Mar 23
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Happy Medium- Mixed Russian Volume & Classic Lashes At Prép Beauty Parlour

By | Eyelash Extensions, Makeup, Photography, Prép Beauty Parlour

You spoke, we listened! The new and hot trend of mixing both Classic and Russian Volume lashes at Prép Beauty Parlour has graduated and officially been added to our service menu! Over the past couple months, what started out as a curious inquiry and a couple requests has blown up and become quite popular at Prép. Clients who have found the Classic set to be not full enough and our Russian Volume set too full, have discovered a perfect balance with custom Mixed Russian and Classic sets.

These sets are great for the girl who is always on the go and needs to switch between glam and everyday looks easily. The fullness and volume is totally customizable, so you can choose what suits you and your needs best. Pricing for a Full Mixed Set starts at $150 with Fills starting at $80. If you currently have a Classic or Russian Volume set on and would like to try a Mixed set, let Prép know when booking and we can ensure you get a great spot. PrepBeautyParlour-6A

Prép Beauty Parlour was nominated and voted Best Lash Bar in the City of Vancouver by the amazing readers of the Westender Magazine in 2016! There is a reason why our lashes are loved around the lower mainland, and it is because we strive to be the best 200% of the time and to keep you feeling classy and beautiful! We guarantee you will love what our fabulous lash technicians have to offer!

 

Currently, Prép has 2 technicians that work with both lash styles, and a couple of our technicians are just brushing up on their technique before offering their Russian Volume services. If you would like to book with either Kei or Annie, please inquire via email or give us a call! View some of their great lash work below.

Prép Beauty Parlour is located at 1054 Hornby Street in beautiful downtown Vancouver, British Columbia. We specialize in nails, eyelash extensions, waxing, massages, facials, event & bridal hair & makeup. We’d love to hear from you! Email inquiries to info@prepbeautyparlour.com. Check out our 5 Star Yelp page here! Don’t forget to follow and like our Instagram and Facebook pages!

FEATURED: See us in on page 7 of this months issue of HITCHED Wedding Magazine!!

 

Mar 18
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Workshop: Makeup Forever Ultra HD Professional Makeup in 4K

By | Makeup, Photography, Prép Beauty Parlour

Recently, I published a blog about our awesome new Glamcor lights and briefly went into colour temperature and its relevance to makeup. Yesterday I was privileged to have attended a Makeup Forever Seminar lead by MUFE rep and industry pro Jessie Powers at the Blanche Macdonald Center in downtown Vancouver. I absorbed a lot of fun new information about the Makeup Forever line and also got to delve a bit further into the amazing technologic advances that is the future of makeup.

You don’t have to be a professionally trained makeup artist to know that there are different branches of work involved in the career. There is beauty makeup, bridal makeup, makeup for theater, makeup for print, etc. Most makeup can be applied easily in a generic sense and can be simply worn even by someone who may not have much experience. Of course, if all makeup were that easy there would be no need for professionals. Artists who work in conjunction with the photo and motion picture industry tend to need to have a deeper understanding of light technology and its relationship with makeup.  As camera technology has evolved, the quality of picture and detail has made making makeup look natural and realistic a bigger challenge. With newly introduced 4K resolution, the next step up from 1080p, there is a much broader spectrum of colour that pulls through more defined than ever before.

Leading innovative makeup brand Makeup Forever has been the 1st toMUFE1 reformulate their bestselling Ultra HD line to deliver astonishing high definition results on camera that still looks natural to the naked eye and on screen. Their new products are designed specifically to perfect minuscule detail and ease post production for 4K motion picture shooting. Makeup Forever is known for its quality and guarantee of high performance products.

 

 

 

Their new liquid foundations come in 40 gorgeous shades while their foundation sticks come in 15. After applying primer from the Ultra HD MUFE2line, Jessie used both the stick and liquid foundations on her model Tanya. Displayed on a 4K monitor to the class and captured on a 4K live camera, I watched Jessie in awe as she applied the 2 foundations to Tanyas skin on alternate sides, then allowed the camera to zoom in and show just how much detail 4K can capture. Both sides of Tanyas face were virtually flawless, other than one or two blemishes but even those were basically invisible on the monitor. I could faintly see in areas such as her upper cheeks and brow line some added texture from her eyebrows and pores, but that was it.

image1 (1)While I knew that Tanya was wearing foundation, I couldn’t believe how smooth and flawless she looked up close on the monitor. I did notice a slight difference in texture between the 2 foundations on the skin but both had an incredibly natural finish. The stick foundation I found to be more creamy and blendable while the liquid was the perfect balance of thick and fluid without a heavy oil residue. I learned the trademark “tap and stretch” application method as well which I am eager to experiment with in my own makeup routine.

