Hair and Make Up Styling - by Lee-Ann Smith: Amazing Mascara

Amazing Mascara

Ever wondered how to get the best results from your mascara? Makeup artist Lee-Ann Smith shares some secrets.

What's the best way to apply mascara?

Apply mascara to all of your lashes, from the inside corners to the outside edges. Coat the lashes and lift and separate them with the wand, extending outer lashes upwards and outwards.  Move on to the other eye, then apply a second coat on top of the first (repeat the process if desired). 

For a little more definition and length, use a primer under your mascara. Apply this in even coats, lifting and separating the lashes. Wait for primer to dry, then apply your mascara on top.

Are there any tips to stop it from running?

One cause of smudging is excess natural oil on the skin, combined with using the wrong mascara formulation. If the area around your eyes is extra oily, you should think about trying a water-resistant mascara. Another tip to prevent smudges occuring is to lightly dust the area under your eyes with a little pressed powder before you apply your mascara.

Do you have any tips to stop it from clumping?

Don't pump your mascara wand into the tube - it causes bubbles to form. Most modern mascaras have a built-in filter that clears excess product from the wand. It your wand does overload, simply wipe off the excess with a tissue. Make sure you have plenty of cotton buds on hand to fix up any smudges, then get started on the top lashes.

make up lessons

I am by no means a girly girl. For years I eschewed anything womanly; preferring the androgyny of pants and jeans to the overt femininity of dresses and skirts. But now I’m older I can no longer get away with the no-makeup-T-shirt-and-jeans look, and mainly get about in dresses. I have developed a liking for makeup – it really can cover a multitude of sins – and even a collection of heels. I still have extremely short hair.

Although I enjoy the new (somewhat) feminine me, I still haven’t gotten to grips with applying make-up. I am ham-handed with blusher, mascara leaves me looking like a panda, and effective eye-shadow application eludes me. I have often thought I’d benefit from makeup lessons, and with this in mind, have been searching for makeup artists who offer tuition in this esoteric art.

Lee-Ann Smith

A favourite with Localists (she has a five-star rating), Lee-Ann Smith is a popular makeup artist with years of experience. As well as hair and makeup services for brides, commercial work and other occasions, she also offers makeup lessons for $100 an hour ($50 each following hour, plus travel costs).

summer feet

Its time to start your pedicures, soak your feet in warm water with epsom salts for about 15 minutes (use a small nail brush and scrub under your nails, its a great place for fungus and bactaria to grow, so keep them clean). Always remember be gentle when removing your dry skin on your feet (with pumices and foot files). You want to smooth, not remove. Our calluses are there to protect our pressure points on our feet, if we remove these, it can hurt. Make sure you file your nails straight across (if you take the corners off you’re opening yourself up to ingrown toe nails). Using a cuticle pusher or orange stick, gently push your cuticles back (leave it till next time if it does'nt want to budge and never cut your cuticles as it can open them up to infection and also make them bleed).

What a cheek!!

Glowing, healthy skin is the best friend a girl can have – especially over the summer months. But, sadly, not all of us have glowing, healthy skin. As we get older, our skin can lose its vitality – that beautiful youthful glow of teenage-hood yielding to the ravages of gravity and daily life – and we can need a bit of a helping hand. This, my friends, is where blusher steps in.

Applied correctly, blusher can be transformative, giving your face a youthful gleam and killer cheekbones. Applied incorrectly it can make you look like a 5-year-old who’s raided Mum’s makeup bag.

Auckland makeup artist Lee-Ann Smith says that learning how to apply blusher correctly can take time.

“Personally I used to struggle with blush as a makeup artist and consequently I have become an expert on it since mastering the art of knowing how to apply it.

“There is much more to it than just putting it on your cheeks, a lot of ladies are scared of using it because they don't understand how to use it.”

Lee-Ann explains that it’s important your blusher matches the type of foundation you use. If you use cream foundation, you should use a cream blusher; if you use powder, use a powder blusher. She says you can also use it by itself, but you need to make sure any moisturiser or sunscreen you use is dry before you apply it.

Knowing where and how to apply blusher is something that many of us are confused about. Lee-Ann has some useful tips.  

“Contouring with neutral colours (darker than your skin colour of course, as dark recedes and light attracts) under your cheekbone first always helps to enhance your cheeks,” she says.

“Find your cheekbone and apply the blusher directly on it, all the way to where it ends.”

“Don’t smile when applying [blusher] because [you will end up with] blush halfway down your cheeks. That’s where your contour should go.”

The colour of blusher you choose is just as important as the application. Lee-Ann suggests that you try to choose a colour that is as close as possible to your skin tone.

“Use warm tones on darker skin and pastel, cooler tones on porcelain/pale skin – the lighter your skin the lighter your blush and vice versa (about five shades darker maximum).”

Finally, she suggests that a little contrast will work wonders on your cheeks.

“A useful tip is to do your blush, then just sweep a darker shade just on the apples of your cheeks gently for a little effect.”

keeping it clean and fresh

Clean out your makeup bag regularly & throw away colours that dont suit you. Never use old & expired

makeup on your skin as it harbors bacteria & causes breakouts.

taking care of anti-ageing

While it may seem silly to worry about wrinkles long before you have any, it's true that preparation pays off. 

Blogging about Professional Hair and Make Up

Welcome to my first post!

I intend on providing my viewers with constant updates and information about tips, tricks and good practice for Hair and Make Up. Whether it's for you personally on your special day or your in the industry and keeping an eye out for new ideas!

Please subscribe to my blog as i will post every few weeks. Also feel free to visit my website for amazing pictures and examples of my work over the past few years.

www.leeannsmith.co.nz

If you have any questions, feel free to ask in this forum or send me an email via my contact form on my website.

I look forward to sharing my thoughts and ideas with all the future brides to be or passionate people from my industry.

Hear from me soon!

Lee Ann xx