Secrets

Hi lovelies!!

I haven't blogged in a while, so I thought I'd share with you guys a project I worked on last year: A music video for a young singer and her Band: Jenn & 166.

Jenn and her family are personal friends. I refer to her mum, Sandra, and her dad, Ian, as my adopted parents, and Jenn and her older sister Paige as my little sisters. When Jenn asked me to do her makeup for her music video, I didn't hesitate.

The song is called "Secrets", and the story of the video is that of Jenn being forced to work with a boy that no one likes at school, and finding that she actually hits it off with him because all he really needed was for someone to encourage him and talk to him.

My challenge was to make Jenn up in her punky style but still let her youth shine through since she was only 17! I also helped her style her wardrobe for the video. The young man that played the Boy in the video is the son of a friend of mine, and he also did a fantastic job. He had never done anything like it before, and he impressed everyone on set with his professionalism and willingness to do whatever we wanted. I styled his wardrobe and helped even out his 17-year-old-acne-prone skin for filming. FYI: Ian (who is also Jenn's Manager) plays the school teacher, and Paige is also in the video as one of the students. See if you can spot her! Sandra refused to be in the video, but she played her usual mother hen self in the background, taking care of everyone.

Most of the lighting was natural except for the 'concert' type shots.

To preserve Jenn's youth for the video, I made sure her skin was healthy and glowing for pretty much every shot, regardless of how much foundation or concealer I had to use. She has pretty good skin, so there wasn't a whole lot of cover-up necessary, and any foundation I used I kept quite sheer and dewy, which meant lots of touch ups because it was SO HOT while we were filming and poor Jenn was just sweating like a pot cover at some points! I didn't mind though, that's all part of the job.

In the first scene (the school scene) I left Jenn's skin almost bare, highlighted her and gave her a gentle rosy flush on the cheeks and lips, and placed a pop of teal and purple liner on her eyes. For the Beach scene we did something similar, except that the pop of colour was a salmon shadow in the outer crease, which I then amped up a bit by added purple shadows and black liner for her solo beach shots and the main performance shots (the one where she's wearing jeans). We also added some rhinestones because Jenn loves them. I only had about 10 minutes to dial the beach look up because the most incredible sunset was just starting, and we knew it would only last about 15 minutes. That was nerve-wracking!

The most involved look is the night-time club performance. Jenn wanted something more dramatic, and my challenge was to make it dramatic but fun. I was adamant that I wanted to make sure she still looked like a teenager! I went with extreme black glitter winged liner and I added some MAC 3D Silver to brighten it, and I stuck to bright pink lips. I added a few black stars for their funky youthfulness. 

And while touching her up between shots the director was struck with inspiration for a piece of storyline, and pulled me into the video. You'll see it! I had taken the time, though I was exhausted after a long day of filming, to do my own face, and I'm eternally grateful I did!!!

Click this link to watch the video (My iPad won't let me embed the video *booo*). Please share it and support Jenn & 166!

I want to add that it's really beautiful to see how Jenn's family came together to help her make this dream of being a professional singer start to come true. Their unconditional love for one another and the way they support and look out for each other is truly inspiring! The Music Video was produced by Cherokee Black Records.

My Life with Keratoconus

I was diagnosed with this disease three years ago, even though my symptoms began when I was 17. I had a "ghosting" effect in my right eye, which my Optician told me was due to my astigmatism.

I thought nothing of it, got used to it to the point that I would only really notice the ghosting if I was looking for it, and carried on with my life. Fast forward to the age of around 24, when I began to have difficulties getting my soft contacts to correct my vision. I had always had near-perfect vision with my contacts. My Optician tried to help, changing my prescription almost every month, and trying different brands and different types of soft lenses, including torric lenses (which are soft, but a little larger than regular soft lenses).

Once more, I got used to just not being able to see perfectly, and it wasn't too bad. I carried on with my life.

When I was 27, I went for an eye appointment and my regular Optician, Mr Melville, who I had been seeing since I was 7 and first got glasses and was old even back then, was out sick. Mr Edward Haslett was filling-in. He was very nice, gentle, and attentive. 

I told Edward all about my vision woes. I was in that day because I couldn't even see to watch TV with my current lenses. suddenly My eyes were so sensitive to light that I couldn't step outside without wearing my sunglasses. I was having trouble seeing at night because for some reason headlights were streaking so badly and if I was tired, every light had a huge halo around it.

Edward sat with me for nearly two hours trying to get an Rx that would work. And then he said to me: "I don't want to worry you, but I think it's possible that you may have Keratoconus."

Kerra-ta-wha?? He gave me a pamphlet and told me to look it up, and to come see him in 6 months when he would check my lenses again. He told me that he could not definitively diagnose me until we went through a few months of trying certain lenses out and running some diagnostic tests.

