TCA peel... it just got real.

I say it just got real, because this is SERIOUS business. If you aren't sure if you need a peel, this isn't the peel for you. If you have a few spots you want to fade, this isn't the peel for you. If you aren't confident going out of your house looking like leather face, or don't have the luxery of 5 days of downtime, this is NOT the peel for you.

However, if you have acne scarring, blackheads, pitting, fine lines, oily, congested pores... or in my case, all of the above, this might be up your ally. I say this as a normal gal, not an esthetician by any means. This is not meant to be instructional in any way, simply a timeline of my procedure for those considering it. Please follow the instructions provided to you with purchase. I consulted a lot of websites to determine that I could handle this. This review is also sponsored by Makeupartistchoice.com who provided me with the peel in exchange for my honest opinion. There were pros and cons, and I will go through each one. Getting these products at no charge does not in any way impact my review.

That said, here we go! I took pictures each day, and followed the step by step provided to me (and every customer) by makeup artists choice. Their customer service is superb, and they are always willing to help.

Prep: I had prepped my skin 2 weeks prior by using a alpha hydroxy cream. The one I used was by Gunilla of Sweden and can be found on Amazong. Its the best I've used so far, and reasonably priced, too. Prepping this way will make the peel much more effective (an esthetician can probably tell you why/how). Do not use this

Day 1: I prepped my oily skin by washing with baby soap (so gentle) and swabbing acetone over my skin to rid of any oily residue. I then used vaseline around my mouth, eyes, and below my jawline. After I layed the ground work, I took a qtip and swiped the TCA solution (I used 24% since I had done the 18% before, years ago, and knew my skin could handle it). It started burning immediately, and I even had to walk outside to keep from getting sick... it was a lot to handle. I let it sit for about 3 minutes, and it started frosting. This is where your skin turns white from the chemical getting all up in there (technical term). When that happened I added another layer (cause I'm just a little crazy) and waited about 2 minutes. I then neutralized with baking soda and water.

This was a few hours after I did it, you can see it's red and it was inflamed a bit. Do you see that sun spot at the very top left by my eye? That's my litmus test for all 'fading' products. None have eve gotten rid of it!

Here is what I looked like the next day:

A little red and shiny, no big deal, right? I decided not to moisturize, doing a 'dry peel' to make the peeling a little more dramatic (shedding off in sheets instead or flaking. Gross.) You can see the parts that frosted were already starting to turn dark.

Day 2! (Later in the day) It's turning brown and so gross looking!

Day 3... I had to go to walmart that day! It was AWFUL. I suggest stocking up before the peel, lol. It was Itchy and flaky and I was mortified!

So the next day I started peeling more, and admittedly I forced it a bit. Don't do that. It was raw and red, but would have been less so if I hadn't messed with it.

A few hours later, doused in moisturizer. I chose one with very few ingredients and no scent to minimize irritation. 

Aaah, finally! I look human... Hey, where's that sun spot?!

In case you're wondering, it's GONE. Now I do have makeup on on this picture, but that spot is no longer there, and it makes me so happy! It also really smoothed out the texture of my skin, and made my pores look a lot smaller. All in all I'm happy I did it. I hated the downtime, and I need to do another (3-5 for optimum results) but I'm putting it off because I just hate the first 3 days! 

What do you think, would you do a peel? Would you do a less harsh one or could you deal with the downtime?

-C

Review: Koren EnKore Zander Morphe brush set

Hey guys, I have a review for you! I grabbed this brush set at IMATS LA at the pro event, and I was just so excited to have gotten my hands on it, and really stoked that it was all in a handy cross body, as opposed to a belt. Unfortunately, as a set, this was a bit of a let down for me, let me tell you why:

Okay, first the bad, then I'll redeem with a few great things. 

I was able to use these brushes in my kit just a week after purchasing. I washed them once before to reduce any possible shedding, and get rid of the VERY strong smell these had (plastic like odor). I washed them in a very gentle brush cleaner, layer flat to dry after I reshaped them. To my surprise, a few of the brushes were very worn and frayed after just one wash 

That is the same brush from different agles. It's now very scratch (don't have that problem with the black haired brushes) and just worn out looking. Here's another 

It's an eye blending brush, used once, and also very scratchy. 

Speaking of scratchy, this next brush is my favorite type of brush, it smudges eyeliner, which I usually use on or very close to my waterline... Not somewhere you would want scratchy hairs, right? Sadly, I prefer my ELF version, and cannot use this one on clients. It literally hurts! 

Lastly, I'm left wondering why my brushes aren't branded... Not that it's a big deal to me, but in his videos they are, and mine (bought directly from the Morphe booth) is not. 

Okay, now the good! The whole reason I chose this kit, was for this brush. I'm a big fan of contouring, and was coveting this awesome brush for months! 

It makes contouring cheeks a breeze, since it fits so perfectly into that space under your cheekbones. I used it all weekend, and just loved it. This. Brush. Rules. Get it, and get it now. It's dense, soft, and picks up product wonderfully. 

