SubhaStar Make-up

Well it is that time again for the amazing International Make-up Artist Trade Show in California.  I am planning to flying into LAX tomorrow.  I simply can not wait.  Last year was the first time I had been to the show and it was mindblowing.  Not only all the ranges of products new and old available, but the educational seminars lead by the leading make-up artist out there were motivational and inspirational.  When I left the show last year I felt that I had gained years of experience. 

The Show is produced by Make-up Artist Magazine and if you'd like more information just check out their website:

http://www.makeupmag.com/

http://www.makeupartistshow.com/

I'll be sure to report back all the happenings from this upcoming weekend!

Dawn

www.subhastarmakeup.com

I have always found that I am most inspired by color and recently the colors in my kit have been my ultimate muse.

 I was packing for a vacation in which I had set up some photo shoots with a local photographer.  In going through my kit and condensing it for the trip the myriad of colors I was encountering was filling me up with such enthusiasm.  I had a few palettes in there that I truly had not looked at in a while.  Well I had look at but with eyes that were searching for a certain color to achieve a look on a job.  Each lip shade I packed I imagined on a lip, as well as, eye color on an eye and cheek color on a cheek.  In turn I was putting together color combinations in my mind of this lip with this eye and cheek.  Each color combination in my kit I imagined a different face; a pale freckled blonde, a sun kissed tawny skinned brunette, mocha java skin with raven hair.  The possibilities seemed (and are) endless.

I find inspiration for my art in many places: movies, television, magazines or even a colorful sunset.  At International Make-up Artist Trade Show last year I sat in a seminar given by one of the top artists of our time and she remarked that she never looks at other artist’s work for inspiration.  That kind of threw me off.  I find other’s work to be great inspiration even if it is a style that I could never hope to replicate.  The inspiration isn’t stemming from the desire to create that same art but just the rush of energy I feel when I see a true masterpiece.  Yet I understand what she meant by not wanting to be tied down by another’s talents.  You have to look within to find your true style.  And copycats are the worst!

It is funny that I should find the most powerful inspiration to be in the colors right at hand.  As a make-up artist it seems that you are always chasing that perfect product: the ideal shade of color that is also the ideal texture.  And I am sure most artists will attest that the items they are using the most are the newest in their kit.  Those are the items that hold the most allure, the promise of something great.   So with this recent revelation I am a feeling a bit like Dorothy that all along it was right in my own backyard.

www.subhastarmakeup.com

How time flies when the weather warms up! 

Right now I am in sunny Florida tucked away in an air conditioned library so that I can post my blog.  The internet is quite spotty at the place I am staying and I am thankful that I was finally able to break away and get a connection here at the Volusia County Library!

Yesterday I wrote a lovely little blog post but unfortuntately that was left behind at the condo so this one will be off the cuff.

It is odd to be on vacation, lately all the trips I have taken revolve around a business/work event.  And so it has gotten me thinking about and wearing a different sort of make-up look than I normally do.  I am going for a pale yet colorful lid.  I don't know how many of you out there also have found it to be true that when you go on vacation you kind of turn into a different person. 

You are relaxed and uninhibited, more so than when you are in the "grind" of your everyday living.  I know many people who stick to the same make-up routine day after day, and season after season.  It is what you are comfortable and familiar with, you know that it looks good.  To a certain extent has even become who you are. 

However if you take a trip maybe you decide to purchase a brighter lip gloss than your typical go-to color, maybe with a bit of a sparkle.  It's a reflection of how you are feeling; brighter and more adventurous.  A tell tale sign of this will ususally shows up on your finger and toenails.  Colors like melon reds, sunset pinks, orchid purples are what we are drawn to so we can blend into our surroundings like chamians.

This trip I am drawn to a sparkly leaf green eyeshadow that I would not consider wearing back home and it makes me wonder why not?  This color makes me happy and gives a pop to my face, why hadn't I worn it before?  it was sitting right there next to the well worn gold shimmer, bronzey brown and nude pink all in the same color palette compact.  The rejected green is hardly touched. 

So you out there reading this sitting at work or at home, bills to pay, work piling up.  Waiting for the weekend or a holiday?  Take a quick stop at a make-up counter, be it a high end department store or your local corner drugstore.  Pick up a bronzer, peachy orange blush, shiny simmery lipgloss, and a wild color for your eyes.  Try a nile green, peacock blue or hot pink and see where it takes you.  I believe in the power and make-up of make-up.  I believe it can take you on vacation. 

OH and BTW I absolutely adore the t.v. show Scrubs which aired its final show on NBC last Thursday.  Did you check out the AWESOME make-up???  Great prosthetic character work!  what a dream it would be to work on that show!  It is being picked up by ABC network next year so keep an eye out for it! 

I wanted to share some information on two different make-up brush companies that have really great quality products but at a fraction of the cost.   They are Crown Brush Company and Royal and Langnickel.  Crown Brush Company is based in Crown Point, Indiana which is really funny to me since that is my hometown and then another coincidence is that Royal and Langnickel has a manufacturing office in Merrillville, Indiana just down the street from where I went to high school. 

Royal and Langnickel as carries fine art brushes, and I think if you as most professional make-up artists you will find that many times they will shop at art stores for some of their brushes and tools.  For a make-up artist is an artist whose canvas just happens to be the human face and body. 

Here are the website where you can check out their products and place orders:

Crown Brush: http://www.crownbrush.com/

Royal and Langnickel: http://www.royalbrush.com/dcat/index.php

www.subhastarmakeup.com

So I just caught  Man Without a Face on t.v. the other night.  To refresh your memory that is the Mel Gibson movie where he plays a tutor whose face and body were burned in an accident.  GREAT MAKE-UP!!!!  so so so good!  And so many close up shots where you can see all the detailed work that went into the application.  Actually you can't see the work it is so seemless!  You can check out the movie's info here:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107501/

Last night (late last night well past my bedtime)  I was watching The Cell.  Again to refresh it's the Jennifer Lopez and Vince Vaughn thriller.  It would be my ultimate dream job to work on a film that had the make-ups it had in it.  Here's the IMDB page:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0209958/

When I first saw this picture it was before I had gotten into SPFX work and it really freaked/grossed me out.  This time when I watched I was just mesmerized.  I love the fact it had a mix of fantasy, beauty, fx, bodypainting, and prosethtics.