Expert Tips For Preventing Makeup Meltdown

They say in the Philippines, there are only two seasons- hot and very hot. Being in a tropical country poses an extra challenge to makeup artists especially during the summer when the city we live in suddenly turns into one giant oven.

Last summer,  I had a couple of makeup gigs in which I was  confronted with the problem of making the makeup stay longer, particularly at the beach setting. I usually have that  issue covered with high quality cosmetics and right application techniques but the heat and humidity were just too much that it demanded extra measures on my end as a makeup artist.

I tapped the help of some of the best makeup artists and beauty experts in the country to shed more light into this perennial  problem of makeup meltdown in a humid country like ours. They offered tips which I believe will be valuable for us whether we do makeup on ourselves or as a professional.

Ara Mina, an actress/entrepreneur who recently ventured into beauty products has these secrets to spill: “It would be advisable to use lighter makeup like a tinted moisturizer when it’s hot and to put primer before applying foundation.”

Bianca Valerio, the sassy host of Lifestyle Network’s F.A.S.H. has her share of  tips from her years as a model and makeup artist: ” Oil film for me is best! Avoid heavy foundation in cake form which could look unnatural, not to mention a torture to your skin as it won’t allow it to breathe. Use BB cream instead with an oil free formulation, which has concealing properties, and SPF, more importantly.”

Xeng Zulueta, the former chief makeup artist of Shu Uemura, was quick to name a single product that she believes to be effective  in addressing our makeup conundrum: ” Shu Uemura BB cream mousse!”

Steven Doloso, a top celebrity makeup artist whose works on Lea Salonga remain my favorite pegs, (and whose humility amazes me!) was busy at a makeup gig for a TV ad with John Lloyd Cruz when I asked  his expert opinion. According to Steven: “There’s a product called final seal (e.g. Ben Nye Final Seal or Kryolan Setting Spray) but it’s not recommended for everyday use as it can clog pores. I normally use that during outdoor shoot or under the sun so the make up won’t melt.”

Finally, I enlisted the help of the madgician herself, Madge Landrito (formerly known as Madge Lejano) whose vast experience in the wedding industry and uncanny ability to turn plain janes into divas earned her the moniker, “the madgician.” Her schedule barely affords her to do things other than makeup, so you can imagine my excitement when she handed me these extensive valuable pointers to share with you:

FOR YOUR BASE. YOU CAN CHOOSE EITHER OF THE FF:
1. Protect your skin first from UV rays by using SPF skin care products. Apply sunscreen before putting foundation or powder, whichever you use, depending on your skin type. Oil free foundation is much preferred. Then blend.

2. Prime Your Face. Not only will it let your makeup last but it will minimize your lines and creases. It also diminishes the need for powder.

LESS IS MORE!
The truth: applying more makeup doesn’t mean it will last longer. Apply it better, not more!
Loading up on powder can make you look cakey as the heat blazes. Greasy makeup like very heavy and creamy foundation don’t last well in hot conditions. A sheer/liquid foundation will be the best option.

GO FOR WATERPROOF
For blush, Use cheek stain on your cheeks,
Lip stain or lip tint for your lip.
Add drama by using waterproof Mascara!

BLOT AWAY
A lot of people make the mistake of toning down shine with powder. If you’re hot, sweaty and shiny, you don’t want to add powder onto oil and perspiration or you’ll end up a floury, chalky mess (like an espasol). Instead, blot the affected area by using tissue, blotting papers or oil film. This will absorb the oil without messing up the makeup.

Don’t you find it awesome how the madgician unselfishly shares her wisdom with us? If you can’t get enough of her tips, I’d highly recommend that you attend her ” Mark the Spot” seminar on August 15, 16,and 17 at the St. Francis Shangrila place function room 3, from 10am to 3pm. For more details, please email themakeupstudio@gmail.com or contact Grace Ranjo at 09178949480.

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Makeup For Photography

Most of us already have a good idea of how to apply makeup for everyday occasions, but model shoots and portraits are a slightly different affair. The camera flash washes us out more easily and in most cases glitter is out of the question. Of course, the way we apply makeup changes depending on the style and location of the photo shoot, but there are general rules of thumb and you’ll find them right here.

