How To Clean Your Makeup Brushes #2

So I've shown you how to do the Parian Spirit clean, now we're going to do the other form of deep cleaning your brushes, which is actually washing them.


Here are my beautiful CorinnaB Badger hair makeup brushes at Studio5, waiting to be shot. You can get them at www.CorinnaB.com


My personal brushes at home I wash every week or so, or as they need it. My brushes in my kit get a wash after a big job, or as needed.

I actually do mine under gently running lukewarm/tepid water, but for the sake of the pictures I've used bowls.


First up, get your brush fully immersed and wet. Sometimes you'll need to work the water into the more densely packed brushes.



Next lather gently with a very gentle soap. I use Dove or Saddle Soap. Dont use fragranced soaps, soaps with borax, or soaps that leave a soap scum film - they will break down the hairs on your brushes and leave a film on them too.






Next up, rinse the brush out. I separate hairs and see if there is any sign of soap or soap bubbles left in there, and rinse until clean.



Now you want to help remove excess water from your brush. I press the brush gently with either a paper towel or a clean hand towel.

I keep telling you to be gentle with your brushes, because I am always seeing people be really rough with them. You want your brushes to last forever, so you have to be gentle with them.
Some of the brushes in my kit are 20 years old, and still in mint condition, because I've taken good care of them. And they get used half to death too...


OK, so now you need to reshape your brush. This is very important. Reshape it, and slick down any stray hairs that are trying to do their own thing. One of the most important features of a really good makeup brush is the angle upon which it is cut, and the actual shape of the brush. You will maintain its integrity by taking this step.


So here is our brush all clean and reshaped.



Now you are going to lie the brush flat on a clean folded towel. Never, never, never stand a damp brush up vertically.

Inside the ferrul (thats the metal bit) the hairs are bound together, and there is adhesive holding the wood, the ferrul and the hairs all in place. If moisture is rolling down inside there it will break down any adhesive and binding thread, which will make your brush fall apart. Also it can trap moisture within, and create an ideal breeding ground for bacteria.

If the air is really moist I'll lay a second towel over top for a while to help wick away the moisture in the wet brushes, but I live in very low humidity, so that doesn't happen too often.

So now you have the total picture on cleaning your brushes. If you buy quality brushes and take care of them they will last you forever, so it is well worthwhile!




Here is the wonderful Kelly Cappelli.
She shot this photo story for me (and for you).
I thought I was so clever and so artsy-fartsy getting this shot in motion, and was so proud of myself! Then I found out that Lea took it on her iphone during a shoot! Hahaha! Guess I'm not as clever as I thought I was!!!

Have a gorgeous day!

xo

C

P.S did you spot that cool necklace I have on? Its my most favorite thing! Its a peace sign, and the center part is a guitar neck. Its by d lynan designs and you can check these killer pieces out at www.dlynan.com
I happen to know that there are some super celebs with these in their possession, including Jennifer Garner, Cameron Diaz and Anne Hathaway (just to shamelessly namedrop a few).
There are other cool designs too, so go have a look....

How To Clean Your Makeup Brushes #1

The CorinnaB.com brush line.


Today I want to tackle the serious business of taking care of your makeup brushes.

If you have bought quality brushes they will last you forever, so long as you take care of them properly.
To show you how to do this the right way, Kelly Cappelli and I shot a couple of brush care and cleaning tutorials for you, and this is the first one.

When I'm on a shoot and need to clean brushes in between people, or if I'm at home and want to do a quick color change, I use Parian Spirit to clean and disinfect my brushes.
Parian Spirit is an environmentally friendly cleaner that dissolves all makeup products and disinfects, while conditioning your brushes at the same time. It's made from citrus spirits, has no artificial colors or fragrances, and it wont damage the wood on your brush.
I'm not sure that I've ever seen a pro makeup artist ever not use Parian!

You can probably buy it at Ulta or Sephora etc. I buy huge bottles because I go through so much of it, but you can buy little bottles too.






The super speedy way to use it is to put some on a folded kleenex,



and gently paint your brush through it. This method will dry really quickly, and you'll be ready to use the brush again within a couple of minutes.


The second way is more of a deep clean, so you want to mostly be doing it this way.
Pour some cleaner into a small non metallic container, them gently swirl the brush in the parian spirit. You'll see the color coming out of it!


Next you need to gently paint the brush across a folded tissue, until the color stops coming out. Hold the tissue in your hand rather than laying it on the counter, as this will make sure you are gentle with your brush.




Don't scrub or push the brush hard - always be gentle.




Next you need to re-shape your brush. Gently re-mould it to its original shape.




Finally, I lie my brushes flat on a folded towel to dry. They may take several minutes to dry, and a towel or paper towel will help to draw out the moisture.



