Top Tips | My Before & After Make-over Secrets!
Hello Guys!
One of the reasons why I have been off the blogging radar recently is down to the fact I have been back to back with doing hair and make-up. For two weeks solid I have been doing make-overs, which was both fun and tiring. The biggest downside being the horrendous chore of cleaning my make-up brushes. I used to find it therapeutic, but once you have done about 30, you just want to curl up into the foetal position and stay there for a long time.
Speaking of cleaning make-up brushes, I get asked quite a lot how I clean mine, so I will be doing a short post on this very soon!
Myself, three photographers (boyfriend included) and various groups of models got to use the most awesome location to shoot (see above pictures).
Over the two weeks I posted on my Instagram (zoenewlove), Twitter (@zonewlove) and my Facebook page (Zoe Newlove Make-up artist) some of the “Before and After” pictures – results of my make-overs!
I always get asked the same thing when I post these types of images:
“What foundation do you use?”
“How do you get the skin to look like THAT?”
“What lipstick..”
and so on.
So I thought it was about time I gave you guys a few tips!
1.) Always PREP the skin!
I have seen some other make-up artists just use a simple face wipe to “prep” the skin and immediately begin to slap make-up on. This is a BIG no no! I always find out what skin type my model/client is and adjust a skincare routine accordingly. If there appears to be any sign of make-up/residue on the skin you must CLEANSE the skin first, quick spritz of toner and then apply the appropriate moisturiser. e.g Oil-free for Combination/Oily skin etc.
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| I LOVE my Crownbrush UK Brows Palette! |
2) Sort out those Brows!
This is just a personal preference, but the majority of the time I begin with the eyebrows. Whether they need a tiny bit of tidying up with tweezers or brushing into place. I then DEFINE them. Depending on what style of make-up you’re doing these “guidelines” change, but for general “glamour/night out” make-up I really like to make the most of the brow area. I tend to fill them in with a waxy pencil and then go in with a powder just for a bit more va va voom.
Your brows really make a massive difference to your face, so don’t forget to give them a bit of love!
3) It’s all in the Eyes..
I always begin with the eyes because I make a mess. Eyeshadow goes everywhere!
Eye primer is essential. It is the only way your eye make-up is going to stay near to perfect for more than one hour. If you have oily lids or find your eyeshadow sits in creases invest in a decent primer such as Nars Smudge Proof eyeshadow base. Next, work out what shades you can play with to make the eyes “pop”. You have to take into consideration skin tone, hair and eye colour.
To make it easier I have put together a cheat sheet using “eyes” as an indicator:
Warm tones will compliment warm skin and cool tones will compliment cool skin! Simples.
4) Prime and Refine!
My favourite primer at the moment is Arbonne Make-up Primer. I have not used any other one for a wee while now as I just love it THAT much. This one is suitable for all skin types. Refining pores and smoothing out the skin before applying a base can really make a huge difference.
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| One of my favourite foundations to work with on shoots! |
5) Foundations…
The foundations I use a lot of at the moment are:
M.A.C Face and Body – Long lasting, water resistant, natural dewy finish…
Illamasqua Skinbase – Medium coverage, semi-matte finish, easy to apply/blend…
Arbonne Perfecting Liquid SPF 15 – Medium coverage, semi-matte, good for oily/combination
I tend to use my fingers with Face and Body as I find this the best and most efficient way to apply it. I like to use this as my “base” foundation before using other foundations/concealers to contour. Contouring is a brilliant technique to add depth to your face. I wrote a step by step guide on how to contour which you can READ HERE.
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| M.A.C Pro Concealer/Corrector Palettte in Medium |
6)Correct and Conceal
Loving M.A.C Pro Palettes! These have 4 studio finish concealers and two correctors! I wrote a review of this HERE. Illamasqua Skinbase foundation doubles up as a concealer for under the eyes so I use this quite a lot as well as Bourjois Healthy Mix concealer. I really like using M.A.C Prep and Prime highlighters for correcting areas of the face too!
Once I have finished the base I always set the skin with something like
Illamasqua Translucent Setting Powder!
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| Great Cream Blushers for a make-up artist on a budget! |
8) Bronzing and Blush!
Particularly for glamour make-up, I add bronzer. I have been loving my Sunkissed Large bronzer and bits from M.A.C Cosmetics. I apply bronzer in a 3 way action, starting at the forehead, close to the temple, to then sweeping down the cheekbone, and finishing along the jaw line. I don’t really like shimmery bronzers as I prefer to add highlight/shimmer myself after a bronzer. I think shimmery bronzers can look a bit tacky and “over done” if not applied correctly. As for blushers, I am still loving Illamasqua Cream blushers in every shade going, but mostly Dixie, Zygomatic and Rude. I also really like MUA Cosmetics Cream blushers which are great if you are on a budget!
9) Let’s get Lippie!
Lips bring the whole look together, and can make or break your work. Messy lip liner just ruins everything, and pick the wrong shade – well then you have a disaster on your hands. With glamour/night out make-up I really like to make the most of the eyes, so I tend to be quite neutral with the lips. This does not mean stick on a “foundation/concealer” shade of gloss, it means applying a subtle shade that brings the whole look together. I love playing around with girly pinks, corals and pretty nude colours. I use a mixture of lip liner, lipstick and gloss.
My current favourites are:
Lipliner – M.A.C Cosmetics liners in Subculture, Spice and In-Sync
Lipstick – Laura Mercier, M.A.C, Tom Ford
Lip Gloss – Model Co Double ended glosses and MUA Cosmetics Lipgloss
10) and finally… Hair
Big, curly, wavy, sexy hair is usually what goes hand in hand with glamour. Invest in a good set of heated rollers, a good curling wand, GHD’s and a back combing brush.
Learn how to pin-curl if you want a quick curly blow dry effect! Do this before you begin the make-up, so by the time you have finished the hair will have set!
I have to point out that the make-up brushes you use can make a huge difference. You do not have to spend a fortune on brushes, invest wisely and good quality brushes will last you a very long time. I love Crownbrush UK, and no I have not been paid to say this. I genuinely adore this brand and take their brushes on every shoot. If you are yet to try this brand then I suggest you check out their Infinity collection (review here) and the Syntho Collection (review here) to get started!
I hope this post was a little bit helpful and also an insight to the way I work with a face. I will be posting more tutorials in the future as I get lots of requests on my Instagram to do this! If there are any other posts you would like to see please leave me a comment in the box below!
See you soon,
