Let's face it!

6 Things Your Make-Up Artist Wish You Knew

Highlighter is not the same as concealer - One of the biggest misconceptions about highlighters is that they can conceal the undereye area, making your dark circles simply vanish. Sadly, the truth is highlighters with their radiant particles will actually draw attention on them and not really fix the issue. What you do need is to use a full coverage concealer which will erase any kind of discoloration and darkness. Match it exactly to your skin tone, anything lighter will draw attention to this area and bring any imperfections forward. If you really want to use both, I would advise that you used your illuminator on top of your concealer to perfect the area. You will find that dabbing it with your ring finger or a soft brush around the eye area and focus on the inner corner of your eye and a bit on the lid too. The ideal texture should be hydrating, light-radiating and lightweight. (Delilah Take Cover Radiant Concealer, Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage, IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Illumination Concealer).
Exfoliating is a must - Most clients think that exfoliating is optional but this is a required step in the skin care routine and of course, make-up sits and looks way better on fresh skin. The buildup of dead skin cells will make skin appear blotchy and uneven. Any scrubs, glycolic peels, exfoliating products used regularly are safe to use, leaving skin looking fresher and smoother. (Caudalie Gycolic Peel Mask, Peel and Polish by Pixie Beauty).
Make-up wipes are not recommended for every day use - they clog up the pores and do not clean your face effectively. Use micellar water and cotton pads, they are your safest bet. (Bioderma, H2O Micellar Water, Nivea MicellAir Water to remove waterproof make-up).
Sun damage is real – 90% of skin aging is due to the effects of the sun so make sure you protect your skin using a broad spectrum and noncomedogenic sunscreens containing SPF 30 or 50. They are the most effective in preventing the longlasting effects of sun exposure. (La Roche Posay La Roche Posay Anthelios Lotion, Bioderma Photoderm Aqua Fluid).
Choosing the right foundation is actually easy: always see the closest matching foundation in natural sunlight and not in artificial drugstore lights that can cause confusion. Dab a tiny bit of foundation on your jaw line and notice if it blends perfectly with your skin tone and voila! You found your match!
You are beautiful! Every single face has its unique and special features and make-up is there to support you and bring your best features out and show them to the whole world!

How to nail wedding guest make-up
Whether a close family member at a wedding or even the bridesmaid, choosing to do your own make-up can be a daunting task! Achieving a flawless look that will last throughout the tears and long night, canturn out to be quite the challenge, so here are some tips to nail the perfect wedding make-up and tick all the boxes: long-lasting, natural and timeless.

Focus on skincare first, if you have dry skin ensure you prep it accordingly as this will create the perfect canvas for the makeup products that follower. Laura Mercier Foundation Primer Radiance is a gorgeous product to prime your skin. If your skin is combination/oily, the moisturiser/primer should have the term'mattyfing' in its description, I find Bioderma Sebium Matte Control to be a great product for that.

Foundation is always a fascinating topic,with so many choices, what texture should you trust? My advice is getting one with a satin/matte finish, they tend to set better on the skin and endure heat, humidity and sweat. Try: NARS Natural Radiant Longwear, Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Foundation, Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation. It's not recommended to use a very high SPFon your skin because you risk getting a flashback from the camera, which is not a great look I'm afraid.

When it comes to the eyes, your lids will need your support, so spoil them by using a lovely eye primer (have you tried Primer Potion by Urban Decay yet?) or if not do it the old school way, add concealer on the lids and set it with translucent powder and only then start applying your eyeshadow.

Now for lips, of course the most comfortable thing to wear is a tinted glossy texture but if you want the colour to actually stay on your lips I have two precious tips for you. One way to do it is to contour and pencil in your lips with a lip liner, this way you have a proper base for the lipstick to hang on to (feel free to add a bit of lip balm before to make sure your lips are not dry). To save time reapplying throughout the day, opt for a lipstick that has a long-wearing texture which can then make up for the lack of lip liner and give you the definition you need at the same time. Among my faves are Matte Me from Sleek, Stila Stay All Day, Stay Matte by Rimmel.

To finish things off, my tip is to top up creamy textures layered with powder ones, that will give you extra longevity. So, if you use a creamy blush/bronzer, to make it stay a lot longer on your skin justdab the powder blush/bronzer. Make sure the amounts you use on the brush are tiny because if you use both textures you will get a lot of intensity if you don't control the amount of product that goes onto your skin.

Once you have all your make-up in place you can proceed with a setting spray. I love the popular All Nighter by Urban Decay. Your make-up will literally last all day! If you spray it all over your face, eyes included, it will add an extra protective layer to your mascara so you can rest assured you won't get those panda eyes we all fear and dread. Another great alternative is The SettingSpray-Matte from NYX. Guaranteed perfect make-up for weddings!

For more inspiration visit www.viorelacoman.com | Images courtesy of www.holly-broomhall.com

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