“It is not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred with sweat and dust and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause and who, if he fails, at least he fails while bearing greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”  –Theodore Roosevelt–

“I’m pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn’t been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle. ”
– Steve Jobs –

I am the root of my career. Each moment of my day to day consists of putting hard work, love, and dedication into where I would like to see it go.  Every email is written with good intent, with sincerity. There is love put into the promotional material I put in the mail, as well as my little “thank you’s” that go out.

With career and as humans, we make many decisions. Thankfully there is balance and the power to acknowledge and be accountable for them. We have ability to facilitate change. All choice, change, OR repetitiveness lead us here.

I put my love  into family + career. Only goodness can come from feeding something with love. 1.5 months later and the journey here is still new. I continue to meet wonderful people + receive support from those who I admire + have tremendous respect. This alone is a blessing.

My life {your life} is a collection of moments.  ALL choices should be treasured. There is so much value in making a mistake, but making many has the potential to be even greater if we allow them to be! Picking up self + re-setting should happen many times. I encourage it.

Near completion of this post, I received an email from someone I tried to connect with weeks ago. I was worried my email got lost in all of her other responsibilities + work load … yet remained hopeful.

{family first} {distribution into the world}

Raising quality human beings: My daughter, currently a 1st year freshmen at Indiana University – Bloomington and my oldest son in Virginia where I can now visit him with more frequency, and my sweetest little guy with me, I feel good about who they are  and mostly  how they are. Allowing myself  to go freelance {rogue}became an added bonus to my overall person. But I could not have done this without their patience and love for me. [We are aware of our one life.]  How I spend my time should be fulfilling and should feel rewarding. { OR I join the Peace Corps and give some greatness to a culture that is elsewhere.}  I knew my children would watch me succeed and / or fail + am fairly certain they watched me do equal amounts of both, we survived! Being their mother and being a loyal friend has and will always supersede kat makeup art. {For them} it was no surprise when I told them we were moving east. It has ALWAYS been the plan. They know why I waited.

Speaking to the loss of my humble, wise, capable, intelligent, respectable father who loved to experience. Through his continued influence, endurance in life, support, and love, I am here. My father and my children have been my greatest teachers. Watching them evolve can only signify that we are all on a path of  development. We can not grow if there is only constant. Children grow up and move away, we lose people we adore and admire, some through death and others through circumstance. It should be our gift to self to continue to grow +  pay close attention to when it is time to do so.

{unknown}

I can not find fear in the unknown. The enormity of my decision to move hit a few days after being here. I was fortunate to work shows for New York Fashion Week SS 2012 but other than that I had no jobs booked.  LEAVING STABILITY IS HARD IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCE. Making direct contact, introductions via other amazing people here, or sitting across from an unexpected, but exceptional stranger on a train to Manhattan have made my time + interactions among the  many fabulous people  I have met  wholly sweet. Wonderful can only to occur as there is no room for anything else.  I have a tiny team of support! I have a teeny tiny apartment! I have a Zip Car! My wardrobe is the smallest it has ever been! Dominik is happy to have more of me. Time is more vast and we are more simple. All good things.

There was anticipation of similar loyalty to exist here that existed for me in my region that I fully respect.. Being at the bottom of the call list is where I started in Indianapolis when all I wanted was to be on the call list. Order is irrelevant. I know I have my work cut out for me and I am excited!

— All I can do is try — It is all we can all do. Approaching life with good intent and teaching ourselves to respond with as much goodness as possible can only lead to good things. Even when people do not respond to my emails or if I am shut down, all I can do is try. Nothing changes by someone telling me “no”, or not responding ..  but if they say “yes”… who knows? Hopefully incredible things will happen. Respond with goodness and sometimes that means not responding at all. Clear up space where we can focus on the things we DO want and not the things we do not.

Many people have asked  - Why the move? – What prompted this? – etc .. Hopefully this better summarizes my choice. I wish it could be more interesting than simply, it was time {for me} to try something new!!

