Makeup Artist Sanitation

Hello Loves,

Today I am going to talk at length about sanitation practices as a makeup artist. The absolute most important factor when having your makeup done by a professional, is cleanliness. If you believe otherwise then that makes me very sad and perhaps you are not a client for me. 

I am a licensed professional makeup artist and have been for 23 years. Now because I am an Esthetician I was taught proper sanitation processes in school and with also having studied and worked as a certified level 2 dental assistant I am perhaps more well versed on the subject than most. That being said, in today's world of instant information, there is absolutely no excuse and I mean NO EXCUSE for having an unclean, unsanitary hub of germs and bacteria as a kit. If you do, you are not a professional. A true professional cares for their clients, their profession, and their reputation. If someone is so ignorant they cannot be bothered to take the time to do a basic google search on proper sanitation practices, should you really be praising their behaviour and encouraging it?

Now I don't  expect the general public to know all of the rules of sanitation but what this is starting to boil down to is common sense. I have clients sit in my chair and tell me the horror stories about appointments they have had with specific makeup artists and to say that they are appalling, is an understatement.

Believe it or not, there are actually people out there who believe cold-sores (herpes simplex) won't transfer via makeup brushes. If you don't think an oozing herpetic lesion will transfer onto an unwashed brush and subsequently another person's face via fingers being used to apply makeup then please wake up. Direct contact is most common, skin to skin (fingers on eyes or mouth to apply) but indirect contact is absolutely a way to contract communicable disease. Saliva can spread onto objects you use on or near your mouth and anyone else can come down with the virus. This includes unwashed silverware, cups, lipsticks and balms. People always instinctively lick their lips when I am coming at them with a lip brush. Whoomp there it is.

So why is sanitation such a big deal? Well let me ask you if you would want to sleep in a hotel room where the sheets haven't been cleaned prior to you using it. Think about it. A makeup artists kit comes into contact with hundreds of faces per year. Furthermore, said kit, brushes etc comes into contact with tear ducts, dead lip skin. saliva, tears, dead skin cells etc. Improper sanitation can cause acne flare ups, pink eye, the common cold, even hepatitis. 

Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye): Can easily be spread via improper sanitation practices. Double dipping mascara wands, contaminated brushes.

Herpes Simplex (Cold Sores): Will easily transfer outside the mouth, on the lips, nostrils and even the eyeball. Yes the eyeball. The herpes simplex virus enters through the nose or mouth and travels to the nerves where it may be inactive. The virus can remain dormant and never wake up. But if it does or you're susceptible, hot damn, good luck with that. 

Staphylococcus : Staphylococcus live all over our skin, it usually isn't harmful unless your immune system is compromised. Which in today's population is very common with disease and cancers being as rampant as they are. 

Any, and all, of these aforementioned viruses can enter your skin via a pimple, tiny cut or the mucous membranes of the eyes, mouth and nose. Triggered yet?

Demodicids : These are also called 'eyelash mites' or 'face mites'. they live in several areas of your face but are often found in the base of your eyelashes. The mites live on dead skin cells and skin secretions. 

Here are some rules to watch for in regards to proper sanitation. If you are paying a professional to do your makeup it is 100% your absolute RIGHT to speak up and demand proper practices. It is your money and your face and in the worst case could actually cost your life.  Dana, chill, its just makeup. No, it absolutely isn't. 

• I always start by washing my hands, in fact, sometimes I do it multiple times with the same client. If this isn't possible, applying hand sanitizer in front of them is a must. 
•  I always have a clean surface to work. I always have a clean paper towel as well. Disposable, no fuss.  
• I work from a clean kit. It is not littered with garbage, dirty brushes, powders and makeup residue. Clorox wipes are not expensive. It takes me at most a half hour or so to wipe down all bottles, lipstick tubes, palettes and my kit itself. I take the time. It is absolutely imperative.
• I do not use my personal makeup kit. I have a pro kit designated for clients. My makeup is my makeup and of course I am not using disposables for my own face. It only touches my face and is mine. But on clients, DISPOSABLES or heavily saturated alcohol disinfecting. 
• Makeup is kind of like chips and dip, there is etiquette at a party with the dipping rules so why allow it on your face? 
• I do not blow on brushes, or palettes. That is disgusting. My mouth bacteria and airborne pathogens do not belong on your face. I may as well sneeze directly in your face and call it a day. Samesies.
• I use 70% alcohol and am constantly spraying surfaces, brushes, products and my hands with it. Why 70%? it is the percentage that allows penetration into the cell wall to destroy bacteria. Anything over 70% such as 99% will actually freeze the outside of the cell wall and allow bacteria to lay dormant an revive. It also evaporates quicker and doesn't have time to penetrate surfaces like the 70%. If you do not see hand sanitizer, washed hands or alcohol in or around your appointment please care for your health in the future.

