Makeup School: Day 2 - Colour Theory & Prep

My turn in the model chair!

I arrived at our first, highly anticipated prac with much excitement. Our second trainer, Jackie, stepped us through a handout on prepping the face, colour theory, camouflage, concealer, foundation and powder. She then proceeded to demonstrate all the above on a fellow student, who tried not to look too uncomfortable being in the spotlight, with eighteen pairs of eyes riveted on her face.

Colour Theory
Now while most people know the basics of colour, it is important to fully understand colour theory in order to select the right colours to achieve a flawless face. Certain colours are better at neutralising facial blemishes. Concealing in a nutshell:

• Blue can be covered with orange (ie. dark circles)
• Yellow hides violet best (ie. dark circles)
• Green cancels red (ie. acne, broken capillaries)
• Pink covers brown (ie. freckles)

But just when you think that's a snap, keep in mind the uptake of High Definition (HD), which will tend to show every pore, blemish or discolouration. There's nothing more horrifying than seeing green concealer showing through under foundation. Most MUAs would probably love to bitch-slap whoever invented HD.

First page of my visual folder for prepping the face

Preparing the Face
The four main skin types of normal, combination, oily, or dry will determine which products are more efficient to be used in balancing out the skin. To start off with, face must always be clean before makeup. This calls for a removal of any current makeup before applying moisturiser and primer. From what I understand with regards to skin types: drier skin needs more liquid products and minimal powder, while oilier skins would benefit from more powdered products to prevent shine. The lucky people blessed with normal skin can probably get away with murder most cosmetics.

After cutting short our lunch hour to make time for the pending afternoon trip to Hub Makeup, we all eagerly got out our kits and took turns applying base on each other. Being a perfectionist, I spent a good hour practicing on my makeup buddy, Mel. I was unfamiliar with the Gorgeous Cosmetics products, so it was quite difficult to determine the right shade and hue to apply. I experimented with mixing multiple concealers and foundation together to create the best look. Mel usually preferred to have her face more tanned, but as a twist to the norm, I made her complexion lighter to better match her skin tone. The Trainer did suggest I brighten the shadows under her eyes a bit more (mostly due to overhead fluorescent lights), but was overall quite satisfied with my first attempt.

Foundation practice on my sister

Given practice makes perfect, I rushed home after class to have another attempt on my sister. Shame that her skin is more tanned and doesn't match mine, so my current makeup did not suit her at all. Whatever! I used what I got and blended everything in to make it work. The result was far better than we both anticipated, so judge for yourself (retouch free!).

Next lesson: Facial structure with contouring, shading and highlighting

xxEva