artist

Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Crayon

I remember being so excited for the Marc Jacobs cosmetic line to debut. I even wrote a post on how the line was previewing early at Sephora.

I also remember when I received the Highliner Gel Crayon in Brown(out) as a free gift shortly after the debut. I may have used it once, was not very impressed and tossed it in my kit thinking I’d use it for something. Which, I’d like to add, was very upsetting seeing as how I was so excited about the line, and the press the brand was receiving was incredible.

Well, until yesterday, I had not used it. I randomly saw the pencil and decided I’d play around with it. Immediately I was reminded of why I didn’t like the pencil to begin with and ultimately decided I was going to write about it.

Now, almost all of my posts are about products that I love and think everyone should know about. I rarely have negative feedback and tend to only write about the positive.

However, I think this pencil needs some critiquing.

First, the pencil, which is called a “gel” liner, is incredibly hard and far from other gel liners I have loved in the past. The first time I used the twist-up pencil, It broke.

The color looks beautiful, with hints of gold. However, the color does not directly transfer to the skin. It’s very light and hard to blend.

I was really expecting this product to be more “high-end” and of better quality.

Now, in the products defense, I have not used another Highliner color. There is a possibility that different colors hold different qualities, and may be a softer material or truer to it’s color. This is something I’m curious about and am looking forward to exploring next time I’m at Sephora.

I’m curious if my readers have used any of the Highliner Crayons and if so, did you like them? What colors have you tried?

I love interacting with my readers and it’s always fun to receive comments and emails! Please feel free to contact me… let’s discuss!

Thanks for stopping by, everyone! Until next time 🙂

-R

Shooting with StoneKap Production for The National Inventors Hall of Fame

Hi Everyone!

Something I’ve been trying to find time to write about, is a recent shoot I worked on in Philly with StoneKap Entertainment for The National Inventors Hall of Fame.

StoneKap is located in Ohio and films throughout the country. The National Inventors Hall of Fame is located in DC with their home office also located in Ohio. StoneKap and The National Inventors Hall of Fame have been working together for a few years.

The shoot took place in a really cool office space that housed the Bresslergroup. The Bresslergroup homepage describes the company as “A research-driven product innovation lab.” And it was just that. A completely open floor plan with high ceilings and large industrial styled windows, a beautiful common space greeted me upon entering. The work space and desks of employees sat behind a glass cube of a conference room, where we shot our interview. The desks themselves were really modern and rather spaced out. The walls were littered with huge white scratch pad paper that I can only imagine to be projects and ideas and work. We also did a few takes in the lab area.

When I was contacted by and accepted the offer from StoneKap, I was beyond excited. I received very little details about the shoot, my communications were mostly about who my contacts were and who I’d be working with.  Upon arriving and meeting the team, I met JD Albert. JD was the subject for our shoot and is being inducted into The National Inventors Hall of Fame for creating E-Ink, the ink that is in e-readers such as the Kindle.

Male grooming is fairly easy and JD needed very little makeup and few touch-ups, mostly to control shine. He was very soft spoken and didn’t mind the makeup. Shortly after, we began filming.

During those two hours of shooting, I learned a lot about JD, what he has created over the years, and what Bresslergroup works on. And I was beyond fascinated.

Between filming, and while the crew was setting up their gear in the lab area, JD showed me a product that the Bresslergroup had recently created. Designed for Temptu, his group created an all-in-one handheld airbrush machine. JD also mentioned that a professional version of the product was in the works, and I cannot wait to purchase one!

We wrapped the day with a few shots in the lab area.

I’m so happy to have met and worked with the team at StoneKap, The National Inventors Hall of Fame, the freelance sound guy and of course JD Albert. I hope to have some stills and reels to share with everyone in the next coming months, after JD is inducted. I also really look forward to seeing what the team has created with our time. I absolutely love working on production based projects!

Hope you all enjoyed reading about the shoot! As always, thank you for reading!

-R

New Images

Hi Everyone!

 

So excited to share some new work with you!

Check out recent Images of the Lovely AnnaLisa and Emely, shot by Chris Loupos In Philadelphia.

Enjoy!

-R

New Studio Work

Hi Guys!

