How Now Full Brow?

In: Brow

27 Aug 2010

I am asked every day, a hundred times per day, what is the best ( fastest) way to get full, enviable eyebrows? Here, once and for all, is my formal response with all the tricks of the trade you really need to know:

1. If your brows are too thin, badly shaped or in any state of disrepair – TOUCH NOTHING for minimum of three weeks. It can take more than three MONTHS for brows to fully grow back to their completely natural state and you must commit to biting the bullet and removing not one hair until they grow back. I call this “Going back to square one”. Every time you remove a stray hair, you are perpetuating the incorrect shape and lack of fullness in your brow.

2. Take a good multi-vitamin daily. Good nutrition is key to ensuring that hair will grow in as quickly and fully as possible.

3. Try a topical solution as well. My product, Eye GROW Brows creates an ideal enviornment for hair growth and also coats existing hair , giving it a thicker, fuller appearance. It’s great for lashes too.

4. Makeup: As brows are growing in there are two things you can do to cover strays and improve your eyebrow’s overall appearance. One, apply concealer (RAMY Skin Stick) from lashline to brow bone. This will cover strays and act as a primer for other eye makeup. Two, fill in brows with a neutral brow filler. My Perfect Brow Wand is universally flattering and has a highlighter on the other end. Draw highlighter along underside of brows to reflect light and diminish appearance of strays.

5. Once brows have grown in and there is plenty to work with, avoid waxing (Waxing is for cars!) as there is not enough precision and dread the thread (painful and archaic). If you don’t trust yourself to shape your brows anew, seek out a pro who tweezes and trims and who comes highly reccomended. Once you have the blueprint, you can maintain your fab new brows yourself with diligence.

6. The only thing worse that having messy caveman-like eyebrows? Having poorly shaped, unflattering, overly thin brows that diminish your appearance.

Back to School (Beauty School, that is!)

In: Brow|Face|Uncategorized

26 Aug 2010

I’ve always loved the Fall Season best. It’s not too hot or too cold in New york. You can break out cool sweaters and jackets, the September issues of all our favorite magazines come out with their biggest issues of the year and everyone re-vamps their wardrobe and makeup to go back to school or just to pull themselves together after a lazy summer.

Makeup for this season: Plum eye shadows and liner. Burgundy and red lips. Flawless semi matte complexion. Yes, there is a red for everyone. Tey a red gloss or sheer red lipstick is you want a softer, more wearable version.

Eyebrows this season: Full and beautifully arched. Strong brows are in (Thank God) and the look of the season will be dramatic brows and bold lips with eyes and cheeks pared down. Very classic.

10 Signs That It’s Time For a Pro Brow Shaping

In: Brow

12 Aug 2010

1.  You look at old photos wistfully to remember how your eyebrows looked in better days.

2.  More than one person in your life has randomly brought up the subject that a good brow shaping can make a huge differance in your appearance (hint hint).

3. Your Mother tells you your eyebrows need help (Your Mom will always tell you and she’s never wrong!).

4. You’re not sure if your eyebrows are, in fact, two seperate entities.

5. You know your brows don’t look right, but you’re not sure why.

6. People always ask you why you’re sad or angry, when in fact, you’re neither sad nor angry.

7.  Someone calls you “Sir” when you are in fact a lady.

8.  Someone calls you “Ma’am” When you are in fact, a man.

9.  Someone commends you for not conforming to society’s pressure to groom yourself, based soley on the appearance of your eyebrows.

10. You’ve grown your bangs longer for the sole purpose of covering up your eyebrows.

Do It Yourself Eyebrows & Perfect Makeup!

In: Brow|Face

3 Aug 2010
My rule of thumb for beauty is the same for everyone, regardless of age, weight or ethnicity. There are features you want to play up and features you want to play down. It’s the same equation whether you’re a size zero or a size twenty-four. That said, part of being the best version of yourself finding the best makeup colors and formulas for yourself and discovering how to apply them. That, combined with a good eyebrow shaping is the difference between looking “just OK” to looking fantastic. When you look fantastic, you feel fantastic and exude confidence.
The first step is having your eyebrows shaped. I do advise visiting a professional the first time to learn what your optimum shape is, but if that’s not an option, below are my tips for shaping them at home:
As a makeup artist, eyebrows have always been my passion and my specialty. If you know you have already botched up your browline, the best thing to do is STOP! Go back to square one, let your brows grow back for about three weeks. You will be tempted to pluck strays, but the best thing you can do for yourself is to let them grow back as fully as possible. Usually it is the people who are obsessed with their brows who overdo it and do what I call underestimating your eyebrows. Once your eyebrows have grown in, either go to a brow shaping professional (if you don’t know of one, ask a friend who has fabulous brows – they may have been holding out on you!) or reshape them yourself.

