Happy 2010 Everyone !!!!

I hope everyone is settled down from the Holidays and just as pumped as I am to start a whole new chapter for 2010! I have been busy so far in making some necessary changes and am ringing in the new year with a clean, uncluttered face lift to MakeupisArt.com. Trust me when I say I have already resolved to blogging on a regular schedule and have so many things up my sleeve I can not wait for you to see! I have a great feeling about this year and things have already been put in motion to make me feel that way.

Recently, our photography/makeup studio that we started a few years ago called Studio 400 had to close it’s doors suddenly at the end of  last year when our landlord we were subleasing from decided not to continue his lease. I searched diligently and came across another space in the same Lorton area the was twice the size of our last place, and was not a shared space. We asked more amazing talent to come on board and Studio 400 has opened again and has already been in action every day of the new year!

I also can’t continue on to 2010 without giving the utmost gratitude to the people, events, and relationships that made my 2009 the best year I have had professionally (and personally!) thus far. I took on a new agency who I had my sights set on for nearly 6 years, Artists by Timothy Priano. I thank my Artists family for standing behind me and signing me to their New York board. They have already put me in front of many amazing names such as Demi Moore, Roberta Flack, Mary Tyler Moore, Ann and Denis Leary, and many more, just in this year alone. I’ve also had a great year with my peers and mentors who have included me on their teams and on set for New York Fashion Week, Miami Fashion Week (love you Lottie!) and In Style w/ Paulina Porizkova, Helena Houdova, and Milos Forman (thanks Stella!). For those who know me know I’m a big football fan so one of the highlights of my year was working closely with the NFL Players and being able to spend a week in the Caymen Islands for the ladies of WISPA (squash) was nothing to be sneezed at either.

Teaching for The Powder Group/ The Makeup Show- NY

In 2009 I was also able to get past a lifetime fear of mine that had led me to crippling panic attacks and social anxiety through my life, until now. I was able to stand up in front of crowds and teach with The Powder Group at all of the last year’s Makeup Shows and Artist Summits. I have always wanted to give back to my artist community but the fear of talking in public was one so big I could do nothing but keep to myself.  I could not have done it without Micahel DeVellis and James Vincent from The Powder Group believing in me and investing their time into forming the educator and artist they knew I could be. They turned my lifetime phobia into a success story and I could never thank them enough.

My family and I also ended up moving this summer to a beautiful house on the lake, the first house I can say feels like a “home”. The kids have adjusted so nicely and within the 1st quarter of school they have already been coming home with straight A’s and teachers praises and have made a lot of great friends.

All in all, 2009 is has definitely shaped up to be my best year professionally, to date. To say I’m on “Cloud 9″ would be an understatement. Last year is a year I will always remember.  It’s now time to make 2010 a year I will never forget!

Here is to making all your dreams come true in 2010!

xoxo,

Kat

Tags: "How-to" Makeup, agency, artists by timothy priano, celebrity hair, celebrity makeup, Featured, hair, James Vincent, miami fashion week, Michael DeVellis, nfw, studio400, the artist summit, the makeup show

I had the pleasure of working with Gretchen Mol this week for the Washington D.C. Premiere of her new movie “An American Affair” out tomorrow, the 27th of February.

Gretchen is a classic beauty that has a look reminiscent of the iconic roles she tends to play. She was Bettie Page in HBO’s “The Notorious Bettie Page”  and you may recognize her past role as Roxie Hart in Broadway’s “Chicago”. In her new movie she plays a character (a mistress possibly?) that has a relation to JFK in the time leading up to his assassination.

Regardless of the complex characters Gretchen tends to play, Gretchen herself is an amazingly down to earth, talented and beautiful actress as well as proud mother.

For her movie premiere I decided to add some waves into Gretchen’s naturally fine and curly hair. I included her input in the whole process and together we decided on a hair and makeup look that would set the right tone for the evening and would work with her classic Jason Wu dress, whom you may know as the designer of Michelle Obama’s Inaugural Ball gown.

I set her hair in medium sized pin curls while doing her makeup and when we released and lightly finger combed through the curls a form started to take place. I kept more of the formed curls in the front, left the hair pretty loose and carefree on the sides and pinned any extra length up in the back, allowing some of the hair to fall naturally out of the pins.

Hair and Makeup by Kathy Aragon for Gretchen Mol / Image courtesy of WireImage

For Gretchen’s makeup we did a soft neutral shadow with a black wing tipped liner. Her face was given a glow with a slight mix of Face Atelier’s Ultra Foundation mixed with a dab of Face Atelier’s Ultra Sheer foundation. I added a little smudged color under the eye, highlighted the cheekbones and opted for a soft pink over the cheek as she didn’t want to look too dramatic for this event. The lips were just a light sheer pink gloss over her natural rosy pigmented lips (lucky Gretchen!).

