Genevieve Jackson.......one to watch!

Singer Genevieve Jackson has been my client since she was 14. Her mother, Alejandra Jackson, is a fashion designer that I've pulled clothes from to dress many clients. As a fashion stylist and make up artist, her mother and I worked together very closely to make sure Genevieve was always at her best. I've worked so closely with the Jackson family that I've naturally become a family friend over the years, so I'm just a phone call away to do make up for any event.

Genevieve was asked to be a presenter for the 4th Annual Rock the Kasbah Gala in support of Virgin Records. Everyone has been asking me what I did to get her make up ready for that night, so here it is!
To start Genevieve has great skin, so all I used was a small amount of Temps Majeur face creme and Matt Touch primer mixed together throughout her T-zone. I then used Touche Eclat highlighter #3 to mixed with a # 3 concealer under her eyes. Perfect Touch Foundation, was then lightly blended out around her highlight. I used a darker powder first to contour her skin, then a powder a little lighter than her skin to blend it all together. Her blush is the # 3 Blush Variation, her eyes were done with a mix of YSL shadows , and her lips were lined with #13 pencil blended with Rouge Pur 143 Lipstick. This lip color was perfect, and when wearing a red dress, less is more! All products mentioned are from Yves Saint Laurent Beauty.

This look definitely shined on the red carpet, way to "Rock the Kasbah" Genevieve!

Photoshoots....always a good time!

Whenever photographer Indochine and I do commercial or catalog shoots, we always seem to knock it out of the park. This shoot was for a fitness magazine, and the look was fresh, clean healthy skin. The hair was done by the talented Tara Copeland, and we shot near UCLA and in Santa Monica at the most unique places. Needless to say, these shots will be coming to a fitness magazine near you!. Here are some shots I took with my phone. They don't do the model's justice, but just imagine the finished product.

I used this new product by Yves Saint Laurent beauty on the two models pictured here called Top Secrets Touche Express, and it gives me the highlight I need every time! Let's not forget the ever popular Touche Eclat, and Bronzer. The lip color was Gloss Pur #2 also by YSL. You glow girls!

http://www.taracopeland.com/

http://www.yslbeauty.com/

Scholarship Contest at FIDM...

It was my pleasure to work with FIDM students yet again for an amazing scholarship opportunity. The student chosen would be given financial assistance to join the IMPD program. In this program, students travel, work with actual brands, and design their own collection based on the brand and trend. I have worked with them several times before, and it's great to see how hard these students work to deliver the best product. Here's a behind the scenes look at the models getting ready to be judged. Can't show off too much.......this IS a contest!

This one had a long skirt with a train on it, think if Rihanna got married with that red hair she's been rocking...this design put that image in my head, really cool idea!

There are some truly talented students at FIDM. This designers concept was a tribute to her Colombian heritage. She actually had hand made fruit made out of fabric sewn on to this model's skirt. Very creative! May the best designer win!!

Emmy winning make up!!

As crazy as my job is, on award days, it's that times 20! However, in the midst of all the madness, it feels so good when you see your client accepting an Emmy on stage! Congratulations to the talented team behind HBO's Temple Grandin for their 5 Emmy wins that night!! This made for TV movie is a definite must see.

Alter Ego Shoot with Derek Blanks...

There are so many talented people in this industry, and I am continuously blessed to work with the best of the best. I was actually called last minute to assist celebrity make up artist, Saisha Beecham, with one of the alter ego shoots for actor Laz Alonso. Derek Blanks is known for his creative shooting style, and Saisha is known for her spectacular artist abilities, so I was super excited to work with them both!!

The shoot took place at Box Eight Studios in Los Angeles, and we had an amazing time on set. The process of getting someone camera ready for a regular photo shoot is long, but imagine turning someone into a stone statue...That's exactly what we did. Saisha is self-taught and very knowledgeable about placement, and color selection so it seemed to be easy enough. 4 messy hours later, with clay, paint, water, and glue all over the place, we had achieved our goal. Laz went from a smooth caramel skinned Hollywood hunk, to a cracked stone cold statue (at least that's what he looked like...lol!). The skill behind that kind of a job is well thought out, so I commend Saisha for her dedication. Me being a make up artist who does more beauty work, this was definitely a fun out the box experience for me. Check out shots of the making of Laz into Buddha.

