B is for Brushes

No matter how many makeup brushes I have- I’ll always want more. I love how a nice brush feels in my hand and how soft the bristles are. I’m fascinated by the different shapes of brushes, the variety of uses and the colors. It’s amazing how I’ve become completely dependent on a few specific brushes, for example, my MAC 208 angled brow & 242 shader are my go-to brushes for filling in brows and blending shadow around the eyes for the perfect smoky eye. I’m also completely dependent on my new Sonia Kashuk angled precision brush for doing my own gel eyeliner.

With the average price of a single brush ranging from $4 up to $60, you can see how brushes are one of the biggest investments makeup artists make. Luckily, quality brushes that are properly cared for can live a long, full life.

I have to confess though, that I’m prone to leaving my brushes in weird places. I wish I had a Snickers bar for every time some film crew member came up to me at the end of the day and handed me a brush. Even though I use a set bag, I still manage to set brushes down and walk away.

I’ve been investing in some new pricier brushes lately and trying really hard to retire some of my older (well loved) brushes. That being said, I can’t seem to bring myself to take the older brushes out of my kit so I’m setting a goal, you are officially a witness. By the end of this week, the old brushes will be nestled away in my makeup storage.

A is for airbrush

I know I've blogged about airbrushing before, but I wanted to try to go in order and I can't think of a better use for the letter A. I've been using the airbrush for about a year now and I totally love it. You’d be really hard pressed to talk me into going back to traditional foundation. Airbrushing the foundation on is so quick and easy and I'm always hearing how relaxing the airbrushing feels. I've been doing a ton of film work and the airbrushed actors look great on camera and the makeup is perfectly imperceptible, even on the high definition cameras. I've tried a couple different types of airbrush makeup and my favorite is still Graftobian High Definition. I'm personally not a huge fan of foundation, I think it's important, BUT I don't like to feel like I'm wearing a mud mask all day long. I think that makeup should feel natural when you're wearing it, if you can FEEL it, something isn't right. That's another reason why airbrushing is awesome, it doesn't feel like anything, because it lays such a light layer over the skin it's really comfortable and it lasts much longer than traditional makeup. It actually lasts through sweat, dirt, tears and pretty much anything else you throw at it. Airbrushing has really come in handy whether I have a ton of actors lined up waiting for makeup or a huge bridal party in 95 degree weather. At this time I’d like to send a shout out to my airbrush….We’ve been through so much together, we’ve had our ups and downs, but thank you, I really couldn’t have done it without you!

burying a body with friends

They say a friend will help you move, but a best friend will help you move a body. This summer I had the opportunity to bury a body with some of my favorite people. We filmed the short A Man, Buried, written and directed by Jesse Watson (Shallow Copy). The crew was awesome and the cast was amazing and incredibly talented. I spent some good quality time with the cast & crew and got to know everyone better.

My top 5 memories from those 5 days

-Me, Chris Taylor, Jesse Watson, Andrew Forderer, Frank Fu, Matt Bergman + bachelorette party

-Milk & cookies. Every. Single. Night.

-Me + Darlene Sellers+ Footloose at 1am

-Me & Erin using our Tetris skills to re-arrange the furniture in our hotel room so we could fit in the extra bed and still be able to move around the room.

-Matt Bergman on our choice of Indian food the previous night “remember that thing that we didn’t want to happen? Well, it happened”

I had such a blast working on A Man, Buried and I can’t wait to see the finished product. I’ve seen some clips and so far it looks awesome.

I’m really lucky to have such talented, hard working & creative friends. I'd like to thank Jesse Watson, Chris Taylor, Andrew Forderer, Matt Bergman, Frank Fu, Erin Viraldo, Darlene Sellers, Tony Doupe, Dawson Doupe, Carly Norton, Cameron Anderson and everyone else involved.

Erica + Chuck

I love everything about these guys, especially how creative they were with every aspect of their wedding from the bride's gorgeous yellow wedding gown, the faux 'staches for the groom & groomsmen and the overall theme of Camp Hats 'N Pants. I was so happy to be a part of their special day, they just beam with love for each other and they're full of awesome infectious positive energy.

