I have been an Indiana Image Consultant for about 7 years now, even though I started two years before doing commercial and bridal makeup. I thought you’d enjoy reading about some of my experiences with makeup and styling clients, men and women, and some of the most basic principles I like to cover, early in the styling process.
Makeup Advice from an Indiana Image Consultant
In the makeup world, as I found early on, women are set with a makeup routine most likely they have had for years and years. Some practices may have started when they were in their 20s. So, they are almost sacred, and individuals have trouble changing. This is especially true with eyeliner. I have found not everyone knows how to wear it. One of my clients used eyeliner only on the bottom of the eye. She never put eyeliner on the top. Gradually she warmed up to the idea of lightly lining her upper lid, but not her lower lid since did not have extremely large eyes. Eventually, she changed this habit, and today looks much more natural and pretty.
Of course, I made the mistake early in my teens to pluck out my very heavy eyebrows. Oh, how I wish I had them now! They were a thin, black line and very scary. I then grew them out in my 20s and 30s, and one day when I was getting my hair highlighted at a beauty school no less, the student stylist said – why don’t I wax your brows. I agreed, and we both could not believe the difference. I, your Indiana Image Consultant, looked like a different person.
This is the power of well-groomed brows. It is essential. As I have gotten older, I use a lash builder on them to maintain them and grow them. I also continue to use it on my eyelashes 1-2 times a week.
I find most women are proactive about a skincare regiment. I like to learn this because as an Indiana Image Consultant, I believe taking care of yourself, including your skin, is one of the building blocks of good style.
A case in point is when I used to do wedding makeup and airbrush foundation for the bridal party. When I met with a client before the big day, I could always recommend getting facials, using a scrub and moisturizer. It’s a very important base. If the skin is rough, etc., even airbrush makeup won’t make it look spectacular.
Indiana Image Consultant’s Advice for Men
I think with men some of the most common skincare issues I see is just neglect. Some men think wearing sunscreen is a sissy thing to do, as is buying special cleansers and moisturizers for their face. Nearly all men will buy shaving products, so if I can encourage them to use some moisturizing shaving balms, I encourage it. Many men don’t use a scrub or exfoliate their skin or ever use toner. But I find they are open to the right products, and businesses are realizing that men are a key market if the product is right. I really cover this in-depth with my male clients in the first appointment. It is very much a part of style and image: care for your skin, impeccable grooming, and then a wardrobe
that flatters you.
My husband has been my hardest “client” to win over. He has fair, auburn skin, and I have begged him for years to wear sunblock. Imagine my surprise when one day he pointed to a sunblock that he had been faithfully using every day — because it was made for men. “It’s not stinky and girly, and I like that,” he said. Here is the product:
As an Indiana Image Consultant and Stylist, I think with men some of the most common skincare issues I see is really just neglect. Some men think wearing sunscreen is a sissy thing to do, as is buying special cleansers and moisturizers for their face. Nearly all men will buy shaving products, so if I can encourage them to use some moisturizing shaving balms I encourage it. Many men don’t use a scrub or exfoliate their skin or ever use toner. But I find they are open to the right products, and businesses are realizing that men are a key market if the product is right. I really cover this in-depth with my male clients in the first appointment. It is very much a part of style and image: care for your skin, impeccable grooming, and then a wardrobe that flatters you.
Keep it sassy, Indy.
Beth Divine
MA, AICI-CIC, Indiana Image Consultant
