How-to: Blushing & Highlighting

On January 29, 2012, in Celebrity Makeup News, by Sarah
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Celebrity Makeup News and Blogs:

By Victoria, Theatre Makeup Artist

Victoria is a 19-year old college sophomore who attends school in Massachusetts for Engineering, but she’s an avid Theater Makeup Artist and has worked on a variety of shows, from dance shows (think intense, flamboyant glitter) to periodic musicals. She aims to combine her “nerdy” passions with her artistic ones: to overanalyze the mathematics of reshaping the face, learn the science of why a product works better or worse. She’s a romantic dreamer who enjoys re-imagining herself in a soap opera, pretending one day a prince is going to come riding in on a dragon and take her away. Until then, she’s planning to use her makeup brushes and colors to force her friends to be the stars of her imaginary fairy tale.


How-to: Blushing & Highlighting

As a follow-up to my post on contouring, I wanted to discuss how to finish up your look with blush and highlighter. Blush and highlighter really bring life to the face, giving you that sought-after glow. Highlighter has a secondary benefit of really bringing contrast to the shadows, which brings out more of that lovely bone structure.

When do you need blush, highlight, and contour? For me, the answer to blush is always, but what about contour and highlight? If you’re of a darker skintone, like NC/W 45+, skip the contour and stick only with highlight. Contour colours unfortunately rarely run too dark, and you risk the color looking muddy on the face. On the other hand, if you’re lighter skinned, like NC15 and up, be very careful with balance. A dramatic contour and highlight can really sculpt out your features but beware of the risk of looking skeletal.

What You Need

A good directional brush, with a smaller head, or a head the size of the apple of your cheek. The same brush for contouring works perfectly here, so options like the MAC 165, MAC 109, or e.l.f. Blush Brush work perfectly. As for a brush with the head the size of your apple of your cheek, options like the MAC 119 (for smaller apples) or 120 (for rounder apples) are great.

Your favorite highlighter. For more of a glowy effect, choose shimmery highlighters, like Dior’s Amber Diamond, Elf Studio Shimmer Palette, or MAC Cream Colour Base in Pearl/Hush. These will give you beautiful glowy finish and really bring your face to life. For a more of dramatic effect, to contrast with the contour, stick with a matte flesh-toned shade that is a step or two lighter than your natural skintone. For this, I turn to powder foundations, or back to my trusty MAC Shape powders, which contain a hint of shimmer (but not too much!). You can definitely layer a shimmer powder over a matte lighter powder, but for natural looks I would avoid this, as it tends to read a bit ashy.

What shades should you choose for highlighter? For a natural highlight, its important to match your undertone with the product. Warmer beauties will find products with a golden or yellow undertone to be really flattering, like Dior Amber Diamond, NARS Albatross, or MAC CCB in Hush. Cooler beauties will find pinker or even lavender toned highlights work great. Look for products like Dior Rose Diamond, NARS Miss Liberty, or MAC CCB in Pearl.

Your favorite blusher. If you’re going with a shimmery highlighter, avoid a blush with too much pearl or frost unless you want to compete with a Twilight vampire for attention!

If we refer back to my original diagram for contouring, it makes finding blusher and highlighter placement is easy!  I like to highlight after contouring; generally, highlighting anywhere where you didn’t contour will help deepen the shadows.

Make a line parallel to the contour line on the top of your cheekbone, and along that line is where the highlight should go. Placing the highlight closer towards your ears will widen your face. Highlighting closer to the apple of the cheek will cause the apples to appear rounder. Whatever you choose, the length of your highlight line should not exceed the length of your contour line; stop highlighting wherever your contour stops.  Then, highlight under the browbone to make the browbone pop, and extend out that highlight to join with your cheekbone highlight. This will help deepen and define the socket, as well as define your cheekbones.

Applying blush last will help to gently blend everything together, but don’t overdo it or else your lines will become muddy and unclear! Blush placement helps reinforce highlighter placement, so apply your blush along a parallel line in between the contour and highlight lines. Don’t smile and apply blush! On many face shapes, this will actually cause the blush placement to be too low. Instead, get some extra lift by applying blush higher along that line. However, if you have a wider face, or you want to soften the cheekbones, apply blush lower along the line, as it will give you an instantly slimmer face.


