Sound It Out

So today, I felt like hearing some sounds of my youth.... which meant I wanted to hear some band music. Thank goodness for youtube. I was feeling a little sad, and wanted to be uplifted. So, I pulled up youtube, typed in Ashland Park Overture, and crossed my fingers. Literally, within seconds, there were hundreds of videos of high school bands playing this very song. I clicked on the first one I saw and was instantly drawn back to memories od my youth, and my father. My Daddy passed away July 5th of this year.

I started High School Band late, 10th grade actually. Let me tell you first, I SUCKED. Bad. But, my parents, who by this time were already in their 60s didnt care. My mom pushed me to practice every day and daddy wanted to hear taps, every night after dinner (much to the dismay of the neighbors and the neighborhood dogs). Pretty soon, I would be playing every single chance I got, and absorbing as much music as my veins could stand.

The summer of 1995 was my first band camp. I was ridiculousy bad at that too, but no one ever knew. I marched across that field, as if it were my very own. Soon enough, Friday night half times became my time to shine. My parents, tho, had the biggest thrill; or so I think. My two nieces were in band as well, so this truly became a family affair. My sister would cart us back and forth to practice, and then when I got my licesnce, I would. Daddy was a school bus driver, so he drove us to every single away game.

My parents never left the sidelines. It was such a moment of pride for me and them at every half time. I was their little shining star. I guess my nieces were too. My senior year, however, would hold my biggest accomplishments to date. I became first chair trumpet that year, and was assistant drummajor as well. I thought I had really arrived. I wanted to do as much as I could in that halftime show, as it was my last. I even twirled rifle during the drum feature; I was on fire. Senior year also sucked, because right in the middle of marching season, my best friend moved away. The band, however, played on.

But soon enough, I would gradute and go on to college band. My parents couldnt some see me for those games were too far away and mom and dad werent in the greatest of health. It was hard not having someone there to watch you. Weird, I know. I remember the night we had the performance of a lifetime. It was at the state marching contest for high school bands. There were over 150 bands there that night, watching us after they competed that day. Right as we were going on the field, I turned to my friend,Sarah and said I sure wish my mom and dad were here watching me. Just as we were starting to perform, Sarah yells to me across 5 yards and says "Matthew, I'm watching you". I had the performance of my life. Someone was witness to it.

So, now back to youtube. I watched and listened, and it literally opened the floodgates for me, both memory and tears. My parents never missed anything I did, and for that I am forever grateful. I am so thankful that I can have the music of my youth to energize those memories back into play, letting me relive them. If you have someone special in your life, whether its a child or a best friend, be INVOLVED. Bear witness to what they experience. Help them feel proud of the person that you appreciate.

Lash Wednesday

So I decided that from now on, Wednesdays are going to be dedicated to eyelashes. My personal way of shining light on a very touchy, but fun subject. So, every woman in the world has about 2.5 tubes of unused masacra in her home. Why??? I will tell you why. Because she usually marches herself down to the CVS and grabs herself some mascara (that she either saw on tv, or heard from a friend that it was the end-all-be-all-its-gonna-fix-my-life product), only to find to her dismay that it was pretty much useless. So, I decided to give you a run-dow of all the mascaras that I know about, and love. For many years, I was a die-hard Lancome Definicils lover. Best mascara known to man, or so I thought. About 3 years ago, Lancome changed the formula. Sorry guys, no longer a hit. It dries out quickly and it also flakes off the lash. Nothing like some good black dandruff on your mug to ruin the look. Diorshow is another that gives the flakiness. A mascara should always follow a primer. Lauder, Lancome, and MAC provide some excellent primers that help your mascara stay on longer, while conditioning the lash and keeping the mascara from bonding to the lash and drying it out. Love them. Use them. I actually prefer Lauder's, just in case you were wondering. So, I have to say that there are some top pics that I really love: Smokey Lash from Sephora, Phenomeneyze from Givenchy, and believe it or not Plush Lash from MAC. I like Smokey Lash for a seperated, defined lash, when you have a lot of lash and little length. I love Plush Lash when you have lots of length and very little volume. I love to use the ball on Phenomeneyze to finish any lash look. It helps to really seperate and give that really defined but bold finished look. Bad Gal lash from benefit is another fave. It helps to give a bold thick look... I like the way it goes on, and the brush is fun too.

