks with regular glam makeup but then she also creates terrifying, colorful, and different looks with her gore side. I first came across her channel several years ago and binged all her videos right away. Her humor, awkwardness, and fun-loving personality as well as her dog Ripley, make her videos very entertaining for the viewer to watch, as well as following along to her tutorials too. My favorite videos are her Halloween series and her Disney princess series where she teaches how to do your makeup like a Disney princess and then puts a gory twist on them in the second part of the video. The different looks she has come up with are mind blowing and I love waiting to see what she will do next.

 

I first got inspired to start getting into special effects makeup by watching Glam and Gore videos. Mykie has many beginner videos that teach step by step on how to create scars, burns, cuts, gashes, rotting flesh and many other different types of effects. She shows you what to do and what products work the best and how to safely apply each one. The first time I tried to create an FX look I used the easiest method of applying cotton and latex to the skin and then covering that up with regular face makeup and coloring it to look bruised and realistic. Then finishing it off with fake blood and some clever camera angles and lighting. Although this technique does take a few tries to perfect, the pay off on people’s amazement and appreciating for what you have created is well worth it.

Here’s how to recreate the look I did which was inspired by CosmobyHaley who is also a makeup guru on YouTube. First make sure your face is clean and clear of all products, then outline a large heart around one of your eyes with an eyebrow pencil or whatever tool you prefer as this line will not be visible and is just for a guideline. Then apply liquid latex over the outline which you will then place a thin strip of cotton over. To do this I unrolled a cotton ball which is a trick Mykie uses in many of her videos. Then apply another layer of latex overtop of the cotton, smoothing it down and blending it in with the edges, then repeat this process around the outline again leaving a small space between the liquid latex and cotton you just applied. This will create a ridge that will be the “cut” around your eye. Once you have let the latex dry fully (I used a hair dryer to speed up this process on low heat) follow through with translucent powder and then the foundation or concealer of your choice. Next, I used a mix of red, purple, brown and black eyeshadow to makeup the latex bruised and blend in with your skin. For the cut, place red and black eyeliner, lipstick, or eyeshadow in the space. I used a red liquid lipstick. This process takes the most time as I had to keep reapplying different process to make it look as realistic as possible. To finish it off add fake blood and then complete the rest of your face with your regular makeup any way you choose. For the slash on my throat, I followed the exact same steps and let the fake blood drip down from the cut. This is by far one of my favorite looks I have done and can’t wait to keep creating new ones.

 

 

With more than 11 million subscribers on YouTube, 8.8 million on Instagram, and 2.7 million on Twitter, Jeffree Star is one of the fastest growing most impactful and substantial beauty guru and influencers out there as well as a clever and strategic businessman. His company that he owns and started himself, Jeffree Star Cosmetics is completely vegan and cruelty free and can only be found online at Jeffree Star Cosmetics’s and select Morphe Store Locations across the country. Star owns multiple properties and is known to travel across the county and around the world promoting his business and channel along with donating to several charities. Many of his followers and loyal fans follow along on his Snapchat and Instagram stories as he post about his life and what he is up to on a daily basis as well as his now six Pomeranians he owns with his boyfriend Nate. Together they live in his mansion in Calabasas, California. Recently YouTube and influencer Shane Dawson did a documentary series on the life of Jeffree Star which gave fans a never before seen look at Jeffree Stars life, house, and business that he has never shared publicly before.

Jeffree Star may be a controversial influencer to some people but I see him as a trustworthy, honest, and impactful person who I feel comfortable watching and following and buying products from. Many of his videos are product reviews that he post honest opinions of, letting his audience know what to expect with the product and if he thinks it is worth it to buy in which case it will be “Jeffree Star approved”. If he deems it unworthy, he will be very clear about that fact and it is obvious in his facial expressions and words that he does not approve of that product. He is my number one go to when it comes time to buy a new product out on the market. Although everyone has their own opinion on the type of makeup they like for their skin, I trust his the most because he does expect and want the best when it comes to both high quality and drug store products.He also does many other videos like tutorials using different brands products as well as his own, and promotions for his company and the new releases of his products and collaborations with other you-tubers.