After the class I stopped by the only Makeup Forever Pro Shop in Western Canada, which is located in the Curlique Salon in the Blanche Macdonald Center. I picked up a couple of products to try, as I had only really sampled their lipsticks and mascara before. With the help of Curliques oh-so-sweet hostess Jaylene McRae, I decided to give the Ultra HD line a shot, and selected a liquid foundation, Cool Pink primer and skin neutralizer, an eyelash curler, and pressed HD setting powder. The Curlique staff were knowledgeable and professional, and I will definitely return to grab some more new products from their glossy shelves. Stay tuned for my review on my new items!

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Prép Beauty Parlour is located at 1054 Hornby Street in beautiful downtown Vancouver, British Columbia. We specialize in nails, eyelash extensions, waxing, massages, facials, event & bridal hair & makeup. We’d love to hear from you! Email inquiries to info@prepbeautyparlour.com. Check out our 5 Star Yelp page here! Don’t forget to follow and like our Instagram and Facebook pages!

 

Mar 17
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Hiring A Makeup Artist In Vancouver: Tips & Tricks from Prép Beauty Parlour

By | Makeup, Photography, Prép Beauty Parlour
These days, hiring a makeup artist for your business can be quite an ordeal. With the growing popularity of DIY and online tutorials, “Makeup Artists” have been popping up everywhere; either self-taught by tutorials and books, freelance, or professionally trained. Resources and tips are everywhere and easily accessible. It can sometimes be tricky to determine whether or not a possible candidate will be able to be consistent with their work and have the proper knowledge and etiquette that is currently in demand for makeup artists. Luckily for you, we’ve come up with a list of key things to look for during an interview.
  •  Start the assessment right away. Yes, the focus is primarily makeup, but also interaction. How does she/he interact with you and the model; is there direct eye contact, confidence, is she friendly and personable? Make sure she takes time to understand exactly what the client wants and follows through. They should be asking basic questions, such as “Do you have any allergies, what type of makeup do you wear on a day to day basis, what styles and trends are you more drawn to, etc”.  A good makeup artist makes their clients look great, a GREAT makeup artist makes their clients look and feel amazing, and establishes a connection and trust with them that leaves a positive impact on them from the time the appointment starts to finish.
  • Kit! What is a makeup artist without one? Sometimes artists that are just starting out may not have a wide variety of products, but it is important to invest in respectable brands such as MAC, Makeup Forever, NARS, and Stila, as well as having more natural/mineral lines like Vancouver based Youngblood, and bareMinerals. They should have enough of a selection to accommodate light to dark skin tones, and know how to mix and add to adjust to different skin shades. Sensitive skin is also a common issue that can be avoided if the artist is knowledgeable and has the appropriate products. Makeup brushes are another obvious staple for artists, and they should have a variety of durable but affordable brushes for all techniques (brands such as Sigma, Royal & Langnickel, MAC) as well as some higher end lines that are super high quality and work amazingly (we love Japanese brushes by Hakuhodu!). Pay attention to how they use the brushes! Too light or too firm of application could indicate that they lack confidence or technique.
  • Take careful note of their hygiene and their overall cleanliness. Does the artist present themselves as clean, put together, and professional with no strange or unpleasant odours/sights? Do they seem sickly or unclean? When setting up their work station, they should always sanitize or wash their hands before they start, set up products and tools in an organized manner, and clean their hands again immediately before touching their model. If they cough, sneeze, touch their hair or nose at any point, they should touch up with hand sanitizer or wash their hands again. Their brushes should absolutely be in good condition, cleaned after EVERY use, or sanitized in 99% alcohol. Not only should they be visibly clean, they should smell clean. There is nothing more unpleasant than having a brush swept across your face and getting a hearty whiff of old, musty brush. Not cool.
  • If they use specialty products such as the popular Beauty Blenders (available at Prép– Get yours now!), they should be cleaned thoroughly. We recommend using the Beauty Blender soap for cleaning them. All brushes and tools used should be deep cleaned at the end of the day and dried upside down. Maintaining proper cleansing and sanitation of supplies is extremely important and will aide in the prevention of spreading bacteria from client to client.Prep_Beauty_Parlour
  • The finished look will give you the best indication of whether you should hire the artist or not. The model should be 100% happy and in love with her new look, and if she isn’t, the job isn’t done. Notice her body language and her reactions. Final touchups and fixes should be made without seeming like they are rushed and makeup should be finished and sealed with a good setting spray. Artists should also have on hand a variety of primers for the face, eyes, and lips to keep the makeup in place and continue looking fresh. Its an added bonus to find an artist who is also skilled in hairstyling as well. At Prép Beauty Parlour, we like to send out our most versatile artists to jobs first.
  • The final decision of whether you hire or not should not be a difficult one. If the artist clicks well with you and the model, can demonstrate a variety of techniques, is clean, professional, knowledgeable, and friendly, and leaves you will a good feeling, then give it a shot. Not everyone is a hit, but not everyone is a miss either. You should feel comfortable and at peace with your decision, and confident in your new team members abilities. Most of all, beauty should be FUN and EXCITING!!

