Last weekend, I went for a makeover/makeup coaching session with Dior makeup artists. If you remember, I told you about it here and I also found out that those who did use the password got a really good gift set! I’ll be reviewing the Capture Totale One Essential mask this week, for those who had the benefit of getting it so you know how I like it and how I use it 😉
Its been a while since I’ve been for one of these makeover things. Most of the time, its classroom style to listen to a makeup artist talk about the brand and products but its different to be able to have them work on your face, to tell you what techniques work for you and what doesn’t and just be able to ask all the questions I wanted. So I bring you the 5 top tips that I learnt after the makeover! 😀
Also, a picture of the absolutely lovely makeover I was given (and a hairy surprise!) that I went grocery shopping in, and that I was so loathe to wash off when I got home, I did my household chores with a fully made up face. True testament to the new Diorskin Nude liquid foundation that there was minimal fading even after I had mopped, cleaned the bathrooms and prepared dinner! LOL! So, onward ho!
1. Recommendations for which foundation brush to use
I asked Zaidi, the makeup artist, which of the 4 new foundation brushes he recommended for a newbie and why. His answer was the flat light coverage foundation brush for liquid foundation and the round light coverage powder foundation brush for powder. I was referring to the new Dior Backstage foundation brushes 🙂
So we know what I’m talking about
His rationale is that the light coverage liquid foundation brush applies a lighter application of product on skin, and there is less room for error. Ditto the powder foundation brush.
In terms of the round liquid foundation brush (I reviewed it here) he told me that instead of using it in a dab-dab motion as I have been doing (and as I have also been doing with the similar shaped Shiseido brush), I should first swirl on product on skin in a circular motion to blend it on skin, then dab for even coverage. If you dab it on right away, you might end up with too much product on one spot. Good tip that one! I’ll be putting it into practice.
I also copped a feel of the full coverage powder brush and its gorgeously soft and dense! You use it to buff on loose powder foundation, mineral foundation or powder foundation for higher coverage.
Zaidi started with the light coverage liquid foundation brush to apply the Diorskin Nude Liquid Foundation, then used the full coverage liquid foundation brush to touch up areas that need more coverage. Concealer was only dabbed on the intrusive pimple spots. Then, using the light coverage powder brush, he lightly dusted on some powder foundation to set. The result was a very natural, evenly covered base that did not look heavy, thick, masky or unnatural.
2. Employ the Magic of the Skinflash Illuminating Pen!
I am such a huge fan of the Skinflash Illuminating pen that its embarrassing 😛 I have gone through 2 of these and am now on #3. There will be #4 and #5 etc because this magic pen is quite something. I’ve done a gushworthy review of the Skinflash here but I use it primarily as an undereye concealer and illuminator (If you have not tried it, do. It helps me look alive when I feel dead)
But Zaidi taught me so many other ways of using this wonderful illuminating or as Dior will have it, Radiance Booster pen:-
- To trace the outside of your lip – this not only helps with your lipstick, it helps define the shape of your lips
- Down the bridge of your nose to highlight – He ran it down my nose and suddenly voila! I had a nose bridge!
- Around your eyebrow – After penciling in my brows, he used this pen and drew under the arch and at the top of my defined brow. The brow looked more defined and prominent
- Hide your lines – He drew it along my laughlines and they immediately looked less prominent
All this, apart from using it as an under eye concealer and illuminator and highlighter along cheekbones. I guess you can say my reverence for this product has just increased five-fold 🙂 I’m sure you could employ the same tips with other similar illuminating pens – there are quite a few in the market and the results are really something 😀
3. To add a glow to skin add a drop of One Essential Serum to liquid foundation
Capture Totale One Essential (mentioned here) is a serum I finished up and am now on my 2nd bottle. Its a product I stopped using for a spell, but now that I’m using it again, I can see what a difference it has made to my skin. Knowing that I can add a drop of it to liquid foundation, which he says, will help make skin look more radiant is most intriguing. Needless to say, I will be trying it out this week.