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Life-Changing Beauty Products from France

On January 25, 2012, in Celebrity Makeup News, by Sarah
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Celebrity Makeup News and Blogs:

By Lulle, France, Local Contributor

Lulle was born in France, and she says she came to life so hungry that she was trying to swallow her entire first–and the fondness for food never went away! She wasn’t obsessed with makeup as a teenager or young adult. At 25, she moved to Instanbul, Turkey, where she lived for five years, and this is where the beauty addiction started. When she wandered through duty-free shops while traveling, she discovered a whole new, glamorous world.

Lulle is easy-going, loving, and spontaneous; she loves to enjoy every moment of life. Check out her blog, Beau Miroir!


Life-Changing Beauty Products from France

A few products that changed my life, and the best tip I ever got from my Grandma!

Cicabiafine Crème Hydratante Corporelle Anti-irritations (about €15) doesn’t have sexy packaging or an appealing scent, but believe me, it’s worth a thousand tequila-marshmallow-flavored moisturizers. If your skin is desperately dry in the winter, to the point where it becomes itchy and uncomfortable, this body cream will save your life like it saved mine. It works like magic to relieve extreme dryness and irritation without being too heavy or greasy.  It is unscented, paraben- and coloring-free. Without this Holy Grail, I would have lost my sanity last winter, when the skin on my legs felt like the Siberian desert.

One of the very first pieces of advice I was given at my beauty salon was “Sop using a scrub on your face–it is too harsh–use a gentle granule-free exfoliator instead!”  I wasn’t really convinced, but I bought a tube of Institut Esthederm Osmoclean Crème Douce Désincrustante (around €30) to try it out. I’m glad I trusted my beautician! This gentle purifying cream absorbs impurities and all you have to do is massage it on your face until it thickens and then rinse it. It leaves my skin feeling soft, perfectly clean and refreshed. Since I started using this exfoliator instead of mechanical scrubs, I have noticed that my face looks healthier, clearer, and less oily on the T-zone.  Obviously, aggressive treatments were just harming my skin, which led it to produce more sebum as an attempt to protect itself. This exfoliating cream has been the biggest revelation in my skincare routine since I discovered soap-free cleansers!

Caron is not only one of the greatest Parisian parfumeurs–the brand is also a master in the art of face powder. Their loose powder La Poudre Libre Caron (€44) was formulated in the 1930s, yet it is still the best face powder on the market! The metal box looks luxurious and can easily be manipulated and transported (no mess in your weekend suitcase) thanks to the screw top hidden inside. The powder itself is lightweight, very finely milled, and has a rose scent. What makes it so amazing for me is that it delivers excellent coverage but still looks very natural on my skin. I love the slightly powdery finish that keeps my face looking matte and polished all day long! I wore this powder on my wedding day, and I had a lot of compliments about my flawless, radiant skin. I don’t think I will ever be able to use another loose powder without being disappointed!

When I was a teenager, my grandmother gave me a tip–very simple but extremely efficient and gentle–to exfoliate lips. You want to get rid of dead dry skin and have perfectly soft and smooth lips before you apply your favorite lipstick. All you need is a cotton pad and warm water! Soak your cotton pad in the water for a moment, press it between your fingers to remove excess water, place it between your lips and “bite” for about a minute. The warm wet cotton will soften the dry skin. Then, rub it gently on your lips to remove the dead skin and immediately apply a moisturizing balm. Voila!


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Sarah’s Makeup Artist Must-Haves

On December 25, 2011, in Celebrity Makeup News, by Sarah
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Celebrity Makeup News and Blogs:

By Sarah, Makeup Artist

Sarah Cormier is a self-taught makeup artist in Cincinnati, OH. She mostly does wedding makeup but also has experience working on various photo shoots, fashion shows, and films. In addition, she is a freelance artist for her favorite line, MAC!

When she isn’t busy with makeup, she teaches Spinning classes at her local gym, and also attends Body Pump, Pole Fitness, and Cardio Kickboxing classes. Her other hobby is shopping, favorite stores are Nordstrom, the MAC store, Lucky Brand, and White House Black Market. Sarah is happily married to her wonderful husband of two years, Nate. Check out her blog, Sarah C. Makeup and sarahcormier.com.