Prép Beauty Parlour is located at 1054 Hornby Street in beautiful downtown Vancouver, British Columbia. We specialize in nails, eyelash extensions, waxing, massages, facials, event & bridal hair & makeup. We’d love to hear from you! Email inquiries to info@prepbeautyparlour.com. Check out our 5 Star Yelp page here! Don’t forget to follow and like our Instagram and Facebook pages!

Mar 16
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The Selfie- Revolutionized at Prép Beauty Parlour with NEW Glamcor Pro Makeup Lights

By | Makeup, On Location, Photography, Prép Beauty Parlour

We’ve all witnessed someone walk around with the dreaded line of poorly blended foundation caked onto their face. Or seen a contour so obvious and sad our soul cries a little. Luckily, those days are numbered (or at least we hope), as innovative lighting company Glamcor has the perfect solution!!

An example of varying Kelvins in a Glamcor light

An example of varying Kelvins in a Glamcor light

The key to flawless makeup application is colour temperature! Many people live their normal lives, applying makeup on a day to day basis, and are not aware of this essential rule. Colour temperature is a characteristic of visible light that is extremely important for lighting, photography, videography, and makeup application. It is measured in units called Kelvins (K).
Colour temperature that is measured over 5,000K are “cool”, and tends to have a blueish white hue.
Colour temperature that measures between 2,700K – 3,000K is warm.

Glamcor has taken the understanding of colour temperature and created a line of professional grade lighting equipment designed to aid in the colour matching and fine detail work that goes along with the makeup industry. The line includes various lights that are easy to transport, compact, durable, and easy to use. Prép couldn’t resist all the hype and had to try one out ourselves!

The Glamcor line has many different styles of lights to choose from, we went with one that would fit in Préps makeup station and lash area. Versatility is essential at our busy spa! We chose the newly released Multimedia Extreme with Selfie function. The kit itself includes 2 large lighting panels connected to the freestanding telescopic base with flexible arms (an added bonus for lighting from different angles), remote control with Bluetooth function, and a travel case. Depending on what you use it for, there are also many different add on accessories to build up your Glamcor kit. Some accessories include a clip on mirror, bases for your tablet, phone, or camera, and even clamps for hard to reach surfaces!

Our light has awesome adjustable light settings, with a standard setting on 5,600K. Users are able to use the extensive list of options to find the perfect light balance to suit any situation. The lighting panels are made up of mini ultra HD LED bulbs that are flicker free and don’t heat up, making set up and take down simple with no wait time! The lightweight aluminum tripod stand slides smoothly and can expand to over 6ft.

Prép Beauty Parlour is located at 1054 Hornby Street in beautiful downtown Vancouver, British Columbia. We specialize in nails, eyelash extensions, waxing, massages, facials, event & bridal hair & makeup. We’d love to hear from you! Email inquiries to info@prepbeautyparlour.com. Check out our 5 Star Yelp page here! Don’t forget to follow and like our Instagram and Facebook pages!

Mar 16
0

Makeup Look: Springy Lips//Brightened Eyes by Mika

By | Makeup, Photography, Prép Beauty Parlour

Spring is an such an exciting season! The seasons are transitioning, and so can your look! The rapidly changing weather in Vancouver gives you the prefect excuse to experiment and play with your everyday makeup. Go dramatic with a dark lip and seductive eyes on a stormy Raincouver day, or embrace the spring sunshine with a bright new hue! Here is a simple everyday look done by Prép Beauty Team Leader Mika that you can easily recreate. This look is a good introduction to using techniques such as colour correction and contouring, and can be made more dramatic without adding too much more product.

