I first met the fabulous (and very funny) Debbi Stewart a few years ago when I was writing an article about makeup tips for real women…girls who need just a little help to look like themselves, only better.
After sampling Debbi’s vast assortment of hypo-allergenic foundations, lipsticks, eye color and more, I became a believer. In fact, I wear her SPF 15 Liquid Powder Mineral Foundation all the time. (It’s water-resistant, practically weightless, and has no pore-clogging ingredients, fragrance, oil, talc or dyes. What more could a girl ask for?)
Back in the day, Debbi got her start in Hollywood, working on the sets of iconic television shows as she applied makeup to the faces of Dynasty, Dallas and Golden Girls stars. In fact, she was Joan Collins’ private artist both on set and off. (Debbi sets the record straight for us: "Joan was nothing like her Dynasty character. She certainly was a perfectionist, but never a bitch.") For Golden Girls, Debbie’s biggest challenge was making the characters of Dorothy, Blanche and Rose look younger, while the character of Sophia had to appear much older.
I asked this cosmetics guru to share a few of her tried-and-true makeup tips with New Jersey Monthly readers and she was happy to oblige…
1. Dab a bit of oil-free foundation on your lips. Then apply lip color to create a more youthful-looking lip. The foundation will also help your lipstick stay in place longer.
2. Apply a fine coat of baby powder to lashes between coats of mascara for a thicker lash. (Do not apply before mascara. Only between coats.)
3. Add a swipe of bronzer from your chin and down the center of your neck to create a more contoured neckline.
4. Fill in your eyebrows with a pencil. (Young girls have eyebrows, but old ladies don’t. So don’t forget the pencil!)
5. To create definition around your peepers, but not a defined line under your eyes, apply your eyeliner from the interior to the exterior of the bottom lash, but immediately wipe off most of it with a cotton swab. Although you won’t see an actual line, just the suggestion of liner will help make your eyes pop.
Debbi, who lives in Clifton, says that makeup should be simple, not complicated. “Women have limited options when it comes to makeup today. I know there are lots of lines out there, but they are designed to make us all look alike. My approach speaks individually to each woman’s unique skin tone,” she says.
Check out the entire Debbi Stewart collection online. Or contact her at [email protected]. Or schedule a personal consultation at C’est La Vie salon in Chatham or Premier Plastic Surgery Center in Morristown (where you’ll find post-surgery camouflage foundation!).
Have a little fun reinventing yourself in 2013.
Susan