Hey!
I did a photo shoot a few days ago...no I was not doing the makeup, I was actually th model. Scary. The person that took them,. and that does all of my shoots, is Brayln Stokes. He really is a genius! He has this way of making you feel comfortable, and can find a shot in anything. He took these pictures of me so that I could have them for my business cards and other needs that I may have. I was VERY nervous, but they turned out great! If you want to be Glamourized and get GORGEOUS shoots, look on his facebook page and send him an email. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bralyn-Stokes-Photography/163986820303965
Glitter and Smiles,
Meghan.
Hey!
I am soo excited to write this post! Contouring and highlighting is my favorite part in makeup application. It is what has your makeup stand out above the rest...especially with women of color. As I said in a previous post, that i do makeup based on the theory of light, and not necessarily just what "matches your skin". To me foundation goes beyond just picking out the right shade. Even though that is VERY important, it goes deeper than that. Let's talk about it!
The first thing to know is that every one's face shape is different. A nose could be wide and another pointy. A face shape could be rounder of more defined. Either way, contouring and highlighting helps with altering or enhancing some of your features. Not only does it do that but it also brings a "halo" (you thought about Beyonce' right there didn't you?!) to the skin. It gives a natural glow that is really pretty.
I look at a face and first decide what face shape they have and how to make it the most flattering. For me, I have a very heart shaped face, and I love to accentuate my cheekbones, and make my forehead more narrow. So I take a contour shade, which is just a darker cream foundation, and place that on the outer areas of my forehead and under my cheekbones.
All of this might sound a bit confusing, but there is a simple way to look at it. Whatever you want to "take away" that is where you put a darker color, and anything that you want to "stand out" that is where you put a lighter color. If you want to make your bottom lip look more plump, you would place a lighter color on the center of your lip and place a darker shade right below the lip. Placing that darker shade there will give more emphasis on the lighter area. Bottom line is you want to apply your make up depending on how the light is going to pick it up.
I like to apply a highlight to the top of the cheekbones, because I know the light is going to grab that color and shimmer and make your cheekbones look GORGEOUS! I would naturally place a contour shade on the sides of the nose because I know that when the light hits it, it will not catch the darker shade, and thus give the illusion of a slender nose.
The best way to show you is through pictures. =) Take a look at the ones I posted. The woman getting her makeup done is the BEAUTIFUL and TALENTED Trimaine Reed. She was performing for a Neo Soul Lounge in downtown Nashville, wanted to look like a diva! I really enjoyed doing this look! But more importantly, it will give you a better understanding on contouring and highlighting.
I do the contouring and highlighting before foundation, and then I use the foundation to buff it all in. I use a darker cream foundation for the contour and a cream concealer for the highlight. Then I also at times apply a powder on top, like a light loose powder under the eyes and on the bridge of the nose, and a darker powder around the perimeters of the face.
Women of color are not all one color. So if you were to just apply a foundation, and nothing else, we would have a flat canvas with no dimensions which can give us a mask look and even look ashy at times. To avoid this and still not contour or highlight, then you would use VERY MINIMAL foundation that gives sheer coverage. Although, I don't really encourage this. Even when I am in a hurry I still never skip this step of adding dimensions. It makes the BIGGEST difference!
For women with a lighter skin tone, the colors for the contour are going to be lighter than the ones for darker skin, and if you are really fair, I like to play on highlights and have your natural shadows be your contour.
It could take a whole book to go really in depth, but if you keep that simple tip in mind about dark taking away, and light standing out then you will be able to create a very nice canvas. Just don't think hard about it, because it can give you a headache...I know from my many of nights studying out foundation undertones! lol
Here is a list of products I love using to create that GORGEOUS contour and highlight! Enjoy!
*CONTOUR PRODUCTS*
1) Covergirl Queen Collection Compact Foundations
2) Iman Stick Foundations
3) MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural
4) Iman Semi - Loose Powder
5) MARK Bronzer
*HIGHLIGHT PRODUCTS*
1) MAC Studio Finish Concealer
2) Loreal True Match Concealer
3) MAC Mineralized Skinfinish
4) MAC Loose Highlight Powders
I have not been able to find these besides at a CCO.
5) NARS Highlight/Blush Duo - Hungry Heart
6) Maybelline Mineral Power Translucent Powder
I hope this was helpful!
Glitter and Smiles,
Meghan!
