new products

I bought two new palettes from Kyryolan The Aquacolor and the Supracolor both in FP2 which contains the basic colors wheel colors as well as black and white, and a few other tints like teal and pink. The Supracolor is a cream based color- similar to MUFE flash palette.  The colors are creamy- and i am still waiting for my opportunity to play with this- so more to come!
The Aquacolors- are a water activated creamy cake makeup. i was amazed at how rich, and dense the color went on- they also blend amazingly well. I still have to do more playing with this one as well.
I also purchased the Ben Nye Lumiere Creme Wheel, again a cream with teh 3 primary, and 2 secondary colors (Green & purple) as well as white. This one is sparkly- with visible to the naked eye sparkle. The Supracolor is completely flat, but also has a less smooth, slightly grainy looking texture to some of the colors- such as the white, the brown, & red. This could impact the coverage and blendability, but time will see.
 I did pick up a few other things- like spirit gum remover, cake eyeliner & sealer, more lashes, "no Sweat" skin prep, my parian Spirit brush cleaner- which i adore, and some 99% alcohol to clean everything up!

The last thing I got is the entire Shellac gel nail polish System so I could add these to my beauty menu- nail polish that lasts for 2 weeks- I gotta offer that one- heck i've gotta WEAR that one!

Ben Nye Fireworks Fantasy Wheel

Frankly, if you have never tried this product, you're really missing out! It consists of 6 shimmering colors -Gold Dust FW-1, Silver Satin FW-3, Diamond Ice FW-5, Ruby Luster FW-7, Copper FW-9, & Bronze FW-11. it's a fantastic deal- I provided a few links below- where it retails for $15-$16. Singles retail for around $7, but honestly you're better off just getting the wheel- a much better value.

 These cream colors can be used for anything from a subtle highlight to a blush, lip color, or eyeshadow. 

I hadn't picked mine up a in awhile, but something drew me to it- I think it was the rich, patinated bronze color (FW-11)....anyway I decided that this was going to be my smudgy smoked out bronze eye look for the day. 

The colors are very thick, and can sometimes be difficult to blend, or spread easily- so I used 1 drop of FCO (fractionated coconut oil) that I keep in my kit. I placed this on my metal palette- and just dipped the very tip of my brush into FCO- and then used it to spread around and soften the color. 1 drop was more than enough for all, and I had oil leftover!

I used a little FW-5- Diamond ice on the brow bone directly below the arch of my brow, and the inner corner of the eye-smudging some onto the top lid. Next I used Bronze FW-11 in crease, outer third of lid in a < > on both eyes and smudged under eye. I used soft smudge brush to continue working color from crease and onto lower section of brow bone. lastly I used powdered mineral shadow from fortunate Face Minerals in Blackest with same smudge brush and smoked out the bronze both under eye, at lash line and just in out crease. The look was completed with 2 coats of Maybelline Define-A-Lash black mascara, and curling those lashes! I also added extra oomph to my complexion by gently tapping some Diamond Ice onto the top of my cheekbone- so pretty- a great highlight!

http://www.makeupmania.com/products/Ben-Nye-%252d-Fantasy-Fireworks-Wheel-FW.html 

http://www.naimies.com/ben-nye-fw-fireworks-fantasy-wheel.html

Since I haven't posted anything new in a while....

All Shots

Model: Emily Therese

Photographer: Matt Harrison
Hair & Makeup: Karrie Welch (that's me!)

will add new ones momentarily!

Must Swatch!

I have a whole host of new colors that I simply MUST swatch for you! I promise, promise, promise to do this- hopefully this week- next at the latest!
Wait until you see Vegas! someone bought a jar of it- just by seeing it on my eyes! it has all the glitz and glamour of Vegas- and no, it's not a gold color- fooled you didn't I?

Czarina, Sahara, Vegas, Divinity, Ravished, Soft Sand, Faux- so Awesome!

New Makeup on it's way!

So I ordered a bunch of new makeup- I am very excited- i have no idea where I will actually put this makeup as my new makeup bag- a deep sea fishing tackle bag from  Cabella's, is already literally ripping at the seams because I stuff it so full. I am going to have to seriously edit....
So i ordered some basics- 995 alcohol, my parian Spirit Brush cleaner- that i love, and some cake mascara & false lashes by Lafemme- i have never tried they're lashes before- I'll let you know what i think.
I'm really excited though, to try the Ben Nye lumiere wheel that i ordered, as well as the kryolan Supracolor palette. i'm looking forward to creating some really cool intense looks with these! I also bought a bottle of Mehron No Sweat- never used this before either, but if it works- will be fabulous for summer heat! Ooh- yeah and eyebrow plastic as well- for blocking out those brows...can't forget that! Will let you know when my package arrives- will be FUN!

