Liquid Eyeliner Looks

When I saw this photo, it was a reaffirmation of one of my makeup artistry goals: use more liquid liner!  I love the look that a great liquid eyeliner can give.  It's bold and quite the statement-maker.  This is a printable, great guideline for different shapes to draw on the liner. What I've found about liquid eyeliner is that you simply have to make yourself do it. . .practice truly makes perfection!

These liner looks run the gamut from demure to Gaga-ish.  Personally, I like a small, hug-the-lashline line, with a "baby-wingout".  Choose the look you're going for, and get creative and do some kind of a variation on one of these.  Send me a pic if you do one. . . I'd love to see what you're doing!

p.s.  Currently, I'm loving MAC's Superslick Eyeliner (On the Hunt is a shiny black).

My 2012 Professional Goals

I am a blessed person, and I've always known it.  My grounding force is a small voice that tells me that no matter what, I'm going to be okay.  As I ruminate on this knowing, especially here at the beginning of a new year, I find it a great jumping-off point for putting together my professional goals list for 2012.  But I'm also a realist; I know that if these things don't come to pass, they'll simply carry over to a following year.  Some of these goals are lofty and some are super-attainable.  What I know is that I need to put this out there. . . to the Universe. . . to You.  In my life I've learned that's how things manifest for me: if I don't ask, the answer is always, "no."  To that end, here's what I'm asking:

1.  I'd like to do makeup for an Asheville, NC wedding.  I'm talking Biltmore or Grove Park Inn.  Or even a wedding in a barn in a field of glorious Western North Carolina.  I want to take a little piece of Charleston up I-26 to one of my favorite spots in the world.  I want to be part of a team of professionals who helps make an Appalachian wedding into a dreamscape.  I want those photos to be part of my portfolio of interesting places and beautiful faces.

2.  I want to do more publication work.  I love my brides, and my weekends are dedicated to them.  However, it's the spice of my work-life to pepper my weekdays with photo shoots, lifestyle shoots, and commercial work.  This is where I have the opportunity to mingle with other creatives and they FEED me.  They make me want to grow, think around the box, and be the best makeup artist I can be.  I crave this.

3.  I'd like to continue my education as a MUA.  Specifically The Makeup Show in London this September.  All the most brilliant minds of makeup artistry are represented, along with the most cutting-edge brands and tools.  Staying on top of trends, tools, and techniques is paramount to any MUA's career.

4.  I'd like to make makeup application videos.  I know YouTube is brimming with them, but I feel I have a circle of clients and friends who would love to see them and could benefit from me putting them out there.  Nothing long and drawn out. . . I'll try to keep it under 3 minutes.  

5.  I want to deepen my current professional relationships.  I've been so fortunate to surround myself with quality folk. . .people who trust me but also know they can rely on me.  It is such a HUGE compliment to know that someone has referred me and my services.  What they are really saying is, "I trust Pamela."  That means the world to me.  There are a couple of pro-relationships who are on the periphery of my world. . . we've dabbled in the past and maybe we don't work together very often.  But to them I say, "Let's dance!  Let's take a chance and get to know one another."  I got some goods and I'll bring them to the party :)

6.  I'd like to be a mentor to the right person. . . someone who is serious about a career in makeup, is at least as reliable and professional as I am (if not more).  This last one is a big one for me.  It may take the longest to accomplish because it means relinquishing a little control.  I get asked fairly often if I would "train" someone to be a MUA which is very appealing to the teacher-side of me.  It's a compliment I know, but up until now, I have felt so protective over what I've built with my business.  Starting from scratch and  learning every little step of the way.  But I also know that part of my evolution in this role, and as a good steward in this karmic world, is to pass along what may be useful and helpful to someone else.  After all, makeup is just part of this. . . it's so psychological and the business is really about making connections to other human beings.  For me, once the trust is established, the artistry flows.

So, there it is.  My hopes, dreams, wishes, and goals for 2012.  Whatcha gonna do with it, Universe?

Heart open,

Pamela

Let it Glow, Let it Glow, Let it GLOW!

My most recent Make Up For Ever haul from its NYC Boutique

"I love makeup!  It's great when you ID new or innovative products on your blog.

Kelly"  (a Fall 2011 bridal client)

Thank you Kelly, for giving me the kickstart I needed to discuss some great products that I've been trying for a couple of months now!