Boom! I did a television ad

I recently had the opportunity to work on a television spot for Tulip Credit Union with Boom Creative. I enjoyed myself so much on that shoot that I may have smiled for a week straight afterward. The spot was filmed at The Loft on Cherry, and featured some of the credit union's members. Within the first 3 minutes of hearing the testimonials I wanted to join the CU, and I also decided I want to live at the Loft. The creative team from Boom was super talented and fun to work with. I can't wait to see the finished product. Thanks for having me Dan, Addy, Joe, Chris & Amanda!

my brides | katie

Katie is one of the many awesome brides I had the pleasure of working with this summer. Katie, along with her mom & sister kept me laughing for hours (literally) my laughing muscles were sore the next day. I loved Katie’s colors, she chose a gorgeous combination of fuchsia, pink & orange. The colors were amazing and were implemented beautifully into every aspect of the wedding. I came away from this wedding having met some really fun people and with a new inspiration fueled by the rich colors.

O-it’s not all that great

Smashbox O-Glow review

When I heard about Smashbox’s “intuitive cheek color” O-Glow ($26), I immediately wanted to try it. I adore cheek color and until recently had a small addiction to cheek stain. I rushed to the nearest Ulta to pick it up…practically tore it out of the packaging and applied it. The product comes out clear and has the same silky feel as Smashbox’s Photo Finish foundation primer, but turns pink when it makes contact with your skin. The result was a somewhat disappointing very subtle light pink tint.

The plus- it’s super easy to apply, just a dab on your finger and rub it on and you’re good. You could probably apply it in the dark or while brushing your teeth-I’m a fan of multi-tasking. As opposed to cheek stains, cream blushes or more pigmented powder blushes where you have to be pretty careful where and how much you apply. Since there’s no brush needed it’s easy to stick in your pocket for on-the-go touch ups.

I felt a little like the product was a flop, maybe because I was used to the brighter rose cheek stain or because I was so excited to try it, maybe it was the 45 minute drive and $26 I spent. Unless another wonder product comes along I’ll return to my old friend, Lip & Cheek stain in rose from The Body Shop ($14).

www.makeupbyrachael.com

Ten Things I’ve Learned From Working on Film Sets

-Hand warmers aren’t just for your hands

-Just like tequila shots, one doughnut always leads to seven or eight more…(train syndrome)

-Sometimes working on a film set feels like a first date; you worry how your breath smells, you sweat for almost no reason and you’re very self conscious of any bodily noises.

-Every single person on set is immensely important, never forget that.

-Never underestimate the entertainment value of hangman and 20 questions….even played silently….thanks Stu!

-Any type of coffee is always better than no coffee at all. I’ve learned to enjoy Folgers instant, cold black coffee and even ridiculously strong coffee that inhibits sleep after an all night shoot (fist bump to my Nightshade peeps)

-When the AD says you have 10 minutes to get the actor through hair & makeup he really means 2 minutes but would be happiest if you finished in 30 seconds

-Turn off your phone the second you get to set, you’d rather cut off your own finger than have your phone ring in the middle of a take.

-Never get caught hungry…..this is why I keep a stash of granola bars with me at all times

-Golf carts add fun to any situation, if you’re dreading that upcoming family reunion, bring a golf cart, your family will talk about how fun it was for years.

www.makeupbyrachael.com


photography by Rick Walters and Becka Brebner

Spring Fling!

This peachy gold eyeshadow combo is fresh, simple and perfect for Spring.

MAC eyeshadow in Rule is a gorgeous peachy orange color that really makes blue eyes pop, I'm actually wearing a little myself and it also works wonders with greenish brown eyes. Smashbox's Pale Gold eyeshadow adds a lovely but subtle shimmer that really brightens the eyes.



Using an angled brush, apply Rule in a sideways V shape, starting at the outer corner of your upper lid and working in the crease and along the lash line stopping about half way in.

Starting from the inner corner of your upper lid apply the Pale Gold in an opposite sideways V meeting Rule about half way and extending the top of the V a little farther just beneath the arch of your eyebrow.