Being the research maniac that I am, I found out that Keratoconus is a disorder of the eye in which the cornea become unstable, thinning-out in the center, and losing its shape. The cornea becomes cone-shaped (Kerato (greek) - horn or cornea, and konos - cone). It can happen in one eye alone but is much more commonly found in both of a patient's eyes. It causes a deterioration in vision, light-sensitivity, streaking, multiple vision and ghosting, halos...all the symptoms I had. I learned that regular soft contacts and glasses could not correct vision in Keratoconic eyes. I also learned that Keratoconus is compounded by my other vision issues: regular astigmatism and myopia (short-sightedness), because in addition to correcting the way light is coming into the eyes through the cone-shaped cornea, we would also have to correct my myopia.

Then I got pregnant, and financial constraints wouldn't allow me to get the test that Edward recommended: a Corneal Topography, which is a 3D image taken of the cornea to determine its shape. We just stuck with a type of Torric lens that helped more than all the others had for the time being. 

After my daughter was born, I finally had the Topography done, after a bunch of tests with different lights and dyes. Edward took one look at the Topography images and said "exactly as I suspected, you have Keratoconus in both eyes." I was 28. 

Even though I had figured that I must have it, after reading the literature and doing the symptoms checklist, hearing the words still made my heart fall through my stomach, because I knew the end point of Keratoconus can be very severe, leading in some cases to corneal transplants, cornea rupturing, and, in rare cases, blindness. It's degenerative, and there is no cure. 

But Edward was so nice to me, so patient, he calmed me down and said "let's deal with this. It's manageable. Your case isn't too severe." That's not to say that it might not progress rapidly, but for now, we manage it.

We started  a few months later with fitting me for Rigid Gas Permeable lenses. We went through a few different types until we settled on one that had a slightly large diameter than normal, since I could always see the rim of the smaller ones in my field of vision. For a year I battled with my RGPS. They corrected my sight, but they collected lots of dust and corneal and skin cels, which irritated my eyes and made the contacts blurry. 

I live in Barbados, where corrective options are very limited, and treatments like surgeries are non-existent. Edward wanted me to try hybrid lenses, but to do that I'd have to travel to Miami, be re-daignosed, and then fitted. The lenses themselves are quite expensive, and I simply could not afford the trip and the cost. As it was, the RGPS I was using I had already paid $900 for, in addition to all the tests and appointments. 

And so Edward suggested "piggy-backing", where I would wear a soft "bandage lens" underneath the RGPs. It's not  permanent solution, but it would help for now. I have such bad ghosting (my worse symptom) that glasses are a waste of time other than getting me around my house. I don't wear them for any other reason than to give my eyes a break from my lenses.

That was 2 years ago. So far I've managed pretty well. But now I've got another curve-ball to face.

I just had a check-up, and while the correction of my lenses is still almost perfect 20/20 vision, the fit of the lenses isn't great. They are pressing slightly on the high point of each cornea, which is why I sometimes get eye pain if I'm really tired or my eyes are dry, or if I have to wear my lenses for prolonged periods several days in a row.

Edward wants me to go overseas to be fitted for hybrids as soon as possible. The current economic times just won't allow it. I do have to get another Topography done, which we can do here, to determine if there's progression in my Keratoconus, and if there is, how much. For now I'll probably have to get re-fitted for a new set of RGPs that have a deeper well so that they're not touching my corneas and putting pressure on them. Pressure on the cornea is one of the biggest no-no's with KC. No rubbing of the eyes at all (which is a huge Catch-22 because you eyes are more sensitive to light and dust etc, which makes them itchy). 

My case isn't that bad yet. I pray it won't get too much worse. In Barbados there are no options other than RGPs. we don't do cornea transplants for KC here, hybrid and scleral lenses aren't available here, and we certainly don't have cross-linking or Intacs done here.

There are amazing support groups online on all the social media sites. It is very scary. I felt like my eyes were these huge ticking time bombs that were going to explode suddenly in me head and leave me blind. I still feel that way sometimes.

But I didn't let it stop me. I figure if the worst case scenario is going blind, then I should enjoy my sight while I have it. My case is moderate at the moment, but I can't rely on that because there's no way to predict how it will progress. 

I've done lots of experimenting to find ways to wear makeup and still care for my eyes. I've figured out how to remove my makeup without disturbing my corneas. I made a video on KC and also on applying makeup with KC. I'm going to film how I insert my contacts and how I remove them, and also how I clean my makeup off.

