Monday, September 17, 2012

Picking the right foundation

Yay Foundation!

I think one of the biggest struggles for most women when it comes to makeup, is foundation. It is, after all, exactly as it's named: The Foundation of your Makeup

If your foundation is off, the whole look is off. Whenever I see women with mismatched foundation, that seems to be all I can notice! It distracts from whatever eye makeup or lipstick you're wearing-- And that is NOT good!

I was inspired to write about this because I've been noticing more and more of my clients struggling with finding a foundation that matches perfectly.

I was recently giving a makeup lesson to a beautiful client of mine, when I really noticed this issue. We worked on the eye makeup together and then moved onto the foundation... I could tell by the bottle that it was probably a little light, but let her put it on anyway to see. 
As she started applying, I asked if she thought it was a little too light... She immediately exclaimed, "YES! I asked the sales people if they thought it was too light and they said it was a little light but the next shade is going to be too yellow."

WRONG!!! 

I was so frustrated at the thought of this salesperson having their customer (my client) purchase a foundation that didn't work for them just so they could make the sale! 

If you are looking at a specific brand, and they don't have something that matches perfectly, then try another brand! Some brands have a wider range of colors than others. 

So here are some tips to keep in mind....

1. Go with your gut! 
If you have a salesperson trying to sell you something and you feel like it doesn't work- don't buy it! Try another brand, ask another artist for help, or come back another day. 

2. Match foundation on your jawline.
Don't use your hand! You want to make sure the foundation matches the face and blends seamlessly into the neck. Sometimes I'll also check the foundation on the chest, because you really want to make sure your face and neck blend into the chest. No one wants that two toned look :) 
When testing, you shouldn't be able to see where you put the foundation-- it should be a seamless match. 

3. Undertones.
Think about your undertones. This is tough for a lot of people. I definitely struggled with it when I first started, but now that I've done it so many times, I can spot it immediately. 
Finding your undertones will help to choose the right foundation because you generally want a foundation that will work with your tones, not against them. If you choose a cooler foundation and you're more olive, this could look muddy.

One quick trick is to look at the veins in your forearm. Are they more blue or green? Blue usually indicates that you are cooler toned (pink) and Green indicates warmer (yellow).
Sometimes this trick is tough to see, so think about what looks better on you, gold (warm) or silver (cool) jewelry. Also think about the clothing you wear. Are there colors that look great on you? Maybe it's blues and purples (cool). If it's reds, oranges, corals you may be more warm.

4. Can't find a match? 
I will admit, sometimes it really is difficult to find a perfect match. I urge you to keep searching! Worse comes to worse, if you really can't find something you can always mix shades or tint something that 's slightly too light with a bronzer. Just make sure this shade is the closest possible, and not 3 shades too light! 
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In the end, I actually had a foundation in my kit that worked perfectly for her (without any mixing or tweeking), so I urged her to return the foundation (always remember you can return/exchange just about any beauty product!), and buy a new one. 

Beauty products can be expensive and sometimes tough to find the right shade. Foundation especially is very delicate, but most cosmetic companies allow returns/exchanges. Foundation can be pricey, so don't just settle! Always search for the perfect match! 

Even if you are on a budget and buy a foundation in the drugstore (which you sadly can't try on in store), if you take one home and it doesn't look right, be sure to examine what's missing. Is it too light? Too orange? take it back to the drugstore with your receipt and ask to exchange it.
 Compare that shade to the others and try again. 

This can get a bit tough or exhausting--that's usually why I urge clients to splurge for the real deal. Even though it can be up to 3X's the cost of drugstore brands, it's much easier to find the shade if you can try it on in store! And, it'll last longer :) 

I hope this helps! With Summer coming to an end, I know some of you are on the market for a new foundation :) 

xoxo Jen





Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Fall is in the air....

Hello lovlies!

It's definitely been too long since my last post! So much has been going on this Summer. I've been working on many exciting projects!

I did some catalog work for Kmart! That was super fun. I worked with a lot of familiar faces on the crew and some of the talent. Here's a behind the scenes snapshot of me with one of my favorite gals--Iris Kohl--Model/actress/supermom.


These ads should be running in their Holiday catalogue and in store cutouts! Will post when they come out :)

Another funny little fact: Iris and I worked together about a week later on another print ad! Hilarious! That one will be in CS Magazine Chicago--shot by one of my favorite photographers, Jorge Gera. That'll be posted as soon as it's out as well. 

Since we are on the subject of Print ads... 

Factor Model Management chose to run a full page ad in TCW (Today's Chicago Woman), of a photo I worked on with my another favorite and good friend of mine--Bryan Whitley
Here is the photo they'll use....


Should be out in October-- Keep an eye out! xo

One other super fun project I worked on was a music video for an up and coming Chicago band, Summer Girlfriends. The ladies of this all female band are so super sweet, fun, cool and talented! And, we're all neighbors! haha

The day didn't go as we'd hoped... Dave Rentauskas (our lovely director/cinematographer/diet coke drinking enthusiast) had an elaborate outdoor shoot planned. Mother nature didn't seem to care, as it POURED the entire time! Let me fill you in... it hadn't been raining much here in Chicago--it was actually kind of a drought-- and then, of all days to POUR rain...

It was comical.

We had an incredible team on board, pinning tarps and holding umbrellas over the lights as they got drenched! But it was incredibly memorable and fun and the video will be amazing.

here are some behind the scenes shots of the day... Video to come shortly...


Interior shots first...


Lovely hair and wardrobe standing in the rain! It was raining hard!





 Dave's vision brought to life...





Between takes so the girls wouldn't get drenched!



My beautiful hair stylist Nora! Everyone ditched their shoes and drank some beer! 

The song we made the video to is: "Goth Beach Party". Be sure to go to your Spotify and search for them--even after hearing the song for 300 times, I still love it! 

The makeup, hair and wardrobe was all goth inspired, but pretty goth. So it was a really fun job for me to do dramatic eyes and super dark berry lips (which are trending hard for fall this year!) 

Aside from that...
It's been a lot of the usual work. Test shoots and weddings, private lessons and Pinups. All in all, I cannot complain

Super excited to see what Fall has in store for me! Stay tuned, many exciting things to come!

xoxo Jen