David Harel Makeup Artist

Prop 8 can suck it!

Prop 8 was deemed “unconstitutional” in California yesterday!!! You have no idea how validating this is for gay and lesbian Americans. For my husband and I, who are one of the 18,000 same-sex couples to legally get married in California in 2008, this is a huge sigh of relief. For those of you who don’t know, Proposition 8 is the constitutional amendment that banned gay marriage in the 2008 election. Voting “Yes on 8″ meant that “Yes, I want to ban gay marriage.” Dougall and I had recently moved from New York, where we’d had a beautiful ceremony and wedding in front of our loved ones. After moving to Los Angeles, we happily drove down to the courthouse and got our marriage license along with many other couples. It was one of the best days of my life! I had been raised in an Orthodox Jewish culture, and I never dreamed that I could ever get married as a gay man.

After the ban was passed, I was in shock. How could this be? Surely there was some misunderstanding. Didn’t voters see that we are no different from them? When I looked at the extensive list of other issues Americans had to deal with (the economy, home foreclosures, national security, runaway Toyotas), was gay marriage really that essential? We had already been legally married and it did not spark the end of the world.

Dougall and I had volunteered for the “No On Prop 8″ campaign, and tried calling random voters to explain our side of the story. I encountered more than one angry voter telling me that they were against gay marriage and that they would pray for me. This was excruciating for me, as I am not a confrontational person and hated how controversial gay marriage was. I just wanted to ignore the issue, but it kept presenting itself to me. When we filed our taxes or applied for a mortgage on our house, it was obvious that we were not recognized as a couple.

This is why it feels so incredible to know that Prop 8 was deemed unconstitutional. I know that this is not the end of the issue, as it can and will be appealed by people who disagree. I have renewed faith, however, that we can all reach a peaceful understanding with eachother. Yes!!!

Safe Sun for Summer

Have you guys heard that your sunblock could cause cancer? When I first read this, I practically fell off my chair. I have religiously practiced “safe sun” for as long as I can remember, applying sunblock every day. Then the other day I read an article stating that some common ingredients in sunscreen (such as vitamin A) can actually contribute to skin cancer. This seems so wrong and backwards, like diet food that actually contributes to weight gain. Oh wait a minute…

I took the photo above in the cosmetics section of my local supermarket. As soon as the news came out, every bad sunscreen on the market seemed to go on sale!

So anyway, I have thrown out all of my old sunscreens and am going to start fresh. My goal is to test as many safe sunscreens as possible and see which ones I love. I read through the list of safe sunscreens on the Environmental Working Group’s website to see my options. The first one I picked up is the Badger Sunscreen For Face and Body, SPF 30.

If you’ve tried some safe sunscreens on this list, let me know!

Our new place

We finally moved into our new home! Dougall and I had been looking to buy a new place for well over a year in LA, which is way longer than we expected it to take. Who knew there were so many people in Los Angeles? We made four previous offers and got outbid on each house. So this time, I brushed off my ‘manifesting’ cap and started to visualize us living in our new home. I closed my eyes and pictured us sipping wine on the back patio, watching the sunset. I wrote down our names and the address of the home that we wanted about 1000 times. I even wrote ourselves a letter and addressed it to the house we wanted, with the intention that I would mail it to our new home the day that we moved. And you know what? We got the house!

In any case, after being up to my neck in boxes and packing tape, the dust has finally settled and I’m so happy to be home.

I have been surprised and delighted by our garden here, there are over a dozen rosebushes! Since we did not plant them, it’s been a complete surprise to see the color of each bush as it blooms. I’ve been completely inspired by the colors of each of them, in particular a soft pink (that’s a photo of it above). In fact, I’ve been seeing these roses in my head when I think of new makeup looks for clients.

With this in mind, I recommend one of my favorite blushes of all time. It’s a product called Blushcreme by MAC, and the color is called Ladyblush. If you’ve hesitated to try cream blush in the past, this is a great product to start with. You can just swirl your finger lightly on it and then blend right into the apples of your cheeks. It will give you a perfect rosy pink flush on your cheeks. Although I am a fan of a dewy blush, you can set this with a sheer powder blush if you want it to last longer (MAC blush in Cute is perfect for this) The added bonus is that you can also use it on your lips. Just top it with your favorite lip gloss and you’re done!