Eve Pearl-Aquisitions

Top Row L-R 
ChaCha, Park Avenue Rose, Pink Stiletto, Love Story, Enchanted, Nude Beach
Middle Row L-R
Minosa, Blushed,Vampire Kiss, Amaretto, Cherry Cola, Hollywood Affair
Bottom Row L-R
Climax, Stardust, Baby Doll, Hot Chocolate, Brown Sugar, Skinny Dip

So I couldn't resist the Eve pearl Discount promotion-and just had to order a few things...I'm a true sucker for palettes- love naything where I get multiple options/colors/ etc- because it just expands the uses and makes me feel like i've got every base covered- and will nevr be caight short with something I need, but don't have.
I ordered the Cylinder Brush Holder- to travel & store- and use on set- all my brushes. I'm hoping this will streamline my working- so we'll see- I have yet to use it, as it came flattened- and I have placed round bottles in it to sit for awhile & stretch it out....

Without Flash

I also ordered the professional clear travel makeup bag- for on set work- I now use a black backback- which I will prob keep for those mountain hiking/woods crawling shoots I do with a specific photographer (Stephanie- you know who you are!) but the clear will make it so much easier to find, at a glance, exactly what I'm looking for- and it has a long strap that I can wear over the shoulder, or cross body.
The only true cosmetics product I ordered was lipstick.....

With Flash

I ordered the Dual Performance Lip Color- Ultimate Palette- and at 55% off I thought it was a great deal at $18, as opposed to $40- When I opened the palette- i was quite shocked at how small it was- about 4 inches long, and about 2 1/2 inches tall- and with it containing 18 colors- you can imagine that each well is very tiny, each being just slightly smaller than the size of a dime. I also find that a lot of the colors are very similar in shade- a lot of pinks, and mauves, and bugundy-ish colors. There are two distinct reds- one yellow based, and one blue based- (top row, farthest right, & second row, first from left) and if those weren't represented I would have written off this whole palette- because both are key to any good lip palette- the yellow based color, however- does show very coral- and would need to be mixed with the other red- to brighten it to a TRUE red shade. There's only one color, Cha Cha, that I would call a "nude" and even that may be to pinky/coral for all complexions- it did not work well with my sallow skin. There are a couple that have some shimmer, but are fairly sheer so I don't think it would preclude anyone from using those particular shades for everyday wear, I would be more hesitant on a photoshoot.  I was concerned, once I saw how small the palette was, that perhaps the lipsticks themselves would also fall shorter than my expectations by being really sheer, and devoid of great pigmentation- that would have taken this palette from being a decent deal at $18-to an abysmal failure and complete and utter waste of good money. I was gratified, however, to find the pigmentaion in most of these lipsticks to be excellent! They are small, yes, but very little is needed to get good coverage, and color payoff. I barely broke the surface of one of the colors and did my entire top & bottom lip (swatching different colors on each lip) to good payoff. The colors are reasonably creamy and all have shine- none are a matte shade- so if you're looking  for matte cream-this is not the palette for you. I would say- a good deal at $18, I will most likely use several of these on some shoots, but I would be very hesitant to shell out $40 for this palette. I will try powdering down, and layering some of these colors- and report back how well this works- as it will double the versatility of many of these shades. I will also make a point to mix shades (since I pretty much do that anyway- I rarely use a shade straight-up).
I would have liked to see more, brown, caramel, nude matte colors- and perhaps a few good mattes- in red, nude, & burgundy. I think, while payoff is good, there are better palettes- such as Graftobian, to be had.

Hire an MUA!

here's a non-model I did!

 I have been doing plenty of makeup, but lately it's really been more promotional makeup for my cosmetics line, rather than shoots. though i am waiting to hear back from a photographer regarding the definite date for our shoot- a jewelry look book w/ a NY designer- when that comes about I may get a shot that I can share, but you never know- usually the shots don't belong to you- since the client paid for them, and your services, but we'll see! I should get some pics of the "real" women I do every day- they are awesome- and usually a true inspiration to me- they are so grateful for my teaching them how to look their best, and they're not shy in letting me know it! I get a lot of satisfaction from this kind of work- I don't believe all those makeup artist secrets should be kept just for the pages of a magazine, or a slick ad campaign- I think every women deserves to know the techniques to improving their look. I do recommend hiring a true MUA to instruct you- we know bone structure, eye shape, face shape, skin texture, tone & undertone, color theory- all this and more- and can determine which techniques will work for you- it's not just some random slapping on of color here, there, and everywhere, but rather using light and shadow- as well as what we see in your unique person- that helps us decide what looks best, and why...then it's our job to teach you!