bridal beauty nirvana!
September 2010
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Lisa Johnson, makeup artist: Posted on Friday, September 17, 2010 1:37 PM
Oh how I adore my iPhone for so many reasons - but that little thing takes amazing pictures too! Not bad for a non professional - and it's SO handy for before and after shots for my bridal business and clients.
Here are a few before&afters; I took this past weekend of bridal clients for their trial makeup (w/theirpermission of course!!)~
Jennifer is such a funny, sweet and outgoing bride - she wanted something softly dramatic - so we opted for a modified smokey cat eye. Her wedding will be VERY dramatic in the evening and with red and black lace bridesmaids gowns - slated to be in the Fall this year. Cannot WAIT to see how amazing this wedding will be and how gorgeous Jennifer and her bridesmaids will look! Jenna Hayek from Polished Salon, who I work with a LOT will be doing their hair - so stay tuned for the wedding before & afters!  Jennifer wanted an oh so slight cat eye. I used a ton of shades in black shimmer from Lancome (The New Black), Yaby Pearl Paints in lilac, LORAC shimmer golds and peaches, Maybelline Aubergine Liner and tons of Lancome Hypnose mascara - drew in her brow a tad and viola. Smashbox Primer in Green (to cut back on her red tendency), Cinema secrets cream foundation, Yaby and Graftobian dual finish powder foundation, Camera Ready and Lancome glosses and nude lip liner. A bit of Nixie cream blush brushed on just a tad in a peachy browny pink (can't remember the name) She's a stunner, just like her amazing personality too! www.bridesbylisa.com Mary Malone of Brides by Mary will be doing Rayna's hair and I cannot wait for her beautiful wedding before & after too!~*~*~*~*~*~
Rayna is such a sweet, kind and amazing woman. She is so totally fit and down to earth. She is a fitness and wellness expert and has her own business in East Nashville. She rarely wears makeup and wanted something to make her eyes pop while giving her complexion a glow. Her gown is this amazingly floaty dress, with one shoulder of delicate flowers that trail all the way down the back of her gown...this will be an amazing bride on her wedding day too! She loved her makeup! (So do I.)  Rayna wanted a soft yet dramatic eye and romantic look to compliment her dress. We used brownish plum shadows to line her eye an customized shadows by Yaby - Camera Ready and Lancome lipglosses custom mixed, Nars Orgasm blush, St...ila Bronzer, Cinema Secretsfoundation and Loose Powder in no color. Lancome Hypnose Mascara to top off her lashes. Rayna has large deep set eyes, so my focus was to call attention to them by using light eyeshadows to bring her eye forth without overwhelming her crease.
~*~*~*~*~*~I will be posting more (with the brides permissions, of course) before&afters of my brides and clients in the days to come. It's fun and I think everyone loves a good before and after. Let me know if you have any makeup questions or concerns you'd like me to talk about in a blog and I'll do my best to help! Contact me today to book YOUR beautiful before&after too - YOU, only better! www.bridesbylisa.com |
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Lisa Johnson, makeup artist: Posted on Friday, September 17, 2010 10:57 AM
How to Do a Skin Cleanse It's simple and inexpensive to do a homemade cleanse that will detoxify and moisturize your skin while adding essential nutrients. With a few basic ingredients and a block of time set aside to pamper yourself, you can give your skin a natural boost and avoid the harsh elements found in many retail beauty products. Things You'll Need: - Plain (preferably organic) yogurt
- Unflavored oatmeal
- Baking soda
- Cornmeal
- Olive oil (preferably organic)
- Unflavored honey (preferably local organic)
- Green tea bags
- Bottle of distilled water
Determine whether your skin is dry, normal or oily. While natural ingredients won't generally damage any skin type, some will be more effective than others (depending on your skin's natural texture). Use plain yogurt as a gentle cleanser for normal to dry skin. If you suffer from extra-sensitive dry skin, mix the yogurt with cooked, unflavored oatmeal to create a creamy paste. Dairy products are gentle and hydrating and oatmeal provides relief for sensitive, itchy skin. Mix a small amount of cornmeal or baking soda into the yogurt or yogurt/oatmeal mixture to increase the exfoliating quality of your cleanser. Add the exfoliant a little at a time until the cleanser takes on a light, grainy texture. Do not get carried away, though, as too much exfoliant can damage sensitive skin. Combat tight, aging skin with a cleanser made from equal parts of olive oil and honey, diluted with two parts distilled water. Mix the ingredients until they form a smooth liquid. Honey acts as a gentle antimicrobial and moisturizer, while olive oil provides deep hydration for the skin. Cleanse oily skin with plain, distilled water or steeped green tea. Brew a natural, green tea bag in hot distilled water and allow the mixture to cool. Green tea contains polyphenols known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory qualities. Apply cleanser in gentle circles to selected skin areas. If you're applying it to your face, do not pull on delicate skin around your eyes. For a deep cleanse, you may leave the mixture on for a few minutes, unless it contains an exfoliant. Rinse your skin with lukewarm water and pat dry. Apply a gentle, noncomedogenic moisturizer to increase hydration without oil build-up. If you have an oily skin type, use a gel- or lotion-type moisturizer rather than a heavy cream.
