A classic smokey eye is an absolutely stunning look. But black can also be the most difficult shade to work with in order to create that smoke-like effect. There is also nothing stopping you from using other colours to create a smokey eye. Brown works very well on most people! Of course, the secret is all in the blending. Blend blend blend blend BLEND!

As the eyes are so intense, it's best to keep the rest of the makeup fairly low-key with natural shades. Remember the guide of emphasising one facial feature at a time! (I'm going to go on to break this, eventually :d)

Here's how it's done:

Smokey eye makeup on Sami Model Mayhem #1806160

1. Concentrate eye primer on mobile lids so the dark shadow will adhere better to the wet primer and blends easier on the dry areas
2. Wash a dark eyeshadow completely over the mobile lid. I like to stop just short of the crease and start blending from there. Unfortunately, the first application of shadow will look like the model has been punched. We'll tend to that in a sec...
3. Deepen the wash of colour on mobile lid and blend blend blend with a fluffy brush upwards towards brow bone. Take it as far up as you're comfortable with. I tend to leave a gap for highlighting the brow bone
4. Drag the colour under the eye from outer corners in. It won't matter if it looks a bit messy. That's what gives smokey eyes a sultry look!
5. Use a neutral or brighter shade to highlight brow bone and blend downwards to form a gradient with the dark shadow
6. Line top and bottom with eyeliner pencil and 'set' the waxy texture with eyeshadow as well as blending it into surrounding colour
7. Brows must be filled in to complete the look. A clear, defined brow works best

Glamour eye page of my visual diary

The most common look requested for photoshoots, whether dramatic or toned down. This is similar to the socket eye but involves more colours and would be suited to a greater range of eye shapes (like mine!).

A basic glamour eye can involve only two colours: a medium tone on the lids and a darker tone around the outer corners. Lighter colours can then be added on inner corners and to highlight the browbone.

Steps for a basic glamour eye:

In-class glamour eyes on Shelley (Retouch free!)

1. Prime the lids to keep colours intense and prevent creasing
2. Apply a medium tone to the entire mobile lid, going no further than the hollows of the socket
3. Brush a darker shadow in a 'C' shape around the outer corners. Blend the colour up and out and around the socket hollows. Do not drag the colour out more than half way over the eye.
4. Blend the darker shadow up and out and merge the two colours in a soft gradient
5. Line the bottom eyeliner about two-thirds of the way in and blend to soften the line.
6. More colours can be used to highlight browbone and inner corners
7. Because style is so dramatic, a thin line of eyeliner is all that's required to define the eyes. Optional flick if desired
8. Apply full bar lashes to complete the look

My visual folder page for socket eyes

Let's go 1960s with a gorgeous, eye-opening socket eye that's often used in theatre. This technique, as the name implies, defines the sockets of the eye and is perfect for a glamourous night out!

Unfortunately, I have to admit the style is not suitable for me (aka. those with hooded eyes and no definite sockets. Asians, I'm looking at you). Drawing on what I don't have does make it look a little...forced. But for those with a clear socket or slightly protruding eyes, this will work very nicely.

Here's the gist of the look:

In-class socket eye practical on Tiarni (Retouch free!)

1. Prime the entire eye area in preparation for eyeshadow
2. Apply light shadow all over mobile lid only
3. Outline the hollow of the socket with a darker colour. I prefer to use the tip of a flat, stiff eyeshadow brush to gently dab on an outline before layering on more shadow.
4. Take a bullet brush and blend around the line in small, circular motions. Smudge the eyeshadow slightly inwards to connect with top eyeline at outer corners
5. Re-highlight the mobile lid if the colour has lost its intensity after being blended out
6. Use the same colour as the mobile lid to highlight the browbone

Complete the look with slightly thicker, winged liquid eyeliner and a full bar of fluttery false lashes. Keep the cheeks and lips natural so as not to divert attention away from eyes; a contoured flush and nude lacquer is a good choice.

For more of a day look, use earth shades in tan or taupe and opt for pencil liner instead. Ditch the lashes and just keep it simple with a few coats of mascara.

xxEva

After much analysis with demos, face charts and study notes, we are finally completing the face with a colourwash eye!

Applying an eyeshadow wash is a deceptively simple way of adding colour to the eyes, although this look won't suit all eye shapes.

Since I probably won't get much time to use bright colours, I opted for a very pigmented green that was also in hot demand with the other students. However, it was so pigmented we all had trouble blending it out as the gradient didn't fade as nicely.

Lesson learnt for next time: use less product if it's extremely pigmented. But then again, I doubt there's much of a chance to do this look on a normal basis.

In-class colour wash on the gorgeous Courtney (retouch free!)

