With the Red Carpet season rapidly approaching I want to share with you: my skill & expertise for Red Carpet hair & makeup.
I’ve worked with numerous celebs including Kate Beckinsale, Gillian Anderson, Rose Byrne & Natascha McElhone.
My latest beauty images are a collective, inspired by my favourite looks, with hair up & down options.
I want to share my tips on creating Red Carpet worthy makeup that will work brilliantly for bridal, & other special occasion makeups.
I know this may seem like a given, but it’s important to start with perfectly clean skin. My favourite cleansers are ‘Lancôme – Eau Micellaire Doucer Express Cleansing Solution Face, Eyes, Lips’ & ‘Bi-Facil Non-Oily Instant Eye Makeup Remover’. Once your skin is spotless, you can moisturise. There are many splendid moisturisers out there, but pre makeup, I like to use ‘Lancôme Hydra Zen Neurocalm Extrême’. Giving an intense hit of moisture, coupled with a soothing & calming effect this is a staple in my kit.
Red Carpet complexions tend to look fluid & glossy. I don’t think I know another makeup artist who uses a foundation alone. We are alchemists & like to create our own formulas for completely bespoke skin finish.
For this look, Ievened out AbbyJo’s skin tone using a mixture of ‘Sisley Photo-Teint Expert All-day long flawless skincare foundation – Porcelaine’ & ‘NARS Skin Illuminator – Hot Sand’. If a complexion is particularly dry & needs a boost of moisture, I add a pump of ‘Darphin Hydraskin Serum’. Mix one pump of each, use a brush to bend the two (or three) & apply from to the eye area & around the nose, blending out to the edges of the face with your fingertips. Spray the brush with a little water or wipe with a scant of moisturiser to dampen it before applying the foundation.
Using a brush allows a more measured application. It’s important for the complexion to look dewy, practically bare but ethereally perfect. Go easy with your concoction & don’t neglect to blend under the chin & onto the neck, where the skin is often paler than on the face & body. I used a touch of ‘Crème De La Mer The Radiant Concealer SPF 25 – Medium’ under the eyes, around the nose & on the chin; anywhere that needs a little extra coverage.
I always set my base with a scant of loose powder. This will set the foundation & skin illuminator mixture. Using a clean disc of cotton wool, gently press a little ‘Crème De La Mer Skincolour De La Mer – The Powder – Translucent’. Again, starting around the eyes & blending outwards. Apply to the bridge of your nose, upper lip, chin and forehead. Use a soft powder brush to blend away any excess powder with firm, circular motions.
I gently shaded just beneath AbbyJo’s cheekbones using ‘Tom Ford Matte Bronzing Powder no.2 Terra’. Blend subtly along the lower cheekbones, towards the temples. Shade the hairline & the tip of the chin. This will highlight the triangular section of the face from the outside corner of each eye, down the bottom of the lips. Blend, blend & blend again so that your makeup is seamless & the colour is fluid. This shading should be super subtle & refined.
I used ‘MAC Crème Colour Base – Shell’ to highlight the top of AbbyJo’s cheekbones.
Adding a pop of colour to the apples of the cheeks really brings the complexion alive. I chose ‘NARS Blush – Unlawful’. Blend gently towards the temples to really sculpt the cheeks. I always go back to my powder brush to soften the effect of the blusher, blending that and the gentle contouring until everything is seamless.
Using ‘Tom Ford Eye Colour Quad Sahara Haze’ I shaded AbbeyJo’s eyelid with the silver tone. I used the golden black to intensify the lash line, blending up into the silver. I finished the eye shading with a touch of the celestial green to the centre of the lid. This creates a wonderful shimmering effect.
I intensified AbbeyJo’s lash line with ‘M.A.C. Penultimate Eye Liner – Black’, extending to a gentle flick. Upper lashes were dressed using ‘Givenchy Phenomon’eyes Mascara – Black’. Working only on the upper lash line with liner & mascara gives a cleaner finish & a fresher, younger look.
I groomed AbbeyJo’s brows ‘Tom Ford Brow Sculptor – Taupe’.
I wanted a nude/buff toned lip with minimal colour & a sheer texture. I selected ‘Tom Ford Lip colour shine – Smitten, So much subtler than a gloss & with the longevity of a lipstick. Young, fresh, beautiful.
