AleanElston.com

Tag: makeup

Reader Question: I have Pimples. Can I Still be a Model?

Recently I have been getting a lot of questions about modeling and going to castings, but this one I decided to share because it seems to be a recurring theme, especially among teenagers who want to pursue modeling. Check out the reader’s question below and my response.

Reader’s Question:
I have casting this coming Sunday. However my face has some scars and white heads and I’m just wondering if they’ll look at all my white heads and all because I’m sooo not flawless…. But I’m still growing. I know I’ll have clean soft skin if I don’t have these pimples. So I’m wondering if they don’t really care about the scars because makeup artists are able to do makeup for me next time, or do they really want clean face girls? I planned to cover up with foundation and concealer but you said they want to see you as you are. So I’m really not sure. What if I cover up and next time they are shocked to see my face scars?

My Response:
Your skin condition will be looked at when you attend a casting, you are being judged on your appearance, it’s the nature of the business. They may ask you about it, they may not, but you should be honest about its condition if asked about it. With that said, if you attend the casting, you should wear makeup to cover the scarring and even out your skin tone. Makeup won’t cover the pimples from being seen it will just take away the color of the scarring or redness, which will still allow you to be seen as a blank canvas. Should you get booked for the job, you should communicate your condition with the person who booked you so they can prepare for production.
Will your skin count against you? It’s possible. It takes more work/resources ($$$ for editing, makeup artists, [which isn’t always provided], etc.) to work with a model with problem skin compared to one without them. People in business like to control costs and stay within budget and time constraints and problem skin could hinder that. To increase your chances of being booked in the future, I strongly advise adapting a regimen that will help you achieve smoother skin. Usually a pimple here or there most agents look past it.

*The reader’s question has been edited.

So what do you think, am I right? What advice would you give to this reader? Do you have a question that you want me to answer about modeling? Comment below and I’ll do my best to get back to you ASAP.

This question originally appeared as a comment on Model Advice: What to Wear to Casting Calls and Go-Sees

January 6, 2016
Found a new fav Red Lipstick…and I cut My hair!!!

In my never ending search for a good red lipstick, I decided to pick up a “cheap-y” brand. And my #1 go to for a quick cheap-y is Wet N Wild. It never fails me lol. I decided to try one of their liquid lipsticks and I picked up a red and a pink, Cherry on Top and Rose to the Occasion. Both of which I looooove!

I’ve searched for other reviews online and the common complaint was that it was sticky. Well, most stains are sticky until it’s completely dry, and if you press your lips together while it’s still wet you’ll mess up the finished look. So for those reviews, I basically wrote those people off as not knowing what the hell they were talking about lol.

I also did a hair show earlier this month and my hair was very broken and damaged to the point where the stylist suggested that I cut it, so I did and thus my new short do’! (The styles pictured are not of the original style that they stylist created. If you want to see that, click here.)

But any who… Check out my results:

Cherry On Top

ROSE TO THE OCCASION

I love that these colors are so pigmented! If you are like me and have 2 different colors of lips (my top lip is brown and my bottom lip is light pink) you see how you can’t tell that I have different skin colors for my lips. Most liquid lip colors don’t really work that well for women of color like me but with the amount of pigmentation in these $3 lippies has me sold.

Just so you know, I only did one coat for each of these colors, no primer, and no lip liner. ANNND The color doesn’t BUDGE! Check out my kiss test below:

There is a down side to these though. I wore each of these through an entire day and they lasted without fading or peeling etc… UNTIL I ate something that contained oil. For me it was buffalo wings on one day and a salad with italian dressing on another day. Everything else I ate, the colors lasted and I had no issue with them.

So my final verdict on these lip colors is that it is a STRONG contender for the Stila lipstains and the Sephora lipstains, its VERY budget friendly especially if you dont want to spend between $12 -$25 on a lipstain

The products mentioned in my post were purchased by me and I am not being offered any compensation for my thoughts/views on this product.

May 15, 2015
The hairstyle that made me stand out to modeling agents #modellife #modeladvice

Over the weekend, I was in a Modeling Competition that one of my agencies holds every year. I’ve been with them for about 10 years now and I’ve never entered it, I never entered ANY modeling competition before but I’ve worked numerous events behind the scenes of them. They have a bunch of agents come from all over the country and the world to judge it and give out some amazing prizes. What made me enter it this year was the opportunity to go to China for an all expenses paid, paid model booking. Who could give up a chance for a free trip to China, international modeling creds to add to my resume, and did I mention being paid to model in China?! lol

Memories of my Last out of the country modeling related excursion. Ready to blow the dust off of my passport.

I was a little self conscious about entering the competition, mainly because MOST of the people competing were literally half my age or younger (if you can guess how old I am, theres 50 brownie points for you lol), and a tad bit slimmer than me. I’m still slim just not supermodel skinny like I used to be! lol But I entered this competition because it was for a lingerie/swimwear client in China, and swimwear and lingerie is PERFECT for my body type so I thought I could walk away from this competition confidently with the winner’s trophy in the bag.

