Five-Product Challenge

Folks ask for my top five makeup products…but I rarely have an answer because I’ve been known to use around 20 different products (tools not included). For a challenge, I tried a makeup look (I actually liked) with only five makeup products.  It was fine, but since I couldn’t use anything to set my makeup, this look won’t last all day.  If you want to be a naughty rule-breaker and add powder and/or setting spray, this would be a perfect Minimalist or Work Appropriate.

Here’s the breakdown:

I applied tinted foundation with an SPF using my fingers and dabbed concealer around my eyes and nose, then blended cream blush onto my cheeks and lips.  Next, I used a dark brown eyeliner to my lash line and smudged, then used the same pencil to fill in my brows.  I really wanted my bronzer to contour, but I remembered a technique from this video (@ 5:50); so I used my liner instead.  I dotted a little liner down the sides of my nose and smudged using the same brush used on my eyes – then I used the residue on the brush to draw around my cheek bones and jawline.  Finally, I curled my lashes and added mascara.

Finding Your Guru

While YouTube is filled with excellent makeup advice, sometimes finding a go-to guru can take you through some rather…interesting…videos.  To hopefully make your journey easier, here are the artists I follow:

Wayne Goss (gossmakeupartist and gossmakeupchat)

Wayne is my favorite, and I’ll watch his cheeky videos several times a week.  He gives practical advice while demonstrating beautiful makeup looks for every age.

Lisa Eldridge (LisaEldridgeDotCom)

Even though I think she might have magical makeup powers, she will show you looks that you can absolutely recreate.  Full disclosure: sometimes I fall asleep watching her videos because her voice is so soothing.

Cara Brook (maskCARA)

Allure’s 2013 Beauty Blogger of the Year, Cara is a busy mom of two who shows you how to recreate celebrity looks.  Her blog also offers advice on everything from highlighting and contouring (aka HACing) to incredible hair tutorials, and she recently launched her own makeup line.

Teni Panosian (MissMaven)

Finally, Teni will give you the most gorgeous, romantic looks.  She’s also a hair genius.  She claims not to be a makeup artist, but her techniques are pretty advanced.

Five Looks - Go-To Glam

So far we've mastered The Minimalist, The Work Appropriate, The Bright Eye/Bold Lip, and The Smokey Eye/Nude Lip. Our final look is The Go-To Glam.  When it’s time to get dressed up, I want my makeup to look special.  That doesn’t mean, however, that I need to do more work than any of the other looks!  If you notice red carpet makeup, it’s usually not over-the-top so the focus remains on the clothes.  What sets this look apart is that it’s ready for photos, meaning the makeup needs to be a little brighter and slightly more opaque so it shows up, and the best way to test this is to take a bunch of selfies in different lights.  My favorite GTG look is sculpted, with emphasis on the eyes.  Since this look is very individualized, I’m not going to bore you with all the steps here.  What I hope you take away – listen up, brides! – is how intense this makeup comes off in-person as compared to in a photograph.

Every makeup look I do falls under one of these five.  Once you get the hang of which looks you prefer (or all of them...), you will begin to see how swapping in a different eye shadow color or using bronzer instead of blush will give you an endless combination of different looks.  Have fun!

 

Five Looks - Smokey Eye/Nude Lip

For the fourth of five makeup looks to master (you can see the others here, here and here), allow me to introduce The Smokey Eye/Nude Lip - this is my favorite look of all time.  It also tends to be the one brides ask for the most, but then feel it’s too much for their wedding day once they see it on.  If you want to emphasize your eyes, remember that you can do that with any color of shadow, not just dark colors. While there are endless variations of a smoky eye, this is the way I teach it: prep the eye lids with a little concealer and a very slight dusting of powder or skin-colored shadow.  Pick three complementary colors in light, medium, and dark shades: dark brown, medium brown, and light brown…or plum, light brown, and gold…whatever.  Take an eyeliner the same color as your darkest shadow, line your top lashes, then smudge with your finger and apply the darkest color directly on top of the liner – not the entire lid.  Swipe the medium shade right in your crease, and the lightest shade over the medium color up to your brow bone.  Add another layer of liner close to the lashes, then apply mascara.  Clean up any “fallout” from the shadow underneath your eyes, and finish your makeup, ending with a natural lip.  It sounds like a lot of work, but I promise once you get the hang of it and know right were to put everything, it will go quickly.  You can see a demo here.

Five Looks - Bright Eyes/Bold Lip

Our next look is the Bright Eyes/Bold Lip (here are the first and second looks).  Since most people I’ve worked with seem more confident by enhancing their lips, this look is usually their go-to when they want a little something extra.  It’s also great if you’re running late but still want to look stunning. Make sure your skin is moisturized, and use foundation and concealer for a gorgeous canvas.  Set with powder then highlight and contour, making sure to add a little luminizer to the cheek bones – you can skip the blush unless you want it, but make sure it’s muted.  Draw on black liner (a cat eye is always fun) and use lots of mascara and/or false lashes.  Fill in brows, then line lips with a neutral pencil.  Apply your favorite bold lip color, blot, and reapply.  Set the look with setting spray, and make sure there’s no lipstick on your teeth!