“Makeup mirror on the wall, which brand is the fairest one of all?”

 It is difficult for Making Up America to choose the best makeup of them all. We are partial to Dior if you insisted on making us choose just one. However, many cosmetic lines have unique products. Check out the favorites of this makeup artist in a previous post. The fairy tale question came about over the realization that yet another great brand was going down the path of its owner’s whims.

Sephora is selling Shu Uemura as if they are gone forever from the United States. However, you’ll be able to buy the iconic eyelash curler online now instead of off the shelf. Thankfully, we know how well the lash curler works so the online sale works fine but as for trying out other products we are out of luck. With so many products to choose from, it is no surprise they are pulling the makeup but it is unfortunate when the driving force behing a creative line is gone (i.e., Kevin Aucoin). Usually the conglomerates like Estee Lauder or L’ Oreal buy out a cosmetic company(i.e., Bobbi Brown, MAC, Clinique… all Lauder and Lancome, Kiehl’s, Armani…all L’Oreal)…say it’s not so, Smashbox too! Yes, the sons of MaxFactor were bought out by Lauder this month. The other giant, which owns  Dior, Benefit,  and Make Up For Ever… No, they are not owned by L’Oreal but by LVMH. There it is, 3 global companies that own the majority of cosmetics available.

Making Up America read up on the decision by L’ Oreal, which bought the cosmetics line following the death of the Japanese namesake, to get ride of the line in the US. The following link contains an interview by New York Magazine of Gina Brooke, who used to be creative director of the line.

http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2010/04/gina_brooke_1.html

Most fascinating was to watch the behavior of the interviewers with the interviewees as they exchanged questions and answers. There was no sound from the monitors, so all one could do was observe their body language.

Angelina Jolie was said to be a “girly girl” and was noticeably more animated with the female press. One such interviewer said “Angelina liked questions about her children”. The two obviously hit it off because she got a handshake and a photo from Jolie. To the chagrin of fans, Angelina was well hidden from gawkers the entire weekend. Separate interview floors at the Newseum and back entrances and passageways at the Ritz Carlton kept the event running smoothly.

SALT premieres July 23, 2010.

To view a video of the interviews from STARZ go to the following link.

http://www.starz.com/extras#/starz-studios-show/

makeup by susan heydt/photo by pat molnar

Hooray for Ellicott City, Maryland! Money Magazine selected our fine town for one of the best places to live. Making Up America was there for the job of doing makeup for the cover shot of Ravens CFO, Mr. Jeff Goering and his family. Pride spilled over to giving a tour of the area for photographer Pat Molnar and photo director Ryan Cadiz. They thankfully took the recommendations to check out the Patapsco Female Institute’s ruins with the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company’s Father’s Day performance. Also visited were Merryweather Post Pavilion, The village of Wilde Lake, and Main Street in the Historic District of Ellicott City. Nestled within Main Street are offices, shops and restaurants. Check out www.suzemakeup.com for the makeup studio located along the intersection of Main and Old Columbia Pike.

Check the link below for behind-the-scenes shots from the cover of Money Magazine.

http://patmolnar.blogspot.com/2010/07/baltimore-money-mag-cover.html#comment-form

There’s been a lot of discussion about the Best Places to Live. Do you agree with the list? Eden Prairie, Ellicott City, and Newton made the top of the list. There’s also a list of the Best Places to Earn a Living, which included Washington, D.C. as third best.

http://www.kiplinger.com/magazine/archives/10-best-cities-2010-for-the-next-decade.html

Do you like your hometown? Do you think Diversity is an important measure for selecting the best places? One reader preferred a homogeneous neighborhood. Do you?

makeup by susan heydt

For the second time, Making Up America has encountered the twilight zone. First with the werewolf, Alex Meraz and now with Bella’s friend Christian Serratos. Diehard Twilight fans know who these actors are and characteristically put them in order of importance. Not the leads, but “stillllllll”. Right now we’d like to insert the film frame of Bella, Edward and Jacob that was given out with an autograph at the showing of Eclipse, but you’ll just have to understand that it is not possible. You can view the link below to see Christian’s interview at the DC Premiere.

http://www.dc50tv.com/entertainment/twilight/wdcw-eclipse-premiere2,0,2462181.story.

From what The Washington Post reported yesterday, Summit entertainment will not allow anyone to use photographs, promote anything as official merchandise or even use the wooded pines of Fork in an opening scene of a documentary.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/02/AR2010070202449.html

Intellectual property law is a slippery slope. We just want to join in the discussion of why the Twilight series has teens and moms wrapped around its finger. Having viewed Eclipse for the opening 35 minutes, MUA‘s got a glimpse of the struggle between the two teams of Edward and Jacob. Has the spark been lit? Possibly since this blog is being written.

Relatedly, fans might like to know more about the actors outside of the movie  Twilight.  Some may be interested to learn how adept the 19 year-old Christian is at her own styling.  Many stars are not always capable of creating their image on their own. Agents, photographers, stylists, makeup artists, hair and many assistants go into creating the fabulous looks of Hollywood. Yet, Christian seems to have a nature interest and ability to find fun fashion, sometimes on a shoestring, for young adults. In addition, she can pull herself together with ease. Maybe she has a chance to expand her talents beyond acting.

