Make-up Tips from Experts
Perfect make-up for the office and the job interview
Feature by Celebrity make-up artist and NARS Cosmetics trainer Norman Sands
What is your take on office-appropriate make-up? What does that mean exactly?
Office make-up is about being polished, professional and fresh!
Think about make-up the same way you do about clothing. At NARS we call this “Wardrobing”. With make-up you have basics, modern classics and accessories.
In your opinion, what should be a woman’s basic face at the office?
For most women it’s about effective products and time saving applications. In the morning you want to keep it simple and easy.
>>> Where to start with your office make-up:
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Norman Sands reveals a few well-guarded secrets to the perfect wedding makeup!
A lot of women are NOT going to hire the services of a professional makeup artist for their 2009 weddings because so many of us are trying to be more conservative with our money during these difficult times. When celebrity makeup artist Norman Sands, one of my favourite makeup artists and the makeup stylist and trainer for NARS Cosmetics, offered to give some wedding makeup tips to my readers, I jumped at the occasion because it doesn’t matter if you’re getting married in your 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s … you still want to look glamorous and outrageously beautiful on your big day.
Not that I’m into name-dropping, but let’s face it Norman worked with some pretty big Hollywood names. He’s worked with Leighton Meester (”Gossip Girl”), on the set of “Entourage” and he worked during the September 2008 New York Fashion Week shows (for the Spring 2009 collections) for designers like Chris Benz, Max Azria, Marchesa.
Continue reading “Norman Sands reveals a few well-guarded secrets to the perfect wedding makeup!” »
Norman Sands from NARS Cosmetics talks holiday makeup!
*** This is an exciting post because Norman Sands will share some of his makeup tips for the holidays that were featured in a recent edition of OK! magazine. As with all of Norman’s tips, this is as detailed as can be ladies!***
Let’s start from the beginning, here are three mistakes women make when they use sparkles:
1) I think women get overwhelmed with all the options and they don’t know how to wear sparkle makeup.
Continue reading “Norman Sands from NARS Cosmetics talks holiday makeup!” »
Should women over 35 continue to wear MAC Cosmetic makeup? (part 2)
Spending time with Senior Artist Jane McKay from MAC cosmetics is like sitting down with an encyclopedia of makeup.
Her knowledge is so vast that I could barely keep up writing all tips she was sharing with me.
I hope you read part one of this incredible feature and here’s part two!
5) What about ethnic beauties? How can Asian women, Latinas and darker skin beauties work with makeup trends as they age?
* It’s very important that you choose a concealer and a foundation that will help achieve an even look. Ethnic beauties usually have a hard time at it with dark spots on their face and it makes such a huge difference when you even out the skin.
* Ethnic beauties MUST invest in the right foundation and the right texture for their skin.
* Ethnic beauties usually have a yellow undertone and using pink will seriously brighten and open the face.
Continue reading “Should women over 35 continue to wear MAC Cosmetic makeup? (part 2)” »
Should women over 35 continue to wear MAC Cosmetics makeup? (part 1)
I’ve been wearing MAC Cosmetics for a long time now. I mix some MAC colours with my other makeup items and I cannot remember when was the last time my makeup bag didn’t include at least three to four MAC products.
Lately, I’ve been wondering if MAC Cosmetics was a line that was still appropriate for women over 35. When you look at a cosmetic line like Bobbi Brown where all the colours are greyed down it’s easier to see how women of a certain age would gravitate towards that line.
MAC Cosmetics has much brighter and bolder colours and I wanted to understand how women needed to approach the line as they age.
I met with Senior Artist Jane McKay for a little MAC education.
During my meeting with her, I had some precise questions and she in return had very precise answers. She also managed to give me a 15-minute face that completely hid all of my hyperpigmentation spots (you’ll see the photo at the end of part 2).
Senior Artist Jane McKay from MAC Cosmetics makeup and beauty tips:
Continue reading “Should women over 35 continue to wear MAC Cosmetics makeup? (part 1)” »
My favourite Cover Girl runway looks for fall 2008 (get the Cover Girl Look Book)
***Procter Gamble Beauty is offering their Fall 2008 Look Book … you can download it at the end of this post!***
I still remember my reaction at a summer P & G Beauty function when I found out that famed makeup artist Pat McGrath (and P & G Global Creative Design Director) had created the fall 2008 runway looks for a number of big designers and that we’d be able to get a sneak peak.