As a rule, I’m personally against waxing the brows (waxing is for cars!). Seriously, there is no precision with waxing, you are removing rows of hair indiscriminately and it is very harsh on the delicate skin around the eye area, which is the thinnest on the body. Threading is acceptable if you know an expert, but my technique of choice is tweezing and trimming.

To reshape them yourself you will need several things:

A large mirror, preferably near a bright window

a good pair of tweezers

grooming scissors

a small brush (a baby toothbrush or old mascara wand that’s been cleaned with makeup remover are ideal)

Lastly, 40 minutes set aside so that you don’t rush, which often leads to the worst brow fiascos! My favorite tweezer are, of course, the RAMY Tweezer by Tweezerman. They are not as sharp as many other brands and have always been able to get the job done! Always remember, less is more and try to look at your face objectively, using a common sense approach. I’ve seen many people stand so close to the mirror that they can’t see the forest for the trees. A good test is to stand 2-3 feet away from the mirror, so that you DON’T see every little hair. Look at your eyebrows and think about where you may need to remove hair. Then, move closer and begin shaping!

Step 1:
Brush your eyebrows upward, if there is much length, trim them with the scissors as conservatively as possible – as though you are trimming split ends.
Step 2:
Tweeze from underneath brow, removing one row of hair from beginning of brow to end. Pluck hairs out in the direction of hair growth. If necessary, remove second row of hair from directly underneath arch, to open it up. Then clean the hairs I refer to as no man’s land, those hairs that are not part of your eyebrow or part of your hairline, but exist somewhere in the middle. Lastly, pluck between eyebrows. Where should your brow begin/end? hold your brush or a pencil vertically against the side of your nose. Where the pencil lands by your brow is where your brow should begin. Repeat on other side of nose.
Step 3:
Using brush, comb brows downward. If there still exists excess length, trim it, cutting against the grain. Remember, trim very conservatively, you can always cut off more, but once it’s trimmed too much, there is nothing to do but wait for it to grow back! If you follow these simple steps, your brows should look finished and polished, which will open up your whole face and lift your eyes!

Once your brows are done, its time to apply makeup. My philosophy is “Minimum Makeup, Maximum Impact!” That means you can eliminate any step that you don’t need and still look amazing! For example, if you’re one of those lucky people that have a naturally flawless complexion, you may choose to skip the foundation.

　

　The Classic Face:

1. If necessary, apply Freeze Frame anti-wrinkle cream where needed on face. It fills lines like spackle and firms the skin.

2. Apply Ultimate Therapy Cream moisturizer if you skin is dry, Miracle Matte Anti-Shine Lotion if your skin is oily.

3. Apply Elixir Skin Conditioning Primer to face and neck. This reduces redness and puffiness and creates an extra smooth surface for the makeup to adhere to. This also helps makeup stay on longer.

4. Apply the moisturizing Skin Stick Concealer around entire orb of your eyes – lash line to brow bone too. This acts as a primer for eye makeup, conceals dark circles and redness and visually brings the eyes forward.

5. Set the Concealer with the completely translucent Pure Radiance Pressed Powder.

6. Apply Liqui-Powder Elixir foundation where needed on face and blend in. If you prefer lighter coverage, opt for the Sleep In Beauty, which is a tinted anti-aging, anti-blemish cream moisturiser.

7. If needed, fill in eyebrows with either the Perfect Brow Wand or the Miracle Brow Compact.

8. Line eyes with the double ended Perfect Eye Wand and then use the eyeshadow on the other end of the wand across your eye lid. This universally flattering wand works on everyone beautifully!

9. Apply One Stop Shopping Mascara to upper lash line only. Mascara on lower lash line visually drags the eyes down and every complaint I’ve heard about mascara is alleviated by not applying to lower lash line.

10. Using blush brush, apply powder blush in Alive! To cheeks and sweep over crease of eyes. Also brush Alive! Blush along hairline and jaw line for added glow and contouring.

11. Using your fingertip, apply Pure Juice Highlight high up on cheekbones. The Pure Juice can also be used on eyes and lips.

12. Apply lip color. My best seller is the 2Lips, which is a lip gloss with a lip liner built into the cap.

As I said earlier, my philosophy is “Minimum Makeup, Maximum Impact!” so you can apply all twelve steps listed here or simply pick and choose the steps that address your needs.

