For a long time now it has been common practice for freelance makeup artists to consolidate their makeup kits for no other reason than to lighten the load they have to lug around and to have everything as neat and organized as possible.

Those cute packages that may draw our eye to a particular product  may look harmless, but many of them grouped together give off some considerable weight, and ounces can seem like pounds when hauling a makeup kit. This is where magnetic palettes come in. There have been a number of palettes put on the market geared towards makeup artists that serve the purpose but skimp on the style department, but now UNII Cosmetics have come out with their own fun version for consumers and artists alike.

UNII Palette in Twilight

Is that an empty palette you ask? Why yes, it is! Not only is it empty, but it is magnetic, and it’s purpose is to cling on to the metal pans that lie within those pretty packages. This method is known as “depotting”. The metal pans that contain the makeup have a glue backing which adheres the product to the outer casing. Using techniques to warm up that glue loosen the pan, and voilà, the pan pops out and can then be stored onto a magnetic palette! The amount of product you can store in one palette depends on the size of the pan and palette itself, but there is no question…palettes are a great for consolidating your many products into one slim, easy to carry case.

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Quick Tutorial on Depotting: I had made a video a while back showing one of the processes I use to depot. I warn you, this version is pretty hard core in comparison to some who use the oven and a cookie sheet to warm and loosen packaging glue. UNII’s palettes has a beautiful outside packaging that instructs on another method of heating up the bottom of the pan with a blow-dryer to loosen up the pan. I’m impatient, I go all out or nothing. When I start to depot I mean business, so here is my way to tear up and destroy some packaging while keeping my makeup intact!  Be careful when trying this at home!

In playing around with the UNII Cosmetic palettes I noticed some unique features that it had in comparison to other pro counterparts. UNII first offers many different colors which is great for color coding. If you have ever grabbed for a palette and found yourself opening the wrong one because they all look alike, this is a helpful feature for you. I love that all of the options coordinate with my bright turquoise Tutto case! It comes in Pomegranate, Twilight, Lemongrass, Eggplant, and Snow. Each colored palette is covered by a clear coating making it easy to maintain and clean!

UNII colors/ my Tutto makeup case

Another unique feature is the rubber strip on the inside of the palette which helps to create a seal and the clasp on the outside which keeps that seal air tight and budge proof. In the event that any product did happen to fall out of place inside the palette, you could rest assure the palette would not open and get that product into your purse/kit and all over your things.

I think consumers will really appreciate that the UNII Palettes are also very light in weight and has a magnetic “thumb grip” which can be moved anywhere within the palette to help you balance it while applying your makeup. A wide mirror comes in every palette making it easy to apply your makeup anywhere! If you take a look at UNII Cosmetics website you will see different ways people are using their UNII’s for work and home. Many brands automatically cling onto the magnetic bottom but for those that don’t there are magnet strips with sticky backings provided. These palettes run slightly smaller than other palettes on the market but have lots of features the others don’t. I love this in my purse to tote around while keeping others in my set bag or setting up one for talent whose makeup tends to stay the same for continuity on set.

Extra information for UNII users…

FUN CONTEST GIVEAWAY!

Makeup Is Art Beauty Blog has only been re-launched for a matter of weeks and has such a growth in readership! I want to show my appreciation by offering one of these sweet UNII Cosmetic palettes, in the color of your choice, as my current beauty giveaway!

All you have to do is leave a comment sharing your feedback on the Makeup is Art Beauty Blog thus far or what you would like to see more from it in the future. I will choose a random winner from Random.org on Friday, January 22nd, and let you know of the winner right here on this blog by 5 p.m.  that day. This contest is open to any of my readers so comment away and I can’t wait to get one of these fun palettes in some ones hands!

