Beauty: Quick Change Artist
We loved the versatility displayed by Kyla, the lovely Canadienne featured in our recent La Belle Dame sans Merci shoot. So much, in fact, that it inspired our makeup look for the shoot. We aimed for simple makeup that could be quickly and easily modified to play up Kyla's natural features. These are, indeed, useful tricks for those of us who like to party hop but are too lazy or pressed for time to switch up our staid beauty routines. Here are the evolutions of a basic makeup look, one that started with opaque gloss and sheer foundation, and finished with a smokier eye and deeper lip color. We like to think this manner of application is more realistic than the zero-to-sixty makeup routines used on other professional photo shoots. The truth is, a little goes a long way--even in the pictures.
The basics: Since Spring looks should be relatively unfussy, we skipped the foundation. In lieu of the dreaded cake face, we aimed for a fresh, radiant complexion, which we achieved by highlighting Kyla's bone structure. We swept MAC Strobe Liquid across her cheeks (fingers work best for this) and on the browbone, and added just a dab on the inner corners of the eyes and above the bow of her lips. The easy to blend potion glided on like silk and left just a subtle, creamy shimmer. The best part? It took all of two seconds.
For eyes, we used Tarte's Rest Assured Brightening Cream, in shimmery gold liquid form, on the eyelids, blending up to the browbone. We had to blend quickly so it wouldn't leave uneven color across the lid, but the beautiful sheen it left behind was worth the mad scramble. Instead of a heavily made up fringe, we opted for delicate lashes using Maybelline's Lash Discovery Mascara, which deposited just the right amount on each and every little lash.
On lips, we tried the ultra subtle MAC Strobe tinted lip conditioner stick in Current, which, besides being friendly to fair complexions, also comes equipped with moisturizing ingredients and SPF 15. We topped it off with a quick swipe of Kiehl's Lip Gloss in Earth Day, a shimmery brown that punched up the color a bit but without being too opaque.
The evolution: With our basic look down pat, we tweaked and toyed with it to create two versions of a more dramatic look. The first involved a smokier eye, which we created with Borghese Satin Shadow Milano Trio in Il Bacio Grey. We used the medium shade as an allover color and smudged the darkest shade into both the upper and lower lash lines with the tip of a sponge eyeshadow applicator. It's a fantastic tool because it doesn't create a harsh line, as a pencil or eyeliner brush might. We used the same dark shade on the outer half of the lid, blending it up from the lashline into the crease.
To up the drama factor even more, we switched Kyla's lip color to MAC Lip Glass in 4N, a sophisticated, burnished bronze with a red undertone. The result: flim noir gorgeous in under 60 seconds.
