Alexandra Perron is a fashion and beauty editor at Yahoo.com. Prior to joining Yahoo!, she worked at Lucky and Garance Doré Studios. She was recently invited to a two day course in Basic Makeup Application at Bobbi Brown. It’s a course that is typically only offered to employees and counter make-up artists, so obviously she jumped at the chance.
The course covers brand philosophy, selling skills and make up skills, with an equal emphasis on actually applying make-up and teaching customers to apply it themselves. For many who want to make it in make-up, the best place to start is behind the counter, since it allows them to gain experience by applying customers make-up multiple times throughout the day. Alexandra was shocked at the sheer amount of information she learned over two days, which she broke down into four sections.
Pay attention to how your skin reacts
The first mistake many women make is not paying attention to their complexion throughout the process. If your skin dries out during the session, you need to use a hydrating cream. Until she took this course, she didn’t realise that the skin around her eyes is quite dry, making it difficult to find a good concealer. Now, with a handy hydrating cream and gel moisturiser, she has begun experimenting with different eyeliners.
When in doubt, use warmer colours
When applying makeup, to yourself or others, it’s important to test different colours and formulas before settling on a particular shade. Having done this, if you’re still uncertain, go a shade warmer to eliminate any redness. Test on different parts of the face, including the chin and forehead. The goal of make-up is to look invisible, no one should know you’re wearing it.
Blush
Use blush to brighten and lift the face, so keep the placement high and away from the nose. Start neutral and add colour to the cheeks. The two colours should blend with a downward stroke, and avoid a separation of the two. Again, the goal is to blend in, not stick out.
Eyeliner
Described by Bobbi herself as ”the ultimate way to define and make eyes pop,” eyeliner should always be darker than the natural eye colour, and keep the line thick on the outside, thinner on the inside. Having finally mastered eyeliner, after a year long crisis of confidence kept her away from it, this was the moment Alexandra found her groove and discovered she was better at applying liner on others than on herself.
She left determined to perfect her own routine, after a few years of keeping her makeup use to a minimum.
Are you interested in a career as makeup artist?
Makeup artists are at the front lines of the beauty, television, film, and fashion industries. As such, its one of the most coveted careers in the beauty industry. We at Avenuefive offer makeup classes to our students. If you would like more information about our makeup classes, please complete the contact form on the right, or give us a call at 512.968.2835!
