A‘fresh face’ with lots of color is the new trend this summer

       

Celebrity makeup artist and esthetician Ariel Sereika (left) and Armando Ramos,
national makeup artist for Yves Saint Laurent, tag team to give Yaneth Vianheider
the perfect look. (Photos: Wiley Henry)

       Applying makeup is a daily routine for women like Loretta McNary, who use beauty treatments to bring out their best features – foundation, eye shadow, eyeliner, lipstick, mascara, etc. But not all women get it right.

       “Makeup is supposed to enhance your beauty and not take away from it. We tend to overdo the colors. If all you see is makeup, you can’t see the person,” said McNary, host of The Loretta McNary TV Show on Comcast.

McNary picked up a few makeup tips at a women’s event in February from celebrity makeup artist and esthetician Ariel Sereika, a Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) representative in Memphis. She’d gotten her makeup done by Sereika and was thoroughly impressed with the results.

       “Ariel nailed it. She got it perfect for me,” said McNary, who paid Sereika another visit on March19 after receiving an invitation to attend a beauty event at Macy’s Carriage Crossing in Collierville, featuring Armando Ramos, a national makeup artist for YSL.

James Sanderson, a makeup artist for Yves Saint Laurent,
gives talk show host Loretta McNary the star treatment to
enhance her appearance.

“I wanted to see what’s new, the latest trends, and how to properly apply eye makeup,” said McNary, trying to keep current with YSL’s product line. “If you watch the makeup artists do it, you can learn the technique.”

       This time she brought along three of her nieces – Jorden Moore, 12, Rosalyn Parker, 11, and Destiny Thomas, 6. She wanted to introduce them to the industry and experience for themselves a makeup job by some of YSL’s best.

       From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Ramos and the team from YSL painted, powdered and brushed away any inhibitions the women – and the girls, for that matter – may have felt. They sat no more than 20 minutes and emerged with a smile.  

       “We’re all about beauty and makeup, because Yves Saint Laurent was all about women being beautiful,” said Susan Anderson, an account executive for YSL’s International Designers Collection. “This makeup is special, because it has the science behind the treatment.”

       YSL has a wide color palette for all ethnicities, said Anderson, a resident of Little Rock who travels frequently to promote the brand.

       “It works for all skin types,” Sereika added. “We not only do color… we do clothing, handbags and jewelry. We’re trying to keep Yves Saint Laurent’s legacy going … in the Macy’s store. And we’re very proud of what we’re doing.”

       Born in Algeria, Yves Saint Laurent was arguably one of the most influential fashion designers of the 20th century. He rose to fame after introducing the widely popular ready-to-wear (prêt-à-porter) concept in 1966 and set a standard for his trendsetting Le Smoking tailored tuxedos. He died in 2008.

       Ramos was in Memphis to introduce and celebrate YSL’s spring collection. “I’m here to talk about what’s hot, what trends – like what’s hot for the spring – the colors people are using, the cool techniques to complexions, and to get that real gorgeous summer glow to the skin,” he said.

Rosalyn Parker, a 5th grader at Willow Oaks Elementary,
sits patiently while makeup artist Kim Rase works her magic.
Rosalyn is the daughter of Shamika Parker.

       “I see the trend going to a fresh face, almost no makeup as far as the complexion is concerned –  dewey skin, healthy skin, youthful skin – and of course lots of color on the lips and lots of color on the eyelashes. We’re seeing very dramatic lips.”

       Ramos travels the country four days a week and makes personal appearances to YSL counters such as Macy’s, one of the brand’s most successful counters in the region. He also does online tutorials for YSL beauty and special events.

       “Out of all the products that I’ve used, Yves Saint Laurent really resonated because of the history of the brand. It has a lot of heritage to it,” said Ramos, who once toured with entertainers and bands doing their makeup. He also did makeup for the movie industry and runway shows before signing on with SYL.

       “I really fell in love with teaching women and giving them that everyday glamour,” he said. “It’s a very audacious brand. The women he (Laurent) dressed, he wanted to dress their faces as well.”

       Sereika has “dressed” a many faces while working in New York, San Francisco and Paris, France. She was the makeup artist for “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” “The Today Show,” Max Factor, including a number of TV and movie sets, and special and private events.

