As
a very busy single mummy I very rarely get the chance to ‘glam up’, and when I
do I’m usually in my uniform of black jeans, black t-shirt and black Adidas
Superstars (I’m down and out with the kids you know). As for my makeup it’s pretty much the same as
it always has been. Nude lipstick, brown/beige eyeshadow, black liner and
filled in brows. I don’t bother with
contouring or blusher as I suffer from a condition called ‘Asian Flush’, which
means one glass of wine and the cheeks go bright red thus eliminating the need
for rouge!
However,
it’s the school holidays and I’m fed up with looking drab, I’m on my second lot
of antibiotics, the kids are driving me bonkers and when I look in the mirror I
just want to pull a woolly hat over my face.
Yet with the sun making it’s appearance, self-pity having no effect from
the children, it’s time to take matters into my own hands and if ever there was
a time for a new makeover, it’s now and I know just the person to go to for
help. Karleigh Marsh, Celebrity Make-up Artist whose skills can be credited for
my only decent profile pictures.
Before
Karleigh had come to my house I had sent various texts on what look I was
after. The words ‘fresh, new and younger’ bounced from my fingertips, but my
heart sank when up popped the reply of ‘bold lippy’. Undeterred my fingers tapped out some more
hints such as ‘light, fresh and NOT trendy’, and once again that dreaded word
‘bold’ pinged back. I really was stuck in a rut!
On
the day, my daughter played photographer and after a hundred takes took a
before picture, and whilst Karleigh set upon transforming my face, I sat and
cooed at her beautiful baby girl, Stevie, whilst occasionally catching sight of
a flurry of brushes mixing, buffing and blending against my skin.
After
20 minutes I looked in the mirror and staring back was an open-mouthed, gob-smacked
glamour puss. The biggest difference was
my slimmer face, cheekbones had replaced puffed out skin, eyebrows had appeared
and my tiny, Chinese eyes had been transformed into the huge, oriental kind,
Pocahontas would be proud of. My lips were heavily set in bright pink yet they
looked so much fuller and plumper, in essence I looked years younger. Of course my poor daughter was then
instructed to do another hundred ‘after’ photos for the sake of Facebook and
Twitter uploads, and it didn’t stop there as dog walking took on a whole new
‘Selfie’ walk. 
Of
course this feature, would be pretty useless if I didn’t share some of her
secrets with my lovely readers and so here’s a few tips on how to go from Drab
to Fab!
If you're stuck in a rut with your makeup, what is the first
rule you should look at changing in your routine?
Look at everything and
change or renew your products. If you're feeling in a rut then just go out and
treat yourself! Experiment and be open to change!
How can I give my skin that dewy look?
To achieve a dewy
look, add face oil to your face before moisturizer then add your foundation. Or
you can add your facial oil directly to your foundation and blend.
Do you have any tips for taking a few years off on the eye area?
Invest in a good eye
cream that helps to lift the eye area. Then use a lightweight concealer, tap
gently and set with a translucent powder.
We hear a lot about contouring, how can 40 year plus achieve
this without looking like an extra from TOWIE?
For an older skin,
contour using cream concealers or foundations. Cream products blend better and
are softer on the skin. As we get older our skin gets drier so cream products
are better.
Today you've used the 'Baking Technique', for my readers please
can you explain how to do this?
Baking or Cooking as
it’s known in the States is all about layering and different textures. It’s
amazing in pictures but it’s a very heavy makeup look and you have to be
confident with your makeup to get this right. Like all makeup techniques practice
is the key!
Baking to highlight is
used mainly under the eye. First apply your concealer, and then add a generous
amount of translucent powder under the eye and leave to bake for a good 5 minutes,
follow by lightly brushing away. Be careful not to create a ‘Panda’ look when
using this technique.
Bold lips, especially reds are in for spring, are there any
particular rules when using a bold lip?
Bold lips are meant to
be bold so just go for it! Add concealer
all around the lips to prevent the colour bleeding into fine lines. Set with translucent powder before applying
your lipstick.
Finally how would a busy mum go from looking ‘drab to fab’ in
just under a few minutes?
Rich pencil eyeliner
that can blended and smudged really adds drama to a look. Always keep an
emergency liner in your bag! Always warm the eyeliner up on the back of the
hand to make it soft and pliable to apply, this will prevent ‘dragging’ the
delicate eye area.
If you are interested in a Drab to Fab makeover – Karleigh runs
Group Makeup Master Classes in Chelmsford.
Prices start at £20 per person wit individual lessons costing £120 for 3
hours. Further details can be found on Twitter
@makeupartistKM, Facebook Karleigh Marsh Makeup Artist and Instagram MakeupartistKM.
For all Beauty and Lifestyle queries contact Molly at
askmollybeauty@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment