Do you find yourself staring into the mirror day in and day out, painstakingly taking stock of each new wrinkle and impending blemish? Face it—you’re probably your own worst critic. Lighten up a little! It’s easy to accentuate your best features—those sparkling eyes, shapely brows and pretty smile—when you have a few professional cosmetic tips up your sleeve.
Whether you’re a bonafide celebrity or a real-life New Jersey housewife who enjoys an occasional splurge or two, you deserve the red-carpet treatment. After all, if you don’t schedule rejuvenating facials, stock up on high-quality skin-care products, and learn how to apply just the right shades of makeup, you’re just not being kind to yourself. Put your best face forward and let your beauty shine, girls! As gracefully aging supermodel Christie Brinkley admits, “I now use makeup for a healthy-looking glow, because a real one isn’t that healthy.”
We asked three celebrity makeup artists to share their favorite tips for big-time style with little effort.
Amazing Eyes
Makeup artist and entrepreneur Debbi Stewart (973-890-5766) began her career working with the stars of iconic television shows like Dynasty, Dallas and Golden Girls. Today, she markets an exclusive line of cosmetics and is available for consultation through her at-home studio in West Orange. Her current projects include Dancing With the Stars, the Emmys and Oscars. “Every woman, on or off the screen, appears best when her eyes ‘pop,’ and anyone can achieve that look at home with a little practice,” Debbi says.
Here’s her tried-and-true glamour tip: For long and luscious eyelashes, apply one coat of mascara and let it set for a moment. Then dip your finger in any type of light translucent face powder or even baby powder. Gently and sparsely blink the powder onto each eyelash, and let it set for a moment. Apply a second coat of mascara, removing any clumps. This powdering technique creates a much fuller, fatter eyelash and, for women who already are blessed with thick lashes, it will yield results that rival false lashes.
If, after trying Stewart’s tip, your eyelashes are still too sparse, you might want to ask your physician about tried-and-true Latisse (latisse.com). It’s the only FDA-approved prescription treatment to lengthen eyelashes, and it can actually grow them longer and fuller. Modern technology is a thing of beauty, ladies.
Bodacious Brows
Keira Karlin (908-358-8028; keirakarlin.com) of Westfield has styled the stars of Saturday Night Live, Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style, Iron Chef, and Essence of Emeril. She’s also worked with Lucy Lui, Debra Messing, and Joy Behar.
“Some women have naturally sparse eyebrows or might have gone overboard with plucking, and that can be a disaster,” Karlin says. “A beautiful eyebrow frames the face, enhances your eyes, and gives a polished look.”
Here’s her favorite beauty secret: Filling in skimpy brows can be done quickly and easily in just a few steps. First, brush your brows up with an eyebrow brush or even a baby toothbrush. Next, if your inner brows (near the bridge of your nose) are overgrown, carefully trim them with a small scissors. Then, choose a brow pencil one or two shades lighter than your hair color and, with small strokes moving in the natural direction of the brow, fill in sparse spots. Finally, using the brow brush, blend the color into the brow. To keep brows in place all day, spray a bit of hair spray onto your brush and through your brows. Viola, perfection!
Luscious Lips
Jeanine Mangan (609-213-4884; jmmakeupdesigns.com) of Manalapan works full-time in television doing makeup for the likes of Sharon Osbourne, Angelina Jolie, Natalie Morales and Shania Twain. But her skills are really put to the test when she colors the lips of news anchors, talk show hosts, and their celebrity guests.
“These television professionals can do a lot of speaking while they’re on camera and under the lights, so it can be a challenge to keep color on their lips,” Mangan says.
Here’s her tip: Outline clean, dry lips with a colored lip liner. Then fill in the entire lip area with the same liner. Next, apply lip gloss—in a color similar to the lip liner—to the middle of the lips, but not all the way to the edges. “I use lip liner and lip gloss, but never lipstick,” Mangan says.
“Lipstick tends to gather in the corners of the mouth and can bleed into the fine lines that border the lips. This can pose a problem for on-camera celebrities—and even for women who plan to spend the evening in cocktail party chatter.”
Whether you try these professional beauty secrets for eyes, brows, and lips yourself—or you hire a makeup artist to work a little magic for a special event—you deserve a little pampering. As fashion designer Calvin Klein once said, “The best thing is to look natural—but it takes makeup to look natural.”