Back to makeup basics (and blogging)

It’s been ten (yes, 10!) whole months since I last posted on my makeup blog.  Swiftly moving on from the shame and embarrassment of that realisation I want to return to my promise in my last blog post and restart by writing about the No. 1 lesson I was taught from my makeup instructor: hygiene and sanitation.

Not the most riveting subject, I know, but if you want to be taken seriously in this line of work or if you are looking to have your makeup done professionally by someone you need to pay attention to their level of cleanliness because your health could be at risk.  Back in my youthful, naive student days I once used a friend’s mascara and learnt my lesson the hard way when I contracted conjunctivitis! So I speak from first hand experience when I say, using products directly used on another person is a big no. If you use lipstick used directly on someone else for example, you could catch anything from a mouth cold sore to Hepatitis. Just like you shouldn’t put cosmetic testers anywhere else but on the back of your hand to test them out you should also avoid old , expired cosmetics. Both categories of makeup can have bacteria ranging from eColi to Staphylococcus.

Grossing you out is not my intention here but please, for your health’s sake, look out for make up artists who do not follow the following basic rules of make up hygiene and avoid these people like the plague:

1.  Having clean hands  – MUAs use brushes and other makeup tools but they also use their fingers a lot to apply or fix makeup. So if they’re not using a hand sanitizer and do not keep their nails trimmed and clean that is a major warning sign. 

Tip for professional MUAs: Always clean your hands before working on a client and try to maintain well-manicured nails to look clean and professional. Using a hand sanitiser and keeping a box of wet tissues in your makeup box are absolute musts.

2.  Thorough cleaning of makeup brushes – Everyone who uses makeup regularly must thoroughly clean their brushes at least once a week. Professional MUAs should do that every day without fail using an antibacterial wash that is soft to the bristles. In addition, they must always clean their brushes between uses (e.g. cleaning the bristles of an eyeshadow brush with a cleansing spray before  dipping it into another colour) and most importantly deep clean them between clients.

The best cleanser for deep cleaning is Isopropyl alcohol.  Pour a small amount into a shallow open container and soak your brush bristles in it, then dub them repeatedly on a paper napkin or tough kitchen roll paper to remove all the moisture and let them dry.

The brush handles also need regular wiping down with sanitised wet tissues or a cotton ball dubbed in alcohol to avoid contamination.

3.  Using a stainless steel palette and spatula

 Having a stainless steel surface like a palette where you can apply small amounts of the products you want to use with a spatula and then wipe them off when finished is the best way of ensuring you don’t apply too much product AND do it in the most hygienic way for your clients. This way lipsticks, foundations, concealers, etc (and thus dead skin cells) will not come into direct contact from one person to another.  The lipsticks will not look pretty, as you will be breaking them up slowly with the spatula but this way you keep your hygiene standards high.

4.  Using disposable tools

Spoolies, small makeup sponges and Qtips are essential for hygiene.  These one-use only tools are so important in avoiding having any direct contact between a person and another using the same product.  Especially when it comes to applying mascara spoolies are your best ally.  Use one per application and dispose of it then use a fresh one for a second application. Never-ever double-dip the same wand in the mascara container. That would defeat the whole purpose.

Finally, not wiping the surface of powdered products (blushers, eye shadows, face powders) and blowing on brushes to remove excess product are bad form when it comes to hygiene.

Any self-respecting makeup artist who takes their love or profession for make up art seriously will follow these golden rules.  Sadly, I have come across some disappointing “professionals” who do not know the meaning of basic hygiene.   If you come across such professionals do yourselves a favour and run before you let them work on your face.

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Impulsive makeup buys

Hands up who else is also guilty of trying a new brand of lipstick, eye pencil or shadow, liking it, buying it, only to discover when they get home that it’s almost an exact replica of a product shade they already own. This has happened to me multiple times. I must have accidentally bought at least 3 identical shades of red and 2 dark purple lipsticks around the same time; two similar blue/grey eyeshadow palettes​, 3 exactly the same shade of green eyeshadow in wet and dry form and 4 different types of purple shadow which on application ended up looking pretty much the same.

