I recently had the pleasure of meeting Luc Bouchard, a senior makeup artist at M.A.C, who (at the request of a room full of beauty addicts/editors) was kind enough to divulge a few of his methods for achieving a perfect, 'Photoshopped' complexion. Of course, I scribbled down as much as I possibly could, then ran home to try every last suggestion. As you'd expect, he's spot on.
To 'Photoshop' my skin, I'm now using:
M.A.C Face and Body Foundation and Duo Fiber Brush #187 and/or #188
The
brush works to diffuse this (brilliant) foundation, creating a veil
that instantly evens out my skin tone and gives me a fresh, dewy glow.
If you invest in anything, invest in either of these brushes. You can
use them for foundation, powder, rouge- they're fantastic.
M.A.C Studio Finish SPF 35 Concealer
Applied with an angled sponge under my eyes and tapped (not rubbed) onto spots.
M.A.C Sculpt and Shape Powder with Brush #138
I've always been a bit nervous about contouring. It just seemed like something that's best left to the pros (until now). Luc gave us a stellar suggestion that takes the guess work out of shading: Stand under a light source and use it as a guide. Then, just shade the areas that are dark and highlight those that are light (aside from your forehead).
With the shadows as my guide, I use M.A.C's #138 brush to gently apply the darker shade of their Sculpt and Shape Powder duo under my cheekbones and on the sides of my nose, and then use the lighter powder on the bridge of my nose (avoiding the tip) and on the top of my cheeks.
M.A.C Mineralize Skinfinish/Natural
I dust this sheer, mineral-based powder (very lightly) over my forehead, nose, cheeks, and chin, to give my skin a natural-looking radiance that further camouflages any minor imperfections.
M.A.C Blushcreme
When applied to the apples of the cheeks, it gives a sexy, yet subtle, flush.
These products (and techniques) are now my secret weapon against those dreadful off days. We all need a little help every now and again, so why not fake it flawlessly?
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