Getting Flawless Skin

Getting Flawless Skin

Photography: Keven Erickson (http://www.Erickson-Photo.com),
Hair and Clothes: Styled myself,

Model: Paris at M & P (http://www.MAndPModels.com).

Photography: Ian,
Hair: Styled by Lawrence at Toni and Guy, Marylebone High Street, London (http://www.ToniAndGuy.co.uk),
Model: Sarah-Jane.

Here are the step-by-step instructions for how to create flawless skin as shown in the photos above:-

Firstly cleanse and moisturise the face.  

If there are any red patches on the face, apply green colour corrector to these areas to tone the redness down.  Apply the green colour corrector using a concealer brush, and then pat or blend it in using your fingers.  

Select a foundation the same colour as the skin on the face.  (To find the right colour foundation, apply a bit of foundation to the model’s jawline.  The one which is the right colour will disappear into the model’s skin).  Apply the foundation in small dots to various areas of the face (i.e. the forehead, the nose, the cheeks, and the chin). (It needs to be applied quite sparingly in order to give a natural effect).  Next blend the foundation in using either your fingers or a cosmetic sponge.  Be sure to blend the foundation right up to the hairline and under the jawline, to create a seamless finish, so that there aren’t any areas of the face that are left uncovered, and so that there aren’t any lines where the foundation ends. 

Apply concealer the same colour as the foundation to any acne spots, rashes, coloured scars, pigmentation marks, spider veins/capillaries, birthmarks, or other marks, using a concealer brush.  Then pat the concealer gently with a finger to blend it in, to create a seamless finish.  

Apply concealer one shade lighter than the skin to dark under-eye circles, to lighten up the dark under-eye area, and to make it look less tired.  First apply it using an under-eye concealer brush, and then pat it lightly with your ring finger to blend it in.  (It needs to be applied quite heavily in order to eliminate a tired appearance).  Be sure to apply the under-eye concealer over the inner corners of the eyes, (as well as over the under-eye area), as dark circles start from the inner corners of the eyes.  

Select a loose powder the same colour as the foundation.  Or for a porcelain effect select a white powder.  (Note that you can only create a porcelain effect on fair skin, it won’t work on dark skin, as it will just make dark skin look ill and ashy).  Fix the under-eye concealer in place by applying the loose powder over the top of it.  Use a finger to blend the under-eye concealer out of any wrinkles or creases around the eyes before applying the loose powder on top.  Apply the loose powder around the eyes using a large eyeshadow brush, in order to cover the small areas with precision that you cannot easily cover with a powder puff.  Then apply loose powder all over the rest of the face using a powder puff.  Make sure you get an even coverage.  (This fixes the foundation and concealer in place, and mattifies the skin).  Then brush the excess powder off of the face using a powder brush, using downward strokes, so that the tiny hairs on the face lie flat.

Oily or combination skins need powder to eliminate the shiny appearance to their faces.  Even after applying powder their faces can become shiny again, and so need re-powdering in order to look more matte.  Particularly dry or eczemary skins are sometimes best without powder, as it can dry the skin out further.  

If you want to add a flush of colour to the cheeks, apply blusher to the apples of the cheeks.  (Note that fair skins suit baby pinks or light rosy pinks, olive skins suit warm pinks or pinky-bronzes, and dark skins suit deep pinks, deep plums, or deep burgundies).  

If you want to create a sun-kissed effect on fair or olive skin, or you want to make it look less pale, apply bronzing powder over the areas of the face where the sun would naturally hit, (i.e. the forehead, the nose, and the tops of the cheeks), using a powder brush or bronzer brush.  Be sure to only use a light coloured bronzing powder on fair skin, as a dark bronzing powder will be too dark for fair skin and will just look dirty on fair skin.  Olive skin can take deep bronzing powder though.  However on very fair or porcelain skin stick to a light rosy pink or baby pink blusher instead of bronzing powder, in order to create an English Rose effect.  

If you want to create a dewy effect, spray a fine mist from a water vaporizer over the face.  Hold the water vaporizer at arm’s length when spraying it, so that the water droplets that land on the face aren’t too big and don’t make the face look wet or sweaty, and don’t cause the make-up to run or become uneven.  This last step is a good idea for dry skins or over-heated skins in hot weather.

Et voila!  Check back again for more instructions for how to create different looks with make-up!