Now blend well, really well. You want to introduce the colors to each other, let them mingle and finally create something beautiful together. Hopefully you get the point, we don't want distinct lines of shadow, that's not cute.

Finish the look by curing your lashes and applying mascara.

For a more dramatic look line the eyes with a dark liner and smudge out, heck, even add some false lashes.

Now you're ready, get out there and have your Spring fling!

www.makeupbyrachael.webs.com

Lip Quickie

This quick fix will gently exfoliate and revive dry flaky lips. Mix a little olive oil and sugar in the palm of your hand and gently massage onto lips. Wipe clean and follow with nourishing lip treatment such as Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm.

I use this trick twice a week to keep my lips soft and kissable.


www.makeupbyrachael.webs.com

Panda Says Roll..!

Last week on set I heard people were being assigned spirit animals, here are a handful. Some are a stretch, but a few are dead on. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions….

Finnigan


Forderer



Rick



Chris



me




Harley




Jenson

Darlene

www.makeupbyrachael.webs.com

www.oldloyalfilms.com

Adventures in Filmmaking Land- week 1

I’m having the time of my life working on the independent film Half Empty. With a great script and an even better cast & crew, I am so happy to be a part of this process. We enjoyed working at four locations during our first week. Two days were spent in an office in Gig Harbor where we were spoiled by a big comfy sofa and TV so we could watch the Olympics in between takes. The second location was a pretty sweet bookstore seemingly run by cats. I love that there were signs posted on the door stating “Filming in Progress, quiet please” and more than once we heard people reading the sign aloud saying “oh, they’re filming a movie in there” and “oh, I wonder if they can hear us”. Yeah, we heard you and yeah, it made me giggle. From there, we ventured to the lovely town of Lakewood where we shot some of my favorite scenes. During the downtime I was lucky enough to be entertained by the cutest dog I’ve ever seen and a guitar wielding, cammo-clad, multitalented producer. We spent three very exciting days in an old military hospital which is now a combat medic training facility. Getting lost on the military base, emergency simulations right outside the set, firemen looking for the source of smoke, real combat footage shown during lunch and getting rushed with the fake guns were some of the exiting reasons for my elevated blood pressure that week. The final day of filming definitely held its own set of challenges, but it ended in drinks & food with good guys at the awesome Red House. I am a lucky girl.

www.oldloyalfilms.com

photos courtesy of Rick Walters

I heart my airbrush

I recently invested in an airbrush system. I chose the Graftobian Walk About system. It’s lightweight and really user friendly. I can either plug it in or use the rechargeable battery pack. It came with starter packs of Graftobian’s HD Airbrush Glamour makeup with the corresponding HD solid foundations.

I love love love airbrushing makeup. It makes application so much faster and it gives such a polished flawless look. It’s amazing, plus it’s specifically designed for use with high definition cameras, which most people are using these days.

The airbrush also allows me to stencil on temporary tattoos and even cover existing tattoos. BIG fun.

I love my airbrush and would never go back to regular foundation.

www.makeupbyrachael.webs.com

photo generously provided courtesy of LGImages
http://www.modelmayhem.com/625386

great things to come

Filming begins next month for my first feature length film, Half Empty. I feel so lucky to be a part of this film and I’m looking forward to working with this great group of people. I’ve spent hours going through the script, developing character looks, and prepping for the challenge to come.

Anyone who has worked with me before knows I’ll be buying a palette of granola bars before heading to set. Other than that purchase I think I’m ready.

I can’t wait.

www.makeupbyrachael.webs.com

what's in a name?

The Naked Makeup Artist.

No, I’m not actually naked. I decided on that name for my blog because I personally don’t wear much makeup on a daily basis. I usually just go for a little eyeliner and mascara, throw in a pinch of blush and I’m good. It feels a little odd considering how much I love makeup and what a big part of my life it is. I’m not sure if this goes along with the painter whose own walls remain neglected or the doctor who doesn’t take care of himself…oh well. Maybe wearing more makeup should be my resolution for 2010?

www.makeupbyrachael.webs.com

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