You don't need to be a professional makeup artist to look glam...you just need to know their secrets! So here is a quick compilation of tips that you can try in the comfort of your own home from artists Gregory Arlt, who is the director of makeup artistry for M.A.C Cosmetics and James Boehmer the international lead makeup artist for Nars. Also Soul Lee, national makeup artist for Shu Uemura, Rachel Goodwin, makeup artist for Chanel, celebrity makeup artist Tina Turnbow and Molly Stern, celebrity makeup artist for Covergirl. Let's begin:
1)
Sculpt Cheekbones: Pick a matte contour color or matte bronzer that is one to two shades darker than your natural skin tone. Stern says to blend it from the top of the ear to underneath the apple of the cheek.
Then add a pop of rosy cheek color and a bit of highlighter along the tops of cheek bones. "The contrast will make cheeks look more three-dimensional," says Boehmer
2)
Make Eyes Look Wide Awake: Go for light colored eyeshadow with a frost or a satin finish, says Arlt. Pale shades open up eyes while shimmer reflects light, making them appear brighter, like Kim Kardashian. (See left)
Using a nude (not white) on the lower rims of eyes will also create the illusion of larger eyes.
**I'd like to add that you should try and find a color that is one to two shades lighter then your own skin tone. It won't look as harsh. Try elf eyeshadow in Butternut (middle left). It's a budget friendly way to test the look. (eyeslipsface.com)**
3)
Perfect Your Brows: Brush brows with a spooly brush (looks like a mascara wand), then fill in sparse area with a brow pencil using light, short strokes says Lee.
Finish by brushing brows once more to bland color and give a softer appearance.
**I'd like to add that you can go to your local drug store or chemist and buy clear eyebrow templates to help as a guide to shaping your brows on a budget.**
4)
Create Luscious Lips: Make your mouth seem fuller by shading in the outer two-thirds with a pencil that's slightly darker then your lips and leave the center bare. Finish with a shimmery neural gloss, concentrating on the middle of lips for extra dimension.
**Extra tip: Pucker your lips and draw a line with lip liner from right out side the upper points of your lips down. Once you release you will easily see where the other two-thirds is. If on a budget try Rimmel London lip liner in Tiramisu.**
5)
Make Your Skin Glow: Moisturize, then apply a mixture of creamy luminizer and foundation or tinted moisturizer to get all-over radiance, says Turnbow. Add luminizer to the tops of cheekbones, brow bones and cupid bows of lips like Kate Bosworth. (see left)
**If you are naturally oily I would skip this step and add a nice highlighter in the same areas suggested. It will stop you from looking to shiny too quickly. A nice foundation to try is Neutrogena Healthy Skin. I use Smashbox Softlight (bottom left) powder to give a pretty glow. (smashbox.com)**
6)
Under Eye Brightening: Choose a concealer that is no more than one shade lighter then your skin, says Goodwin. If you need a color that corrects, peach helps with dark circles, and green counteracts redness.
And if all else fails go to a few makeup counters and ask what types of products they suggest you need. Test a few in different lighting before making a decision.
Happy Fashions,
Elisa L'Amour
xoxo