We keep going. Carry on with life. It's a serious problem, but it doesn't define you. Those of us who are managing our KC can be a beacon of support for those who have just been diagnosed and those with bad cases. And we can raise awareness about KC to have more research done and more and more treatment options available. 

If anyone reading this has KC or knows someone who has it, please share your stories with me! Check out my videos on KC on my youtube channel and share them with your friends and family: www.youtube.com/user/mandyaboutface

For more information visit:

www.nkcf.org

www.keratoconus.com

Search hashtag #kcfamily and #keratoconus on Twitter and Instagram.

Search for Keratoconus on Facebook - there are tons of groups and support systems.

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @LadyMandyisms

Like my Facebook Page www.facebook.com/aboutfacebygossamertouch

Let's support each other on this journey!

Bless,

Mandy

REVIEW!!! Maybelline Mascaras

I recently got all three of these mascaras. Check out my previous post on my haul!

Yes, I know, I'm late to the party, but I could never find these in Barbados.

But here's my review on these three bases on my experience with them over the last few weeks.

Mayebelline The Falsies Volume Express Waterproof 

Maybelline The Mega-Plush Volume Express

Maybelline The Falsies Volume Express Black Drama Waterproof

Needless to say, since I am a mascara lover (because I have wimpy, pathetic little eyelashes), these were the first things I busted open to try.

The photos above (borrowed from the internet - thanks google!) are actually in order from my favourite to my least favourite.

Of course every company makes ridiculous claims about their products. Maybelline claims that with these mascaras you'll get lashes that look like Christy Turlington's in the photo. Bear in mind she's wearing several layers of actual false eyelashes. It's a mascara ad!! 

So I'll break each one down by what they claim, what I found in my experience using them, and what I love or don't love about them. For the  product claims I'm going from the Maybelline website because since these were brought in for me by friends, the packaging was removed to avoid customs charges.

The Falsies

The Claim: 300% more visible lashes, corner to corner. Special 'spoon' brush (read: a curved brush which has been 'flattened' so the bristles are shorter in the belly and underside of the curve and longer on the sides) and flexible wand.

By "visible lashes" I assume they mean both longer and thicker, and therefore easier to see?

I prefer waterproof mascaras because they hold the curl better in my lashes because they dry quickly. I don't know what the washable version of this mascara is like, but this one is the absolute BOMB.

The first time I tried it was on uncurled lashes, and I was astonished by how suddenly my lashes were curling upwards! At first, I applied this mascara kind of the way that you're supposed to apply the lash stiletto, constantly pushing the wand through , turning it to get more product as opposed to putting on several coats. I've also used it in coats, though, and I still don't get any clumping problems. 

I like the curve of the brush and though I was skeptical about the longer-shorter-bristle thing, it seems to be a good call because it is easier to get into the corners and on the lower lash line with the shorter bristles. 

It's the formula of this mascara that I love. It's on the thinner side, which means it doesn't really clump, but it dries quickly.

Wearing The Falsies (One coat!)

I'm also a fan of lots of lower lashes, and this mascara gives me lower lashes á la Kim K.

The lashes don't feel too hard or too thick, but they do look thick. 

My only cons with this one is that I don't know if I like the flexible wand, it just doesn't feel stable to me, and also The Falsies is honestly is a bitch to remove. But with everything else it has going for it, this is my new favourite mascara.

The Falsies Black Drama

The Claim: Extreme matte black. 300% more visible lashes, corner to corner, no gaps. Spoon brush, flexible wand.

This one is my least favorite in the bunch. 

It is very black, and very matte. It does make my lashes look much thicker along the base of the lashes. 

I don't know what the matte finish has done to the formula, but this mascara seems very dry and powdery to me. I know quick-dry mascara is supposed to be a good thing, but this dries TOO fast. It almost comes out of the tube half-dry. As a result, I find that it gets clumpy on me before it does any lengthening at all. The "no gaps" thing is crap. Your lashes will ALWAYS have gaps. That's why they're called lashes, not 'fur'.

Wearing Black Drama (two coats)

This mascara doesn't hold the curl as well as The Falsies, maybe because the dryness makes it a little heavier. Again, it thickens at the base but it's very hard to get it moved through the lashes properly, and I really don't feel like I get the length.

This doesn't give me the lower lashes that I'm after either, again because of the dryness of the formula. Same peeve with the flexible neck and the difficulty to remove. Perhaps the brush should be different? It's the same spoon brush but maybe the combination of the dry formula and the spoon brush just don't really work together and well as the brush works with the original Falsies.

I know I sound critical, but this is a good mascara, great for thickening, and it really is a lovely inky black. So perhaps if you already have long lashes, or if you're using it to marry your own lashes to a strip of real falsies, this might work beautifully

The Mega-Plush

The Claim: Mega volume, gel-mousse formula, never brittle or flaky.