That’s because I am what you might call an “impulsive buyer” sometimes.  Does that happen to you too? Always going for the same thing just in slightly different packaging or with only a minor (unnoticeable to others) difference?

I am also guilty of absolutely detesting the idea of throwing useful things away. Even if they are not useful to me! It’s a conservative streak I have always had.  For one, growing up I was taught that throwing away leftover food is a sin. And it makes sense to not waste food in a world where there are people starving.  Similarly, I hate getting rid of belongings​. My mum actually told me off once for wearing an expensive jacket (which I thought still looked amazing years after I bought it) that was worn out.

So if I end up with lots of similar makeup products which I impulsively bought they usually just stay in my possession, collecting dust. Unless they are that bad that even I have to chuck them out eventually.

Needless to say that I own way too much makeup for my own good.

Testament to this is when four years ago I decided to have a 1-2-1 makeup lesson with a well known Cypriot makeup artist to perfect doing my own makeup. The poor guy didn’t know what he was in for when he suggested I bring along the products I have to our session. He probably thought I only had one makeup bag. Instead, I showed up on his doorstep with 4 big plastic carrier bags full of palettes and vanity bags filled with all kinds of makeup products. Even he thought I had far too many products for a non professional.

And that’s one of the reasons I decided earlier this year to do something about this and take the MUA course which in turn inspired this blog.  So at least something good (I think at least) came out of my impulsiveness 😏

My make-up classes – Dedicated to my father

The inspiration for starting this blog came from my spur-of-the-moment decision last April to enrol in a makeup academy which is within walking distance from my place of work. As I have mentioned before, I’ve always been fascinated by make up and colours and spent a lot of money in products so I thought that taking up professional classes was a good idea.  I still don’t know where the makeup artist certificate will take me (if I’m good enough to pass the exam at the end of the month) but it’s always good to learn a new craft.

I had first seen adverts and short articles about this particular makeup academy (KLMA) by Kiera Louise in local publications in the Greater Manchester area.  I had even enquired about Kiera’s classes shortly after I moved to the UK with my then-boyfriend/now-husband 3 years ago.  For some reason I didn’t take the plunge then but recently decided to go for it.

I work in HR. I’ve been in the profession for 20 years now and I think my father was proud of my career choices and progression; even though in recent years I struggled to find work in Cyprus, due to the economic crisis and moved to the UK in search of new career opportunities.   My dad was the person who convinced me to study Human Resources Management without giving up my idea of becoming a Psychologist as a teenage student. While I was dead set on becoming a Psychologist, without really understanding what it would be like, he didn’t push me to give up the idea although I knew he wasn’t thrilled by it. Instead he came up with an alternative which he thought I would like. He was right! He told me that some universities allowed for dual courses​ so that I could give both subjects a go at the same time. And that’s how I ended up in the HR profession.

My late father, unlike me, was an intellectual. He read a lot, liked poetry, history, current affairs and studied encyclopaedias and languages. I always admired him for his thirst for knowledge that does not come so naturally to me. Apart from having inherited his love for traveling and a condition that makes me easily perspire profusely (and suffer from it like he did) I don’t think we had very much in common.  But just a few days before he passed away suddenly last year, I was in Cyprus preparing for my wedding. I was talking to my mum and mother in law about my bridal makeup and hair trials, things I thought were trivial and superficial to him but my dad showed real interest and wanted to see the photos. His face actually lit up and I am happy we shared those moments as he didn’t make it to my wedding but he was part of the preparations.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that although the makeup classes are my indulgence I would like to believe that he approves and doesn’t think it’s silly. That he can see the potential in my “vain” decision and agrees with me for giving it a go.

I enjoy the makeup masterclass. I’ve learned the basics of skin types and skin undertones, the use of different brushes, hand and brushes sanitation, identifying different face, mouth and eye shapes​.  All these are paramount to know when putting makeup on other people. I quickly realised that working on other people’s faces is quite challenging. I am working on my techniques and have experimented with different looks.