This angled liner brush (complete with gel liner, since I have yet to wash my brushes after marathon shoots all weekend) is now my favorite. I have a few different brands, but this one glides the cat eye wings in like a dream. LOVE.

The large powder brush is soft, picks up and distributes powder perfectly, and not a single hair fell out. Ideal, inexpensive brush. Not my favorite (Real Techniques holds that title), but a great brush to have in my kit.

So that's it... All in all I give the set a 6/10, since I do love a few and it was inexpensive at $55 for IMATS. If I had paid more I would probably be pretty unhappy. 

So what so you guys think? What are your favorite brushes? 

-c

Boudoir pictures

Last night I did makeup for a few (7) lovely ladies. They were doing boudoir portraits for their husbands, as a valentines day gift. These women are not models, they aren't 19, they are moms. They are military women, teachers, survivors and students. They are beautiful women with confidence (or working on it) and it was a pleasure to be a part of that. A few of them let me take before/after shots, and here they are! I don't cheat my before and afters... I like them to smile in both, same lighting, position, etc. 

 

This one I took a little late, hahaz I had put her concealer on and then of course we remembered... Face palm. I loved the way it turned out. She wanted a lightly smokey eye, a healthy glow, and we thought these plum lips looked great with her coloring. 

This one had 2 afters. She wanted a classic pinup look, then after she shot for about an hour she wanted to switch it up to a more dramatic look, so we added gold and black for a very burlesque feel. And look at the power of brows here! She was a hoot, and I really hope to work with her again!

We wanted a very soft, bronze 'Victoria secret' look here, so I used my stila 'in the know' palette, and added a bit of sugarpills Goldilux to the center lid. Finished off with Nars Orgasm gloss. Isn't she pretty?!

This young lady isn't a makeup wearer (I could force lashes on her!) but we wanted to make those pretty eyes pop! Oh, and after the picture was taken I covered that tiny spot I missed in our lighting... Whoops! I think we accomplished her mission of looking natural for her husbands surprise!

What do you think? Would you do sexy pictures for your significant other? Would you enjoy having a team of people doing your makeup, hair, and taking your picture?

Do it! He will love it!

Imats la 2014

Hey guys! I know it's been a minute since I've posted, but last weekend was truly inspiring. I realized that not only do I love the art of makeup, but I truly and honestly love the culture of the industry. The people are colorful and creative of course, but beyond that they are a caring and right knit group. There are people that I've known through makeup groups on MYSPACE that I still talk to daily, and some who have really made a name for themselves. It makes me proud, even though I don't really 'know' them, I still saw them grow from makeup lovers to renowned artists (looking at you Queen of Blending and Spencer Lopez!)

With that said, here's a look at my haul, as well as some of the amazing people I had the pleasure of meeting! 

I was lucky enough to be invited to the Crown Brushes blogger event, where I got to watch Nix Hererra of Naked Vegaswork his magic. I've never thought I would be interested in body painting. In a lot of cases it ends up looking like (in the words of a photographer friend) 'hippie fest 2000', but with what I saw last weekend, this does not apply. This is art in every sense of the word. Check out his work: (obviously taken from his IG)

We also got a great little gift bag, loaded with Crown goodies! 

After the event I made my way to Pro Night, where I was able to shop a little more leisurely than I would over the weekend. I took full advantage and hit up SugarPill, Morphe Brushes, Ardelle, MAC Pro, and lots others. 

(Jeffree Star walked past me at the MAC booth)

My loot for the day...

The best packaging of the convention... And the sweetest staff. But more on that in a minute

The sugarpill pro palette is incredible!

And just for fun, my makeup of the day!

The next day I KNEW would be nuts, and it was. My sister and I decided to go around 10, thinking the line would be gone since the opened the doors at 8:30. We were wrong. The line wrapped the entire building! It was nuts, and if I can suggest anything it would be BE COMFORTABLE! I saw so many (adorable) chicks in miniskirts, heels, etc, looking MISERABLE. I understand wanting to look cute, but try and find a balance. You're going to be walking a LOT, and probably won't sit for 12 hours. 

I got to take pictures with some of my very favorite people in the business... Here we go! 

Alexys of Madeyewlook! I adore her fun and crazy personality, and she's a fellow type 1 :) she has some serious, major talent, too! She also hooked us up with a brush from her collection, can't wait to try that guy out. 

Porcelain and Shrinkle from SugarPill. These two are just the cutest, sweetest, most adorablest. And Porcelain called me pretty.

Kandee Johnson... Do I need to say anything else? This woman's energy is contagious. She just exudes positivity and puffy hearts

Beat Face Honey... This woman is awe inspiring. Her story, her talent, her smize ;)

I also grabbed this awesome Z Palette and filled it with these Inglot pans. If you haven't tried Inglot, please do. Their shadows are intensely pigmented and blend like butter. Oh, and check out my sweet Goldstitches leggings... Love them!

So that's it! That was IMATS 2014 for me! I grabbed a few more random things, but nothing to crazy (disposables, moisturizer for my kit, etc). What should I review first? Maybe my NYX haul?

-C