Picture this: A makeup artist stops for her breakfast before her gig, licks her fingers, pays with cash, digging out bills and coins. Hell, she even uses the restroom. When she comes in she immediately dips into the moisturizer and start spreading it onto your face. Mmmmmm, mystery bacteria, her own germs and Lord knows what other nasties all for the low, low price of 50 dollars per face.

Picture this: A makeup artist gets too much powder on her brush. She blows on it to remove some rather than tapping the brush to remove excess. Mmmmmm airborne and water droplet bacteria from her saliva is now transferring onto your face for the low low price of just 50 dollars per face. 

Picture this: The makeup artist goes from one appointment to another. She doesn't wipe her brushes with alcohol, a brush cleanser, hell, not even a towel. She has a total of maybe five brushes in her kit. You're her 11th face of the day. You do the math. Such disregard is evident, alarming and just plain mind boggling. This is real life. It happens. Run.

Picture this: The makeup artist runs out of eyelashes in her kit and peels her own used ones off her eyes to apply to your face. This is real life. It happens. Run.

Picture this: The makeup artist is too ignorant or too cheap to buy some makeup remover or wipes so she puts the q-tip into her mouth to collect saliva and clean up the messy eyeshadow she has applied. This is real life. It happens. Run. Having you spit on the qtip is also a thing and is just as nasty coming from a 'professional'. You know better, this is straight up piggery. Run.

Picture this: The makeup artist isn't available for the date of your event. They offer to do your makeup the night before and for you to sleep on it. Literally. This is real life. It happens. Run.

The entire point of this post is not cattiness, it isn't jealousy. It isn't about trying to drive people out of business or attack another woman/man in the industry. Everytime I speak up with a truth bomb there are people who try to turn it into something it is not. I support women, I support women in business. I teach makeup artists. I teach at the personal and college level. I want everyone to succeed. What I do not support is ignorance. Ignorance and straight up disregard for clients, the people of Sudbury, The women who are just trying to fit into an overly saturated world of online perfection. Women having their makeup done by people, who essentially do not give a fuck about them or this industry I've worked so hard in, and for. They are making a mockery of it with the hyper editing of the client photos they post. The complete disregard for client health. The thinning of their faces, the erasing of their texture, the addition of lashes and eyebrows via iphone app. A brilliant makeup artist, Mr. Billy B once said. "A great makeup artist doesn't use filters and photoshop...they ARE the filters and photoshop' 

I hope you have learned something from this post, both the public and the 'artists' it may speak to. #sorrynotsorry 

Dana Lajeunesse

(MUA and teller of unpopular truths)

Big Wreck - New Music Fest - Sudbury - June 7th, 2014

I will begin this post with letting my followers in the beauty industry that this post has absolutely nothing to do with makeup. It does however have everything to do with my favourite band. If you love Canadians (which you obviously do) feel free to keep reading and check them out for yourself. The album release is tomorrow June 10th, 2014 for Canadians. http://www.bigwreckmusic.com/

Ok, so here it is. The review of my Saturday night. For those who are unaware, it was my 38th birthday on Sunday. What a twist of fate and perfectly tailored weekend for TOAD to cancel their show and Big Wreck to fill in. I still have a hard time believing that all actually happened. What a gorgeous mess of chaos. I promise you this will be a terribly shitty review. I barely remember a thing, my mind is a damn blob.

