Help me get my business up and running!

Hi guys!

As you may know, I've been working for the past couple years as a freelance makeup artist while I was in school. Due to financial issues, I was recently forced to leave school and am now pursuing my career full time. I've been working for MAC cosmetics for the past few months, and have been offered gigs for weddings and parties left and right, but have been unable to take them because I don't have all the equipment. Also, I've been borrowing an airbrush system from a fellow artist when gigs require airbrushing, but this is getting to be far too inconvenient, so I'm trying to get funding together for that as well.

The downside is that I'm fresh out of college and have little to no financial support from my family to get this venture started. Below is the link for an IndieGoGo campaign I started. If you can donate, awesome, if you can't, please pass the word along and share with all your social networks. Thank you!

MAC Giveaway!

I'm proud to announce my first giveaway!

What can you win?

• 1 tube of MAC's clear lipglass to mix and match any lip look you could possibly imagine.
• Your choice of 1 (one) MAC pigment. These can be used on the eyes, the lips, the face, and just about anywhere else you can think of. Pigments are a great choice for mixing with MAC's clear lipglass.

How can you win?

Simply fill out the information below on my rafflecopter link!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Entries will be accepted until Friday, March 8th at 10pm CST. Winner will be announced on Twitter as well as my Facebook page.

Cleaning Your Makeup Brushes

It's very important too keep everything that comes in contact with your face clean and sanitary. Cleaning your brushes, as well as your makeup, is central to keeping your skin healthy and blemish-free. Here are three was to clean your brushes.

1. Spot Cleaning - Spot cleaning should be done in between every application, especially if you are a makeup artist. To spot clean a brush, simply dampen a paper towel with some brush cleaner, (I use the MAC brush cleaner diluted 1:3 with water) and lightly wipe the brush on the wet spot to remove any excess product.
2. Soaking - Soaking should be done once a day. If you're not an artist and only use your brushes on yourself, this step can be done interchangeably with spot cleaning, but should be done at least once a week if the brushes are only for personal use. Simply pour some brush cleaner in a small cup, let the brush soak for a minute or two, and then wipe the brush on a paper towel. Make sure the liquid covers the bristles, but does not go up past the ferrule, as this will eventually cause your brushes to fall apart and shed bristles.
3. Shampooing - Brushes should be thoroughly shampooed at least once a month. Simply wet down the brush with water, add a small amount of a mild shampoo, lather and rinse. I recommend either Johnson's Baby Shampoo, or Dr. Bronner's Tea Tree Soap. Dr. Bronner's Tea Tree soap is actually a natural disinfectant, and helps to keep your brushes sanitary and clean. 

As always, follow me on Twitter, like me on FaceBook,  visit my homepage at jaydhagberg.com, and check out my Youtube channel!

Valentine's Day Photo Spread

Here's some images from a shoot I did yesterday in honor of Valentine's Day courtesy of Cityzen X. A bit hipster, a bit queer, and a lot awesome. I got to play with a ton of false eyelashes and red lips - the whole shoot was very 50's inspired. Check it out!

As always, follow me on Twitter, like me on FaceBook,  visit my homepage at jaydhagberg.com, and check out my Youtube channel!

Makeup for Men, Part 2: Now with 465% MORE Guyliner!

Here's my latest tutorial on makeup for men! In honor of Pete Wentz and Jered Leto, I present...

This time around, I decided to rock some guyliner. I was going to a show that evening and decided that it was as good a time as any to try something a little different. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below, and DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE!

Products used:

• MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural in Medium
• Ben Nye Eyebrow Pencil in Taupe EP-3
• MAC Eyeshadow in Carbon and Soft Brown
• MAC Eye Kohl in Smolder
• MAC Viva Glam Ricki Lip Conditioner
• MAC Blush in Blunt.

As always, follow me on Twitter, like me on FaceBook,  visit my homepage at jaydhagberg.com, and check out my Youtube channel!

Sanitary Practices: How to Keep Your Cosmetics Clean

Many people think that even personal cosmetics don't need to be cleaned and sanitized. They reason that because the makeup is only being used on themselves, they don't need to worry about germs or bacteria contaminating their cosmetics.

FALSE.

Even if your makeup is soley for personal use, it still runs the risk of becoming contaminated. The air we breathe is filled with germs, and it only takes one of those little buggers to multiply and contaminate your products. Sanitation and cleanliness are especially important if you have acne-prone skin - the bacteria that cause your breakouts can get in your makeup and cause further breakouts when you reapply.

Here's a quick rundown of how to clean all your makeup and tools, as well as three essentials that you should keep near your vanity or in your kit at all times.

How to Clean Cosmetics and Tools

Powders: Powders, like eyeshadows and powder foundations should be cleaned at least once a week. To clean them, simply take a tissue or a paper towel and wipe off the top layer of the product. For extra sanitation, you can lightly spray them down with either 90% isopropyl alcohol, or a beauty sanitation spray like Beauty So Clean. If you go the alcohol route, make sure that it's at least a 90% solution and not the more traditional 70% solution - the 70% solution has more water and impurities in it that will make your powders glaze and ultimately ruin the product. 

Creams in Pans: Like powders, pan concealers and foundations should be wiped off and then sprayed with alcohol about once a week. 

Lip Glosses and Mascara: Unless you're using disposable wands every time you use your product, there is really no way to keep cosmetics that come in a tube sanitary. Lip glosses, tube concealers, mascaras, and any other product that comes in a tube with an applicator wand should be replaced every three months. I know this sounds like a daunting task, but do you really want to run the risk of sties and other skin infections?

Pencils: Pencils should really be cleaned between every use. Simply sharpen the pencil and then wipe them down with an alcohol wipe, or dip them in alcohol and let them dry. 

Lipsticks: At least once a week, dip the lipstick in alcohol, and wipe off the outer layer of the product.

Brushes: This is probably the most important way to keep your makeup sanitary and fresh. Make sure that you are spot-cleaning your brushes in between each use, and give them a thorough wash every one to two weeks. Use a product like MAC's Brush Cleanser to disinfect as well as condition your brushes. 

Three Essential Makeup Sanitation Products

1. 90% Isopropyl Alcohol. Not only is this essential for sanitizing your makeup, but it's also good for keeping your workstation clean and free of germs. Simply wipe down your makeup counter with a bit of alcohol and you're good to go.
2. Paper Towels or Tissues. These are important for wiping off products, and are also useful for keeping your workstation clean, as well as making cleanup easy. After cleaning your work station, lay down a paper towel or tissue to work on top of. After you're done, simply fold up the paper towel with all your pencil shavings and remnant powder, and toss it!
3. Hand Sanitizer. Hand sanitizer is a makeup artist's best friend. Before application, hand sanitizer should be used to kill all those pesky germs on your hands so they don't transfer to your face. 

As always, follow me on Twitter, like me on FaceBook,  visit my homepage at jaydhagberg.com, and check out my Youtube channel!

Cutting and Customizing Brushes

Here's my latest YouTube video on cutting and customizing makeup brushes.

Sometimes I find that brushes don't do exactly what I want them to do, so by cutting them, I can make a new, more useful brush out of one that I don't really like.

What you will need:

• Beard/hair clippers
• Small scissors
• Cheap makeup brushes that you don't really like.

Like I said in the video, this is something I usually only do with cheap brushes, because I don't feel so guilty cutting them up if I only paid a few dollars for them!

If you want to see an in-depth demo, please let me know in the comments below!

As always, follow me on Twitter, like me on FaceBook,  visit my homepage at jaydhagberg.com, and check out my Youtube channel!