I like this mascara. the gel-mousse formula is thin, and I find that it dries quickly, and hold a curl nicely.

I don't find that it gives mega-volume though. I found the volume and lengthings to be a little less than The Falsies, to be honest! But Mega-Plush does lengthen and thicken. It doesn't clump too much either. It's decent on the lower lashes, but I've been spoiled by the Falsies.

Wearing The Mega-Plush (two coats)

I think the brush doesn't need to be quite so fat, and this one has the most flexible neck of all. It makes me feel like the brush is going "doiiinnnggggggg" every time I pull it through my lashes. LOL!

But I do very much love the gel-mouse formula. I wear this mascara during the day or for more natural looks like in the pic (I wasn't wearing foundation or eyeshadow!). It is quite clean, and I love that it doesn't really clump, even after a few coats. 

Also, somehow, this mascara is also hard to remove. It's not just water-washable.

All in all I do like these mascaras, I think they're awesome drugstore buys, and I would buy them all again. they have their pros and cons, but I think The Falsies (the original) is the best mascara I've tried recently.

Hope that was helpful!

Do you like my reviews? Should I do more?

Blessings and lots of lashes!

Mandy

GIFTS & HAUL!!

I have been posting about the INSANE makeup prices in Barbados for a while now, especially on Twitter (follow me @LadyMandyisms!). One day in March as I was posting, Kristi Escobedo (@TheKristiWithAK) shocked me by kindly offering to get me "a few things" (her words). I was expecting a few lip glosses and perhaps a mascara. But this is what I received from her.

From Left, top row: Wet 'n' Wild eyeshadow trio in Knock On Wood, Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids Lipsticks in Vibrant Mandarin and Shocking Coral, Wet 'n' Wild Blush in Mellow Wine. 2nd Row: A TON of samples from Mary Kay, Dead Sea Premier, Guerlian, and a fragrance by Philosophy called Love Sweet Love, Wet 'n' Wild Megalast lipstick in Bare It All and Don't Blink Pink, Maybelline Volume Express The Falsies and The Falsies Black Drama, NYX Smokey Eye Shadow Palette TSS01, Maybelline COlor Tattoo in Bold Gold and Audacious Asphalt, and Maybelline Eyestudio Gel Liner in Blackest Black that comes with its own little rounded stiff brush. 

This shot doesn't do the Color Sensational Lipsticks justice, because they are stunning. They are silky smooth and really well-pigmented, and I love the the Coral one most, which is not a colour I normally like to wear, But I can't get enough of this one. And they smell uh-may-zing!! The Megalast ones I've used before and they are beautifully pigmented, but can tend to be difficult to apply because they're a little dry, so they go one kind of patchy. but a little balm left to soak onto the lip and then patted off works wonders. I also apply it in thin layers with a lip brush instead of straight from the bullet and it works really well. 

A close-up of the eyeshadows: Again, the photo is a little over-blown, because in that NYX palette the colours from left to right are a dark sparkly grey, black, taupe-y plum, navy, taupe-y brown, and white. WIth the exception of the sparkly grey, the shadows are a satin finish. 

Thank you so much Kristi! I'm absolutely flabbergasted that you were so generous and sent me so much stuff! 

Check Kristi out:

@TheKristiwithaK

www.facebook.com/thekristiwithak

Thekristiwithak.blogspot.com

Soon after Kristi sent me that lovely package, my cousin Kathleen came for a visit. I had sent her some money a few weeks earlier to buy some things for me, and she also went crazy and bought me a bunch of stuff as gifts! 

All these nail polishes were gifts. The Nail Art ones don't have individual names but there is a hot pink, another bright pink, a neon green, a dark yellow and a neon yellow. The darker purple is a satin formula and also doesn't have names that I can see on the package, the lighter one has silver shimmer through it and is called Passion Pirouette by Barielle Shades. The tangarine color is also Barielle Shades, called Gotta Have Fate, and the peach one is by Color Club, called In Theory. They are both cremes. The cobalt blue is a Color Club creme called Bright Night, the pale blue is also a creme by Color Club called Evolution. The small one at the bottom is actually a dark green creme by Color Club called WIld Cactus, the dark turquoise creme is COlor Club Abyss, and the mint creme is  by Rue Beauté, no name but the number is 041. The baby pink creme is Color Club Endless, the red creme mini is Color Club Mamba, the bright pink mini is Color Club Flamingo, and the metallic silver mini is Colour Club On The Rocks. Last but not least is the quick dry top coat that my daughter got hold of and left open and it dried out :( But I did use it a few times and it was lovely, I think it was called 0-80.