ENJOY! |
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Lisa Johnson, makeup artist: Posted on Sunday, September 05, 2010 7:48 AM
THE BASIC RITUAL ~A good cleanser appropriate for your skin-type - am & pm. ~Make-up remover and cleanser at night. ~Toner for your skin type - NON ALCOHOL after cleansing. ~Daily moisturizer appropriate for your current skin. ~A weekly or 2x weekly mask to deep clean and nurture. ~A GENTLE exfoliant once to several times a week. ~Eye cream and lip conditioner are nice to have on hand too.THE BASIC RITUAL ~Night moisturizer for your particular skin type and seasonal need.
If you are not already acquainted with a skincare routine - Try to start your skincare plan at least six months to one year before your wedding day to ensure your skin is properly cared for and looking its best. You don’t want to wait until the month of your wedding to start using new products because you could develop an allergic reaction to some products which could take up to two months to clear. Or the opposite can occur and it could take 30-60 days for new products to really work their magic.
On the morning of your wedding, skip the lotions, toners or any products that will be between your skin and your makeup before you get your makeup done. Let your makeup artist do their complete skin prep (I DO THIS STEP FOR YOU) - this is optimal for a few reasons...mainly, they know their products and what skin products to use in coordination. This step will help your makeup adhere to your skin better with less chance of slippage when you start to get hot and sweat, because there is a fine line between a sweaty shine and a dewy glow. Be sure to let your makeup artist know about your skin concerns so that they may use additional products if necessary to help achieve the best application. Throughout the day and evening, avoid the temptation to apply too much pressed or loose powder to absorb shine because you will only cake on the powder, so use blotting sheets (oil absorbing papers) which are the best way to eliminate shine and not smudge your makeup. Sometimes even adding the simplest efforts to your routine can help your skin look more luminous:
drinking eight glasses of water daily, cutting back on caffeine and alcohol consumption, keeping a gentle and appropriate skincare routine (!), not stressing out about the little details before your wedding and getting plenty of rest the week of will help your skin glow and allow your makeup artist to make you into the beautiful blushing bride you dream of!
