I feel very fortunate to have had my face made up by some amazing pro makeup artists and to have watched many at work. I always try to pick up tips from every person that puts a brush onto my face. Here are the top tips I have learned from pro makeup artists.
Preparation is Key.
No make up artist who does make up full time will start putting colour on your face without prepping the face first. Makeup always, always goes onto a clean hydrated face. It does not matter your skin type, a properly cleansed toned and moisturised face is key. A recent trend I have seen on You Tube has been to add a drop of oil to your foundation. If you prepare the skin properly, this is an unnecessary step in my opinion. Using an emollient moisturiser and the appropriate texture of foundation for your skin type can provide the same effect.
Don’t Make Funny Faces When You Apply Your Makeup.
You know the faces that I mean, the contour duck face, the lipstick pouty face and the mascara face. The faces that you make when it is just you in the mirror. When a pro make up artist does your face, have you noticed that they don’t ask you to make funny faces? There I am thinking that I am helping them by making the face, and I always get told off. I have tried it when doing my own make up and I have to say it helps. By focusing on the shape that you are trying to achieve rather then the shape created by the funny face, you get to place the make up where it will sit normally not when you are making funny faces. Try it!
Look Down When You Apply Your Mascara.
Have someone do your mascara for your is a very intimate and rather weird experience. Some artists will give you the mascara wand and tell you to do it yourself. Pro artists however will get you to look down whilst gently holding your lid and then apply. Having watched many women apply their mascara on the tube, I know that I am not alone in looking up when applying mascara but it gets messy. Looking down, I have found allows me to get to the root of the lashes without getting so much on my mascara. It is definitely worth giving it a go.
Take Your Time With Your Foundation
Skin is always in. Always. A flawless base takes time and makes the rest of your makeup look better. It does not matter if you apply your base before or after your eye make up, it is worth spending an extra minute on you complexion. Flawless does not necessarily mean cake face or plastic fantastic. It means making your skin the very best that it can be.
Blend Blend Blend And Then Blend Some More.
Make up artists say this all the time. They make it seem easy but in reality, it is a real skill to blend eyeshadow out without giving yourself a black eye, taking the product higher or lower then intended. I am still a novice but when I take my time with it, the difference really really is noticeable.
Always Have A Clean Brush Handy
Professional make up artists generally have lots and lots of brushes with them. Having a clean brush handy is closely connected to Blend Blend Blend above. For the eyes, application of a second or third colour are not muddied by the first colour. A clean brush can help to blend out heavy handed application and for the face, a clean brush – with or without some translucent powder can bring down a heavy handed highlight and contour.
Enhance Don’t Conceal.
Unless they are doing vintage, drag or avant garde make up, a pro artist is always going to seek to enhance what you have. They dont have the hang ups about your face that you do. This means that they will do your makeup differently from how you would apply it to yourself. The freckles that you seek to conceal they reveal. The chubby cheeks that you think make you look like a chip monk they bring forward with a beautiful pop of colour and the five-head that you were desperately trying to bring down to a forehead with a darker powder is nowhere to be seen. It can be a little unnerving but the end result is lovely.
Where are you holding your brush.
Holding the brush closer to the ferrule gives a denser application. closer to the end of the brush is a lighter application. For blending holding the brush away from the ferrule will help to blend lightly. When concealing holding the brush closer to the ferrule will give more opacity. It is a small change but it makes a big difference.
Take A Step Back.
After working intently on your face, a pro make up artist will take a step back and ask you to look at them directly – front on. This is so they can see the effect of what they have done. After you have done your makeup take a moment to step back from the mirror and look at the overall effect of your makeup.
It’s Only Make Up
If you don’t like it, if it doesn’t look right – you can take it off. With a pro artist removing a whole face of makeup is usual, but a cotton bud with some micellar water applied in strategic places can make a world of difference.
If you have any top tips from pro MUA’s I’d love to hear them