Currently, I am sitting in my cozy little room in NYC that I share with Heather Wilson. We have both traveled in to assist Lottie Stannard and Make Up For Ever. While assisting can and sometimes does require cleaning brushes and touching up, here it equates to executing a look created by the key makeup artist that both she and the designer established.

The key makeup artist does a demo of the “look” on a model as we take notes, ask questions and observe. As assistants we are doing the full “look” on models. Upon completion, we walk our model to the key for final approval. She looks gives us further direction if needed, we fix it {hopefully}, walk down for approval again ,and sometimes, again and again… The beauty of Lottie is she gives clear and calm direction. She is patient and a wonderful teacher.

Yesterday, {my 4th show assisting Lottie this season} while I was doing makeup, thought “I am back with this wonderful team!!”.  If you know me, you know I am sappy and have overly grateful tendencies. I can say “thank you” to an annoying degree. Sincerely, I am thankful to share a room with a  multitude of talented individuals. Emotions run high  here as every single person in the tent is here out of love and dedication to a  dream. It is not a business where one gets discovered. It requires much effort, motivation, accepting & always considering ALL feedback.  It is genuinely a place where many people’s dreams are coming true. Knowing this only brings me to feeling more inspired!

How the universe came to connect me to these talented and kind ladies, I do not know. But will not question, will only embrace. Aside from my children, and  the amazing community of creatives back home,  not many things fulfill me more  than the experience and opportunity to be here.

**The above paintings are life sized, and one of  my favorite Maryanne Nguyen pieces.

Introducing another dear lady artist friend of mine, Maryanne Nguyen. Watching her expand her art in the 5 years I have known her has been a treat! She truly inspires me. I love seeing how her portraits of self {and others}, animals, inanimate objects, costumes, etc have all evolved. She, like Mab Graves, paints her little heart out. Everyday, she is grinding away at her art  pieces. I adore her. I admire her. Maryanne is another friend who tied the knot in 2010 & I was honored  in doing her bridal make-up in Indianapolis .

See a pic below : That dress, she found at a huge antique mall here in town and altered it down to fit her tiny little shape. Oh, and the head piece www.emilliner.com

My snow days with my daughter used to include sledding. I picked her up early from school because the roads were going to be terrible. We had about 45 minutes to an hour to play in the snow until time to leave to pick up my younger son. She wanted to take pics in the snow. I quickly airbrushed her with OCC airbrush foundation {yes, I said airbrush}. Trying again to give it a whirl but will never promote it unless I am being paid by an airbrush company. Paid to endorse, bribery. It is all the same. haha Maybe I just need to use a different formula *shrug

So yes, I airbrushed her already beautiful skin, used Make Up For Ever 5 Camouflage Cream Palette (Shade 3). Eyes :MAC Groundwork Paint Pot with a light fluffy brush { I lOVE this stuff for a subtle brown smoky eye, it is matte finish and is / can be used as a base. I often layer over it, but not today, blended softly all the way around her eyes w/ Black Voluminous Loreal Mascara. Bronzed her with Make Up For Ever bronzer {they have wonderful matte bronzers In nice durable packaging!} & a little MAC Tantone blush. Rosebud Salve lip conditioner & Stila Apricot Lip Glaze.  Simple fast makeup. Most woamen could wear this look daily. It is one eyeshadow, mascara, blush, lipgloss, bronzer and conditioner if desired. 5 minutes or less.

Indianapolis make-up artist

Often inspired by film , I am creating a category dedicated to the subject. A motion picture must possess cerebral as well as visual elements of balanced beauty & reality to captivate me.

“If you do not conquer self, you will be conquered by self ” – Napoleon Hill

I recently came across this quote that reminded me of Black Swan.

