The Sunscreen Song

Who remembers the sunscreen song form the 90's?


It will do you well to listen to this advise,  it truly is the MOST important cosmetic advise you'll ever receive...and you have most likely heard it all before...but this time, PLEASE LISTEN!

I know it sounds like a cliche...but sunscreen IS MANDATORY! 
It is listed as my number one most effective skin care ingredient and it is scientifically proven to be effective.
If you don't adhere to any other advise, just do this ONE thing.
Sunscreen will protect your skin against premature ageing. Have a look at parts of your skin that is not exposed to sunlight e.g. the buttocks...this is what the skin on your face would have looked like if it was not exposed to the sun all the time. 
Wear your sunscreen daily.  Also during winter, as there are still UVA and UVB rays although you might not be aware of it.  

When using AHA and Vitamin A products in your skin care regime it is VITAL to use sunscreen as these ingredients will make the skin more sensitive to sun damage.  Especially if you are prone to pigmentation, applying sunscreen is .

Use a sunscreen that also contains anti-oxidants, it is scientifically proven to be more effective. (The anti-oxidants also counteract the free-radicals from the sunlight and therefore it will be even more effective against ageing)

Now for the lyrics of Baz Luhrmann's Sunscreen song: 

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ’97
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be
it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience…

I will dispense this advice now. Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh never mind; you will not
understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded.
But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked….You’re not as fat as you
imagine.
Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that
never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm
on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing everyday that scares you. Sing. Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with
people who are reckless with yours. Floss.
Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself.
Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements. Stretch.
Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your
life…the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they
wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year
olds I know still don’t.
Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.
Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children, maybe
you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky
chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary…what ever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either – your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s.
Enjoy your body, use it every way you can…don’t be afraid of it, or what other people
think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.
Dance…even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.
Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.
Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly. Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the
people most likely to stick with you in the future. Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on.
Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young. Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel. Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were
noble and children respected their elders. Respect your elders.
Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.
Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85. Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of
fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than
it’s worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen…

The Perfect Eye



The target of eye make-up is to achieve the almond eye shape. This method comes way back. The Egyptians have been using Kohl pencils since 10,000BC to achieve the almond eye. I am not saying that you have to walk around with dramatic Cleopatra eyeliner if this is not your style, but merely to create a subtle almond shape with your makeup.

So if you don’t have a perfect almond eye shape (your eyes might be a bit more rounded or slightly small), apply your eye makeup in such a manner so that it creates the illusion of an almond. All you need to do is slant the ends of the eyeliner upwards and draw the liner in an almond shape. The larger your eyes are, the thicker you can make the liner. If you have small eyes, it is best to keep the line thin.

My first photo shoot was with the Kiki London group in October last year. The day consisted of a bunch of volunteers that made up and styled a photo shoot in a forest for a bunch of photographers to practise their eye and share their skills. I had a great amount of fun!  Everyone went out of their way to make the day a success and the models were volunteers that were great to work with! I loved looking at the photographs that I received back from the photographers! I can not help but to share some of the photos with you! A big thank you to everyone involved.



 

Me in Action!
A Vintage red lip look
Photographer: Katherine Newan
Model: Lenice de Jager

Creating the Smokey eye and nude lip
Photographer: Shirley Gilks
Model: Suzi Brown



The End Result
Photographer: Shirley Gilks
Model: Lenice de Jager



Photographer: Heline Bekker
Model: Suzi Brown

 

Lenise's makeup from close up
Photographer: Elana Bouwer





 And here follows my favourite photo of the day:







Got to LOVE the Timing!!!
Photographer: Katherine Newman
Styling: Pink Loves Red events Styling

 





 In my next blog I would love to share the first of my essential skin care ingredients...












The Basic Foundation

The most important thing to remember when doing beauty makeup is that it is all about enhancing the beauty that is already there. We use makeup to perfect our facial features - hiding a few small things and enhancing a few others. The target of beauty makeup is to still be yourself after the makeover...the you that turns heads!

Research has shown the way the human eye determines beauty is by scanning down the face and finding symmetry. It is therefore very important to make up the two sides of the face equally and to correct the features by filling in the lines (especially the lips and eyes) in such a way as to achieve symmetry. This explains how some people can appear to be plain but at the same time stunningly beautiful. So take courage if you, like me, don't look like a model. This can all be achieved by the illusion of symmetry!