Bridal Makeup by Susan Heydt

Photo by Jamie Windon

As the owner of  Suze Makeup,  my favorite part of personal shopping, besides playing dress up with makeup, is to play the role of “consumer advocate”. I take clients, like brides-to-be, into a Sephora or cosmetic’s department to find the best possible makeup for you. The whole process of selecting makeup that normally may be intimidating and overwhelming is narrowed down by me for you.  I might say to the salesperson, “No, we don’t need that.”  I may add, “We really want something with a bit less shimmer.”  While I like to connect with the artist in the store  to share the love of color or neutrals, you the client get to keep your wallet in tact. No giant vacuum noise here of your money being syphoned out to pay for big markup items that never go on sale.

Almost every cosmetic line has a true gem. I’ve sifted through the endless amount of makeup on the shelves to expose the right products for your color, skintype, and style.

Leave a comment if you’d like more information or have questions.

Check out Pat Molnar’s blog about his musings as he collects portraits from across the country. The following link is from a recent photoshoot I did with him for Money Magazine in D.C.

http://patmolnar.blogspot.com/2010/05/dc.html#comment-form

The White House

It may be far-fetched to think Bravo will show Lynda Erkiletian’s truly good-natured side on the Real Housewives of DC.  As Making Up America stated previously, Lynda is a fine businesswoman and gracious host. We know there is no controversy there. Maybe she’ll be portrayed as a Cougar. Even that scenario is unfortunate. As entrepreneur and owner of  T.H.E. Artist Agency, Ms. Erkilatian grew her business for more than 20 years to be able to say the stylists she represents have worked at the White House, Capital Building, Supreme Court, Justice Department, Treasury Building and for a majority of the politicians, who control DC. She does have a direct line and trust from the people, who make Washington, D.C. a powerhouse. I personally thank her for making it possible for me to have met the President, First Lady, Speaker of the House, Majority Leader, Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Supreme Court Justice, Senators, and Congresswomen. Of course, reality show viewers may not be interested in the mundane workings of D.C. Yet, there are many interesting stories about what makes the people of  Washington tick. Let’s hope the real down home good stories are served sometime during the show.

To view The Washington Post article go to the following link.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/reliable-source/2010/06/rs-_housewives_1.html

Other links: 

A plea from Bravo to watch at least one episode…

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andy-cohen/ihousewivesi-and-the-hill_b_612040.html

People Magazine’s TV to watch section…

http://tvwatch.people.com/2010/06/15/real-housewives-dc-party-crashers-white-house/

makeup by susan heydt

While doing makeup for the Rachel Roy’s informal modeling at Macy’s, Making Up America got the chance to connect with fellow makeup artists. The job does not always lend itself to bouncing off new ideas and discoveries with one another because of time constraints. Also, when not working fashion shows that require several artists for the many models,  makeup artists find themselves the only one for print assignments.  Unlike photographers, who usually have several assistants, a makeup artist may have an assistant from time to time, but more often than not is on their own to collaborate with wardrobe and hair stylists.

This time around, one of the other makeup artists shared a new line to the United States called Inglot. Designed by and named after a chemist from Poland,  another line  to choose from but fun to check out. Available in NYC.

http://inglotcosmetics.com/

photo by asselin/makeup by susan heydt

The ladies are ready to rescue Wall Street. For more about the story go to Time Magazine’s online site… 

www.time.com 

As a makeup artist, it’s always fun for me to see the subjects when they are relaxed. Often times the moment of candor comes when they feel they are not being photographed. Their guard is let down in a very similar way when an individual is being interviewed. The best content seems to come after the interview! What I loved about this cover is the natural discussion that ensued between shots. 

My job is to help people feel confident in front of the camera. While doing the makeup is often the warmup to the photo shoot, it helps if the subject is totally relaxed so that the photographer can get the shot without too much time and effort. In busy Washington D.C., time is of the essence.

Oscar de la Renta Fall 2010

makeup by susan heydt

    A young preteen girl asked, “Does he know what’s current?” The innocent question came as a reaction to seeing the legendary designer, Oscar de la Renta‘s photo in the front row seats of his fashion show. Presumably, de la Renta’s designer son, whom the First Lady has worn, may have a better grasp on current trends. When the elder de la Renta brought the late 70′s/early 80′s to D.C. yesterday, you actually winced at all the shimmery makeup and the fog of hairspray polluting the air in order to hold the teased hair. With high maintenance looks at its pinnacle, the 18 models were prepared by 6 makeup artists and as many hair stylists.  After 3 hours of primping, the girls started to look like dolls.  

    The clothes, on the other hand (quite literally, on the other bodies) spoke for themselves.  Fresh from Oprah, the gowns made the trek to Washington for 200 local ladies to view at a luncheon fashion show at Neiman Marcus Mazza Gallerie.

For more coverage, go to the Washington Post and New York Times…

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/reliable-source/2010/05/oscar_de_la_renta_designer_to.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/nyregion/04costume.html?src=mv