Billy B. dips into his electronic mailbag to answer your questions.	August 1, 2004 American Salon
	I love to receive your letters and e-mails, which continue to inspire me. I do my best to answer them all, so this month I wanted to go public with some of your most frequently asked questions. Thanks, and keep 'em comin'! Q: I'm an 18-year-old cosmetologist based in San Jose, CA, and I've been reading your articles since beauty school. One day I'm going to go to Europe to do the couture fashion shows. For me it's not a matter of if I go, but when. I love both hair and makeup, and want to try to do both. Is that possible in the big leagues? Alex, via e-mail A: Back when I first started in the biz, there was a market for people who did both hair and makeup. However, this combination was always more for advertising and catalog jobs. In the higher end of fashion and celebrity work, and especially fashion shows, timewise and with the sheer volume of models, it's logistically not possible to do both effectively; you'll see that when you experience your first fashion show. My friend Johnny Lavoy is an example of one of the few exceptional , rare artists who has achieved incredible success by doing both equally well, yet he too typically gets booked for one or the other. A designer wants the best hairstylist and the best makeup artist to create his signature look. So if you want to reach the very top in the high-end fashion industry, then my advice is to choose the one you are most passionate about and focus on that. Q: Do you have any basic advice on doing makeup for a photo shoot I'm working on? The photographer is interested in something pretty and girly. Casey, via e-mail A: For a beauty photo shoot, your goal should be to make the model the best version of herself. To do this, think of leaving your makeup "tricks" behind: no contouring or heavy lipliner, for instance. Remember, in a tight beauty shot, the camera sees everything. And as advanced as it is, I don't believe in relying on digital retouching. Work on perfecting the skin with as little product as possible. The blush should be a soft, natural color, using pinks or peaches. Leave the mouth completely bare, or use clear gloss or lightly tinted gloss. Groom the brows and take your time curling the lashes. If the model's eyebrows are a good shape, I prefer nothing in the brow. Stay away from liquid liner; it's too hard for this look. I like a dark brown or black pencil smudged into the lash line with no hard line. Q: I work with clients in a wide age range. I have trouble working on my more mature clients, who many times have a very soft eyelid area that can be crepey and deeply wrinkled. I'm never sure exactly what to do with the lid color for them. The end result often looks smudged, without any definition. Any information you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Phil, via e-mail A: There are no definite rules with "aging eyes." Generally speaking, my advice is to not use frosted shades, as they emphasize the crepiness, and instead use one neutral matte shade. A foolproof method is to stay away from shadows altogether and emphasize the lash line. Curl the lashes with a good curler; I like Kevyn Aucoin's. Apply a sharpened kohl pencil directly into the root of the lash line to darken and thicken. (If the lid is droopy, minimize the eyeliner; it often ends up on the lid.) Then apply multiple coats of mascara in a waterproof or water-resistant formula.