Diorskin Nude liquid foundation in 010 (new formula), Diorskin Nude Concealer in 001, Skinflash Radiance Booster Pen in 02 Moonlight, Diorskin Nude Compact Powder Foundation in 010
4. Use eyeliner as a base for eyeshadow to help colour look more vibrant and stay on longer
This has got to be one of the most brilliant tips I’ve heard all year. Its not so easy to describe but I will try to replicate this and tell you about it separately too because it really is brilliant 😀 Zaidi explained that Dior makeup artists use this tip backstage, because they need to be quick when doing eye makeup and they want good vibrant colours.
- Take a black pencil liner and start close to your lashes and then draw it in thickly about 1/3 of your lid
- Smudge the edges of the liner to soften it
- Take a lid colour and dab starting from the middle of your lid.
- Take a darker colour and dab, on the outer half of your lid.
- Open your eyes, then take a clean blending brush, and gently blend the colour with your eyes open
- Take a highlight colour and dab just under the arch of your brow, then blend
5. Not everyone needs eyeliner for the top lid
Most of the time, we are conditioned to think that eyeliner goes on the top lid, close to the lashes. Well, Zaidi took one look at my eyes and said that what I should be doing was lining the underside of my eyes, or tightlining, to make my eyes look bigger and more defined. Here’s a post I did on tightlining and a more updated post.
Lining the top lid, he told me, would not do very much because my lash line is hidden when I open my eyes, and I would need a thick liner for it to show. On the other hand, tightlining would be faster, and define my eyes better. The thing is, I have actually skipped lining the top lid altogether recently! All I do in the mornings is tightline and go. Its quick and easy and its great to know that I sort of figured this out. So, if you have slightly hooded lids like mine, practise tightlining and reap the benefits 🙂
Here is the finished result from all the above tips. I was so impressed with the eye makeup that was done so quickly yet so effectively, that I swore to have to learn to do it myself. Practice makes perfect, they say!
(1) Gorgeous eye makeup using the eyeliner trick and the Dior Golden Jungle 001 Golden Khakis palette (2) Photobombed by Xin (3) With Zaidi, Dior Makeup Artist who kindly shared these tips (4) Oh and I have new hair 😛
Products used in my look were the base products listed above. For colour, it was Golden Khakis on eyes, New Look Mascara, Eyebrow pencil #653, Cheeks in Rosy Glow Petal and highlighted with Diorskin Nude Shimmer compact and lips in Rouge Dior Nude Lip Blush in Swan #263. Gah! I love how the eyes turned out!
I hope you found one of these tips useful 🙂 For myself, I’m going to be working on the eyeshadow one, and yes, I have new very much shorter hair. With this new hair that I can’t hide behind anymore and that shows a lot of face, I’ve learnt that I need to have really good skin or failing that, really good base makeup. Needless to say, you can expect to read more of my base makeup exploits as we go along 🙂
Paris B
Lavender says
I like your eye makeup. This technique is brilliant. You can also use kohl pencil as it is softer and blends faster.
Paris B says
Thank you Lavender! I use a Kohl pencil at home and you’re right, its quicker!
EL says
I had a good time. I picked up a few tips too but I am sure I would be unable to recreate my eye makeup. Yours looks really nicely done! Also the extra gift was such a nice touch. Thanks again for sharing this deal with us.
Paris B says
You’re most welcome EL, good things have to be shared 😉 I’m glad you enjoyed yourself – its nice to hear from a participant! 😀
Wojis says
Great Eye make-up there and I love your hair! Nice picture of the brushes, you are really a great photographer.
Paris B says
Thank you Wojis! I can’t take credit for the brush photo though, its a stock photo from Dior – I wish I was that creative! 😀
Charlotte says
I like how your lip color matches the eyes! Lovely !
