Recently we had the opportunity to spend the day with Hollywood Makeup Artist “Artemis.” She is a fabulous Hair/Makeup Artist and has made quite a name for herself in the plus-size community. This past season our team had the pleasure to work with Artemis on our Spring/Summer Collections photo shoot. She made myself as well as plus-size models Denise Bidot and Shameyka Thompson look incredible and mixed it up for every look. She was extremely helpful on the shoot and showed off some amazing skills so I decided to bring her in for a little interview so that our readers could get to know a little about her.

Our readers want to know about you….tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got started as a Makeup Artist?

While in college, I was a theater major. One summer, we put on Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible. I played Harriet Putman in Act I & Sarah Goode in Act IV. The cast needed a makeup artist to transform a bunch of kids into a variety of characters, and I volunteered to learn. So, I taught myself a bit of age makeup and thus fell in love with the art of makeup. When I graduated, I had desired to go to makeup school, and unfortunately, did not follow my heart, and ended up as a teacher for a couple of years. After 9/11, when I lost my teaching position due to NYC’s budget cuts, I suddenly found myself unemployed. I bumped into a woman who introduced me to Mary Kay Cosmetics, and soon my reintroduction to the world of beauty began. I fell in love with makeup and skin care all over again. I credit my experience with this company with giving me the guts to realize my dreams and my true God-given potentials. Because of this, I now live my dream as a makeup and hair artist here in Hollywood.

You are known as one of the top MUA in the Plus Industry and also for your incredible Beauty editorials in Plus Model Magazine. Tell us how you made your way into the Plus Industry and was there any one particular shoot or gig that paved that way for you?

Firstly, I had always admired and desired to be a Plus Size model. But, as I am barely 5’2, I am definitely not the industry standard. The first Plus model to test with me was Mica Habarad. Soon, I was being contacted by various Plus models and photographers to hire me for shoots. I was on a shoot for PLUS when Maddy asked me about being a Beauty Editor for the magazine. Since I have a creative writing background, I was very eager to marry two things that I truly love, writing and beauty.

I have had the pleasure to work with you on numerous projects and you are always on top of the trends and are always so pleasant to work with . How do you stay on top of the trends and so positive in such a competitive industry?

I stay on top of trends by following a variety of magazines and fashion shows simply being in the know. It is my job to be in the know.

I stay positive in this competitive industry because I truly believe that my work speaks for itself.

Do you have a favorite look or style/era that you absolutely love creating?

I have many looks that I love to create and recreate. I have always been a fan of the elegant 1940’s and the fabulous 1950’s. I love creating artistic looks and have become well known for the fantasy images that I help create. I also truly love creating the no makeup look, allowing the face to look fresh and to glow.

It never fails that before a very important audition or shoot I get a huge pimple. What do you suggest for those unexpected/unwelcome breakouts?

I usually suggest a salicylic acid or a sulfur based acne product applied directly to the blemish. Also applying a little of Visine to it will also cut down the redness, as it would for your eyes. Do not pick at it because it will scab. It is challenging to cover up a scab or a bleeding blemish.

Here is how to cover it after you have applied your acne medication:

Apply foundation as usual. Using a pointy concealer brush, dab concealer directly to the blemish. Powder face as usual. With a Q-tip apply a very tiny amount of oil free moisturizer (solely to moisten the bump). Then with the other side of the Q-tip, apply some powder to it. With your concealer brush, paint over this with concealer, alternating with the brush and tapping your fingertip around the edges to blend it in to your face. Finish with loose powder on the area. Doing this, will last most of the day, but I do suggest keeping your tools with you, in case you need a small touch up!

What are your absolute favorite products for the following, and why:

Hair- No Frizz Living Proof. I use this product to enhance my natural curl with minimal frizz.

Nails- OPI Nail Color in I’m Not Really A Waitress. This is my absolute all time favorite red nail polish.

Skin- Mary Kay TimeWise Age-Fighting Moisturizer. It has retinyl palmitate in it which is a vitamin A derivative. I have been using it for years and love how my skin looks and feels as a result. Anyone I recommend it to is also happy with it!

Eyes- Max Factor 2000 Calorie Xtreme Waterproof Mascara. I often have allergies and this mascara stays in place when my eyes tear up.

Eyebrows- Tweezerman tweezers. Ergonomically designed to easily pull stray hairs without cramping your fingers when you hold it! I have a pair in pink! Tweezerman gives a lifetime guarantee and will sharpen them for free.

Lips- Korres Lip Butter in Wild Rose. Gives me moisture and a beautiful red stain to my lips.

What advice would you give to any aspiring makeup artists who are looking to build a solid career in the industry?

Start shooting right away. You need photos of your work in order to get more work. Become an expert in your craft and always strive to be better and better and never stop dreaming of who & what you can become.

Do you have any “Words of Wisdom” for our readers?

I have some words of beauty wisdom. There are only a couple of rules that I believe one should follow when she is applying her makeup.

1. Foundation must match your skin-tone exactly! You do not want to look as if you are wearing a mask. Your skin should always look like your skin, just a bit better.
2. Start with a little so that you can add and always be in control. Logically, it is easier to add on product rather than to wipe it down and start all over
3. Blend! Blend! Blend! And did I say BLEND! Your makeup will look more flawless if it is all blended to perfection.  Blending creates a beautiful soft focus effect.
4. Creating color harmony is necessary to beauty. Do not match your eye shadows to what you are wearing (this is very dated). Instead, your lips, cheeks, and fabric closest to your face will look best if everything is either cool or warm.