The Psychology of Beauty…

In: Uncategorized

14 Jul 2010

When I first became a makeup artist, my first job in New York was at the original Barney’s store on 17th Street in Manhattan. On the advice of my mentor, I found a job in retail to help hone my craft while developing my editorial career. My mentor advised, “Better to make a mistake doing someone’s makeup at the counter than when you’re doing the cover of a magazine.” It was great advice and I really learned alot, doing trainings with all the differant brands, meeting power players from the fashion world who shopped there and practicing, practicing on every person I could cajole into my makeup chair.

One day, two little old ladies strolled in arm in arm, in their Laura Ashley floral dresses that covered them from their chins down to their ankles. They looked slightly terrified to be venturing into the cosmetic department, and they huddled together arm in arm they way people do when facing a firing squad.  One of them noticed a lipstick shade on my counter that appealed to her. This began a debate with her friend about whether or not she dare try the lipstick on. I assured them that it was not a tattoo and that I had makeup remover at the ready should she decide she doesn’t like the color.

With the trepidation of someone tasting roasted porcupine for the first time, she tried on the lipstick. Of course, while she seemed to like the color, I knew that if trying it on was such a big deal, she would never actually buy it. What shocked me to my core was that as I looked at these little old ladies up close I realised that they were not old at all! They were probably in their mid-to-late thirties and simply appeared old due to their demeanor and style. One had long hair that had long grey roots, the other was wearing grandma glasses and they were both dressed very demurely and prim and proper. Upon closer inspection, I saw that they had smooth skin and both could have been very attractive with a little effort and a more open mind-set.

I never forgot them because it taught me the importance of  how we carry ourselves and the impact of the image we present to the world.   Below: What a “Little Old Lady” should look like!

Sophia Loren

Lindsay’s Beauty Statement

In: Uncategorized

7 Jul 2010

In all the photos of Lindsay Lohan in court as she was sentanced to 90 days in jail, followed by time in rehab, she had her hands up against her cheeks, supposedly to express her shock and dismay at the Judge’s ruling. As we now know, upon closer inspection, her multi-colored nail polish had a message on her middle finger. “Fuck you” it read on her fingernail. Was this a message to the judge? To the Papparazzi who were clearly taking pictures of her as she appeared in court? Maybe it was a message to the whole world?

Whoever her intended recipient, it sent a very clear message that she is not in a good place. It’s hard to believe this is the same person who only a couple of years ago was at the top of her game. I donated makeup swag bags for Lindsay and the guests attending her birthday party back then.  Can she survive this a ressurect her career? I say yes, if she truly gets her act together. While the judge’s ruling may seem devastating now, if all goes well, she may look back at this as the best thing that ever happened to her. Lindsay, moving forward, keep the beauty statements to dramatic eyeliner or a bold lip color. You’re lucky the judge didnt note your nail polish message and hold you in contempt of court.

Eyebrow Intervention on a Brow Virgin

In: Brow

1 Jul 2010

Watch me make over a brow virgin’s eyebrows for AOL Style List:

http://www.stylelist.com/2010/06/16/eyebrow-tweezer/

Melt His Heart, Not Your Face!

In: Face|Uncategorized

30 Jun 2010

Ok, it’s that time of year where it’s so humid and hot that you melt off your moisturiser before you walk out the door and your makeup feels heavy and runny. Whats a gal (or metro-sexual) to do?

A few simple steps will keep you fresh and shine free and keep all your beauty secrets intact, instead of running down your face.

  1. Mattify! Why add moisture to your skin in already humid weather? Opt for an oil balancing lotion, like my Miracle Matte, which will leave you feeling shine free and velvety all day long. If you are feeling particularly oily, add a touch of the Pure Radiance Pressed Powder to your T-zone on top of the Miracle Matte. This will ensure you’ll look matte even on the sun!
  2. Skip the eyeshadow and opt for a bolder gel eyeliner instead. It not only looks great, it stays in place and looks clean. If you feel naked without color on your eye lids, apply a gel blush, like my Juicy Cheeks to crease of eyes and blend out. You’ll have a healthy flush of color that stays put, even under water!
  3. Add mascara to upper lash line only. Again, it’s a cleaner look and less likely to run if you don’t apply to lower lashes.
  4. Apply a stain or Juicy Cheek (cream gel) to cheeks and lips.
  5. Keeping hair pulled back or off your face not only looks fresh and keeps you cool, it helps keep your skin from breaking out. Oily hair + Humidity = breakouts!

