AN ARTIST’S TOUCH
It is nice to pamper yourself with an appointment with a proper makeup artist. It is also nice to get more bang for your pampering buck, writes Harriet Pudney.
Ye s , yo u ’ l l wa nt to h ave a n eve nt wo r t h d re s s i n g u p fo r, b u t yo u ’ l l ge t t h e most b a n g fo r yo u r b u c k i f yo u ’re running o u t of a few key p ro d u c t s .
There is something very special about having your makeup done by a professional. A true pleasure and a total extravagance, this is a treat I like to save for once or twice a year when I have all-night plans and am feeling flush.
Think of a birthday, a particularly big night, a party attended by my enemies. You know, the times when you want to look bulletproof.
While delightful, this is not a free service. If you are going to spend the money, you want to make it worth your while. Here’s how.
Choose your spot
Maybe you know someone personally, or maybe you have found an amazing makeup artist on Instagram. This approach has its benefits: for one, they will come to your house.
But booking in at a shop has its pluses too, in that your fee is typically redeemable on product. Pick the department store counter for your favourite brand, or a shop like Mecca or Sephora that stocks different ranges. You will know whether you are after a full-face MAC look, or if you are keen to try a few different things.
Pick your moment
Yes, you will want to have an event worth dressing up for, but you will get the most bang for your buck if you are running out of a few key products. If you need, say, new foundation or mascara, and are keen on a lipstick or blush to try, you are looking good. If these are products you would buy anyway, the $150-ish makeup application is essentially free.
Book ahead
Those Saturday afternoon appointments book up quickly. You will want to plan a month or so in advance if you want to nab one for yourself.
Take photos
Much like how you and your hairdresser might have a different idea of what a trim looks like, makeup artists don’t automatically know what you mean by natural but glam and not too shiny.
Do some scrolling on Instagram and save the posts you would like your expert to emulate. This is a situation where a picture really is worth a thousand words.
Ask questions
Speaking of experts, this is your opportunity to pick the brain of a professional. My recent appointment at Mecca Cosmetica was as much a makeup lesson as a glam session.
I learnt that if you are doing winged liner over and under your eye, you should start with the lower line as it is easier to get the angle that way.
I also learnt that Chantecaille Radiance Gel Bronzer, $76, meccabeauty.co.nz (1), is possibly the most natural-looking bronzer on the market, and that the Hourglass Ambient Soft Glow Foundation, $99, meccabeauty.co.nz, (2), is every bit as good as the powders it takes its name from. Make the most of that one-on-one time.
Speak up
With any luck, you and your makeup artist will have reached an understanding before things kicked off, but if you find the foundation they have chosen isn’t looking quite right, or notice your brows are coming through a bit heavier than you would like, say something.
Things often look a bit funky in the middle of an application, and you have to trust the process, but you also have to communicate.
Look fabulous
My look, featuring a smoky winged liner enhanced by the Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk eye palette, $86, meccabeauty.co.nz, (3), left me feeling almost too confident. All I was missing was a wind machine. This isn’t an all-the-time experience, but for a night that included dinner, drinks, a concert and about three hours on the dance floor, I felt my money was well spent.