Lastly, my list of random questions for our readers to REALLY get to know you….

Who inspires you? God. My marriage. Life in general inspires me.

What is your favorite scent? Victor & Rolf Flowerbomb

What is your favorite color? I have many – generally all of the colors of the rainbow!

If you weren’t doing makeup what would you be doing? Writing poetry and painting while living in a house on the beach.

Who is your favorite Plus Size Model? besides me LOL – Kate Dillon has been my favorite since I remember seeing her in MODE.

If you were stranded on a dessert island what 1 thing would you want to have with you? Lip balm

What would you eat for your last meal? An authentic Greek gyro from Trikala, Greece (my husbands home town where they make them very special)

Favorite book or favorite read? Like Water for Chocolate

Favorite song or band? Annet Artani’s “Alive”

Special thanks to Artemis for spending the day with all of us here at Swak Designs. We absolutely loved having here and enjoyed learning so many new things about the Beauty World. If you haven’t ever had the pleasure to meet or work with Artemis please feel free to check out her work on her website www.makeupbyartemis.com, introduce yourself and show her some love.

 

I would like to thank you for visiting and reading this article. The topic has been carefully researched and documented for your benefit.

When you break of serve the right oversize swimwear, you can very look slimmer than you are. With outsized swimwear, ladies who are a little heavy can look their best and still relish the hot summer weather. Wearying swimwear that is too small shows out the bulges much more and makes them seem even larger than they are. Outsized swimwear does not mean oldtimer styles because oversized swimwear is uncommitted in all the latest fashions.

 

It is often hard to find Outsize Swimwear when you confab a steady department store. All you can find on the racks are the diminutive bikinis that probable wouldn?t fit close to your leg. You start to wonder whether you are the only one that has this problem with the miss of oversized swimwear that is available.

 

There are metier stores that do carry oversize swimwear lines for women. Because this is often a special line that the computer memory carries each year, it is very hard to find something unique. Most of the time, the swim kick downstairs is all the same color and style. And Outsize Swimwear may also be very expensive and this doesn?t salubrious in your budget. A slew of women want to find flash outsized swimwear because they are purchasing it for a holiday and expected won?t wear it that often when they retrovert home. You wear oversized swimwear on holidays, bring it home with you.

 

One place where you will promiscuous be able to find tawdry outsize swimwear is at the online retailers. These retailers do not carry an stocktaking and most of them do not have a bricks and mortar store. When you place an order for Outsize Swimwear, you can get it chintzy because the retail merchant doesn?t need to have as much mark up to make a profit. One vantage of order your outsized swimwear online is the blanket(a) multifariousness you have to take from.

 

Online stores have outsized swimwears in swimwear from designers that would monetary value you a fate at a unconstipated store. This is one way you can have the cutting-edge fashions in the swim suspension you pick out and the prices are often so cheap, you might decide to buy two or more swimwear items. Finding outsized swimwear doesn?t have to be frustrative ? do it at your own yard and time by shopping online.

The past remains integral to us all, individually and collectively. We must concede the ancients their place, as I have argued. But their place is not simply back there in a separate and foreign country; it is assimilated in ourselves, and resurrected into an ever-changing present. David Lowenthal, The Past Is a Foreign Country

There are many other articles online for your reading so check them out now that you have finished reading this article.

Bras are, for some women, a complete nightmare and frustration. This frustration typically comes in because of the difficulty of the bras not fitting properly. While woman typically blame the bra, often times it is a result of woman not knowing what size bra is right for them. This is especially difficult for plus size women, and even more so with strapless plus size bras. While the fit is the most important thing, there are also many factors outside of the fit that play a part into the comfort of wearing a bra.

One thing that matters is the complete difference between the wearing of an underwire bra and a soft cup bra. For a plus size woman, when it comes to strapless bras, underwire is most often the best choice. This is because it provides additional support that is not often found in soft cup bras. However, a difficulty that some plus size women experience with the underwire bras is the pain and discomfort of the wire poking in painfull and unfortunate places. The problem is, when it comes to strapless plus size bras, often, the more rigidity the bra offers, the better it will look under your clothing. In the past a strapless bra was worn for special occasions, but more and more causal wear is being designed as off the shoulder. So, while casual wear doesn’t rely too heavily on not seeing bra straps, most women would prefer not to see them if at all possible. So, while strapless bras were once not a typical every day bra, they have more recently become very common.

When it comes to strapless plus size bras, if you want comfort then it is imperative that you get the proper fit. Most websites that sell bras will tell you the proper way to measure yourself so that you can purchase the right bra for you. There are also stores that offer free bra fittings, which can give you the choice to have a professional obtain you the proper fit.

Every woman knows that a bra that is uncomfortable can make an evening miserable. Whether you are out on a date or out on the town, no one appreciates seeing a woman constantly adjusting her bra, and for the woman herself, all she can think about is taking it off. Well fitting strapless plus size bras feels like you are not wearing anything special at all. You should feel like your bra just another piece of clothing rather than something that you have to think about.

Whether you are purchasing your strapless bra for a formal dress or for something special to wear in the bedroom, comfort is the key to a good experience. Take the time to get the right measurements and find a bra that gives you freedom of movement without feeling uncomfortable. Once you find the right bra you will realize just how awful it was to be wearing a bra that did not fit properly.

Stephanie Petra Bevan writes for StraplessPlusSizeBras.Net