Inspiration from Beauty Vloggers #1: Rclbeauty101

Rclbeauty101 made DIY peel off lipstain using food coloring and school glue. Having fallen in love with the idea, I finally got around to doing it myself.

I created this with the intention of it being coral, but it turned out to be redder than I thought it would be. I call this shade Sinnamon Roll.

The stain does not transfer at all nor does it leave any sticky residue. This makes this DIY an excellent option for wind musicians that love lip colors. You can put lip balm over it, but you may not need to because it is not very drying unlike other lip products. (Generally, if it's not sticky, it's drying.) It comes off if you eat, but, otherwise, it creates a non-transferring, long-lasting stain.

Fluteiful Lifehacks 2

• Setting your lipstick with a powder prevents it from sticking to your instrument. 

• Hem too long? Just pin it up as needed with the latch side towards you. 

• Soak reeds in mouthwash to improve the taste.

• Coconut oil is instant lip moisture and a gentle makeup remover. 

• Powder your hands if you get sweaty hands. 

•  Take your instrument(s) and music in a tote bag. 

•  For my vocalists: Tea with honey. Enough said. 

•  Comfort grips work wonders for shoes that are too big. 

•  Technically not a lifehack, but make sure your shoes have adequate arch support! If not, you will suffer from random foot cramps. 

•  Since marching season is coming up, I thought I'd address how convenient a wearable water bottle can be. Chances are, you can use a carabiner clip or a rubber band to wear a normal water bottle. 

•  Flutists, shake your hands out during rests if your fingers lock. It releases them like a charm.

What Your Concert Makeup Says About You

Base Makeup

• A matte finish with little to no contouring suggests a desire to balance and blend with the ensemble without standing out. You know what you're doing and more confident than you make yourself out to be.
• Intense contouring suggests a competitive, fierce spirit and initiative. You are a strong musician and know it very well. You pride yourself in your strength and competence and likely need to feel like you need to have control over something in all facets of life.
• Moderate contouring indicates a desire to stand out and lead, but not come across as too domineering. You may not necessarily want to beat out every single person in your section, but it certainly would be nice.
• A dewy finish with little to no contouring suggests that you are a bit shy and want others to lead you. You are likely loyal to your section leader and prefer deferring to others for important musical decisions.
• A total lack of makeup suggests that you do not care how you come off to other people. You are individualistic and less likely to care about the ensemble as a whole more than what music means to you.

 Blush

• A neutral blush suggests that you are nonconfrontational and generally pleasant to be around. You are somewhat of a perfectionist as most musicians are.
• A red blush conveys warmth, vigor, and alacrity. Likely, you are temperamental and somewhat irascible, especially musically.  
• A pink blush suggests that you are cute and bashful. You are shy, somewhat perfectionistic, and secretly want to be noticed.

• A plum or mauve blush is a mark of individuality. For better or worse, you don't care what others think and enjoy.
• No blush on an otherwise made-up face indicates excessive seriousness and an analytical mind. Either that or you did not have time to put blush on.

Lipstick

• Deep red lipstick, as a classic color, indicates respect for tradition and at the same time initiative and expertise. You are classy and have naturally refined tastes, but you also like to have a little fun.
• Bright red lipstick indicates that you are fierce, confident, and love the spotlight. You want all eyes on you and you're not ashamed of it. An assertive, fun-loving person like you probably gravitates towards faster, louder music. 
• Fuchsia lipstick says "fun" and that is exactly what you are. You are demonstrative, trusting, and are not afraid to express yourself. You do not necessarily want to control or be controlled, but you're fine with either as long as you can smile and go with the flow.
• A pale pink is a cute, understated color and you are exactly that. You are conflict-averse, yet you are passionate about what you love. Even if it does not show on the surface, you are deeply principled and doggedly persistent.
• Nudes convey normality or a desire to be normal. You may not be the most confident or outgoing, but you have a strong work ethic.
• If you wear no lipstick, you are either a wind musician who has not yet found a trustworthy lip product or do not want to draw attention to yourself. You let other things about you speak for themselves.

Note:

I am not trying to copy JennaMarbles with this post. To be honest, I'm not much of a fan of her videos. Makeup personalities are fascinating to me and this is just my interpretation of things.

American or Asian-Style Makeup for Concerts?

Which do you prefer for concert settings?

Western Makeup

• In General
• Fierce, sexy aesthetic
• Emphasis on shaping the face
• Uses more brushes   
• Matte finish with sharp lines
• In a Concert Setting 
• Regarded as professional
• May be too conspicuous if overdone
• Conveys expertise and initiative
• Lip colors and wind instruments can be a problem.

