I am always open to learning something new…and I love that there never seems to be any rhyme or reason to my lessons or who they come from. In the “school” of makeup artistry, my teachers are everywhere!Here are some of the favorite products and tricks that I learned from clients and friends along the way—hope you enjoy them. And feel free post your favorite makeup tricks and tips below in the comments!
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Ape for ApricotYears ago, while working at a Givenchy show, I met a model who had, to put it nicely, very problematic skin. I can relate as I have the same issues. Before I went to work on perfecting her skin with my usual suspects, she pulled out a product she swore by. (Man, I love when models pack their faves!). The Make Up For Ever HD Primer in Apricot isn’t a shade I would normally lean on for color correcting all the redness she needed muted on her inflamed skin. But it subtly lessened the ruddy tones on her face so that I only needed to touch up a few areas. It’s a quick-dry formula that isn’t too powdery-feeling like some silicone primers, which sit atop the skin and amplify dryness around pimples. Thank goodness for this model citizen!
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Grammy’s Go-To CoralIt’s true. Distinguished ladies love their coral—and my Gram wears it daily. Coral is the perfect shade of orange-y red that brightens up skin of any age. My Gram knows that a lot of the products out there in this shade creep into fine lines and wear off quickly. She loves the . So much so, that in all her 90 years of testing different coral-colored products, she’ll tell you this one’s her favorite. I arrived to a package on my doorstep a year ago with three of these babies for my kit, and I totally agree with her. Gotta love Gram!
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The Greatest Cover UpOne of my favorite friends and clients, Stephanie Beatriz of Brooklyn 99 fame, is not only a comic genius, but she’s completely adorable inside and out. One day, as we were glamming her up for a press event, she busted out this amazing mineral powder concealer by Colorescience. I can’t believe I’m admitting this, but in my decade-plus of working in this industry, I hadn’t ever used a powder concealer product so I was skeptical. “Trust,” she said. Sure enough, I layered the correcting shades over a pimple with impeccable timing and it disappeared, taking its shine along with it. I was truly amazed and still am. I use this bad boy frequently now. Thanks, Steph!
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It’s Good to Be the QueenYou can learn the best tips from drag queens. Nobody, and I mean nobody knows how to make eyes look lifted, young and open like they do. I’ve always been addicted to these little eye stickies, which tuck heavy lids ever so slightly to help your eyes turn back time. As I was setting up my makeup table for a six-day commercial shoot, a guy in production who moonlit in drag on weekends walked over to me and said, “Honey, you know you can just use lash glue, right?” Intrigued, I had him show me. Sure enough, you run a trace of lash glue just below or above your droopy spot, open the eyes wide to tack the skin together and bam—eyelift, sans sticker.I encourage you to pick up your own tricks from your friends, clients and family members. And don’t forget to post your faves here!