The Glorious Sons took the stage at around 8:15 or so and were really great, they were followed by Monster Truck who rocked the stage and amped up the crowd for sure. Their songs get quite a bit of airplay here and were received very well. I was sitting in the front row seats for their portion of the show secretly planning how I would be weaseling my way to the front, standing area against the metal fencing. I was hoping the crowd would dissipate after Monster Truck and that is indeed what happened and I made my move. I then planted my feet and would NOT be moving. It took a bit for the road crew to set everything up, some drunks were shouting nonsense to hurry and I wanted to drop elbows on all of them.

The local rock radio guy announced them and was sure to reiterate that they filled in last minute and saved the day for Sudbury.

The boys came out to a very warm reception and they were all smiles. I was nuts trying to figure out what they would open with. I was so shocked and surprised that it was "Look What I Found".
I, of course sang my damn head off and screamed like a complete fool and loved every second of it. Next it was onto "That Song" which was warmly received and had the whole crowd singing along.

After they were done, Ian spoke about Sudbury and that they had great memories here and were happy to be back. I don't know if they all had a great nights sleep or the fact that they were hanging with the Monster Truck guys or what but the entire band was all smiles all night and genuinely having a real great time together. They were constantly teasing each other and just had a GREAT chemistry and vibe. The crowd loved seeing the positivity and responded positively in return.

Third song was ready to start....I was busy swatting away the drunken fool of a woman who was stretching her arm literally across my best friends face trying to get Dave's attention, making googly eyes at him and snapping her fingers and drooling all over herself. Due to this distraction I missed Ian saying "Where's Dana?" People started tapping me and I heard him say... "Oh, there she is!" He then said "Happy Birthday! This ones for you!" Rips into "Hey Mama". Dead. It is my favourite and as I explained to Buk (James) I feel almost guilty for loving it as much as I do. It rips my soul from my body and takes it to the moon and back, I'm gone. After so many years of nostalgia with so many BW songs, this one has just engulfed my heart and mind. It was an epic dedication to say the least and pretty much made my life. Only to be outdone by Ian finishing a song and bending down to give me his slide. A few people tried grabbing it from him but he swatted them away nicely and locked eyes with me and I told him I had it. He then went to the mic and said Happy Birthday again :) Dead....er.

Suffice to say everything after that was a blur. I know Bohemian Rhapsody was brought into a song and I cannot even tell you which one. Ian and Dave did a little battle a few times, their instruments answering each other in this melodic tango. Dave had a great energy as did Paul and Brian. Brian played his guitar and the banjo at the same time during Ladylike. His guitar would hang around his neck while he strummed the banjo from behind on its stand moving fluently from one to the other without skipping a note. Chuck was a monster on the drums. Paulo had a perma-smile and had great chemistry with everyone on that stage. Paulo's stance reminds me a bit of Ken's. Dave and Paulo were constantly singing and mouthing the words to every song. Near the end of the show, during "The Oaf" Ian did his down tuning as he did on the bag of tricks release, and the others left the stage and let the crowd soak in the feverish solo. So amazing. They then teased Chuck and would not end the song, making him drum like a hurricane with sticks, he kept up and was INSANE. It was so fun to watch and experience. They smiled the whole time and were just having so much fun, it was so great to watch.

They ended the night with the crowd singing along and very into it. I don't even think they were off the stage before the crowd was chanting "encore". The Glorious Sons and Monster Truck guys were all on stage alongside in the wings singing and taking pictures and smiling having a blast watching.

They encored with "Shout/Falling to Pieces". Then just like that it was over. It will never in this lifetime be possible to outdo that night. My husband said once we were home "Short of me paying them tens of thousands to come play a private concert for you, there is no way I could have ever topped this or had it be more perfect for you".

I am eternally grateful to Ian for his generosity and for making my night so supreme. It is one I will never forget.

Cheers.

