Weddingbee Blog

Miss Ant’s entry on cosmetic illiteracy inspired me to write a blog combining several entries from booly (my make-up blog), in hopes of helping other brides-to-be. I may not be as involved as I thought I’d be in the planning of my wedding, but mention makeup and I will talk forever and a day about it.

I work for the MAC counter as a makeup artist & product specialist. Miss Ant mentioned how the “heavily pigmented faces” were intimidating. Do not be afraid - the dramatic makeup is more a part of our jobs, and to express our creativity as artists. The artists behind the counters are not only experienced in the “woah~” dramatic makeup, but also have the capability to create beautiful, flawless, natural makeup as well.

But no amount of makeup will perfect bad skin, so take good care of your skin.

The Basics:

• Sunscreen on the face, neck, bust and hands is an absolute must 365 days of the year. Those areas over a long period of time with/without sun exposure will be the first places to show signs of aging.
• Properly cleanse the skin. NEVER go to bed with your makeup still on.
• Keep your skin hydrated by drinking 8-10+ glasses of water.

Makeup Primer

Purpose: It can be worn alone but primarily, it is used as a base to your foundation. Primers will fill in pores and fine lines to smooth out the overall skin’s appearance. It also leaves the skin matte, silky soft and prepped to give your foundation a long-lasting finish.

How To: Apply to clean skin. A little goes a long way. You need one pump (if not less but nothing more) to have a sheer application over your entire face.

My HG (Holy Grail) Product:

EI (formally English Ideas) Solutions Complexion Primer: $37.00 @ dermadoctor. If you think Smashbox’s Photo Finish is amazing, you haven’t seen nothing yet~! I love, love, LOVE this product. This is great for all skin types; sensitive (like me) to really oily (like my co-worker). It’s oil-free and fragrance-free. It’s been tried and tested on other brides and their feedback has been nothing but the best~! I get many customer compliments even towards the end of my 8~9 hour work shift on how great my skin looks.

Foundation

They provide sheer to full coverage in forms of powder, cream, matte, mousse and liquid. Choose a foundation that is right for your skin type. You can try a simple test when you wake up - take a tissue, place it over your face, blot and take a look.

• If the tissue’s clean, you have dry skin.
• If the tissue’s oily in just places over the t-zone(forehead,nose,chin) you have combination skin.
• If the tissue looks oily all over, you have oily skin.
• If you have very little oil randomly, you have normal skin.

Choose the right color. Go to a counter with many foundation color choices. A makeup counter that carries the “usual” ivory, beige, tan and dark is not going to be suitable for all. Everyone’s skin coloring falls in or in between a cool (yellow) or warm (peach/pink) undertone.

How To: For cream/liquids, dot on desired areas and blend outwards. Finish by blending downwards to make sure the small “peach fuzz” (facial hairs) lay flat.

Favorites:

Estee Lauder Double Wear - $32.50. A medium to full coverage liquid foundation. Best when applied over primer or lightly hydrated skin. This foundation stands against humidity, sweat and giving birth (as told by several customers) You can get sheerer coverage when the face prepped with a primer and applied with a foundation brush.

Something to keep in mind. EL’s color/shading system for the following skin undertones are as followed. N= Peach, W= Yellow + Olive , C= Pink.

MAC Studio Fix Fluid - $24.00. A buildable medium coverage liquid foundation. It is long wearing, leaves you with a natural, beautiful finish and comes in 23 color shades. I love the fact that the foundation is buildable because it works great as a concealer to after it has set. For the best results, apply with the #109 or #187 brush.

#109 Small Contour Brush - $32.00; #187 Duo Fibre Brush (or what I like to call “the skunk brush”) - $42.00.

Not only will using brushes will give you an air brushed look, but by using gentle, circular motions to evenly smooth the foundation, you are actually improving the skin by helping the blood flow and circulation to your face.

* My Secret Tip*

I publicly share with you my technique I use at work and with clients. When you mix the the foundation with strobe cream, it will give your face a flawless (non-cakey) finish with a candlelight glow.

Strobe Cream - $27.50

Concealer

Purpose: To help hide imperfections (under eye circles, puffiness, blemishes,etc.) and enhance the skin’s appearance.

How To: Concealer should be applied after the foundation and on a well hydrated surface. Applying concealer before foundation will only move it around making it completely useless. For best results, apply with a small synthetic brush, pat gently with your ring finger (will give the least amount of pressure) and set with powder.

As for various types and formulas, use what works best for you. Something too moist will slip around and move into fine lines and creases, and something too dry will only accentuate.

My Favorites:

MAC Select Cover-Up - $14.00

For the under eye area, I use the peach color corrector mixed with a little bit of my foundation. I found this to work the best for most skin types and color.

Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer - $45.00

A skin enhancer. It is what it says with a splurge-worthy price tag. It can give you a range from sheer to full coverage and can be used as a concealer or foundation. Blending is key with this product so a brush would be the most ideal. The greatest part about the product, aside the fact that it is buildable, is that once the product sets, it is transfer resistant.

Loose Powder

This should be your last step. Powder sets your concealer, foundation and everything else giving your skin a velvet-like appearance. I prefer loose powder over pressed because it has more oil absorbing ingredients. For a light application or to swipe off excess powder, I’ll use a powder brush. For the absolute best coverage, I like to use a powder puff by using the “rolling” method. By pressing and rolling the powder puff, you are basically “pushing” the powder into the skin, helping the foundation and powder to bond into one for an even more natural finish.

My “it” Powder:

Awake Stardom Loose Powder - $38.00 @ Neiman Marcus

Awake is a great product line. This loose powder leaves my face looking completely flawless without the whole no makeup effect. The powder has a cooling & moisturizing effect with the fact “more than 77% of it is made up of water.”

How It Works: “The powder releases water upon application on skin and adheres close to the skin with a cool, refreshing touch. It has a translucent, semi matte finish, to provide a glowing complexion.” Even with a not-so-fabulous makeup brush, you don’t feel the harsh bristles because the powder is so soft to the touch. I loooove, looooove, LOVE this powder! It’s a refreshment to your face that leaves you with an INSTANT smile.