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The Beginners Guide to Giving Makeovers

Being a self-confessed makeup addict – I feel like there must be a stronger word to use, but we’ll roll with that for now – people assume that as well as being able to do a pretty alright job of shading, blending and sculpting my face into a more aesthetically pleasing version of itself (emphasis on the ‘alright’ – I ain’t no miracle worker), that I have the ability to do the same on others. But being a completely self-taught individual renders me practically hopeless in that realm. Back in the day my housemates used to line up in the living room before night’s out and I’d attempt to recreate the smokey eye I’d just done on myself on their lids and hopelessly fail offering them extra shots in the hope they wouldn’t realise. The above picture was taken on a more successful makeover occasion; that’s me trying not to jab my Mum in the eye with a mascara wand (a post featuring the final look can be viewed here), but that took practice man. So I thought it was a time to call in an expert, just incase you or I are ever called up for makeover duties. Enter MAC’s Senior Artist, Dominic Skinner…

1) “Sit directly opposite your subject. This will help you see clearly the structure of the face and prevent an unsymmetrical application.”

2) “Lighting is super important. Try and be seated near a window or make sure the light is balanced on both sides. If one side of the face is in shadow, this can make it difficult to perfect a finished look.”

3) “When applying makeup try and use both your right and left hand. Though I am left handed I will use my right to map out the placement and then use my left hand to apply. This helps to make sure your make up will have symmetry.”

4) “Often I use MAC Eyebrow Pencil in Fling to sketch the look out before hand. This is very faint and easy blended into makeup, but can give you more confidence when applying something more dramatic like liquid liner.”

5) Prepping the skin is key. If the skin is hydrated and primed for a base, the end result will always look better. Something like the MAC Prep + Prime Natural Radiance in Pink not only controls excess shine, but grabs hold of the foundation for that all day perfect finish.”

Just a bit of food for thought next time your mate coaxes you into to giving her a pre-Saturday night out makeover, eh? 

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