Fifty-cent Head

FCH Makeup-Artistry Minute: Sex and The City makeup breakdown

FCH Makeup-Artistry Minute: Sex and The City makeup breakdown

Love the girls? I know I do. And despite the crappy critics' reviews, I loved this movie! And, being a makeup artist, one of the things I was concentrating on (while most of you were looking at the shoes) was the gorgeous makeup! The flushed cheeks, the impeccable eyes, the soft lip shades (except in the wedding scene)...   Wanna know how it was done? Click through the jump!

---

What do you think of this look?!

Dick Page is a makeup artist of the highest caliber. He's known far and wide as one of the best in the industry. He also created this look to the left for the Marc Jacobs show last week.

To get the colors he used, he combined "gray, ochre, rose and mauve" on the eyes. The lips were muted then color was put back on with a lip pencil. Foundation was applied softly and lightly to create a matte face.

What do you think of this look?

Me? I love the contouring- it's amazing. Look at those curves on and around the eye- it's gorgeous. The cheeks are a bit severe to me, but the color is amazing. Love the almost velvet look of the skin, too! The lips a a fabulous color- I'd love to know what that shade is. HOWEVER, I don't care for the color on the eyes. And I know it's not the artist's fault at all, but whatever is going on with that model's lip is truly jacked-up. I don't  like it and it may be throwing the whole thing off to me.

So what do you think?

Does it change your opinion if I tell you the makeup had to be appropriate and look beautiful in a blue light (which was used in the fashion show)?

Looks I'm loving from NY Fashion Week - Fall '08

I have decided to compile a bunch of looks I particularly liked from Fall '08 Fashion Week in NY. Rather than break down each show for you, which can be tedious, I thought maybe I'd just give you a little peek into my head and the way I think, by telling you the looks that really grabbed my attention. By the way, the looks below are all courtesy of MAC.

---

Carmen Marc Valvo - Feb 8

"It's all about the girl and her lips! A Robert Palmer girl." Tom Pecheux - Key Artist

Tom Pecheux is one of my favorite MAC artists -  I love to see the looks he's created for the runway!

Skin...was matte, courtesy of Studio Fix, softly applied.

Eyes...were nude - literally. Just curl the lashes and fill in the brows with Taupe Brow Filler - that's it!

LIPS...were the focus, as with any good Robert Palmer girl: fill in the lip line with Magenta Lip Pencil, then pat Russian Red lipstick in the middle of the lip and use a lip brush to push it out towards the lip line lightly.

Do you not love the look of that lip!?

---

Richard Chai - Feb 6

"Graphic and precise - a design that feels new." James Kaliardos - Key Artist

At first blush, this is another nude face, but take a closer look at that neat eye contouring, courtesy of James Kaliardos, another of my favorite MAC artists.

Face... dewy, glowy, lit from within. How? MAC Face & Body Foundation on the face, with Strobe Cream and Pearl Cream Colour Base mixed and applied to the cheeks and nose. Cheeks were Fleur Power Blush, a color I really like, high on the cheek.

Eyes... nude - but not. Everyone's favorite eyeshadow, Naked Lunch, was swept from lashline to the crease. Phone Number Eye Kohl and Print Eyeshadow were applied to the crease in a line - clearly visible in the image to the right. Use the shadow to soften the line a bit. Place Pale Yellow Eye Pencil in the inner corner of the eyes, then put MAC Hollywood Eye Shadow in Kitty on the outer corner. No mascara.

Lips... nothin' but nude with MAC Pro Lip Erase in Dim, with a topping of 3N lipstick.

Wait- did you catch that!? "MAC Hollywood Eye Shadow in Kitty"!?!?! Expect "Hollywood Eye Shadow" coming around the corner. Piqued your interest? Mine, too.

---

Carolina Herrera - Feb 4

"It’s all about a strong mouth. It's sophisticated, but playful at the same time." Diane Kendal - Key Artist

I'm tired of the nude face, strong lip look - anyone else? But this is a great twist on it. Rather than having to look at (and apply!) a meticulous layer of lipstick with all of its hard edges and intensity, check out this softly nuanced, just-bitten look.