I want to show you my first attempt at makeup on a darker complexion during the makeup course. I was extremely pleased with myself. I managed to mix and match the perfect foundation first time! It was a delight working on this model; we had great fun learning about different shades and skin tones. We played with the classic eyeliner and red lip look. Afterward we tried to achieve the smoky eye look, it takes on a different look on a darker complexion, but I love the way it turned out.






The Classic Eyeliner and Red Lip.




The Smoky Eye

The secret about the perfect foundation is to know if you have a yellow or a pink tone.  Indian, Asian, African and some Mediterranean ancestries usually have yellow skin tones. The English rose complexion is usually a pink tone. In some occasions it might be a good idea to mix these colours.  This is the reason why most makeup artists have a colour palette; it allows the mixing of the perfect match for the model's complexion. 

It can be more challenging as a consumer to purchase the correct shade. My advice would be to do adequate testing at the department store before purchasing a product or to get someone that has an eye for a good match to join you on your shopping spree. If you find a foundation you are happy with, record the shade name for future reference!

The purpose of foundation is to correct skin tone and to balance out the colour. There are various types of foundation. They usually vary in coverage. If you for example have freckles (the correct terminology is ephelides), then it is better to use a light coverage. Ephelides are beautiful and they make up part of who you are, don’t hide them! The fuller the coverage the more made up you will look. It is useful to apply a fuller coverage if you are attempting to create an evening look or need your foundation to stay on for longer. Also keep in mind that film and photography mediums capture every small detail and we therefore need more help with our coverage. I prefer using medium coverage on myself for everyday use. This is mostly a matter of personal preference.

Concealer is a must have. Especially for the purple under eye area, the odd spot and occasional pigmentation mark. The mistake most ladies make is to think that the foundation application is adequate enough for concealing these areas and therefore don’t use a concealer.  Foundation only balances out the skin tone, the concealer conceals!

It is very useful to apply a primer underneath your foundation. This smooths out any fine lines and enlarged pores. It also helps the foundation to stay on for longer. Finishing powder is also used to fix your foundation. It is especially handy for ladies who find that they develop a shine during the course of the day. I mattifies the skin and gives it the final perfect finish.

In the next few weeks I am intending to share the first of the must-have ingredients I believe should be incorporated into your skincare routine along with some more basic makeup secrets.

How this all started: Passion, Research and Education.

For years I have invested most of my free time and indeed most of my salary on my hobby. In truth...I am obsessed. 

I have been investing in my future (this terminology sooths the conscience) by purchasing all the latest and most expensive cosmetic creams, serums and whatever miracle potion is sold with promises of miraculous proportions. And in the mean time I've been using makeup artistry to hide what is hideous and enhance the slightly better bits.

Eventually I came to realise that the marketing in the cosmetic industry can not be trusted. I've been led around by the nose and I have mostly been spending my savings on something that is not guaranteed the deliver results.

I started to look into the actual ingredient lists on these products and researched how they actually work on the skin, or if they do anything at all! As I am a qualified and practising Biomedical Scientist, this was not too difficult at all as I have a scientific background. I loved every minute of it: sleeping, drinking and eating cosmetic dictionaries, reading product reviews and purchasing and testing products thought to be beneficial.

I realise that most women are in the same position I used to be in. I would love to empower and inform these women so that they can invest in beauty products that contain ingredients which are proven to be effective. I want to share an honest opinion, without any ulterior motives such as making commission out of the products to be purchased!

To better at this and to be a reliable source I used my annual leave earlier this year to do a Beautician course and I completed a Facial and Facial Massage qualification and the London School of Beauty. I found the course to be a breeze and accomplished an average grade of above ninety percent.

As I am also passionate about make up and make up artistry, I completed a course in Bridal make up at the London School of Fashion. I loved every minute of it and I am now going to do Bridal, Special Occasion and Beauty make up part time.

What I love most about makeup, besides enjoying the creative experience, is how the beautiful women around me feel gorgeous afterward! I believe all women are already beautiful and they only have to discover their beauty. Makeup is a magic wand that only enhances that which is already there.

In my next blog I will write about and post pictures on the Makeup course and my first photoshoot!