How To Choose a Makeup Artist for Your Wedding Day

Photo Courtesy of Stacey Lalande

Hello ladies and congratulations on your upcoming wedding. I have wanted to do a post on this subject for a very long time and decided that today is that day. I hope it helps some of you grasp a better understanding about bridal makeup and what to look for in an artist.

http://bernieaho.com/

RESEARCH:  You’ll need to do your research. You may already have an idea of an artist you’d like to use, perhaps a recommendation or someone you have heard of.  A recommendation is the best kind of information to have when it comes to selecting your artist. It gives you a real account of somebody else’s experience and the more you can read, the better. That being said, makeup represents your personal style and what may be one persons cup of tea, may not be anothers. Never ONLY take someones word for it. Seeing is believing. Many professional make up artists have websites that will give you an idea of their work through portfolios and testimonials. Use this to see the styles that the artist can create, the range of their ability and their level of professionalism. Some people recommend someone not having actually had their services used personally, but rather a friend of a friend of a friend used this person once and they heard they were good. That also brings up the question.....is this person actually knowledgable? Or did they buy some make up and figure, "Hey, this can't be difficult!" "I'm going to be a make up artist!" A trained professional, knows about contouring, highlighting, face shapes, skin types etc.  Just because you may personally be terrible at applying make up on yourself, it should not give you the mindset to just settle for an "artist" because "It is better than I could do on myself."
If you are going to ask anyone, ask your photographer. They are usually the ones stuck trying to fix bad makeup later when editing photos and this creates an enormous amount of extra work for them. They will know which artists work they barely need to touch or edit. Make up to go out is NOT the same as make up for photography. Looking decent in person and looking flawless in photos are two entirely different things. Your artist needs to know about finishes of products, how will they work with flash photography, hot days, cold days etc. Oily skin, large pores, etc.

TLC Photography

FIND YOUR STYLE:  Choosing a date well ahead of your wedding day will mean one less thing to think about as your day draws nearer as your trial should leave you feeling confident and relaxed about how you will look in front of all of your guests when the time comes. Having an idea of the sort of style you’d like is always an advantage. It is useful to take with you a few pictures of styles you like to give your artist an idea of the look you’re hoping to achieve. A fun and creative way to do this is to make a collage of images from your hair and make up ideas, to the colour scheme and theme of your wedding. This will help your artist subtly coordinate your look with the rest of your day. It will also help you to get to know one another, which will become very important in the crucial few hours leading up to your big moment.

Click photo to visit Jonathan's website.

LASTING ALL DAY: Airbrush make up is NOT magic. It was confused with the photoshop term years ago and has confused brides since. Airbrush foundation is liquid foundation with added water to thin it and some silicone additives. It is very time consuming, a thin application which needs to be layered to achieve a flawless look. Airbrushing for body painting yes, bridal no, if an artist uses the proper face primers and setting sprays, the same look is acheived with any foundation medium. I have never had a brides face come off before or during the wedding ceremony. In fact, brides will tell me they partied well into the night and they still looked flawless at 4 a.m. I have literally had brides go to sleep exhausted after the festivities, go to sleep and wake up looking great and go to the gift opening. True story.

Click Photo to visit Jonathan's Website

NAME BRAND MAKEUP: Expensive makeup, name brands etc....Society, ads etc. have brainwashed us in MAC MAC MAC, Clinique, Stila etc.... Don't get me wrong some are great, and I own plenty...but some are bad and a HUGE waste of money. A good artist can use anything and turn you into a supermodel.

TLC Photography Sudbury

LISTENING: If an artist doesn't listen, do not be afraid to speak up. If you ask for something in particular and they are doing whatever they want, or using colours you really don't like, let them know. If they do not respect your wishes or work with you to compromise, using their expertise, coupled with what you want, run the other way. I have heard stories of glitter on brides, brides being shushed by the artist, brides washing their faces or literally crying when they looked in the mirror. I have actually been called in emergency basis by brides to fix someone elses mess, because they didn't want to hurt the artists feelings. Hence, the importance of a trial run.