Motorized mascaras are becomming a slight rage right now. I really have to say that out of all of them, I love Turbo Lash from Lauder the most. But, i even use the mascara without the vibration, and it still does the same dang thing. Its just a fancy 30 dollar mascara that vibrates otherwise. Tips on application: Put your primer on first (duh). Dont coat on so much of that your lashes show white, you dont have to see this product in order for it to work. By the time you have finished both eyes, they are ready for mascara. When you open your mascara tube, DO NOT pump it when you are trying to get product out. Repetitive motion like this just pumps air into the tube and dries out your formula. Sweep your mascara on, wiggle it just a little and then pull it out through the lash. Wiggling is ok. Its not gonna mess up your lashes or break down the ingredients in the product. You cant change the formula, even if you wanted to. Dont overcoat either; spiders are only cool for halloween, not on your eyelids. If you are doing a look that requires a lot of liner and lashes, just make sure that you use a thicker volume mascara. Dont try to make it thicker with a hundred coats, it will not be the same.

So, this is just my opinions on lashey things. Im gonna start doing some mascara testing and report back on Wednesdays for you. Thanks for stopping by. Its bed time. NIght!

Honey Hush

I heard this comment today and was instantly yanked back to my childhood in Robinhood subdivision in Brandon, Mississippi. It reminded me of when Granny would come and stay with us. She lived in Monroe, Louisiana (2.5 hours away) and Mom would go fetch her and bring her back to stay with us. This woman was HILARIOUS. Every morning when we would wake up, we would have Dr. Pepper that was heated in the fancy electric machine (the microwave) and cinnamonnnen toast. Yes, I spelled that just like i said it when i was 5. So, up to the table Granny and I would get to have our hot soda and sweet toast; it was a breakfast of champions. So after breakfast we would have a little Granny and Matthew time where we would walk around the yard and then I would play my hide-the-walking-cane from Granny. This was a fun experience for both of us and we would laugh hysterically, usually for about 2.5 hours, or until Granny was sick of not being able to walk. So after this we would have lunch, consisting of more hot dr. pepper...none for me as I would have bounced off the walls with my ADHD. I would have some water or milk, both of which I detested for a while and now love. We would eat bologna sandwhiches (sometimes fried, I was super well behaved) and lay potato chips. YUM-O. After lunch was nap time for me and soap time for Granny and Momma. Now, my mother knew the characters and their bios and storylines to about 700 soap operas. We installed upon these daily, as she NEVER missed her stories. I would then wake up, and as all little rambunctious 5 year olds, tear through the house like Red Baron on speed, This would continue for a while, probably a lot longer than it should've, and it would be time for dinner. Now, when Granny came, she ALWAYS made chicken and dumplings for us. She would roll out the dumplings and I would help. By help i mean destroy the Martha White flour bag and end up with it ALL over me. That was entertaining for everyone who wasnt invloved in the cleanup of it. So, dumplings rolled and broth stirred, down to dinner we would sit. I would always get so full that it hurt. Then daddy would clean up the kitchen and wash the dishes and it was bath time! Granny went first, then mom and then me. Always in this order because I insisted on getting every square inch of the bathroom wet whilst bathing. Fun for me anyway. So, momma and granny would both get in their nightgowns and robes and me in my onesie; the good kind: the one with the feet attached. Loved it. So i would climb up on the giant couch ( the god-awful brown and white flower print one from 1979) and sit next to Granny. This is what would become story time. Granny would tell me stories from all over her life; from water wells to square dancing, to farming; she knew it all. She would repeat story after story for me, they never grew old. After storytime, I would lay on the couch by Dad and he would tickle me until i was solid red from laughing. Then, it was bedtime. Granny would tuck me in, always singing the Lion Sleeps Tonight, the version by The Tokens. Then we would repeat this process everyday until it was time for her to go home. I sure miss Granny. I miss hot dr pepper, I miss bologna, I miss Chicken Dumplings, I miss storytime and I miss being tickled. Enjoy every single moment that you share with someone who is close to you. Be thankful that you can always look back and remember how they made you smile.

