Editorial Make-up

Preparing a shoot: Make-up

Maybe seemingly a bit off topic but being me and being probably the worlds biggest disaster at applying make-up, I was over the moon that today I had a chance to learn and create two different faces of editorial make-up. Through sweat and blood I fought to be able to copy the make-up artists perfect example; and this is how it turned out:

Beauty look with a red lip

Cleanse the skin, using preferably a natural cleansing water. Be sure to remove all previous make-up. Tip: hold cotton wool onto the eyes to allow previous eye makeup to soak in, also, holding the cotton wool under the eye up to the bottom lash line, use a cotton bud to gentle rub along the water line.

Using a spatula, take out a bit of moisturiser onto your hand, and wake up the skin by massaging it into the face.

Using a spatula again, take out a bit of lip balm and moisturise the lips. Tip: If there are any dry spots left on the skin, use the lip balm over them.

Asses the skin as to weather it is more of a yellow based colour or red based colour. I used Mac cosmetics, and they organise their foundations as to weather they are a 'C' colour (yellow based), or an 'N' colour (red based) Tip: always choose a slightly lighter colour, and test colour on the neck. Place it on the back of your hand then use a rounded brush to place it on the skin then blend in.
Then use a concealer lighter than the foundation to highlight the nose, eye lids, cheeks, and chin using a flat small brush.  I used C2 for the foundation and NC20 for the concealer.

Tip: you can mix a tiny bit of orange-red creme colour into the concealer to use on the blue patches between your eye and your nose to correct it. Like this you can use a yellow creme colour in the concealer to take the red out of spots and blemishes. 

Set the makeup using a powder with a soft brush. Be gentle with the powder and pat it on, make sure you cover the eye area.

Brows. Using a brow pencil lighter than your natural hair colour, start under the brow and gently flex back and forth. Extend the brow, and if needed make the brow bigger. MAKE SURE YOU CHECK THE SYMMETRY. Comb through the brows with a brow brush, then with a slightly cleaned mascara wand brush up.

Gently contour around the eye with a little bronzer, in the socket line and under the eye.
Then take the bronzer and a light blush. Smiling, dust the blush with a powder brush over the apples of your cheek. Then using the bronzer, contour around the head (under the jaw bone/ around the nose/ connecting the blusher.)

Lips. Firstly blot off the excess lip balm. Then powder the lips so that they do not bleed.

With a sharpened lip pencil, start at the bottom and create a line. Then over the rose do the same at the top. Then with an opened mouth connect the sides, make sure the line is a little thick. 

Pick a lipstick that compliments the skin colour. I used 'Lady Danger,' as the skin is relatively tanned and the orangy-red is very complimentary. But if you are working on a paler hue, perhaps try Macs 'Russian Red' as it is a bit colder. Using a spatula place a little on your hand, then using a lip brush fill out the lip, using a smaller brush on the edges. Be sure not to go over the line. 

You can gloss the lip by mixing the lipstick in some clear lip gloss and painting it in the middle of the lip.

Once you have finished, put cleanser on a small brush and tidy up the lip line. Finally clean up anything else with a bit of concealer. 

Editorial Colour

To use creme colour on the eyes, make sure you have used a conealer base before, be bold and confident when using the colour, and be sure to have a block between your colour and the skin. We went for a more 70's look, and didn't do much else to the face, other than a bit of eye liner and a more messy purple lip.