A Fresh Start

I started this blog in 2013 with a mission to inform women about products & topics in the beauty industry. It's been over a year since my last post, how time got away from me I have no idea. It happens all the time, we start projects and before we know it we have took on more than we can handle. Life happens, school happens, you move and before you know it your getting married. How do you find the balance? Well I decided to start fresh and show many women how I was able to declutter my life. I won't stop posting about makeup, but I'll be posting about everything under the sun from relationships to best cleansers. 

My only goal is that I can pass my knowledge to others and educate at least one person. Yes just one, I'm not aiming to have 3,000+ plus people reading my blog. I'm just want to reach that one person and if I reach more it's a bonus. I love what I do but I'm starting to feel like I'm loosing that love some days. I've been doing makeup artistry for 6yrs now and it always brought me great pleasure to make women feel great on the inside. I want to share with you things that I do to self motivate and make myself feel great on the inside. I hope you all join me on this fresh start. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Hello all my Lil Beauties,
Its that wonderful time of year, where everyone is spreading holiday cheer and love. I wanted to take this time to recap the year and to give thanks to everyone who supports NP Beauty.

This year has been full of ups and downs. I have worked with many new people and made new relationships in business. I have also learned that unfortunately everyone who is in your corner is not for you. You have to take care of your brand at the end of the day, no one is going to do it for you. Believe in yourself and go for your dreams, "nothing beats a failure but a try." I live by that, how will you know if you can achieve something if you never try? Whats the worse that could happen? Someone tells you no and slams the door in your face, well create your own door to walk through.

My New years Resolution for 2014 is to continue to build my brand and work with new people. I want to be able to hold my makeup classes at least every other month for upcoming artist and everyday when who just want to learn to apply their makeup. I hope to be able to continue to teach and inspire other people to follow their dreams.

I just wanna say again thank you to everyone who has ever worked with NP Beauty and supports what I do. I wouldn't be here without the support of fans and clients.

Before & After

Hey my Lil Beauties!

I know everyone is used to always seeing the final look or "product" but don't you ever wonder what was used to achieve the look? Today i'm going to break down the products I used for this clients before & after.

First lets start with Prepping the skin:

1. I used Morphe Brushes Aloe wipes to do a quick cleanse of the skin.
2. Then I used a bit of Neutrogena's oil free moisturizer with SPF 30.
3. Then I applied a silicone base primer all over the face to fill in any lines and leave the surface of her skin nice and smooth.

On to the face:

1. I used MAC Cosmetics brow pencil in spike to fill in any sparse areas.
2. I used a bit of Aj Crimsons foundation #2 on the lid as a primer.
3. I used Urban Decay's Naked Palette shadow "Half Baked" all over the lid, then I applied Morphe Brushes shadow in black in the crease and outer corner.
4. I used Aj Crimson's foundation in #3 to highlight under her eyes and i used #5 & #6 for her all over coverage and used a stipple brush to blend it all together.
5. I then set the makeup with Ben Nye's setting power in Banana under the eyes and I used chestnut all over the face.
6. I used Frend's Beauty D. wispy lashes and black duo glue to apply them.
7. I used just a little bit of Nars blush "Orgasm" on the cheeks.
8. Unfortunately I dont remember the name of the lipstick the client had, it was her own but it was by MAC Cosmetics.

Remember at the end of the day "Blending is Key"

Product Review-Face Atelier Ultra Foundation

Hello all my Lil Beauties, today I will be doing a product review on Face Atelier's ultra foundation. Face Atelier ultra foundation is oil-free & silicone based, which means it sits on top of the skin. What does that mean to you? Its means no cracking or creasing after hours of wearing. Who wants to look like a cracked porcelain doll halfway through an evening out with friends? I know I don't! With this foundation you don't even have to set with powder unless you want to, it sets all on its own giving you that dewy finish.  The ultra foundation comes in 16 different shades. Add zero plus or zero plus plus to a shade to make it darker, or add zero minus to make a shade lighter. So now you can perfectly match your foundation, no more hunting all over for your shade. The ultra foundation goes for $48 which is 30ml or you can get the ultra foundation pro which is the same but $34 and its 20ml. For some of you I know that's probably expensive but believe me you get what you pay for. Its long lasting and you don't have to use a lot so in the long run your saving product.

Another thing I love about Face Atelier is their ultra foundation pro packaging. They designed this packaging just for professional makeup artist. Awww I feel loved, don't you? The foundation is contained in a lightweight, unbreakable container. How many of you have dropped your foundation and broke it, whether it was glass or in a compact? Well say goodbye to that problem with this packaging. They fit perfectly into any makeup kit or travel bag. Now to all my professional makeup artist here is something just for you, Face Atelier offers a 40% pro discount!!! Just go to www.faceatelier.com/proartists to review the requirements.