Answers About Eyebrow Intervention Day

In: Brow

15 Jun 2010

What is Eyebrow Intervention Day? On June 17th, 2010 Eyebrow Shapings at the RAMY Brow Bars in select Duane Reade LOOK Boutiques will be completely FREE!

What’s the regular fee? The Brow Experts are all personally selected and trained by Ramy and they all charge $30. for an eyebrow shaping.

What’s Ramy’s regular fee? Ramy charges $75. for an eyebrow shaping at Ramyspa.

Do I need to buy anything in order to get the free brow shaping? No.

Who will be doing the Brow Shapings on Eyebrow Intervention Day? The Brows will be done by the Brow Experts who work full time at the LOOK Boutiques. Ramy will be making appearances at all the locations that day, to supervise and advise.

Do I need an appointment for Eyebrow Intervention Day? While we will welcome walk-ins, an appointment is encouraged to ensure that you will have the opportunity to take advantage of this amazing one day offer.

Which LOOK Boutique locations will be participating in Eyebrow Intervention Day?

35th Street and Broadway

51st West 51st Street at Sixth Avenue

Eighth Avenue between 16th & 17th Streets.

Complete addresses and phone numbers are listed on the “Store Locations” page on www.RAMY.com

What technique is used to shape eyebrows at the RAMY Brow Bars? The experts are trained in Ramy’s technique of tweezing and trimming (Waxing is for cars! Dread the thread!!)

Why is Ramy hosting this Eyebrow Intervention Day? So everyone can discover how convenient and fabulous the RAMY Makeup & Brow Bars are at the Duane Reade LOOK Boutiques. Celebrity caliber eyebrows are now accessible to everyone!

Tattoos – Face and Body

In: Brow|Face|Uncategorized

10 Jun 2010

Several times per month clients will ask me how I feel about permanently tattooing their eyebrows or makeup. As a rule, I’m very opposed because it’s so permenent. With eyebrows, for example, the brows may continue to thin over time and the tattoo will become more obvious. also, your face changes with age and you may end up with eyebrows where you don’t want them. They can turn to a blue or grey color and require more makeup to correct than would have been required to simply fill in your brows without the tattoo. Years ago, when I was just starting out as a makeup artist, I had a client who came for a makeup lesson. She was German and didn’t speak a word of English. She had on a bright turquoise eyeliner all around her eyes, giving her the distinct appearance of a parakeet. I tried removing the liner with a strong makeup remover, but it wouldn’t budge. Not wanting to rub too aggressively, I handed her the cotton ball doused in makeup remover and suggested that she remove the eyeliner. She rubbed her eyes with the cotton and the eyeliner still wouldn’t budge. She saw the frustration on my face and said the one english word she knew, “Permanent!” as she pointed to her eyeliner. Oy. I used a brown liner to cover up the bright blue and it looked fine, but the experience showed me that styles and trends change and this woman’s eyeliner was permanently stuck in 1973.

The other concern is if the tattoo is not well done – do you really want permanently mis-shaped eyebrows or splotchy eyeliner? While newer technology offer less pigmented tattoos for cosmetic purposes, they do not fade on everyone over time, as promised.

On my way to work this morning, I passed a sweet little grey haired lady who reminded me of the old lady in the Sylvester and Tweety cartoons. She had a circular tattoo on the back of her neck. THE BACK OF HER NECK! I wondered if she had it done twenty years ealier or if it was a recent addition. My instinct says it was recent. I’ve always toyed with the idea of getting a tattoo on my shoulder, something like a heart with the words, “Your Name Here!” so it would have a chance of not becoming obsolete. My reluctance isnt fear of pain, it’s that I get bored and I know I’ll tire of it almost immediately – and then what? I even get bored with temporary tattoos, which only last a few days (See photo below) My best friend has tattoos on his arms and I see the way people respond to it. It sends a message: Sexy. Dangerous. Rebel.

I would love to elicit that kind of reaction, but even my friend got tired of the big tribal symbol that circled his bicep and I went with him to the tattoo shop to see what could be done. He ended up getting a giant eagle with its wings spread because that was the only thing that could successfully cover the previous tattoo.  

  The deciding factor for me was that when I was just out of college and considering “getting inked” a friend said to me that they look great until you turn thirty, then you just look tired. I started noticing older people with tattoos and kind of agreed. Though it’s all relative. It’s still fun to think about getting one, and maybe someday I will, but never, EVER on my face!!!

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