A Makeup Artist Just Showed Me How to Avoid These 5 Common Mistakes

July 18, 2022

A Makeup Artist Just Showed Me How to Avoid These 5 Common Mistakes

by ELEANOR VOUSDEN

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@ELEANORVOUSDEN

My makeup after my 1-2-1 masterclass with Lan Nguyen-Grealis.

Lan Nguyen-Grealis not only works with celebrities such as Paloma Faith, but she is a regular backstage at fashion week and is the makeup mastermind behind many magazine shoots, too, so she knows exactly how to get your makeup to work for any given scenario, whether it's no-makeup makeup or full on glam. She founded Studio One Makeup to create a space where people can book in for dedicated makeup lesson, which is personalised to what you want to learn about makeup. Her ethos is about making makeup work for you, not just following the trends, so you leave with a bespoke look that's tailor-made for your skin and lifestyle.

During my appointment with Nugyen-Grealis, I picked up so many great tips and tricks–as well as the key makeup mistakes to avoid–and it's totally changed the way I now do my makeup. Below, I shared some of the key learnings on how you can hit refresh your makeup, as well as the key products I discovered in a top makeup artist's kit bag.

@lanslondon makeup mistakes and makeup tips

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@ELEANORVOUSDEN

Lan Nguyen-Grealis focuses on skincare and priming products that make your complexion glow before applying makeup.

Laying down the foundation of good skin care prep is essential if you want your makeup to stay glowing and fresh for as long as possible. Makeup can only do so much, so having a hydrated canvas to work on will ensure your makeup looks its best. As such, in Nguyen's kit you'll always find her carrying an array of skincare, but her favourite variety are from Korean beauty brands. "These typically feature very lightweight formulations that sit well under makeup, yet keep the skin hydrated," says Nguyen-Grealis, so you won't end up with quite so much dryness or concealer creasing throughout the day. And, it goes without saying that it will make your skin will seriously glow, so you might find you don't need to apply quite so much makeup. And if like me, you have oily or combination skin, you'll want to look for a primer with a silicone formula which will help smooth skin before foundation and keep your base long-wearing.

One of my qualms with my makeup was that my eyeshadow never seemed to stay put. Having deep-set, hooded eyes, I found that my eyeshadow would look great on initial application, but it would soon settle in to the creases of my eyelids as the day went on, before totally disappearing by the end of the day. "For long-lasting eye makeup, you need to layer a powder-based eyeshadow on top of a cream formula in the same shade. This helps to seal in your eyeshadow shade and helps it to last for longer," says Nguyen-Grealis. My error was just using either a powder or a cream eyeshadow stick straight onto my lids, which don't have enough staying power on their own. If you have hooded eyes, another trick of Nguyen-Grealis's is to take your eyeshadow further up past your eyelid crease and towards your brow bone. Because most hooded eyes don't have a visible lid crease, any eyeshadow that is applied to the lid disappears when you look straight ahead. Bringing it higher up to the brow bone helps your eyes look larger.

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@ELEANORVOUSDEN

When brows are filled in too much, they can look too heavy and blocky. I was previously using an eyebrow pencil to shape my brows, but Nguyen-Grealis showed me how I can make achieve more natural definition. "To fill in your brows, use an angled eyeshadow brush and a eyeshadow matched to your brow shade. Take the brush and apply upwards feathery strokes to mimic individual hairs," she says. Not only does this create a soft-focus effect, but any mishaps can be easily diffused by brushing through the eyebrows with a spoolie brush.

Eyeliner has always scared me a little bit. My eye shape tends to be overwhelmed by lining my upper lash-line. I do like a slight wing to my eye makeup, however my eyelid naturally folds over where a wing would usually be, so my painstakingly applied cat eye usually looks a bit distorted once my eyes are relaxed. Nguyen-Grealis recommends drawing this from the lower lash line, opposed to the top lash line if you find this the case on your eye shape. "Draw along the lower lash line and wing out," she says. "Then, diffuse the line with an eyeshadow brush while connecting it to the very edge of your upper lash line." She explained that this helps to add definition while lifting and elongating your eyes.

If you are prone to hay fever or have watery eyes, or even if you find that your eyeliner doesn't last as long as you'd like, Nguyen-Grealis recommends fixing your eyeliner with a eyeshadow powder. "This will set the look in place and give your eyeliner longevity," she says. And if you're looking to go glam with your makeup, but you find false eyelashes too heavy, Nguyen-Grealis recommends opting for individual lashes which will add subtle definition without looking too dramatic.

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@ELEANORVOUSDEN

While we're big fans of the 'clean girl' makeup aesthetic (think dewy glowing skin and lightweight makeup textures), it's not always the most long-lasting. If you really want your makeup to last throughout a busy day, then you'll want to fix any cream or liquid products with a powder, says Nguyen Grealis. Just apply a dusting to your most oily areas after applying concealer and foundation.

If you find that your blusher tends to fade quickly, layer a cream version underneath a powder blush to lock it in. If you want your blusher to look multidimensional, apply a powder blush in a slightly lighter hue along the tops of the cheekbones for a contouring effect. "This helps to keep your blusher in place and helps to create dimension," says Nguyen-Grealis.

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