The world of make-up can be quite daunting, especially for someone who’s fairly new to the scene. What to use, how to use, how to pick, and where to apply, are the questions that run through your head. Fret not! Stafford Braganza, National Makeup Artist NYX Professional Makeup answers all your burning beauty questions:
ELLE: What is the right way to pick your foundation shade?
Stafford Braganza: Foundation is worn to even out skin tone ONLY! Do not wear foundation to change the features or colors of your face. Foundations should be selected with the help of an expert so that she diagnoses your skin and gives you the appropriate foundation for your skin tone. Apply a primer on to a petri dish and warm it up with your foundation brush for a few seconds and then work it on to your face. You can do this by applying the primer to your face and blending well. Always start at the centre and move outwards. As far as foundation goes, always try a shade that is closest to the skin’s tone.
ELLE: What goes first, concealer or foundation?
SB: For those with few or no blemishes, a light dab of concealer before foundation might be enough. However, foundation always comes first because it allows you to see which areas on the face need more coverage. Tip: After completing the entire makeup, dab & blend a little concealer under the eye area and set it with a translucent power to give your eye makeup a clean, finished look!
ELLE: How to do a smokey eye easily?
SB: To create a unique smokey eye, start with a charcoal black in the crease of the eye. It’s best to use your ring finger to blend the colour. Make sure to keep the colour on the eye lid moving towards the centre of the eye lid. Then apply a burgundy colour on the centre with your ring finger and gently dab the colour. Finally taking some dark brown pigment, apply it on the the outer corner. Apply a little more with your ring finger or an eyeshadow blending brush to the outer corner.
To give it a finished look use a large eyeshadow blending brush to merge all the colours in the crease line giving you a soft, smokey burgundy black/brown look. Mimic the same hue of colour on the lower lash line and finish the look with a mascara.
Remember your eyes are not complete till you shape & colour your brows. Using a deep brown brow pencil fill in and shape your brows.
ELLE: What’s the easiest way to prevent your lipstick from bleeding?
SB: Here’s the real trick—to keep lipstick from bleeding into fine lines and wrinkles around your mouth, dip a cotton swab in a translucent powder and roll outside the lip line before you apply your lipstick. Don’t apply powder to the top of lipstick — it will ruin the colour. Instead, start by lining the outside of your lips with the lip liner to help fill in any fine lines. Then, fill in the rest of your lips with a lip liner in a shade that matches your lipstick before applying your lipstick.
ELLE: How to pick the right make-up remover for your skin?
SB: Removing your make-up every day is an important part of taking care of your skin, but using the wrong makeup remover can cause more damage than good. Below are a few tips on how to choose the right cleanser for your skin type:
– Use salicylic acid if you have oily skin. Salicylic acid will help to soak up excess oil while the cleanser removes your make-up
– Use a creamy or foaming cleanser for dry skin. This restores moisture to your skin while the chemicals in the cleanser break down and remove your make-up
– Try an oil-free makeup remover. This type of makeup remover tends to be gentler. Keep in mind that you might need to wipe down your face two or three times with this type of remover.
– Choose an emulsifying cream for sensitive skin. If you have sensitive skin, avoid makeup removers with foaming formulas. Instead, get a cream makeup remover that you massage into your skin and then rinse off.
ELLE: What’s the best way to get the perfect winged eyeliner?
SB: Let’s just all agree that nothing elevates your eye makeup game like a perfectly drawn dramatic winged eye-liner. It looks hot and complements almost every kind of look. Below is a step by step on how to create the perfect winged liner:
– Dip the angle brush in your eyeliner pot and place it on the outer edge of your eye creating an angle with your temples.
– Place the same brush over the line you just drew in an inverted fashion to create the upper curve of your wing.
– Fill in the blank space between the lines with your eyeliner brush and extend the liner to the inner corner as you normally do.
– Use a concealer around the winged line to give u the perfect drawn liner.
