Aloha, Welcome To Honolulu Hawaii Lifestyle Blogger and Makeup Artist Brandy Gomez-Duplessis blog, Inside The Life Of A Makeup Artist. She shares makeup tips, how to's, on set entertainment, BTS beauty industry pics, bridal makeup, and beauty testimonials, all while living with Lupus, Lyme disease, RA & Asthma. She share her life of what it's like being a REAL makeup artist in the beauty industry. This Oahu Hawaii Makeup Artist and Blogger was selected by her peers as The Top 15 People To Follow During The Golden Globes. Brandy is also a Beauty Editor for Caribbean Posh magazine and is a Contributor Beauty Expert for the Today Show. This Lifestyle Blogger recently launched Entitled Beauty Cosmetics, a luxurious mineral based makeup line with her business partner Johnny Luoma. 22 years in the beauty industry, Brandy is now calling Honolulu Hawaii home. So destination brides, you now have a TOP makeup artist on the island of Oahu to get you glamxurious for your wedding day. If you come to Oahu, and is looking for a TOP Makeup Artist in Oahu, know you can get a face beat or an effortless makeup look by Brandy. During the Corona Virus Pandemic Brandy started a video Podcast called "Black Tie Stiletto" with Co-Host Anicio Michaels…Oh, and yes BLACK PEOPLE do live here in Hawaii.
Over the Memorial Day Weekend Sephora in Danbury Fair Mall held a fun event with Make Up For Ever called “Amp Up Your Color” with their new Aqua XL Eye Pencil Waterproof Eyeliner. Make Up For Ever and Sephora makeup artists treated the clients to a free mini makeovers. The staff all wore colorful eye makeup looks using the Aqua XL Eyeliners so clients could see all the different ways the eyeliners could “Amp up” your look.
Make Up For Ever joined forces with pop star Charli XCX to create the Aqua XL Eye Pencil Waterproof Eyeliners collection. These eyeliners are favorites amongst pro makeup artist because of it’s high pigmented colors. The eyeliners glides effortlessly and don’t smudge, crease, or fade. The 20 shades range from neutrals to bright pastels that work great for tight lining, eye liners, and for a pop of color as eye shadows. These liners are both waterproof and long lasting and applauds creativity by designing any look you want with these creamy eyeliners. Be sure to stop by any Sephora and let a certified makeup artist teach you all about it. Click here to read the full article.
It’s that time again of the year when I have to pull out a bottle of Clean + Easy Aloe Vera Gel. The reason for me using it is because of lupus, my skin burn. It’s called Photosensitivity, yes, black people burn to. I say that because my former rheumatologist didn’t think it was possible for how he put it “African American” people can’t burn…smh #ignorant.
Anyway, if I’m outside just for a short time during the summer I start itching, then stinging, then burning like I’m on fire. The only thing that help me when it’s that bad is some assistance getting inside, showering then rubbing my entire body down with Aloe Vera Gel. UV rays are especially intense between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., at higher altitudes, and in or around the snow and the water. Each season my body deal with weather differently. The only season I tend to do well is Spring and the beginning of Fall.
I already had to take two cold showers today to cool my body off because I had to run errands earlier. If you know of anyone that has lupus and is dealing with this same challenge stop by a Sally Beauty Supply in pick them up a bottle. I promise they would love you for it.
This spring makeup is all about the No Makeup Makeup Look. The perfect season to take a break from all the heavy contouring, and highlighting to the face. Spring makeup should be about clean effortless makeup. After chatting with Angela Mullins, bareMinerals Regional Sales Manager about Bare Escentuals new products. She trained me on the new items so I selected 5 items from bareMinerals that you won’t be able to live without. Full article here.
bareMinerals PREP STEP SPF 50 MINERAL SHIELD DAILY PREP LOTION
This 2-in-1 daily prep lotion protects and preps the skin for a flawless makeup application. Use it before primer and makeup making it easy to blend seamlessly on the skin.
bareMinerals BARESKIN SHEER SUN SERUM BRONZER
For a sheer shade of liquid sunshine that gives a warmth of color giving radiance to any skin. You will enjoy this serum bronzer and the sun kissed veil it gives.
bareMinerals INVISIBLE LIGHT FINISHING POWDER
This is my favorite new item that has come out this spring. A compact that gives two finishes, Matte & Glow. The Matte powder absorbs oil that makes for a perfect setting powder while the Glow, infused with rose gold pearls for a sheer luminosity that is perfect for highlighting and strobing.
bareMinerals LASH DOMINATION INK LINER
For a thick or thin line bareMinerals came through with an ink liner that is Hypoallergenic. It’s rich in color a strong black liner to help give a fuller looking lash line. Just give it a good shake to activate the pigment, now your ready to create your signature cat eye.
bareMinerals LASH DOMINATION VOLUMIZING MASCARA
The new and improved formula is smudge resistance with a Pro Twist 180˚ brush. It’s a 10-in-1 mascara that gives you everything you can want in a mascara; Volume, Length, Curl, Thickens, Lift, Separates, Smudge, Clump, Flake Resistant and All Day Wear.
bareMinerals LASH DOMINATION VOLUMIZING MASCARA PETITE PRECISION BRUSH
Another favorite item from bareMinerals, this is a must have for me personally because this mascara caters to anyone with short barely there lashes. The petite brush head is tapered with a curve bristles that help with top and bottom lashes giving you the look of faux lashes.
