Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Facial Beauty: Willow Glen resident Kathy Obot, owner of Kase in Campbell, uses an airbrush to apply a smooth foundation to San Jose resident Brenda Soni. Obot opened Kase last March and also sells her personal line of cosmetics.
An Innovative Beauty
Cosmetic shop offers unique technique, original cosmetics
By Amy Jenkins
Even though it's only 360 miles south of Campbell, Los Angeles often feels like a world away. Whereas Silicon Valley is best known for high technology, L.A. is often associated with celebrity and high fashion.
At Willow Glen resident Kathy Obot's Kase beauty shop, 381 E. Campbell Ave., makeup artists work hard to bring the two cities a little closer together. The shop is the only place in the area that specializes in a technique that is unheard of here but a staple in L.A., called airbrush cosmetics.
"This is something that is very popular in L.A. for television and radio but not here," says Obot, who studied cosmetology in L.A. and has lived in Willow Glen for 13 years. "It is funny that no one does it up here and people who come to me really like it, especially for weddings and special occasions."
The first step in airbrush cosmetics is removing any existing makeup, Obot says. Then she fills the airbrush with a mixture of foundations to match the color of the skin, turns on the air pump and sprays the face with a fine mist from about four inches away. She says the further away she sprays, the lighter the application, while a closer spray will erase redness, blemishes and fine facial lines.
"What I love about airbrushing versus regular application is it takes seconds to apply, dries in seconds and is flawless," says Obot, who used the technique on stars of the television shows Baywatch and Living Single. "It is so stunning. If it was up to me, I'd use it all the time, but the problem is people can't take it home and spray themselves because they have to close their eyes."
Obot says she's had lots of male clients in her salon since it opened last March. Men often get airbrush cosmetics to look tan, cover up blemishes and smooth the overall look of their face, Obot says.
Aside from the face, both men and women take advantage of the airbrush to apply temporary tattoos, Obot says. Obot is training several of her eight staff members to use the airbrush, and it will take some time before they become skilled because it is hard to get it right, she says. She also uses stencils, the airbrush and colored makeup to apply the tattoos and eyebrows.
Some of the staff at Kase--which stands for Kathy and Steve Enterprises, though Kathy took over the company--also do permanent makeup. To make sure the process is safe and goes smoothly, Brenda Soni is on hand. Soni works at Kase as a makeup artist and has also been a registered nurse for 20 years. When she is not working at Kase, she works at a wellness clinic, she says.
Soni says Obot teaches teenagers how to take care of their skin, how to apply makeup, and teaches all ages how to find the right color makeup to match their skin tone.
"Kathy is so good and patient when people are learning about makeup," Soni says. "Not everyone can wear every color in here and have it look good."
Obot has not only run her own cosmetic business for 10 years, she also develops her own products. The makeup Obot creates includes foundation, blush, powder, eye shadow, eye liner, mascara and lipstick in a wide variety of colors.
Obot says a lab sends her pigments. She custom-blends them and sends them back loose to the lab, where the makeup is then pressed. Another thing that sets Kase products apart from others is that they are all mineral-based. Soni says this means the products are made with minerals of the earth so they have a higher level of pigment. She says the advantage to this is that the makeup stays on longer and is moisturizing. It is good for those with allergies, and a little goes a very long way.
"Kathy stays up on the latest fashion," Soni says. "She chooses very original colors that I have not seen other places, even with Chanelle or Bobbi Brown cosmetics."
For more information about Kase, call 408.370.0905 or visit www.kasecosmetics.com.
Willow Glen, California Since 1992