I learned so much that day, and I am grateful for Saisha and the Derek Blanks team allowing me to come give a helping hand!

To see more of Saisha's work visit http://www.saishabeecham.com/ , she is truly gifted. As far as this alter ego photo along with many others...stay tuned. Derek is doing a book with all of your favorite celebs and their alter egos, it's going to be a MUST BUY coming soon! http://www.dblanks.com/

Michelle Williams gives back!

I love what I do, and every job is a new experience. I thank God for all of my experiences, especially when it involves charity. If I'm able to do anything to make a difference, I make myself available, and so does a super star like Michelle Williams! She was invited to San Diego for her participation in a non-profit event for an organization called TERI. TERI stands for Training, Education & Research Institute. It's an entire lifestyle dedicated to serving individuals with special needs, development and learning disabilities and their families. With 1 and 110 children now being diagnosed with autism, the need for these services is monumental. Check out a few behind the scenes shots below.

I had the pleasure of spending the day with Michelle as she met the CEO and founder of TERI, Cheryl Kilmer and rode a horse for the first time on one of the properties.

I was actually able to meet a few of the children, and see how TERI's program has helped to shape their lives. It was heart warming to say the least, and I really enjoyed myself.

They are raising money right now to finish building the Therapeutic Equestrian Center to offer more space, rewards, and programs to all the families. If you would like to donate or find out more information, please visit http://www.teriinc.org/ . You can also help TERI schools win $500,000 by just logging into Facebook/Kohls, search for TERI learning academy, and vote 5 times. Share this information with your friends on Facebook, and make a difference.

Here is a video of Michelle, and founder Cheryl speaking about TERI on KUSI News, San Diego. Check out her new hairstyle by the way...I was loving it all day!! Click the link to view.

http://www.kusi.com/news/goodmorning/Michelle-Williams-101717758.html

"Dysfunctional Friends and a Funeral"...as crazy as it sounds!

I had the pleasure of working for the first time with amazing director Corey Grant, producer Datari Turner, and an all star cast for this hilarious movie!! Getting together Stacey Dash, Meagan Good, Wesley Jonathan, Persia White, Vanessa Simmons, Tatyana Ali, Terrell Owens, Christian Keyes, Stacey Keibler, Reagan Gomez-Preston, Hosea Chanchez, Jason Weaver and Keith Robinson - -this is sure to be a classic film! Everyone was so humble, and the on-set jokes NEVER stopped. I can't give too many details about this wonderful project away, but here are some behind the scenes pictures of what I was doing at least...lol:)

Stacey, Gina and I before her bathtub scene. Also, me with one of the coolest guy's on set. My partner in crime Rodney!

Yes ladies, even Terrell Owens likes to keep those hard to reach areas moisturized. It's a strenuous job being a make up artist, but someone has to do it:) Perfect southern gentleman!

Special thanks to the fantastic crew, New Breed Entertainment, that made it all possible and easy to work those extremely long hours! Can't wait until the premiere...you may even spot me in the film (a little extra cameo)...stay tuned!

TLC's own Chilli...amazing!

I often get last minute calls to do make up for various award shows, celebrity events, movie premieres...you name it! This happened just recently for the BET Awards. The beautiful Rozonda Thomas aka "Chilli" needed my services. Her regular make up artist Day was already super busy, so they reached out to me:) Many thanks to her team, because Chilli was a pleasure to work with!

I was glad I got the opportunity, especially after being a fan of TLC for so many years! Chilli was so down to earth, sweet, funny, and simply flawless. We exchanged skincare tips, but her main thing was drinking lots of water. Her make up regime is very natural, and she knows exactly what she wants. Trust me, after seeing her skin in person, I drank about 4 extra glasses than normal that evening:)

Yves Saint Laurent Beauty....