If you haven’t tried his products I highly recommend them. I first tried his liquid lipsticks this summer and I haven’t bought any other companies liquid lips since. His formula is flawless creating a smooth, velvety texture that does not dry out your lips like other products and is long lasting even through eating and drinking throughout the day. With more than 50 colors to choose from their is a shade for everyone ranging from nudes to bright reds to neon green and yellow to black. The best part of his liquid lips though are the names he comes up with for each one. My two favorites that I own are Red Rum which is his famous red lip and Christmas Cookie from his holiday 2017 collection that is the perfect nude. Although I have only tried his liquid lips, he also has several different highlighters that he calls and has trade marked as skin frost which are know for there blinding pigment payoff on the skin and are very popular in the beauty community. His also has several eyeshadow palettes, the most recent ones called Blood Sugar and Thirsty from Valentines Day last year and Summer 2018. Jeffree Star continues to release new and creative products and shades each year that have the beauty community raving about. His bright pink package is iconic and the fact that all his products are vegan and cruelty free is my favorite because there are so many other companies that do not follow that same ideal. I love Stars liquid lips so much and tend to wear them everyday, I even got my mom started on them and she loves them as well. If you’re interested in trying out his makeup I highly recommend it.

Beauty Blogger, New Lune covers many topics related to beauty, lifestyle, fashion and tips. She also has guides on how to create your own blog and how to find inspiration. Her site is very organized and pleasing to the eye when first viewed. Each of her post are all organized and have different tabs at the top of the page depending on what you are interested in.

Her blog post ” How to Afford High End & Luxury Makeup” is the one that caught my eye. As a college student, trying to keep to a budget is very important and when it comes to buying makeup and clothes, that budget can sometimes go to the wind. New Lune gives advice on how to save up money and plan which products you would like to buy by creating a wishlist. Then she suggest researching each product to see if they are actually worth it which is something I do whenever I am interested in purchasing new makeup. She also suggest finding dupes because many cheaper drug store brands often have similar quality and colored products that work just as well for half the price.

I really appreciate New Luna’s blog because it is so well organized and the colors and layout all flow nicely together. I will definitely take a note from her blog in the future as I develop mine further. If you’re interested in checking out New Luna’s blog visit here.

       To outsiders, some may see makeup as a frivolous, unnecessary product and waste of time and money. Just be happy with who you are and what you look like. To me, and many others, it’s almost like a bit of magic or an escape or even just a stress reliever at times and a fun form of art. There is so many possibilities when it comes to makeup, its endless. A person can create so many different looks and can even change their features if they know what they’re doing.  It is also just a soothing thing some people do cause the process of putting on makeup is relaxing to them, I know it is for me. Then it’s fun to see the end outcome of what you just did, although sometimes it may not come out just how you like. But then you can just get a makeup wipe, or in my case a cotton pad and micellar water (preferably the kind with the blue cap) and start all over or just clean up the bad parts.

Makeup is not just for making a person look prettier, it can enhance someone features and bring them out more, it can boost confidence in someone. I know personally when I have on just a little bit of makeup on I feel a better about myself when I am in public compared to when I don’t have any on. Not saying that a bare face is bad. It totally isn’t. Sometimes just going a day with no makeup on and letting your face breathe is the best. My favorite thing to do after I wash off all my makeup is put on a face mask and turn on Netflix. It’s a nice way to clean your face and add nutrients to it and its pretty funny when people see you in a face mask too. But when I do decide to do a full face of makeup and maybe add a pair of false lashes, it just does something to me. I feel powerful and confident and glamorous which is something I think everyone should be able to feel no matter what they do.

Makeup is an escape for some people, it’s a way they express themselves. In this day and age the persona around makeup has changed so much. There is more acceptance around men in makeup and the belief that it is for anyone no matter their gender or sexual preference. It has a way of building up a person and making them feel different and maybe more secure with themselves. It’s a way people can express who they are and show the world what they can do and that it is okay to be yourself.