Kicking off my week by doing my regular checkup, lord knows I don’t look forward to this but it’s so needed for the doctors to see how I am doing. How do I prepare for these days? Before leaving the house I make sure I have all the things I’ll need to make the rest of my evening easy. Like my meds next to my bed, a few slush or the frozen strawberry lemonade in the fridge from McDonald’s, my electric blanket turned on, and my favorite candles to help me relax in sleep. It takes a toll on me kinda like when I would do treatments. Because I’m anemic that much blood taken from me and fasting 8hrs before I do get a little weak.
Pray that I am getting better, I don’t feel like I am. Something is active I’m feeling weaker in weaker by the minute. I’ll keep you posted, I promise.
Blood work time
Extremely weak when I left
After the 5 poke we finally got something…then the first vein blew
Nowadays when completing any makeup look you always finish the look with a pair of lashes. With so many out there it’s hard to know which ones to buy. If you ever wanted to try HudaBeauty lashes I’m here to tell you, their fabulous… I Love Them! When I’m at Sephora I always grab them to use on my clients when they request me to do their makeup. I select HudaBeauty lashes in Samantha #7. That’s what I used on Jenna in the above picture.
When it comes to skincare, Vitamin C is not just about fresh oranges or a taking a lot of it when you have a bad cold. Skincare companies have found a way to add Vitamin C to products to help with anti-aging. Vitamin C helps to prevent the signs of aging by keeping the skin firm and youthful.It’s incredibly essential for creating and maintaining collagen. Vitamin C is so powerful that it helps to reduce the appearance of brown spots and sun damages. Because Vitamin C is water soluble, our bodies don’t store it which is why daily intake is highly important when using it. Here are 10 skincare items that your face will love. See the skincare products I shared with Connecticut Hearst newspaper here.
World Lupus Day really motivated me to be a better advocate for lupus. How can I ask others to help if I don’t bring awareness to the disease. I blog about it but now I’m going to shout on the mountain top. All my tweets & Instagram post will have a hashtag #LetsBeatLupus If I want more research, better meds, more educated doctors then I have to go get it myself.
I also came up with a few ideas that I’m not ready to share yet until I get an attorney but know it will be good for us lupus warriors.
Tonight WORLD LUPUS DAY has come to an end and I asked for support from family, friends, social media friends and followers to wear the color purple today then hashtag #worldlupusday to show your support by wearing purple any of these way; makeup, hair, clothes, nails, or wearing a purple ribbon. Only 7 new people in my life came through for me. No I didn’t think I would won’t break the internet with this request but it would have meant a lot to me if more people would have participated!
Showing support will help bring awareness to lupus and all of us lupus warriors. That means better doctors, better meds with hope that our disease go into remission so we can live a healthy life. If I could see #WORLDLUPUSDAY trending that would be a start. If lupus warriors could get the love and support that cancer patients receive it would be a wonderful thing. I’m not the first person in my family to be diagnose with lupus. We were first introduced to lupus when my mother twin sister died from the disease. She was diagnosed with lupus to late so her complications was to strong for her body to handle. Doctors didn’t know what she had and didn’t have the right meds to give her. I’ve been living with lupus for year and it took many many trips to the doctors office and ER before being diagnosed. I was told so many things, that I didn’t look sick, I must be depress, that my symptoms could not be true because I was African American, that I need to make friends, that my job stressed me, my lifestyle of traveling with my job was the cause, that I was fat and getting old, and that they just couldn’t help me. The list of insults went on in on from doctors. So I lived in pain for years because those doctors weren’t educated on lupus.
This is really my foundation
Every day I feel like I have a horrible flu that’s just one feeling. I feel like I’m on fire a lot especially during the summer. I feel like I’m about 90’s year old. My bones are so delicate when it’s cold or the AC is on my bones feel like their breaking. I have blood clots if I sit to long in my legs. I have chest pains daily, it hurts more when I walk to fast, pick up my makeup kit or walk upstairs. I have kidney problems, an enlarged heart, my arms, wrist, back, knees, and feet are swollen daily that’s another type of pain especially if I’m standing. By 7pm my body start to shut down. I suffer with hair loss in you know how vain I am that it messes with me when I see my hair on my pillowcase in the morning or I see clumps of it when I shower. Now I’m having problems with my lungs. Last year I was told that I have asthma so I use my inhaler almost every day because my lungs are weak. My bedroom look like a hospital with so many breathing machine I need to use. Then recently due to taking prednisone for too long I had an ulcer. The medicine was eating my stomach lining so I am now off of one medication but was given another. I am so happy about that because prednisone was making me look fat, you know that sick swollen look. I was doing treatments every Monday and now I’m no longer so I am blessed for that. I could barely drive myself home all I wanted was to crawl into bed. It was rough but I did it. I do freak out a lot when I’m doing makeup on a sick person, the funny thing is lupus warriors are not contagious but unfortunately you are to us. Our bodies are so weak that it can fight off those viruses so it usually lands us on bed rest for days or the hospital.
I’m going to continue to fight in bring awareness to lupus by writing on my blog, talking to the media, speaking at events, writing a book about living with lupus, you name it. All lupus warrior’s doesn’t have the same symptoms and lots have it worst then me. We shouldn’t have to be a celebrity or a reality personality to get support for this disease especially from family and friends. Let’s show the government the power we have by talking about it, or tweeting about it. I need your help, we have to start from somewhere. So that’s why I asked everyone I know to support by wearing the color PURPLE for me! One day I will see purple everywhere on World Lupus Day.
No, I don’t Look Sick but I am…look pass the hair & makeup
What a beautiful Monday…I woke up feeling like how Ciara look on the cover of Essence magazine May issue. Feeling good, pain free, no lupus flare up’s and/or body pain. My mood today is everything in this picture. With a no makeup makeup look, smelling delicious like spring with an effortless pop of color on the cheeks in lips while enjoying the view of the lake from home. This is the way that I would like to start my week off.