Dark Circle Drama - The Beauty Bitch

Covering dark under eye circles has been and remains one of the top beauty questions I am asked.
Editor Susan Linney tackled the question for Meets Obsession, an online magazine for the beauty and culture obsessed.

If you have a drawer full of concealers that don't get the job done, then read on. Linney interviewed two of the top makeup artists in the biz, Yours Truly and Kevin James Bennet, to get the 411 on disappearing the luggage under your eyes, forever. Please notice we both said essentially the same thing!

Want to know what we said? Read it here.

A Simple Beauty Makeover

This was a really fun and easy photo/makeover. A photographer (friend) asked me to help him with a class project. The goal was to show extreme contrast in one subject. He asked me to create a a simple hair and makeup style, and then to pump up the pretty factor, and he would adjust his lighting.


 To create the "after" look, I simply added more eyeliner, false eyelashes, and lip gloss. For her hair, which is long and straight, I changed the part to an extreme side part, then swept it across her forehead and pinned the hair up in the back. Simple, glamorous and easy.


 What do you think?

photography by Dick Patrick

photography by Dick Patrick

The Business of Beauty

Makeup by Penny Sadler
Hair by Mark Garrison Salon

It's not every day I get to work with beautiful models and top editorial hairdressers.  Believe it or not, most of the time, putting makeup on people for camera means making it look like they don't have on much makeup at all. Putting makeup on these lovelies was just the creative change I needed.

 I was excited and happy to be asked to work once again, with Beth Minardi, an icon in the haircolor industry, and her team of top notch hair stylists. The event was a presentation of Mindari haircolor, sort of a mini runway show.

 I asked them what sort of look they wanted, and the only direction I was given was "pretty makeup with emphasis on the eyes." And that's exactly what I gave them. This is why I became a makeup artist to begin with. Great team, beautiful models. And who do you think the blonde looks like?

Top 10 Travel Tips with Makeup Artist Penny Sadler

Traveling with One Carry-On

I"m often asked how many bags I take with me when I go to Italy for two or three weeks. My answer, one carry-on and one personal bag. This seems to be a challenge for most women. When I tell them I only take two pair of shoes they go into defense mode. More shoes is more, right?

Summer fabrics make packing light easy as they take up less space in your luggage. The key is choosing colors and patterns that can be layered and matched with every other piece.

Here's an example: If your accent color is a strong, vibrant, turquoise blue, but you have a favorite jacket that is a pastel pink, well that's not really going to work, is it? What do you wear the pink jacket with?
White pants you say. Yes, but the idea is that each piece can be interchanged.
Conclusion: you must leave the pink jacket at home, or change your accent color.

To illustrate this concept I got together with professional model and friend, Rhonda Sargent Chambers. Rhonda supplied her classic travel wardrobe, which she tells me she wears year-after-year, and I supplied the makeup, photographs, and a bottle of prosecco.

Head over to my travel blog Adventures of a Carry-On  to see more photos and read the rest of the story.

Here are a few more photos from the shoot, Summer Travel Style.

How To Wear Makeup in the Summer and 4th of July Tips

The key to summer makeup - less is more. Think, tinted moisturizers with an SPF. A little bronzer. Self tanners for the face and body. Powder is your friend, as it helps absorb shine from excess oil and perspiration. Powder-free blotting papers are perfect for removing excess shine and oil without looking caked on.  Sheer lip tints look just right, and are a better choice for summer than more opaque formulas.

This story from Beauty Press is spot on with tips and techniques for summer makeup. I especially like the blue liner. For something more subtle, you can apply, then smudge with a liner smudging brush. Or apply liner on the top lid only.

Happy 4th!

This and That

Since my last post, things have continued to move full speed ahead. I find that the type of work I do seems to go in cycles. Sometimes I work on commercials and sometimes it's more television news and satellite broadcasts. Recently, I've worked on shows for the Food Channel, HGTV and the Speed Channel.

Working outside in Texas is challenging, especially in the spring and summer. Either it's too hot, too humid or too windy. The past couple of shows, I worked with female hosts, and we were constantly battling the heat, humidity and winds gusting up to 40 miles per hour. Keeping the hair from blowing is simply impossible. I've posted a couple of photos from these shoots, taken in a more controlled environment.

The key to long wearing makeup even in the Texas elements, apply it properly in the beginning! Prep the skin with sunscreen and moisturizer if needed. Apply a silicon based primer to help the makeup go on more smoothly and give it staying power. I also use a liquid or gel eyeliner because it's more water proof than pencil and doesn't smear. Finish with powder. As the day goes by,  I usually only have to touch up under the eyes and the lips.

I also had the opportunity to teach for Last Looks Makeup Academy.  I taught three classes: bridal makeup, eye makeup only, and airbrush makeup. The classes were small, so the students got lots of one-on-one attention and extra tips and tricks I use on set.  Everyone had a great time and learned a lot. If you are interested in classes in Dallas, let me know or contact Heather at Last Looks Academy in Los Angeles. If there's enough demand she'll bring the school to Dallas.

Sometimes You Just Have No Control

For these bridals  I did hair and makeup at my location in Dallas then, the bride flew to San Antonio where these photos were taken. I gave her a few tips on how to keep her makeup fresh and how to touch up for photos since I wasn't going along for the ride. She kindly sent me these after the session with a note, "I think they turned out great." I thought so too considering everything that had transpired between the time she left my place and arrived at the location in San Antonio.
Since photographs are forever I worry about all the details. I want perfection. The note and the photos told me the day had been in a success. Sometimes you have to let go.

Getting Glam On The High Seas

As mentioned in an earlier post, I spent two weeks working with a production crew filming marketing materials for a luxury cruise line.  Production work normally requires minimal hairstyling, but for this job, I was asked to create very elegant and sophisticated hairstyles. This was challenging and gratifying  at the same time as, it forced me to use skills that are not often called on.  I was also blessed with a model who had absolutely gorgeous thick hair, with just enough natural wave to help me mold it into a beautiful up style. I am grateful to all the wonderful hairdressers I've had the pleasure to work and study with over the years especially Martin Parsons and Guy Kremer. for sharing their knowledge and helping me expand my repertoire.

Oceania Cruises - It's Not The Destinations, It's The Journey

I recently had the luck to land a two and half week job on board a luxury cruise ship. As part of the hair and makeup team I was asked to create glamorous hairstyles and makeup in keeping with the elegant interiors and upscale clientele of the new ship christened the Marina. Many of you may have seen the news coverage on Entertainment Tonight with Mary Hart, the godmother of the the Marina. This was my first time on a cruise ship and I have to say, I am ruined. Absolutely, spoiled. The ship was beyond luxurious and the crew was first class 24 hours a day. As soon as I complete my edit of 1000 plus photos I'll be back and tell you the rest of the story.

Marta’s Bridal

Believe it or not I've worked with many brides the day of their wedding and I've never laid eyes on them before. Never done their makeup or hair, ie. no consultation or trial run. Marta was one of these brides. She looked at my website, we exchanged a couple of emails and booked the date.

She came to me with a clean face and some magazine tears with ideas how she would like to wear her hair and makeup. An hour and half later, I give her the mirror for final approval and she says, " Perfect!" She emailed me this image by josephmarkphotography.com

Brianna Nickels bridal portrait

Brianna was great to work with. She told me she wanted to be airbrushed and that she loved makeup - so “don't hold back!” The color composition of this photo by Jenny Martell is just beautiful. A successful collaboration.