Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Make-up lessons




























































1. Where to shade and highlight according to Kevin Aucion (genius!). I have made adjustments according to personal taste, but this picture is key to my happiness with my make-up routine.
2. me, no make-up
3. me, foundation only. I don't go all the way to the edges of my face, I use it only to even out red patches and/or cover blemished areas.
4. products I use regularly. There are three foundation colors, but I only use two - one for base, one for highlights, but the base changes depending on summer or winter skin tone.
5. me with regular make-up before the magic of highlight/shading -- nor eyebrow pencil, no inner eye-liner or fancy eye shadow tricks.
6. bronzer powder for shading. I prefer a liquid, but haven't found a new source since my banana boat instant bronze ran out (they only sell the self tanning version now :o( ).
7. I have exaggerated the amount so you can see where it goes. I do the sides of my nose, define my jaw line and blend down the neck, and I do the top of my forehead. The official version does sides of nose all the way up and over the eyes, but when I do that my eyes look too closely set. I also skip the cheeks part because it starts to look too made up (for me).
8. The highlight I do just like Kevin Aucion picture suggests. You can't see it on my forehead in this shot, but it's there. I use regular foundation make-up, but in a shade or two lighter than my regular base color. If you go too light, you will look like a dead person -- experiment. Sometimes for extra fun I add a bit of white shimmer eyeshadow on the top of the cheeks there (for going out and if I have summer color).
9. I also dot my lips then bend. Blending all of it is key. Think of the women with the foundation line -- you don't want any lines, so blend baby, blend.
10. My final trick is to flick a little water on my face and gently pat -- this helps things to not look too matte (too matte = more wrinkles and too drag queen-ish).
**special note -- I usually put blush on last so the highlight doesn't go on top of it. I just do the apple part of the cheek -- I don't drag it to the sides. I try to use creme blushes (creme everything when I can) as powder makes me look older and/or more made up.
also, a couple of final touches -- I do light shadow around the inner corners of my eyes, I do eyebrow pencil (again, blend or it looks stupid, but a little pencil fills in the color and brings out the thin outer edges a bit. last thing is sometimes I use a white liner pencil on the bottom inner lid. I line it, then wipe it off and it leaves enough behind to make the eyes pop (I've done that here -- you can see in the last photo. I've seen people leave it full white and it's a mistake, unless you want to look surprised all day.)
*** for more fun things to try check out the book Making Faces by Kevin Aucoin. Or google him and check out the website.


Labels:

10 Comments:

Blogger Angel said...

god you have the most beautiful lips I've ever seen!!!! and that's alot to do...with all the shading and highlighting....sheesh, I'd be in front of the mirror forevah!!! Then I'd end up looking REALLY like a drag queen...not that there's anything wrong with that.

you are BEE-U-TEE-FULL!!!!

now can you come and be my personal makeup artist? ;)

8:40 PM  
Blogger kim said...

I am telling you, five minutes if I leave out the eye routine (mascara and shadow only, no fancy stuff). Your eyes don't need anything anyway.

Definate danger of the drag queen look with bronzer and such(not a good look if you are not one). I went heavy for the lesson, but light and blendy is the way. It's a quick, shwip, shwip with the bronzer brush, and the cheek highlight is key. If nothing else, try the cheek highlight.

And the lips? It's the highlighting!

I kid. But thanks for the flattery, makes me love blogging :o).

9:52 PM  
Blogger kim said...

that picture from the book is also meant as a guide to where the crap goes -- he doesn't mean for it to go on that heavy.

Although, sometimes he does heavy and makes one star look like another star -- he was good at that make-up thing.

9:57 PM  
Blogger TTQ said...

hhahahaha.. I knew we were alike..I have a folder in my pictures with me playing w/make up, lighting and props. Such a Diva in my own head.

1:18 PM  
Blogger kim said...

I know! When Rich saw this post, I think he was thinking I need to get a job.

I hear there's good money in being a make-up artist!

2:47 PM  
Blogger KATE said...

I know next to nothing about makeup! Thanks for the tutorial! You are gorgeous!

12:37 AM  
Blogger Barrie said...

I need to print out this post and study it!

8:58 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sheesh.. I don't know how you girls can keep track of all that stuff. Make-up, shoes, reading between the lines, feminine hygene (whatever that really means.)
Me? I could go to the store in nothing but a bathrobe and kleenex boxes for shoes and not bat an eye.

Honestly I don't know what you see in us.

12:37 PM  
Blogger kim said...

Bath robe and kleenex box shoes = fixer upper and we do like a project.

That's how you hook us -- it's an appeal to our creative side.

1:31 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

My bathrobe is clean, I'll have you know. No "fixing up" required.

10:43 AM  

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home