TLC Photography Sudbury

DO A TRIAL RUN:  Some women may choose to go to a makeup counter for their bridal makeup because its cheaper, or may choose to have a friend do their makeup for their wedding day because its free. While in theory these options may sound great, the reality of it is, if you end up hating the way it turns out, you’re stuck with it. The bad thing with getting your makeup done at places like department stores or drug stores, is the majority of the personal working there aren’t real makeup artists, and are not trained in how to properly analyze and work on different face shapes and colors. A few are, many aren't so be sure to ask questions about their credentials. They may only be knowledgeable about store products and be there to SELL store products. Being able to do a good makeup job on yourself is one thing, but being able to do it on someone else’s face shape or skin color is a totally different ball game. Having a trial run of your makeup for your wedding day is essential. A trial run is basically a preview of what you will look like on your wedding day. Most professionals will charge for a trial, being that they are spending their time, money, and supplies doing this makeup application. In my opinion, this is money well spent. A professional will assess and analyze your face and personality to help determine how soft or bold you’d like your bridal makeup to be.  Additionally, if the makeup is not done to your liking for the trial, you have the time to communicate with your makeup artist, in order to make the necessary changes right then and there. If your artist DOES NOT have a website or online portfoilio, which lets face it, these days in kind of ridiculous. Anyone can create a facebook page or website free of charge. Do the trial.

Photo by Fuel Multimedia

LASHES: Quality, human hair strips or individual lashes are really essential to your overall look. It finishes the look and adds so much beauty and femininity to the make up application. It does not matter how long, full, dark your lashes are. You want the eyelashes, trust me. That being said you don't want dollarama eyelashes or thick band lashes that scream fake. If an artist is coming at you with Wal-Marts halloween end of season clearance lashes, run the other way.

I hope this gives you a little insight into what to look for when choosing your artist. Yes, I am a professional of almost twenty years, but there are indeed some artists who are self taught and fabulous. There are also some that came out of nowhere and think they are the cats meow. Someone who constantly toots their own, best be able to produce the skills they claim to own. Your wedding day is not the day you want to find out you made the wrong choice because you didn't do your research.

Feel free to email me with questions through my website here or in the posting area below and I will be happy to answer them. I am in no way against sharing information nor do I try to monopolize the city for myself. When you brand yourself correctly, the competition becomes irrelevent.

Much Love as Always,
Dana xo

A little drama :)

So as we all know I took a long hiatus from you tube. I was busy raising babies and life in General was just far too hectic to make time for videos. I have been slowly getting back into things and have posted a few videos over the last few weeks. I did a look yesterday, just playing around really. I didn't record it, but due to the amount of requests, I will be recreating it for you tube in the next week or two.

I used make up geeks "mermaid" as well as "corrupt" MAC "soft brown to blend as well as a teal from the original bh cosmetics 120 palette. As a highlight, I used "opal" by MUD (make up designory) The lashes are from Dolluxe lashes and they are called "Lashing out loud".

Here is a photo of the look!

Sigma Eye Shadow Base Swatches

Sigma Beauty has released the long awaited eye shadow bases. They sell individually at a cost of $13.00 for a 5g jar. This is the same amount of product as a MAC paintpot but at a much better price.

The packaging is round and sleek, a bit thick for the size of the product pot, but I am not picky about packaging. I care about the product and if it works.

 

There is a inside cap to help prevent drying of the product. Keep this inner seal if you want your product to last. A big downfall with MAC fluidline and Paintpots is that they dry out so incredibly fast which makes them difficult to work with and thicker than they should be.

These are incredible pigmented whole being SO thin and creamy in consistency. I love that about them. Being a makeup artist I work on all skin types and all ages. Putting a thick cakey base on an eye which is aging will cling and look TERRIBLE! So these are a god send!

The"Bare" Bases

 In my opinion, persuade is an almost exact dup for MAC paintpot in "painterly"

The "Dare" Bases

 Flare

 

Provoke is the only colour in all honesty that I could do without as I do not use peaches on myself or clients. These swatches were all taken in natural light and the camera does not do them justice.

If you prefer to have the three bases in one kit, it is an option at a price of $36.00 USD . Including a brush. Which is a savings of $3.00 per three bases if bought as a kit. I personally took them out of the kit and put them all into their own traincase as well as all the individual eyeshadows. That is what works better for me :)

Now, what everyone wants to know is how do they hold up for creasing. So far so good. I have not used all colours for a day of wear as I very rarely wear makeup at home on a daily basis. I did use Sculpt which is a shimmery charcoal on my daughter Madison for a school talent show last week where I had her done up like Lady Gaga. I did her makeup at 6:15 a.m. and she came home at 3pm. Her eyeliner was a mess, and there was a very, very faint crease line in one area on her lid after nine hours which is pretty good on an oily teenager with all the sweating in the talent show etc. As I wear them I will continue to share my thoughts on how they last throughout the day.

