Make Up Mania Newsletters
Volume 2, Number 4 - July 30, 1999
The Make Up Maniac
Volume Two
Number 4
A very big welcome to all our new subscribers!!!! The Make Up Maniac is the premiere newsletter that talks about make up and beauty Hollywood style!!!
This issue includes:
- Dinair (Make Up revolutionized by the Airbrush.)
- Tettoos. (The Cadillac of Tattoo Jewelry.)
- Our new Theatrical Floor!!!
- Our iMac winner!
- Make Up Tip of the Week. Brushes 101
- News from our participation in the International Make-Up Artist Trade Show!
- SHOW SPECIALS from the Trade Show are EXTENDED!
Read on and enjoy our news, views and reviews for up to the minute Make Up News!
MAKE UP TIP OF THE WEEK
BRUSHES 101
Many of our online customers have asked me about brushes. They think that with the prices of our brushes that they can't be as good as the expensive department store brands. Au contraire!!!! All of our brushes are sourced from the same reputable brush makers, are quality made, cruelty free and guaranteed!!!! How can you know for sure? By learning how to spot what makes a good brush yourself! In this, Brushes 101 Part One, you will learn how brushes are made, the qualities to look for and the types of hair that are used. Plus you can learn why certain hair types are better than others for certain applications. Next week in Part Two, we will talk about the care of the brushes, and how to recognize brushes by style name (flat, round, chisel, bullet etc.), and what different styles can do for your make up application. And tips of the trade. Professional or at home.
We begin by thinking about how brushes are made. Basically there are three parts to the brush, the handle, the tip and the ferrule (the metal part that connects the brush to the handle.) The brush manufacturers use a cup-like holder to place the hair in. Then they shape the hair in the shape they want it to end up in. The hair is tied and glued to keep the hair from falling out.
Then the hair is placed in the ferrule and tightened or crimped. That is, the metal is flattened out to help hold the hair. The handle is put on and crimped and glued. This process is obviously most successful when quality materials are used.
The first cut of the animal is the utmost importance. Since animals do not go to the salon and get their hair cut their hair has a natural taper to it. Just like the hair on your brows or lashes. It is that fine tapered point that keeps the hair from poking you. If the hair is pokey you most likely have a brush that is made from the second or third cut. It has a blunt end. Depending how long the hair is when it is shaved a brush manufacturer can choose to purchase the more expensive first cut or the lesser priced second or third cut. Always get the first cut. Throw the ones that poke you away they will never get softer!
Next the handle. Brushes stay tight longer if the handle is glued and crimped on. The crimp is an indentation in the metal part that grasps onto the handle. Because the ferrule cannot dent into plastic or other man made materials the best brush handles are hard wood. The grip will be stronger and last longer. Many manufactures put a false crimp on the ferrule - it doesn't do anything but is decorative. This means you may have a constantly loose handle which can be annoying. If you have a favorite brush but it doesn't have a crimp on the handle you need to take special care when cleaning and caring for the brush.
The ferrule, as I said, is the metal part that holds the hair and the handle. It is best when this metal is made of nickel and that it does not have a seam in it. A seam weakens the brush over time and can rust. Decorative colors are okay but again you must take care when cleaning your brush.
Okay, so now you know that you want to look for a brush that has a wood handle, a nickel ferrule with a crimp in it holding the wood and a crimp holding the hair. (NOTE: Round brushes cannot be crimped at the hair or they will not remain round so don't worry about it.) You also want to make sure the brush is a quality made brush to guarantee that you are getting the first cut. Any reputable brush manufacturer will stand behind their brushes. Your brush (IF CARED FOR PROPERLY) should not poke, wobble or lose hair. If it does, you have a defective brush which should be replaced. Or you have purchased a low quality brush.
The hair used in brushes is so varied now it is almost mind boggling. Make Up Artists used to purchase brushes at the art store and cut off the handles to fit in their kit. (They still do.) But "make up" brushes have become big business and there are so many to choose from. This is a blessing but you have to learn how to choose the right one in order find your way through the brush maze. In the art store there is basically sable, kolinsky and synthetic. This was pretty much the same in make up brushes until the past few years when now we see squirrel, raccoon and various high grade synthetics. What do all these types of hair mean to you?
Many of the brushes we have on our page are a blend of pony and sable and goat. This is a nice blend that makes it soft enough for use on the face with out getting overly expensive. The sable is a very soft and expensive fur. The kolinsky is actually the hair from the belly of the sable therefore, it is even softer. The squirrel is a very soft fur and the raccoon is stiff without getting pokey. The new synthetics are extremely soft and versatile and some artists are preferring exclusively synthetics brushes for their make up application.
The thing to remember is the softer the hair the less product it picks up and delivers, hence it gives a softer application. A stronger or stiffer hair picks up more product, delivers more product on to the skin so you can assume a stiffer hair (as in the pony blends) you will have a stronger and faster application of product. We will go over more ideas of what to use for what in Brushes 101 - Part Two, next newsletter.
