Kat St. John

Quarantine Queen - Self Tan Edition by Kat St. John

FRANDS.

Can we talk for a second?

We all know the quarantine is a downer, but that doesn’t mean you should give up on working at that summer glow!

Though there are several of my brides and many others that decided it would be safer to just move their weddings, there are still some weddings happening this year. You might be attending one! You might lounge in some shorts, or wear a summer dress. It doesn’t matter what you are doing. Consider this an act of self care!

I think it is important to keep hope alive. During tough times, we need some glimmer. We need an escape, something to look forward to. This will end. So, lets look forward to our summer and start experimenting with self tanner!

Oh you weren’t expecting that?
OK, well let me explain.

First, you have no where to be, no one to impress and if you are living with a partner and you are scared about looking “weird”, take a second and re evaluate your relationship.

Second, this week on Beauty Tips and Bullsh*t we talk about self tanners and the steps you need to take. You don’t have to listen to the episode, but you can certainly shop all the stuff we talk about by going here!

Let me break it down:

  1. ALWAYS take a hot shower before you start Tanning. This helps open pores and assist with optimum absorption of product.

  2. Exfoliate like a MF. All the body scrubs, chemical peels you can think of, use them. Shaving and derma planing are great options for exfoliation if scrubs aren’t your jam.

  3. Analyze your skin type and what your goals are.

    • Are you really fair, just want a glow? Make sure to pay attention to the tone on the packaging. Some brands like Isle of Paradise come in a variety of shades.

    • Really dry? Think of the application method, opt for tanning drops that you can mix with your favorite body lotion and face cream.

    • Hard to reach places? Purchase a spray on tanner to get to your back end.

  4. Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize! No matter what method you use, your skin should always be moisturized.

  5. PROTECT! Be sure to coat your drier spots of your body with a little extra moisturizer, especially when using a spray. This will protect those places from getting too dark.

  6. DO NOT WEAR FITTING CLOTHING AFTER APPLICATION - Wait at least an hour for your self tanner and moisturizer to set in. Invest in a Mumu, do your tan when you dont have anywhere to be. DO you have anywhere to be right now? Probably not.

  7. Please don’t apply it right before bed time.

Remember to Treat Yo’ self, even if it is at home. You are worth it.


April Showers mean we May (or May Not) work? by Kat St. John

It is April, do you know what day of the week it is?

Something I have been thinking a lot about is how we are going to move on from this. What does this mean for makeup artists? What kind of guidelines are we going to move forward with when we all go back to work.

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We may see a big shift in makeup artistry, somethings we have been discussing is, sanitation.

Sanitation is something that has always been a hot spot for me. I cannot tell you how many times I have worked along side a makeup artist (that was not hired by me) that would double dip, not use a spatula or alcohol, but on top of that, how OK they are with doing this. Post Quarantine, this will most definitely change.

Personally, I will be wearing a mask while working, whenever we get back to it. Is it going to be May? Not sure. At this time, the assumption is that we will be the last industry to open up. I am OK with this! Why? Because not only do I want to be safe, I want YOU to be safe. My clients and myself are priority. In order to stay safe, and still offer services….

Makeup lessons will be offered online!
Are you interested in this? Please send me an email or inquire online!

I am offering Virtual sessions including: Spring cleaning your bag, Skin Care, Makeup Consultations, Personal AND Group Sessions.

To hear more about the shift in our work and how we are going to maneuver as makeup artists, tune into the latest Episode of Beauty Tips and Bullsh*t to hear more!

March = Isolation: How to use this time. by Kat St. John


Clearly there is a pandemic happening, yes. We all know about and will spare you the time and energy by ending the conversation there.

I have been at home since March 15th. My very last client was the Mayor of Seattle who I did makeup on for her spot on MSNBC Live. I watched her sign an initiative to block evictions during the shut down. This job sure is interesting! I meet ALL kinds of people. Though it was the last shoot I would work, this would be the 5th or 6th time I would work with Jenny Durken and I was PUMPED. She is incredibly kind and interesting to talk with.

As she wrapped up, she handed me a $100 bill, before it even hit my palm I said “NO”. But she said “Stop it, we are in this together”. That evening, Inslee then announced the shelter in place. Or as we call it, “Stay Home, Stay Healthy”.

One thing that I am SUPER appreciative of is the time.
I realize that this is not ideal for a lot of us. There are people that would rather be working than using this time to be productive. Brides are rescheduling their weddings, clients are moving their appointments months out, postponing big commercials etc.
The simple fact is that none of us makeup artists are working is terrifying.

While it is stressful, this is also a really great time to use for marketing, scheduling posts for the year, completing projects that have been on the back burner. You feel me?

  1. Wash your makeup brushes! This is the TIME TO ORGANIZE! Deep clean and analyze what you need. Do you need that brush that is shedding hairs? Probably not.

  2. Color coordinate your makeup kit. I like to go from Light to Dark for Spring to Fall and then Dark to light from Winter to Spring.

  3. Assess your Makeup and what needs to be tossed out. That blush that has “Hit pan” could most likely be retired.

  4. There are A LOT of companies that are providing discounts and massive sales during this time. Be sure to take advantage of that!

  5. Try some tutorials! Practice makeup looks you haven’t been able to try in a while! Look up Lisa Eldridge for some diversity in age and skin tones, history and more.

  6. Take a selfie. Do it! Take a self portrait with your makeup on and see how it looks! You may find a new you in all this chaos.

  7. Coordinate your makeup to your clothing. It is spring, I am 99% sure you don’t need all that dark makeup for your wardrobe come May.

  8. Skin care! Pamper yourself. Use up all those masks and peels you haven’t had a time to use.

Need help or advice? Shoot me an email! xoxoxo