We asked 4 celebrity MUAs share their top products and tips for minimum makeup with maximum effect. Oh, and you can fit them all in your handbag too.
The festive season is well and truly here and frankly, with the possibility of another lockdown looming we all need to get our party faces on and ourselves onto the dance floor as often as we can. With jam-packed diaries, there’s often no time to do a full makeup bag’s worth of makeup and sometimes there’s a last-minute invite that requires you to put on your face using what’s in your bag. So, we’ve enlisted the help of some of our favourite makeup artists and asked them to spill the beans on the products they actually use to create red carpet-worthy going-out looks and multi-tasking makeup tricks that mean you can transform your look in minutes, and fit everything in your handbag too. Nifty.
Understated glamour: MUA Alex Reader
Image: Instagram @alexreadermakeup
Having done the makeup for busy bees including Jessie Ware and Eva Chen, London based makeup artist Alex Reader knows about creating glamorous looks on the go. Over the years, she’s edited her party essentials down to a few multi-tasking, high-performing products. The results are in…
The perfect base: " Bobbi Brown Stick Foundation, £35.50 is a portable and compact base that gives you skin-like coverage with just one swipe! On-the-go touch-ups have never been easier. Apply with a foundation brush, sponge or even fingers. It has a medium to full coverage that really does stay put all night. Next, I go in with Hourglass Vanish Concealer, £32 it’s everything you would want in a concealer, full coverage and weightless that blurs and brightens. It helps diffuse the look of lines, evens any under-eye darkness and covers any blemishes. They even do a mini size which is perfect for your handbag for touch-ups.
The sculpted face: " Charlotte Tilbury’s Filmstar Bronze & Glow, £49 is a gorgeous compact product that will give you a sculpted, bronzed face as well as highlight your features! I love to ‘bron-tour’ a lot of my clients, this technique is using a bronzer in the areas of the face you want to contour. It creates shape but also warms up the complexion without using so much product. The pressed powder highlighter has a beautiful golden base with light-reflecting technology to brighten and emphasise all the high points. Not only can you use it to highlight and add glow but a light dusting of powder will help set your makeup and eliminate any shine!
The colour pop: "Trinny London has the most compact and convenient stackable products. Lip2Cheek, £26 is the perfect answer to a two in one. A pop of colour for both the lip and cheek. A little bit of product on your finger goes a long way, just dab and blend out for a stunning wash of colour or build with a brush for a more intense pop."
The wow brow: " Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo, £24, is an amazing two-shade brow product that helps you add definition, tone and depth. Using the lighter and darker shades in hair-like strokes keeps brows looking natural and fluffy.
Top tip: "You can also use the ABH Brow Powder duo to create a statement eye. From a smudged winged liner to a seriously sharp flick. Using an angled brush, pick up some of the darker shade and apply along the lash line and drag out. This is something I have recently done for an event on Sofia Boutella. You could even use a fluffy brush with the product to contour the eye or smoke it out."
The lash lifter: " By Terry Lash-Expert Twist Brush Mascara, £27 is a dual-action mascara. It creates long clump-free looking lashes, and then you can add lots of luscious volume by just twisting the wand. Instantly go from day to night with a two in one brush!"
Glow on the go: MUA Andrew Gallimore
Shimmering, glimmering, glowing gorgeousness is Andrew Gallimore’s M.O. Just ask recent celeb clients Lily Allen and Kylie Minogue. We asked Andrew to share his ultimate glow-giving products that will take you from drab to fab in minutes. If they’re good enough for the pop princesses…
The skin trick: "I’d advise a good concealer that can be patted or thinned out to almost act as a foundation, then you don’t need to carry both with you. I really love YSL Touchè Eclat High Cover Concealer, £27 and Burberry Cashmere Concealer, £28.
For a dewy finish: "I really like the Jones Road Miracle Balm, £36, which gives the skin a juicy, balmy finish acting as a highlight. Also because they come in tones, you can add a slight definition to lips and eyes too, with a gorgeous dewy finish.
For some serious shimmer: " Chanel’s Baume De Chanel in Sculpting £35 , is amazing as you can pat it onto eyelids, tops of cheekbones and lips for a subtle, transparent gleam, adding definition and dazzle to any look, perfect for party top-ups.