Today's feature is on a Make Up For Ever product called Uplight.  This is a tremendous product that I've been using on clients in these drier autumn months to help create the illusion of luminosity (in the absence of the Charleston humidity that gives us that all-too-natural glow:)

I LOVE this and many other MUFE products.  It's a face luminizer gel that can be worn under foundation (I apply prior to airbrushing), over foundation (as on my own face over MUFE's High Def liquid foundation), or all alone (with a hint of concealer to even out any dark areas).

Although there are a dozen or more shades, I'm currently working with 3 shades in my kit:

#11 is a dewy, pink beige (great for pinky or red-undertone skin)

#12 is a dewy, golden beige (lovely on skin with golden undertones)

and #22, a pearly, pink flesh. . . pretty on most every skin tone.

Apply with fingers or a flat foundation or concealer brush: tap over the highest point of your cheekbones; circle around the outside of the orbital bone (near outer edges of eyes).  I also like to dab a bit at the height of my eyebrow, closest to the arch.

This product can be found at Sephora, Ulta, and Make Up For Ever boutiques.

Happy Glowing!

I Wore Red Lipstick

Under blue lights on the Ryman stage

Glen signs Robert's photo; His wife Kim looks on.

Me, Glen & Jenny

Me, Glen & Robert

Robert holding his freshly-autographed poster

I feel the urge to write about one of the most amazing things that's ever happened to me, but I also feel torn about the medium I'm using: my makeup blog.  How do I relate this to MAKEUP???  Here goes:

I had one of the most full-circle experiences of my life two days ago: I had the amazing good fortune to be able to meet my all-time favorite music icon, Glen Campbell.

Glen Campbell is my first musical memory.  In 1969 my dad put me on his shoulders at the Kentucky State Fair in Louisville so I could see over the heads of all the other people to get a look at my early childhood idol.  I remember looking over the crowd and seeing a redheaded flop-top bound on to the stage with an acoustic guitar.  I don't remember what he sang; I mainly remember the utter joy that I felt then, at age 3, seeing this man who until that point, I had only seen on his Good Time Hour tv show.  That same exact feeling washed over me two nights ago at the Ryman Auditorium when I got to stand next to him and meet him.

I'll be the first to admit. . . this is a Daddy-thing.  Gordon McCully's love of Glen Campbell's musicianship (in his opinion, the best guitarist ever), his collaborations with Jimmy Webb (songwriter extraordinaire), and his down-home good-mannered way. . . all trickled down to me.  I loved Glen as much, if not more than my dad.  Compound all this with the fact that my dad was a redhead as well, both men took/take great pride in our Scottish heritage, and both Daddy and Glen were born in the same year, 1936.  I feel like I have all kinds of karma with Mr. Campbell.

Toward the end of my dad's life, he had become something of a homebody.  He didn't care to wander too far away; he preferred the creature comforts of his own surroundings.  But in 2006 we both celebrated milestone birthdays: his 70th and my 40th.  It was a momentous occasion that called for a big celebration, just the two of us.  So he agreed to go on a road trip with me to Nashville and the Ryman Auditorium to see our all-time fave, Glen Campbell.  It was to be the last trip my dad and I would spend together, and it was the best quality time I've spent with him as an adult.  He bragged about that trip to anyone who would listen.

Since then, Glen Campbell has publicly announced his diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.  He and his beautiful wife have spoken candidly about it, and he has embarked on this Goodbye Tour that's scheduled far into spring, 2012.  This diagnosis strikes home as well, because of my mother's recent diagnosis.  Again, worlds collide, and I just sit and wonder at the workings of it all.  When I heard about his Goodbye Tour, I knew I'd make plans to go see him, and this time my sister Jenny would come along.

Jenny and I met up with my dear friend Robert Kearns, who is a touring musician and also a Glen Campbell fan.  Robert has a distinguished musical resume, and although he is never quick to drop a name or the fact that he's the bass guitarist for Lynyrd Skynyrd, well. . .it has its perks.  He has always made fast friends, and it should have come as no surprise that Glen Campbell's road manager would be  one, but I honestly had no idea that would actually get us some place on November 30.

Robert came prepared with an old photo he'd had made with Glen, while he was touring with the Brad Paisley camp.  Glen remembered him and was especially pleased after learning of Robert's current gig.  I was standing there, just drinking in the fact that I was merely inches away from my icon.  Introductions were made and there I was shaking hands and smiling face-to-face with Glen Campbell.  Still the most gracious, sweet-natured man I imagined him to be.  Only now I was aware that there was a camera man standing nearby filming this.  I remembered my sister standing next to me, so I grabbed her wrist and pulled her in close to me so I could introduce her and here's what happened:

Me:  "Glen, I'm just a lifelong fan, and I can't tell you what a pleasure it is to meet you.  This is my sister, Jenny."
Glen:  "What's her name?  Jenny??"  Then he started singing a song that jumped out of the recesses of my mind. . . "Jenny, Jenny, won't you come along with me. . . Jenny, Jenny, woooooooh, Jenny, Jenny..."