Paris B says
Thank you Charlotte! Swan was such a lovely pink, I’m tempted to get it! 😛
Beth Maiorana says
Paris, thank you for this post and all you do always…how I enjoy your blog!! You are simply darling, sweetie!! xoxo Beth in Pgh 😉
Paris B says
Thank you so much Beth! Appreciate your continued support! 😀
Leila says
Cool new hair! It really suits you. Must be a week for changing hair, well at least all around me. Even Xiao from Messywands cut hers short, you all look so cool!
Oh and I have been looking forward to reading about the new foundation. I love skinflash, I got it when it first came out (around the end of high school, Dior was one of my very sporadic high-end purchases, basically birthday money and the like coming along).
Funnily enough, I’ve always used it all the ways you’ve listed, maybe it was in the leaflet? (I’m not sure why else I would have thought to go round my lips, brows, nose as well as under eyes back then). It was more of a general highlighter for me, for special occasions and rarely a concealer, but these days with postgrad studies, it’s becoming a slightly more mundane item.
Actually, I don’t go round to the ends of my eyes any more, but just about a third to halfway, starting from my nose. This seems to look better for my bone structure.
Anyway, the whole look is quite pretty. I’ve loved khakis lately (and sad we didn’t get Dior’s Golden Savannah palette).
Paris B says
Thank you Leila, and I swear Xiao’s cut and mine were purely coincidental but wow! What a refreshing change yes? 😀 The different ways of using Skinflash could very well have been in the leaflet (but I have a bad habit of not reading it LOL!) but happy to know it works well for you too! I love Skinflash 😀 Oh dear, and you didn’t get Golden Savannah? Boo!! 🙁 I hear the Khaki palette is very pretty too, but I didn’t get it in the end. Ended up getting the Trio of Smokey Khakis instead. Very pretty!
plue says
love the eye makeup! i just love picture 4! somewhat sexy 😉
Paris B says
Thanks Plue! 😀
Ant says
Hi Paris, I’ve been reading your blog for some time now and I just wanted to tell you that you look gorgeous with your new hair and makeup! (not that you aren’t already) 😀
I do wish to see a picture of your eyes closed so I can see how and where he placed the colours as I have yet to be able to suscessfully put on eyeshadow and look good :/ i.e. I still can’t adapt eyeshadow tutorials to my own 1-2mm folded-lid eyes. 🙂
Paris B says
Hi Ant! Interestingly there’s another reader who comments as Ant too hehe… 😉 Thank you for your lovely words. I don’t have a picture of the eye makeup with eyes closed, but I will be doing a step by step tutorial soon, with eyes open and closed so it gives a clearer picture 🙂 Thanks again for your comment and hope to see you around soon! 😀
Anthea says
Haha I just noticed that while scrolling down for your reply! There’s Bugs too 😀 Anyway, so as not to confuse you and myself I shall be using my name if I leave comments in your other posts xD
Thanks for replying, and thank you for doing the tutorial for us readers 😀
Paris B says
teehee… indeed! 😀 I’ll have the tute up soon. Photos are a real beeyotch 😛 See ya around Anthea! (such a pretty name!!)
Joyce (bronzerbunny) says
Tightlining is so amazing, isn’t it!? I try it too but some days i just suck at it. also sometimes it’s hard to find the right liner for it! What do you use for tightlining? 🙂 Anyway, you look great!
Paris B says
Thank you Joyce 🙂 I use the Guerlain Kohl pencil or the Canmake Eyeliner Pencil. Pefect every time 🙂
grl.li says
Fantastic tips! Thanks for the suggestion of adding a drop of serum to foundation, that should make a huge difference. And I love the technique of blending shadow over dark liner for a blended dramatic but coherent effect.
Simply Fem says
Great tips!! I learned a lot in this post and I LOVE THE EYES!!! I’ve got to learn how to do that! The green and gold combination is just adorable! And you do look great with your new haircut! I just cut my hair short last april and I’m thinking of cutting them off again! haha Keep posting great articles!