 

I recently linked up with a Photographer new to Philadelphia, Chris Loupos, and we’ve been playing around shooting at a pretty little studio in Fishtown.

 

Chris is super cool and easy to get along with. His ideas intrigue me and he’s incredibly open to hearing mine. We hope to work on a lighting series and a decade piece soon.

 

I’m so excited to share these images. I’ve been putting together a decade mood board for a while now, but with a dedicated photographer on board, I’m really focusing on designing the shoot and getting it in studio asap.

 

I hope to post some new images soon.

 

Thanks for reading, everyone!

 

-R

Make Up For Ever Pro Takeover

Today I had the pleasure of attending the Make Up For Ever Pro Takeover! The event is taking place across the country in selected cities and lucky for me, King Of Prussia was one! I totally would have gone to New York for it, fyi.

I received an email a few weeks ago for the opportunity to register and attend a MUFE Pro class hosted by top industry professionals. Upon seeing the invite, I immediately seized the opportunity and signed up. At the time, I was only able to register for two classes so I chose the first two of the day: Fundamental Flash Color with Jessie Powers and Glamorous Bridal Beauty with Jayme Arrasmith. After arriving, it was announced that everyone was welcome to stay for all or as many classes as they would like. So I stayed for the entire day. FAB CHOICE.

The Fundamental Flash Color class with Jessie Powers was all about using the 12 Flash Color Case for the entire face. Can I just say, I’ve been obsessing over this flash case for a while. I’ve done tons of research on the palette and even looked up similar products. Still I wanted it. Jessie’s class was a great opportunity to see it used in person, on the entire face! This palette can literally be used for anything. Foundation, highlight, contour, cheek, lip, eye, brow. Everything. Jessie’s look was awesome and I’m so glad I was able to watch her demo the palette.

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The second class of the day with Jayme Arrasmith was all about Bridal work. Perfectly selected products blended with a few tips and technique tricks, made for a perfect modern bride, achieved with all Make Up For Ever products. Jayme did a really well done smokey brown eye- very a la Kim K. She brought color to her cheeks and lips and lightly smoked out her eye. She kept everything matte (except for a few highlights) by using Super Matte Loose Powder. She gave the model a light, natural brow and added a few contours around the face. The look was easy and looked amazing. I really enjoy watching other artists work. Something Jayme said during her class and I find to be very true, is that you never really stop learning. I love improving myself as an artist and a really good way for me to do that is by taking classes and learning and networking from other industry professionals. I had a great time watching Jayme work and think she’s a great artist. Jayme is the Head Makeup Artist at the Make Up For Ever boutique in the King Of Prussia Mall.

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Later in the day Jayme hosted another class called Sculpted Highlight and Contour. She demonstrated two different ways she applies and blends both highlights and contours to make them look super natural. Majority of both was done with the 11 Foundation Palette and some powder.

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There were also a Regional Artist Spotlight Demonstration with James Vincent. At first when I saw the class schedule, it didn’t dawn on me that the person teaching this class was the James Vincent. I was super excited when I realized. I’ve followed him on twitter for a while now and absolutely love his work. I highly suggest looking him up. This man has worked with EVERYONE and is really someone to look up to. James hosted the demo class and also conducted another that was all about the business end of the industry. During the demo, James spotlighted some products he loves and explained some quick and fun techniques used to quickly work backstage and on sets. His look was very fashion trend with an orange lip. Beautiful. His Business Breakdown class was the last of the day and was awesome. Listening to a top industry professional talk about how he’s accomplished all of this from nothing and noting all the things that have gotten him there, was really the highlight of the entire event, for me anyway. I was able to take away some great advice from James and can not wait to continue to brand myself and explore new opportunities. Thanks James!

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I also purchased some new products that I’ll be reviewing in a later post. Some of the products are linked above.

A huge thank you goes out to everyone at the KOP boutique and the artists that traveled from NYC to attend. I can’t wait for the next Pro Takeover!

-R

 

Feedback on the new site

I’ve been incredibly busy trying to promote my new website and existing business. And with that, I would love to hear from my viewers! Please leave some comments about things you like, dislike and would like to see. My goal is to continuously improve and everyone needs critical feedback to do so!

Many thanks in advance!

-R