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!

 

Bum-rushed

First, let me note that I admire and respect the vast majority of cosmetics salespeople I’ve worked with.  Most chose their profession because they are not only incredibly talented, but also because they are truly passionate about making you look and feel your best.

That said…

I stopped by the store for a creamy lip color and was all but attacked by the over-eager salesperson.  It wasn’t even her too-heavy foundation in the wrong color, overdrawn eyeliner and bright, crusty lipstick that alarmed me.  It was her incessant requests for me to “sit down so I can throw on some color.”

I don’t mention that I’m a makeup artist at makeup counters – partially because I don’t want them to think I’m trying one-up them, but mostly because I want to be reminded of what it’s like to be in the shoes of someone who’s not constantly playing with makeup.

Frankly, it’s intimidating.  Making a list beforehand usually helps me stick to my guns, but it can still be a very uncomfortable situation.

Next time you’re pounced on approached by a makeup rep who really wants to make the day’s numbers, just remember that it’s your face and your hard-earned money.  You don’t have to let them put any product on you, and you certainly do not have to buy anything even if they do (but by the same token, feel free to tip your beauty counter makeup artists who work wonders!).