Happy New Year!

Hey guys, I hope you all had a wonderful New Year’s Eve! My husband and I cooked a great meal, had a nice bottle of wine, and worked on our vision boards. Alright fine, we bought most of it ready-made at Whole Foods and drank more than one bottle of wine. Nonetheless, it was really fun! It’s become a tradition for us, because I don’t like driving on NYE. That, and it feels like there’s huge pressure to make New Year’s Eve the best night of the year.

So it’s 2010, a new year and a new decade. This is a great time to start positive habits. May I suggest using SPF? It’s such an easy way to care for your skin, and will prevent wrinkles! It’s never too late to start, even if you grew up doing that whole baby-oil-as-sunblock-thing. My favorite sunblock lately is Alba Green Tea SPF 30 Sunscreen. It can be purchased at many drugstores, and at under $10, is pretty affordable. I am not a fan of expensive sunscreens, because I think it makes me use less of it (in an effort to make it last longer). Use it every morning, and let it set in for a few minutes before applying makeup. Then blot with a tissue to absorb any excess shine.

I think 2010 is going to be a great year, I can just feel it! 2009 was a difficult year for many people, but I think some important lessons came out of it. The main lesson for me is to focus on what’s really important; love. My main resolution is simply to love myself and feel gratitude as much as possible. I wish the same for you, to love and be more kind to yourself. Just be happy and know that you are beautiful, with or without makeup!

Warming up the face

Winter is upon us! I love this season because of the cold weather and holidays. It must be the Miami native in me, because I never had a real winter growing up. Hot chocolate, a warm sweater, and good moisturizer are all very comforting to me.

I took the photo above when I was in New York for Thanksgiving. I find the leaves so peaceful and elegant. Rich coppers, tawny golds, and chocolate browns have even inspired the makeup I use on clients!

My favorite product this season is definitely MAC Lustreglass in Ornamental. A bronzey-coppery red, it is really flattering on almost all skin tones. It is a sheer formula, which means that it gives the impression of a warm-red lip without being too intense. I highly recommend this product paired with MAC blush in Gingerly. This is a soft bronze blush that manages to make you look both flushed and tan, which I think is a really sexy combination.

Makeup Primer

I am so glad to be back home in Los Angeles! I was in NYC over the weekend to do makeup for a wedding, which I love to do. It’s gratifying for me to be part of such an important time in people’s lives. It can also be stressful for the bride, which is why I’m glad that I’m a pretty relaxed person. I usually get to be with the bride in the last moments before she walks down the aisle, and keeping her calm is a priority of mine. Well, that and making her look gorgeous.

An important step in flawless bridal makeup is using a makeup primer. A primer is important because it fills in any lines or “textures” in the skin that you would like to cover with makeup. Primer also creates an invisible barrier between your skin and the makeup, so that it lasts longer.

My favorite primer nowadays is the Temptu Primer, which is what I used on my last bride. It is a very light lotion that I apply to the skin after using moisturizer (let the moisturizer sink in for 5 minutes first). It is silicone-based, which helps smooth out the skin and “primes” it for whatever you put on next (concealer, foundation). I find this product highly effective, and at $11, much more cost effective than comparable primers. Note: If you have acne, a silicone-based product may aggravate your skin. Otherwise you’re good to go.

DIY Salt Scrub

Ever since we got back from Israel I’ve been thinking about the Dead Sea and its effects. After just one visit my skin felt clearer and softer than ever. It got me thinking: how come I don’t use salt more often? I decided to experiment with making a skin scrub. After using it for a few days, I am completely hooked! It’s ridiculously easy, and I highly recommend trying this out for yourself.

Pour a tablespoon of regular salt into a small bowl, then squeeze the juice of a lemon on top of it. Mix the salt to dissolve it into the lemon juice. That’s it! I took mine into the shower (it’s neater) and scooped some into the palm of my hand. Without any pressure, I massaged the mixture onto my face for a minute and rinsed it off. After moisturizing, my skin glowed! This scrub can be tailored for your whole body by adding some olive oil to the salt and lemon juice.

