Dealing With Eye Problems

ark Circles: Occurs when there are vitamin & mineral deficiencies, hangovers, unhealthy eating habits, smoking and sometimes hereditary.

Eye cream containing vitamin K helps a lot. Products to consider are: Vanish Extreme Under Eye Cream,
Mary Kay Revitalizing Eye Cream, M.D Formulations Vit-A-Plus Revitalizing Eye Cream, Avon Lighten Up Undereye Treatment, Peter Thomas Roth AHA Kojic Under Eye Brightener.

Puffiness: Oily and salty foods should be avoided . Gels which firm and tighten the eyes are better then creamy  skin care products.Good products to consider are: Irene Gari Eye Puffiness Minimizer and Cellex- C Under Eye Toning Gel

Fine Lines: A good eye cream should be applied in the morning and at night. Good brands to consider: Neutrogena, Avon, Mary Kay & Ambi.

Redness : Sometimes eyes may look red, pink or brown which simply shows eyes are tired. Before applying eye shadow, try dabbing some concealers on the eyelids to even out the tone. Magic by Prescriptives Red Neutralizer is a cosmetic concealer that gets red out easily. Dermablend Smooth Indulgence Redness Concealer works great.


Crepeyness: If your top lid looks "puckery", it means your skin is "crepey". It usually occurs when there is  significant thinning of dermis followed by the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines resulting into loss of collagen and elastin. Without these two skin proteins that hold and bind skin tissues together, skin usually sags and looks old.
Apply a bit of cream concealer on the eyelid before applying eye shadow to ease the dryness and help avoid "seepage".
Avoid eye products with SD Alcohols and talc
Do not overcleanse .

Best Buys under $10 (Mascara & Lips)

Everyone wants to save money!
Here are few of my "best buys". They don't cost much and are sure to deliver the job.

Mascara

Revlon Color Stay Extra Thick Lashes, Maybelline Volume Express Mascara, Neutrogena Full Length Defining Mascara, Sephora No Clumping Mascara, L'Oreal Le Grand Mascara, L'Oreal Lash Out, Maybelline Great Lash Mascara.

Lips

Jane lip gloss, Prestige lip liner, Reviva Vitamin E stick, Duane Reade Lip pencils, Burt's Beewax lip conditioning & shine, Mattesse lip gloss.

Lola Longe, Master Makeup Artist, Houston, TX

Mariah Carey's Red dresss

 So what's actually wrong with this dress?  I've seen a lot of negative comments on Mariah Carey's  red dress and her robust figure. Well, I've decided to look beyond the comments and focused on her makeup which is so beautiful. Eyeshadows and powder were well blended in & of course lipstick shade is perfect snd compliments the dress.

Lola Longe, Master Makeup Artist, Houston, TX

Adanne's Makeup & Headtie for Engagement Photo Shoot

I just love what I do!
I had to rush down to the Wortham Center here in Houston to do Adanne's makeup for her engagement photo shoot. It was my first time meeting Adanne though I had spoken with her on the phone (during consultation), I've never seen someone with such a beautiful smile; right from the beginning of the makeover session till the very end. Her Fiance was of course present to watch his 'bride to be' transform into an African queen.
Usually makeup comes before the headtie, so I started by priming her face (she had cleansed & moisturized her face earlier). More often than not, I apply foundation before concealing the dark circles and spots but this time, I started with the concealer and then applied the foundation. There really wasn't any explanation for this, just wanted to do things a little different. Matching eye shadows were used and the false eyelashes (I prefer the natural looking ones for engagement/bridal makeup) completed the glamorous look. Didn't waste so much time on the lips so she could continue her beautiful smile.......lol and the makeover was completed  with compact powder, cheek contour and a highlighting bronzer.
The headtie styling was a breeze, fabric was "ankara" so no time was wasted in styling it.
I really enjoyed working with Adanne and can't wait for the wedding coming up in November.

Lola Longe, Master Makeup Artist, Houston, TX

Applying a Concealer

A concealer or color corrector is a type of makeup used to hide skin imperfections, It can be used to cover up pimples, dark circles and tiny veins that show through the skin.
A Concealer will never heal skin imperfections, it is neither going to treat nor heal dark circles and acne.


Concealers come in three constituencies : Liquid, Cream and Stick . The liquid is usually too thin and runny, cream is in between the liquid and the stick which makes it the best for almost everyone and lastly the stick which can be too thick and may pull the skin as the skin underneath the eyes are really thin and sensitive.

Always choose a Concealer that is a shade lighter and has the same undertones as your foundation.

As a Makeup Artist, I always use a Concealer brush on my clients, this is because it's not only professional but it's really fast and the imperfections are covered giving a flawless look. Everyone can achieve the best and most even coverage by applying Concealers using a finger. I recommend the fourth finger because it doesn't exert a lot of pressure unlike the other fingers.

Concealers can be applied over or under foundation but I love to apply it over foundation for the simple reason of working well on those visible dark circles/acne that the foundation would not cover.

Using your fourth finger, dot on the Concealer underneath the eye and acne.
Blend in gently using back and forth dotting motion.
Check to see the Concealer hasn't crept into the fine lines around the eyes, nose and mouth. If this happens, blot gently with a tissue.


Lola Longe
Master Makeup Artist
Houston, TX