Lisa Johnson is a Nashville bridal makeup artist, also a makeup artist for red carpet, celebrity, music videos, print ad, HDTV, as well as an instructor. She is much sought after by discerning commercial and bridal clients. Beautiful faces are her calling card. View her bridal work at www.bridesbylisa.com and commercial portfolio www.lisajohnsonmua.com
www.tennesseebridal.com Bridal Beauty |
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Lisa Johnson - Brides by Lisa: Posted on Saturday, September 04, 2010 12:20 PM
You Can Have Great Brows! ~ lisa johnson :: makeup artist As a professional makeup artist, I get a lot of questions about brow shaping. Nothing ages a face more than thin, overly tweezed brows - here are some general guidelines and tips to help you get a more perfect brow. Determine the Correct Shape Start the eyebrow shaping process by determining the correct design for your face and features. You will need an eyeliner pencil to start. First hold the pencil against the side of your nose, vertically, straight up to where it meets the brow. This is the spot where your eyebrow should start. As a guideline, make a small mark with the pencil there on your skin. Next you will turn the pencil at an angle, holding it against the nostril, so that it crosses over the center of your eye. Notice where the pencil now intersects the eyebrow, this is where the peak of your arch should start. Make another mark on your skin as a guide here. Lastly, keep moving the pencil at an angle against your nostril until it meets the edge of the outer eye. Where the end of the pencil now meets the eyebrow is your eyebrow’s ending point. Make another mark on your skin here. Using these three marks on both eyes provides you a general guideline on how the shape of your eyebrow should be based on the shape of your face. The other consideration for the correct eyebrow shape is the thickness. Ideally, the impact of your eyebrows should balance with the rest of your face and hair. If you have thick hair with larger facial features, your eyebrows should be thicker and more dramatic. In contrast, if you have thin hair and petite features, your eyebrows should be more subtle. TweezingBefore you begin your eyebrow shaping, gather all your tools – tweezers, brow brush and small scissors. Preferably, you should begin by checking to see if your eyebrows need a trim. Eyebrow hairs are longer than most people realize, and simply trimming them can be enough for some faces. When the hairs are lightly cut, not only will it decrease the brow density, it also helps the hairs to lie flat - instantly creating a clean line to your brow. Always trim before tweezing, not after, as you might end up removing some hairs that just needed to be trimmed. Start by brushing the eyebrow hairs straight up with your brow brush, and then trim any stray hairs that extend past the upper brow line. Next, brush all the hairs straight down and trim the hairs extending past the brow line underneath. After you have done your trimming, brush all the hairs back into place. Tweezing can be a painful process for some, so to ease the discomfort, you should pluck after a steamy shower or a warm face washing. This will help the pores to open and enable the hairs to remove easier. If you are particularly sensitive, slightly numbing the area with ice before tweezing will also help. Always make sure that you have good lighting when eyebrow shaping. Using the previous method for ensuring the proper shape, follow the marks and tweeze the hairs in the direction they grow. Move back and forth between the brows after every couple of plucks, to ensure proper symmetry. Filling in the Brow LineFor those of you with sparse eyebrows, tweezing is not necessary. Instead, you will need to build your eyebrows back to a proper shape. Selecting an appropriate pencil color is crucial, so test a few at the makeup counter to be sure the color is right. One of my favorite brands of pencil is Lancome Le Crayon Poudre. Many artists prefer to use an angled brush with brow/eyeshadow powder, myself included. You can also find eyebrow stencils and kits to help guide you with the correct line. These come in many shapes and sizes - Eyebrowz makes great stencils and kits for this purpose. Specific Tips - For pale or thin eyebrows, try tinting as it looks more natural than an eyebrow pencil. Just be sure to use a professional, licensed cosmetologist, and never try tinting at home. You don’t want to risk your eyesight, just for beauty!
- Embrace the natural shape of your eyebrows and don’t try to change them completely. You are born with the correct eyebrow shape for your face, so let it guide you.
- Preview the look of your eyebrows before shaping by hiding the hairs with a white eyeliner pencil.
- Avoid overdoing eyebrow shaping, as less is truly better. Thin eyebrows tend to make your face look instantly older.
- Tweezing is usually more effective than waxing as the wax process can lead to a change in the hair direction and skin texture if overused.
- Ultimately the point of eyebrow shaping is to adjust the viewer’s focus away from your eyebrows, to your eyes instead.
- While it is not preferred to completely change your eyebrow structure, you can make minor changes to what nature recommended in order to alter some eye appearances. For example, remove a few extra hairs from your eyebrows at the starting point to make close-set eyes appear wider.
Hire a Professional! If you are still nervous about eyebrow shaping, consider a professional brow session. The technique is not usually an expensive procedure, depending on the thickness and amount of hair to groom. At the very least, you can pay for one session and then simply pluck the stray hairs at home for maintenance. |
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