Tags: consolidating, depot eyeshadow, depotting, magnetic palette, makeup artist, makeup kit, palettes, UNII, you tube tutorial

Eve Pearl Magic Salmon Concealer Wheel

Ok, admit it, how many of you knew I would be posting about this particular product any day now? Many people that know my artistry in any way know that I am a “Salmon Concealer-a-holic” but it’s with good reason! For those of you not in the know about this dream product yet, let me have the honor of introducing you to one of my “Kat’s Kit” specialty items:
Eve Pearl’s Magic Salmon Concealer.

I first learned of salmon concealer when sitting in a workshop at the International Beauty Show years ago, before getting into freelance makeup full time. As the esthetician of my family’s spa, I was in gear to pick up some extra makeup education during my trip to the show. I sat in on an incredibly in depth and inspiring makeup class and it wasn’t until after I became a fan of the presenter that I realized she was 5 time Emmy Award winning makeup artist Eve Pearl herself. I would go to see her present every year and was amazed at all the new tricks I would learn each time I went. I also became very impressed with this special Salmon Concealer she talked about during the demo that just seemed to whisk away darkness under the eyes.  Every year I would vow to buy the salmon concealer by the end of the show day and every single year I would get back to her table to find the concealer was GONE. Snatched up. Sold out before I was able to get my own hands on some!

Gone are the days of running after what I was starting to believe was a mythical product. I started working for CNN a couple of years ago and was ecstatic to see that they used Eve Pearl concealer on all their guests and talent! Every man and woman who came in to get made up for TV would have Salmon Concealer under their eyes as one of the first steps of the makeup process. In fact, we went through tons of this product  on a regular basis as you may  be able to see from the photo I took of our low stock. It was no wonder I soon picked up the phone and called Eve’s studios right away to order my own concealer wheel for my own kit.

We always have backup stock at CNN!

There are four reasons that I flock to the Magic Salmon Concealer before any other which is what I like to call the “Four C’s”.

The Four C’s of Eve Pearl’s Magic Salmon Concealer:
Color, Consistency, Compact, and CosmeNutrients^TM!

Color
The Salmon Concealer boasts a peachy/orange hue in various shades from light to dark and now includes a new deep color which can be purchased separately or in another wheel which I will explain soon. The reason behind the color is a simple one,  yet for some reason is not as widely adapted by many other cosmetic lines. That reason is one of basic color theory.

Does anyone remember the color wheel in art class that looked (kind of) like this?

Basic color theory states that if you mix equal parts of two complimentary colors (colors opposite each other on the color wheel) that the result will be a neutral color. Take a look at the orangey red side on the above wheel. If you go down to the tint (where white is added) you will notice colors that are close to what you find in Eve Pearl’s Salmon Concealer wheel. If you go directly opposite of those colors you will see what is reminiscent of the blue-purples that can show up under our eyes naturally. When the concealer is added to the under eye darkness it starts to neutralize and blend right into the natural skin tone of the rest of the face.

Growing up I was always told to use a yellow based concealer under the eyes or one that matched the skin color exactly. Problem is, unless you have truly purple shadows under your eyes, that yellow will just make give your blue/purple shadows more of a green hue. The trick with Eve’s concealers is to pick a concealer that matches the intensity of your undereye darkness, not your skin. If you have pale skin and medium to dark undereye circles I would try the medium concealer. If you have medium to dark skin with deep under eye circles I would go with the dark shade. The majority of the women I work on fall into the light to medium shade. If you are a makeup artist of course you just get the wheel that has all the shades to be used alone or mixed to get the perfect shade.

Consistency
This concealer is very creamy but has holding power.  I don’t know how to explain it better that Twitter friend @Tracey_MUA did after recommending it to her: “It went on so creamy, like buttah!!”. Haha! My sentiments exactly. I can use this very sparingly or I can  put it on heavier and either way it will warm up and blend right down into the skin without unwanted cakey or thick texture showing on the surface. Sometimes I buff it in with a fluffy synthetic brush, sometimes I will just press it in with a finger, sometimes I will use a traditional flat concealer brush to apply it. No matter how I do it, it looks great! It’s consistency stays, well, consistent!