With eloquently shot scenes throughout, Black Swan, in all of its darkness, was the last film I watched in 2010 and left the theater finally feeling fulfilled for the year in cinema. The scoring, costumes, makeup, casting all played perfectly to the brilliant drama.

A feature dealing with the self conflicted, the struggle for perfection in ones art, the inability to think imperfectly outside of it, and the paranoia that others are out to get what one so desperately desires, even when they appear to be helpful & supportive. Complexities. DARK SIDES.

Self  is what prevents one from achievements, not others. The gruesome scenes are indicative of obsession with self. The self absorbed are often paranoid as their minds play to interpretation, perception as opposed to objective reality ; thus leading self against self.

Psycho – drama – thriller. Indeed.

10 years ago, Aronofsky discussed with Portman the possibility of a ballet film.  I am so thankful they brought it to fruition.

If lashes grow down or straight out, consider purging on a legitimate curler. With proper use, it can give lashes the appearance of length and fullness.  Even those with thick long lashes often need a good curling. It helps them go in the same direction, making it easier to apply mascara. Get comfortable curling someone else’s lashes by practicing orlet them curl their own. Again, if a quality curler is being used it is less likely to pinch the eyelid. The less evolved ones WILL pinch and WILL cause lash breakage.

I suggest curling PRE- mascara, after eyeliner; so that product can get into your lashline. Once the lashes are curled it can be challenging to get the liner into the lash line. Of course, touching up liner or shadow post curling is always fine. A lot of gentle, hydrating mascaras can also make the lashes go straight , when applied after curling{recommended}. Lately{for self}, I like a more gentle paraben-free formula like Keihl’s Marvelous Mineral or Fresh Supernova. Both gentle & paraben-free and keep my lashes curved!  Mascara IN MY KIT  varies, MAKE UP FOR EVER AQUA LASH, but also have a gentle one like Physician’s Formula OrganicWear, for clients with sensitivities. Another back up {not for sensitive eyes} is L’oreal Voluminous {carbon black, I always buy black} . If curling after mascara lashes can look matted and clumped. This approach can also cause breakage and  pulling of the lashes. If this is a preferred method, wait until the mascara is dry. Again, post mascara curling can result in flaking also. Of course, there are no rules as to which order one follows!

Start here {preferably with clean lashes}

Tilt back head slightly while looking into a  mirror. Start at the base of the lash line,  raise your brows this will allow you to grab the lashes deeper into the lash line.{make sure all lashes are in}close the eye lash curler and give a gentle, firm squeeze, hold for 1-2 seconds, release the grip, pull out to mid lash and give another quick gentle {not firm} squeeze. Release. VOILA!

Visually, a $5 one & a $25 look very similar, but the mechanical engineering that goes into a well designed one is far different. From years of experimenting with these tools know that the Shiseido {when used properly} is designed to curl all of one’s lashes in 1-2 gentle but firm squeezes. A $5 curler never gets all the lashes and if it does once released some lashes are still straight. Furthermore, The flat pad on a cheapy lash curler = angular lashes, not curled curved ones. The rounded cushioning on a Shiseido helps round out the lashes to keep the curvature more natural looking.

A top notch eyelash curler  is an investment. I feel genuine love for this makeup accessory!

Other lash curlers to check : Shu Eumera, Japonesque, MAC

Check back for chatter about tweezers & eyebrows next…..

makeup artist _ kat sterrett

MAKE UP FOR EVER HD – I have worked with this formula a lot in the past two years while assisting Lottie Stannard on shows. I especially love it for beauty shoots as it helps to perfect the appearance of the skin. The coverage is  a nice, medium / full, but not full as in mask like. The skin is polished looking with a slight natural glow. Applying it to skin it makes me so happy as skin looks flawless {when applied properly.}

MAC Face & Body – Coverage is sheer to medium yet builds so nicely. This is an old favorite that has never let me down. Do not let the name scare you.  It is looks so natural for everyday use as well.