The Brush Off

Ever felt like your brushes weren't delivering? Like your shadow was melted together? Well, Im gonna give you some heartfelt advice thats gonna hit below the brush belt. First off, a quick note from Mr Hygiene. CLEAN YOUR BRUSHES people! Why is it that people will spend 30 dollars or more on brushes and let product and bacteria build up on them. This is a question that has always perplexed me. Whether you have cheap brushes (which I honestly do not reccommend) or you have nice quality brushes, the key is to keep them clean. Product builds up and evetually will break down the fiber of the bristles. Ever had a brush that the bristles broke off of? This is why. Also, bacteria can thrive in the hairs of your brush, as they are porus and when you use them on your face, oils from your face allow them to breed and do the nasty things that they do. YUCK-O. Also, when you are using dirty brushes, you screw up the pigment placement on your face. It changes the diffusion of the color and your payoff wont be as good. I reccommend HIGHLY the brush cleaner from MAC. It has a cleaner as well as a disenfectant built in. So you are good all the way around. I reccommend doing this at least once a day, I know its hard, but its worth it. I also reccommend using an alcohol-free, baby shampoo once a week for a thorough cleaning. I say alcohol-free, because alcohol will get down past the hairs of the brush, into the glue and deteriorate the glue, thus making your brush hairs fall out. Now, lets talk about types of brushes. I like a wide array of brushes, except ones that are made mass market. I will explain why. Mass market brands are going to spend more money on their advertising rather than product research, testing and materials.  So, its worth the effort to spend the money to get a decent set of brushes you can take care of and will give you an amazing performance. Now as far as actual brushes go, I love a variety of brands. MAC has an amazing brush called the 187. Its a big brush with white tips. Great for moisturizer, foundation, blush, powder. There is a 188 too thats smaller thats fantastic for the cheek area. The 190 is great for those that like a regular, round, flat foundation brush. I also like, for a less expensive alternative, the foundation brush from the HD line from Sephora. Its good for blending liquid foundation. As far as eyes go, the blending eye brush from Lancome is stellar. It has a great pointed end for blending specific colors into your crease. If you want something a little bigger, the Chanel blending brush is great. A little hint...take scissors and trip the tip into a point...works wonders. For application of shadow onto the lid, MAC wins again. 213 and 239. Best for application. One will give a more pressed, diffused look, the other a more fluffy piled look. You can also grab yourself a 224 for blending, they are great too. I always like to have a smokey look under the eye, by putting a small amout of shadow under the eye and blending. The 219 is a winner in that category. I like a fluffy, less defined brush for the cheeks. The stripe look is NOT in.  The 116 is a sure fire brush to aid with that. Its also great to contour with, on the face and neck. Last but not least, the lip brush from Chanel is my all-time favorite lip brush. It gives a great application of lipstick or gloss without losing the color or making a big dang mess. Your brushes are definately interchangeable. Utilize your tools for various things, such as learning to use your flat foundation brush for highlighting and contouring, using your 187 to put on liquid and powder consecutively. I hope this helps in the world of brushes. I have to watch the Bears stomp the Packers now. So. Good-day.