For high octane highlight: " RMS Living Luminizer in Pearl, £36, is great as an all-over highlighter. Pat in on eyelids, cheekbones, Cupid’s bow and lips, for a luminous sheen.
For lips, cheeks and eyes: " Nars The Multiple, £30, literally does what it says on the tube! The multi-tasking sticks are a game-changer for an all in one product that can actually be used as a blush, a highlighter or to contour. I like G-shot for a nude, dusky rose tone which works beautifully on lips, cheeks and eyes.
The lip trick: "Depending on the colour, a classic MUA trick is to use your lipstick patted onto cheeks and even eyes. The key is to choose a shade that’s nude to you, to match your skin tone. Do that and it should work on eyes and cheeks too."
Glossy skin and a bold lip: MUA Celia Burton
Image: celiaburton.com
Whoever said a sparkly eye and a statement lip couldn't go together had clearly never met Celia Burton. Luminous skin, glittering eyes and a bright red lip is the go-to party 'lewk' for Glossier’s European Makeup Artist. Model Adwoa Aboah was given the dewy skin and bold lip treatment for the British Fashion Awards and new singing sensation Gracie Abrams also showcased the winning combo in her spread in Beat Magazine. Here’s what Celia uses to create party-worthy glossy skin and a solid bold lip…
All in the prep: "I like to prep the skin with something bright and luminous such as Nars Radiance Primer, £30.
Keep the base light: "Follow that with a lightweight foundation. Dior’s Backstage Foundation, £30, is a favourite of mine because it’s lightweight and buildable. Set this delicately (under the eyes and across the t-zone only!) with Laura Mercier’s Secret Brightening Powder for Under Eyes, £26 .
Dancing eyes: "Next, define the eyes with a soft matte shadow and then add a glistening pop with something sparkly. Eye palettes such as Glossier’s Monochromes, £19, are great to have handy because you get one shade, in three finishes Matte, Satin and Sparkle. The pigment in these eyeshadows is amazing, they really pack a punch! For this look, my favourite shades are Bluff, Jute and Almond depending on your skin tone.
Go bold: "With a matte lip. My favourite is Mac’s Retro Matte Liquid Lipstick in ‘Feels So Grand’ £22. It’s intensely matte and very flattering plus the paint texture makes it easy to apply.
Lip Tip: "Apply any red lipstick of your choice and add Smashbox’s Insta-Matte lipstick transformer topcoat, £16.65"
Disco darling: Caroline Barnes
Image: Instagram @carolinebarnesmakeup
As a busy working mum, MUA Caroline Barnes is red hot at creating picture-perfect party looks using minimum products to maximum effect and knows just how important it is to have great products that you can take with you wherever you are. She’s jazzed up the faces of total babes including popstar Mollie King and star of Derry Girls Nicola Couglan so we had to ask her which 6 products she can rely on to create a full face of going 'out out' makeup with.
The clever camouflager: " Monika Blunder Blunder Cover, £45, is an ace product that bridges the gap between a concealer and foundation to fix the skin in seconds.
The light up your face illuminator: " Sculpted by Amiee Liquid Lights highlighter in Champagne,£13. It's perfect size-wise for the handbag and gives an ethereal glow to the skin that looks stunning, especially in candlelight.
The does everything tool: "Ruby Hammer Face Brush, £34, works brilliantly for the base, blusher and bronzer and the stem is short and weighty so perfect to use and pop into your bag.
For bright eyes: " Elf Liquid eyeshadow in Flirty Bird, £6, is the best pinky-sparkly wand your eyelids could wish for. And, the sparkles don’t drop onto your cheeks.
For loaded lashes: "If you want big thick lashes then it’s got to be Hourglass Caution Extreme Lash Mascara, £29. The mascara adheres to the lashes so quickly and thickly your eyes are instantly framed, so no need for eyeliner!
The classic lip: "The perfect red lip for me is something loaded with pigment, that’s hydrating and that stays put. I usually opt for Lisa Eldridge in Velvet Jazz, £26. I'll also dab a touch of this on each cheek and blend it in with my Ruby brush and I'm done.
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