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Tossing out traditional cosmetics for increasingly popular chemical-free mineral makeup has been a difficult choice for many women, said Darin Wright, owner of Elea Blake Cosmetics on Frazier Avenue.
Ms. Wright, who has a degree in fashion merchandising and more than 20 years experience as a makeup artist, said most women never go back to using traditional cosmetics after trying mineral makeup.
Darin Wright’s make-up tips:
* Put on eye makeup first. If you have spills or smudges, you can clean it up without having to take off other makeup.
* Invest in good brushes. “Brushes do all the work for us. Dip a brush into powder (foundation, shadows and blush) and then tap most of it off back into the container,” Ms. Wright said.
* When applying eyeliner to upper lid, gently hold up eyelid and apply liner close to the eye line. Use a darker shade under eyes.
* Do not raise eyebrows when applying shadow on the bone above the eyeball. Apply the shadow using the tip of an eye-shadow brush.
* Add a touch of gold shadow on the eyelid for a pop of subdued color.
* Before using a new color, blend it on the back of your hand to see if the color matches your skin tone.
* Apply blush on the apple of the cheek and brush the blush upwards in light, short strokes. Lightly form the letter “C” beginning halfway above the eyebrow and around to the cheek. “It gives the face a lift,” Ms. Wright said. “Be soft, not bold.”
* If you use lipstick in a tube, don’t throw it away when the lipstick no longer scrolls up. Dip a brush into the tube for extended use.
* Always add a highlight shade to the lips.
* Get a professional consultation about shaping eyebrows. “You don’t want your eyebrows too thick or the arch in the wrong place,” Ms. Wright said.
“It’s a natural product that protects skin from the sun and keeps skin healthy,” she said. “It can also be customized, which is a huge benefit for women who can’t find makeup to match their skin.”
Mineral bases are concentrated pigments. Less product is needed with true pigments than products using dyes, she said.
“We triple mill our foundations four times,” she said. “It’s very fine so it covers phenomenally.”
Elea Blake custom-blending specialists create individualized palettes for each client. The makeup provides a protective filter over the skin, allowing it to breathe while protecting it from the harmful rays of the sun, Ms. Wright said.
Minerals are colors from nature, she said, noting that each season, she and her staff build new shades.
The hot colors for spring and summer include iridescent sky blue, deep cranberry, pink rose, soft lemon, olive, light brown, raisin and merlot.
“Colors are fun,” Ms. Wright said. “We can find the most beautiful natural colors to match anyone’s skin tones.”
Wendy Yates, 32, a program coordinator at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, said Ms. Wright’s custom-blended mineral make-up products are ideal for her skin.
“My heritage is Native American, Caucasian and African American, and it was hard for me to find makeup that blended well with my skin color,” she said. “I went to African-American cosmetic counters, and I tried most Caucasian make-up lines and nothing worked. I finally gave up and stopped wearing makeup when I was 23.”
It wasn’t until last year when she met Ms. Wright that she decided to try mineral makeup.
“It’s amazing,” she said. “It feels like nothing is on my face, yet it always makes me feel glamorous.”
Chrisy Johnson, 38, a pharmaceutics sales representative, said she’s a fan of mineral makeup, too.
“I’ve tried it all,” she said. “But Elea Blake works best on me. It’s gentle on my skin and doesn’t break me out. It’s the image you go out with every day. You have to look together, and this makeup does it for me.”
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