- Devon Abelman
- Nov 26, 2018
There’s foundation. And then there’s Sweet Jesus, your skin looks amazing. The difference between the two: a makeup artist is usually responsible for the latter. (Think of all those times you had your makeup done for a wedding or a big event...and how awesome your skin looked.) To figure out how to apply our base better, we reached out to some of the best makeup artists in the business (including the one and only Laura Mercier and every It-girl's go-to guy, Hung Vanngo), to find out everything we could about putting on foundation, including how to pick out your perfect shade, what tools to use to avoid streaks and splotches, how to cover fine lines and large zits, and why you might be wearing too much foundation. Below, the best makeup artist tips to get you from start to flawless finish.
Pick Out the Right Shade and Formula.
"When you’re buying a new foundation, test a few shades in natural light, then squint. The color that disappears when you squint is your match." — Nick Barose
"You don’t want your face darker than your neck — test shades around your jawline, or dust bronzer on your neck to even everything out." — Jillian Dempsey
"Buy a foundation in two shades: one for imperfections and a lighter shade to highlight your chin, cheekbones, and the bridge of your nose. — AJ Crimson
"If you can’t find a perfect shade, buy one that’s slightly darker than your skin and one that’s slightly lighter, then fine-tune the color yourself." — Lora Arellano
" For photo ops, use a primer and a sheer matte foundation. Luminous formulas look shiny in pictures." — Nick Barose, Lupita Nyong'o's go-to makeup artist
"Most oil-free foundations oxidize — turn yellow or orange — on oily skin throughout the day, so test them for a few hours before you buy one." — Laura Mercier
Arm Yourself With the Right Tools.
"Look for rounded foundation brushes with synthetic hairs — they’re usually labeled powder brushes, but they’re the best for blending." — Arellano
"Small, fluffy synthetic brushes are fantastic for blending concealer over redness and imperfections on the chin, forehead, and nostrils" — Linda Cantello
"Mist a fluffy brush with facial spray, and press it over your makeup — foundation, blush, bronzer, highlighter — to make everything look more like skin." — Arellano
"Buff, buff, buff foundation into the skin — quickly, like a whirlwind — with a brush. It ensures the coverage won’t look heavy-handed." — Vincent Oquendo
"Put on foundation, and then press it into your skin with a damp sponge until it’s seamlessly blended."— Patrick Ta
Or Just Use Your Hands.
"I like to apply foundation with my hands to help warm it up, press it into the skin and into the contours of the skin. I usually go in outward, circular motions. Then, I fine-tune any additional blending with a clean foundation brush." — Joseph Carrillo, who's worked with Alexa Chung, Portia Doubleday, and Lily Rabe
"Use the natural warmth that emanates from your fingers to help diffuse the product, taking special care to blend well on the chin and jawline, as well as down the nose. Here is where Beautyblender (or any great blending sponge) is your best friend, as it really pushes the product into the skin and erases any 'makeup-y' texture — a telltale sign of badly applied foundation." — Suzy Gerstein, who's worked with St. Vincent and Camilla Belle
"I love starting with a sheer, lightweight foundation, blending it all over, and massaging into my face with my fingertips. This way, all the product is being blended into your skin and not being eaten up by your sponge or brush. This should give you a smooth veil of coverage, eliminating any redness or unevenness." —Joey Camasta, director of makeup artistry at Ready to Wear Beauty
The Secret is in the Prep.
"To achieve a glowy look, start with your skin-care routine. I like to use a face oil before I prime the skin, and then I follow with foundation." —Matin, who's worked with Claire Danes, Lena Dunham, and Tracee Ellis Ross
" Prepping skin gives you gorgeous, dewy foundation. Use face oil mixed with moisturizer on your cheekbones, chin, and the peak of your forehead." — Patrick Ta
"Mix water into foundation right before application. It adds moisture without any excess oil and makes the skin look even more radiant." —Rebecca Restrepo, who's worked with Mandy Moore, America Ferrara, and Emily Blunt
"Add foundation to your moisturizer if you want a lighter application, and in winter when your skin is really dry, I like to add a little bit of a superlight face oil to foundation, so I get coverage and hydrate my skin." —Fabiola, who's worked with Hilary Swank, Katie Holmes, and Jennifer Garner
"Unless you have dry or mature skin, I recommend distributing day cream more on the cheek area than in the T-zone to avoid unwanted mid-day shine post-foundation application." —Ma
"If you’ve got dry patches, press a small piece of Scotch tape over the area before you do your makeup. It’ll remove skin that’s ready to slough off." — Robin Black of Beauty is Boring
"Use an eye shadow primer on wrinkles to prevent creasing and create an even canvas for makeup."— Hung Vanngo
"When skin has a raised or bumpy texture, use primer and a creamy foundation. It’ll be just thick enough to smooth over the unevenness." — Mary Phillips
You Might be Using Too Much Foundation...