Have you ever spent money on an item just to get it an realize that it wasn't for you? Well with the ultra foundation you can rest easy. You can order samples to try for $1/ea. before you decide to purchase. Samples come in these cute little containers that are pictured above, and there good for about 2-4 applications depending on how much coverage you need. Face Atelier ships out of Canada so shipping is $10 unless you spend $150 then its free. I usually get my products within 5-7 business days, no problems. I hope this has helped many of you, when it comes to deciding on a good foundation. So visit  www.faceatelier.com and start shopping!

A Closer look.

Hey Guys,

When people hear my story they always tell me I should share it with others, because I never know who I might help or motive just by telling my story, so here goes...

Many of you know me as a freelance makeup artist, but there is more to me than what meets the eye. I suffer from chronic kidney disease. I was diagnosed with kidney disease over 5 years ago. Now at the age of 25 and in Stage 4 (the last stage before dialysis) this could be debilitating. For many this would be very depressing but being a makeup artist is therapeutic to me. I created NP Beauty (Natalie Patrice Beauty) to inspire all women. I wanted to show people that despite suffering from an illness you can still follow your dreams. I try every day to empower and uplift women by showing them that just because they may be feeling bad, or have whatever life stresses going on, no one should be able to tell when they look at you. 

I always said when I make it I will give back to my community, but then I thought why wait? I will be offering women like myself, with kidney disease, a special discount for makeup services. One of my biggest goals is to hold seminars educating women not just about the disease, but proper makeup techniques as well. I'm currently accepting donations for this cause. I service all women whether they have kidney disease or not. I will continue to work towards being the best professional makeup artist I can through my struggles. So everyone out there if you have a dream go for it, no matter what the situation. Only we can stop ourselves from achieving success.

For more information or to make donations to the cause please check out the following: 

www.gofundme.com/nataliep

Before & After

Short bio

Name: Shika Nicole

Age:30

Occupation: Model/Owner of Chic'cakes and creations llc.

A single mother thats,independent, self employed, successful and goal oriented . Shika is the oldest of 5 siblings and remains to set great and positive examples for them and their success

Links: www.Facebook.com/shikanicole1 (model page)

www.Facebook.com/chiccakesandcreations

Shika is my first Fresh Face model to be featured on the blog. Shika already has beautiful skin so I didn't wanna take away from that. She came in willing to let me do whatever I wanted to her lovely face. Being a model im sure she is used to that :) To start off I used MAC eye pencil in stud to fill in her brows and make them a bit more profound. After that I applied a bit of eyebrow gel to make sure they stay in place throughout the day. On her eyes I used my Urban Decay eyelid primer, cant remember the name but the one in the purple tube, you guys know what im talking bout lol. For shadows I decided to choose from my BH cosmetics and my Morphe Brushes palette. For her foundation I decided to go with Face Atelier which is a silicone based foundation, its hydrating and not to mention oil free. It last all day and gives a flawless finish, no cracking or creasing. Yes! For her lips I used NYX's lipstick color ''Castle'' as the main color and in her pout I used Graftobian's lip color ''Nude''. For blush I used my Morphe Brushes blush palette, and of course I set her face with Ben Nye's Setting Powder in 'Topaz'. Mascara of course is Maybelline's ''Colossal Volum' Express"

*To learn more on how you can be the next Fresh Face featured on the blog, please email me at npbeauty1@gmail.com. You must live in the DMV area to be considered.

Today I decided to keep it short and sweet with information. Many makeup artist including myself miss out on alot of pro discounts from makeup companies. Today I decided to list all the pro dicounts that I knew. I also threw in there some makeup sites that sell cosmetics or supplies for less. When you click on the link it should take you straight to the application form, or a page where you can sign up in order to get the application. Each website is different, some may require a license. While other sites will require just your website, comp card, business card, or a combination of those. I hope that this list helps alot of you, building a professional kit cost alot of money. If you know of any that I have missed, click on the link at the bottom that says "no comments" to leave a comment with the link. Thanks guys and remember "Quality over Quantity"

www.makeupmania.com

www.coastalsscents.com

www.morphebrushes.com

www.eyeslipface.com

www.alconeco.com

www.sadowsheilds.com

www.thehouseoflashes.com

http://www.beccacosmetics.com/us/industry-alliance/how-to-qualify/

http://www.bobbibrowncosmetics.com/cms/pro/bobbi_pro.tmpl

http://camerareadycosmetics.com/pages/pro-discounts.html?fullSite=1

http://www.evepearl.com/professionals_register/

http://www.faceatelier.com/proartists

http://www.frendsbeautysupplyonline.com/fwb.aspx

http://www.illamasqua.com/explore/professional-registration/

http://www.inglotusa.com/promembers.html

http://www.makeupforeverusa.com/mufe/pro-only/backstage-card/

http://www.naimies.com/studio-pro-invitation.php

http://www.nigelbeauty.com/t-pro.aspx

http://www.nyxcosmetics.com/t-professionaldiscount.aspx

http://www.occmakeup.com/pro.php

http://www.smashbox.com/smashbox-pro

http://m.urbandecay.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-UrbanDecay-Site/default/UDPro-Show?id=udpro-ma-registration

https://www.maccosmetics.com/macpro/templates/user/enrollment.tmpl