1. Prime the eye area up to brows. Especially if bright colours are to be used, primer is a must!
2. Dab eyeshadow all over the mobile lid, building up the colour in layers.
3. 'Wash' the colour out from the eyelid with a fluffy blending brush. Move the colour up towards the brows, creating a soft gradient.
4. If blending is difficult, use a lighter colour on the brow bone to highlight that area. Otherwise, take a clean brush and dust downwards from brows to take away some colour.
5. Finish off with eyeliner and lashings of mascara. The eyes can be a bit 'washed out' if they are not re-defined after applying the eyeshadow. Ditto for eyebrows.

We're so close to doing a full face! Just lips and cheeks left. This was one of the more enjoyable lessons and each one of us walked out of there with gorgeous, daring red lippies! As high maintenance as those are, this is a look that radiates confidence, passion and drop dead sexiness.

But before all that, we all had to determine lip shapes and the best correction techniques. While lips come in all shapes and sizes, here's a quick generalisation:

Balanced
As the name says, both lips are evenly thick, balanced, and this is the lip 'ideal'.

Thin
Lips like these could benefit from some brighter colours and more gloss to really highlight the pout.

Lip shapes & corrections

Uneven
Lipliners will be your best friend. Always line just inside or just outside the lips to provide some subtle adjustments. Coupled with some concealer, this can be our little secret. ^.~

Wide
While most people love the full pout, there may be times that call for focus to be shifted off the lips. In this case, carefully stroke lipliner just inside the natural lip line and fill with a matte colour.

Downturned
I personally think these lips are utterly sexy in a pouty, petulant way. But as girls are pretty fickle with wanting the opposite to how we look, the downturned corners can be eased by filling in the bottom outer corners of the lips, just outside the natural lip line.

Lip products are also available in so many types, styles and colours that I could stand in front of a display stand for an hour just testing and deciding on which ones I like enough to buy (L'Oreal, I'm looking at you). In (approximate) order of durability, they are:

• Lip liner
• Lip tint
• Lipstick
• Lip lacquer
• Lip gloss

I don't know how many times I've heard people say to always use lip liner. Not only does it prevent lipstick feathering, but can be worn alone or under lipstick, and will last all day due to its high wax content!

Tip: To make lipstick last, remember to blot and reapply. Repeat this least three times and I swear that baby won't budge for hours of normal wear. Meanwhile, gloss will probably only last you about 15-30 minutes. Tops.

And while we're on the topic of red lips, here's an upcoming Australia Day hot summer beach look I whipped up as practice. Unfortunately the weather proves to be decidedly contrary with relentless, freezing rain for the past week. But regardless, ladies, don't forget that waterproof mascara!

xxEva

Visual diary page of eye shapes

A balanced face and features should be 3 down, 5 across.
3 down: Forehead to top of nose (1/3), top of nose to bottom of nose (1/3), bottom of nose to end of chin (1/3).
5 across: There should be 5 equal eye widths across the face.

Almonds are to the 'ideal' eye shape what ovals are to the 'ideal' face shape. In other words, a balanced eye that's rounded at the outer corners and tapered towards inner corners. As usual, shading and contouring is used to 'correct' the eyes to best resemble an almond shape.

The most common eye shapes and the best fixes:

Areas of the Eye

Protruding
Shade eyelids up to socket with a matte, dark colour with dark eyelines around the eyes. Minimise light, bright and shimmery colours as this will tend to bring out the eyes further. Only highlight browbone and finish with mascara on outer edges of eyes.

Deep Set
Do the opposite for protruding eyes with highlight and shimmer on mobile eyelid, stopping just before the browbone. Darken socket line and blend to the brows but don't cover browbones. Line the eyes with a light colour and use mascara or lashes on the outer corners of the eye.

Wide Set
Concentrate colours and highlight on the outer corners, estending the socket line towards the inner corner. Line eyeliner all the way into inner corners, but fade out on outer edges. Mascara can be applied all the way around eyes. Bring brows inwards towards the nose and contour down the sides of the nose to add to the illusion.

Close Set
Again, do the exact opposite to wide set eyes. Focus dark colours on outer corners and highlight on inner corners to create space (Asians <i>love</i> this look!). Exagerate through the sockets and extend shadow up and outwards. Don't forget to apply mascara and lashes on outer corners only.

Downturned
Another eye shape that's Asians are fond of as it gives a 'dolly' look. But if that's not your preference, it can be adjusted by shading eyeshadow up and out from sockets with a flick of eyeliner. Top lashes should be curled with false lash application on top outer corners. There should be no dark lines on lower eyesline but can be slightly highlighted

Small
I love going all out on small eyes. Just remember to stick to bright, shimmery colours to open up the eyes (although I use some medium shadows on outter corners) and accenturate top and lower lashes with mascara or false lashies. Don't close off the eyes with dark liner all around, but pick a light pencil to rim the eyes and dab on some highlight on inner corners

Eye contouring techniques

Round
Lengthen the eyes by extending shadow past outer edges. Eyeliner can be drawn thicker at the centre of eyeliner and taper off towards the two ends. Brush mascara or apply false eyelashes on outer corners of the eye.

