Beauty Books

I just received the first of about 13 books that I ordered through Amazon.  They range from how-to hair from the 30's, 40's, 50's, hollywood hair, burlesque, and makeup.  I need a little time to go through them, but soon I will post some reviews. 

But two of my favorite books that I've had for many years are Kevin Aucoin's Making Faces and Face Forward. 

They show how to apply makeup and have incredible celebrity transformations.

Left, Lisa Marie Presley   Right, Martha Stewart (Yes, it is.)

I have used these books as a guide over and over.  If you love makeup, buy them. It's such a shame that Kevin is no longer alive.  The world is not as bright without his creativity and vision.

Halloween Costume I: Pinup Skeleton

I titled this Halloween costume number 1 because this is my favorite holiday and I cannot do just one costume.  I'm actually doing three different costumes this year. This one I did last Friday for a Halloween art show.  I call it Pinup Skeleton.

Step 1: Pin curl hair in standing pin curls rolled down.
Step 2: Use awesome new (old) hair dryer to set curls for about 20 min.

The makeup I used for this look includes, white Ben Nye foundation mixed with Makeup Forever
HD foundation. Sephora primer, Makeup Forever black eyeliner, black grease paint,
black eyeshadow, and to set it, Makeup Forever HD powder.

I started by using the primer to smooth out the skin and then I mixed the white foundation with
my everyday foundation. I wanted it to be light, not white.  I then used the white foundation
to highlight all of the areas the stick out, i.e. cheekbones, forehead, chin, bones on chest.

I then penciled in using the eyeliner pencil the areas that would be painted black and sketched
out the mouth.  I did one side of the face at a time.

After highlighting and sketching, I filled in the solid black areas, eyes, nose, jaw, under jaw, and
temples.  I used a skeleton image for reference and also my natural contours to help guide
where the shapes should go.  I then used a brush to blend areas like the temples.

Finally, I used a liquid eyeliner pencil to tighten up the teeth and used the same makeup, but
less heavy to create the chest area.  I set the white areas with the translucent powder and the black
areas with black eyeshadow.  I let down my curls.

This is the final product.  I used my hair rat to create the bumper bangs and added a fascinator
I bought in New Orleans as a hair accessory.

Attending a Wedding Hair

My best friend asked me to do her hair for a wedding that she attended.  Of course I jumped at the opportunity to practice my skills and do hair on someone other than myself. I chose a sophisticated yet youthful look that is reminiscent of Joan from Mad Men. You can actually find the tutorial in Lauren Rennell's vintage hairstyling book.

Step 1: I separated the hair horizontally from ear to ear.
Step 2: I created a small french roll and left the tail hanging out.
Step 3: I took the middle section of hair (between the french roll and the crown) and created a
roll to reduce the amount of teasing.

Step 4: I teased the hair on the crown and brought it over the roll I created from the top and sides.
I smoothed as I went and tucked in the bobby pins to hide them.

Step 5: I left some hair out from the bang area and teased it and pin curled the end.

Step 6: I curled the left over pony tail to give it some bounce.  I used a curling wand.

Hair Dryer & Quick Pin Curls

I just wanted to share that I bought this awesome hair dryer at the Flying Dog. I haven't used it yet, but I'm super stoked about it.

Beauty Salon hair dryer.

I also wanted to share that I just found the best combination for pin curls that last that only takes about 20 min.

I used my sculpture pin curler tool and then my Topstyler clam shells. The sculpture pin curler tool allowed me to get tight, even curls and the clam shells heated and cooled them quickly to give the same results as if I had slept on them overnight!