Lady Code’s Interview with Makeup by Raven

In her first interview with Lady Code, Raven Reed talked about her history with bullying, her organization Bullied Beautiful, and offered her advice for bullying victims. We’ve been keeping up with Raven and she’s been conquering the world since the last time we interviewed her. From competing in her second national beauty pageant to traveling the world to hanging out with the Kardashian’s go-to makeup artist, Raven is definitely staying busy. Raven’s always been ahead of the game when it comes to beauty and fashion, and people are starting to take notice! We were lucky enough to catch up with Raven and get the latest tips and tricks from the beauty industry!

Raven’s favorite…

YouTube Makeup Guru: Carli Bybel

Beauty Blogger: Amrezy

Makeup Artist: Samer Khouzami

Eyeshadow Brand: Anastasia Beverly Hills

Foundation: Currently Lusting on all things Armani

Mascara: L’oreal Voluminous Carbon Black

Highlighter: Mac Gold Deposit & Too Faced Candlelight

Brow Product: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz

Hair Product: I die without my Moroccan Oil

Liquid, gel, or eyeliner pencil? NYX Epic Black Mousse Gel Liner

Cream or Powder Contour? Anastasia Beverly Hills “Fair” Cream Contour

Blush or Bronzer? Benefit’s Hoola

Lipstick or Lip Stain? Color Pop Cosmetics “Addict” & their “BFF” Lip Pencil to perfect the look (I just ordered this! $5 it’s a STEAL!! -Lisa)

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

It’s been over a year since we featured you on Lady Code! What have you been up to lately?

What haven’t I been up to lately? It seem’s like life has thrown a little bit of everything my way lately. Work, travel, studies, pageantry, philanthropy, and so much more. The only thing that has been few and far to come by lately is quality time with family and friends. Although I’ve been sacrificing some time away from them, I’ve really had time to hone in on my career and up my game in the makeup and beauty industry this past year. I’ve done some really exciting things and I’ve got some really exciting things up and coming! So be sure to follow along on my journey to keep up with my latest makeup tips, fashion trends, and even promo codes from some of your favorite stores. Social media links located below.

What inspired you to get into the beauty industry?

Ever since I was a little girl I was always giving people makeovers, playing with my moms makeup, and playing dress up in my moms closet. It’s like it was in my blood.

Growing up, who was your beauty inspiration?

I have always been a bit of a lush when it comes to old school Hollywood Glam: Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, Brigitte Bardot, Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, and the list goes on and on. To me, they will always be the true icons of what real glamour is. Today’s stars are just like you and I. Most shop at the same stores we do, are an arms reach away, and have lost that sense of regality. During that era the stars just seemed so untouchable and royal in a sense. I’ve been awe inspired by them my whole life, and still to this day turn to them for inspiration.

styled by hrush makeup raven reed interview

You recently took a class with Styled By Hrush, one of the makeup artists for the Kardashians! What was the experience like?

She was surprisingly down to earth and funny. Being an artist of such high caliber, and a personal artist on the Kardashian camp none-the-less, I was expecting her to come in to do her presentation and then leave with little interest in us. It was quite the opposite. She wanted to get to know each student, talk to each of us one on one, oversee our technique to make sure we really got it, and then she took selfies with everyone (I mean who doesn’t love a good selfie lol). I was extremely nervous when it came to critique time with our models at the end, especially after hearing some of my neighbors critiques. I was stunned when I was told by the Makeup God herself that my work was on point!!

Did you learn any interesting tips/tricks you can share with Lady Code?

1] This is something I already stress but she only instilled it more: skin. Ladies you have to take care of your skin. You can have the most amazing makeup artist on the planet but even a makeup magician can’t fully erase all your problem area’s. This includes washing your face religiously at night. Every night you don’t wash your face because you were too tired or just fell asleep on the couch, you’ve aged your skin 7-11 days. Moisturize to keep elasticity and ampleness of your skin. Always use your eye creams and wrinkle creams to help prevent trouble areas and dark circles. Maintain acne with spot treatments throughout the day with clean and clear spot treatments and a salicylic acid facial wash. When possible stay away from harsh soaps and face washes though. It strips your face of healthy oils leaving it flakey, dry, and eventually the oil production of your skin will kick into overdrive to try to re-lubricate the face. Recommended Daily Face Wash: Caudalie – Instant Foaming Cleanser & Acne Face Wash: Obagi Clenziderm.

2] When applying your foundation always use downward strokes. Using upward strokes brings out pores and enlarges them which is a big no-no. Using the downward strokes helps to conceal those pores making them appear smaller and hopefully nonexistent.

3] When using your beauty blender make sure it’s not too wet! To ensure the perfect amount of dampness run it under water so it get’s nice and puffy like a marshmallow, gently squeeze out the excess water, and then roll it in a dry paper towel.

Which beauty product are you currently obsessing over?

Highlighters, highlighters, and more highlighters. I love to layer them and mix-n-match.

What is your go-to beauty look (smokey eye, red lip, etc)?

Bronzed or Neutral look. The simplicity is so chic and makes a bold statement without all the bold colors. Definitely look for these to be some of the leading looks this fall and winter.

What projects do you have going on at the moment?

One of my biggest projects to date is coming up in October. I will be headed to Toronto to get my Master Class Certification from makeup icon, Samer Khouzami himself.

What is one beauty product you can’t live without?

Hands down mascara. I was blessed with naturally long and thick lashes which is great, but when I don’t have mascara on they are so unruly that they literally poke my eyes.

We see you traveling all over the world! How do you stay so glam while you travel?

Traveling definitely takes a lot out of you. Sometimes I only have a few hours to get home, dump my suitcase, repack, and get back on the road. So to try to stay as glam and on trend as possible without having to really think about it, I just throw as many simple staples as possible in my bag. Right now neutral tones and just a ripped jean and classic tank/tee is so hot when accessorized right. Add the right makeup and hair, and what could have been considered a bland outfit just got kicked up a notch. I also don’t travel light. My beauty essentials for my facial/hair/makeup regimes take up almost as much room as my clothes!

What is the best makeup advice you ever received:

As soon as you think you’re done learning or that you’re the best in this industry…. you just failed at your job and proved the opposite.

Winter right around the corner means dry skin and dry hair! What can we do to keep our hair and skin healthy and hydrated during the dry and cold season?

I’ve always been a big fan of vitamins to help enhance your optimal hair/skin/nail potential. On top of that I like to deep condition at least once a month to help mend split ends and bring life back to lifeless hair. Also I add moroccan oil to really smooth and soften things up. To keep skin hydrated I swear by goats milk and Palmer’s Cocoa Butter. Be sure not to skip your hands, feet, and neck when moisturizing your body with lotion too! Far too often people just moisturize their face, legs, stomach, and arms and forget about some of the body parts the age the soonest and most prominently.

Any new makeup trends/colors we should be looking out for?

Olive, Nudes, Beiges, Tans, Wines, and Blacks are all going to be popular in this years fall and winter fashion. So definitely look for those colors to correlate over into the makeup industry for the upcoming seasons. Strobing, Contouring, and Tontouring have all been in for a decent amount of time now, and I think they will remain an extremely prominent aspect for the upcoming seasons as well.