It was a Little Richard song that we had on an album in my home growing up, called "The Georgia Peach."  I KNEW THAT SONG and before I realized it, I was joining in and singing with him, hitting that high note "woooooooh. . ."  Glen looked at me and smiled.  Jenny and Robert looked at me as if to say, "Really???"  And I just laughed.   As we walked away from our meeting Robert said, ". . .you do realize you just sang with Glen Campbell?"

Well, the guy with the camera approached us as we walked back across that famous old Ryman Auditorium stage.  He told us that they were filming a documentary about Glen's life.  He asked Robert to say his name and contact info so he could get permission from us if they use it in the finished project.  And before I knew it, I asked if I could tell him about my Glen Campbell back story, and he said of course.  So I did, starting with my 3-year old memory, and my voice broke and I kept talking nearing the verge of tears.  And he looked at me from behind his camera, and said, "Wow.  How did tonight's experience match up to your memory of 1969?"  And I told him exactly what I felt: it was simply the same JOY I felt then.  The exact same, only it had come full circle.

Flash back to a few hours prior: as Jenny and I were getting ready in our hotel room for the show that night, I made a very conscious decision to wear red lipstick, which I rarely do.  I wanted "a look."  So I opted for my NARS "Cruella" Velvet Matte Lip Pencil.  I felt sassy, and look what it got me :)

Love and Light to my father (who I know was there with me); my sister Jenny; Robert "don't-ever-doubt-the-Kearns" Kearns; and Glen Campbell. . .who has brought me and my McCully family more joy in our lives than he'll ever know.

Thank You and Good Night.

MY Unforgettable Day with Smitten: An Inspiration Shoot

Decadence.  Indulgence.  Grandeur.

These were the themes for Smitten magazine's inspiration shoot featured in its latest e-glossy edition.  Looking at these photos, I'd say they hit their mark.  We shot and filmed inside The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island.  The Presidential Suite, no less.  

Photographer, Corbin Gurkin

Style Directors:

Della MacNicholas of The Wedding Row & Lindsey Nowak & Elle Principi of Maddison Row

Stylist: Alexandra Styles

Video by Michael Reed Films

Shot on location at The Sanctuary, Kiawah Island

Behind-the-scenes photography, Shannon Michele

Hair by Charlotte Belk

Models, Tout Talent

Pamela Lesch Makeup

The Secret to Successful Concealing

Meet MAC's Pro Longwear Concealer.  It's my new best friend (and my tired, stressed-out, sleep-deprived clientele's, too).  I could do an whole blog on this entire line of MAC Pro Longwear. . . I happen to love this stuff!

I'm going through more of this concealer than any I've used on any clients before now.  Its consistency is perfect for that oh-so-delicate skin that's just under eyes.  Its pigment is opaque enough to hide dark circles and red areas.  Yet it's non-drying like some other pasty concealers.  I love it as a prelude to a light misting of MAC's airbrush formula foundation.

I'm also using it personally. . .it's in my makeup drawer in my own dressing room.  Which seems to be a test of makeup that I just can't do without in my kit.  A tiny dab will do. . . blend in small circles with a fluffy eyeshadow brush that you dedicate to your concealer.

Looking to switch things up a bit with your concealer?  I'd highly suggest this!  Remember, concealing rules have evolved: Gone are the days of "reverse raccoon eyes" (you know, where your under-eye makeup is way too light).  The secret to successful concealing is matching your own skin tone, nearly exactly.

When Real Brides Look Like Models

She's real.  She's beautiful.  She understands her makeup.  

Meet Alexis.  She's one of those decisive women who knows just how she likes things.  She's a makeup maven who knows her product and how she prefers to use it.  (Concealer and eyeliner are her faves:)

Now, go check out her photographer, Andrew Stephen Cebulka.  This was my first time working with Andrew, and I was super-impressed.  Not only with his amazing shutterbug skills, but with how he works a room full of women in the throes of pre-wedding flutter.  He's calming, assuring, and in control.  I'd be willing to bet he's one of those people his friends call "a great guy."

Thanks to you both for making this such a fun experience. . .with phenomenal results!

PL