Jessica O’Neil’s Makeup Techniques
Introduction
A good makeup artist has to:
1, be observant so as to spot issue that need correcting and see the parts nature does beautifully itself. Also to have a good eye for colour depth and shade.
2, be good at application of makeup and use of many different tools and materials.
These two factors I have used for 11 years to be able to apply, character makeup’s, period makeup’s, prosthetics and corrective makeup. It is corrective makeup that I will be giving my tips on in this newsletter. With practice, time and patience you can master these two factors to create a beautiful look for yourself.
Lets start with observation…
Give yourself plenty of undisturbed time and be comfortable! Set up a mirror in good daylight, so the direction of the light does not cast any shadows over parts of your face. Have a pencil and tweezers handy.
Start by looking at your skin, which areas have flaws, patches off different colour, dry patches or oily patches? . Notice what parts need correcting or enhancing, Look at your bone structure, do your cheekbones, jaw line and chin speak for them selves or do they need accentuating or sculpting?
Look at your nose. Is it broad, long , thin , croaked or bumpy in places? . These issues can be corrected with good shading and highlighting.
Lips – look to see if they are evenly shaped upper and lower, one side and the other. Are they evenly plumbed or is the upper lip thinner in proportion to the lower.are they thinner or plumber in proportion to the rest of your face structure? All this can be corrected and enhanced with good application of products.
Eyebrows – if you have good-shaped eyebrows it is a wonderful frame for your eyes. So it is important to create a good eyebrow shape. This is one way to achieve that. Look directly forward into the mirror , using the pencil place it vertically, so one end is at the tip of your nose and the other end is pointing straight up. Now keeping hold of the pencil at the tip of your nose move the pencil to the left, like the hand of a clock, to the outside corner of your eye. Were the pencil point is pointing to is where your eyebrow should finish. Are your eyebrows longer or shorter from this point? . Holding the pencil at the tip of your nose again and starting in the middle, again move the pencil in a clock hand motion to the center of your eye or pupil this will point were the eyebrow should arch. Again use the pencil and move it to the inside corner of your eye to indicate where the eyebrow should start. Repeat process on your other eye.
Eyebrow Plucking - Now you can use the tweezers to take away excess hair and correct eyebrows (pluck at least half hour before applying any makeup to give time for the hair follicles to close, so as not to cause infection). Warm water on the eyebrows will open up the hair follicles to make plucking easier .Use tweezers at the base of the hair and pluck in the direction the hair grows in. Remember once you have plucked the hairs will grow back so this is a process that will need repeating regularly. Don’t pluck too much to begin with, like all aspects of makeup start minimally.
Adding Eyebrow Hair - If your eyebrows are thinner or shorter in places, use a pointed eyebrow or eyeliner pencil the same shade as your eyebrows. Do quick short strokes to create the look of eyebrow hairs were needed. Be minimal, don’t over do it so it looks completely painted on. You can also use a very fine pointed brush with the correct coloured dry eye shadow on it to give a subtler look that can be easily wiped away and corrected . When more confidant , dampen the brush with the powder. Remember you are trying to paint in fine hairs were they are not naturally.
Application
Primers, anti-shine, colour corrective creams and strobe creams can be worn under foundations or on bare skin at the beginning of your makeup application .I will discuss these further at a later date.
Skin correction
This is where a good eye for colour and shade is needed. There are many different foundations, concealers and powders on the market. Try out a few testers and use counter staff for their knowledge of products. Find which you and your skin are comfortable wearing. Whether that be liquid foundation, foundation/powder mixes or just concealer and powder. Pick a shade that matches the majority of the skin colouring on your face , always test on your face in good lighting preferably daylight, move to natural light were possible . Other areas of your body, such as the back of your hand maybe a different shade to your face.
Whether you apply the base or concealer to just the areas that need correcting or all over the face and which ever tool is your preference to application, fingers, sponge or brush always press the base into the skin it will stay on longer and appear smoother. Don’t drag the foundation over the skin or over apply in places as this will cause streaks.
There is a layer of very fine hairs over the face. They go from the centre of the face downwards towards the outside of the jaw line. Be careful not to go against this hair, go in the direction of it when applying foundation, powder or blusher. If you go against it you can make the makeup appear patchy and streaky. These hairs work very well for you as they help the make up stay on very well.
Damp makeup sponges make it easier to apply liquid foundation. Over large areas of the face, it helps to keep the foundation smooth. Start at your forehead going across and own to the temples going up between the eyebrows, as this is the direction of the hair growth there. Then down the nose and down the sides of the nose. Long down and outward strokes over the cheeks , do not do over repeated strokes, just enough to apply it smoothly and evenly. Blend it down over the jaw line so it fades out as you reach your neck, this help prevent “ tide lines “. Then down and outward from each nostril to the corners of your mouth going in the direction of the fine hair growth. Downward strokes from bottom lip to cover chin, and just under chin. Check for any areas that need more coverage or concealer. Preferably use brush or finger tips for this. Check for streaks or lines use a damp makeup sponge with no base on it to blend these out. Make sure to give your upper eyelids a good even coverage of base if you are going to be wearing eye shadow making sure to powder over as well.as this will keep the eye shadow on well so prevent creasing.
