By Jessica Tomes, TMD Social Media Director
I don’t know about you guys, but when it comes to my beauty routine it is very easy for me to get stuck in a rut—especially between deadlines, laundry, meal planning, and keeping up with a busy toddler. We thought it would be fun to chat with a professional makeup artist to brush up on the basics, and see if we couldn’t learn a few new tricks. And what better time than right before Valentine’s Day? What gal doesn’t want to get all glammed up for her handsome hubby or boyfriend?
Cristina Burns, an aesthetician with The Brooklyn Spa (in Billings, Montana) was more than happy to help us out. Cristina, a former poker dealer from Missoula, Montana attended school in Seattle (receiving her professional license in 2008) after much prodding from her own very knowledgeable aesthetician. She says she truly believes every woman should be educated in proper skincare techniques, and is passionate about educating her clients on how to make themselves look and feel their very best. We could not agree more. Here is what we learned.
Start with a clean palette. A fresh, clean face is the first step to a flawless makeup application. Cristina says the secret to excellent skin is staying hydrated. She advises drinking your weight in ounces of water every single day. After a long day in the elements, washing your face each and every night is equally important.
Properly prep your skin. Toner helps to keep your skin hydrated. Applying toner preps the skin to receive what you put on it next. It also helps to balance your PH levels. Make sure your toner and moisturizer are completely dry before you apply any makeup. Depending on the moisturizer, a good estimate is to wait five minutes.
Find your best possible light. Ideally you want to apply your makeup in the area of your home with the greatest natural light available, so as to avoid that moment of shocked surprise when you survey your handiwork in your car mirror. No one wants to look like Bozo the clown. Unless of course you work for the circus!
A good foundation makes all the difference. You will want to select a foundation that is as close as possible to your skin tone; Cristina says you may even want to go a shade lighter. She advises matching the foundation to the skin on your neck. Contrary to popular belief, bronzer should not be applied to the T-Zone. Instead, use bronzer to contour the sides of your nose, apply just below your cheekbones and on your temples. Apply your foundation in light layers. You can always add more, but you do not want to cake it on (refer to previous statement about working for the circus).
Accentuate your eyes with liquid liner. Cristina is a big fan of liquid liner because it lasts all day and stays in place. She teaches her clients to lift up the eyelid (using the index finger) while applying liner to the top lid—lining all the way across. She advises only lining the bottom of the eye halfway across, to the middle of the pupil. Line under the lash line, not the inside of the lash line, this actually makes the eye appear smaller.
For spring, keep your eye shadow application minimal and light. For Valentine’s Day dinner (or any other fun night out), go a little darker. Cristina advises wetting down your shadow brush with setting spray before applying the shadow. For a lovely daytime look, she suggests starting with a lighter, sparkly shade. Apply to the inner 2/3 of your lid. Next, fill in the outer 1/3 of your lid with a slightly darker (but still light) brown. Always complete one eye before moving on to the next—this helps with a more consistent application. To go from day to evening, simply add more makeup. Apply darker shadow to the outer 1/3 of your lid for a sexy, smoky-eye look. Cristina says no one looks good in pure black eye shadow; it is just too extreme. Charcoals are your best bet, and you want to choose something with a hint of shimmer she says. Blondes should select lighter charcoal shades. Brunettes can even add a tiny bit of purple shadow to the inner corners of their eyes (a highlighting tool) to really make them pop. Use a large fan brush to sweep away any excess on your cheeks. Finally, wet down a liner brush with setting spray, and then trace over your eyeliner with the shadow. For evening, skip this step and apply more liquid liner.
Lightly apply concealer, patting (not rubbing) on with your index finger. Worried about dark circles under your eyes? Cristina advises choosing a concealer with yellow undertones to offset the purple hue of your skin. Worried about red blotchiness? Choose a concealer with green undertones. When in doubt, consult a color wheel. Or your aesthetician…
Pump up the drama. Apply primer before your mascara—this will help it to stay in place better. You can wipe down the wand with a Kleenex before application each time, or even use two brushes to avoid clumping. Apply as close to the root of the eyelashes as possible, and push up she says. Use the tip of the wand to do the bottom lashes.
Get a little cheeky. When it comes to blush, you have two options: you can either contour your cheeks, or go for a more flushed look. A flushed cheek look is perfect for spring Cristina says. To apply, first smile, touching the brush to the inside of your cheekbone, and then sweep out toward your ears, following your natural cheekbone curvature. Do the opposite to contour.
Pucker up! Cristina always advises her clients to apply lip liner before gloss or lipstick. She says the first thing you want to do is to outline your natural “V” in the middle of your top lip, and then to line outward. Lightly shade just inside the line—this will keep it from looking too sharp or severe. Line just outside your natural lip line to make your pout appear fuller. Apply gloss or lipstick with a brush. Floral and pink shades are perfect for spring and summer. Cristina says don’t worry about changing your lip color for evening (unless you really want to); wear a color you are comfortable with and make a statement with your eye makeup.
Highlighting and brows. Apply a light shimmer powder to highlight key areas: the tip of your chin, the center of your nose, your cheekbones, and just underneath your eyebrows. Don’t forget those brows! They have a tendency to disappear during your makeup application, so you will want to (lightly) apply brow powder in a matching shade.
Spritz to set and you are ready to go! Cristina says you can even spritz with water. Liquid sets powder, and powder sets liquid. Lightly mist the spritz over your makeup, holding the bottle about six inches away from your face. This should help your gorgeous look last all evening long!
A giant TMD thank you to Cristina Burns, Lynn Tucker, and the entire crew at The Brooklyn Spa for helping us out with this blog post—we could not have done this without your awesome assistance! The Brooklyn Spa is a full service salon and spa located at 182 S. 32nd Street West (Billings, MT). Check out their website here. Who says you can’t book a little Valentine’s treat for yourself? Hot stone massage, anyone?
Born and raised in Southeast Texas, Jessica currently lives in Billings, Montana with her husband Tyler, and her one year old daughter Savannah. Jessica graduated from Texas Christian University where she studied Broadcast Journalism. (Go Frogs!) A writer, blogger, and fashion enthusiast, Jessica also owns her own business: Jessica Morgan Photography and Events. She loves everything about weddings, and is so excited to have joined the team at Tamara Menges Designs! She is expecting her second baby girl, Emma Kate, in March of 2014.