This one was on my list for Kath to buy for me, it's Hard Candy Fox in a Box Blush in Hot Flash. The colours are all matte/satin finishes and they're gorgeous alone or swirled together.

The large palette was a gift. It's L.A. Colors Private Eye. The colours are beautiful high-shimmer colours, just short of looking like foils, They're quite well pigmented for a "cheap" brand. The huge Bronzer is by Quo, and it's a shimmer but not too glittery. It's quite lovely both as a cheek and a brow highlight. the five pencils are also from Quo, they're called the BFF Super Shaper Eye Wand. They are double ended - one end is a chiseled liner pencil  and the other is a smudger that sits in a little pot of eye shadow, The open one is Amethyst/Opal, and then front left to right Twilight/Chiffon, Bewitching/Mythical, Destiny/Majestic, and (my favourite!) ying/yang. The packaging on those pencils are beautiful; they are quite possible my favourites of the group! The two colour tattoo eyeshadows were on my shopping list, and they are in the colours Fierce & Tangy and Painted Purple. She also got me an Audacious Asphalt because it was on my shopping list, which I had made before Kristi sent me that package, as well as some more of the Maybelline Volume Express mascaras (I have 5 tubes now!). Below the palette is a cream eyeshadow, don't know the brand but the colour is Tidal Wave. It's cracked, but it's not dry. It's a lovely turquoise with a gold duo0chrome type of effect. Also pictured is another no-name brand of cream shadow in a taupe colour, and a stay-all-day cream shadow by Essence called Glammy Goes To. the little blue  tube that's kind of out of frame (sorry!) is NYC Sparkle Dust eyeshadow in Brilliant Sapphire, and the two lip glosses are Lise Watier plumping minis in the colours Nude and Bronze. That brings me to the last four products (the tube of lipgloss, the baked bronzer at the top and the two tubes) which were on my Shopping list. They're from Hard Candy and they made up the Glamazon Bronzing kit. The white tube is the Hard Candy face primer and the gold one is a cream bronzer called Glow All The Way. 

The L'Oreal Infallible Shadows were on my list, in the colours Golden Sage and Bronzed Taupe. The two Glitter palettes are from NYX. These glitters are not for the eye! THe blue palette is called Ocean Breeze and the purple is Royal Violets. On top is a Revlon Balm stain in the colour Romantic (I LOVE this product!!!) The little Bijin Palette deserves its own picture!

It's called the Bento Beauty Box. It's a face and eye palette. The colours aren't named, but the blush is a lovely soft peachy-tan colour, and the eyeshadow quad has a plum, a pale pinky taupe, a rosy pink, and a dark grey. They're ll satin finish. I can't say enough about this packaging, it's just beautiful. "Bijin" is a Japanese term for "Beautiful Woman". SO nice! I don't know that I'll use these colours on myself, but they're lovely for a bridal kit, so that's exactly where I'm putting this one!

I've bought a few more things for myself over the past few months, but I'll save those for another post. Thanks to Kathleen and Kristi I now have a HUGE set of new makeup to play with! SO far I've tried all the lipsticks, and the colour tattoo and Infallible shadows. The Infallible in Bronzed Taupe is just stunning, and Audacious Asphalt is a new favourite for a quick fun eye. Also, the Falsies mascara, which I haven't seen down here yet, is just fan-freaking-tastic. I can't put it any better way.

If you managed to get through all of that, thank you SO much for reading! I'm getting back to doing videos soon, I'm really looking forward to that. 

Lots of makeup dreams,

Mandy

Random Makeup pics

Hey Beautiful People!

Haven't done a blog in a while, I know. I won't belabour my computer woes any more. But I'm getting a new laptop soon! YAY!

So I thought for now I'd share a few manicures I'e worn over the past few weeks. Ive been experimenting with rhinestones and my husband loves them and requests manis with them, so I just keep doing rhinestones manis!

OPI "Yoga-ta Get This Blue", NYX Glitter in a black base (fine and hexagonal glitter), and rhinestones.

Colour Club polishes.

ALso I have a few #FOTDs for you guys:

Glowing skin achieved with MAC  Studio Fix Foundation in NC 42, Studio Fix Concealer in NW35 (because the warmer tone brihgtens under my eyes since I have a sallow skin tone), MAC MSF in Medium Dark, Wet 'n' Wild Blush in Mellow Wine, GOld Highlight (the name on the compact rubbed off...), NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder in Dark Brown/Brown, Revlon Blam Stain in Romantic, and Maybellline Falsies Volume Express. No eyeshadow, Baby! (I was in a hurry!)

Same foundation/Concealer/powder combo, La Femme Bright pink blush, same highlight, mascara and eyebrow powder, Wet n Wild eyeshadow trio in Knock On Wood, NYX Beige Lipgloss. 