In this economy, many people cut back on luxuries like skincare. This is an extremely easy way to pamper your skin with items you already have in your kitchen!

Glittah!

On Friday I did some makeup for a charity event called Friends of the Family, which was a lot of fun! It’s organized by TV therapist Stacy Kaiser, and benefits families who are in trouble both financially and emotionally. Some of the kids in the program were performing, and I was putting glitter and lip gloss on them beforehand. They were so excited about their makeup, it was really sweet!

On the topic of glitter, one of my absolute favorites is called Reflects Antique Gold by MAC. The glitter is very finely ground, and looks flattering on adults (not just teens). It comes in a loose tub, and when applied on the skin it catches so much light and looks really glamorous. It’s like you have built-in paparazzi!

Of course glitter is not for every day. But if you’re in the mood to sparkle, here are few ways to apply this gorgeous product:

1. Apply a bit to your eyelids over cream eyeshadow or clear mascara. You can also just put a small amount of eye cream onto your lids before applying. The idea is to make your lids moist so the glitter sticks.

2. Mix a small amount of the glitter into your lipgloss before applying.

3. Squeeze some body cream into your hand, and mix a bit of glitter into it before applying to your body.

Makeup Artist Trick: Make sure you have some scotch tape nearby, as it will help you remove any glitter that will inevitably go astray. I know this sounds odd, but it is extremely effective! Just take a few inches of tape and lightly press onto the areas that need to be cleaned up (usually under the eyes). It will look more polished and less like you are headed to a rave.

The Dead Sea

I just got back from an amazing trip to Israel! While I am jet lagged to the point of feeling narcoleptic, I had to tell you about my experience at the Dead Sea. My partner and I joined my parents for a one night stay at a hotel, and we spent most of our time floating in the mineral-rich water. It is nothing like swimming in a regular ocean. First of all, it is bathwater temperature and feels incredibly oily. Second, the salt content of the water is so high that I floated like a styrofoam cup. It feels kind of goofy and incredibly relaxing at the same time.

It is recommended to take a break after floating for 15 minutes (which is not hard to remember; let’s just say that several body parts start stinging noticeably). After a quick rinse and sea mud application (thus the photo; that’s me on the right!), the mud dries and draws out impurities in the skin. It get so tight, it feels really nice to wash it off in the water and float again. Just one day of “salting” myself left my skin feeling amazing! Not only was it smooth and moisturized, but the flakiness on my knees and elbows disappeared. It’s no wonder that people from all over the world visit the Dead Sea to correct many skin ailments (seborrhea, psoriasis, dandruff).

The experience reminded me of a job that I worked on not long ago. I had been hired to do makeup for a major motion picture’s press junket. The actor I groomed is a well-known movie star, and when I showed up to do his makeup I was shocked to see the state of his skin. He had gotten sunburned while golfing a few days earlier, and his whole face was peeling. I was annoyed that he neglected his skin the week before such an important appearance (sunblock people!). My regular exfoliant was not working on him, so I politely excused myself and ran over to the studio caterer to grab a packet of sea salt. After mixing some salt with a dollop of rich moisturizer, I applied it to his face and tissued it off. Bingo! The dissolved salt immediately sloughed off the remains of his dead skin, and the cream helped replenish the moisture he had lost.

So just in case you can’t make it to the Dead Sea anytime soon, you can still reap the benefits by using the same technique I described above. Make sure that you dissolve the salt really well with plenty of moisturizer before applying, and use almost no pressure (otherwise it could scratch and irritate your skin).

Why are we so hard on ourselves?

Do you ever notice how critical people are of themselves? As a makeup artist, I regularly come into contact with models, actresses, and tv personalities. These are some of the most beautiful people in the world! Why is it, then, that they criticize themselves just as much as your average 9th grade girl? It’s fascinating to me that our insecurities are such a common thread, regardless of how the person actually looks. Whenever I see this negative self-talk happening, I try to remind the person to appreciate their blessings and be happy! We are so much greater than we give ourselves credit for.