September 4, 2013

Makeup Work in the Salon

Martie Hair, Makeup and Beauty darker brown, diverse makeup portfolio, eye makeup, makeup work, medium brown, Urban Decay Naked 4 Comments

One would think that living in the Deep South, in This Small Town of Mine, that I would not get much opportunity to work with clients from different cultures. One would be right. When I get to do makeup work on diverse clients, I’m always pumped!

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Building a Diverse Makeup Portfolio

As a makeup artist who is still finding my way in this industry, I am always excited to try something new, something challenging! I want to work on every face shape, every skin type, and every ethnicity, so I can build a diverse makeup portfolio and get experience that only comes from hands-on practice.

I was very blessed recently to have scheduled one such session makeup work, and I took on the challenge with a big ‘ol dose of Southern determination. I did my homework. I stalked my client on Facebook a little bit (oh hush, y’all do it, too!) to study her eye shape, skin tone, and even get a little insight into her lifestyle. I knew she was planning a cruise soon, and was hoping to give her some great tips that she could use while she was floating along in the Mediterranean waters, sipping fruity drinks.

Meet the Good Doctor, a beautiful Filipina physician who always graces us with a big smile when she visits.

This shot is before my makeup work, but after getting her vibrant new color from Linnie-Pooh, my work neighbor. Great job, Linnie-Pooh! We all agreed that these coppery-red highlights were perfect for the Good Doctor. She’s spunky, energetic and fun!

Makeup Work

I chose a clean, understated look for her eye makeup. Her new hair color is so rich and multi-tonal, so I went with neutral tones in an attempt to showcase her beautiful skin tone and those big baby browns. I started by shaping her brows a little, using my Tweezerman Mini Slant tweezers. You can learn more about eyebrow shaping here.

and then applied her eye makeup. I like to start with the eyes so I don’t smudge (or accidentally remove) foundation while I’m working. I used my Urban Decay Naked palette, which is my absolute favorite go-to eyeshadow palette.

I applied a Darkhorse  to the lash line, blending until it just faded into the lid. Just above that, I went with Buck, and blended that into the crease area. Given the Good Doctor’s ethnicity, there isn’t much crease there at all, so trying to draw in a crease just looks like….well…like you drew in a crease.

Stacking the shades this way helps to almost create the illusion of a crease, and really brightens her eyes. Planning ahead for your makeup work is a must. From there, I loaded my brush with Virgin, just a shade lighter than her skin tone, and blended that all the way up to her brow bone. With a Half-Baked, I highlighted the area of her lid that is right on her eyeball when closed. Just a touch! I used Nuetrogena Nourishing Eyeliner in Plum Drop 70, very tightly, on her lash line and blended it again with a clean brush. No harsh lines here…this unique eye shape doesn’t need that.

the eyes

I left off eyeliner on the bottom of her eyes, because lining under the bottom lashes would create shadows I didn’t want, and lining the water line would make her eyes appear smaller. Given the sparseness of her lashes, we also decided together that mascara wasn’t needed, and would probably do more harm than good.

the face

I finished this look by applying Clinique Even Better Makeup in the appropriate shade only to the areas that needed to be evened out, blending well, then setting with e.l.f. Studio high definition face powder.  I contoured and highlighted her face in the appropriate areas, showing her how to apply bronzer in all the right places (as seen here, in one of the Good Doctor’s selfies. No, I’m not picking my nose!)

I actually used the Virgin eyeshadow in the UD Naked palette that I applied to her brow bone for highlighting the bridge of her nose. Then, apparently, I did a little dance, as seen in another great selfie by the Good Doctor.

the end

The final touch was brushing on some Maybelline Baby Lips Moisturzing Lip Balm in Grape Vine (I’ve always loved that stuff), and topping it with a clear gloss. Success!  She loved her look and promised we’d do some makeup work again sometime, maybe with a little more color!

By the way, the Good Doctor was taking selfies just so she could remember each step. I made a list for her of everything I used, and in what order, before she left. I sent a happy customer on her way, armed with her new tricks, her list, and a little dose of self-confidence. That sweet new hair color didn’t hurt, either!
She thanked Linnie-Pooh and me with a tag on Facebook, and my favorite selfie of all!

Thank you, Good Doctor, thank you! We look forward to your next visit!

X,O,X,O,   Martie