When I perform on stage I almost always rock a black and silver smokey eye with a soft nude pink or red lipstick, but last weekend I had to go from my friends 30th birthday dinner straight to my show at Crystal Boudoir and I didn’t want to be sitting at dinner with a completely overdone face of makeup, so I decided I was going to try something a little different by swapping the black smokey eye with a more subtle brown eye and I actually surprised myself that I loved the result. Below I will tell you step by step of the products I used for my makeup look above as well as what I use when I’m doing my own makeup.
On my base I used my favourite foundation, Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in number 6. I love that this foundation is light yet has a good coverage. Lots of makeup artists I’ve worked with also love to use Luminous Silk in their kits.
I set my foundation with MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Medium Plus, this powder finish also takes away any shine on the skin.
I use Bobbi Brown Colour Corrector in Peach under my eyes every day. It’s one of my favourite products and makes such a difference to my face when I use it. I have a slightly darker under eye colour so the peach tones hide and correct any blueish dark circles.
To cover any redness on my skin, I personally find my chin can have a little redness so I use a Bobbi Brown Face Touch Up Stick in Natural Tan. I use this as a concealer and to just even out any discolouration.
I fill in my eyebrows following their shape, just filling them in and making them more defined using MAC Charcoal Brown Matte eyeshadow. To do this I use a number 266 fine angled brush from MAC.
On my eyes I used the Tom Ford Cocoa Mirage Eye Colour Quad using all three of the brown shades placing the darker shades in the crease of my eye. I also apply the shadow underneath and make sure I blend well.
My favourite eyeliner for when I want a strong winged eyeliner look which is perfect for on stage is the Chanel Eyeliner Pen in Noir. It’s a very bold black colour which I love.
On the inside of my waterline of my eyes I use Giorgio Armani Smooth Silk Eye Pencil in black.
I like to use MAC number 36 eyelashes for when I’m performing as they’re a nice size lash without being over the top. They are also winged on the outside which gives the eye a nice flattering shape.
My favourite mascara is Clinique High Impact Mascara in 01 Black. I think of this mascara as a bit of an all-rounder, it gives my lashes good volume and lifts them.
My tip for the best false eyelash application is to place your eyelash glue on the back of your hand and allow it to semi dry until it becomes tacky. Then apply the tacky glue to the false eyelash and apply it to your eye using tweezers. Often people find applying eyelashes difficult because they are using glue straight out the of the tube and on to the lashes which just leaves them wet and they move around on the eye or the edges flick up. Waiting for the glue to go tacky before applying it to your lashes is the way to go from my experience!
I contour my cheeks using Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate in Intensity One. I apply the dark contouring colour just underneath my check bones using my two fingers and I place the tiniest amount on either side of my nose and on my temples.
I then use MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Deep Dark under my checkbones, temples and under my jaw line to contour, finishing with a light sweep of Klara Cosmetics G Glow Bronzer over my cheeks to blend and add a slight shimmer.
I then add a little Chanel Powder Blush in 68 Rose Écrin to the apples of my cheeks and highlight using the illuminator in the Tom Ford palette I mentioned above.
Finally I finish with my lips. I personally think that MAC Ruby Woo red lipstick is the best for on stage as it is very matte and doesn’t smudge easily and it also has a great bright red colour but it’s such a classic colour that it works perfectly for any occasion when you’re looking for a really nice red lipstick.
I apply a lipliner first to line my lips, I use MAC Lip Pencil in Cherry. Then I just fill in the colour using the lipstick. Ruby Woo lipstick feels very dry and chalk-like when you apply it but this is what makes it stay all night.
I really like the freshness of this makeup and it’s nice to not have the heavy standard black eyeshadow look for my shows so I’ll definitely be doing this look more often.
