Holiday Makeup Trends~Winter 2011
As makeup artists we get our inspiration for creating looks from what is on the runway 2x a year. Fall and spring are the seasons where fashion and makeup trends are presented. My goal is to take what’s on the runway and create looks that are easy and quick to apply. It is not hard to accomplish a tailored look with the correct instructions.
This Holiday season “clean skin” is in as expressed in Alexandar McQueen’s collection. The Bold lip is back on Gucci’s Runway and the 60’s graphic eye is running rampant on the catwalks of Dior and Jean Paul Gaultier. Celebrities like Natalie Portman and Jennifer Connelly are showing off their natural tailored brows and leaving the “thin” behind.
Here is a basic but beautiful look for Holiday 2011.
We will start with the skin, as it is the largest organ of your body and should be taken care of. Make sure you consult your esthetician on the best regimen for your skin type and condition. After that, follow with the proper foundation .
Don’t be afraid of foundation, the proper formulation will NOT clog your pores (if you wash it off at night). If your skin is oily or dry, or simply combination, there is a foundation out there for you. This will be the most expensive product out of the few others that are necessary to create this holiday look. If you’re buying mineral oil filled, drugstore foundation, you are doing your skin an injustice.
A few foundations that are effective and easy to apply are
Makeup forever “Invisible Cover” HD foundation ($40.00). This is an oil free formula but still great for dry skin types. This foundation can be applied with fingers and creates a fabulous coverage without a concealer. Acneic, hyper pigmentation and large pores are a great candidate for this foundation.
If you prefer a powder foundation, I would recommend MAC “Studio Fix” ($26.50)
applied with a sponge for full coverage or with a large poder brush for lighter coverage. Please do not forget to wash your sponge weekly with your face wash. You can also purchase a single sponge from MAC to replace yours when it can no longer be cleaned effectively.
For those with flawless skin (minor and occasional breakouts, even skin tone and forgiving pores) you can use a tinted moisturizer. My favorite on the market would be Stila Tinted Moisturizer ($34.00.) It is pigmented enough to provide a light coverage to ensure an even color and dewy finish. Embrace the glow as it is in style and forget the moisturizer as it already contains one, as well as an SPF of 20.
On to the eyes…
Tailored eyebrows are important all the time, but this year they are being emphasized, as the makeup for this season is simple and concise. Find a good brow artist. Your best option is an esthetician that will shape your brows with a tweezer only. And second, the age old Indian technique of threading. Please do your research as a bad brow artist can ruin your brows for good.
“Mod Socialite Look”
Start off by applying a flawless foundation and a strong brow.
The eyes will be matted out with foundation and then a light peach shade will be applied all over.
Now don’t be scared when I say “wing liner.” You can go anywhere from Elizabeth Taylor to Amy Winehouse. Whatever floats YOUR boat, but don’t skip this step, it’s part of the look. This look can only be accomplished with a liquid or gel liner. If a slanted brush and gel liner feel comfortable for you then use a Stila
“Smudge Pot” ($20.00) in black and apply from the inner eye as close to the lash line as possible and thicken as you approach the end of your eye. WING up towards the area where your brow ends. Use a Q-Tip to make the wing precise by “cutting” the end into the size and angle you desire.
Use the same concept with a liquid liner. I recommend a brush end not a felt tip, like Sephora’s black “Long Lasting Liner” originally $10.00, on sale right now online, for $3.00.
The blush can be any shade of light pinky /peach applied on the apple of the cheeks blending upward at an angle toward the ear. Blend out well, as you do not want to deposit too much color on the cheeks for this particular look
I like Benefit’s blush in “Georgia Peach”. $28.00
For the lips, simple…simple…simple!
All you need is a neutral peach lip gloss. No liner necessary and make sure to take the lip gloss in your purse to reapply.
I recommend Mac tinted lip gloss in “Evolution Revolution”. $14.50
These steps may seem intimidating, but they are not! Print these instructions out, take yourself to Sephora and/or MAC, or order online and have a great time. Don’t hesitate to ask questions to the makeup artists in any store. And don’t forget Sephora has an amazing return policy, if it doesn’t work for you or even if you don’t like it, you
can return it without a receipt at any time. (Half full or not.)
Final Instruction: Feel beautiful and self confident this Holiday season!
Brielle is a licensed esthetician and makeup artist with a passion for improving trouble skin and creating and applying makeup looks for the natural woman as well as the high fashion industry. Brielle graduated from Von Lee Intrnational School of Esthetics in 2005 and has been using and improving her skill for 6 years.
Please look out for the next Holiday Makeup Look, “The Siren.”
