Tips From Makeup Artist Carmindy

 

 

 

 

 

Instead of looking for what to correct, we must focus on our best features. Women are always asking me questions like,"Carmindy, how do I make my lips look larger?" Meanwhile that woman has the most beautiful brown eyes that I have ever seen. She doesn't even think about them because she is obsessed with making her lips look huge. What a shame!

When it comes to makeup, I believe in using the right products in the right places to enhance natural beauty. I apply makeup like watercolor painting, using sheer washes of color, allowing the skin to show and a woman’s special loveliness to shine through.

I believe looking good starts and ends with feeling positive. I encourage you to drop the “flaw-focus” and find what is wonderful about your one-of-a-kind face. Embrace it. Celebrate it.

And work it!

 

Prep the skin for makeup

Before your beauty artistry begins, you must prepare your canvas. Start off with a daily cleansing and moisturizing ritual to face the day fresh and protected. You’ll find moisturizers with sunscreens built in. Also, SPF-loaded foundations and tints are real timesavers. Make sure your brows look well groomed. Check them in natural light near a window and pluck away any strays. If you tend to be really oily it’s smart to apply a product that controls oil like a mattifying lotion.

 

The brows make the face

Nothing frames the eyes better than perfectly groomed brows. They really can make or break the face. Let’s cease with the eyebrow butchering already. Over-plucking has to stop; this isn’t the 1920's. Achieving great brows is simple; just follow the technique below. My most important tip? Put the tweezers down.

1. Brows should be natural-flowing arches that look uniform and not "little squares with tails." Begin plucking the brow from the inside, close to the inside arch of the nose. Draw an imaginary line from the tear duct up to the brow; that’s where a brow should begin. Anything in front of that imaginary line must be plucked.
2. To find the arch, find the center of the pupil and draw an imaginary line a bit diagonally up. That’s where it should arch.
3. Use the imaginary line to follow diagonally up from the outside corner of the eye. That’s where the brow should end.
4. With an old toothbrush or an eyebrow brush, brush the hairs straight up. If any hairs don't naturally fall back into place, cut them with a small pair of mustache scissors.
5. Look for stray hairs around the brow–on top and underneath– and pluck them away.
6. Check for any sparse areas and fill them in with a brow corrector. You can use a pencil, liquid, powder or whatever you feel comfortable with, but remember that the color you choose should be a bit lighter than your hair color. And less is more, so don't go overboard or you will look like Groucho Marx.
7. To keep the brow in place you can use clear mascara, a bit of hairspray or gel on a brow brush or old toothbrush, or a brow gel.

Lips tips

1. Achieve that perfect lip line–After applying your lipstick, put a bit of foundation on a concealer brush and follow around your lip line, erasing any smudges. Voila: a perfect pout.
2. When to use lip stains–Only use lip stains when your lips are perfectly smooth and you don't have lines around the mouth. To get smooth lips, buff lips with a toothbrush dipped in a little water and sugar. Never rub too hard and always follow with a light balm before the stain.
3. Gloss without the goop–Apply a great lipstick and then dab a bit of gloss only on the inside of the fleshy part of the lower lip. All the shine, none of the mess.
4. For high drama–After applying lipstick or gloss, put a touch of white sheer shimmer powder on the dip of the upper lip and right below the lower lip. Great for evening looks.
5. Wearing red–To get that perfect red lip, lightly apply a pale flesh colored lip liner. Then rub a red lip stain on the lips. Follow with a moisturizing red lipstick. Dry formulas look cakey; super glossy ones slip right off. Avoid red lip-gloss as it gets messy fast.
6. Small lips–Avoid wearing dark colors; they make lips look smaller. Do not draw on a big lip with lip liner. Instead choose light or bright shades of lipstick or gloss with shimmer that catches the light for a magnifying effect.
7. Big lips–Stay away from glossing the whole lip. Apply a little in the center on top and bottom, and then blend with your fingertip across the lips for shine that doesn’t overpower your face.
8. Whiter teeth–Brush teeth with a little baking soda. Then choose lip colors in cool tones for an icy-white smile.
9. Liner disasters–Never choose a lip liner darker than your lipstick. If you like to use liner on the whole lip, use a balm first to avoid chunky, uneven, dry color.
10. Bleeding lipstick–Line the lips with a pale flesh colored lip liner then fill with a moisture-rich lipstick with staying power. Avoid glosses as they tend to run.

All about eyes

Bring out your soulful beauty by enhancing your eyes. Whether your eyes are big, small, round, narrow, or deep set, all eyes will be on you when you give them a touch of glamour. Doing up the eyes is a great place to play with makeup, so have fun!

1. Always apply a highlight shade under the eyebrow and in the tear duct area. This creates at an open, bright-eyed look. Younger women can choose shadows or creams with shimmer; older women should stick with sheer, matte colors like vanilla. Highlight shades include: light pink, white, vanilla, gold, iridescent, and champagne.
2. For a natural day look, you can stop with Step 1. For a little more definition, apply an eye shadow shade across the lid and a slightly darker one in the crease. Blend well; no ‘stripes.’
3. Apply a dark liner to the lash line of the eyes. You can use a pencil, shadow, or liquid depending your desired effect. Liner enhances a full-lashes look to frame your eyes. The closer to the lash line, the more natural the effect.
4. Mascara is a must on top lashes. If you tend to smudge the lowers, skip it underneath. Curling lashes first makes a huge difference on straight lashes. Curled lashes=more drama.
5. When choosing colors, use shades opposite your eye color. Contrast really makes the eyes stand out.
6. Don't overdo it. If you are doing a strong or bright lip, use minimal eye makeup. For a classic look, apply the highlight shade, a taupe shadow across the lid, a dark line along the lashes and finish with mascara.
7. For a sexy, smoky look on larger eyes, rim the inside with a black pencil.
8. When using cream shadows apply only on the lid and not into the crease so the color does not become a creasy, greasy mess.
9. Splurge on brushes. Blending is so important when using eye shadows and having good brushes makes all the difference. I buy some of my faves at art supply stores as well as makeup shops.
10. If loose shadow falls under the eye when you are applying shadow, wipe away with a sponge dipped in a little foundation. It’s the perfect eraser.

 

Source