Mother's Day 2021!

Mother’s Day is just a few days away on May 9th….and as we all know, “Ain’t No HOOD like MotherHood” as the quote states! Let’s make this a Mother’s Day that she won’t soon forget. I want to give you some last minute easy and creative ways to make your MOM swoon this holiday! You’re welcome!

First off, you know what I’m gonna say….give the gift of BEAUTY and book her a virtual makeup class with ME! I offer so many different classes that I customize for each individual so if your MOM is needing a new LOOK, a new lease on life, a seasonal update, a makeup bag makeover….then look no further! Book NOW, it’s super easy and the classes are enriched with learning and possibly day drinking! LOL

Here is an über creative way to make her day! Decorate the house with sweet notes or decorations and make a sweet brunch for her with an even sweeter menu! Come up with cute names for items that she LOVEs and serve it to her with BIG smiles and BIG hearts. Her fave things on a platter served up by her fave peeps with loving decor as well. The thoughtfulness meter is off the charts!

If you are only able to do virtual celebrations for Mother’s Day…then you can organize a family brunch, lunch, linner or dinner! You can have a talent show where the kids perform or the whole family can perform for a loved one. Can you imagine?! Tell jokes, play an instrument, or play games, it’s a complete interactive fun experience for the entire family! The possibilities are endless.

Get together and plan a walk at the beach or park and enjoy the fresh air. Connect in nature and have a picnic with all of her favorite treats! Make a homemade card or craft and make it a personalized Mother’s Day just for MOM. The flower fields that are in bloom all over is also a fantastic option. Photo ops are important to not only capture the moment but to also create future gifts!

When it comes to MOM as long as you do from the HEART you can’t go wrong! I hope this gave you some thoughtful last minute ideas for this weekend. Have a beautiful day!

Beauty Recycling Programs!

Raise your hand if you have tons of empty or expired skincare or beauty packages that you wish you could recycle!! Yes, this is me too!! I have a collection of MAC Cosmetic lipsticks/lipglosses and I have a bag full of mascara wands that is ready to be shipped off. Let me share with you in honor of EARTH DAY some great organizations and options for beauty recycling!!

Terra Cycle if you haven’t heard is an organization that recycles everything!! In a partnership with Garnier…they have created a free recycling program for all brands of skin care, hair care, and cosmetic packaging. Amazing news, right?! It’s easy to do…just join their program and download a free shipping label or you can search the map on this website for recycling solutions near you. An important note, as of April 1, 2021…recycle shipments must be at least 15lbs in order to earn Terra Cycle points which is an added incentive for consumers. These points can be redeemed for charitable donations, non-profit organizations or schools. This is really an incredible resource for us BEAUTY enthusiasts! YAY Earth and giving back!

Nordstroms which is my personal ‘MotherShip’ of stores has a BeautyCycle program to help recycle a wide array of products for eventual reuse. There are collection bins in the beauty department. They also are committed to giving you sustainable options for beauty purchases. They want it to be easy to find elements that align with your values from sourced materials to the ingredients. Please go to link to view the list of acceptable products that they collect. Just another reason to be Nordies #1 fan!

Loop by Ulta is another great option for those that wish to purchase beauty with a zero waste component. “With Loop, temporarily place a 100% refundable deposit to borrow the packaging, and we'll professionally clean and reuse it once you're finished.” They even deliver your products in a reusable tote! When you’re done with the product, just schedule a pick up from your home or you can use UPS. Once items are returned, your refundable deposit gets placed back into your account ready for the next purchase. Easy peezy!!

Back to M-A-C program helps reduce the amount of plastic sent to landfills by asking consumers to bring back their MAC containers. 6 empty M-A-C containers returned to a participating store will in turn receive a FREE lipstick of their choosing. Smooch-tastic!

Wands for Wildlife will take washed and cleaned mascara wands to use to help remove fly eggs and larva from the fur and feathers of wild animals. There is no more noble of a cause for my used wands of which I have many. I love the fact that this organization went viral after posting a picture seen at this link and is now global. This program has been paused due to the pandemic but of course, a very worthy recycling program to note.