I've recently been hosting a series of beauty events for Yves St. Laurent Cosmetics! What an exciting line to work with! Coming from a MAC Cosmetics background, I must say that the pigments in some of the YSL products are the best by far!! I am in love with their lipsticks, bronzers, nail polishes and mascara. My own lashes have never looked longer. The mascara is called Volume Effet Faux Cils, and their staple product is this miracle highlighting tool called Touche' Eclat. One of these is sold every 40 seconds all over the world. They even have a product called Gommage, and after only one use, your skin will glow to perfection. I will possibly be at a YSL counter near you, so please stay tuned! In the meantime, check out the brand and the products on their website.

http://www.yslbeautyus.com/

Beautiful Bianca Lawson

Most of you remember her face from the classic movie "Save The Last Dance", "The Vampire Diaries", or a host of other roles. Now you can catch her as a regular on a new ABC series called "Pretty Little Liars", playing a free spirited character named Maya St. Germain.

I had the pleasure of working with her recently, getting her dolled up for a red carpet appearance in Los Angeles. We went with a very natural make up look, and she looked amazing in her dress!! I love what I do, and I especially love when the client knows how to pose....work Bianca!

And the winner is....

We've been talking about the Prom Makeover Contest for a few weeks now, and the Sacramento winner had her makeover today! Congratulations to Davis High School's own, Bianca Brown. After reading her heartfelt story, it was clear how deserving she was. (Bianca tearing up below)

A bad hair day comes and goes for most, but for Bianca Brown “bad hair days” are plentiful. Not so in the traditional way, but in a symbolic way that reflects the current situation of her family. Having to care for her ailing mother each day, Bianca wishes that she could stress over and think of simply having a bad hair day.

For the past 3 years, Bianca has been the rock that keeps her family together as her mother struggles with overcoming brain surgery. Bianca’s mother is unable to work, thus leaving very little extra money for the fun stuff and high school memories such as prom. As Bianca nears her prom, she worries that she will not have all that she needs including the help from her mom to give her the classy sewn in weave that she wants. Though not a professional stylist, Bianca’s mom always made sure her girls looked good. Because of her strength, Bianca deserves a day of fun and excitement that is just about her. I hope that you will consider her and make her prom memorable and special.
We were really excited to have chosen her as the winner of our contest. She had her hair styled by Sharie Lewis of DreamGirls Fine Hair Imports & Salon in Elk Grove, and her make up done by me! The day was full of fun, laughter, and at some moments, tears. Bianca was very thankful, and we were all humbled by the experience.

Here is a before and after shot of Bianca.

Thank you FIDM Fashion Club for involving me in such a wonderful gift!!

Prom Makeover Giveaway!! So excited...

Two lucky winners will get their hair and makeup styled for Prom at Dream Girls Fine Hair Imports and Salon for a total value of up to $350 (for each winner)! Plus, celebrity Makeup Artist Tai Young-Jackson will be styling the makeup!

All you have to do is write (in 150 words or less) about a bad hair day you experienced and why you deserve a Prom makeover. Send your story along with the following information in an email to contest@dghair.com with the subject line “Prom Makeover Contest:”

• Full name
• Age
• Phone number where you can be reached
• High school and city
• Date of your prom (as in calendar day)

There are two Dream Girls Fine Hair Imports and Salon locations. One winner will be selected for the Culver City, CA location (in the Los Angeles area), and the other winner will be selected for the Elk Grove, CA location (near Sacramento). The winners must arrange for their own transportation to Dream Girls Fine Hair Imports and Salon.

To qualify, you must be a senior in high school, and your Prom must be between April 24-June 13, 2010.

The contest starts today. All entries must be received by midnight on April 22, 2010. Good luck!!

www.blogs.fashionclub.com

Make up life....keeping me busy!

I have not posted in a while, why?....Thank God, I have been busy working:) I will take you back through the last month or so, and let you in on what I've been up to. More pictures and posts will soon follow.

Rihanna's make up artist, Mylah Morales, hosted a workshop at Box Eight in downtown LA. I went, and it was an amazing experience to say the least. You can check out pictures from that at http://www.iashops.blogspot.com/ Her model for the day was Chanta Patton, whom I've worked on many times before!