Nude lips are actually quite difficult for me to get because the natural colour of my lips is a very dusky purple, and when I put concealer over that it looks very ashy and sickly. So I'm going to do a more in depth post (maybe even a video!) on how I blank my lips out for a nude lip.

Mascara, eyebrows, balm stain and blush. That's it folks! (terrible photo makes it look like I didn't blend my blush...I promise that's not how it looked!

And finally a simple look: Same foundation/powder/concealer, eyebrow powder and mascara. On my eyes: MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack and a random brown eyeshadow I had lying around...I difues the liner and used it through the crease. La Femme bright pink blush, and NYX Lipstick in Chaos (LP511). I didn't wear highlighter this day cause I forgot. *facepalm*

Hope you lovelies are having a great day!

I have a HAUL to post next!!!

Wow...It's been a long time!

I've been battling with having no internet or computer at home. Long story.

Anyway, I upload when I can. Today's post is about a fabulous photoshoot that I did makeup and hair for, featuring the bowties of Bajan designer Orlando Williams. THe photography was by ALyson Holder of 3rd EyE Photography.

The face was to be a somewhat updated rockabilly-type look, and the hair was meant to be modern, but inspired by the rockabilly look. Instead of a victory roll, which would have been expected, I went with the height that victory rolls added, but added to that the bee-hive look of the 60s, and made my own little modern, slightly messy love-child updo.

The makeup photographed differently in different light, but it was a gently contoured cat eye with winged liner. in the crease and outer 1/3 of the lower lashline I used hint of purple instead of just a neutral brown. I kept Shannon's beautiful natural thick brows. The skin was kept dewy, which is more modern than the flawless matte skin of the 50s rockabilly aesthetic. And we changed the lips to create different looks. Shannon is such a  chameleon that the change of lip changed her whole look. TO finish her off, I painted her nails a chic, timeless white, and we kept the bowties as the only accessory, which keeps the lines modern and clean and makes for no competition for the lovely bowties.

Nude lips and lightly dewy skin worked with the crisp white tuxedo shirt and allowed the silver sequined bowtie to stand out.

FOr fun we added these funky glasses and they made it a totally different, very swanky shot!

For the black and white lace bowtie, we chose a sexy black blazer with satin lapels and a plunging neckline, and went for a seductive pink stained lip and very dewy skin.

The flirty aubergine and black net bowtie needed to stand on its own so we went for bare shoulders, and for Shannon's lips I used black lipstick and purple eyeshadows to create a vampy look. This was the last look we did, and so I boosted the purples in the eye makeup as well. This is my favourite photo, because you get the full effect of Alyson's incredibly creative backdrop of black balloons.

This ultra-modern white lip I did on a whim, and everyone loved it. I actually used NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk for the lips!. The skin was again kept extra dewy to play off the white lips. We paired it with an elegant white satin, black net and jewel-accented bowtie with the tuxedo shirt and the black blazer. This look ended up being my favourite of all.

Hope you enjoyed this! Please let me know what you think!

The Price of Makeup

If you follow me on twitter (@LadyMandyisms), you'll know that from time to time I'll complain about the prices of makeup here in Barbados.

I understand that because we are importing everything, the price will be higher. But companies here tend to all be guilty of "price gouging", that is, adding a ridiculous mark-up to their merchadise to try to make profits, and it works, because most of us will simply buy what's available. Many people don't have the option to order online, and even when we do, the duties charged once the item gets here, in addition to high shipping costs for individual packages, as opposed to the shipping costs and duties on bulk shipments, makes for just as high a price. Generally buying in bulk not only reduces the cost of the items, but the shipping is of course lower per item.

People will say that the exchange rate must be taken into consideration. I say that's true, it's roughly $2 bds to $1 US. However, my argument is this: If I walk into a drugstore here with $50, I could buy 2 Wet 'n' Wild palettes and have barely enough left for one nailpolish. Someone in the States walks into a drugstore with $25 and can buy roughly 5 of the same Wet 'n' Wild Palettes.

I took some photos today in a drugstore called iMart so that you guys can see I'm not exaggerating. These are all Drugstore brands (Wet 'n' Wild, Milani, Covergirl, L'Oreal). I apologize for the crappy photos, I took them with my crappy phone! I've noted the price when the photos are a little fuzzy.

$24.95

$29.95

$37.95

$43.95

$12.95

And of course, these extreme prices extend to higher end makeup. Brands like Makeup Forever, Inglot Illamasqua etc, are not available here at all. very limited options from brands like Chanel, Clinique and Estee Lauder are available here. We do have a MAC store, where Studio Fix Foundation is upwards of $90BDS.