Heavy Lidded (Protruding browbone)
Use medium or dark, matte shadow colours (nothing shimmery). With this type of eye, the socket is barely visible, so just brush a wash of colour on eyelids. Mascara and lashes can be applied all around the eyes.

Hooded
I tend to get this type confused with heavy lidded, but this is when the eyelid hangs lower (not the browbone), and is typical of Asian eyes. Smokey-eye effect works well with this, coupled with nose contouring and individual false lashes.

As with face shapes, some eyes may be a slight mix of a few shapes, and people can even have mis-matched eyeshapes! But all eyes can be beautiful so use highlights and shadow to create your perfect shape.

Next lesson: Lips - Dare to go red!

xxEva

Page from my visual diary

I've never even thought of using liquids to highlight and contour until now! It's always been powders or nothing. But after experimenting with it in class, I've totally fallen for the soft, subtlety of using liquid foundation to create shadows and highlights.

Essentially the same as powder contouring except it's using liquid foundation a few shades darker or lighter of the same skin tone (sheer foundation is really good!). I preferred to apply with a brush and then blended out using a sponge. Trainer Kate liked to use her fluffy, natural bristle brush to do this in small, circular motions and stipulated that this was the only time she forgives not using a synthetic bristle brush for liquid application. Synthetic bristles do not absorb liquids like natural hair, and will provide a smoother application with less product use.

Had a few fellow students comment on the challenge of contouring using liquid foundation, but I actually found it a lot easier and more blendable than powders. The sheerness of it gave an illusion of a natural sculpting that merged perfectly with existing foundation. Plus it blends much much better than using powder.

I keep getting told my under eye coverage isn't sufficient, so thankfully Trainer Kate will go through it for the next lesson. It doesn't help that the fluorescent down-lights in the studio casts shadows under the eyes and aggrevates the issue.

xxEva

Complete face makeup & neutral eyes

One of the hardest, but most important, skill of a Makeup Artist is creating a smooth, blemish-free base canvas. Not only does it mean better end results, but will also save time in post-production retouching. Let's face it (pun not intended), all professional photos nowadays are more or less retouched.

Skin tends to change colour under different environments and lighting, so it's best to select a few foundation shades to mix-and-match to the different areas of the face. For instance, one that blends perfectly into your jawline, one that's a shade or two darker, and one that's a shade or two lighter. I'm not into the whole tanning thing, so I generally select a foundation that's a shade paler than my natural skin tone. Not only do I find it better matches the neck (usually a lighter shade to the face), but also brightens my entire complexion.

Tip: Give a quick glance to the skin colour of the rest of the body (ie. arms). Makeup artists always put a cape over their clients so remember to peek at the model's arms to make sure their face will match!

There's a few ways to apply foundation: with a brush, sponge, or fingers. I prefer using fingers to apply my own makeup as it warms the liquid and I can accurately feel my way around the face. On clients, I prefer using brushes or sponges as it's more hygienic and professional. However, most people wouldn't mind you using fingers (so long as the hands are clean!) because the power of touch can better guide your application. Sponges are also good to save time on cleaning brushes in between models. They can be tossed out or washed later when finished.

Getting my foundation & concealer done by makeup artist Laura Bell

Foundation can be applied either before or after concealer. I'm more used to applying it after, but if used underneath, it can smooth out the skin and require less additional cover up.

I start foundation application by using a brush to dab it all around the face from forehead down. This gives a good measure of how much I'm applying to each area. Alternatively, you could finish one area before moving onto the next. Remember, there is no 'correct' way, so do what you are comfortable with!

A sheer layer provides initial, light coverage and allows me to determine the areas that requires additional layering. Try not to cake on too much; some areas of the skin may not need any at all!

For combination skin, you can also alternate the use of liquid and powder foundation. Dry or normal skin on the cheeks would work with liquid foundation, while oily T-zone areas may require mousse or powder products to prevent shine.

Be careful not to 'wipe' foundation over areas where you have already concealed. This will just wipe off the concealer. Instead, dab over these areas. Sponges are great for this as you can turn over to a clean side and use that to soak up any excess foundation. Cover unconcealed areas however you like.

I love a dewy, fresh face, so I rarely use powder (if at all). It gives a clean, I-just-washed-my-face look that minimises the appearance of wearing makeup. The skin should seem healthy and translucent, with a natural blush showing through (also a reason why I rarely apply blush. Less makeup = less irritation = better skin!).

xxEva

Makeup practice on Jia

Concealer should be applied sparingly to only the most obvious areas that require it. There is no need to dot every little blemish as correctly applied foundation should be able to smooth those over! I like to dab liquid concealer on T-zones and sides of the face, under-eye dark circles, red spots besides the nose, and along smile lines around the mouth.

