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Perfect Stage Makeup – Learn How To Do It Yourself

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For those of you who did not see my original post at http://www.rxmuscle.com/rx-girl-articles/6198-perfect-stage-makeup.html, I am re-posting here!Smoky eye

Perfect Stage Makeup

 

Let’s say you have decided to compete in your first contest and have already chosen your suit and accessories, booked your tanning appointment and, in an effort to keep costs down, decided to do your own makeup.  If you have done stage makeup for other competitors then you most likely know what colors and techniques to use in order to avoid looking like a ghost onstage.  However, if the extent of your makeup application skills has not ventured beyond bridal makeup and a nice going-out-on-the-town look, you might want to read on.

 

FOUNDATION:

 

First and foremost, the foundation you use needs to be DARK.  I mean really dark.  Generally speaking, the color on your face needs to be only a shade or two lighter than the color on your body after you get your spray tan.  For those of you familiar with MAC Foundation colors, Studio Tech NW43 or NW45 are excellent foundation shades for the majority of competitors.  However, I do not like MAC foundations because 1) they are extremely comedogenic, and 2) the compacts dry out very quickly.  Instead, I use Bobbi Brown Stick Foundation in Warm Walnut and that works very well onstage.

 

Make sure to gently exfoliate your skin prior to the day of the competition, and use moisturizer and primer immediately before applying foundation.  Though I usually use a foundation brush to apply foundation for photo shoots, when working with very dark foundations for stage I find that a makeup sponge works better than a brush in applying a nice, thin yet even layer. Make sure to extend foundation onto your neck, ears and hairline, feathering out and blending.  Once this is done, dust some translucent setting powder over the foundation to set it.  Chanel makes an excellent loose powder which I love both for daily use and for shows.

 

EYES:

 

Usually I will do my eye makeup first, then apply foundation since using a lot of black eyeshadow can often create a lot of dust which will ruin your foundation if you have applied it prior to your eye makeup.  When choosing eyeshadow colors, avoid blues, greens and purples as they tend to look garish under the stage lights.  Your best bet is to stick with neutral tones.  You can never go wrong with a dramatic smoky eye.  If you don’t know how to do a smoky eye, check out YouTube for some great smoky eye tutorials. Also check out the image in this article which shows a perfect smoky eye for the stage.  Ideal colors to use for a stage-ready smoky eye are black, champagne or platinum, a beige base, brown and perhaps a warm pink.

 

Here are some guidelines for creating a smoky eye with the above colors:

 

  1. Apply eye shadow primer.  I like Too Faced Shadow Insurance.
  2. Sweep a beige shadow (recommended: MAC Grain) over entire lid and up along browline.
  3. Apply black eyeshadow (recommended: MAC Carbon) over lid but be careful NOT to extend beyond lid crease. Extend shadow beyond outer corner of eye in a V, angling towards brow.  Blend well with a blending brush. Also apply black eyeshadow to the outer portion of the lower lash line.
  4. Take a brown eyeshadow (recommended: MAC Brown Down) and work into crease at outer corners.  Make sure to blend this well.
  5. Take a warm pink (recommended: MAC Da Bling) and sweep it over the inner and mid-portion of the lid.
  6. Apply the champagne (recommended: MAC Ricepaper) or platinum shade on the browbone, the center of the lid, and the inner corner of the eye.
  7. Apply black liquid eyeliner along the upper lash line, sweeping up into a cat eye at the outer corners.  Please refer to the image of cat eye liner for a guideline.

 

Don’t forget false eyelashes!  Finish off with liquid eyeliner and lots of mascara.

 

Make sure to also fill in your brows. I find that shadows work much better than pencils at creating a flattering look.

 

FACE CONTOUR:

 

Make sure to use a blush which is dark enough to show up on your face.  MAC Dollymix is an excellent color for stage.  I tend to extend the blush a bit into the side of the cheek below the cheekbone to avoid a hollowed out look, and will add a bit of bronzer to the blush when I do this.

 

Your contouring powder also needs to be dark, making MAC Deep Dark mineralized skin finish ideal for such a task.  Apply contouring powder in an “E” on each side of the face, starting at the temple, then sweeping under the cheekbone and then along the underside of the jawline and under your chin.  Make sure to blend well!  A bit of highlighting powder also looks lovely when dusted lightly on the apples of the cheeks, forehead and chin, but be sure to use a light hand.