Compact
Not only do I use this word to describe the convenience of having three of the most used shades in once slim case like the ones pictured above but I use the word to describe the options of the actual compacts themselves. There are some serious options for everyone from the at home user looking for their one perfect color to a serious pro artist needing a color for everyone they will ever work on. Eve’s concealers come in 1,2, or 3 shades to a compact in different shade combinations.

I personally carry two of her wheel compacts with me to every job (aside from my other Eve Pearl products). I have the Magic Salmon Concealer Wheel with the three colors Light, Medium, and Dark but I also carry her HD Foundation Cream Blush Trio that includes a deep orange color that is absolutely beautiful used as a concealer for dark pigmentation and undereye shadows on deep skin tones. Between these two compacts I can easily mix and match to cover every range of undereye darkness that I come across. Oh, and I have beautiful cream blush on hand to compliment any skin tone. Score!

HD Foundation Cream Blush Trio

* CosmeNutrients^TM
Last but not least, Eve has put her stamp on the makeup industry by offering a blend of staple beauty products- that give results!- with loads of nutrients that Eve originally developed for her own sensitive and dry skin. She has marked this winning combination as CosmeNutrients^TM. Here is how Eve’s website describes all the goodies her products contain:

* CosmeNutrients^TM: Cosmetics infused with nutrients. Combining the unique blends of vitamins, minerals, proteins, peptides and anti-oxidants into multi-functional cosmetic formulations. This luxurious makeup line provides a light, non-greasy yet smooth application, allowing skin to breath. The nutrients nourish, help protect, restore and renew the skin’s texture and elasticity. It also reduces the appearance of pores, fine lines and wrinkles.

You can also find more benefits of the Eve Pearl active ingredients here.

Now I do realize that this is a lot of info on what seems like it would be one little product rave, but I don’t love a product just to love it. I love it because it is worth it and has more to it than meets the eye. For this reason, Eve Pearl’s Salmon Concealer: You are a “Kat’s Kit” Spotlight Product!

Tags: color theory for makeup artists, cosmenutrients, Eve Pearl, international beauty show, makeup class, salmon concealer

Skinprep FX Primer by Cover FX

In yesterday’s post I mentioned I used an extra primer for skin that needed a bit more help in the texture department. I sometimes find myself finding my moisturizing/primer in one (Embyolisse) is just not enough for my mature clients. That is when this stellar primer steps in: Skinprep FX by Cover FX.

I ran into this gem at the Chicago Artist Summit I was teaching a workshop at. I was asked to do a class on “Makeup for Mature Women” and I ran right over to the Cover FX booth to find a particular foundation but ended up talking to the reps at the booth about this baby. I started to play around with the consistency on my hand and added it to silicone based makeup to see how it could thin some of my favorite products out. Kevin, from one of my favorite lines, even came over (his booth was across there’s!) and started showing me why this primer was considered “Liquid Gold” in the makeup artist community. I mean seriously, when you have people coming from competitor’s booths to show you something that says a lot!

I went ahead and snatched some of this product up and used it in my demo as well for many faces I had worked on shortly after. I am not even exaggerating when I say this stuff makes such a difference in the appearance of foundation, not just for mature skin, but for all skin types! Being a makeup artist I do have different primers “just in case” that I hoard in my kit, some I will talk about in a separate post, but this primer makes it out for my normal/mature/sensitive/dry/extra dry… you get the ideal, it makes it out for just about everyone.

I definitely challenge anyone who has a silicone based foundation, who wants to thin down the consistency for a different look and feel to their product, to try mixing this “liquid gold” with it. I have tried it with their own Cover FX cream foundations, Yaby foundation, Make Up For Ever HD, and have loved every result.

Also, don’t even get me started on their ClearPrep FX Primer! That really deserves it’s own post since it is a primer to help mattify and smooth oily skin while helping to prevent/heal acne. YUP! I said PREVENT and HEAL acne- in primer form!  That is basically unheard of these days, but I will have to save that for another love letter, ahem,  post one day.