Asian Makeup

• In General
• Cute, innocent aesthetic
• Emphasis on softness
• Uses more fingers and powders 
• Dewy finish with soft lines
• In a Concert Setting
• Doesn't stand out too much
• Might be too "cute" for some
• Conveys humility and approachability
• Lip glosses stick to wind instruments.

I hope this is a helpful guide so that you can decide what kind of makeup makes you feel the most fluteiful during concerts. 

What to Wear for a Blind Audition

1. You don't need to wear concert attire. The key words here is "blind". Your audience will not see you. However, it is recommended that you wear something at least a step up from jeans and a T shirt. At least show up fully clothed.
2. Wear something that gets you into performance mode. If you need the full concert getup in order to perform well, please wear just that.
3. Dress for your instrument. Don't wear anything that adds unnecessary complications to your playing. For example, a flutist should not wear something that is excessively restricting in the shoulder area due to the nature of the instrument.
4. Wear outerwear if it is cold. You can--and should--be comfortable for a blind audition.
5. Your outfit should make you feel confident. You need all the confidence you can during blind auditions.

And now, some selfies from my latest blind audition:

Outfit

Blouse: Forever 21

Jacket: Old Navy

Scarf: Target (Missoni Target collection)

Necklace: It was a gift, but here's a link to the closest thing.

Makeup

Foundation: Maybelline Dream Wonder (Shade: Natural Beige)

Eyeshadow and Contour: Maybelline Autumn Coppers palette 

Blush: Maybelline Bouncy Blush (Shade: Fresh Pink)

Mascara: Estee Lauder Sumptuous Bold Volume Lifting Mascara (Shade: Black)

Lip: Benetint 

How to Wear Jewelry for Concerts

First off, make sure you are allowed to do so in your ensemble(s). If so, here are guidelines for jewelry in a concert setting.

Make sure that it is not an impedance to your playing. I do not recommend wearing rings or bracelets as a flutist, but go ahead if you find that they are not problematic for you personally.

If you are a guest soloist, go for it with a statement piece like a large necklace. However, it is best to keep things elegant. Go for golds and silvers rather than colorful pieces if you are in concert clothes and, if you are wearing something special that is not traditionally concertable, wear something that coordinates with your outfit. Do not wear anything so heavy or restricting that it impedes your playing.

If you are an ensemble soloist, set yourself apart with a little more jewelry than you would normally wear at a concert. Pearl and metallic jewelry tend to go well with concert attire. As a rule, a long necklace should be thin with simple embellishments. Try not to be too ostentatious, but allow yourself to stand out a little if you want the audience to know who the soloist is.

If you are an ensemble member, either wear just earrings, a very plain necklace, or no jewelry at all. As a rule of thumb, do not try to stand out more than any soloists. If you wear a small piece that carries a great deal of personal significance, you can tuck it under your clothes so that only you know about it.

Why My Band Teacher Lets Us Unzip In the Stands

My band teacher lets us take off our coats and shakos in the stands during football games for health and safety reasons. Your director may not allow it or you may disagree with this policy. That is perfectly fine unless wearing unnecessary layers is posing a health hazard to the ensemble. We are allowed to not have our coats and shakos on both before and after we perform as a marching band.

As mentioned before, my band teacher is primarily concerned about our safety rather than our appearance. Wearing excess clothing in 90 degree (Fahrenheit system) weather leads, not only to discomfort and lowered morale, but to serious health issues. The symptoms of heat exhaustion are confusion, fatigue, headache, dark-colored urine, fainting, headache, muscle and abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, pale skin, profuse sweating, and rapid heartbeat. The symptoms of heatstroke are a core body temperature over 105 degrees, nausea, seizures, confusion, rapid, sometimes weak heartbeat, rapid, shallow breathing, disorientation, and sometimes loss of consciousness or coma. (But you don't let anyone get to that point, right? RIGHT?!)

Taking off the jackets detracts somewhat from our appearance. So does irritability from heat exhaustion. You might worry about dirt stains on the band uniforms. Well, would you rather have vomit stains? Sometimes, things just happen, but heat illness is VERY preventable if you are willing to make a few small sacrifices. If you notice that a band member is more irritable than usual, encourage them to unzip and get them a sports drink or Pedialyte (Water will worsen salt depletion.). Alert the director or a section leader of what is going on.

I am not a doctor. I am just a concerned student. Safety is the first step to a fluteiful performance.  If you are concerned about your band's performance in the stands on hot days, please PLEASE allow them to unzip. Try establishing a "temperature policy." For example, allow the band to take off their coats and shakos in the stands when the temperature is consistently 95˚F.  Allow them to take off their jacket if they are feeling the symptoms of heat exhaustion. Demanding a certain appearance is, to a degree, necessary for performance, but it should never come at the expense of students' health.