Here are some examples of my learning so far:

Next Tuesday we will have the last lesson before the final exam and I have asked Kiera, the owner of the academy, to do an interview with me for my next blog post. Though she’s only a young entrepreneur, she’s a success in her field and an inspiration to a lot of women. So I wanted to get the chance and learn more about her and share with you too.  Thankfully, she happily accepted.

So, do you have any questions you would like me to ask a professional makeup artist and teacher? Now’s your chance!

1st year blog anniversary

I know I have done yet another disappearing act. I am not proud of itI’m not sure why my motivation and energy levels regarding my blog have dropped but I feel guilty and don’t want to give it up. For some time now I’ve been saying that I will post something again but my intentions are not met by actions. So finally today I am forcing myself to do it, reminding myself why I started this in the first place, a year ago yesterday.

In April 2017 I surprised myself by enrolling at the last minute to a weekly evening makeup masterclass near where I worked in North Manchester. It was something I often considered but didn’t know if it was worth pursuing. In the end, it was the realisation that by the end of the summer I would be returning to my homeland Cyprus that pushed me to go for it. My husband and I had made a decision that whether we would find jobs or not we would return to Cyprus by the end of the summer. We had had enough of Britain and felt homesick. I saw an advert in a local magazine about the makeup course that was starting the following week and finishing in the beginning of summer and I thought to myself “it’s now or never”. And I haven’t regretted it! Going on the course not only gave me a new (learning) purpose but it also inspired me to want to share my experience of it and start writing a blog about it.

I wanted to cover everything I was learning in my weekly classes but also to talk about issues related to makeup that interested me. I kept a list of topics I wanted to touch upon but also things that friends and family would mention being of interest to them. The list became quite big and sometimes the topics were too extensive or of not enough personal interest to me to feel motivated enough to cover. Somewhere along the way, reading other makeup blogs, I lost track of what mine was about. The other make up bloggers mostly do product reviews and some of the people close to me urged me to do the same. But this isn’t really me and reviews of makeup products are useful but not something I want to be doing regularly.

So, a year and a day after I first started my blog I promise to return and stay true to myself. Next post to follow soon will be on the basics of becoming a makeup pro.

Girls bonding over makeup

Sometimes when I am taking my time putting on my makeup I am reminded of my teenage years and those Saturday nights my girlfriends and I would gather to get ready for going out. We borrowed each others’ tops and would spend hours helping each other do our hair and makeup. I loved that preparation time. Without realising it, we were pampering each other and getting closer as friends.

I was reminded of those times again this morning when I read an article about one of my favourite films growing up, The Breakfast Club.  The article mentioned the scene between Molly Ringwald who played Claire (aka The Princess) and  Ally Sheedy who portrayed Allison who was The Basketcase of the teenage group in the film.  Two completely different characters finally bond over a makeover after spending hours together unable to connect during school detention. 

This is one of the reasons why I love make up so much! Now that I am slowly practicing my makeup artist skills on girlfriends again I enjoy the process of enhancing their beauty while making them feel good about themselves. Plus, it’s a chance us to catch up and laugh. And let me tell you! Brushing foundation on and spraying faces to fix the make up can bring a lot of surprises and laughs 😃😁😀

Rediscovering my makeup and blogging mojo

It’s been 2 months since my last blog post and it feels scary to even attempt writing again.

Initially tired from the move back home and then absorbed by my new job and trying to regain a social life in my homeland meant that I had much less time available for my previous favourite past times: playing with make up and blogging about it.  I even went into a comfort zone of make up routine where I, a person obsessed with colours, felt absolutely content wearing the same nude makeup day in, day out to go to work! Unthinkable for me who used to find nude makeup looks as boring as watching paint dry.

I knew I had lost my mojo and the longer I thought about it the scarier the thought of getting back on the saddle of makeup experimentation and blogging became.  So I decided on taking baby steps and combat my rustiness.

