This is Halloween (...well, almost!)

My "Brunette Barbie" look for Halloween or a costume party

Last year, during the Halloween season, I started posting makeup tutorials on a consistent basis. Before then, I was really wary of uploading my makeup videos on YouTube, as so many were already doing it and I didn't want to be just one out of a million.

However, I realized after putting up my first Halloween-themed video that not only was it so much fun, I could actually put my own spin even on a look that's been done thousands of times before.

When the views started coming in--and these were the most I ever had at the time--it was clear that people liked clicking on makeup videos. The grateful messages I received afterwards from women who wore my looks as part of their Halloween costumes showed me that there was an audience for my work.

This served as inspiration for me to continue coming up with tutorials even after October was over, and I'm glad I did. Since the videos I used to upload have temporarily gotten displaced by the makeup ones, I also have to say:

I've been asked several times when I will be posting inspirational vlogs again like I used to before I started putting makeup videos up. Rest assured, for anyone who enjoys them, I have an idea for how I can continue sharing inspirational and metaphysical video messages on my channel, even after being tired at the end of a busy day.

In the meantime, I'm about to begin work on Halloween tutorials. Stay tuned if you're looking for ideas on what or whom to be this year.

I'll be back soon,

Lea ♥

SUPER DEAL: Professional Makeup Lessons Especially for YOUR Features

As I write this, I am in the midst of packing so I can move to my new home.

I no longer resonate with living in the city, right smack in the middle of all its hustle and bustle, so I will be residing soon where I can be closer to nature.

Before I leave however, I am offering a SUPER SPECIAL to anyone who wants to learn how to apply makeup on herself. Now you may be wondering, why learn, especially if you've already been wearing makeup for years or even decades?

For one, there may be an aspect or two in your application that could use a bit of fine-tuning. Once you've made these changes, you will see how much more polished you look even if the modifications seem like such small ones.

Also, if you wear makeup anyway on a regular basis--be it for professional or personal purposes--wouldn't you rather do it in the most flattering way possible? Whether those you meet know anything about makeup or not, something will look "off" about you if your makeup is unflattering. This is something a businesswoman, or one whose presentation of herself is a priority in her career, may want to take note of.

You will also benefit from personalized lessons even if you don't wear makeup so frequently but have a special occasion coming up, and you want to look your best in photos and video footage of the event.

I will be in the San Francisco Bay Area for a few weeks before moving southwest. If you or any of your friends are interested in personalized makeup application lessons, I am giving them to you right now for only $30 for one hour, or $50 for two hours. The usual rate is $299 for the full three-hour session, but I am feeling inspired to give this special price to you at the moment, since I enjoy art and makeup artistry so much that it thrills me to share what I can with you.

An hour's lesson would focus on specifics you particularly want to learn, be it smoky eyes, or how to groom your eyebrows, or applying your foundation and concealer correctly, just to give a few examples. For two hours, we can discuss full-face makeup as it applies to you and your lifestyle. You are more than welcome to bring the makeup you use so we can work with it, but I have my supplies on hand as well for our convenience.

If you've seen the video tutorials on my YouTube channel, the tips there are generalized, so you figure out on your own how to adjust the looks to your skin type, skin tone, eye shape, lip shape, etc. On the other hand, these in-person lessons I am giving you are especially focused on YOUR features.

For someone who uses makeup in her profession or simply enjoys lifting her spirits by making an art of it, this is an investment that will be with you for as long as you choose to use it.

I look forward to seeing you soon. To reach me, I invite you to join Your Most Beautiful on Facebook. 'Til next time, take care!

Wishing you all the best,

~Lea

Would you come join me in L.A. for a fun day of beauty?

If I set up an inner and outer beauty workshop and informed you about it way ahead of time, would you be interested in attending?

While I have yet to finalize the agenda for just such an event, I plan on it being very informative and entertaining.

Also, what I mean by "inner and outer beauty" in case you wanted some clarification, is that the workshop won't focus solely on makeup application tips and the like. Metaphysical and spiritual (these are non-denominational, if you're coming across my work for the first time through this blog entry) activities to help you get in touch with yourself will also be included.