Never, never, never stand a damp or wet brush up vertically. The moisture will roll down inside the ferrul (thats the metal part of your brush) and eat away at the thread that ties the hairs together, and the adhesive that keeps the wood and the ferrul bound together.
Always lie them flat!

Once my brushes are dry I store them vertically in a glass vase at home (because it looks pretty!) or in a brush roll in my kit.

Keep and eye out for "How To Clean Your Makeup Brushes #2"

Have a gorgeous day!

xo

C

If I Were Going To Happy Hour...

Well its Friday, and while all the hip young things are out and about being fabulous tonight, I will be working. (if you can call being paid to do what you love 'work'!)
And after the enormous work week I've had - gotta love the new season's crazy busy-ness , I'm not going out on the boogie after work tonight, instead I'll be crawling home to catch up on some sleep.

Savagely uncool, I know, but I have early call times this weekend, and have to be on my toes...

However, I have been thinking about what I would be drinking if I were going out tonight, and I'm thinking a Cosmo-tini sounds kinda fab.





So here's the easy, peasy recipe:

Cosmopolitan Martini

2 oz Grey Goose Vodka, chilled
1 oz Cointreau
1/2 oz Cranberry Juice
1/2 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
lemon twist.

Mix all ingredients in your cocktail shaker, then pour into a martini glass and garnish with the lemon twist.

Told you it was easy!

Don't forget to check out the Racing Fashionistas Happy Hour segment...

xo

C

New Season's Nars-o-licious....

I'm supposed to be doing many different things right now, but instead I'm sitting here playing with some of the new season's colors from Nars.
On some level I could probably say its work-ish, except that we all know its not - I'm just playing.

But lets have a little look at the objects of my affection...

First up I am loving the Silk Road eye shadow duo. Fall/winter can get so caught up in heavy, dull shades, so these are a breath of fresh air. The colors are soft, pretty and feminine. I'll be using them to do a subtle, beautiful, slightly opalescent eye, maybe bringing in a little depth to the outer corners with something a little moodier, like Night Fever. (eye shadow single)
Maybe I should do an eyeshadow tutorial with these?




The next thing isn't even remotely new, in fact I've been using it in my kit for years, but it does deserve a mention here. Once our bronzed up, glowy summer skin surrenders to the gloomy fall wind, rain and overcast skies, we tend to bury our skin under heavier bases and powders.
I am a big proponent of gorgeous, dewy looking skin, and one of the products I use to create this with is Nars The Multiple in Copacabana.
This versatile stick can be used in many ways, anywhere on the face. I love using my fingers to blend a little into the upper cheekbone, outer forehead, sometimes high on the nose, to create luminosity and glow to the skin.
Copacabana makes dull skin look alive and bright, which translates to young and gorgeous. And who doesn't want that???





One of these days I'll learn how to resize pictures. But until then...

Now of course I am still obsessing about the Stella McCartney over the knee boots that have now become the screensaver behind my lids when I close my eyes, and I was thinking about what makeup would be great to offset a killer pair of boots like that.

These boots are all about being fierce, fabulous and sexy, so the soft & juicy mouth that I love both to create on others and to wear myself isn't necessarily telling the same story as the footwear, so I'm thinking a bold, take no prisoners mouth. And wouldn't you know it? Nars has this darling piece of decadence that is exactly perfect! Even the name - "Fast Ride" is calling you to badness!




Its beautiful, bold and powerful, can be muted down to a stain, or worn full force.
The combination of these three products is just fabulous. Soft eyes (I'd throw a strip of lashes on for emphasis), glowing skin, and a full mouth. Hmmm - maybe we will have to shoot this look for you.

And the Stella's....



You just know its a match made in heaven!


xo

C

These Boots Were Made For Struttin'!

Its 108 degrees today here in sunny Phoenix, and instead of getting aquatic and smelling like Coppertone, I'm busy reviewing winter makeup and fashion trends for some upcoming shoots. Quite the crazy juxtaposition, mais c'est ma vie!

The one thing that has me excited beyond delirium for this coming season is the over-the-knee boot. So sexy, so raunchy, so crazy cool!!!

A lifetime ago when I was a makeup artist living in super trendy London, I had a pair of black suede thigh boots that I wore all the time. They were the absolute most dynamic thing I ever owned. I would wear them with short skirts and this big black faux fur russian hat that I bought in Moscow. I felt like the coolest thing on wheels when I slipped those badboys on, but in all reality, London was so full of models, supermodels, and just outright super funky, edgy, sexy- cool girls that I probably blended in with the wallpaper.

But in those boots I felt like a million dollars.

I worked with tons of Ethiopian and Sudanese runway models at the time. They were all over six feet tall, exquisite and long and lean, and could move like panthers. I adored them! And they taught me how to walk in my thigh boots.