So did I win?

March 23, 2015
Model or Actor with Tattoos? Find out how Rapper/Actor Ludacris feels about them.

Video credit – Instagram

We been seeing rapper/actor Ludacris throughout the years in various films and if you follow him on instagram, you got a quick behind the scenes look at the prep that takes place before filming the upcomig Fast & Furious 7. (I know, I know…when the hell did they get to 7?! You don’t even remember 3-6 coming out!)

Most rappers that we know of have tons of tatts, “bodies marked up like the subway in harlem,” to quote Weezy. In the above clip, Ludacris talks about one of the reasons why he only has so few tattoos. Hint, it has to do with work and time, and if you didn’t know…TIME IS MONEY. Especially when it comes to the process of covering up tattoos. Its just more money that comes out of the client’s pocket to pay the makeup artist or retoucher to get the look that they believe is perfect for the project. If there’s too much time that it takes to cover up ink…(ie you have a ton of tatts) you might lessen your chances of being booked! Thus, no money.

Get my drift?

I’ve mentioned before in a previous post (click here to read it) that tattoos can work against you in the modeling industry and that you should cover them up when attending any casting or when you have booked a job. Your special body art may not work with the look or character that is being portrayed and thus, you should cover up your ink, or if you don’t have any, like me, don’t bother getting any. You’ll save yourself a lot of hassle with potential clients by not having any ink.

Any actors or models out there ever been told about their tattoos at a casting or booking? I’d love to hear your story, comment this post or contact me via Twitter or Instagram – @CompleteBeauty

xo

Alean

May 19, 2014
Get Skin Like a Model’s…Flawless! – My Skincare Routine

Recently on my Instagram, I posted a picture of me with only mascara and lipgloss. Since, I have gotten a few people asking me about my skincare routine, welp here it is! Its pretty simple and easy to follow.

One of my most essential tips, based on this site link, for great skin is drinking lots of water. Water is the main basis for the condition of my skin, I drink water all day and when I’m not drinking water, I follow-up with coffee or other drinks by drinking more water!

As for the products that I use on my skin, I use the following steps:

Step 1: Cleanse

Ambi Even & Clear Foaming Cleanser

I’ve been a fan of Ambi’s facial cleanser as long as I can remember, I use it because its very gentle and lifts a great amount of dirt and oil from my face after a long day of wearing makeup. I also have a few scars from pimples that have faded greatly since using Ambi. The scars are so light that you can’t even see it in the picture!

To start, I moisten my face by splashing warm water on my face and then 2 pumps of product and massage it into my skin to break up the dirt, oil, and makeup on my face, then I rinse my face with more warm water until all traces of the cleanser is removed.

Step 2: Scrub or Mask (Weekly)

For this second step I usually use this step once a week and then I alternate between using a scrub or a mask.

Palmers Cocoa Butter Gentle Exfoliating Facial Scrub

When I use the scrub, its generally because Ive been wearing makeup a lot throughout the week and my face feels a bit more “dirty” than usual. So to get my skin feeling extra clean, I use the scrub pictured above.

Freeman Facial Masks

When I don’t use the facial scrub, I use one of these facial masks to either tighten my pores or to add extra nutrients to my face that general stresses of day to day can strip away.

Step 3: Tone

Burts Bees Rosewater Toner

After cleansing and using a scrub or mask, I pat my face dry with a terry cloth towel (way better than a regular towel because it soaks up the water faster and isn’t as abrasive) then apply rosewater toner to my face using a cotton ball/pad. Doing this helps to refresh my face and dissolve any dirt that the cleanser or mask may have missed in my pores and prepare the skin to receive the moisturiser. I like rosewater toners because they smell very nice and arent harsh on the skin. I used to make my own (I’m sure you can find recipes on Pinterest) but when I don’t have the time I usually pick up a bottle of Burt’s Bees.

Final Step: Moisturise

Palmers Daily Facial Lotion

Once my face has air dried a bit, I apply moisturiser to my face and neck. This helps to keep my skin smooth and I like that this particular moisturiser isn’t heavy, so it allows my skin to breathe. I use this particular brand because cocoa butter naturally has tons of Vitamin E and when we eat it or use it in skin care, it helps to give a great glow and keep skin plump and flexible.

I’ve shared my skin care routine, what products do you use? Tweet me or Instagram me. I’d love to hear what other great products I may be missing out on!

April 8, 2014
My Holiday Nails! #nails #beauty

This post is going to be very short and sweet! I just did my nails for the holidays and I want to show them off!

See!

I used Essie nail polish in “too too hot” and I used loose gold make-up pigment glitter with a few layers of clear polish to do my nails this way, let me know if you try it!

Happy Holidays!