Preparations
• Be near a window or an open door so you have natural light by which to apply your makeup. Avoid dark bathrooms or ones with soul-sucking incandescent lights that will make your skin tone appear different from its actual color. You don’t want to end up using the wrong shade of foundation or blush.
• Prep your skin. In the words of Henry David Thoreau, “What good is a house without a tolerable planet to put it on?” Likewise, what good is the best foundation on the market if your skin is flaky, oily, or scaly to begin with? Wash, exfoliate, tone, and lightly moisturize before applying any makeup. Know your skin type and use appropriate products.
• Didn’t get enough sleep? Preparation H may be embarrassing to buy, but it will ease puffy eyes.
• Got an inflamed blemish? For a quick fix, try icing it for a few minutes.
• Gently pull your hair back into a bun and clip back flyaways. Style after washing your face or applying makeup.

Laying Down the Foundation
• If you have large pores, you may want to begin with a primer. Try Bare Escentuals primer or the oil control version.
• For the concealer, go two shades lighter than your skin tone to cover blemishes, under-eye circles, and dark spots. Use a green tint to cover red spots and yellow to cover purple spots.
• You’ll generally use more makeup for a photo shoot than you will for going out to lunch. Choose a thicker foundation rather than sheer ones to cover blemishes. Blend it all the way down to your neck so it doesn’t look like you’re wearing a mask.
• Apply translucent powder for a matte finish and continue to reapply between shots.

Cheeks, Eyes, Lips
• Try this trick: apply blush to the apples of your cheeks and contour your cheek bones with a little bronzer. Make sure to add some bronzer to the top of your forehead near the hairline, the bridge of your nose, and a little on your chin.
• Highlight your brow bones with light shadow.
• Avoid shimmery, glittery, or frosty shadow, which may distract from the rest of your face in a photo.
• Depending on the nature of the shoot, you’ll go for precisely applied liner or a smoky look. Either way, be sure to begin lining at the outer corner of your eye and go inward three-fourths of the way. Avoid lining the inner corner (unless you’re going for an edgier high fashion look).
• Apply light shadow on the inner corners of your eyes and go darker on the gradient on the latter three-fourths of your eyelids.
• Use waterproof mascara. Run a clean brush through your lashes between applications to avoid clumping.
• Eye makeup usually has to go on thicker and darker than everyday applications. The flash of the camera can wash you out, otherwise.
• Line your lips with the same color of your lip stick. Don’t fall for the ‘90s dark liner, light lips look.
• Avoid too much gloss, since it can be as distracting as glitter in your eyes. Really focus on your lip color—eyes and lips are generally the focus of most photo shoots.
Lastly, remember to take your makeup with you to the shoot. You never know when, during an outdoor shoot, rain will strike or the wind will blow your hair into your lips and drag gunk across your face. Although these scenarios aren’t happy ones, at least you’ll be prepared for last minute fixes.

MUA In Scrubs’ note: the above article  is a guest post from Heather Green. Born and raised in North Carolina, Heather Green has worked as a fashion and beauty consultant as well as freelancing for various wedding, fashion, and health publications. She currently acts as the resident blogger for Online Nursing Degrees where she’s been researching complementary health nursing programs as well as the issue with nursing career outlook data.

If you’re interested to be a guest author in this blog, please send me a message through the contact form. Thanks!

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Eyes To Go: 2-Color Designs

Make-up artists can use up to 10 shades of eyeshadows to come up with a unique and pretty look for a celebrity or a bride, until their artistic thirst is quenched. On a daily basis, however, you don’t need that much color for an eye makeup for personal use. In fact, you can do away with only two eye shadow colors for a quick makeup fix which you can wear for work or even on special occasions.

The 2 eyeshadow application is the easiest way to learn for newbies, and the fastest to apply for ladies who are always on the go. What you need is one darker matte shade and another color that is shimmery and lighter.

Product suggestions

When I visited the Bobbi Brown counter in Rustan’s Makati a few weeks ago, I found two pretty colors that could make a good combination for 2 eyeshadow designs. These shades are said to be among their best sellers:

Bobbi Brown‘s Camel- a soft matte caramel shade, and Bone- an off-white shimmery highlighter.

Please refer to this diagram below to understand where to place the colors:

Design A:

• brush the lids with the darker color (e.g. Bobbi Brown’s Camel), blending upwards until the crease area
• just underneath the brows, apply the highlighter (e.g. Bobbi Brown’s Bone), blend so it meets the darker color near the crease
• apply a dark line (e.g. using Bobbi Brown Gel Eye Liner) on the lash line (“liner” on the diagram)
• curl lashes and apply mascara
• shape and fill eyebrows

note: this design also works best for those with protruding eyes because the darker matte shadow gives the illusion of receding the eyeballs .

