One of the weeknights last month...

...was spent with two of my girlfriends, C and J, learning some new make-up tricks from Fiona Tanner. I just got my MAC pencil brush #219 yesterday and thought I'd pen down some of my notes from the make-up lesson.

Skincare:
Fiona had one look at my skin and immediately saw that I had combination skin (honestly how do people tell?). She suggested that I wash my face with product only once a day instead of twice a day as washing my face with product would strip away more moisture/oil than necessary resulting in my face producing MORE oil. I've tried this for the past two weeks (splashing my face with water in the morning and only washing my face with product at night) and it seems to be going alright. She did say some of her clients washed their faces with olive oil but I drew the line on that!

She also suggested exfoliating thrice a week and keeping your face hydrated with a spray mist...I already do this twice a week so not sure if three times a week is a good idea.

Make Up Prep:
One thing that Fiona suggested was to use an eye primer that is different from your usual face primer. I plan to get the Urban Decay Eye Primer Potion sometime soon. She also suggested using an oil-free T-zone mattifier (No 7 Shine Free Make-Up Base) and a facial oil for the rest of the face. I think once I (ever) finish my MAC Prep and Prime primer, I'll consider getting a primer that is both a mattifier and a primer and hopefully waterproof as well. There's just so many products your face can take right?! An interesting step that Fiona does is she keeps a rose-water spritz nearby and spritzes quite liberally in between application of products. This is to keep the face moisturised so that the make-up will sit better.

Eye Make Up:

• Always make up your eyes first and the rest of your face later. Something that I find hard to do! 
• Define or fill in the brows first (I think it's fine to use eye-shadow), using tiny, soft strokes.
• Fiona applied some mascara first instead of eye-shadow. I think the idea was to build up the intensity. Hmmm....I still find this strange so I would rather work on the eye-shadow first! 
• When making mistakes, use a damp foundation or concealer brush to clean the eye colour. 
• Always blend in the dark colours in the eyelid crease and make sure there are no harsh lines of colours.
• Avoid shimmer if you're above 25 (sadly I am), plus shimmer is harder to blend.
• Use white eye-liner at the bottom of your eye line. I thought this looked really strange so I'm going to pass on this. This apparently brightens your eyes and make them appear more wide set.
• When applying mascara, Fiona did this in a zig-zag, up-down, at all angles to avoid clumping.
• To avoid eye make up from slipping, use a waterproof base and layer a similar coloured eye shadow over the base. Apply dry on wet.
• Last step is to apply concealer for the under eye. Concealer used should be different from your face concealer (usually thicker and more creamy). 

Face and Cheeks:

• After applying primer, using the foundation brush and a bit of foundation, dot around the areas of the face that needs the most product (usually nose and chin for me). Softly blend in a zig-zag and up-down motion from the centre of the face outwards. Use the concealer brush to dab on blemishes.
• Then, using a kabuki brush, apply bronzer on forehead, down the nose and across cheekbones where the sun usually hits. Drag the lines in a fluid motion towards the jawline. 
• For blusher, apply on the apple of the cheeks only by smiling widely.
• Apply highlighter, if applicable, on cheekbones, cupid's bow and arches of the brows.
• Finally, apply powder overall to set the make-up.

Lip:

• Apply lip stain or lipstick using a lip brush from corners of the lips upwards/downwards.
• For longer lasting colour, apply a bit of concealer/foundation on the lips and make sure lips are dry before application.

It was mostly an information-overload session! Overall, a fun night with the girls and definitely picked up some valuable techniques.