By Noreen Young

• What's the #1 request you get from women who sit in your makeup chair?
  "They want to look like Oprah or Beyonce. (He has worked his magic on Destiny's Child and Beyonce as well)."
• What do you think the trend for women and beauty should be in 2008?
  "Educating the consumer! They go to the department store and at times are sold things they don't know how to use and are not educated or sold the right products and how to use them."
• What is your favorite part of the face to do? (IF you have one)
  "I used to have one but no more. It's all about balance. You have to look at every face as a total picture and a canvas. If you focus on just one you may concentrate on it and maybe over do that feature on your face. Always think balance."
• Do you have a favorite must have beauty product or products in your makeup bag of tricks?
  "Foundation. An array of the right colors for each face is important. Everyone's face is unique and individual. A face primer is also very important and I never do a face without priming it first and preparing the face for foundation and the rest of the makeup. I am in the midst of creating a makeup line that will address all of this."
• As a professional makeup artist, you have to be ready to make up several palettes of women. What's the go to color scheme you use most often?
  "Each face is unique and most women are at least a couple or three palettes. Say somebody can wear, earth tones, rose and red colors. So, I use a variety not one particular family of color on each face."
• What are the biggest mistake women do when making up their face?
  "They use to much makeup and think they have to use everything they own all at once. A soft touch is best. Unless of course you are on TV or getting photographs taken professionally."
• What is the best beauty tip you can offer women?
  "Don't ever go to sleep without applying a night cream." (He then asked me to touch and feel his skin...my was it smooth and flawless.) Ladies and gentlemen, I ALWAYS was a believer of night cream but now I am even more convinced!
• What can we do when we have oily skin?
  "Enjoy it and be thankful! People are blessed with oily skin. It keeps you looking younger. If you are a woman of color, moisturize more if your skin is ashy and drier. If you have oily skin be happy. And don't forget even oily skin needs a little moisturizer."
• What about freckles how can I cover them best?
  "Why cover them? Love your freckles."
• What about a smoky eye?
  "It's pretty but not every eye looks good with it. If your eyes are deep set or small, even more so stay away from it. With practice you know what works good for you!"
• How long does it take you to make up Oprah's face for TV?
  "I don't do Oprah's face like the woman next door. It will not work. It takes me an hour to an hour and half to do Oprah. I have to do it on some days while she is on the phone, walking the hall, or dressing for the show. I just did Oprah's face for Time Magazine and that takes a bit longer to be picture perfect."
• What do you think about tanning beds, spray tans and sunbathing?
  "Well to get a safe tan any time of year…BRONZE IT UP! All you need is a bronzer/powder. When you wet a bronzer with a dash of moisturizer, it acts like foundation. When you mix it with a clear gloss it becomes a lip color. Try placing a bit of clear gloss on the eyelid and sweep some bronzer across your eyes with the warmth of your finger you have a creamy eye shadow. This only takes 3-5 minutes and you are good to go! Even women of color look gorgeous in bronzers. Say no to spray tans especially on the face. It doesn't work and looks artificial."
• What one beauty item should a woman own?
  "A lipstick is a play stick. Always wear one and have fun doing it."
• What is a no no beauty faux pas to Reggie?
  "Don't chew gum in public." While he does enjoy a piece of gum. He never chews it in public or in that cow pasture like motion. (Nor does he click it)
• In the middle of the interview, I told him he was handsome.
  He looked at me and said, "I'm gorgeous" meaning him, not me and smiled. He added "Women need to add a little laughter to your life...enjoy life!" I think that is the secret of his looks and personality. Attitude is everything. Like me, Reggie smiles a lot too! It is contagious to be around him and his happy spirit.
• What else would you like to share with me?
  "Always remember you display who you are and your makeup, what you wear and the way you look says a lot about you."

© Noreen Young

When was the last time you cleaned your makeup and disinfected your brushes and beauty tools?

If the answer is never or last year. Listen up!

Makeup and brushes can make you prettier however, they can make you sick. Examples: Eye infections, skin conditions and lip sores and may bring you to an unexpected visit to the dermatologist.

You wouldn't eat three meals a day seven days, a week with the same used for, spoon or knife would you?

I share with you my personal recipes for keeping it all clean!

Let's start with cleaning off all your shelves where your beauty items live from day to day. Give those shelves, bins or cases a soap and water or Windex wash down at least once a month. Wipe down all mirrors in compacts and eye shadow kits, and your hand mirror too!

Next, sharpen all your eye and lip pencils and put them in the freezer overnight or a few hours. Why you ask? It will help them last longer! (Especially if you have left them in a hot car and they have lost their form.)

Next, wipe down your lipstick tubes (used portion only) with an alcohol sprayed paper towel.

Freeze them.
This practice also disinfects the lipstick tube. Suppose you had a fever blister or flu. You recover and you go back using the same gloss wand or lipstick tube. YUCK! Freeze your tired, melted or poor lipsticks need to recover from being left in a hot car too. This will firm them up and be easier to use as well as make them last longer.

Next, line up your powder blushes and eye shadow. Look for any oily buildup. They will look like little uneven road maps or small dark hard bumps. This is bacteria and an oily skin buildup. Sometimes this dilema does not allow your blush or shadow to smooth properly on your brush. Take a small h'orderve knife and gently scrape off the hard area. Throw the residue in garbage.

Now unto your makeup brushes (including ones inside the compacts or eye kits you get) line up your dirty brushes and one by clean them with a dime size amount of liquid soap swirling it in the palm of your hand. Rinse until all colored residue comes out. Gently squeeze with your fingers all the water out and pat dry with a paper towel. Avoid the handle or base of the brush you do not want the brush to get unglued! However, you can gently wipe down and disinfect the base with a paper towel and a dash of warm water.

Lastly, spray the brushes and a spray of rubbing alcohol. I like to keep it on hand with this mix. 50% rubbing alcohol and 50% distilled water in a spray bottle. I keep it at my vanity to do a quick disinfect of my brushes or tools. Rest on paper towel overnight with brush side hanging a bit of a counter top. Your brushes will dry faster with my professional recommendations and be fresh as a daisy for your use. Do this cleansing ritual once a week. Pretty please!

Wipe down with warm soap and water a dash of rubbing alcohol your tweezers, eyelash curler, nail clippers a and more!

Powder puffs, make up wedges, body sponges and loofahs all need the same love and attention. Makeup wands that have a sponge on a brush handle last longer but need to be cleaned like all the rest of your brushes.

GENTLEMEN: These tips are not just for girls there for you too! Once a month or every other week. Look over your tweezers, nail trimmers, nose clippers, hairbrushes and combs. They need the same attention to keeping it clean detail. So get going!

Get the BEAUTIFUL clean picture?

I truly hope you have. If you practice these recipes, you will have a flawless makeup application and a healthier you!