FACEing Cincinnati makeup classes/Tween makeup party!

 Back in December I posted about a starter makeup kit for a tween. Yesterday Ranee and I did a fun FACEing class for a group of four twelve year olds who go to school with my daughter. None of them really wear makeup except for dances, but they want to learn the right way to apply it. All the girls have gorgeous skin, so we skipped foundation (lucky ducks!) we showed them easy ways to make their eyes pop but still look youthful. (No scary black eyeliner!) The girls absolutely loved the looks we created, and while they are not necessarily ready to wear makeup to school on a daily basis, they feel confident that when they do they will be looking completely fierce! This is a fun idea for a birthday party too.
From Jill, the mom who set up the class:

 “I wanted my daughter to learn good makeup techniques before she started globbing it on. I had some disastrous makeup days when I was her age and I wanted her to learn that ‘less is more’ when it comes to a natural look. She still has beautiful skin that I want her to preserve and take care of, knowing what she does now to her skin will affect her 30 years from now. The FACEing class for teens taught them all that good stuff plus really focused on makeup items that you can find at the grocery store instead of spending a lot of money purchasing.”

and from Caroline, her 12 year old: Caroline, age 12: “I want to wear makeup sometimes but my mom doesn’t want it to look like I’m wearing a lot of makeup. A lot of girls at my school wear black eyeliner. I like all the fun colors. I know now I can wear cool colors but still look like a kid now that I know how to put it on right.”

FACEing makeup classes, Cincinnati/Starter makeup for tweens

Today on Facebook, one of my friends asked me for help; her twelve year old daughter wants makeup for Christmas and she doesn't know where to turn. Her well meaning friends suggested lessons Sephora, Bare Minerals, and Clinique. Well, $50 or even $75 doesn't go very far at any of those stores, and as far as the lessons go, it's a bit of a crapshoot. You don't know if you're lucking out with a super knowledgable and talented artist, or a newbie without a clue.
I just so happen to have an eleven year old daughter, (who does not wear makeup at all.)
She reports that some girls are really dabbling in makeup. She and her twin brother are seeing LOTS of black rimmed eyes (yikes) and heavy foundation on a couple girls who are already seeing breakouts and are attempting to camouflage.
Now I know a lot of people will say that girls this age should not be wearing makeup at all and I can fully respect that opinion. I want Ella to stay a little girl as long as humanly possible, duh.
But when she is ready to wear it, I don't want her looking a fool. (Gotta represent,yo)
I am already teaching her proper skincare habits because no amount of makeup in the world will look good if your skin isn't on point. (If only I had known at her age what I know now) I have Ella using my Clarisonic (she has her own brush) to cleanse her face with my Peaches cleanser every night, and I do a mask with Milk of Magnesia on her before she goes to bed, probably about 2X a week. You will not believe what that will do for acnaic skin. Seriously amazing. A shoutout to my girls at Peaches for turning me on to it.
So I grabbed my girl, armed with a fistful of my drugstore faves, and gave her an age appropriate and fun makeover. I am of the mind that there is a relatively small window of opportunity to wear bright neon colors, and if you can't do it at eleven, then when?
before:

after:

I used a creamy eyeshadow stick all from lash to brow, just to give it a shimmery glow. Then i used the clear mascara to tame her brows a bit. A little bit of the neon purple liner and purple mascara made her green eyes pop like crazy without making her look too made up. (Maybelline makes this mascara in teal, burgundy, and cobalt as well)
I used a teeny dab of the Garnier concealer (my favorite product EVER for any age) under her eyes and on a little blemish near her brow. A little bronzer and blush to warm her up and my own branded lipgloss in TWSS (that's what she said)
You can grab all of this for right around 50 bucks.
We do teach FACEing junior classes to tweens and teens, getting them on the right track with their skincare regime and what is worth spending money on (and what isn't) We do mother/ tween daughter classes (which are $100) or groups of up to six tween friends for $35 each.

tween beauty by nannobanan featuring a creased eyeshadow

Garnier beauty product
target.com

Cheek bronzer
soap.com

Creased eyeshadow
neutrogena.com

COVERGIRL Professional Natural Lash No Color Mascara Clear Neutral 800...
pgestore.com

Richmond/Cincinnati mashup!

