Hey guys, guess what? I'm featured on this really fun blog by two really fun ladies in Chicago!
I'm
feeling pretty lucky to have the support of such talented people.
Sometimes a girl needs a pat on the back! Plus, you know me, I love to
talk makeup so that's what we did. I answered questions abt my favorite
products and items and had a blast chatting with Lexi, I hope you enjoy
reading it!
After my interview with make-up artist Sarah Balhibi, I felt like I’d really learned something; not just about makeup but also about the desire to succeed at what you love. I also felt like I wanted her to move to Chicago so that she could do my makeup/hang out with me all the time. A girl can dream.
Check out my interview with LA’s finest, Sarah Bahlibi for some solid beauty advice that we could all use. Sarah’s story on making it in such a competitive industry will make any working girl feel more confident in her goals, whatever they may be. Read on!
If you had to narrow it down, what would your top 5 beauty must-haves be?
For my own makeup must haves I like to look natural and like I have good skin, and I like to do that as quickly as possible. These are my top 5 must haves to look good, quickly.
- Concealer – I use Stila
Perfecting Concealer shade E. I prefer to conceal what i want hidden
instead of covering my whole face in foundation. Also you can mix a bit
of moisturizer w/your concealer and use it as a tinted moisturizer if
you need all over coverage. Concealers can be confusing, they come in
all kinds of shades and there are so many diff opinions on what color
you should be using. When in doubt, forget everything you’ve ever heard
about using a lighter shade or going green. Go get a shade the same
color as your skin. Test it out on your jaw line and neck, these two
areas are where you will notice a difference in color the most. Go
outside and have a look in natural light and get a friend to double
check for you before you buy. It should disappear - that’s how you know
it’s the right color. Looking to spend less? Try the true match line by
L’Oreal.
- Highlight – I love a subtle glow on my cheekbones and under my brow. I hate looking like a disco ball in the sun so I use a small amount. This is especially important when the weather is gloomy and/or dry. It keeps me looking like I drink more than enough water everyday and little to no coffee. I use Girl Meets Pearl from Benefit. It’s a slightly rose-gold color. On the days when I’m going for a matte look, I use Anastasia Beverly Hills Matte Highlighter in Camille. It will bring light into your face without sparkle. I like to think of highlight as professional lighting. Everyone looks better in the proper lighting and that’s what highlighting your face will do as well as bring out your best features.
- Blush – I like to add some color to my cheeks. I love Nars blush in Orgasm. It looks fantastic on most people, especially if you have a olive undertone.
- Eye lid primer – Probably one of my most major must-haves. Whether
I’m wearing ‘no makeup’ or a full face of makeup, I’m always wearing Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer.
It’s a fantastic base for eyeshadow. Shadows really stick well to it,
and it prevents creasing and smearing of your eye makeup. I’m addicted
to this primer because it’s a flesh tone that brightens my eyes and
looks 100% natural. It evens out the color of my eye lid so if I wear no
makeup, I still look awake and alert. I think of it almost as a
concealer and highlighter in one for my eyes. It also has hyaluronic
acid in it which retains moisture in your skin. The skin around your
eyes is very delicate and thin, so keeping it moisturized is crucial in
looking youthful. Anything I can do to add moisture to the eye area, I
do!
- Lip Stain – For me, my makeup needs are evening out my skin tone and brightening it up as well. After I’ve evened the color in my face so I have no redness, splotchy-ness, etc, I need some color. I usually do this with a lip stain. I love LOVE Tarte LipSurgence Natural Lip Stain. I love every color they make. They come in sheer, shimmery or matte, they stay on all day and they moisturize like crazy. I love that they are like a big crayon and I can just throw it on as I’m going out the door. Makes my day very easy!
Mayer Hawthorne and dancers- Makeup by Sarah BahlibiIn 2007 my boyfriend and I packed everything we could fit (including Rocko, our dog) into my Honda Civic and moved to Los Angeles. At the time I didn’t think it was crazy or anything. I wanted to pursue my makeup. I think that my first lesson learned was that if I wanted this, I had to go get it. Nobody was going to hand it to me. I went out and about LA and told everyone I was a makeup artist. That was my second lesson, I had to believe in me! I had never done a makeup job before, I had no makeup kit and there I was, telling everyone I could do it. That’s how I got my first job. It was for a very famous company, I had to go to a very famous place, I had to work withvery famous people! I was scared but I did it and somehow managed to convince them that I was a successful, working makeup artist. After that I just kept it up. Since then I’ve learned that in this industry your personality matters as much as your skill. If you have a bad attitude nobody will want you around. Besides that I learned that nothing worth doing is ever easy. In this industry you may be booked for three months straight and then go a month with nothing! You have to keep hustling to get work. I don’t have an agent so I book everything myself and it can be really hard, I think of it as a treadmill that you can never get off of. I have to work really hard just to work really hard and to me, it’s worth it. I always wanted to work a job that I love, and I feel really lucky to be able to say that I do love my job. Against all odds I tell myself I can do it. Keeping a positive attitude is crucial to being a freelance makeup artist.
Jhene Aiko, Makeup by Sarah BahlibiBeing a makeup artist can be really surreal. Booking a job at the Playboy Mansion for instance. That was pretty mind blowing. I had driven by it a few times while showing people around my new city, but nothing prepared me for those gates opening FOR ME! That was really neat. There is a hotel here in LA, the Chateau Marmont. I’ve always wanted to go in there but been intimidated by how ‘Hollywood’ it seems. You hear crazy stories of celebrity parties and overdoses and power meetings happening there and it sounds like you need VIP pass to get in. The other day I booked a job for a famous actress and she wanted me to meet her in her room at the Chateau! I was freaking out. I think that’s one of the craziest things about this industry, you have to walk into these famous Hollywood places and act like it’s no big deal when you’re actually freaking out, sweaty palmed and trying not to steal the ash tray for a souvenir. When it comes down to it, working with celebrities is just like working with anyone else, you just have to make sure you don’t trash talk anyone they may befriends with when you’re having makeup time gossip. I learned that lesson the hard way recently while I was working with a very high powered individual. I said ‘You know who seems like a handful? ___ ____!” She turned to me and said “He is a really lovely young man, he always treats me with respect and is a total professional” …. I had to back track FAST! “Yeah, it’s a shame the media really doesn’t get him. He really does seem nice” … Awkward.
Mayer Hawthorne, Makeup by Sarah BahlibiMy number one rule to live by is to moisturize your skin. It is CRUCIAL. It doesn’t matter if you have oily skin, you still have to moisturize. Make sure to use a moisturizer that says it’s non-comedogenic (That means it won’t clog your pores) and use one with SPF. Besides that everyone needs a different level of moisture but you can never go wrong with Cetaphil Daily Facial Moisturizer w/ SPF 50. I like to think of my skin as a rubber band. Everyone has seen that dried out, old rubber band in the bottom of a desk, all cracked and gross. That is what your face will look when you’re 50 if you don’t moisturize when you’re young.
Thanks Sarah! We’re so excited for you and can’t wait to see where this amazing path takes you!
Sarah with Anastasia of Anastasia Beverly Hillslexi & lo
