Face Sequence

I usually get asked what the sequence to preparing your face (or beautiful canvas) for makeup is. There is a definite method to perfection when it comes to preparing your face for your makeup. I will only describe what must go in order and then the rest is up to you – if you want to put on lip-gloss before mascara… have at it!

1. Cleanse

It is really important to cleanse your face at the end of the day and then in the morning after you get up. I like to brush my teeth, and then cleanse my face to ensure that I don’t have “white lip liner”.

**Tip when you are cleansing your face after you have had makeup on, wash it twice. The first cleanse is to loosen up and remove most of that makeup you have on. The second cleanse is to deep clean your skin and pores. Think of it like washing your hands – if they are dirty enough, you wash them with soap twice to make sure that they are clean! Do the same, if not better, for your beautiful skin.

2. Moisturize

It is impossible to get even coverage if you do not moisturize your face. Moisturizing creates a smooth canvas for you to layer on. If you have oily skin and don’t like to moisturize, find something that is hydrating. I use a hydrating gel when I feel as though my skin is oily.

**A key thing is that if you don’t keep your skin moisturized, it will panic and feel the need to overcompensate – which is what produces breakouts and dreaded oil.

3. Silicone Based Primer

This stuff works miracles! I have fallen in love with it. If you are unsure of silicone based primer, read into it, head over to Sephora and get a sample of Silicone Based Primer. I have one from Smashbox and I also know that Sephora has a good product. There are others as well, I am sure they are great but I haven’t tried them. Basically the silicone fills in scars, wrinkles and gives a silky canvas for your foundation.

4. Foundation

Your foundation should be sheer – there is no reason that your foundation should show on your skin. It acts as protection for your skin. If you choose to skip the powder, do the foundation. Just know that you will have to reapply because powder is what seals in the wet foundation. The only time foundation should be noticeable is for special events when you want to create absolutely flawless skin.

5. Concealer

Ah – there is a trick to applying concealer, which will come in another blog. Concealer acts as spot treatment for blemishes or dark areas of your skin. I suggest that you use a sponge to apply and even out with the sponge, but finishing off using your ring finger.

**Tip, your ring finger is your weakest finger and it will be the nicest to your skin.

5. Powder

Again, you do not need your powder to be noticeable. Make sure you blend into your hair line and into your neck to avoid those noticeable makeup lines. Powder is also beneficial if you want to go a shade or two darker and give yourself an instant bronzing effect. The powder is what locks in your makeup and prevents everything you just did from sliding right off the moment you step into warm elements.

All these things are really important if you want to achieve a perfect canvas – depending on the event you can take it from a mall look, to a night on the town look.

I hope these things help you! Please let me know if you have any questions about it all! Or even if you have product information that will help me or someone else! Always welcome!!

xoxoxo mikena

Makeup Brush Cleaning

(not for synthetic brushes, real hair only!)
By: Mikena “the traveling makeup artist” Afoa

As always, please read the entire document before trying this! I just want to make sure that you understand what to do and what not to do and to prevent product damage. I know makeup brushes aren’t cheap!

Supply List:
- Sturdy Paper Towels
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Baby Shampoo (I love Johnson & Johnson’s Lavender and Chamomile baby shampoo)

Every week you should conduct a deep cleaning of your makeup brushes. There are many companies out there that tell you that you need their product in order to really clean your brushes. Don’t believe those statements for one minute! There are some products that are handy and make life easier, but those aren’t necessary to truly sanitize your brushes.

Step 1:
Grab that sturdy paper towel and get some olive oil on it! The best way to do this is much like you would do when using nail polish remover. Place the towel over the opening of the bottle, hold it tight with your pointer finger (I just got that finger song stuck in my head – I will have to sing that at the end) and tip it upside down. Do this about three times in order to get a good amount for your brush.

Step 2:
Take that dirty brush of yours and dip it into the olive oil. You want to pretend (I love to pretend!) as though you are painting – the olive oil is your paint and the rest of the paper towel is your canvas! The purpose of this is to loosen up any product that is in your brushes – you do not want that old product to go on your face from a month ago, do you!? Nooo!!

Now, you can get frugal (which I love to be! Think – save money = more money to buy makeup!!) I like to unfold the paper towel and use whatever soaked through, as well. Remember, this step is just to loosen whatever pigments are in the brushes. You do this by dipping and brushing onto the paper towel.

Step 3:
Rinse the brushes.

!!! This is really important here – never, ever, ever… EVER! Submerge your brushes. You want to try your best to only get the bristles that you can see, wet. Getting the brushes wet completely ruins them because it can rust the metal that typically holds the brush together or the glue that holds the bristles in place.

**Tip if your brush tends to shed a lot of hairs onto your face and you spend more time removing those hairs than you do putting on makeup – it is time for a new brush.

Step 4:
Place about a pea-sized amount of baby shampoo onto the tips of your fingers. Swirl the brushes around on the tips of your fingers. Why the tips? Because they are more sensitive than your palms (and paper towels!) so you can feel the brushes better, prevent bristle damage and make sure the soap cleans each bristle.

Step 5:
Using a clean paper towel, squeeze out any excess water. At this point, you always want to reshape your brushes so that as they completely dry, they are as good as new! Place them to dry on a hand towel, or towel of your choice.

Now, a couple of additional things:

1. Oh! No! I submerged my brushes! What do I do!

I have done this many times because I use to take a bowl of water and work with my brushes to get them clean – not a good idea, as you can imagine! Anyway! Finish up the process I described above and then go ahead and wedge the brush somewhere that allows it to hang dry… bristles down. I have use clothes pins/laundry clips to hang the brush by. It works well – or get creative and figure out your own way! Learn what you did wrong when you got your brush so wet, and don’t do it again!

2. As a makeup artist, I have separate brushes for my clients and myself. I always deep clean my “business brushes” after using them on someone. But for myself, I only do it once a week. I still clean them nearly every day though, by using a brush cleaning spray.

- I simply spray the bristles and work out the makeup onto a paper towel. No rinsing necessary.
- There are several brush cleaning sprays that I have tried:
- Japonesque (I get the big bottle from Ulta for about $10)
- Sephora makes another good one
- I’ve also bought ones that I like from stores like Fred Meyer’s
- I have never disliked a brush cleaning spray, just some smells I like better than others.

Such a girl!

Now for that song... "where is pointer? where is pointer?" ... "HERE I AM! HERE I AM!" ... "how are you today sir?" ... "very well I thank you..." ... yeah, that's the song stuck in my head now... grrreat! =]

Have a blessed day! Hey! Think of 10 things you are thankful for before you leave your house or work! Find joy in everything, it makes life so much easier to look for the good.

=]
xoxoxo mikena

P.S. Questions and your findings are more than welcome - what works for you? Sharing is caring! =]