My personal background
Before coming to Cabrini, I was working at a wax center. The year before that, I graduated from Empire Beauty School and received my license in cosmetology. Furthering my education is important to me, however makeup and beauty will always be my first love.
I started experimenting with makeup when I was around 13-years-old. My first eye shadow pallet was a two-sided powder pink duo pallet from Claire’s. It was powdery, chalky and awful against my skin-tone, but I loved the artistry behind it.
Nothing seemed more liberating or free at that time. I was a young teen finding herself and when I discovered makeup, I realized how much creativity it took to create a look.
If you are debating on whether you should pick up a trade or receive your license in a specific field of work, I say go for it. I made cosmetology my back up plan and communications my first priority. Before going to cosmetology school, my prior skills and knowledge came from watching YouTube and trial and error.
Tips and Tricks
When watching YouTube videos centered around makeup, I made sure to watch and learn from a variety of people. Learning how to apply makeup on different skin tones, undertones, eye shapes and facial structures helps to broaden your knowledge and improve your skill set. Observing is a great way to learn but an even better way for you to gain experience on actual faces, is to practice on a client. Some other tips include:
- Letting your eyelash dry until it gets tacky, then apply.
- Invest in a dry brush cleaner. It’ll save you tons of time.
- Buy q-tips. They are great at handling small fixes.
- When finding the proper foundation for you, consider all dynamics of your skin including: skin type, under tone, and coverage amount.
- If you are applying glitter on your eyes, do your eye makeup before your skin makeup.
Favorite things to use
Most of the makeup that I own I use on a daily-basis, but some of the products that I have bought in the past were not the greatest. The only way you will really know if a product is for you is if you try it yourself. I tend to take product suggestions from those that I trust like some of my friends and even makeup artists such as Tatiana Ward, Mario Dedivanovic and Pat McGrath. However, most of the products that I buy based on recommendation are used by my friends. Some of my favorite products that I use are:
- Garnier Micellar cleansing water good for dry skin to apply for skin makeup or wiping off makeup.
- Milk of magnesia to apply as a base for excessively oily skin.
- BH cosmetics quick change brush cleaner for doing a light clean on brushes in between an application.
- Urban Decay all nighter setting spray to ensure for a lasting look.
- Kiss i-ENVY demi wispies lashes if you like light feathered lashes.
Buying makeup on a budget
If you are thinking about starting a makeup kit for clients or even buying makeup of your own to test out, don’t splurge. It is extremely easy to over spend when buying makeup, but keep in mind that expensive doesn’t always equate to quality.
Some cheaper products are better than those that are high end. Your technique in most cases will out-weigh the quality of the product. Read reviews online before making huge purchases. You can also try going into stores and testing the products out before buying.