Face... Skin, and not matte! This look is refreshing no matter which way you look at it! Studio Tech applied where needed and nowhere else, topped with Burgandy Paint Stick on the apples of the cheeks- smudged in with the fingers.

Eyes... A 210 brush pushed Blacktrack into the lashline, and curled lashes were dosed with Plushblack mascara.

Lips... almost vampiric but innocent, still. Chestnut and Nightmoth pencils blended and sheered-out and topped with a touch of Media lipstick. A dab of Black Cream Color Base was placed in the center of the mouth and blended with a 310 brush.

---

Ruffian - Feb. 2

At least here we have another interesting mouth! I really like purple lately, and the idea of it on the lips really catches my eye. May be trying this out sooner rather than later...

Skin... Just MAC Blot Powder - that is to say matte and no makeup, because Blot Powder is only 3% color pigment and the rest is silica. No color, no texture, no oil.

Eyes... Nude, again. Taupe eyeshadow under the lower lashline to create a shower, and also on the outer part of the lid. Satin Taupe, a fabulous color most MAC addicts have already, was applied to the center crease.  A surprising twist: Forgery, a silver eyeshadow, was  used as a highlighter not only under the brow arch and inner corner of the eye (expected) but also on the bridge of the nose and cheek (unexpected).

Lips... Precision in purple. If it has to be a precise lip, which I just mentioned I'm tired of, at least it's bright and a hot color! Lined with Magenta Lip Pencil, and filled in with Violetta lipstick.

source

---

MAC Spring Looks

MAC has released their Spring/Summer '08 trends, available in the Picks section of the website. These are makeup combinations that are pivotal for this Spring and Summer. As we know, MAC sets the standard for makeup trends, so take a look at these and see what works for you (and what you see imitated by other companies!). All looks are available at the MAC website, as are detailed methods to reproduce them, by the way.


Lovin' that purple lip there, in Acrylic! I may have to try that one. I really like the use of color in this trend- I think it's fresh and sassy.

Make sure if you're doing a vibrant lip like this, that you keep the lines precise. If it's blurry or sloppy you risk looking like a crazy cat lady. Grab some of MAC's Cleansing Tips which contain an oil-based remover to help neatly clean up slip ups.

And don't pair the lips with a strong eye- these looks are meant to be used sparingly. Keep the rest of the face fairly neutral and soft!

In Alabaster, everything goes white!

I am not too sure how much I care for this look. I love the light eye, top left, and I'm definitely a fan of a bright shimmer in the inner corner of the eye (not like that in the bottom right!).

The milky look on the lips is nice, but not for everyone. If you can't wear a milky pink, try a warmer Lip Conditioner like Soothing Beige or Gentle Coral or try C-Thru liplass.

MAC has a few great products for highlighting the cheeks. The soft pink cheeks here can also be adapted for warmer complexions by trying shades like Tenderling or Peaches. In a pinch, try going through your eyeshadows to see if there's a shade that will work!

Slated is probably my favorite of these trends. It's dark, but not quite a smoky look. Never heavy, this use of greys and taupes seems light and fresh.

Love that eye, top right! In fact, all of these eye looks are amazing.

As shown, keep the rest of the skin soft and light so as not to appear weighed-down by the greys. That's pretty much the key to wearing this trend!

2008 SAG Awards

The 2008 Screen Actors Guild Awards were last night, and the stars were out on the red carpet looking good! Well, and some weren't looking too great, but I'll save that for later.

For my money, the best looking women were these two amazing creatures! Angelina Jolie is flawless (and maybe has an extra glow from her alleged pregnancy - twins are being suggested by some sources!). And America Ferrera is truly beautiful: classy, sophisticated, but still sports a young look.

 

Read on for more images from the SAG Awards, including some analysis of how the looks were put together.

 

What do you think?

Amy Winehouse has debuted a new look - it's mostly been seen up in a scarf - the same scarf for days and days! Her jet black beehive was quite a statement, but this is really something else all together. I dislike the color, and the condition of her hair is depressing. Her makeup is non-existent except for the ever-present winged liner (so tired!). The most overwhelmingly atrocious faux pas here, though, is the over-drawn black brows.

What do you think about Amy's new look?

Images courtesy of MrPaparazzi