I started by finally putting my MUA certificate to some good use and got a discount card  from the newly opened INGLOT store in The Mall of Nicosia.  I then proceed to buy with my discount a plum matte eye shadow I had ordered from them and had to wait 2.5 months to finally receive, along with an eye shadow primer cream product called Eyeshadow Keeper that works wonders, a loose powder and the AMC pure eyeshadow pigment.  I first heard of INGLOT from my instructor in the make up academy.  She raved about their glitters and pigmented eyeshadows so I wanted to buy at least one.  The AMC colour is a glittery purple that on application looks like what I imagine to be the colour of magical unicorns!

 

The next step was to invite my friend and Maid-of-Honour Maria round for a make over last Saturday. In preparation, I thoroughly cleansed my makeup brushes the night before and spread out all my make up products on my dining table on the day.

 

I was feeling rusty and apprehensive to begin with but Maria was patient with me, open to all my suggestions and helped me regain my confidence.  Both sufferers of sun damage to our skin, we discussed full coverage foundations, the oxidisation that happens with some foundations that can lead to buying a foundation tone that on initial application looks a perfect match but after a few minutes takes a different colour tone.( I am now convinced that this is what happened with my purchase of my Kat Von D Lock It foundation which I’m finding too warm for my skin tone).

I love purple as a colour. Not only do I find it aesthetically pleasing but I find that it compliments all eye colours. A lot of girls I know seem to not like purple for their eyes but I am a proponent of it. Maria has beautiful blue eyes but she never wore purple eye shadow before.  She didn’t mind letting me show her how it would make her eyes pop and I’m glad that she liked the result as much as I did!

Not only did she like the colours I used on her but she even told me today that the whole make up look lasted her all day! So I was super pleased 🙂 🙂

The next step to regaining my make up mojo was that this morning, as I was getting ready for work I dared wear light green eyeshadow and pink lipstick after months and  last but not least I just wrote this short blog post.

 

Stress, sanity and vanity

I know I have gone missing from the blogosphere for 3 weeks (that feel like a century to me), but moving countries, home and jobs has had its toll on both my sanity AND my vanity! They say that moving home is as stressful as bereavement and divorce. Couple that with moving countries and changing jobs at the same time (all within a month) and you have a disproportionate amount of stress for one to handle. Hence, I have been too preoccupied with my amazing new job and spending any free time on the house move to keep same for blogging purposes.

First, my husband and I  had to pack up 3 years’ worth of accumulated belongings from our 2 bedroom rented house in the UK, get rid of unnecessary stuff and donate a number of large items. We managed not to strangle each other in the meantime which, believe me, was quite an achievement. Needless to say that during the last 2 days of non-stop packing in Manchester I could not be bothered with my hair or makeup. Let me tell you, I was not a pretty sight. I looked like a madwoman but I was beyond caring. I was physically exhausted and mentally drained; so looking pretty was the least of my worries.

Having survived phase one of the move and having moved to Cyprus we’re currently in the midst of phase 2 and the massive challenge of downsize and compromise. I struggled with accepting that my girly flat, which I already owned and personally decorated 10 years ago, has to accommodate the male space-invader who does not necessarily share my aesthetics or love for any shades of pink.  I also realised that I have to get rid of loads of my old things to make space for his, taking practicality over taste into account. 

So we’re in a different home, in another country but I still can’t get away from all the clearing out and packing (for storage purposes this time). Every day I have to reconsider what items, hidden away in a drawer or cupboard, are not really necessary to keep. Needless to say that IKEA and a drill have become our most trusted allies in preparation for the awaited phase 3: the arrival of our 62 (!) shipped boxes/furniture items. How they will fit into our 80 squared metres is beyond me and fills me with dread. So,the stress ensues.

As part of all of this, a few weeks back, while still planning the move, I had to decide how much of my makeup products I could live without for several weeks. I had to travel relatively light and I knew that as much as I was scared of keeping the majority of my makeup products in a shipping box I would have to make do with the bare minimum for a while. My birthday gift from my dear friend Asha, a makeup products MAC belt for brushes served me well in storing my brushes inside my professional makeup toolbox along with 90% of the makeup products I own.