I met Aaron in 1994 when we we were both working for the Showboat Majestic; he as a performer and me in the orchestra. I wouldn't say we hit it off right way but once we did we were inseparable. We had our own brand of humor that no one else seemed to "get" but that never really mattered to us. We went on to produce shows together on the 'boat, and I trained him how to do makeup so he could work with me at Saks. He was there when I had my twins, and came over every night the first year of their life to give me a break from a long day of mommy-ing. He flew to NYC at a moment's notice to sing my sister's memorial service and to be with me. I stood next to him when he married the love of his life, Michael. So it's safe to say he is my right arm. And we make a smashing team, if I do say so myself.
Aaron started BRIDEface in Richmond VA a little over a year ago. He did an eleven year stint with Laura Mercier Cosmetics as a national artist and then a trainer, and he was ready to follow his true passion.

To make an already long story somewhat short, Aaron will here in Cincy April 15-20 and we want to teach some FACEing classes in tandem. You will want to jump on this, PRONTO. Grab some girlfriends, grab some wine, grab your makeup. We got the rest.

makeup coaching, Cincinnati/DIY bridal makeup lesson

Several months ago, Sarah took a one on one lesson with me with the goal of doing her own bridal makeup. I walked her through every single step of the process, including what types of products she would need to purchase to ensure her makeup would last all the way through the night. She left with a very detailed cheatsheet and shopping list.
 The results are absolutely gorgeous! And I couldn't be prouder, looking at these photos chock full of my product recommendations! I am also quite envious of that Caboodle.

from Sarah:

"I couldn't have chosen a more wonderful artist to work with on designing my wedding day look! I love to do my own makeup, and Nancy was so awesome and supportive in coaching me along! Not only was her color palate right on with the look I was trying to achieve, but the little tips she kept slipping in from the sidelines made a difference not only on my wedding day, but also every other morning when I go to pretty myself up! Thank you so much for being a part of my creative process; I credit all the finesse of the look to you ;)"
images, Darrin Ballman
If you are interested in a DIY makeup class, email Nancy at nancy@brideface.com

BRIDEface Richmond FACEing Class/Makeup Artist Aaron Ellerbrock

What a fun night this was. A dear friend of mine, Liesel, decided to host a FACEing Class at her home with 5 of her girlfriends. She wanted to have more people, but unfortunately there is just one of me so I had to limit the class size to 6. So for any of you lovely ladies who are interested in having your own FACEing Class, send me a message at aaron@brideface.com and I can give you all the details. If you are in Cincinnati make sure to reach out to Nancy at nancy@brideface.com.

This was a wonderful class because we just focused on the basics. All of these ladies are busy and always on the go and we wanted to show a polished and beautiful look that would not take too much time. The thing that is so great about the classes is that not everything is done for you. It is a teaching session so I will demonstrate technique and then you will re-create it on yourself. Lots was learned this evening!

We use what you have in your own bag but I have all my goodies with me to supplement in case there are things you do not have or things that may not suit you. I even bring a list of some of our favorite products that you can get at a variety of stores. I like to make sure everyone is aware of both "luxury" products as well as things you can pick up at your local drug store.

We had such a great time that two of the ladies, who are just naturally beautiful therfore they do not have a lot in their makeup bag, decided to hire me to go shopping with them. We got together and spent some time at Ulta, Sephora, and even Walgreens which often has a buy one get one 50% off special.

A special thankyou to Brian Swagger of Brian Swagger Photography for these awesome photos. It was great that he could be a part of this evening.
Thanks so much to this amazing and lovely group for making my job so much fun. Man, I really love what I do!!!

Cincinnati makeup lessons/FACEing class for THE Bump Ladies

A couple weeks ago Mollie and I hosted some ladies from "the bump" (a message board for mommies, mommies-to-be, and soon-to-be-mommies) and three happened to be former brides of mine and one a former boudoir client.

We went through their makeup bags so we could see what products they were lacking in their repertoire and schooled then on the art of the 5 minute polished face and then a smokier "date night" eye.

from Kristen:
"I so enjoyed my FACEing experience. Nancy and Mollie equipped me with the techniques to leave my house feeling polished and confident every day. Sometimes I catch myself admiring my own handiwork in the mirror, that never happened before FACEing. Being a busy mom it's sometimes hard to make myself a priority, but taking five minutes to apply my makeup makes me feel like I'm doing something good for me. And I like that! "
from Amanda :
" My only regret is that I didn't do this sooner. I finally feel confident enough to go out for an evening knowing I look my best. I felt better knowing that some of the things I was doing were right! It was such a fun night. My favorite part was learning what I needed to do a quick get out the door face... or the 'Mad Men' eyes."
from Kristin :
"Nancy's class was an exceptional experience for me. You can read in a magazine the best way to do something but there is nothing that can replace the eye of someone who knows how to do it right. On top of that, she can actually show you on your face with your makeup and your brushes. The experience was invaluable."