When I heard that, I gasped and for about a few seconds I stopped breathing because U.K. base Pat McGrath is one of the biggest international makeup artists and she’s worked on pretty much every single big fashion show you can think of and she’s been responsible for creating memorable faces for designers such as Prada, Miu Miu and Dolce and Gabbana.
Norman Sands shares his makeup tips from a recent makeup job with Leighton Meester (star of Gossip Girl)
I think the idea is to use these tips along with your NARS Cosmetic beauty expert to create a look that works for you and that’s age appropriate.
As you’ve noticed this is my third feature on celebrity makeup guru Norman Sands. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, from all the makeup artists that I’ve interviewed Norman has made the biggest impression on me for his passion for his craft and his dedication to educating women on how they can look their best.
Norman created a face-chart for Leighton Meester, who is one of the actresses from thew smash-teen series “Gossip Girl”. Norman was responsible for given Leighton a perfect-fresh-look for her front-row seat at the 3.1 Phillip Lim show during New York City’s recent Fashion Week events.
I kid you not, these types of insider’s makeup tips are very valuable, and even if you’re over 35 … you can still find a way to make this work for you. Since we are talking about NARS Cosmetics then you know that it’s all about glamour and chic and never about gaudy or tacky.
10 makeup trends for women over 35: Norman Sands discussed NARS fall 2008 makeup trends
Norman, was so incredibly generous with his tips that I really had to cut this post into two parts and I really want to make sure you read all the information he provides because most of us will never afford the luxury of having an expert makeup artist on speed-dial.
You can read part one of my interview with Norman Sands here: My interview with Norman Sands Makeup Stylist and Trainer for NARS Cosmetics
I’ve interviewed a number of makeup artists in the past, but Norman is surely one of the most passionate and also one of the most detailed experts I’ve had the pleasure to sit down with. I knew volumes when it comes to makeup, but this discussion with Norman allowed me to learn so much more.
I also hope you’ll enjoy this interview with Norman Sands makeup stylist and trainer for NARS Cosmetics:
1) Beauty Match: What are the fall 2008 makeup trends at NARS?
Norman Sands:
- Kohl Rimmed Eyes
- Clean and Simple
- Bold Lips
- Luminous Skin
- Sunset Hues
My interview with Norman Sands makeup stylist and trainer for NARS Cosmetics
Like every beauty editor, I have my favourite colours for the fall and I also have my favourite brands. I have to say that since “discovering” NARS earlier this year, I cannot get enough of their colours.
I made a bad assumption when walking by the NARS counter in the past in assuming that the bold colours were suited for 10- and 20-something girls. In reality the colours are true colours … meaning that what you see is what you get. This means that you don’t need to pack on your makeup in the hopes of getting the colour that you originally thought you bought.
You know how you buy certain makeup and get home and try it on to disappointing results because the colour was quite lighter than you expected and you had to pack on many layers of the colours to achieve the desired look? Well, this is NOT a problem you’ll have with NARS.
For a very long time, it was all about Bobbi Brown for me, but from one collection to another I was getting increasingly bored by the repetition of different-shades-of-neutral. Don’t get me wrong, there are still incredible seasonal shades that Bobbi Brown creates, but as a whole, I find the colours quite demure.
Continue reading “My interview with Norman Sands makeup stylist and trainer for NARS Cosmetics” »
My interview with Lancôme’s makeup artist and Beauty at Every Age Expert
Every time I have the opportunity to speak to beauty insiders, I never miss out on the chance. How else are you going to get those beauty secrets that you cannot get any other way?
Lancôme is coming out with a beautiful summer 2008 collection called ‘Summer Bronzing’ … don’t you love the name? Continue reading “My interview with Lancôme’s makeup artist and Beauty at Every Age Expert” »
Skin care and makeup tips from top French beauty panel
*** Beauty Match in Paris ***
While I was in Europe, I had my fill of magazines at a more reasonable price than I would buy them at home. Not only did I buy every possible magazine, but I also raided the archive files of all my girlfriends.
While flipping through an old edition of Elle France, I found a really enlightening article titled (when translated): VIP Guide to Aging-Well. This definitely caught my attention.
So how do French women seem to age so effortlessly? Continue reading “Skin care and makeup tips from top French beauty panel” »