Depending on how things unfold from here on out, I very well could simply divide the workshop into two sections--one for Inner Beauty, the other for Outer Beauty. Thus attendees can conveniently decide if they want to participate in both or just one of the two.

After all, very soon now my sweetheart and I will be taking hypnotherapy training, the results of which we would like to share with those of you who are interested in a deeper exploration of your psyche. I also have a very dear life coach friend I'll be working in conjunction with to bring you a richer and more textured "Your Most Beautiful Life" experience.

See how there's a lot of ground to cover or possibly break down here for a workshop or a couple different ones even?

I know that eventually there will have to be a variety of workshops to accommodate all these offerings, but for starters, I'm really excited to bring you an event that introduces the gist of what I, my sweetheart, and my soul sister-friend are passionate about and would love to share with YOU!

I'll get back to you with specifics when I can, but you most certainly can let me know starting now if there's a chance you'll be at one of my upcoming events in 2010.

Looking forward to spending a fun day with you,

~Lea

Me and the attendees of a workshop I facilitated in the Philippines in 2005

Can I do your makeup, pretty please with whipped cream on top?! :)

Since I was little, I've loved beauty, glamour and The Arts.

In terms of expression during those much younger days, I particularly enjoyed sketching designs of outfits I came up with in my head, applying crayon makeup to Barbie and her friends in my coloring books, and wearing a different hairstyle to school everyday.

Some people thought these loves and behaviors of mine were weird and/or impractical, but my enjoyment of lovely things and the process of creating them remains to this day, and I embrace them with all of my heart!

After all, whether you and I share the same interests or not, we can coexist on this planet as long as we make it a point to never infringe on anyone else's rights or free will.

What's more, we can pretend to be someone other than who we really are inside, but that won't make our personal truth go away. For instance, I've played up other sides of myself--such as the intellectual, the mystic, the nerdy bookworm, the rebel, et cetera, et cetera--in the past to cover up both the artist and the beauty lover, but I eventually ended up feeling like a big fat walking lie.

...and I can't live like that. The voice of my Authentic Self has always been too loud for me to ignore.

In my experience, there were challenges in the beginning when I chose the path of being true to myself regardless of who would approve or disapprove, but you know, the disapproving ones disappeared from my personal reality the more comfortable I became with no longer having to hide who I am and what I fancy. In other words, the people surrounding me and, more importantly, my reactions to their reactions were all just reflecting back to me where I stood at the moment. Once I had no more need of certain reminders or life lessons, the people and experiences who were there for me to test out my responses to these automatically went away so they were no longer part of my life... OR they seemed to change so that I could actually enjoy them instead of being rubbed the wrong way by them.

So.

All that said, can I do your makeup pretty please?! :)

Whether you enjoy experimenting with makeup to enhance your natural beauty, or as a smoke and mirrors way to create different looks, I invite you to come play with me as Lea, the makeup artist.

If you need some help with looking extra stunning for a special occasion--like a wedding, huge movie premiere, prom or other party where pictures are going to be taken liberally throughout the event--I would love, love, LOVE to do your makeup!

If you've never seen my work before, you can go to my YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/LeaWhiteFeather to view some makeup tutorials created with love. If you like what you see and don't want to miss future videos, make sure you subscribe as there's so much more to come over there. For quicker updates, feel free to join me on Facebook as well: www.facebook.com/yourmostbeautifullife

And if you decide you want your makeup done by me or want my assistance with personalized lessons so you can learn how to do your own makeup flatteringly and with a professional touch, I invite you to get in touch with me HERE and I look forward to using your face as a canvas for one of the most enjoyable arts I've ever indulged in!

I currently work out of my own location, which is in Los Angeles, CA, so keep that in mind prior to setting up our makeup playdate.

All my best,

~Lea

***

If you've never heard of me before but happened to stumble across this blog post and are curious about my background, here is my brief bio as it appeared on one of my Beauty Editor's pages:

I have been a professional makeup artist and instructor since 2004; however, my passion for beauty goes all the way back to childhood, which is when I began educating myself on the subject. Aside from facilitating one-on-one sessions and workshops on makeup and beauty, I also maintain a beauty blog and write articles that have been published online. I have worked in locations such as the Philippines, New Jersey, New York, the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles. You can find me as well at www.youtube.com/LeaWhiteFeather

When Things Don't Go Your (Ego's) Way AND Modern Pin-Up Makeup Tips

Today, I spent about an hour recording my latest makeup tutorial.

