Secrets of a Makeup Artist

A few times in your life you have a life altering experience and yesterday I was lucky enough to have one over a makeover. I have had many many makeovers in my life and each time I imagine I will finally have all the beauty secrets to make me as beautiful as I can possibly be. But they always fall short and I always end up with the same conclusion, “I can do my own makeup better than this”. But that was before Edgar at the Jose Eber Atelier on Two Rodeo. A total master make up artist to the stars (in fact, a celebrity client showed up after my appointment but I was sworn to not divulge), he transformed my face like I could never imagine. He did things I wouldn’t dare risk on my face, mostly my eyes. Well, it is all about the eyes right? Here are some of his tricks and tips as well as his favorite products:

Full Moon Eyes

For Asian eyes, Edgar says that you must make a full moon with the shadow, meaning, the entire lid must be covered rather than the “shark fin” coverage where the ends of the eyes get more shadow. This will make the eyes rounder and thus appear larger.

Do Not Extend the Liner

One mistake most people make with their eyeliner is to extend it past your eyes, like cat eyes. Again, for Asian eyes (sorry, yes for the rest of this story it will all be focused on Asian eyes because, well, I’m Asian) this will make the eyes appear smaller. The idea is to make the eyes rounder and by extending the liner you are actually making the eyes more almond shaped.

Blend Blend BLEND!

Yes, I am a true believer in blending, I have various brushes for this technique but I never blend my eyeliner and I got a hand slapping from Edgar for this! Tight eyeliner makes you look old and tough (mean and harsh, not leathery tough). Use a small tightly bound brush for this and loosen the line without getting it too smudgy and smokey. Also, another helpful hint, always use a lighter liner to line under the eye. So black on top and expressso on the bottom for a softer more natural look.

Foundation Last

Do your eye make up first, not your foundation. Start by swiping a whopping glob of loose powder under your eyes. This will catch all the shadow that will undoubtedly fall under your eyes. Once you are done with your eyes, the powder and all the dark shadow droppings will clean off easily. If you do your foundation first, all this darkness will adhere to the foundation, leaving you with dark circles under your eye. To clean it up properly, you will need to remove the foundation and start over anyway, so why not just do it last! Totally makes sense.

Wet Sponge

Use Evian mineral water spray (or any other mineral water) to dampen your sponge before applying the foundation. It will keep the foundation on longer and the smooth application will give you an even coat so you don’t look powdery and cakey. Once you apply the foundation, which has pigment, do not apply powder with more pigment. This will build up on your skin and make you look like you have too much make up on. Use a translucent powder with no pigments (like the Laura Mercier) for touch ups.

So of course I had to ask Edgar what his favorite products were and without hesitation he listed off the following:

Revitalash

I have found this to be true, you can never have too much money or too much eyelashes (you can in fact be too thin). Even those with ridiculously long lashes use mascara and endeavor to grow longer lashes. Well, for those of us who really need it, Edgar highly recommends Revitalsh, a lash conditioner that will make your lashes grow. He says that after a month the results will astound and excite you! It is pricey at $150 but we got a deal with Cooper Spa to give free shipping by mentioning “Beauty Snob” with your order (but you must call them 214-383-1010).

YSL Everlong Mascara

Like I said, you cannot have too much lashes and this YSL mascara not only coats your existing lashes to extend them beyond belief, it also contains a conditioning ingredient that will help them grow longer and fuller. Hey, I will double up and triple up on my lashes, there is no limit! Yves Saint Laurent Beauty at Saks Fifth Avenue for $27.50.

Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Powder

As mentioned earlier, don’t pile pigment on top of pigment with your powder. The

Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder in translucent is the way to go to keep the shine at bay. $34 at Sephora.

CHANEL Stylo Yeux Waterproof Long-lasting Eyeliner

Edgar used black eyeliner and blended it with expresso shadow to create a bold look for me. He loves the Chanel liner for it’s ease of blending and the long wear. The twist pencil also reduces his messes at client’s houses and we can definitely appreciate that at our own houses. Chanel at Saks Fifth Avenue for $26.50.

To make an appointment with Edgar at the Jose Eber Two Rodeo salon, call 310. 278. 7646.