Design B

• brush the lids with the lighter, shimmery color (e.g. BB Bone), blending up towards the brows
• right on the crease, apply the darker shade in a windshield wiper motion
• apply a dark line (e.g. using Bobbi Brown Gel Eye Liner) on the lash line (“liner” on the diagram)
• curl lashes and apply mascara
• shape and fill eyebrows

note: this design makes the lids appear larger and somewhat makes you look refreshed.

For special occasions, you can use either of the above designs and pick a darker color for the matte one and a brighter, more metallic version as highlighter.

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Breakdown: Nicole Floirendo Debut Makeup

Debutant Nicole Floirendo has a flair for the city of Paris, which she says, is the ultimate destination for romance and dreams coming to life.  Working with this pretty model’s Paris-themed celebration last month, I came up with a look for her that brought out romance, elegance and fashion. Her hairstyle was a mash-up between Demi Moore’s messy but glamorous ‘do at the recent Oscars, and Taylor Swift’s signature red carpet look.

Here is a breakdown of the products I used on her:

Face-

Ellana Makeup Primer
Make up For Ever HD Liquid Foundation #120
MAC NC25 Studio Fix Powder
MAC NC42 Studio Fix Powder for contouring
NARS albatros for highlighting
Benefit Coralista blush

Eyes-
MAC Rice Paper
MAC Cork
NARS Night Fever
Maybelline Gel Liner
Nichido Waterproof Eyeliner (black)
Covergirl Lash Blast Mascara
ModelCo brow kit
False lashes

Lips:
Nyx Orange Soda lipstick
Revlon Color Stay Coral lipstick

Lastly, this lovely photo capturing the essence of a true mademoiselle was taken by one of her her official photographers, Ms. Pamela Lico:

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Reasons For Failure When Attaching False Eyelashes

Wearing false eyelashes renders a dramatic impact to our looks.  But it can also be one of the most challenging parts in completing a makeup routine. I’ve had difficulties with this myself and through experience, I gathered some of the reasons why it becomes a burden instead of an exciting step:

1. Faulty Adhesive

Some are just inferior in quality while others diminish in efficiency after a while. No matter how amazing a  glue works from the first few months of purchasing it, it does get old and when this happens, it won’t work as well as it used to. Remember the date when you bought it  and check if it hasn’t changed in odor, consistency and appearance- it shouldn’t sting when applied. Always close the cap after use to prevent it from drying up.

Putting on too much glue is an error we frequently commit. It will dry up bulky and will stick the falsies to your natural lashes.  Apply only a thin layer, use Q-tip or toothpick to prevent squeezing out too much of the product directly from the tube towards the lashes.

2. Lack of Arch

When you buy a pair of lashes, it’s  usually stuck to  a curved plastic, mimicking the curve of the lash line when you’re looking downwards. That’s how the false lashes should be shaped just before applying it on your eyes.  Problem comes in when you pull the lashes briskly out of its container, losing its shape. Or it could be that the next time you use the pair, it  haven’t been positioned properly back into its case and back to its arch.

Make sure you roll out your thumb gently when  pulling out the product. Trim the lashes on its outer ends to fit into the length of your eyes. Hold each lash from side to side and bend it to form an arch.

3. Wrong Timing

After spreading  a thin layer of glue to the lashes, wait til it becomes tacky before attaching it to your lash line. That’s roughly around 20 seconds, depending on the characteristics of your glue. While attaching it too early may cause the procedure to fail, letting it dry for a longer time will not attach the lashes to your skin at all. Reminder: please don’t blow into the glue to shorten the waiting period especially when doing makeup on your client. Just wave it back and forth into the air.

4. Poor Technique

You can either use a tweezer or your bare hands to apply it to your lash line, whichever  is more comfortable for you.  Locate the center point of your eye and stick to that part first. Attach the lashes as close to the lash line as possible, following the natural curve. Press the rest of the parts in the inner and outer corners using tweezers or your hand.   Wait for a few seconds before blinking.

5.  Oil Around the Area

Ensure that the skin where the falsies will be attached is dry and clean. The glue will not stick to an  oily and rough surface. Get rid of oils coming from makeup removers or from the skin itself.  Wipe it off with a clean  Q-tip.

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Below is a  video showing a technique from Emmy Award-winning make up artist, Eve Pearl on how to attach false eyelashes:

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