Dana xo

New Sigma Individual Eye Shadows & Brow Products

Hi Loves!!

Sigma Beauty has become a real front runner as far as innovation, customer service as well as creating a constant flow of new items to keep us inquisitive as to what they are going to pull out of their hats next. I know sigmas first stab at a makeup line a few years back did not go over well with many people, but to this day "Sweet Virginia" from that line is my absolute favourite eye shadow of all time. I rationed my first pan over the past few years. I have a brand new pan in my cupboard and I may cry when I tear the packaging off of it, knowing it is now extinct!

My Sweet Virginia - Gone but never forgotten *sniff*

The new line of shadows came out about two years ago and was received well. Some criticism was given regarding the packaging being quite thick and bulky and there was a demand to not be required the whole palette, rather choose a few shades and be able to purchase individually. I will admit with the first Bare, Flare & Dare, there were a few great shades, some not so great. Some were very pigmented, some sheer, some chalky. I had very mixed feelings about all of them.

When the Sigma Beauty Expert Brow Design Kit came out I immediately fell in love with it and cannot even begin to explain how much I use it daily as a makeup artist. Again, people really wanted to be able to buy the palette powders, pencils and highlight pencil broken down into individual products. Owning this palette makes sense as a makeup artist, however, the average brunette does not need brow powders for a red-head. Quite simply they would likely not be used which is kind of a waste so I can understand the desire. Find my full review on the complete kit here :)

Here is the good news, Once again Sigma has listened and every eyeshadow is now available for individual purchase INCLUDING all shades from the Paris Palette which is my favourite palette by any company...maybe ever. The Paris palette was limited edition and is currently on sale for $49.00 rather than  $59.00. I believe until supply runs out. You can still use the 10% off code on it as well for even BIGGER savings. You can find my review on the Paris Palette here. The brow powders, dual ended brow pencil, gel, as well as the dual ended highlight pencil, can now be purchased on their own. The brow powders are now DUOS!! That's right, there are TWO shades in each! The brow powder duos are $14.00 which is very reasonable!! Both brow pencils as well as the gel are each $12.00.


As of yet, the "Defining Eyes" palette created with the fantastic Tiffany D's colours are not available for individual purchase.

The formula has been improved for the eye shadows and they are ALL fantastic. The pigmentation, the texture, the blend-ability. Seriously. Epic work. As I stated before, the first palettes were not love at first swatch for all shades. I tried not to judge and gave them all a fair shot, but some shades were just not up to par, as hard as I tried to make them work. I knew the formula had changed so I was nervous swatching the individuals for fear or disappointment. As I sat I found myself saying, wow....WOW! Over and over.

Without further ado, here are the swatches!! I DO NOT have any sort of light coloured base underneath, these are the true colours. They are creamy (for a powder) if that makes sense and I cannot stress enough that these are incredible and with a selection of 30 shades, there is something for everyone.

 Blues & Greens

Nudes

     

 Neutrals, Greys & Blacks

Yellows & Oranges

 Purples & Plums

Eye shadows are $11 each, but as always you can save 10% using the monthly code "BASE2013" (valid through Feb. 28th)

 

Brow Pencil Only Available in Medium/Dark

Its dual ended and a thick pencil. I prefer a thin pencil personally.

 Dual ended, matte and shimmer highlighting pencil

Also a thick pencil, which I like, for under the brow.

 Shimmer highlight, Matte highlight, Medium Brow Pencil, Dark Brow Pencil

(I do wish the "dark" was a hair darker....no pun intended)

 I have used the brow gel only a few times, I personally do not need it for mine but have used it on clients.

 Brow powder packaging

Brow Powder Duo in  "Light"

 Brow Powder Duo in  "Medium"

 Brow Powder Duo in "Dark"
This is the colour I use on myself. The dark is very dark in the powder form and works great on people with VERY dark hair.

 Brow Powder Duo in "Auburn"

 Swatches are in the order of photo

Light (2 Shades)

Medium (2 Shades)

Dark (2 Shades)

Auburn (2 Shades)

10% Discount Code for February is
BASE2013