The last thing I want to talk about is the handle length. You might have seen on our page short and long handles. The short handles are usually 3" and long handles 5". The short handles are for personal use. While sitting at your mirror at home and applying make up there is the distinct possibility that you will poke yourself in the eye with the long handle (as I have). The short handles are easier to hold onto turned around and working on yourself and they fit in your purse much easier than the long handle. The long are for professional use. The artist working on a model or actor uses the weight and balance of the brush just as an artist does. They free flowing of a make up application is much easier when the brush is an extension of your arm vs. a tool bunched up in your fingers. The weight and balance of a brush allows you to hold on with a much lighter grip and keep your muscles relaxed.
Next week, Part Two will go on to talk about the care of you brushes to keep them a lifetime and also what brush styles specifically do. Until then…keep up the art!!!
NEWS
New this week at Make Up Mania is the Tetsu & Mermaid Tettoos. These are the ones that are called the Rolls Royce of jewelry tattoos and named Hottest New Trend in Newsweek Magazine. When vacationing in Bali AnneMichelle and Tetsu saw these beautiful tattoos on the native women and found out it wasn't a tattoo but a cleverly knotted armband. They brought them back to the US and though they weren't the first - they did bring them out with style by putting them in cute packages and keeping them the original material and not going to a lesser priced plastic that stretches out over time. We have them in the traditional colors of henna, chocolate and black and some fun colors too like purple. See them on our Gift Floor, under gift ideas. THIS IS PART OF OUR SHOW SPECIAL - SEE BELOW.
Watch out for Dinair the revolution of make up with a fantastic airbrush system. Did you know that airbrushing at 40 psi (normal airbrush pressure) is dangerous? Did you know that Dinair was there teaching the make artists for HDTV premiere programming for the Jay Leno show? Did you know that this is the newest forefront of make up artistry and with HDTV and high quality film, we as artists have to be aware of this wave? Did you know Dinair… is going to be on Make Up Mania? That's right not only will we introduce the products, but we have lined Dina up as our Star Interview to highlight the career of this spectacular woman. She is revolutionizing make up application. Also look out for the schedule of classes that she holds regularly at her studio in North Hollywood.
VIEWS
Theatre, Theater, Drama and Thespians take note. Our new floor is up and running. Floor Ten of our online store just opened. The Theatrical Floor. We carry Kryolan, Mehron, books and accessories - all geared toward the stage. This floor is hosted by Kathy, your personal Shopper. Kathy is an artist, wigmaker and mom-extraordinaire to Morgan, her three year old daughter. Let Kathy help produce the best productions yet e-mail her at kathy@makeupmania.com.
REVIEWS
The International Make-Up Artist Magazine Trade Show was July 24th & 25th. Your Make Up Mania Crew was there in full CyberPunk Regalia. We created a post-apocalyptic vision of a techno carnival. Why? So we could put on make up and have a fun time showing off our web site and new cyber showroom. Also so we could give away an iMac computer to the lucky spinner of the Carnie's Wheel. Gabe Grunbaum (Ian's friend from childhood) let us put him in a full head appliance and he walked through the show and brought hundreds by our booth to win gifts and a chance to win a beautiful baby blue iMac. The drawing was held on Sunday evening and we are proud to announce Arnel Bailon as the winner of the iMac. (He came by to pick it up today.) He was very happy! Check out our contest page to see pictures of the whole event. It was so fabulous we didn't want to get out of costume! To keep the rivalry a little longer we are extending our show specials for another week. Here they are buy before August 9th and we will honor the prices we did at the show!! Hurry some things will sell out!!!
Show Specials
ESTEY True Colors
Metal Licks Lip Paint
BUY ONE GET ONE FREE!
Metal Licks are $7 each
ESTEY True Colors
Shimmer Powders
Buy Two Get One Free
Shimmer Powders are $4.50
SOLAR F/X
Buy any combination of two of the following kits, and get your choice
of a Tatu Papier or Solar F/X Lipstick FREE
Flower Child Nail Set is $25
Wild Child Nail Set is $25
Luscious Lips Set is $25
Tatu Werks for Women is $25
Body Crayon Set is $25
Tatu Me Baby is $28
SOUTH PARK
Watches & Clocks
UP TO 40% OFF!
Watches $20 (reg. $30)
Clocks $15 (reg. $25)
WORLD GIRL PALETTES
Buy Three Get One FREE!
World Girl Palettes are $25 each.
Choose from The Multi-Cultural Set or The Retro Set
PINK WORLD HAIR SNAPS
Buy Two Large Hair Snaps Get One Small
Large $4.50 Small $3.00
TETSU & MERMAID
Tattoo Jewelry
20% OFF - Show Special Only!!!!
Large $8 (Reg. $10)
Medium & Small $6.40 (Reg. $8)
BURT'S BEES
Buy two of the following items and get a Wings of Love Lipstick FREE!
($9.50 value)
Head To Toe Starter Kit ($11)
Baby Bee Getting Started Kit (7.50)
Jasmine Decollete Crème ($18)
girLActik
Sparkle Make Up
Buy 2 Sets Get 1 Single Free
Sets ($18) Singles ($8.50)
Well that's it for this week keep posted for our next Newsletter in two weeks. Feel free to e-mail me with any questions. eva@makeupmania.com. Until next time
Best wishes- Eva Marie and your Make Up Maniacs