Hair and Makeup by Kathy Aragon for Gretchen Mol / Image courtesy of WireImage

I had a great time working with Gretchen and I wish her the best of luck with everything she does! I look forward to seeing more of her work and maybe, one day, we will get to see her in more iconic rolls. Let’s talk Marilyn Monroe!

Here is a video of the Movie Premiere After Party held by Washington Life Magazine.

WLTV World Premiere Screening “An American Affair” from Washington Life Magazine on Vimeo.

Tags: An American Affair, celebrity hair, celebrity makeup, DC Premiere, gretchen mol, hairstylist, Kathy Aragon, makeup artist, red carpet, the notorious bettie page

I pride myself in keeping my blog personal to my experiences and to reviews of things I have tried and come to love. I try not to report on a brand new product or company that is out unless I’ve tried it myself to give you my honest opinion on it.  So, in having adapted this philosophy, it doesn’t surprise me when big news slips through my radar, but I am finding that news worth reporting somehow brings itself right into my face, such as with star stylist Ted Gibson!

During Inauguration Pre-ceremonies I had the pleasure to do makeup for Amy Brenneman, the beautiful actress from the show Private Practice. I came a bit early, chit chatted with her amazingly talented husband about how things have been in D.C. thus far while setting up and waiting for Amy to arrive. A few minutes later Amy came in with a hairstylist followed by  two videographers. I figured she was going to be doing an interview of some sorts while getting ready. It turns out the two men were actually following the hairstylist, who introduced himself to me as Ted Gibson. The two men had been collecting footage of the events he was doing including an earlier shoot he had with Ted and Caroline Kennedy for Vanity Fair.

When first meeting Ted I instantly loved how polite and sweet he was and how easy it was to work with him. He completely worked around me and what I needed even after I was insisted that he be comfortable and in good spot  for him to work in. It was such a nice experience that I didn’t even mind the two video cameras taping me do makeup while he was doing hair. I truly had no ideal what a big star he was until his story started to unfold about his salon in NY and the new one he just opened in DC. When I asked him about the beautiful pink and brown boxed product  in front of him he proceeded to take out a few “Styling Hair Sheets”  wrapped in a shiny silver foil, embedded design, and his name on the front. He told me I could get his line at Target now and gave me some hair towelettes to try out in the future. Upon talking more about what they did and how I could use them for my own fine hair he then decided that his “Building Spray”  would work great for me followed by a blowdry and/or hot rollers and gave me a bottle of it to take home with me.  

He held himself in such a great manor and complimented everyone throughout the time we were there. It’s no wonder celebrities and his client’s alike  fall in love with him even before seeing the final result of the guaranteed gorgeous style!  Ted proceeded to give Amy an elegant hairstyle with a slightly off centered part with hair that swooped down both sides before cascading curls began to fall.

He told me he had just opened his new salon in the Washington D.C. metro area called Ted Gibson Salon & Hela Spa. It has already been visited by great celebrity names on the first day, like Anne Hathaway and Tatiana Ali.  He also told me how it sat atop of a Louis Vuitton store at The Collection in Chevy Chase, MD., only minutes away from downtown D.C. How much more fabulous can  you get?

Already, not even a week since we worked together I have heard Ted’s praises being sang repeatedly. While working on a model for Elite in NY yesterday I started taking out the Styling Sheets to use on her. When she saw them she shouted out and proclaimed “Ted Gibson! I love him! I just worked with him on an InStyle magazine shoot!”. It’s obvious you don’t have to be around him long to become completely smitten with the man, his talent, and with the fact he is living his dream out loud. I look forward to visiting his salon, trying out all of his haircare line at some point, and costaring with him on some random footage floating out there of us working together!

You can find Ted Gibson Salon & Hela Spa at  The Collection in Chevy Chase 5481 Wisconsin Avenue, Level 2 Chevy Chase, MD 20815 Contact: 301.951.4445

You can also find his complete haircare line at Target stores nationwide: Ted Gibson at Target as well as other select products at Sephora.

Tags: Amy Brenneman, celebrity hair, Chevy Chase MD, Hela spa. Washington DC, Inaugural Ball, Inaugural Hair, Kathy Aragon, makeup artist, Private Practice, Ted Gibson, Ted Gibson hair, Ted Gibson Salon