Part 2: Painted Lady

Now that your skin is looking better thanks to Nichola of Pacific Touch NYC, it’s time to meet Stacy McClure of beautybeyond40.com and makeupbystacy.com. Stacy is a true artist in every sense of the word. Using the face as a canvas, Stacy is a genius at highlighting the beauty of the individual she’s working on.  Never mind that she herself is gorgeous, Stacy has the unique gift in empowering her subject. If you live in Northern California, you should give Stacy a call and book a private one-on-one lesson, it’s the perfect time to polish your look and give 2013 your best self.

As a professional makeup artist, I’ve done makeup applications on all types of faces; from young to mature, and including all shapes, skin tones, and textures. Below, I have answered the two questions that are asked most often during my makeup lessons.

1) As I’ve gotten older, I’ve noticed that I’m starting to look more tired. Should I be wearing more makeup or less as I mature?  

Most women 40 and beyond can use less makeup in order to achieve luminous and natural looking skin. Before starting a makeup routine, decide if you would like a sheer glow or a more striking look.  The sheer glow will require fewer steps and slightly less time. A more glamorous look will utilize more layering of color and an additional darker eyeshadow. With both routines, you will need to lightly layer products in order for them to stay on and look natural.  The correct products and brushes will help you achieve whichever look you decide to try.

2) What are the most important cosmetic steps I need to do in the morning on a daily basis to make me look more awake and vibrant? 

The following routine should take you no longer than 15 minutes in the morning. Applied properly, makeup can positively effect how you feel about yourself and how you carry yourself throughout the day.

Tinted moisturizer or liquid foundation

Avoid powder foundation! It’s too drying and cakey on mature and/or dry skin. The correct foundation will even out your complexion and make your skin appear more youthful, dewy and fresh.  My favorite tinted moisturizer is Nars Tinted Moisturizer.  It has a hydrating Caribbean water complex that will flawlessly balance your complexion in a very natural looking way.  For foundation, I recommend Nars Sheer Glow or Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation.  Foundations are slightly heavier in coverage and have more staying power than a tinted moisturizer. Personally, I like to mix the two for more coverage and to camouflage uneven skin tone and breakouts.

Under eye concealer

Concealer is really important because it hides dark under eye circles that can make us look tired.  The right texture and shade are important, otherwise it can magnify under eye circles and texture. Stay away from heavy creams or drier textured concealers. My preferred concealer right now is Giorgio Armani Precision Retouch. It’s luminous, covers well and is light weight. Dot under the entire eye area and blend with the Laura Mercier secret camouflage brush.

Blush

Blush is essential at helping us look fresh and youthful. A neutral pink shade looks nice on most complexions. One good choice is Trish McEvoy powder blush in the shade “Natural” because it mimics a natural flush to the face. It’s so sheer that you can apply a small amount for a natural look or layer on more for night. If you like something more daring, just a touch of a warm, bright pink can make you look vivacious if applied lightly.  Try Nars powder blush in the shade “Desire”. Use a soft brush when applying directly on top of the outer cheek bone. MAC #129 Blush Brush is a must have for your makeup brush arsenal.

Brows

Properly shaped brows are necessary if you want to look buoyant and more awake! The shape of your eyebrows construct the architecture of your face. If your brows are either overgrown or faint, you will look older and/or tired. Slightly fill them in if your brow hairs are faint. Try to avoid filling them in too much as this can look severe. A foolproof product to use is the Laura Mercier Brow Shaping Duo which you can apply with her Brow Defining Brush. If you end up filling them in too much, it’s easy to brush through them to lighten the color with the Brow Grooming Brush.

Eyeliner

Lining the upper lash line can make your eyes appear larger and more open. My favorite go-to liner is the MAC Fluidline in Dipdown, which is a beautiful deep brown. I apply it using the Laura Mercier flat eyeliner brush and dab it directly into my lash line. If your eyes are on the smaller side or slightly close set, only line halfway along the lash line starting at the outer corner. If you have larger eyes (lucky you), feel free to line all the way across. It always helps to lift the outer corner of the eye if you make the eyeliner a little bit thicker at the outer last third of the lash line. Be sure not to go past the lash line as it can make the eye appear to droop.

Eyelashes

Another important step in avoiding the tired look is curling your eyelashes and applying mascara. This helps to open the eyes up.  The Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler is favored by the masses, but it can be hard to come by in the stores (rumor has it that Shiseido is making their curlers at the same factory as Shu Uemura, and that the two products are the same). My favorite mascaras are made by Laura Mercier “Faux Cils”, Benefit “Bad Gal”, and Maybelline “Define A Lash”. One coat for a natural look, 2 to 3 if you like a little bit of drama. Nobody looks good with caked on mascara, so use an eyelash separating brush like the Laura Mercier eyebrow groomer.

Lipstick and Lip Balm

I love wearing lipstick or lip balm because my lips feel naked and dry without them. I recommend wearing all natural or organic lip color because it’s the one cosmetic item that we all ingest. There is lead in many leading-brand lipsticks, which is obviously a horrible thing to put into your body. My current favorite is Burt’s Bee’s lip shimmer in Caramel and the all organic and vegan cosmetic brand Zuzu Luxe lip gloss in the shade Dolce Vita. Voila! You look amazing! You can see the difference that makeup makes on me in the images above.