It was supposed to be a modernized version of pin-up girl makeup inspired by Katy Perry.

...but alas, my camera did not record the video properly and now I don't have any footage to share with viewers and subscribers of my YouTube channel who want to recreate such a look. Oh, well!

I'll tell you what then; I do have pictures of the finished product, so I'll at least post some of them to give you an idea of what you can do to create your own version of makeup for today's pin-up girl. The main differences between this and vintage pin-up makeup are that the lower lid is defined here but not in the original style, and the cheeks and lips are a more playful pink hue rather than the deeper red or somewhat coral-red favored by models and starlets who wore the look in days past.

Here's a brief breakdown of the makeup you see in the photos below:

The eyebrows are well-defined, with a strong arch. The eyes are rimmed with black eyeshadow lifted slightly at the outer corners to create something of a cat eye.

On the crease and slightly above it, silver eyeshadow--or any other similar shade you fancy--makes the eyelid glisten. Strip false eyelashes on the top lash line open up the eyes and add to the flirtiness of the look.

A light. soft pink adorns both the cheeks and the lips. The complexion is mattified so as to give the wearer a fresh and polished appearance.

I would've loved to post a tutorial on this look for my viewers who enjoy videos of the sort. However, sometimes things that keep us from proceeding as originally planned do happen, and the sanest response to me is just to let go and move on from where you are, with what you have.

There probably won't be a how-to video from me on this exact same look since the inspiration I felt for it all went into the filming of the tutorial I made today. If you've already experimented with basic pin-up makeup however, you shouldn't be challenged when playing with this look since it's just a couple of changes away from the classic one.

Thank you for joining me for this blog post. I told you not too long ago that I'd be back soon--and so I will again!

Wishing you good night from my corner of the world,

~Lea

Coming to You from Los Angeles

I've finally arrived at my new home today. Of course, a lot of unpacking will need to be done, and there will have to be some decorating as well before my new house can become a home, so to speak.

However, the process excites me because the journey IS the destination.

Even though I've had a home I didn't share with anyone but my sweetheart prior to this, I didn't decorate it because it didn't feel like we were going to be there for very long.

This time, it's a different story; as a teaser for anyone who follows my YouTube videos, I now live in an authentic 1920s building that's been restored and maintained by the property owner, so yay! I have an awesome new backdrop to film my home videos from. And since all around me are historic and other attractive spots, I'll see what I can do as well about filming vlogs regarding locations that appeal to me.

If you reside in the Los Angeles area and enjoy my videos or my work, you may want to come to a workshop I am tentatively calling "Be Your Own Makeup Artist" sometime within 2010. I am also available for one-on-one lessons, so you're more than welcome to get in touch with me if knowing how to apply your makeup flatteringly is one of your priorities or makes a huge difference in your line of work. It thrills me to meet anyone who approaches life and its nooks and crannies as an art rather than just plain routine!

Thanks for stopping by today. I'll be back with more updates and news of upcoming projects really soon.

At Madame Tussauds Hollywood with Jennifer Aniston's wax likeness.

Signing off from Tinseltown,

~Lea

YouTube Crazy

Hello Everyone,


My sincerest apologies if you've been waiting here for a blog entry from yours truly; I've been preoccupied building my YouTube channel, which you can also subscribe to if you haven't yet, as what I post over there are blogs of a sort too, except they're in video form...

I mainly wanted to reassure you that I am not abandoning this blog. I am here to stay and share written news and updates with you. A lot has been going on in my life in terms of transitions (the good kind!), so I was but a tad busy--nothing serious! ;)

So in case you haven't been keeping up with the videos I've been posting on YouTube and you're curious as to their nature, I'm leaving you with an example right here. This is my "1920s Starlet-Inspired Makeup Tutorial."


Lots of love,
~Lea