Under Eye Concealer- Under eye concealer should be only two to three shades lighter than your skin tone, so it blends well. Keep it light, don’t pile it on, as the more liquid base that goes into creases and lines will end up sitting in them and increasing the depth of the lines. Powder is much better at smoothing out creases, as it doesn’t end up accentuating them.
Applying powder
Apply powder with either a large soft bristled brush, or a powder puff in the same directions as I have described in the foundation application. Using a brush will keep the powder light and just take of any shine. Using a powder puff will add more powder. When using a powder puff use it in a motion, which presses and rolls this will keep it even and doesn’t move the foundation underneath. If you pull or sweep the powder over the face you can end up streaking the foundation underneath. The purpose of the powder is to set the foundation so it stays in place and to take away excess shine. Powder applied in this way can also be used to correct any mistakes when applying blusher. If you use a loose powder on a smaller (eye shadow) brush it can correct any mistakes with eye shadow application. Using powder (on a small fanned) brush under the eyes in a very light sweeping motion from the inside corner of the eye towards the outside corner will keep it light and smooth out laughter lines. Top ups , to take away shine later should be done with a compact powder as reapplying to much loose powder will make the foundation blotchy. Powder and liquid foundation together will absorb into each other. So make sure your powder is a good colour match to your foundation or skin tone as you could end up making your base to light or dark.
Shading
Shading and highlighting application tips for cheek bones , nose , jaw line and chin I will discuss in a future publication.
Once you have created an even skin tone you have the perfect base to start having fun creating your makeup look. It’s like having the perfect canvas to paint a picture.
Eyes
Wide Eyes- As with all the other aspects of makeup try to use colours that enhance you skin tone, especially for every day makeup. Try to remain subtle and let your makeup enhance you, not take over you so that all people see is makeup rather than you. If you have large eyes you might choose just a nice natural base colour over the eyelids with eyeliner and just a little mascara and no socket shading (which I will discuss in a future publication). This can also be a very nice choice for easy everyday makeup.
Small Eyes- If your eyes are smaller or close together clever use of eyeliner can correct this. Use it lightly and just from the outside corner of the lower lid close to the lashes fading out as you come towards the middle of the eye. The same but slightly heavier along the upper lid edge close to the eyelashes. Never put eyeliner on the inside ridge of your lower lid, this gives an image of closing up the eye. It also comes off very quickly as your eye naturally cleans itself. Use mascara close to the base of the lashes using outward strokes top and bottom of the lashes. Concentrate it on the outer lashes so this again will have the effect of opening up smaller eyes.
Eye Liner Techniques - Light subtle eyeliner can be achieved by using a very thin pointed or angled brush with dry powder eye shadow. If using pencil eyeliner, try dotting it along the upper and lower lids close to the lashes and then carefully blend the dots together with you finger tips to give a subtle misty look.
Liquid eyeliners can be used to give a much more defined and doe eyed look. Be careful when using these on upper lids make sure the line is not so thick that when you open your eye the liner transfers to your socket line fold.
Blusher
Be careful when choosing your shade whether your preference is pinkie or deeper coral shades or warmer peachy, browner shades, don’t over do it. Blusher is just meant to enhance the cheekbones and give a healthy colour and glow to you skin. If you put on to much it can take the focus away from your makeup look as a whole. Some people can be allergic to the colour pigments in some blushers so if you notice slight bumps, lumps or blemishes starting to appear around the area you have been applying the blusher, it may be best to change to a different shade or make.
Appling Blusher - Apply powder blusher with a medium or fairly large bristled brush from the apple of your cheeks (the part close to the centre of your face that fattens up when you smile) in an out and upward direction along the natural form of your cheekbone. Cream blushers are applied with fingertips, not on top of powder though. These give a fresh glow look apply in the same direction as the powder blusher. In both cases BLEND. Avoid harsh lines of blusher.
Correcting Mistakes - Use loose powder on a powder puff to go over it if you have put too much on or gone too heavy in a particular place, as this will erase the depth of colour.
Lip colours and liners
Again as for choosing your shade this is down to personal preference but try to have it in keeping with the rest of your makeup. Lip correction using lip liner pencils or brushes can be achieved with practice. I will be going into further details on this topic in future publications.
Lip Pencil Lines - Remember pencil lip liners don’t have much oil in them so they tend to stay on the lips longer then lip stick so be careful not to go to heavy or you can be left with just a harsh outline on your lips.
Conclusion
This is a basic introduction to straight corrective makeup techniques .Enjoy wearing your makeup . trust in your own judgement of your makeup , and the compliments and comments of people you trust and are close to you . I will be publishing more information on makeup and different techniques in the near future , So stay tuned. Have Fun !