My dream is to open a makeup store that sells these products much closer to their original price, but for that I need to jump through a ton of legal loopholes. I'm still investigating all my options.

Something needs to change!

Changing Face

Alyson challenged me to change the ethnicity of these two beautiful girls, which is something I've always been fascinated by. Shannon and Adri were fantastic, they were such good sports about it because this took a long time (about an hour and a half each). You'll recognize both Adri and Shannon from other shots in my Portfolio. They are two of my favourite models to work with, and you'll be seeing them in future videos, too!

Alyson's idea was to create these beautiful dark women and then show them wiping away their makeup. It was meant to be a commentary on how we perceive beauty and the strain on women to be other than they are in order to be beautiful.

We started with Adri. She has bright blue-green eyes naturally, and we decided to make her look East Indian. Because I don't own an airbrush, I used liquid foundation and built up layer after layer to create the right depth of tone for the skin. I tried to keep it "artistic" looking, and Aly took photos of the process as a part of the project.

The second photo is about three layers of foundation. Once her foundation was complete, I could go ahead and contour her face. Below is the finished product.

We purposely left areas undone, like Adri's chest and shoulders, and made the edges messy. That's what Aly was going for.

Then it was Shannon's turn. Where Adri's natural skin tone is milky and rosy (I am absolutely in LOVE with Adri's skin and rarely cover it up with foundation when I do her makeup), Shannon is more of a pale Olive tone with brown eyes, and she has stronger facial architecture, and so we decided to take her much darker than Adri. Below is a shot of her with just one layer of foundation.

And Shannon's finished face.

Below is a group shot of the two girls. Adri' eyes are done, but her skin was two layers of foundation away from being finished, and Shannon still only had one layer of foundation on.

 And here they are, both finished (below). Note Adri's finished tone is more of a golden-toned brown, where Shannon's is much more dusky, with an almost blue undertone.

This final shot was Aly's original idea: to portray the anguish we can feel when we are trying to fit ourselves into some ideal of beauty and fail.

For the darkening of the skin on both girls I used various dark tones of Black Opal Liquid Foundation and Loose Powder. I stippled the foundation on with torn wedge sponges and buffed the powder in gradually with a small brush every few layers (it was a lot of liquid to set!). For the eyes and eyebrows I used my Coastal Scents 88 Colour Palette.

We did repeat this concept with two Black girls, and I'll post the results of that one shortly. I must confess, making Black girls white was infinitely more difficult that making White girls black, and the latter was no easy feat!

It's important also to say that Aly and I were commenting on the racial struggles we have, as well as the beauty struggles. We were in no way, however, saying that one race is "better" or "worse" than the other. But skin colour is one of the most immediate ways to show the contrast and conflict. White girl's tan themselves into an early grave and Black girls bleach themselves grey every day. It is something Aly and I are very passionate about. We want to raise awareness and make people pay attention in our own small way. Art is meant to hold a mirror up to society. These photos were exhibited in Aly's most recent show, and they did create quite a bit of buzz. They made people very uncomfortable, which we are extremely happy about. When people are uncomfortable they tend to sit up and pay attention, and are much more likely to act!

Stay tuned for more very soon!!

Couture Hats/Beauty Shoot

FINALLY!!! I have been waiting for nearly two months to be able to share these photos with you!

These shots are for a couture hat designer named Denise Dennis. She makes these beautiful hats by hand! If you want her info just leave me a comment on this post. Likewise if you want the info of any of the models.

My best friend and photographer extraordinaire Alyson Holder of 3rd Eye Photography took the photos. She and I worked on the concept. We wanted the makeup to be sultry and chic without being over-the-top, so as not to distract from the hats themselves. We knew the shots were going to be tight-frame beauty shots, and so the skin would have to be perfect and the makeup precise and clean, with good contour because the background would be white. We tried black backgrounds but the glow and the subtle colours were lost.

The first model up is Jade West. She's a gorgeous girl of mixed ethnicity. I love that she experiments with her hair...for this shoot she all but shaved it off and bleached it almost white. I used a thin layer of a creamy beige foundation all over her face because although the quality of her skin is lovely, she was a little hormonally blotchy that day.

Jade is well named, because she has beautiful jade-green eyes, and I wanted to make them stand out, but subtly, if that makes any sense. I used a medium purplish-taupe colour on her lid, a deep plum eyeliner on her upper lashline (actually it was a lip liner - LOL!) and a deep royal blue liner on her lower lashline. I kept her brows soft and warm, since her skin is quite pale with a slight olive undertone. She has beautiful bone structure but because the backdrop was white, I defined her cheekbones, jaw and collar bones a little more strongly with a tawny matte bronzer than I would have normally, since a white background can wash out pale skin.

