Makeup Artist World Blog

How to look radiant at any age

The other day I found a subscriber in a clothes store and she commented to me that she would like me to give her more tricks for people that are not so young. When she told me that I asked her, but how old are you? She said she was fifty. I could not believe it: she did not look even forty! I still took note and here I am with some tricks to look beautiful and with fashion… at any age!

Let’s start at the beginning…

My mother is seventy but still looks a lot younger, my best friend is forty four but she looks my age, and if they have something in common is that they take care of themselves for a long time now, paying attention to looking beautiful and not on looking younger.

But it is true that there are things that we could do when we are twenty that we can’t do after we turn thirty. But don’t worry; today I bring you some “rules” that, regardless of the age you have, they will help you to look radiant!

Take care of your skin

It doesn’t matter if you are twenty or seventy: you have to take care of your skin daily. I always say that at twenty we moisturize and prevent, at thirty we treat and after forty we reaffirm. If you want to have a beautiful skin starting today, start taking care of it now. Here I bring you three basic “rules” to have a good skin:

1. Always protect it from the sun!
2. Clean it day and night, with no excuses.
3. use creams and treatments that are specific for your skin type

Use makeup with measure

It does not matter if you are twenty or seventy; if you are wearing too much makeup the result will not be pretty, even if your skin is perfect. Follow these three rules to do your makeup and you will be radiant:

1. use a makeup foundation that adapts to your skin tone and skin type.
2. Never forget your eyes and always have the mascara handy, concealer and an eye pencil.
3. Do not overcharge your lips. Red lips are worn a lot, but if they do not suit you, choose a favoring gloss.

Dress to highlight your beauty 

The image that you project is important, and in this case, age does carry weight. You have to look for pieces that favor you and avoid the ones that do not. These are the three rules for style to look always perfect:

1. Use colors as allies: look for the one that favors your and use it to give light to your look. 
2. Choose accessories wisely: they will give you the glamour that you need.

If you are not passionate about it, do not buy it: I never go back home with a garment if it does not convince me.

How to look beautiful in pictures

Before I would use a digital camera, but now since I have the I phone I use it as a camera, because when I download the pictures to my Mac computer, I can retouch them easily!… it is incredible how you can give light to a face or erase a blemish with the computer’s application. But it doesn’t matter how much you can improve the picture with this application, it doesn’t mean that you can totally transform the picture. It is clear that if you are not an advanced Photoshop user; the best way to look beautiful in the picture is with good makeup and a good pose.

In the summer, when my brother in laws came to spend their vacations, we decided to make a “family album from 2009”, and in it we would put all the pictures of the most important events of the year. I already have the album almost finished, I only need a couple more pictures from Christmas, and having seen what I have seen, I am sure that this Christmas I will pay special attention to my makeup and poses to come out really good in the pictures.

Special Radiant Skin

How to have radiant skin step by step… 

I’ve got fair skin that tends to get red, and it’s combination skin that’s very sensitive… Let me tell you – even though my esthetician says I have very good skin, it’s practically impossible for me to get my skin looking perfect, and now that I’m over thirty, it would almost be a miracle! That’s why, as you can imagine, when I do my makeup, my goal is to correct, moisturize, and enhance my skin. In fact, for me this is the most important part of my makeup. If you make your eyes up very well, but you don’t correct your under eye circles or the shade of your skin, you won’t get a good result! That’s why I’ve decided to write this “special radiant skin newsletter” to tell you all of my most secret tricks for getting impeccable skin!… 

How to have radiant skin step by step… 

I know that a lot of you are most interested in how to make up your eyes. I can understand that, because your eyes are one of the prettiest parts of your face, and you want to make the most of them. But let me tell you that if you want to make the most of your skin, and you know what kind of foundation to use for your needs, and most importantly, you know how to apply it, then the rest of your makeup is almost an afterthought.

Unlike other professionals and makeup enthusiasts, I think preparing and making the most of my skin is one of the most important things when doing a clean, elegant makeup look, because, really, you can do a wonderful job on your eyes, but if you can’t conceal your circles or add luminosity, your efforts will have been in vain. So follow these steps so you can make the most of your skin, once and for all.

Skin care

1. The first and most important is to follow these steps before applying makeup:

• Cleanse
• Moisturize eye area
• Moisturize skin

PROFESSIONAL SECRETS

If you notice that your skin looks dull and lifeless, apply a gentle exfoliator before doing your makeup. Then wait a few minutes and moisturize. You’ll see how quickly your skin recovers its luminosity. Remember: the exfoliator should be gentle, because if it’s not, your skin will get red and you’ll have to wait at least a half hour before you can apply makeup.

Before applying makeup

Before applying makeup, it’s very important to correct your face well. Follow these steps:

1. Under eye circles

• Use a cream concealer if you have very deep circles, and apply it over the circles and in the inner corners of your eyes.
• Then blend with a fingertip to remove excess product.
• If your circles are not too marked, you can use an illuminating concealer over your foundation.