Photo by Parker Michael Knight

Sarah’s Makeup Artist Must-Haves

But first, many of you are probably wondering, ‘who is this girl?’, so let’s get acquainted shall we? Here is a little bit about me, summed up by the top 5 beauty products and tricks that I simply can’t live without:

Because I am a perfectionist and huge fan of long wearing products, MAC Paint Pots ($16.50) are a staple in both my kit and personal stash. There are lots of excellent lid primers on the market but paint pots are my preference because they can be used as either as a primer or as eye shadows. They keep products looking perfect from morning until the wee hours of the night. They can also offer a natural look that can be played up with a little contouring and/or dramatic liner. As most of us know, paint pots come in various finishes, but I prefer the crème variety (Soft Ochre, Painterly, Quite Natural, and Groundwork from MAC’s permanent line are examples) because they are the most versatile.

Because I like to save money, I love Pampers Sensitive Baby Wipes ($17.69) for removing makeup at the gym and before I cleanse my face at night. I also keep a pack in my kit for use on clients. You read that right friends! I first learned this years ago from a makeup artist friend and have since read several articles that advocate alcohol-free baby wipes to remove makeup. I like Pampers Sensitive because they are soothing, alcohol-free, and unscented.  Makeup remover wipes range in price between $5 to $25 depending on brand and quantity. Pampers Sensitive are basically the same thing but cost between $2 and $7, and you can often get coupons in the Sunday paper!

Because I adore saving time, money, and space in both my kit and personal stash, Buxom Waterproof Smoky Eye Sticks ($18.00) are my newest obsession. $18 at Sephora gets you this long lasting crayon of joy. Available in an array of versatile and relevant shades, they can be used as an eyeliner, eyeshadow, or blended out to create a smoky eye. Aside from being a true triple threat, what I dig most is how easy they are to apply and blend, before setting to a truly waterproof finish that will not budge. They are especially handy on jobs, where time is usually very much of the essence. All I have to do is grab one of my trusty Buxom Eye Sticks to create a runway ready look in under five minutes.

Because my eyes are my favorite feature to play up, lining the upper water line will forever remain in my back pocket as the best way to make lashes look longer and eyes more vibrant. If you haven’t tried this little trick yet, you must! Just first make sure to use a waterproof liner that is approved by for the waterline by the manufacturer; Aforementioned Buxom Waterproof Smoky Eye Sticks work great!

Because I believe that a flawless face is the most important makeup element, I cannot live without the MAC 187 Brush ($48.00). Commonly referred called the “the skunk brush,” it consists of a perfectly balanced blend of natural and synthetic fibers. Together, these two elements create maximum and even product distribution, which I particularly like because it minimizes waste and extends the life of my foundation. When used with circular and sweeping movements, this brush effortlessly creates a flawless and even finish. I often cannot tell the difference between foundations applied with a 187 and an airbrush, because it is just that good. An added bonus of this brush is that it can be used for any type of face product, blush included, in just about any formula including powders, crèmes, or liquids. If you like the idea of the 187 but find it to be a little too much, try its smaller counterpart, the 188.

What about you, what are your top five (or more!) must haves?


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How-to: Contouring

On December 3, 2011, in Celebrity Makeup News, by Sarah
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Celebrity Makeup News and Blogs:

By Victoria, Theatre Makeup Artist

Victoria is a 19-year old college sophomore who attends school in Massachusetts for Engineering, but she’s an avid Theater Makeup Artist and has worked on a variety of shows, from dance shows (think intense, flamboyant glitter) to periodic musicals. She aims to combine her “nerdy” passions with her artistic ones: to overanalyze the mathematics of reshaping the face, learn the science of why a product works better or worse. She’s a romantic dreamer who enjoys re-imagining herself in a soap opera, pretending one day a prince is going to come riding in on a dragon and take her away. Until then, she’s planning to use her makeup brushes and colors to force her friends to be the stars of her imaginary fairy tale.


How-to: Contouring

I remember the first time I looked at my pictures from a dance performance:  my face was completely bleached out, and I was so embarrassed I didn’t want to show them to anyone! At the next show, an older girl with beautiful orange stripes down the sides of her face came over and lovingly gave me some help. After a friend asked me if that performance was “Lion King” themed, I knew I needed a change. Since then, I’ve joined the battle against the monster we theatre makeup artists have to fight: giving life and dimension to a face that is flattened by unforgiving lights.