SkinPrep FX Primer by Cover FX: You are a“Kat’s Kit” Spotlight product!

I’ve found through reading various blogs that there are different types of product reviews. There are reviews of products that one has thoroughly tested for wearability, texture, coverage, and all the other elements that goes into making a beauty product great. It’s tested for the day and then decided upon whether the product is fantabulous, okay, or something you give to your kids to do art with. There are also the reviews that have come from the writer truly knowing the product thoroughly and who has fallen in love with it enough to use it on a daily basis. Those are the beauty products that will be featured in “Kat’s Kit Spotlight” . I have a number of products that I have used and abused on every shoot or event because of it’s reliability. When I use these products I know that it will do precisely what I need it to do which makes the job that much easier. I’m sure over time this section will be condensed more and more to being affectionately known as a “KatKit” product, but for now I introduce you to my first official product spotlight.

There is no better place to start than with one of my basics I use to prep most the skin I work on for print and events: Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre also known as 24-hour miracle cream.

Embyolisse has always been one of those products, for me, that everyone else had and sounded intimidating enough for me NOT to try. I’m a simple girl. Give me some Cetaphil or something that says moisturizer on it and I’ll be A-Ok. Well, when I noticed this moisturizer in artist’s kits backstage  (at- every- show- I -ever- worked- on!) I started to wonder if maybe I wasn’t giving it enough of a chance. I decided to pick some up at  The Powder Group’s NY Makeup Show and see what all the fuss was about.

This cream is seriously lovely! I will say upfront, it’s not for everyone as I wouldn’t go straight for this cream on someone oily, but I would go for it for just about every one else. If someone is only dry around the nose, I will massage this cream around the dry patches until the skin is smooth. If someone is tight or dry on the whole face then this too will go on the whole face. It has a medium thick consistency and you are able to instantly feel irritated and/or dry skin relax.

The neat thing is that this product also has multiple uses. Besides moisturizing and calming irritation, Embryolisse can also be used as a moisturizer/primer in one and a makeup remover!  I will use this as a moisturizing primer for everyone from normal to dry skin. I will only use a separate primer after if I’m working with more mature skin that needs more filling in of fine lines.

I have been very pleased with Embyolisse Lait-Creme Concentre even if for the life of me I still can’t pronounce it. I’ve been in luck though as it’s amazing how the makeup artists in the industry know exactly which product it is when you just call it Embryolisse, even when a whole skin care line is available through them. I have dabbled in some of their other products and do love the eye cream (which I have stolen from my kit for myself) and the lip moisturizer. The whole family uses the lighter version body lotion called Lait CrèmeConcentre Fluide Hydratant. It overall is a fantastic line but to keep it simple…

Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentrate. You are the “Kat’s Kit” first spotlight.

Tags: Embryolisse, embryolisse lait-creme concentre, Kat's Kit, moisturizer, product spotlight, the makeup show, The powder group

For anyone who knows me in the industry, you already know I rave about Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics (OCC) foundation and loose pigments, see post on NFL shoot I exclusively used OCC products on,  but today I wanted to really profess my undying love for OCC Lip Tars and let you in our new exclusive color designed for Clothing Designer and TV Personality, Indashio.

When asked by On Makeup Magazine to do a beauty story with lips as a focus I immediately thought of showing off the then brand new Lip Tar collection which only consisted of about 8 colors at the time. The moment I tried the first color I knew there was something very different about the texture, finish, and wear of this product. To say that the tiniest amount of product is all that is needed to cover the entire pout is an understatement. I lightly touched the very tip of my lip brush into the NSFW (That’s Not Safe For Work folks!) color and I was soon finding the entire mouth covered in intense pigment. It’s always been hard for me to describe the texture I get but the way I have come to think of lip tars is a vinyl finish without the bulk of traditional glosses. It has shine to it without gloppiness, and their is intensity in the colors that I has not come close to anything I have ever tried.