To start off, Mika prépped my skin with Eminences Red Currant d6Mattifying Mist. This helps regulate the level of oil my combination skin produces, as well as tones and leaves the skin feeling velvety soft. At Prép we carry a wide variety of Eminence products, which we also incorporate into our services whenever possible. Its very important to have clean, hydrated, healthy skin before applying makeup.
To further prevent any oil eating up the makeup, Mika applied a primer to my face. She chose the Porefessional Primer from Benefit cosmetics. My pores in my T- Zone tend to be larger and more unevenly textured, which this primer is great for! It is also oil free, and its sheer balmy formula can be used for all skin tones! With just the primer and mist alone, my skin was glowing and felt smoother than a babies bottom!

Next up was colour correction, a technique I have been eager to learn about and one that is super trendy at the moment. Mika used Stilas Correct and Perfect All In One Colour Correcting Palette, which is a compact and versatile product I have fallen in love with from just one use! This palette consists of 5 cream colours and 2 tinted setting powders and is full of nourishing vitamins. To tackle my under eye darkness, Mika used a custom mixture of the Peach and Yellow shades. The yellow undertones concealed and neutralized the dark spots and creases without looking caked on or making my skin look sallow. My cheeks tend to run a bit rosy, so Mika corrected with easily with a couple quick swipes of Green. She used a damp Beauty Blender to blend and set the colours into my skin. d3
For foundation, Mika applied a medium fair liquid foundation by Makeup Forever. Usually, I would make sure to apply full coverage, but since Mika had used a great primer and neutralized my skin tone, only a light layer was needed before my skin looked glowing and flawless. Makeup Forevers Ultra HD Liquid Foundation is a great choice for anyone looking for medium to full coverage with a lightweight and easily build able formula.
My face at this point was already flawless, so I’m sure you can imagine my excitement when Mika pulled out the highly coveted Anastasia Beverly Hills Cream Contour Kit. This product has been a craze in the makeup industry and I can for sure see why. Using the cool toned highlighter and the 2 darker contours, Mika carved out my cheek bones and visually slimmed the area around my mouth and inner cheeks. I looked about 10 pounds lighter in the face by the time she had blended in the velvety creams! A light swipe of Becca Cosmetics Highlighter in Champagne Pop along the top of my outer brows and cheek bone highlighted my cheek structure and drew light up to my eyes.d5
Mika used the popular Nars blush in Orgasm to flush my cheeks. The shade has a gorgeous peachy sheen that warms up my usually pale skin. For my lips, I had previously hydrated them with a generous swipe of my favourite Rosebud Salve. Mika made a custom colour consisting of a mixture colours Kim, Jessica, Jennifer, and Ashley from the Smashbox 25 Year Anniversary Palette. This palette is limited edition but I would highly recommend it to any lip enthusiast! The super creamy, beautifully pigmented colours are easily mixed, last long, and keep lips hydrated.

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Mika used the Marc Jacobs Style Eye Con The Free Spirit Palette to draw out my dark hazel eyes. She used a lighter golden hue to brighten my eyes and accentuate the green flecks that are scattered around my iris’s. A darker shade was blended outwards from my crease, creating depth enlarging my eyes. She used Makeup Forever Liquid Aqua Liner in Mat Black to draw smooth wings that blended into the shadow. The look was completed by carefully placing luxury mink strip lashes by Esqido in style Unforgettable along my lash line. I love Esqido lashes because they are designed to be durable enough to be used over and over. A typical pair of Esqido lashes with proper care can last anywhere up to 30 uses! They also come in many breathtaking styles and are always the perfect final touch to any makeup look.

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Overall, this look was super fun and will definitely be one I can wear on any given day. Try it out yourself and show us how you did- Tag Instagram photos @prepbeautyparlour or tag our page on Facebook! Have questions about a product we used, or have something you’d like to see? Email us at info@prepbeautyparlour.com with the subject line :Blog.

Prép Beauty Parlour is located at 1054 Hornby Street in beautiful downtown Vancouver, British Columbia. We specialize in nails, eyelash extensions, waxing, massages, facials, event & bridal hair & makeup. We’d love to hear from you! Email inquiries to info@prepbeautyparlour.com. Check out our 5 Star Yelp page here! Don’t forget to follow and like our Instagram and Facebook pages!