Hey guys! I did a photo shoot with the FABULOUS Brooke Odom and Bralyn Stokes a few weeks ago. A lot of times the shoots I do are more so editorial, and not very wearable, but this time the looks was one that you could wear out. It was inspired by Brooke's hair, and how big and pretty it is. I wanted to see her in bronze tones, with a 'jungle' feel to it. It turned out really pretty and I want to share with you guys how I achieved it so that you could bring out your inner 'Jungle Girl' ! The products that I used are in sky blue...I love that color. Just sayin =)
1) The first step is to ALWAYS moisturize the skin. It needs to feel healthy. Even if you have the oilest skin, moisturize with an oil free moisturizer.
2) I like to start with the eyes, so if there is any fall out i can fix it without having to worry about messing up the foundation. I used a bronzer on her lid to just above her crease to add depth and shape.
3) Next, I applied Maybelline eyeshadow in Creme de la Coco on top of her lid. This is a really pretty caramel brown, so it meshed well with the "framing color" we used with the bronzer. I then applied Maybelline eyeshadow in Nutmeg in her socket, or crease, to really add some more depth. Layering is key with this look. The more that you layer, the more definition you will get on your lids. This trick is really good for ones who have more of a flatter lid. Then I applied Mac eyeshadow in Brown Script right above her crease. This color is an indian clay reddish brown. It's so pretty and adds and extra oomph to the look.
4) The next thing to I did was applied an light golden highlight to her brow bone. I never really like bringing the highlight color all the way to the beginning of the brow. I concentrate it more from the crease to the end of the brow. It looks more natural and gives a higher lift since that is where the lift usually starts, from the crease and till the end.
5) The final step for the eyes is to apply a loose green pigment from MAC right under the lower lash line. I wet the brush when I did this so the color would be more intense and easier to control.
6) Then just apply your black liquid liner to the upper lash line, I use Maybelline Ultra Liner in Black, and your mascara. Lastly, I put a dark brown pencil in her waterline.
7) I contoured the face Covergirl Queen compact foundation and highlighted with MAC Studio Finish concealer. I do makeup based on light, which is a little different. I put the makeup in the places that is most attractive with the theory of light. I'll do a post about this later.
8) I used Avon Ideal Shade foundation to blend in all the contouring and highlighting with the Sephora Airbrush brush.
9) I applied MAC loose powder in Deep Peach all over with a powder puff and applied bronzer and highlight.
10) The lips was simply a deeper concealer and clear gloss on top. The brows were filled in with with a black and brown eyeshadow....very little black.
PHEW! So that's how I achieved this look. Try it out for yourself, and tell me what you think! You guys are BEAUTIFUL! Love you for stopping by!
Glitter and Smiles,
Meghan.
Okay, so this is the beginning. I'm so excited to open this up for you to step into my world of makeup! I love it so much! My theory is that makeup is a key to unveil your beauty. We as women go go go. We wake up, hurry and throw on some clothes that smell somewhat like the detergent that we washed it with at the beginning of the week, and either go to work, school, stay at home, or whatever it is that demands our time. When this happens, we can forget the true beauty we have. We throw on our chapstick and we're out the door. Makeup is the key that helps us see how BEAUTIFUL our natural features are. When you apply mascara you see how long your lashes are or how about when you apply a blush to the apples of your cheeks and see what great cheekbones you have!
When I was little I used to sit on the toilet in the bathroom and watch my oldest sister get ready for her dates. she had these gorgeous big deep brown eyes, and she would apply Covergirl eyeshadow in 'Golden Sunrise' to her lids and lower lashline and instantly, her eyes popped even more than they already had! Maybelline black liquid liner was applied closely to her upper lashline. I saw how when she put on her makeup, her features would pop. I was captivated. She must have been able to tell, because she would look at me, and apply a little bit of lip gloss, and I felt like royalty. Like we were two princesses getting ready for a ball.
from then on, i started to play in all the makeup she would give me, and i soon began my journey with playing in the same products that my sister used, with the minor difference of some smacker lip glosses thrown in the mix.
I love makeup. I love the magical feel that it has. how it can instantly reveal the beauty that EVERY woman has, but is to busy to realize. We have the power to be our best self. This blog is going to filled with tricks and tips, pictures, and just simply a place to go to enter the magical world of Meghan B. Artistry.
LET'S BEGIN!
Glitter and Smiles,
Meghan.