OCC Lip Tar in NSFW for On Makeup Magazine Photo by: Luis Aragon Makeup by: Me

These babies have been rushing to cult classic status in the short amount of time they have been on the market and the eight original colors have been joined by 13 other colors ranging from neutral to shockingly bright. Lip tars can be worn alone or mixed together. You really can create any and every shade your heart desires and really bring the inner artist out of you with these in hand.

There is even a Clear color which is an absolute must have and can be worn alone, used to refresh color already on the lips, OR mixed with any pigments to create whatever shade you desire right on the spot! I have tried it with some of OCC’s loose colour concentrates, Yaby’s shadows, Nars Orgasm blush, everything! Here is a sample of what it can do:

OCC Clear Lip Tar and LOOSE COLOUR CONCENTRATES mixed to create custom color

These colors can be worn in full color or put or pressed lightly into the lip by finger to create more of a stained look. It has unreal lasting power and the best news?  They only retail for $12.50 each, and pro makeup artists can qualify for an additional industry discount!

OCC has also been working closely with, and has released a special color for, VH1′s “Glam God” winner Indashio and unveiled what they call a “Fiery Deep Sea Coral w/Pink Undertones” named, you guessed it, “Indashio”.  I call it insanely amazing! You can see the behind the scenes fun at Indashio’s recent “Jet Set” show by NY Style Times here.

This is a product that the makeup and fashion industry has been abuzz with for the last several months now. I know it will be only a matter of time before it’s popularity reaches over industry lines and into fashionista’s and style setter’s homes all over the world. You can see the whole list of OCC Lip Tar colors and even put an order in here.

Happy exploring!

Tags: Featured, Indashio, lip color, Lip Tars, OCC, OCC Lip Tar review

Those who take that extra step to preserve their makeup brush hair, or those like me who have a slightly unhealthy obsession with their brush health overall, will appreciate this product from “The Brush Guard”.

I first ran across this product at The Artist Summit by The Powder Group in New York.  I know of a number of artists and brush consumers alike who have run into instances where a favorite brush has gone flat or just become wonky and warped from being placed in the wrong spot. This product offers a simple solution to keep them intact. Some of my own brushes have fallen victim to fraying bristles when I’ve rushed to pack my stuff up after a job and left it unprotected. I’ve even had to sacrifice my XL “aDesign” powder brush to the abyss that is the inside pocket of my makeup kit due to lack of room in my brush roll. I pray it is still intact every time I go into the abyss to reach for it!

So, between a combination of a forum post asking about this product and the fact that my 3 year old has been running around with it on her finger all day, I figure it’s time take a closer look at The Brush Guard to see what it can do for me and my brush set.

“The Brush Guard” comes in different variety packs from assorted sizes to multiple same size guards in one pack and total $5.50/pack.  I had received one medium brush guard to try out so I will show you what I was able to do with it.

My first question about this guard was “Would it keep the integrity of the shape of my brush?”. The last thing I wanted was for my nice fluffy blush brush to end up looking like a tube when the guard came off. I quickly did a simple test and figured out that the shape of the netting naturally gets fuller in the middle without a brush in it. As you can see from above, the brush guard has a little more give in the middle of the netting  allowing your brushes natural fullness to rest easy without too much pressure. I went ahead and tried it on a “normal size” blush/powder brush from Billy B’s brush collection and here are the results…

The brush was now slick and compact and free from frayed frazzled doom. I was impressed,  but the real test would be my poor neglected adesign powder brush. I took it out from the abyss, had a little talk with it about how I was selfish and put my other smaller brushes before it’s needs, then we started over  with a clean slate while I gave it it’s new Brush Guard coat.