        “As a makeup artist, I’ve been able to travel the world. I’ve worked with celebrities down to the little housewife,” she said.

       Ramos credits Sereika for YSL’s meteoric success at Macy’s. “She has one of the best businesses in the industry,” he said.

Single mothers brunch provides 'living' advice

 

Connie McCracklin, founder and CEO of S.C.R.A.M. (Stop Child Rape and
Molestation), urged mothers to get involved in their children's lives and to make
themselves available for them. (Photos: Wiley Henry)

   

     Wanda Taylor urged several dozen women attending a single mothers brunch Saturday morning (March 12) at Libertas School of Memphis to know their worth, expect the best and not settle for anything less.

“So many of us live our lives based on how we feel about ourselves and what someone thinks about us,” said Taylor, president/CEO of Ladies in Need Can Survive, Inc., a non-profit organization that transitions troubled women back into society.

Taylor was one of five community activists whose topics were specifically tailored for single mothers in need of information, opportunities and positive re-enforcement to survive in today’s society.

She talked about healthy versus unhealthy relationships and cited her troubled past as an example of misdirection and misguidance before turning her life over to God. She wanted the mothers to know that their lives, too, can be restored. 

Wanda Taylor, president/CEO of Ladies in Need Can
Survive, Inc., points heavenward to let attendees at the single
mothers brunch know that they are "a child of the King."

“You are a child of the King. You are His friend. You are loved, destined for greatness, and created with a purpose,” she said.

Sharon Fields, who raised three sons without their father, organized the brunch to kick off Mothers of Motivation (MOM), which she conceived as an outreach of Libertas. “It’s part of the school’s family enrichment piece,” she said.

Libertas is a non-profit Montessori school that was organized in 2015 by Bob Nardo, an educator who was born in New York and grew up in the Pacific Northwest. He is head of school, the equivalent of school principal.

Fields is the office manager and parent coordinator. Her passion for outreach prompted a move to form a support group for women whose experiences are similar to her own.

“I know what single mothers go through. They often don’t have support. It can be hectic and stressful,” said Fields, who found role models for her sons after she joined The Pursuit of God Transformation Center, a thriving church led by Apostle Ricky Floyd in the Frayser community.

“Apostle (Floyd) mentored my youngest son from the time he was seven to about 11,” she said. “He spent time over to the Floyd’s house. He’s like part of their family. And my other two sons were mentored by other men in the church.”

Although the brunch was set up for single mothers and facilitated by women, Floyd pitched in and offered a few points from a handout entitled “Discovering The Gold Within by Walking Your Goals Out.” He also used Scriptures to back his points up.

“You are what you think, feel say and do,” he began. “If I think it, I will feel it. If I feel it, I will say it. If I say it, my actions will correspond.”

Citing Romans 7:15 (NAS), he said: “For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.”

Connie McCracklin focused on the children. Her topic, “Protecting Your Children Through Open Communication,” drew inquiry from several mothers.

“Most people are victimized by people they know. Check in on them (children). Make some noise. We got to get in their business. That’s another way to protect our children,” said McCracklin, founder and CEO of S.C.R.A.M. (Stop Child Rape and Molestation), a non-profit organization.

 “The best way to educate your child is to open up communications,” said McCracklin, who is raising five boys with her husband, Sylvester. “If you develop communications between you and your child, they won’t be afraid to talk to you about their body parts and when somebody is violating them.”

One mother sought answers to a problem she’s struggled with regarding her teenage daughter, who would withdraw when the subject of sex was brought up for discussion. She wanted to know how to break through her daughter’s wall of silence.

McCracklin urged her to try an alternative approach. Other mothers in the audience chimed in as well and offered varied suggestions – such as conferring with a school counselor.

Budgeting is just as important, said Maria L. Davis, particularly when household income is insufficient. She followed with a discussion to help mothers create a basic, personal budget plan to help them manage debt.

A confessed shopper, Davis advised mothers to resist the urge to over-shop, to restore their credit rating, keep good records, be frugal, if necessary, and don’t cosign for anyone.

“If you cosign, you’re responsible,” said Davis, a training professional at International Paper.