And not just walk, but own it in my thigh boots, with this fantastic hip and pelvis roll that was both languid and powerful at the same time. It was fierce!

I've often wondered where life took all of them, and also where it took my thigh boots! I don't have them anymore, but am so totally overjoyed that the look this coming season is just possessed and dominated by the thigh boot!

So lets have a little look at some of my favorites...





Stella McCartney's boot is too die for! She is completely amazing and innovative. I could possibly get away with the pair above on the streets of Scottsdale, for sure the streets of NYC.

The Stella's below are fierce, but I think I would suffocate in them. But I'd give it a go!










Sexy Gucci boot, not over the knee, but still delectable! And more expensive than the average house payment.


And of course, the red soled master himself...


Hello lover!



Christian Louboutin, purrfect everytime!


That first pair of Stella's had me at hello...

So now I'm going to put on my huge sunglasses, big hat and SPF, and go stretch out by the pool, but behind those black lenses I will be day-dreaming of thighs boots in winter.

And maybe I'll send my friend Cynthia in Atlanta a telepathic message about red soles (haha!),
because when I'm thinking Louboutin, she always seems to hear me!

Strut it sisters!

xo

C

Good Morning TV-land!

Every so often I do makeup segments on various breakfast television shows. These segments tend to be under 3 minutes, and are really just a quick demo or chat about whats happening in the world of makeup and glamor. (the glamor part was something I just thought up - they really only want to know whats happening in makeup!)

To make it more fun, it means a 3 am or 4 am wake-up call, so you can be camera ready and get to the studio, or what ever location you're shooting at before the morning program goes live.
That means some serious under eye drama and repair work!

Will and I were on breakfast TV this morning doing out thing, our on-air time being about 2 minutes. And believe me we worked those 2 minutes up one side and down the other! And, might I add, with his new goatee thing going on he looked devilishly handsome! But sadly ladies, he is completely unavailable to any of us!

I told twitter-world last week all about a breakfast shoot (as it was happening no less), and here are some behind the scenes stills. If you're on twitter you can follow me @Corinnamakeup, or click on the icon over there on the right.



I never remember to think up what I'm going to say beforehand, and only realize it as the camera light goes on, so I'm always hoping I say something coherent...





Theres nothing quite like seeing yourself on camera to make you think all about the squats and lunges that you've been meaning to do, but haven't quite gotten around to!

This one was all about trends in wedding makeup.
It was a fun shoot, as they normally are. If I can get any footage from youtube I'll post it later this week.

Have a gorgeous day!

xo

C

Brush me up baby...

What makes a makeup brush special? There are tons and tons of makeup brushes out there - synthetics, pony, sable, goat, squirrel - the list goes on and on.
So how is a girl supposed to figure out which brushes she needs, and how to choose amongst all the different brands, styles, price points etc?

Here is what I do. If you are buying online, have a really good look at the brush, if you are in a store, pick it up and really feel it.




How densely packed are the hairs? If there aren't enough hairs, and they're not packed together well, then you will have very little control over the product you're trying to work with.
If it is packed too tightly, it will create lines as it moves across your face.

Do the hairs fall out as you play with the brush? If so the quality is not good enough. Also its a complete nuisance to have to keep picking hairs off the surface of your makeup.

What is the brush made from?
I recommend synthetic brushes to move wet products, like foundation, concealer, cream shadows etc, and hair brushes for use with dry products, like powder shadows, blushes etc.

Many brushes out there are made from dyed fiber or dyed hair. These dyes can come away into your product, can irritate your skin, and generally leave you with a brush that breaks down very quickly. You want the brush to maintain its shape years down the line, and not wind up in the junk pile a couple of months in.

I avoid dyed brushes at all costs.

Top quality brushes don't have to be extremely expensive either. You can buy makeup brushes at a medium price point, and get quality that lasts and lasts. Some of the brushes in my kit are 20 years old. They didn't cost any more than other brushes do, they've been worked half to death, all around the world, in all kinds of environments, and they still keep chugging along.

When I was building my makeup brush company, that was actually the main part of my mission statement - brushes that last and last and still deliver up the goods years down the line.

I'll get into discussing shapes of brushes, and how to build your personal brush collection over the next few weeks, but today I'll introduce you to my Powder Brush.

Its made from Badger Hair. The hair is packed just right, so that you can transport powder, and not just be flinging it around.
Some people use a powder brush to apply powder, I normally use it to sweep down the face after powdering, and again at the end of the makeup application to make sure that all excess is removed.
Its a beautiful looking brush, doesn't shed hairs everywhere, is nice and soft, so it doesn't irritate your skin, and being Badger Hair it picks up and moves product like no other!



Isn't it gorgeous?

You can check out my brushes at CorinnaB.com

If you're not buying my brushes, just make sure that quality is your main criteria with whichever brushes you are buying.

xo

C