For her cheeks I used a very subtle peachy colour, rather than a pink, just to avoid any monotony in the tones, and highlighted her cheekbones with a shimmery pink.

Jade has a very full, pouty, sexy mouth, and so I used a pale, plumy-pink lipstick and a little gloss to keep it sexy without it becoming the focal point of her face.

We shot her wearing two different hats. Denise designed the hats so that their placement on the head can be changed for a different effect, as shown in the picture below. It's the same hat as the first photo of Jade. Which is your favourite?

Funny enough, Jade wears colour so beautifully, but never uses colour on herself! She generally sticks to neutral colours or black. The most she'll do is wear red lipstick. Keep an eye out for Jade in future videos. She just may be a new muse for me, because I think she's just stunning. She's super sweet, too.

The next Model up is Lara Rogers. Another stunning young woman, Lara has flawless skin, a lovely heart-shaped face, and wide-set doe eyes. The look done on her was originally planned for Shannon, but once I saw Lara in person I changed my mind. She had the perfect face for this look.

I love this hat. It's almost bridal, but still so couture. Lara wore this makeup beautifully. She has amazing porcelain skin, and I just used a bisque foundation in certain areas. She needed very little foundation, and she only needed concealer under her eyes. I didn't powder her skin because I wanted to preserve her natural glow. I used medium and dark taupe colours all along the lid and into the brow bone, a lighter lavender-taupe as a brow highlight, and dark browns and black along the lid and lash lines. It was quite heavy, but the white background, again, muted the colours somewhat. For a little bit of an edgy an romantic twist I swept the medium taupe and brown out from her lid onto her temple, which you can see in the above photo. Lara wears Novalash Eyelash  extensions, and so didn't need any false lashes for this although I had originally planned the look with falsies. I lined her upper and lower waterlines with black gel liner.

This hat is a different one, but along the same lines as the first. I kept Lara's cheeks soft, and very lightly defined her cheekbones with a light matte bronzer and pale pink blush, and used a very mildly shimmery white highlight along the top of her cheekbones, the center or her forehead, down her nose and on her cupid's bow. I really wanted her to glow naturally. This makeup would be lovely on a bride, and can be softened or toned down as needed. It would be beautiful with a nude lip, as well. In fact, my makeup for my own wedding was very similar to this, with a nude lip.

As you can see, the darkness around the lash lines and the purple undertones in the taupe eyeshadow made the green in Lara's eyes stand out beautifully. (They're actually blue with a green center.) For her lips, which are naturally a gorgeous, perfectly symmetrical shape, I defined and filled them in completely with a dark red liner, then redefined them again and filled the corners with a dark purple liner. Over that I used a true red lipstick, applying it with a brush, had her blot, and reapplied it again. The result was this dense, rich lip that played off her pale skin beautifully.

Every makeup artist has those few looks that she is supremely proud of, and though this is relatively simple, it's one of mine. The finished product just took my breath away.

Last, but not least, we have Shannon Harris. As I said before, I had originally planned Lara's look for Shannon but changed my mind (although it would have been amazing on her), and so on the day, I decided to have fun with Shannon's amazing bone structure.

I've done Shannon's makeup several times, and many different ways, and she is truly a chameleon. She looks incredible in every look I have tried on her, from natural, to 80s supermodel, to ethereal fairy. There are a few shots of her on my portfolio tab if you want to go see. I absolutely LOVE making her up. She's one of those models that get Makeup Artists excited!

So for this I decided to go a little more French-Vogue-esque. I toned down her dark eyebrows, used purple contours, pale, shimmery taupe and lavender highlights through the whole center of her face, eyelids and collar bones, and no mascara. I also highlighted her cupid's bow, and ran a little beige powder through her eyelashes to further make them "disappear". Then we played around with the lips.

The first lip was nude, achieved by dabbing a satin-finish beige lipstick on with my fingers to stain the lip, rather than slicking it on.

I love this shot because you can see how Shannon's skin is glowing. Again, like Lara, she had on very little foundation only on the areas of her cheeks that were flushed because of the heat (it's extremely hot and humid in Barbados during summer). For this lip I just added a coral lipgloss on top of the beige lip stain.

This lip is my favourite. I used a healthy coat of chapstick and pressed a blue/purple (blurple!) duo chrome eyeshadow into it.

For this last lip, I lined Shannon's lips with a berry red liner and filled them in with a bright red lipstick. In this shot you can see the toned down eyebrows and lashes. Her eye makeup never changed throughout all her lip transformations.


There you have it! This was a very fun shoot, and these girls are awesome.

More is coming, so stay tuned!!