December 24, 2013
2 Eye Makeup Products You Shouldn’t Waste Your Money On

My makeup bag is in desperate need of a restocking on my favorite makeup makeup products. I ventured to a few of my favorite makeup stores to get the best deal on the items that I needed and out of EVERYTHING that I purchased I decided to step away from the norm for a few staple items and try something new. My reasoning for trying something newer was mainly based on curiosity or the item was on sale. (I’m frugal when I need to be!) I should have stuck to my normal products and kept it moving.

Eye Shadow Primer

Sephora Brand VS Too Faced Shadow Insurance

I usually purchase Too Faced Shadow Insurance but this time, the price went up! So I asked the associate for other brands that would be worth it to try, and she suggested Kat Von D’s Primer and Urban Decay’s Primer. Kat’s primer didn’t come in any transparent or Women of color friendly shades so that was out for me, and Urban Decay I had used for the longest until they changed their packaging and their product just didn’t seem to work the same once they did. The associate’s final suggestion was the Sephora brand, which was cheaper and it was transparent. It was exactly what I was looking for so I purchased it, and went home to try the next morning.

Why it was not worth buying:

When I applied it I noticed that the product was white and it was the consistency of lotion. I thought that was different and that it might melt into my skin faster than my normal primer. Then I applied it to my eye and waited about a minute or so and applied my eye makeup. About 4 hours into wearing my makeup my eyes started to burn. The only time that happens is when my eye makeup is starting to ‘melt’ or my oily lids began to make the makeup on my lids slide around my face! So I went to a mirror and I noticed the my lids were creasing like I never applied any primer! I was so mad! lol I expected that the primer would have been equivalent to what I’m used to because it was the store’s brand but sadly it was not. I decided to give the primer another go just to see if it was some type of glitch with the product, and sadly it failed me and creased horribly again. My verdict on Sephora’s Eye shadow primer, not worth it. Stick with one of the name brands, for me I’ll be sticking with my Too Faced Shadow Insurance.

Eyelash Glue

NYX Stuck On You Lash Adhesive in Black VS DUO Lash Adhesive in Black

For the eye lash glue, ok. Imagine this… you are out of town and you love wearing lashes but the store only has NYX eyelash glue in stock and its a reasonable price, $6 I think, and you really need your glue fix. What do you do?!!!!?!!!

Welp, you buy it like I did and pray that it works just as good as your DUO glue.

I opened the tube, the product ran out like water and I was caught off guard from that. I put the cap back on the tube and shook it up, it turned into a runny thickness, something I was able to work with enough to apply to the band, so I applied it to my strip lashes applied them to my lash line and went on about my merry little way!

While I was looking on my phone a few hours later, I kept noticing this strange shadow whenever I looked to my left. I couldn’t figure out what it was until I touched my eye and realized that it was my lash and it was beginning to lift. I thought I would have at least been able to make it through the day with they glue. When I wear the DUO I can wear my lashes for 24 hours if I sleep face up! lol I expected the same, if not better from NYX, simply because it was NYX! My verdict on NYX’s eyelash adhesive… leave it alone and try to find another brand of glue, DUO if you can. Otherwise, you might me looking at your lashes on the table instead of on your eye! lol

What products have you spent money on that hasn’t been worth the money?

Talk to me! Tweet me!

and Stay beautiful! 🙂

November 7, 2013
#modeltip – How to wear your Makeup for a Casting

I’ve said it before in my previous blog posts. Simple and Plain, Plain and Simple. Thats how you want to look when you go for a casting. Check out my video with a bit more detail.

September 18, 2013
So I decided to start #Vlogging…

So I’ve come to a point in my life where I’m like, #justdoit, lol. There are so many things that I want to accomplish and try and see, that If I wait for things to be perfect, it will never happen.

I’ve always wanted to video blog and I’m stepping out and just doing it and letting it take me where ever it may.

So here goes!

The video blogs will be released once a week, beginning the week of 8/5/13 and will cover a range of topics. If there is something you’d like me to vlog about, explain a blog post in more detail, let me know. Comment my posts and videos, email me, tweet me, facebook me send me smoke signals or whatever! The more you talk to me the more I can shape the content to best help you all.

I hope you enjoy!

Alean

August 2, 2013
DIY: Easy Makeup Brush Holder under $5

I was at the dollar store today (my kryptonite when it comes to wasting time) and I was in the glassware isle and I saw a short glass vase and then I looked over and saw some accent beads…

A light bulb went off in my head and thats when I thought, “This would make a great holder for my makeup brushes!” and thus I bought these items for $3 total and headed home to put my idea together and this is how it turned out!

by Alean Elston

What do ya think?! Would you give this a try?

This only cost me $3 I figure if you wanted to, you could get a different shaped glass vase and spend the rest on the accent beads and still be under or at $5.

Let me know if you try it!

February 18, 2013