My weapon of choice is contouring. Highlighting and contouring is the art of changing the face. For theatre, we may contour for two reasons: one, because theatre lights bleach out all the shadows and dimension of the face, or two, to make the face look like a different ethnicity entirely. Today, I’m going to concentrate on the former: on giving yourself beautiful cheekbones.

One thing that I really want to highlight (ha!) in this post is that having beautiful cheekbones is not just about the cheekbones! It’s about how things look in relation to each other; how far the cheekbones are positioned from the eyes or the shape of your jawline. A relatively wider set jaw can mask any high cheekbones. Just shade along the jawline to soften and recess it a bit, and your cheekbones will pop out naturally.

Cheekbones generally start a finger or two widths away from the edge of the eye; if yours don’t, you might want to consider shading under the outside corner of the eye to push the cheekbone down further. Some cheekbones are naturally quite prominent and maybe your goal is to diminish them a bit! Avoid highlighter and place your blush further down. Before you start, analyze your own facial structure and compare it to the look you’re trying to achieve.

Find out what you’ll need and how to contour!

Tools Needed

A good blending, directional brush with a smaller head. My favourite brushes for contouring include the MAC 165 (discontinued), MAC 109 ($34.00), ELF Blush Brush ($3.00), Real Techniques Pointed Foundation Brush ($7.99), and Sonia Kashuk Pointed Foundation Brush ($12.39). All of these have two important features: the head is small, so I can really place colour where I want it; the bristles are soft and pliable while still being dense, which makes blending out colour a dream. Important note! If you’re using the MAC 109, use only the edge to place colour, and then the whole brush head to blend.

A matte, contour shade (definitely avoid shimmer!). It’s really important to mimic the face in shadow. For daytime and under softer lighting, matte bronzers can be a viable option – a couple of my favourites include the Hourglass Sunset Illume Crème-to-Powder Bronzer Duo ($40.00) and the ELF Contouring Blush and Bronzing Palette ($3.00).  Use these with caution; bronzers tend to contain redness and shimmer in them which give a beautiful tan but don’t look like natural shadows. For heavier duty contouring, look for a taupe shade, a grey-casted brown, or use a foundation three shades darker than your natural skin tone. These will mimic natural darkness by creating shadows on the face. My favourite contouring shades are the MAC Sculpting powders ($16.00 each).  There’s a wide variety of excellent quality powders for different skin tones. Unfortunately, they are PRO-only, but everyone can shop at a PRO store or place a phone order at any PRO store.

How-to

I personally never use the fishy face to contour under the cheekbone – every time I do that, my contour ends up too low! Instead, measure a straight line from the top of your ear to the outside corner of your lip. That’s the general path your contour should follow. Use your fingers to feel the bottom edge of your cheekbone and find the lowest point of the cheekbone. The contour should generally fade into nothingness by here. Imagine drawing a long triangle, with the hypotenuse being that contour line and the short edge being very thin, not more than a centimeter and along the side of your face. You can move this imaginary triangle up and down on the face to adjust whatever features you’d like to adjust. That’s where the majority of colour should be concentrated and not err too far from.

  • A simple variation to make the cheeks appear rounder and younger is to take the contour and curl it around the bottom edge in a u.
  • For a chiseled, defined look, take the contour and run it vertically downwards to the chin. This works great on men, or for gaunter looks!

To finish off this cheekbone contour, work on the temple as well. You can usually feel where the temple is; that’s usually where most of my headaches seem to be concentrated at! Draw another pair of imaginary lines from the corners of the eyes to the corners of the nose (outer to outer, inner to inner). The temple contour colour stays within these lines.

  • For extra definition and to really enhance and deepen your eyes, follow the bottom line with a small brush to place some of that colour underneath the outside edge of the eye. This will even help minimize puffy under eye circles. This outer line is also a great guideline to follow to make a cat eyed shape liner or outer-v colour.

PS: A fun fact – did you know a 2009 Princeton study said that high cheekbones look more trustworthy?





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How To: Get the 2011 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show Makeup Look

On November 30, 2011, in Celebrity Makeup News, by Sarah
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Celebrity Makeup News and Blogs:

Love the natural, feminine and glowing look spotted at the Victoria’s Secret 2011 Fashion Show? Learn how you can recreate it with Victoria’s Secret very own beauty line! Face & Cheeks Prep skin with VS PRO Airbrush FX Face Primer SPF 20. This creates a supple canvas for makeup to glide on. Using a foundation [...]

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