The Over 40 Princess

So, I’ve been formulating eye shadow bases for the last two days and I’ve learned something valuable. Every color needs it’s own base. You can’t just slap a base down and call it a day. Not one from a bag that’s pre-done. Oh, that can be a good place to start, but should it have some sun protection? Does that make it too white? Minerals like Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide (TiO2, see? I am learning) really whiten, but they protect delicate eyes from the sun. Of course the sales people of these chemicals came out with a super idea, just make them really small, smaller than the thickness of a strand of hair, smaller than dust and we can use them, get the effect (and it’s a lovely effect) and make it all better. Except, that makes them nanoparticles and right now there is a consumer demand for more testing. For good reasons, I think. Really good reasons. Still, it took away many of my options for making sun protective minerals and still keep pigments high.

You would think my decision to not use nanoparticles would make me crazy, and it did, for a while. Now, I see it as a challenge to not only make good product, but pretty product, healthy product with adhesion and slip, blendability and some sun protection. It’s not enough. The moment you cut down on TiO2 and Zinc, you lose your protection from the sun One of the things mineral makeup is known for. So, getting product tested for sun protection, spf, is pricey and most small mineral companies cannot afford it. Just read the incl. If there’s Titanium Dioxide, and Zinc in there, you’re getting some positive anti-sun benefits. Still, use a sunscreen, for cripes sake. You only have one face.

Back to manufacturing. I love my job.

I taught Microsoft Product use at Fortune 500 law firms for years. Great pay, 80% travel and four special need kids killed that and that’s fine. With the economy in the crapper, the first thing a law firm cuts out is training costs. Besides, most firms have made the switch, but with this whole law suit thing, there may be a need for me to teach another product. Not that I would ever travel again. Ick (except for personal travel. I love to travel for me and the kids and hubs. The girls too. I love girls trips).

Anyway, we were always HUGE into the term, “Best Practices.” How do you approach the problem in the safest and most efficient way. In Word, it was, “how to best use the features to make a strong and easy to create, legal document. How are documents managed? Stored? Numbered? Which Macro’s does this firm need and no more than they needed. How long to make the classes and how to handle people who didn’t want to convert, without insulting them, etc. So, when I started making makeup, I started thinking, “Best Practice.” These are my thoughts and heaven’s knows I will miss big ones, so feel free to chime in with your thoughts. Another thread reminded me about it and here it is.

Are you a hobby makeup maker? Plan to start a business one day? No? Still, it’s a good idea to get into best practices, even if you’re making makeup for Aunt Sally and your mom. Best practices aren’t just for large corporations and manufacturers. They are for you and your home formulary too. This is what I do, and have been doing since day one.

Alcohol is your friend. High percentage alcohol. All surfaces that come into contact with anything that is going on your face should be cleaned with alcohol. Even if you use something else first. I have 99% alcohol in a small spray bottle and it’s used, a lot. I re-fill that sucker a lot. I got it at Meijer (mid-west big box co) for 99 cents. Spray your pans, surface areas, the outside of all plastic bags, etc with a bit. 99% evaporates so fast you won’t even need to wipe it. If I am using sterile water, the outside gets a few spritzes as well. better to over-spray than under. CLEAN! I

I vacuum my work area at night. That lets it all settle before I go to bed. The dust settles. I dust my area every evening too. I use a magic dust cloth thing on every surface. That includes my books, etc. Anything that may come in contact with my work area. I don’t spray books with alcohol. I’m not that uptight.

When I get a package in, even from Kaila and her triple bagging, I put on gloves and a mask first. Even if the coolest thing in the universe is in that package. I don’t do that for finished Always. Even if it’s only a few things. It’s still possible for the shipper to make a blunder and something goes, “POOF!” I don’t want that in my lungs, on my hands. Everything gets inspected BEFORE I open the box, then plastic bag.

I check the list twice. I’ve never been short-shipped by TKB, but one other place did and I don’t play that.

I give everything that comes in a PO number and every PO number gets recorded when I make a batch of product, even if it’s one eyeshadow. Period. You can buy a workbook at any office supply store, or use Excel, etc. Just record it.

Every batch gets a batch number,. Every BATCH! Even if it’s one eye shadow. If there’s a problem, I can go back to my notes, see the batch number and begin to test to see what the problem was. How I figured out I could not use Bismuth Oxychloride on my skin. There is a way to test. Read the forums. I’m not going to repeat it here, but there is good, great information out there.