The makeup box filled a whole, small carton box provided by the company movers and I made sure to insure it’s precious contents in case of loss or damage.

My suitcase contained mostly summer and work clothes and only 2 makeup bags containing 2 darker shades foundations, my face powder, 2 concealers, my currently favourite mascara, MAC’s mineralise powder/blusher, a lipstick and a lipgloss and a small eyeshadow palette of earthy tones. They have served me well for the last 3 weeks but I can’t wait to be re-united with my “toys” and play with them again. Getting my makeup box back will allow me to experiment with colours again and try different looks on my girlfriends in Cyprus!

For now, I go for a natural, bronzed, everyday look, trying to keep my vanity and my sanity in check.

Make up your mind – The end of my personal challenge

For those of you who follow my blog, I hope that you have read my post Make up your mind! (Part 1 of my personal challenge) and know what this post is about. If you haven’t, basically, what started as a thought about seasons and makeup colours ended up with giving myself a challenge to only use the same eyeshadows (4 different shades of blue) for 2 whole months! The 4 blue shades were these:

Blue eyeshadows

I started this on the 9th of May so on my birthday (9th July) I could finally be free! Because having to use the same colour eye shadows day in, day out is not fun! I know it’s a challenge I set myself and it’s no-one else’s fault I came to this decision but there was a reason I decided to go for this ridiculousness.  I wanted to use up certain products which take me ages to go through. Makeup junkies like me would know that with the exception of your staples (such as  foundation, concealer, face powder and maybe a couple of eye pencils), all other products, especially when you have a variety of them, can last for years.  I own eye-shadows, lipsticks, eye gels and blushers that I’ve had for over a decade.  I even have an original 70s Mary Quant golden shimmery eye shadow that my mum passed down to me when I was a teenager and I still use it occasionally (maybe once every 5 years)!

I’m sure manufacturers will say that it’s unhygienic but trust me I haven’t been poisoned or infected by any of my products yet.  I think the makeup industry is trying to make more money by trying to convince us that their products have an expiry date. Mascaras I do try to use up and throw away quickly as they can cause eye infections but everything else is fine, in my humble opinion.

My point is, when someone who loves make up like me accumulates loads of lipsticks, blushers and eyeshadows it’s very difficult to use them up and a strategy needs to be followed.

Exactly a month after setting myself this challenge, I posted my 2nd part of this “mini-series” (which unfortunately I somehow managed to delete without keeping a copy somewhere else) where I mentioned how using the same eyeshadows day in, day out was a bit boring but also convenient. In a way, it took out the having to think what to “wear” for makeup at work question in the mornings. And also, it made me become more creative with how I used the eyeshadows and how I combined them with different blushers, lipsticks and eyeliners.

On some days I used only 1 of the 4 colours, on others I would mix them up, on some other days I would use them all and sometimes I would use just the darkest colour as eyeliner.  Using different brushes made a difference to the final look as well. For example, I would use a blending brush when mixing the colours or use an angled brush to apply the eyeshadow as if I was using a gel eyeliner.

Here are some examples of the different looks I created in the 2 months of my challenge:

So what was the outcome of my challenge when my birthday arrived?

Firstly, it was an exercise of patience which paid off by finally seeing a difference in the Cien eyeshadow pot. After 2 solid months of usage it finally started to look used up with a a lot of product gone. So mission accomplished in that respect.

Secondly, it was an exercise in living more minimalistically – a useful lesson now that I’m shipping my belongings back to Cyprus and I have to live off one suitcase for 6 weeks while I wait for my stuff to arrive.

Thirdly, it was an exercise in creativity where I learnt to “play” with different brushes, lipsticks and blushers to combat my boredom of using the same eyeshadows.

Funnily enough, when my birthday finally arrived, although I was relieved that my challenge was over my first attempt at makeup that day made me look like a clown! I was so looking forward to using more vivid colours that I just went overboard. So I had to remove my makeup, remind myself that less is more and took it easy the second time around 🙂