With the silly season coming to an end, Celebrity Makeup Artist, Michael Brown shares how you glow like a Goddess this New Year’s Eve.
Summer is all about fresh skin, minimal makeup to match the warmer days ahead, but we also need some quick and fun pop products to take our look from day to night, ready to achieve the perfect party makeup.
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SKIN
As Australia has already shown us what to perhaps expect this summer, with hot days popping up already, our skin can get quite shiny quickly when wearing makeup.
Our base is so important and more time should be spent on this at initial application, then saving us touch up time later in the day.
What To Use
Water based Moisturiser
This will assist in giving instant freshness and a plumping effect, perfect for a BB Cream or light foundation to go over, but not allowing excess oil to the surface, plus a stronger bond with no melting away signs, later in the day.
Skin Illuminator
I find it best in summer to highlight the high points, or the more frontal parts of the face, that you want to bring forward – Cheekbone, brow bone, centre of brow, chin, cupids bow of lip – before makeup application… This allows areas to be lifted and light coming through your foundation, making it appear more translucent.
The more we layer over foundation, the more chance we have of creasing.
For night, when in party mode, we can use the same highlighter over our look to pop areas that little bit extra.
Mattifying Primer
This is for those that either have larger pores, or get quite shiny… I use this in my work as makeup artist a lot if my client is wearing makeup for a long period as it tends to not let skin shine up as much – Like having pressed powder lightly over the centre of your face, but this is applied in the same area, under foundation, over a pore affected area.
BB Cream
My choice in summer is a BB cream; I love the weightlessness of the product, the hydration value and of course the SPF protection – a great all in one that is summer ready every time.
As it is light, it tends to not crease and move throughout the day… Then at night, you can reapply in a patting motion over areas that need a little boost in colour correction – nose, chin, centre of the face mainly.
EYES
Contouring has ruled the eye makeup application scene for a few seasons now, using highlight and shade neutral tones to sculpt the eyes…
Colour has seen a decline in application, instead using it in as very minimal pops and this goes for metallic textures too – keeping the ‘fun’ part of makeup minimal and concentrated so the contouring factor of shading the eye is the hero going from day to night.
What to use
Bronzer
This is one of my favourite go-to, multi-tasker products that works for everyone. Not only is bronzer and an amazing all-over face glow, but it works perfectly, when matte, as a contour shade for under the cheekbone, lifting and sculpting the bone structure.
Once this has been applied, I generally use the same matte bronzer on the mobile eyelid. It works well for all eyeshades being a warm tone, plus acts as a great eye base, sculpting shade!
Place on mobile eyelid, then blend up and into the eye socket – this is best applied with eyes open so you get the correct height in the socket.
Great for day alone with just mascara or a base for a dressed up party look!
Eyeshadow as Eyeliner
A great quick and easy way to create simple definition at your lash line, with a slight feline approach, is to use a small angled brush dipped into a deeper shade of eye shadow.
A kohl pencil smudged works great, but in summer can wear away quickly and a liquid liner for some can be unachievable to apply.
Simply dip the angled brush into the deeper eyeshadow, tap brush to release any excess product – we don’t want that falling onto the face upon application now – and with the longer side of the brush facing away from lashes, apply in the diagonal line that the brush makes from end of nostril to brow end.
This gives lash fullness, definition and an elongated mini flick with the angled brush giving an instant eyelift.
Metallic Pop
To finish off your party eye, the warm summer nights are calling for a light-reflecting glow from our eyelids.
With a small, rounded, soft brush, apply a metallic shade matching your look (bronze/Rose Gold is a great shade for summer) to the very central area of the mobile eyelid – little dabs work better than flicks or sweeping, so you do not allow any fall-out to the lower eye area.
MB PRO TIP
Of course no look is complete without mascara and once you brush your brows upwards, giving your face an instant mini lift, rather than brushing them to the side, you are nearly party ready!
LIPS
In warmer weather and the bronzed, beach vibe of an Australian Summer, a lip stain with a hint of colour is a great go-to.
Matte lips can get a little dry and yet gloss can get sticky and melt away in the heat, so a creamy lip stain works perfectly.
Any lipstick can act as a stain, with the right application and can be great for a little hint of colour on the cheeks too.
What to use
Lipstick or a lip and cheek stain (non gloss)
A lip stain effect is all in the application.
If you apply lipstick by the actual lipstick bullet or lip brush, you are basically painting colour onto your lip, leaving it sitting there, making it very easy to transfer away.
If you apply colour to the lip with your fingertip, you can press pigment into the lip, creating a bond and staining effect – The fingertip being rounded helps plump the lips and overall a soft fresh colour.
MB PRO TIP
Nude tones can be a very easygoing shade for day and night.
For night, dress up the eyes a touch more, so your lips do not get lost.
Or, if you want an instant party lip boost, a brighter shade can take you from drab to fab in seconds.
For a quick guide:
Olive skin tones look great in blue base, cool shades
Fair Skin tones look great in warm, summer shades
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