Face Atelier Ultra Pro Foundation – This came highly recommended and I NEVER sampled it, but went on a limb and ordered the entire palette of color. Thankfully I did because I ended up using it on myself I loved it so much! The coverage is medium and the finish is so smooth and velvet-like.  It is slightly less dewy than MUFE HD and MAC Face & Body. Also, makeup artists : they have .5 oz sizes making it so easy and light to transport.

Again, all three foundations I have found work well for everyday use as well as the photo / television world.

FOUNDATION APPLICATION :

Apply foundation and concealer AFTER eyes. Eyeshadows/liners dust down onto the face, making it a hassle to clean up and re-apply. I promise it is more efficient to do it this way if you go through the trouble of doing your eyes. Also, do concealer AFTER foundation. Get as much coverage from your base first. Follow this order rep skin{moisturize&sunscreenSPF30}, foundation, eyeshadows and liner, concealer.

A standard foundation brush is NOT my preferred method in foundation application. UNLESS, it is the Armani one. What an incredible brush! Other synthetic foundation brushes slide the product over the face not allowing it to absorb to the pores.

A latex or latex-free sponge is never an option for liquid base application, it absorbs the product thus wasting. Again, wiping the product away as opposed to blending it into the skin.

This year I was introduced to a Beauty Blender; a cute pink, egg looking spongy type wonderful way to apply liquid base. Remember to soak it and then squeeze out excess water. Press the blender into foundation and then press - NOT WIPE- to face .What I think happens by the wetting of the sponge the pores open allowing product to absorb to blend onto the skin. This is why it is important to press it fairly firmly. It is a different technique, but the final finish is well worth the change. The little guys are fairly pricy too, so remember to take care of them by purchasing the cleanser. I am not aware of a cleanser to date that cleans them other than the Beauty Blender Cleanser.

Fingers & Hands! This is a quick easy way to blend foundation right into the skin. I love applying concealer with my fingers {with properly sanitized hands, of course}

If an Armani foundation brush is out of the budget and the idea of using a brush is most appealing, perhaps try the Shu Uemera natural 18 or a similar brush. The MAC Cosmetics #182 also blends liquid bases into the skin really well.

Remember the notion of less is more is accurate in the every day world. It is all in technique. There are ways to look polished and lovely with a minimalistic approach.

Indianapolis Makeup Artist

I do know Mab personally. She is married  to my dear friend & photographer, Larry Endicott. I already felt lucky to have Larry in my life, but WOW has she really enhanced it as well.

Mab is a painter, a story teller, a gifted & passionate individual. The image shown is a cameo necklace with mini paintings of my 3 children {painted with a single hair brush} makeup artists, could you imagine??! It is, and  will remain my most prized gift and hope I can pass it to a grandchild someday. She is a lover and creator like all of us. Please share her work or possibly a piece of her work with someone you adore!

Meet Emily Clark, an incredibly talented designer of fascinating head pieces. What Emily creates is not really a “hat”, it is a unique piece of art. I have been fortunate enough to become acquainted with her on several projects. Even more special I was honored to do her wedding makeup In October 2010.

Emily Clark’s bridal collection is so lovely. Every bride {and bridal party members} should be adorned in one of her creations! Aside from her bridal assortment, Emily also has a wonderful selection of derby, fascinators, cocktail, runway & fashion pieces that are unparalleled. Her studies in Textile & Costume History at Cornell as well as her studies at The London College of Fashion groomed her to not only be lead to work for Joffrey Ballet, but also for Philip Treacy on shows such as : Valentino, Alexander McQueen, Ralph Lauren, and Donna Karen, among many other exciting experiences.

Please  remember her if you meet anyone who needs to be topped off with something distinctive!

**The image shown is a snap by me on the set for her Spring / Summer Lookbook 2011. Hair styled by the wonderful, Philip  Salmon. Stacy Able Stacy Able photographed the 2011 SPRING/SUMMER look book.