Put your face in our hands.

I constantly have people ask "do you teach people how to put on makeup?" Lessons and classes are something I have always done and I absolutely love sharing all my secrets. Lately I have had even more people approach me and I wonder if the economy could be part of the reason; people are being more selective about how they spend their beauty dollars and rather than waste it on products that don't perform, they would rather invest in the knowledge to master their own face.

Consider this my "spinoff"-FACEing will offer one on one lessons, paired lessons (2 sisters, mother/daughter, best friends) or small group classes. I will go through everyuthing you are currently using (or things you have purchased and don't know how to use?)and give you step-by-step instruction. I'll even throw in a highly detailed cheat sheet. And because I don't sell makeup, I have no agenda; I am just as apt to recommend a $5 mascara as I am a $45 foundation;my recommendations are based on my own trial and error and just my sheer obsession with all things cosmetic.You will be armed with a shopping list at the makeup store (btw; did you hear we are getting an ULTA at Kenwood!?) and be able to wave away the well-meaning salespeople with confidence.

so join us on Facebook and check out our spankin' new website! And spread the word...lessons make a great gift for someone FACEing a significant birthday, a high school reunion, or re-entering the dating world.

Cincinnati makeup lessons/mini makeover with Julie

Wedding Vendor friends, take note; come see me on Wednesdays and you will most definitely snag some tips, tricks and maybe even a few eyelashes.

Julie popped in this week to pick up the girl scout cookies she ordered from my daughter, to have some lunch, and to catch up before her new baby arrives in about two and a half weeks.

Because I have never done her makeup all these years (??) I gave a fresh clean eye look. Julie rarely does much on her eyes-her makeup bag revealed that she loves to purchase pretty eye colors, but not so much to actually use them. She has absolutely gorgeous eyes though and they are just begging for a lil' love.I used black ebony tite liner, and showed her how to properly apply her mascara; wiggle the wand deep into the roots before puling out toward the tips. This is especially crucial if you have blonde lashes. It lifts them and gives you extra definition at the lashline. I used a peachy cream shadow from lash to brow, and smudged a little mahogany Smashbox jetset into her upper lashline. I also did a little brow shaping and filled them lightly with a blonde pencil.

Julie dislikes the pinkness to her skin,so I evened her out with a teensy bit of airbrush foundation, and used a warm peachy blush and gloss instead of pink. Thinking I was going to feature her on Makeup Bag Monday, I discovered that Julie has a pink lip gloss obsession-eight glosses that are essentially the same shade. A warmer tone will do wonders on not pulling that ruddiness out in her skintone. I used MAC dazzleglass in "bare necessity"(One of my addictions!)

And because Courtenay had just gotten her hair done, I made her get in the pic too.

Teaching the Tarte girls a few tricks

Audrey and Jen are the powerhouses behind Tarte Advertising and you have probably seen that name just about everywhere.

I invited them in to the studio for a little makeup lesson/photo shoot with moi and April Rentz
and we had such a fabulous time, as all four us possess a similar sick sense of humor. Jen insisted she had no cheekbones, but sure enough, I taught her how to find them! Audrey was surprised what a little brow shaping did to open up her eyes; many women with lighter brows think they don't make a big impact so they tend to neglect the, Just a little pruning and filling in really wakes her up!

If you can't already tell, the first pic is the "before" and the last two are the "after". (None of the morose-looking, crappy lighting, bad posture "before' shots for us!) They were pretty darn cute to begin with; I just brought out their best features, cleaned up the old brows, schooled them on some eyeliner secrets-oh-and since they were going out after, LASHES of course! It's all about bringing more definition and spark to your face with just a very few steps.

If you and your work partners- or friends- or sisters- want to come play with us and learn how to amp up your look, please let me know; we absolutely adore masterclasses. You are bound to learn more in a smaller group, but we can accomodate as many as six at a time. A great idea for a girls' night out, a significant birthday, a shower, or a bachelorette outing!