"It’s very French to let your skin show through your foundation. After you’ve put yours on, press a tissue on top to remove excess."— Mercier
"Don’t erase your skin. Foundation is meant to give you a cleaner palette, and then you can dab concealer on top where you need more coverage." — Black
"Your main focus should be using foundation more so on spots where [more coverage is] needed, like around the nose and eyes. Then, blend by dabbing (not rubbing!) with a Beautyblender to make your foundation one with your skin." —Azra Red, who works with Honey Artists
"By applying five dots of foundation—one each on your cheeks, forehead, chin, and neck—and distributing outward in circular motions using a foundation brush will give you a flawless result." —Ermahn Ospina, who's worked with Sarah Michelle Gellar, Carla Gugino, and Rosario Dawson
"Apply foundation sparingly — and only to the parts of the skin that need to be evened out. This way, you have some barer areas of the complexion, which gives the overall look a more natural finish." —Molly R. Stern, who's worked with celebrities including Reese Witherspoon, Lily Collins, and Mandy Moore
"For subtle dimension, apply foundation where you need it, then tap concealer on the bridge and tip of your nose, center of your forehead, chin, and Cupid’s bow.
- The Academy For Makeup Artists
- Nov 24, 2018
The queen of American fashion, Vogue’s Anna Wintour, proclaimed her “the most influential makeup artist in the world.” Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II made her a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to the fashion and beauty industry. It’s undeniable: Pat McGrath is the most influential and sought-after makeup artist in the world. For more than two decades, Pat McGrath has been concepting, launching and developing luxury cosmetic brands, countless runway shows, breakthrough advertising campaigns and editorial spreads. Her ascent to the pinnacle of fashion began in the 1990s with an introduction to legendary lensman Steven Meisel by supermodel Amber Valleta. Fast friends and symbiotic collaborators, they’ve created every cover and lead editorial story for every issue of Vogue Italia, indisputably iconic images for leading global publications and countless brand-defining campaigns. Each season, Pat McGrath conceptualizes and creates beauty looks for more than 60 ready-to-wear and couture shows in Milan, Paris, London and New York for a luminous roster of the world’s most prestigious brands and visionary designers: Prada, Miu Miu, Dolce & Gabbana, Givenchy, Gucci, Lanvin, Louis Vuitton, Versace, Maison Margiela, Yohji Yamamoto, Valentino, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Nina Ricci, Calvin Klein, Loewe, and Alexander McQueen, to name a select few. With her incomparable mastery and iconoclastic vision, Pat McGrath has transformed the beauty industry. Name any trend of the past two decades, and you’ll find her at its origin, from 1990s dewy skin to no-retouching-necessary foundation specifically designed for this decade’s selfies. When Giorgio Armani hired her to develop and launch a line of cosmetics in 1999, the minimalist maestro said, “I was struck by the way she interpreted colour and by her ideas about beauty and femininity.” Engaged as Global Beauty Creative Design Director by Procter & Gamble in 2004, Pat McGrath oversees Covergirl, Max Factor and created Dolce & Gabbana: The Makeup. Recently, she also designed and launched Gucci’s debut cosmetic collection. “She is a terrific business partner. Our success is her success, and vice versa,” says Esi Eggleston Bracey, Vice President and General Manager of Procter & Gamble Cosmetics. A true creator and innovator at the forefront of the multi-billion dollar global beauty industry with an ever-expanding reach on social media, her recent blockbuster success with PAT McGRATH LABS further proves that she’s poised to elevate beauty to even headier altitudes. With a creative vision that’s made her a tour de force that touches everything from couture to club kids and street culture; her influence is everywhere, from screen to stage to digital: it’s undeniable, Pat McGrath knows no boundaries.
The Academy For Makeup Artists delivers a range of short courses in makeup, hairstyling and special FX makeup. Longer courses include the Advanced Certificate In Makeup and the Diploma of Applied Makeup. Contact study@tafmua.com.au for more information on fees and courses.
- The Academy For Makeup Artists
- Nov 24, 2018
Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight
No job for a big screen makeup artist faces more scrutiny. The first look at Heath Ledger's Joker sparked pandemonium when it was revealed in 2007. Jared Leto's first image as the Clown Prince of Crime in Suicide Squad was dissected even more so, as he had the impossible task of following up Ledger's Oscar-winning work in The Dark Knight.
Now, in their own words, the makeup artists behind Ledger and Leto's iconic looks look back on how they saw each actor transform before their eyes.
MAKEUP ARTIST JOHN CAGLIONE JR.
John Caglione earned an Oscar for his work on Dick Tracy (1990) as well as a nomination for The Dark Knight.
You read the script first and you try to understand the character. Then I started doing some sketches — overlays of Heath's headshot. I did five or six different clown makeups, painted hair, with the scars, the whole thing.