We shot the pilot for Stacey Dash's new reality show on Vh1 (keep your fingers crossed), it will be a great watch! I worked again with Ryan Leslie's artist, Krys Ivory, on her first music video for the song "Be Next 2 Ya" starring the very handsome Collins Pennie from the movie FAME! I worked with the talented celebrity Chef Ameera Leguex for her article in 944 Magazine, and she even brought my clients food to the set!! Another artist who is yet to be heard, but has an amazing look is Australian singer, Stephanie Sexton. Her photo shoot was dope, and the pictures are going to be crazy!

Currently, I am working on a movie with Stacey Dash along with an amazing all-star cast. I was excited to see Meagan Good, Christian Keyes, and many more from my past. Meagan Good was actually my first client for make up in Los Angeles:) I can't give up too many details on the movie, so stay tuned for details and behind the scene shots! We definitely had a great time on set.

Suelyn Medeiros.... "Beauty Close Up"

I have had several people hit me up about this look I did on Suelyn in the winter issue of J'Adore Magazine. So I will go step by step on how to get this look yourself!

I sprayed her face down with MAC Fix+ Spray as I posted in an earlier blog entry. I used Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer mixed with MAC Strobe Cream, to prep the skin. I concealed her eye area with Physician's Formula Light Concealer (Yes, I said Physician's Formula)..lol. I LOVE that as a highlight and base!! I used Nude eyeshadow from Smashbox to warm her eye are back up. A hint of MAC Bisque on her lid to make it pop just a little. MAC Smolder Eye Kohl in her water line, and lots of mascara from Lancome.

They wanted the girls to look clean, and simple...but we all know the "no make up" look takes more make up than normal for some reason:) I used concealer all over her entire face blended into the skin with a blush brush. High Def Liquid Concealer by Smashbox in Med/Dark. Set it all with a translucent powder, and contoured her face with a bronzer from NARS called Silvana (which they don't seem to have anymore:( A touch of Desire Blush from NARS on her apples. Her lip was just a mix of the same concealer and a lip gloss called Pixel by Smashbox.

Suelyn was a definite pleasure to work with! I will post her next shoot with me very soon!

Grammy Time Again...

It's that wonderful time of year when all of the fabulous people in the music industry celebrate their craft, and party like the rock stars they are! I had the pleasure of doing make up again this year for one of those rock stars...Michelle Williams.

Michelle's skin was so radiant, and her new hair cut rocked....styled by LA's own China Upshaw! I like the "less is more" look with make up on Michelle. She has a great face already, so I didn't want to hide that with lots of elements...so we just worked with a hot lip this time. She was glowing on that red carpet!

Here she is at Maxwell's Grammy party..we did the smokey eye for this event with white eyeliner in the water line.

Loving Milani Cosmetics!!

So I did a photo shoot today with a friend of mine, and she told me I could leave my kit at home?? She said someone from Milani Cosmetics was going to drop some product off, and that she wanted me to use it. Skeptical about the idea, I brought my basic kit ...just in case:) To my surprise, the Milani products worked beautifully on all of the models. I wasn't happy that I hadn't heard about them until today, but I'm glad I know about them now!


The shoot was pretty long, starting out being really hot outside, then turning very cold towards the night...and the make up stood the test of time. The models barely needed touch ups for shine, which is rare. Here is picture from super talented hair artist, Joshua Allen Brown's phone (taken towards the end of the shoot). I will post more pics as I get them!

Gearing up for the Golden Globes...

Here are a couple of behind the scenes shots of "the team" getting Stacey Dash ready for her NBC Golden Globes night on the town. Special thanks to her wardrobe stylist Lodie Spurlock, and her consultant Gina for making the preparation go smoothly!









We always have an amazing time getting her ready! It's like dressing up a doll.

The finished LOOK...

Stacey loves to look dewy and golden so I like to mix Chanel Translucent foundation #3 with Smashbox's Photo Finish Primer to set the skin. Then I take MAC's mineralized shimmer and highlight her face in certain areas for the glow. NARS Deep Throat blush is her favorite, then we seal the lips with a nude gloss.

Never Lit...Stacey Dash

I did a tweet a while ago about a new European campaign that I worked on with the beautiful Stacey Dash. The campaign was for an electronic cigarette that you have to charge, instead of light. For those of you trying to quit smoking, this is ideal! Here are some behind the scenes shots that I just came across. It looks like she's really smoking, huh?! Keep a look out for the ads, set to launch in the spring.