Here is another resource link of many other beauty brands that accept and embrace recycled packaging and that also may have rewards as well.

I hope I introduced you to some easy and fun ways to recycle your beauty packages in honor of Earth Day!

How My Virtual Makeup Classes Work!

Here I am with my iPhone in hand working the camera and taking shameless selfies at the same time…lol. I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you about how my Virtual Classes work. My last BLOG post was all about the best type of lighting options for an at home virtual makeup experience so I thought this would be a great follow up.

We start out with you BOOKING the class which will take place on Zoom on a specified date and time. As you fill out the information for your class, you will also be asked pertinent questions about your makeup routine, makeup products and makeup practices. Any and all concerns you may have or would like to tackle within our time together, we will accomplish. I will always customize each and every class around your needs, keeping in mind what the emphasis is.

I will send you an email confirming your class chosen and prep notes to keep in mind before your class.

I always suggest my pre-requisite class of Makeup Bag Makeover because this really gives me an idea of what you have at your disposal. If your products and/or tools are correct for you AND if your items are not expired. If you should have any gaps or holes that need to be filled or tools like brushes that you may need to get in order to perform the class, this will be our time to figure all of this out. If I then need to do some research and find you products or tools that you may need, then I do so. This class gives us a fantastic baseline that really connects to the rest of my class roster.

You will receive a friendly reminder or two that your class is coming up and to please make the final payment. You will be sent the Zoom link and all you have to do is click the link button, have your prepped station ready for makeup time and have good lighting which is extremely important. If you don’t have good lighting then a virtual makeup class will be challenging. After our time together, I send you a detailed face chart with details about where to place products and our actual recorded Zoom lesson so you can rewatch at your leisure if you so desire. From start to finish, I got your beauty back ;0 !

I hope this sheds some light on how my Virtual Makeup Classes work. It’s easy peasy!! Customized makeup classes at your fingertips! What could be better? BOOK NOW!!

Good Lighting for Makeup at Home or When Doing a Virtual Beauty Class!

Let’t talk about good lighting which can make or break a good makeup application at home or when doing one of my virtual beauty classes! I understand that not everyone has a ring light or proper makeup lighting in the bathroom or a makeup mirror to help in this process. If you can’t see what you are doing, then how will you learn the ways of makeup? Show me someone who can apply makeup blindly?!

One of the harshest light situations that is NOT your friend when applying makeup is Fluorescent lighting. This most unflattering light is in bathrooms and office buildings! This lighting creates harsh shadows on your face and doesn’t give you a true visual of what is in front of you.

The best lighting in your bathroom is a warm and natural light source. Natural sunlight gives the most accurate visual of your face and on those days that are cloudy, warm LED lights are just as helpful in getting a true sense. This mimics natural light and evenly distributes the light as well. If you are lighting your bathroom then you need light on all four sides to create an even diffusion of light.

You can also purchase a makeup mirror that has a magnifying side to it and has LED lights around it to help you really see what it is that you are doing. This is a great idea if lighting your entire bathroom is not available to you.

When you are Zooming and you do not own a Ring Light, a Makeup Light or a Glamcor light then the natural light will always be your friend! Do not have your back to the natural light source as it will cause you to be back lit and dark! Always face the light, hopefully the light will be diffused a bit and not too bright! This will be to your advantage when you are trying to learn or trying to apply makeup.

As a professional makeup artist, I always have lighting on my brain. I travel with a Glamcor light that is an LED light and has two arms of lights that are moveable so I can create light around me so I don’t block my subject when I am working on them. When I am doing my Zoom beauty classes, I use the Glamcor light on a table which is facing me , the natural light and use my Riki mirror with LED lighting to help me also apply makeup while I am teaching but to also add fill light when I am working with a client on this virtual platform. With all of this lighting help, I will always opt to use any and all natural light no matter what for best practice.

Hope this was helpful to you! Let me know in the comments!