She (the brush) is now sitting comfy cozy with the rest of her friends in the brush roll and will be used a lot more in the future. I’ll be placing my order for the assortment pack to get her in the proper large size soon enough. For now I will let her enjoy her new svelte self in the medium guard so she can regain her confidence in knowing she won’t be going into the abyss pocket anymore, but I doubt she’ll be letting her Guard down anytime soon.

Here is a video from the makers of The Brush Guard so you can see it in action:

Tags: makeup brush, makeup brush care, The Brush Guard

CVS Essence of Beauty Wedges/ cvs.com

I wanted to thank each and every one of you who participated in my poll on the very first post. It has definitely shown me what you look for in this blog and I will try my best to deliver. With that being said, if it’s products you want to know about, it’s products you are going to get! Let me do you one better. I’ll start right in by recommending some of the cheapest items in my kit that don’t lack in the quality department, whatsoever. If that sounds good, let’s get started!

This first item was something I hadn’t originally planned to talk about right away since it is admittedly random but I ran into some funny odds yesterday during  the Cabinet shoot and took it as a sign to confess my undying love for CVS’s Essence of Beauty Wedges.

As I was making up a lovely Cabinet member yesterday I was applying some foundation and blending it down with my favorite Essence of Beauty Wedges. She commented on how she liked the sponges and asked what kind they were as I didn’t have the bag out that showed the name. I told her “Believe it or not I only used CVS’s Essence of Beauty brand and have never been able to find a brand that compared to it in quality. I can be at a beauty supply store and decide not to buy sponges there and I’ll go ahead and make the extra run to CVS. I even pass up bulk prices for these things.”

I went on to tell her that one day I was working in a salon that had the bulk stock of latex sponges. I used one, and besides the fact that it was flimsy and crumbly, my hand became incredibly itchy! Sure that could be a personal aversion I have to latex, but if my hand was feeling that way I sure didn’t want to take the risk of transferring that feeling to someones face!  In haste,  I ran into the CVS next door and grabbed the big bag of the Essence of Beauty Wedges. It stated on the bigger bag you get 25% more for free. Hey I’m no fool!

When I went to use it I realized that the bigger size of this non-latex sponge fit snugly in my hand as it was almost twice the size. It wasn’t flimsy like many other sponges I used which meant the product placed more easily on the skin.  It also meant I had more control with the tip of the sponge when needing to apply and blend into the contours of the face. Finally, a sponge that didn’t collapse into itself! Also the Essence of Beauty sponges were s-o-f-t , so so soft. *sigh*. They are  great for applying foundations and moisturizers because they are so dense that the product doesn’t seep into the pores of the wedge. I’ve found there to be a lot less waste with this staple item.

As if that wasn’t enough, once I took an HDTV class with Suzanne Patterson (whose master Beauty Advice Bits you can find on the sidebar to the right) I realized that these were the types of sponges you could tear in half and use the inside of to actually blend foundation even MORE seamlessly! Yes, the inside, like so…

Essence of Beauty Wedges

The random but fine texture in the middle of the sponge blends the foundation more seamlessly than applying foundation with a brush or with the straight edges of the sponge. (And guess what? No crumbling!) Just press and stipple away and any tell-tale lines from the foundation application just seems to dissapear into itself. Brilliant! So by creating a texture that becomes almost undetectable to the eye you end up making the bag of sponges last twice as long? Oh Essence of Beauty, you had me at “non-latex” -but all the other great benefits made this a winner.

So whatever did Ms. Cabinet member think of my love for these frugal finds? She said “I thought those were the Essence of Beauty sponges. I’m so glad to see you use them. My husband makes those”.
!!!!!
I mean seriously, what a small world!  Sure enough, I was raving about the sponges to the wife of the manufacturer, without knowing it. Of course my second thought was “Who can I talk to about getting these in bulk?”

Now imagine if she was the wife of the guy who made the latex ones? I’m sure there is a moral to the story here somewhere.

Tags: beauty review, CVS, Essence of Beauty, foundation sponges, makeup artist, makeup review, makeup sponges, makeup wedges