Everything gets a label. It may just read, Matte #5. Batch #1, but it goes back to my notes (recorded on paper and later into a spreadsheet) so when I test that product, I know where it came from, what’s in it and how dang much. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve played Frankenstein and not written things down, but those are for me and me alone. I’d never let someone else have it. Just a problem waiting to happen. Our society is litigious and parents have sued children before. I trust my family, but I have four kids. KWIM? Even my sister gets batches of stuff on record. She’s an engineering major and appreciates this. She also thinks that since I don’t have a degree in engineering, that I know nothing about chemicals and makeup. Le Sigh. That’s Sue for ya.

I use all of a product out of one bag and do not mix bags. Can’t nail it down if something goes wrong. No, Kaila does not make mistakes, but who knows what happened to it before she got it? Not me and not her. It’s guarded, and darn safe, but if someone sneezed into something… It’s inert, and basically processed, but oxides are produced in a lab and everyone can have an off day and make one simple mistake. It happens. No ones fault. We’re all human. My job is to protect MY eyes and the eyes of anyone using my stuff. Face and lips and bods too, but I really worry about eyes.

Know what the max usage is for what you are working with. Yes, you can use Titanium Dioxide 100% for cosmetic purposes, but it makes a lot of people itch like fire the moment they sweat. My cheat sheet says, “No more than 30% in any formula.” Not because the limit is 30%, but because it’s, “Best Practices!” Can I hear an amen from the assembled.

Gloves and a mask, gloves and a mask. They make it easy to do my task.

Silly if you’re making it for you? Perhaps a bit of overkill, but what if someone sees it, loves it, and wants some from you and Kaila’s out of an ingredient? Hmmm? Silly, it would never happen? Don’t bet on it. I have a shawl of many colors I created two years ago. If I had ten bucks from everyone who offered to buy it off my back, I’d have one kid’s college paid for. I live in Ann Arbor. It’s very Ann Arbor. I can’t replicate it, cause I used leftover yarn. Some of which was used as a blanket I made for my son who passed. There is no amount of money that would induce me to sell it and it took forever. The cost of making it would be a loss for me. So, best practices, even if you ever plan on letting anyone use it.

Putting makeup on others? Again, best practices. Clean hands, three, “happy birthday songs,” and a nail brush. Most Makeup artists don’t wear gloves. We need to feel texture. So, I use very clean, or disposable brushes and scoop out small amounts of product. Panned shadows, get a spritz of alcohol over them, before I do the other eye and it’s a new brush for each eye. Cost more? Saves me a lawsuit and I have a checklist with a face on it that I check every time I scoop something with a clean scoop, paddle, brush, you name it, along with everything I use on that client. If there is a problem later, they’d have a hard time convincing anyone it was me. They sign it when we are done. 100% protection? No, that’s why I have insurance.

Whew. That’s just scratching the surface and it looks so scary. I’m sorry, cause I’m trying to help you, not weigh you down in BS. This is a world of CYA and CYA is a good thing. A very good thing. You should be so darn proud of yourself that you tell everyone you made it! You should feel you can share your stuff with others. This may be a whole new life for you, or not. Still, best practices will help you be a great formulator. Even if you are formulating for one.

As I always say in my YouTube videos, “Go play with your makeup. Go! No more to see here.”

Yes, I mis-printed my url on my comp card. I feel like an idiot and it was a stupid mistake. That’s why I only ordered the minumum. LOL! I do stuff like that a lot. My husband was going to look it over, but the kids wanted something and we miscommunicated and voila! A spelling error of stupid proportions. I’m a dork.

If you go to a mineral website and a gather recipes that you intend to use, it’s nice to do the following.

1. Send the owner of the site a thank you email. They put that information out there for free and taking without thanking is wrong.

2. Always tweak a recipe so it’s not like what you took, if you plan to sell it, or, give the formulator credit. I use recipe books in my kitchen all the time. I always am grateful for those willing to print those recipes for sale, or free. Why? The amount of ingredients used, cannot be copyrighted, only the instructions. A thank you and a link on your site won’t take away from your business, if your product is of excellent quality. Sure, I use recipes, but I give credit and my bases are mine, not theirs.

3. If you can, buy from them, for cripes sake. I’ve purchased from mineral makeup manufacturers, even if I do it myself, because they worked hard and honestly, most of their stuff does not have a recipe. Why should I bust my buns to try to dupe it, if I am going to use it for me alone, Or my bridal clients? Tossing business their way will be good for everyone. If we don’t support real artisans, then we’re not helping one another and in this economy sending some business your way helps us both. I am honest and upright and it comes back to me and you get clients. Works wonders all the way around.

Okay, these are technically Internet colors, but those don’t really apply anymore, anyway. Monitors and video cards can display almost any color today. However, for the color challenged, me, I love this site.