PROFESSIONAL SECRETS

Apply concealer over your entire lid, since this is one of the darkest areas of the face. This will brighten up your eyes for any type of makeup look.

2. Red areas and other imperfections

The next step is to correct all blemishes and red areas of the skin, such as minor imperfections, pigmentation, etc.

PROFESSIONAL SECRETS

If you have a lot of blemishes, use a concealer designed to dry them out, and apply it before applying foundation. After applying foundation with a synthetic bristle brush, go back and put concealer (just a little) over the blemish, and apply loose powder with a powder puff to blend the edges so it isn’t noticeable. You’ll see how any mark will disappear. However, avoid using too much product or you’ll get the opposite effect: the blemish will be even more noticeable. J

 Steps to make the most of your skin

1. Your color

The first thing you need is to know what color of foundation is right for you. Follow these suggestions:

• If you have pink undertones – If your skin has pink undertones, choose a foundation with pink pigments in the formula. The purpose of foundation is to even out your skin tone, not change it, so if you want to add color, apply bronzing powder.
• If you have yellowish undertones - If your skin has yellowish undertones, just as with the case above, choose a shade with yellow pigments to neutralize and even out your skin tone.
• For all skin types – It doesn’t matter if you have dark or light skin or cool or warm skin, the color you choose should be the same shade as your skin —not darker, not lighter. Before buying a foundation, always try it on your face. If it blends into your skin, that’s your shade!

2.    Your texture

Depending on your skin type, you may need more or less coverage. Follow these suggestions:

• Normal skin – If you are lucky enough to have normal skin, you can choose practically any foundation you want. However, the best texture is a light liquid. Since you don’t have imperfections, you won’t need much coverage. Tinted moisturizers are also good for you  
• Combination skin – The best texture for you is oil-free liquid. Don’t choose a powder foundation or one with too much coverage, because this will dry out the drier areas of your combination skin.
• Oily skin – Your best option is a cream or powder foundation. Choose a cream if you want more coverage, because powders are usually fairly light.
• Dry skin – Your best option is a liquid foundation with moisturizing oils. Remember to avoid using powder, since it will dry out your skin.

 3.    How to apply foundation, step by step

• The first step is hydration.
• Next, concealer.
• Then apply foundation, using downward strokes so as not to dirty the pores. You can apply the product with a sponge, your fingertips, or a brush. I recommend that you use a sponge or brush (especially for cream and liquid textures), since it’s harder to spread foundation with your fingertips.
• Once your foundation has been applied, mattify shininess that the foundation has not covered, using a powder puff dipped in powder. If you don’t have any shininess, don’t apply anything; you will just dull the luminosity of your skin. 

4. Final touches

The final touch is illumination. To do this, it’s best to use a pearlescent powder in your T-zone, especially on your cheekbones.

MAKEUP ON PEOPLE WHO WEAR GLASSES

12 TRICKS FROM PROFESSIONALS ON HOW TO PUT MAKEUP ON PEOPLE WHO WEAR GLASSES

Barbara Martos is a professional makeup artist with more than 10 years of experience who specializes in fashion.  She is a tutor at Elite Make Up in Barcelona.  Her vision of makeup: “Being a makeup artist is creation; inspiration, sensibility, and a dream come true.  I like to fuse different textures and colors so that each person looks and feels better everyday.”

12 PROFESSIONAL TRICKS ON HOW TO PUT MAKEUP ON PEOPLE WITH EYEGLASSES, TO DETERMINE WHAT TEXTURES ARE MOST FLATTERING AND EASY TO USE, AND HOW TO TRANSFORM THE SHAPE AND SIXE OF THE EYE

1. The right peeling and, above all, a good design and makeup for the eyebrows guarantee that the eyes will take on there best look.
2. To make the tip of an eye pencil more resistant, warm it up with your hands for 2 minutes.
3. For sensitive or easily irritated eyes use a khol pencil that is specially designed not to irritate the eye.
4. Always use a sharpener designed for makeup use only to avoid the tip from breaking or clogging.
5. Sharpen the pencil right before using it so that it is soft.
6. Underline the eyelid just near the eyelashes as this will make the eye look bigger.
7. If you want a very elaborate makeup, you can blend a cream eye shadow on the eyelid after putting on a powder one.
8. Be careful with colors.  For day makeup neutral colors are more flattering.  Don´t overdo it with too much color, save that for nighttime.
9. A bit of white eyeliner on the edge of the upper and lower eyelid lightens up the look,
10. If the makeup turns out to strong or doesn´t look like you wanted it to, you can soften it by using a bit of transparent powder applied with a small makeup brush.
11. The shape of the eye dictates the colors you should use base on a simple principle: clear tone bring out eyes while dark tones make the eye appear deeper.
12. Darker tones should be applied on the edge of the eyelashes and light tones are used to lighten up the inner part of the eye.