 

LIPS:

 

For your lips, choose pink or red matte shades.  Avoid frosted formulas, oranges and corals as they do not translate well onstage.  Also apply clear or pink lip gloss over your lipstick for a nice finish.  Before you go onstage, make sure to blot the inner part of your lips with tissue to ensure that no lipstick ends up on your teeth.

 

 

IMPORTANT TIPS:

 

If you are nervous about how your makeup might look on the day of the show, practice your techniques until you feel comfortable.  Also, make sure to give yourself enough time to apply your makeup on the day of the competition without feeling rushed.  It is far better to start very early and have extra time to relax AFTER your makeup is applied than to be rushed and perhaps unable to complete your makeup application before stepping onstage.

Typical basic face for my typical day…

drstaceynaito 2 Comments

Not a typical day (we went to Disneyland today), but a typical face. This is what I do to get ready:

Curl eyelashes
Fill brows in slightly with brow pencil
Eyeliner at lash line
Concealer under eyes
Translucent loose powder to keep down shine
Light dusting of blush
Lip stain

This takes me about three minutes to complete. You can actually tell that I do not wear foundation because you can see my freckles:

Disneyland today

I wear NONE of the following on a typical day:

Foundation
Eyeshadow
Mascara
Lipgloss
Bronzer

Healthy Breakfast Ideas

drstaceynaito 1 Comment

Healthy Breakfasts

Healthy Breakfast Ideas

 

I am definitely one of those people who stresses the importance of eating breakfast each morning.  In fact, I cannot imagine starting my day without healthy foods to provide fuel so that I can hit each morning full force, especially since I am not much of a morning person.  I recognize the fact that many people do not have a clue as to what to eat and what is healthy.  As a response to this, I have compiled a list of healthy breakfast meals which will provide balanced nutrition and give you the energy you need to tackle the day full force.

 

Old-Fashioned Oats, Fruit and Egg Whites:  Take 1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats or steel cut oats and add 2/3 cup water in a saucepan.  Cook on medium heat for three minutes.  Transfer to bowl and add a dash of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon unsalted nuts (slivered blanched almonds are my favorite here), and ¼ cup fresh blueberries or raspberries or ½ of a sliced banana.    If you must have sweetener, either use one packet of sucralose or stevia, or add ½ teaspoon of agave nectar.  Another great variation is to take 1/3 of a chopped apple and add it to the oatmeal as it is cooking. 

 

Nonfat Greek Yogurt With Nuts, Fruit and Granola:  Place 1 cup of nonfat Greek yogurt in a bowl (Fage is my favorite brand due to its nutritional value, texture and flavor).  Add ¼ cup of high protein granola, 1 teaspoon of nuts and ¼ cup of fresh berries. 

 

P28 Bread With Peanut or Almond Butter:  Take 2 slices of P28 Bread or a whole P28 Bagel (www.highproteinbread.com) and lightly toast.  Remove from toaster and spread 1-1/2 tablespoons of UNSWEETENED peanut butter or almond butter (FYI P28 now makes incredible high protein nut spreads!) on top. 

 

Eggs and P28 Toast:  Scramble 4 egg whites in pan.  Toast one slice of P28 Bread.  Once eggs are cooked, place on top of toast and add 1 teaspoon of tomato salsa. 

 

Protein Egg Wrap:  Take a low carb wheat wrap or a P28 Flatbread and fill with three scrambled egg whites, 1 ounce of fat free feta cheese and 1 teaspoon of salsa.

 

Cottage Cheese, Fruit and Nuts:  Scoop 1 cup of lowfat cottage cheese into bowl and add ¼ cup fresh fruit and 1 teaspoon of chopped nuts. 

 

Asian Egg and Tofu Scramble with Rice:  Take 7 ounces of firm tofu (this is half a cube of Hinoichi brand tofu) and mash with fork.  Add three egg whites, dash of garlic powder and black pepper and mix.  Cook in pan with nonstick spray until done, then serve over 1/3 to ½ cup of brown rice.