Color Scheme Designer 3

I use it to create colors, compliment colors and just play around with possible eye color combos. That’s not what it’s for, but I love it anyway and the designers are getting a donation from me. As soon as I finish stocking inventory.

Dearest ones in heaven, and my darling Bunti and Bea on Earth. This is for you.

Feel you’re boobies, feel them once a month.
Get to know your girls, perhaps take them to lunch.
Feel them in the shower, slippery soap will help.
Have them felt by another, they will be impressed (and happy).

Feel your boobies, and do it quick.
Grab those mammaries, don’t make it hard.
Hell, if you have to, strip off in the backyard.

Don’t keep it to yourself, if you find a bump, or lump.
If the doctor does not listen, trash his ass in the dump.
Get your mammograms, it hardly hurts.
and for finding boobie trouble really works.
Make sure an ultrasound is done too.
It can find things better than you.

So schedule a day, just once a month.
Treat yourself to a facial, maybe some chocolate junk.
Grab your soap and a plastic bag, that can help you feel a teeny bump in your bags.
Even if they’re tiny, even if they’re moobs, you deserve the best, so check those dang things too.

Now, I am done with my lecture, oh so dumb, but I know there are smiles, and clucks of joy today, because as my darling said, “fuck cancer,” anyway.

Seriously, if you develop a lump in your breasts, see a doctor right away. If the doctor refuses you a test, find another one. If you wake up one morning and one breast is suddenly huge, go to the doctor THAT DAY! Doc can’t see you? E.R. Yes, really. This can mean viral breast cancer and it’s serious.

Sue and Serenity should not die in vain. Get it for them, yourself, your family, your dog Peetie. I don’t care. Check your breasts, get your mammogams. It’s not painful for more than a second and honestly, I’d rather have a squashed boob, than wait till it’s too late.

I’ll never forget.

I have a wholesale order coming in today. It’s colors and toys for me to make makeup with and I can’t wait to get my gloves on and try new recipes and play. Which is too freaking bad, becase there’s inentory to do, before I so much as unpack the box.

While I’m determined to keep my prices affordable, I need to cover my time, the items, anything used to make items and costs of everything else. Trips to Joanne’s for fabric, have taken on new meanings, with my watch set to see how much time involves searching for things for re-sale, or storag. It’s still fun, but when you make fun work, it’s still work.

Don’t get me wrong. I love this start-up and all the things that go with it. No more television, unless taped ahead of time. What seems like a short time with m chemicals, an turn into hours of formulating and work. It energizes me. It wears me out. It enliven me. It makes me never want to see another eye color again, as long as I live. In other words, like any new venture, it’s work. Lots more than I thought, and very rewarding.

cannot live without, for now:

Stila Kitten. Best lid and highligt color for me personally, and so many other people. It’s flexible, not too sparkly and yummy, without being over powering.

Clarisonic Mia: Review soon, but I can’t stop using it and darn it, myu skin is pretty now. Perfect? No, but I get compliments. ME!!! First time it happened my jaw hit the floor.

3. Lush Baby-Face Cleanser. I’ve said it a lot, this stuff removes the makeup without damging the most sensative skin on my body, my eyelids.

4. Rum Runner. It’s an eyeshadow that reminds me of the sunset on the beaches in western Jamaica. I made it myself, and I’m dang proud of it. I wear it all the time as a lid color and it should not work on me, but does.

Recently, I found a new love, Doug. He was shiny and glossy, hip and hot. Still, Doug held my interest, but I wanted something…more. That’s when I met David. More down to earth, than Doug, he didn’t have as much glitter to his personality, but the colors he brought out in me, WOW!

Still married. I’m talking about Urbn Decay’s Pocket Rocket Lip Gloss. In cute names with men who undress to their underwear, when held in the hand and moved, it’ a gimmick, but a sweet one. Inside is a sticky gloss that stays put, never runs and does not need liner underneath. It comes in several colors, not an over-the-top amount of color, but something that works with many skin tones and looks. Of course you can change the look of the color by using a different color underneath. I’ve used both with Urban Decay’s, Hot Pants and Naked lipstick and they are very different animals. Hot Pants is a super hot pink, while Naked is a soft beige-pink tone that I love

The best part of the deal is the amount of lip gloss for the money. It’s over half an ounce and for $18.00 you get your monies’s worth. Some people have complained that the smell is off putting, but I have not noticed that. Others say it can be too sticky. It’s a ponytail, hair-up kind of gloss, but sticky means staying power. It’s a trade that you have to make the end call about.

These products are available from Urban Decay online and Sephora stores, as well as online.