I flew to London and started to talk with Chris Nolan, and we started playing with some makeup. We wanted something very worn, lived in. We wanted to make it blurry, distorted and disturbing. Chris wanted everything to be organic in that film. Everything had to be plausible. This Joker, he doesn't change his clothes. Does he sleep in his makeup? Does he wash his hair?
Heath and I started playing around with things. As a makeup artist, you are trained to seek perfection. The first few stabs at it for me — it was too clean. And I had to force myself to turn a corner and realize that imperfection was perfection in this design. I had to let my hand go and let things blur and drip and be craggy.
And Heath really helped me find that, the great actor he was. You can only hope in some small way to help his performance. So when he looks in the mirror, he can believe what his reflection is. Heath was amazing. Incredible.
Heath would contort his face while I was laying makeup on it so it would look like it was lived in. It created cracks and crevices. It was kind of like a dance in the makeup chair. He knew where I was going with a certain brush and a different color, and he'd squint his eyes and raise his forehead and make these facial gestures and I would just paint over it to create all of those crevices.
As shooting goes on, you both know where you're going and how to help each other. That was the case with Heath. That makeup took maybe an hour at the start of shooting. By the end of the film, we had it down to 25 or 30 minutes.
[Cinematographer] Wally Pfister just shot the hell out of it. I love the shot where Heath's in the interrogation room and it looks like there's a floating head in black. That was a great image. It's just this crazy clown face in black, with this light source coming from nowhere. It's incredible.
I was nominated, but I didn't think I would win the Oscar for clown makeup, and I was right. But I'm glad that Heath won. Because to tell you the truth, I was just gilding the lily. That performance was amazing. I think this will be the work that will be in my obituary. "The guy that did the Joker makeup died today." Looking back, now that I'm 57, it's a cornerstone, definitely. I was glad I was born at the right place and the right time for that. Because it sure was a blast.
Jared Leto in Suicide Squad
MAKEUP ARTIST ALESSANDRO BERTOLAZZI
Alessandro Bertolazzi worked with Suicide Squad director David Ayer on his previous film, Fury, and his many other credits include Skyfall, where he worked to create Javier Bardem's distinctive look.
I was surprised when David Ayer called me. I said, "I'm not the right guy for this movie. I don't know anything about comics." I like comics, but I'm not a superfan. David said, "I want you, because you can give me a different point of view with this job."
Joker is the guy with the green hair. This is what I knew. Then I started looking around, and I saw Heath Ledger, Jack Nicholson, and everything else. I wanted to do something that was not the same, and Warner Bros. said, "OK, do your Joker." Usually with a big movie studio, people suggest things, have an opinion or give me guidance. With this, nothing!
They give me Jared Leto, a guy with hair and a long beard. A month before starting, I studied The Man Who Laughs, the 1928 film from which the Joker was inspired. It's so beautiful.
I ask David, "Who is this guy? What is his story?" David says to me, "He's also a poet." He's in love. It's a sick love, but still love. I tried to find something to make him super scary, but at the same time, a romantic. I always loved that contrast. I want a guy who is a poet, a romantic, and a devil all at the same time. He is completely sick.
Then we start painting in the face. And we do the skin. We work a lot on the skin, because the skin is the most important. I wanted it to look like a really dirty, really sick. It's three hours of makeup, with six or seven layers. With the pale skin and the veins and a wound — I make it dirty. He's a guy who hasn't taken a shower in forever. This is The Joker.
Then he needs something else. David said, "Why don't we give him a scar?" That's interesting. Then I decided to do seven scars. This guy is completely crazy — I imagine him in front of the mirror in the morning, where he never brushes his teeth, but instead he might take a blade and he cuts his face. Just for fun.
This is my process.
During the shoot, every day, every single shot, we changed something. I have more details or I have less, depending on the moment.
What was incredible, Warner Bros. and DC Comics are obsessed about everything, but they never asked me to change anything in my makeup. Not one single thing. They let me do everything I wanted.
Jared had to be completely in connection with me. Jared was amazing. We had a special makeup department only for Jared. When he arrived in the morning, he'd come straight to the makeup department without seeing anyone else and we'd start the process of the transformation. The Joker's part of the film, it's like another movie inside Suicide Squad. So we decided to keep him completely separate. He had the whole makeup department and it was just me and him alone for three hours.
It started in silence. During this process he slowly, slowly he started to act like the Joker. And then … "Oh my god!" He becomes the Joker for real.
For a month, Jared had no contact with any actors except as the Joker. You know how actors go to the lounge and get coffee? Not Jared. Never. He was the Joker, 100 percent. Margot Robbie and everyone saw him only as the Joker for the whole shooting. This makes the difference.
People look at me and say, "Oh my God. It must have been so tough for you." No. It was amazing. Because I made the Joker.
