How’s your makeup? Are you wearing it right for every occasion? When you contour, do you do it the way it was intended to be done?
If you’ve ever sat down to watch a red carpet special or casually browsed celebrity fashion news, you know that a lot of emphasis is placed on today’s trendsetters and what they wear – from their designer flats all the way up to the eye shadow that makes their eyes pop.
But how do they choose what to wear? The truth is that in most cases, they don’t. To get the right look, they enlist the help of professional makeup artists; so to find out more, Beauty Academy went straight to the source.
Sally Duvall, Head Makeup Artist and Owner at Sally Duvall Makeup Artistry, has been in the game for years. As an expert in her field, she’s had a chance to work with some very high-profile clients.
What are five techniques that can be used to achieve a balance between on-camera and in-person makeup looks?
Five techniques for finding the balance between on camera and in person makeup are:
1. Look at the face like a sculpture. Let the bone structure dictate the makeup.
2. Contour and highlight with subtly and delicacy. If you don’t contour, you will look flat in photos and might as well not wear any makeup at all.
3. Pick a feature!
4. Remember, you can always add more if needed; removing is much harder and messier.
5. Define, but don’t overwhelm.
Have these techniques evolved since making a name for yourself in the industry?
They haven’t. People are now jumping on the contouring bandwagon thanks to Kim Kardashian, etc., but I’ve been contouring since day one. I learned from the master, Kevyn Aucoin.
How will they continue to evolve?
I see contouring being abused. It’s completely out of control. I’m hoping people quit with the stripy stuff. It was never designed to be applied that way.
You’ve worked with numerous celebrities. What goes into making each one of them look unique, and how can other individuals use that information in their own beauty routines?
Celebrities just wear more makeup than anyone else has to on a daily basis. It’s part of their job. By definition, being on camera requires slightly more makeup. But inherently good red carpet makeup is always clean, simple, and classic -and we should all do well to remember that.