Foundation Overload

I am going to start this week off by going back to basics: Foundation. I have had many questions arise from my friends lately on how to find the proper foundatoin. I am going to giuve you my number one rule: TRY IT FIRST. Those that are constantly throwing away money on foundations (also known as base) at the places where you cant try them on, know exactly what I mean. There are many skilled foundation-putter-oners out there that can help you choose the right formula and shade just for you; let them help and dont be intimidated. Now for the fun stuff..... I always hear so much "I want a natural look" or "I dont want to look like I am wearing foundation". That translates into needing a sheer coverage makeup. I really like Double Wear Light from Estee Lauder for this look. It is super light and thin, but gives a great coverage and get this: Its 15 hour wear; sweatproof, waterproof and humidty resistant. Sherman himself couldnt take off this makeup. Its also HD certified, so it looks GREAT in pictures; I use it on all my brides. Now we get to those who want a flawless finish, but again dont want to look like they are wearing a ton of makeup. I LOVE the HD line from Sephora. It is super lightweight, provides a flawless finish with a bit more coverage and doesnt look like you are wearing anything. Its great for all skin types. For those with an oilier skin type that have problems keeping shine away and keeping makeup on, you should try yourself a primer. Primers work great whether you want to wear little makeup or want to look like Tammy Faye Baker. I prefer the prep + prime line from MAC. Its silicone based and basically fills in, expands and absorbs all extra oil from your face throughout the day to help keep your makeup intact. Smashbox also has a great priming line called PhotoFinish and have primers for multiple skin types.There is also a super fancy primer from Guerlain (available at Sephora) that has 24 carat gold flecks in it that provides some awesome radiance. Its expensive, but totally worth the look. Now, time for the ones who want to totally cover any and everything. Full-coverage makeup is designed to be exactly that. It is made for people who want to cover any unsightly blemishes, discolorations or scarring on the face. Full-coverage makeup comes in a wide variety of finsihes, from natural to powder to satin. For those who want a powdery finish (usually our oilier-skinned friends) I suggest a full-coverage makeup with a seperate powder to finish the look. I really like using Double Wear from Lauder (surprise surprise). Its a super long wear (15 hours) and allows a powder to be put on top of it with ease. For those who dont require powder, I love Teint Idole Ultra from Lancome. Its again another super long wear makeup and doesnt require a powder to have a finsihed, flawless look. For our drier skins, Absolue makeup (in the jar) from Lancome provides excellent hydration throughout the day and keeps your skin looking very dewy and youthful. Now, for the younger girls who have no problems with breakouts and still want to wear a very full face of makeup, I reccommend Studio Fix from MAC. Its comes in liquid form or powder form. A word of advice: DONT WEAR THEM TOGETHER. Just sayin is all. I also want to touch on tinted moisturizers: They are LAME. If you want a moisturizer, buy a moisturizer. Dont get anything mixed together, as it truly defeats the purpose when the moisturizer is trying to do its job while mixed with makeup pigment. I hope I covered all the basics on foundations. If not, you know how to comment. :) Stay tuned... the next topic is going to be BRUSHES. I cant wait. I have a text message, so I have to go.

Neopolitan Ice Cream

When I think of the world, I think of it in colors and flavors. When things are happy in my world, they are usually bright, exhuberant colors. When things are not so happy, they are dark, sad colors. But I have learned that there are many levels and layers to such times in our lives. Each person in your life, good or bad, represents a different color of your personal rainbow. Sometimes, they even cross over between colors, making there apperance to us more outstanding. I learned today, that we must appreciate each color for its brightness, not judging where it fits, just accepting it where it should be. I have also learned that there are many different flavors to our lives, sometimes its a rocky road and somedays its just plain vanilla. I would like to say that I am very happy with my path and the colors (people) who are making up my rainbow. Take a moment today, and let all the colors in; let them shine the way they should, and be happy that you have that rainbow to take in. Remember your flavors too... whether you are vanilla, chocolate or strawberry, you play a large part in making that Neopolitan Ice Cream happen.

Move Into the Blogs

Well.
Here we are in our community.... now known as the Blogs. I will introduce myself as Matthew. I am a professional makeup artist living the wonderful world of color. I have been a makeup artist for 13 years now. I also dabble in the world of comedy...or so I think I do... I sure hope Kathy Griffin discovers me soon....Im sure bored of being poor. So, I will be bringing you stories of my life, makeup tutorials, and stories of my friends and roomates. Lets list the cast in order of importance: There is Robin (my one-armed-camerawoman-neighbor), Huy (pronounced Hugh, he is my roomate/personal assistant and p.s. he is asian, so lots of free jokes there) Pocohantas (my neighbor and friend..she has a real name that you will find out at a later date) Shane (Robins husband) Maia (my roomate who is a really smart mad scientist woman) and last but not least... Brett (Robins son, who is extremely smart and funny). So stay tuned for a lot of crazy antics and fun times. Also, something to think about for you: I want suggestions of what kind of makeup YOU want to see, so grab a pen and paper and start writing.  OH and I almost forgot... there will be links here for other you tube videos and tutorials. Ok. Done.