Dark circles? Puffy, red eyes? Pale and tired-looking face? This is also happening to models, especially during Fashion Week. We makeup artists need to have a few anti-fatigue makeup tricks up the sleeve to get everyone looking fresh and healthy at show time. Here are my best backstage tips to waken up a face instantly, with bright eyes and a rosy glow!
Open up your eyes with an eyelash curler
My clients know it, I consider an eyelash curler a girl’s best friend. To me it’s the best beauty tool. In mere 5 seconds and without the slightest bit of product we give the lashes a regular lifting. Opening up our eyes, lift sagging eyelids and intensify our look.
To get an even stronger effect, try to give your lashes a double bend : After having curled your lashes as usual, open the culer just a bit but leave it in place. Now tilt it just a tiny bit upwards and close again. Hold for another few seconds giving your lashes twice as much curves.
Another pro trick is to warm your metal eyelash curlers with a blow dryer. Just like your hair, your lashes will be shaped more efficiently with the help of heat. Careful to not overheat, your eyelids are very sensitive.
Erase red eyes with a beige pencil
Make your eyes look wide awake just with just one stroke ? No witchcraft needed here just a beige pencil, lip pencil, eye pencil, never mind it’s destination… Trace along your bottom water line to hide redness. Don’t apply too much product, you don’t want it to visibly gather around the lashes.
This trick will widen and brighten up your eyes instantly. Operation to be repeated during the day, as often as needed. But in most cases one time, in the morning, will be enough. NYX Wonderpencil Crayon Multi-Fonctions or Make Up For Ever Artist Color Pencil.
Brighten up your face
Get the sallowness off your face and pep up a dull complexion with an in-depth cleansing. Dermalogica Skin Resurfacing Cleaner removes dead skincells and plumps up your skin to reveal a fresh face.
Pro application tip for an anti-fatigue makeup: Use a hazelnut size dollop and swipe it over all your face. Then, with moistened hands, massage with circular motions especially dry areas. Let it sit for another 5 minutes then use moistened cotton pads to remove. Make sure to check your eyebrows and hairline for residue.
Let’s forget about your dark circles
Dark rings under your eyes are a genetic feature. You either have them (even if you sleep a lot) or you don’t (a happy few). But when we’re tired they show much more. What to do about this? No lipstick please for sure! These days there is a lot of beauty advice to be found on the Internet, of very variable professionalism and value. What might look like a total Wow! effect in a video will in real life look more likely like an old leather handbag, cracks included. Lipstick is simply not made for the under eye area and won’t stay smooth and even.
On the other hand, what works rather well are concealers in peachy shades. Seek a shade close to your complexion, don’t go for a lighter one. Lighter shades will often look greyish. (In this article you’ll find out how to determine your exact shade of foundation, concealer and other face makeup products.)
Apply a small (!!) amount of concealer only where the skin is blue-ish (no triangle for example). Don’t forget the inner corner of the eye. Blend and lightly dab with your finger to make the product melt into your skin.
Here two of my favourites, because they cover well without being heavy: Nars Radiant Concealer, Estee Lauder Doublewear Concealer.
If you want to know more about concealers, especially in anti-aging makeup, please have a look at this dedicated post.
Lighten up on your eyebrows
Your eybrows play an important role when it comes to your expression. Too lined, too angular, too dark, they may make you look drawn or even angry.
For a more balanced look, try brushing them up and out. Fill in gaps with a color slightly lighter than your eyebrows. This will have a more natural result as i twill come closer to the natural transparency of the brows. Personnally I prefer eyebrow powders like this one from Anastasia Beverly Hills but pencils also work if they’re not too hard and you blend them with a brush.
If you have very dense eyebrows fix them with a transparent gel. Benefit 24h Brow Setter Gel Fixateur Sourcils Transparent ou MAC Brow Set Gel Pour les Sourcils.
Smoothen your face with a matifying gel
Matifying gels like the Soin Anti-Pores Matité Instantané Top Secrets d’Yves Saint Laurent.work particularly well on rather oily or mixed skin types, smoothening the skin and minimise pores. Colorless, they can be applied with or without foundation for a velvety finish.
But I like to wear them even myself (on my rather dry and sensitive skin) as their silky texture softens my rather angular traits and makes lines less visible. And also, the fresh sensation you get when applying this gel wakes you up instantly.
Makeup artist trick : Apply your foundation first, then dab small amounts of the matifying gel delicately over your nose , chin and forehead. Don’t stroke or rub to not damage your foundation.
By Louise Wittlich
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