 

Protein Pancakes:  Mix 3 egg whites with 1 scoop protein powder of your choice and 1 tablespoon of unsweetened almond milk.  Cook in pan which has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray on low to medium heat for 3 minutes on each side.  Serve topped with fresh fruit and agave nectar or maple syrup if desired. 

 

Homemade Protein Bars:  Here is a great recipe which IFBB Bikini Pro Natalie Pennington developed.

No-Bake Protein Bars
Ready in 40 minutes • Makes 6 servings

  • 2 cups quick cook oats
  • 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
  • 4 scoops vanilla protein powder
  • 1 tbsp ground flaxseed
  • 1/2 cup water
  1. Line a loaf dish with parchment paper.
  2. Using clean hands, kneed all ingredients in a large prep bowl.
  3. Spread dough into dish or pan, pressing down to flatten. Use a spatula smooth out the surface. Freeze for 30 minutes. Cut into six large bars. Serve and refrigerate the rest.

Optional ingredients:

  • 1 tsp cocoa powder (add it in the mix)
  • dried fruit
  • raw maple syrup or honey (drizzle on top of pressed dough you put it in the freezer)

Nutrients per serving: Calories: 310, Total Fats: 13 g, Saturated Fat: 2 g, Trans Fat: 0 g, Cholesterol: 25 mg, Sodium: 30 mg, Total Carbohydrates: 28 g, Dietary Fiber: 5 g, Sugars: 5 g, Protein: 22 g, Iron: 2

Thin Hair? Eat More Protein!

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Hair PicIt is normal to lose some hair each day since hair loss is part of the normal growth cycle.  A normal rate of loss is 50 to 100 strands each day, so a loss of more than this range could signal health issues which must be investigated by a physician.  Common causes of hair loss include surgery, medications, illness or trauma and are often temporary.

However, I know that many people don’t suffer from excessive hair loss but simply lament the fact that they have thin, limp, lifeless hair.  For these people I always advise them to practice proper nutrition which supplies all the vitamins and minerals they may be lacking in.  I also advise them to avoid overstyling hair and to use hair treatments which replenish dry, brittle, and overprocessed hair.  But the number one most important recommendation I have is to EAT MORE PROTEIN!

When you consume insufficient amounts of protein, your body shifts hair growth into the resting phase which halts growth.  Basically, low protein intake equals starving your hair (not to mention your entire body).  I have had patients approach me for advice on what to do about their thin hair and I always tell them to crank up their protein intake.  Every patient who has heeded my advice has returned to me two to four months later ecstatic because they have noticed that their hair is growing faster, has become thicker and appears healthier.

Though I have always been blessed with a mane of thick, straight hair I also experienced a surge in hair growth right after I began competing four years ago.  In August of 2009 I went from ingesting about 70 grams of protein a day to a range of 120 to 170 grams per day.  Then in January of 2010 I did a stupid thing and shaved off too much hair from my neckline, leaving a one inch arc of shorn hair around the nape of my neck.  I figured I had to wait forever for it to grow out.  By July of 2010 the area I had mistakenly shaven had grown EIGHT INCHES.  That’s more than one inch per month, while a human’s average monthly hair growth is one-half inch.  It was amazing to me and proof of protein’s effects on cell growth.  Of course I did sort of feel like a freak of nature over this insanely rapid rate of hair growth!

My hair growth has stabilized somewhat since then and now grows at about an inch per month with a daily protein intake of 120 to 140 grams of protein per day.  My hair is thicker, shinier, and has become even more of a pain to deal with than ever before (and I have always had long hair).  The color has even deepened (with the exception of those evil gray hairs that lurk on the crown of my head) and I have developed more of a natural wave.

In summary, I attribute the health of my hair to the following:

  • High Protein Intake
  • Balanced diet
  • Biotin supplementation
  • Fish oil and flaxseed oil
  • CLA
  • Minimal heat styling (I always let my hair air-dry and only style it for photo shoots and competitions)
  • Regular conditioning treatments
  • Regular trims (now I have no choice but to get regular trims because my stylist layered my hair, which I LOVE)

 

Boost your protein intake and you will soon reap the rewards of thick, luscious hair!