An eye opener. Literally.
I'm 42 years old and have never, until last night, applied makeup to best suit my features. No. Really. I did a fairly decent job of putting on makeup, but I had no idea that I was doing it all wrong. I grew up an only child, no big sisters to show me the ropes. You-tube or even the in-ter-net ((what?)) was not around during my teens or even halfway through my twenties.
-----
I learned from my mom. Sorry Mom, you can't be good at everything, ya know.
-----
My sessions include the services of a professional hair and makeup artist. It's part of the experience, the day of pampering, dress up and play. I get to watch my makeup artists work their magic and I find it fascinating to watch the transformations happen right before my very eyes. Through observation or osmosis my own makeup techniques have markedly improved, but I knew it was still lacking.
I didn't realize just how *lacking* it was until I had my very own makeup lesson last night. It was an eye opener. Literally and figuratively. My studio-mate saw me this morning and did a double-take... asked "You look different. You look refreshed."
----
HALLELUJAH!!
----
Trust me, I was NOT refreshed, 6 hours of sleep seems to be my limit these days otherwise I toss and turn. I looked refreshed because my makeup lesson taught me that for *MY* eye shape, eye size and how my eye is set in my face I should not wear eyeliner on the top - which is what I've done my entirely life, eyeliner on or in the lower lid has been avoided for the past 20 years because - well. I don't know.. because that's how everybody else was doing it? Someone told me I should? Even recently, I went to a higher end cosmetics store and was sold products that did not flatter my features, or rather it did nothing to bring my features out.... I didn't know. They were pretty colors, they sparkled a little - I like sparkle :)
The lesson: I wore a full face of Petra's best-applied makeup to the lesson and Terra, one of my very talented makeup artists, removed the makeup from only one eye and started her magic. I was taught that there is a lid, a crease: including an outer crease and inner crease, and the brow line. The first thing Terra applied was an eye cream, this both moisturized and gave the pigment shadow something to hang onto. After the cream she applied a very light matte shadow called 'vanilla' ... yep...think vanilla ice cream..it's THAT light... after the lid she worked her magic on the crease... crease shadowing was something I'd very recently mastered so I thought this would be same'ol, same'ol.... HA! because my eye is small, she stopped short of tracing the entire semi-circle shape.. immediately the eye she'd worked appeared larger than the other... more awake, brighter. Terra then applied a very neutral cool toned brown matte to my crease..this is pretty! She blended and now I had the perfect day look.
Woah.
Who knew that going light on the lid, only working the outer crease and putting liner on the outer bottom edge would make me look "refreshed"!??! To take day look into night Terra then applied BLACK, yes, BLACK to my outer crease and lid with a detail brush and blended that to perfection. I now looked vampy and ready for a night on the town!
To say the least, I'm impressed and I want to share this experience with all of clients, current and past. So stay tuned, soon I'll be announcing this little soiree!