Acne
No one likes pimples, and while we would love to hide them all under makeup, the best method is to actually not clog the blemish further with more cosmetics (even if most products these days are noncodemogenic).

Now most of us would probably have learnt early on that green neutralises redness. However, this balance is easily tipped over to where the green concealer will show through under foundation. Thus, it should be used sparingly for only the worse blemishes (really bad sunburns, etc). I suggest using a mix of concealers or one that is a few shades lighter than your normal skin tone. Dab this around the head of the pimple, and blend it into the surrounding skin. Once dusted with powder, it should be near invisible.

Foundation and concealer brushes laying out to dry

Freckles
Personally, I think a few freckles around the nose and cheeks are cute, but maybe that's because I don't have them. For those who feverantly stay out of the sun for fear of geting more, cover them up with a pink-toned concealer, blending the edges out. This works just as well to lighten moles and brownish birth marks.

I do have a distinctive mole on my cheek that I'd use to remove in photos and have once tried lasering off. But thanks to Cindy Crawford for making moles beautiful, I now display it off proudly.

Dark Circles
Blue or purplish shadows under the eyes are best covered up using an orange or yellow-based concealer. A trick I've picked up from my Trainer is to use an angled brush to line concealer just inside the dark circle from the inner corners of the eye, and blend upwards away from the cheeks. Then, use a larger brush to gently blur edges into the skin. Don't be afraid to use shades up to five times lighter than your normal skin tone as it can help brighten the area around the eyes.

Colour theory page of my visual diary

Nose and Smile Lines
It's surprising how covering up redness around the nose and brightening smile lines (from nostrils to corners of the mouth) will instantly give a youthful appearance. As noses are at the centre of the face, any omittances here will be instantly apparent.

When finished with concealer, the next step of applying foundation should help in providing additional coverup. There is also no rule to stipulate you can't add on more concealer over foundation or even lay foundation down before applying concealer.

xxEva

Oval faces are widely accepted to be the most 'ideal', balanced face shape. In contouring and highlighting, the aim is to correct facial features to better resemble the oval face. Other common face shapes include round, square, rectangular, long, diamond, heart, and triangular. To make things a bit more complicated, there's also 'half-half' shapes, where someone may have a widow's peak hairline (heart), but a strong jaw (square/rectangle). Regardless of the shape, try visualising an oval on the face. Any areas outside the oval are to be shadowed to shorten or reduce prominence, while highlighting has the opposite effect in bringing out features or lengthening.

Besides around the face, additional places to highlight or shadow include:

• Above inner eye
• Brownbone, eye socket
• Sides of nose, along bridge, under ball of nose
• Hollows of the cheeks, cheekbone, cheekplane, temples
• Cupid's bow (top lip), under bottom lips
• Top of chin

Tip: For best cheekbone contouring, shade only to align with ends of eyebrows. Don't take the line too far down towards the mouth!

Again, there are no rules of where to highlight and shadow as long as you use them correctly to bring out or receed features. As a guide, below are some example of face shapes and the best areas for contouring/highlighting.
Heart
The main aim is to reduce the pointiness of the chin and narrowing sides of forehead and cheeks.

Round
Best to highlight T-zone for length and contour to reduce width on sides of the face.

Square/Rectangular
Use shadows to soften angles around sides of forehead, on temples, and along jawlines. Highlight along T-zone to create length. Rectangular-shaped face contours similar to square-shaped but no contouring on temples to prevent narrowing the face further. A little shadow under the chin will shorten the face.

Diamond
Highlight on sides of forehead and jawline to bring out angles, while top of forehead, sides of cheeks, and under the chin can be shadowed to soften the 'points'.

Triangular
Brighten forehead to create width, but soften a strong jaw with shadowing along jawline. Highlighting on chin and nose bridge will sharpen bottom of the face.

Oblong
This face shape is longer than a typical over and would require some contouring around top of forehead and under chin to balance out. If the face is slightly narrow, the cheeks can be highlighted.

Oval
Of course, the oval face will not need any contouring, but should be highlighted to brighten and bring out the features.

My visual folder page on face shapes

Beginning of class was spent with theory and a demonstration, with the rest of the time spent taking turns to apply contouring on each other. Working with different shades of pressed powder, most of us seemed to quickly get the hang of it. Colour matching was a bit more difficult. In the end, our Trainer just got us to use any colour as long as it showed up enough for her to see we've applied it to the right spots. I was deemed to have an elongated heart (almost diamond) face shape, so my partner got to work with diminishing my pointy chin and sculpting my face to resemble an oval. By the end of class, I managed catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror with something resembling a 5'oclock shadow on my chin and hastily wiped it off before heading home.

Our trainer Danielle, used to be the senior makeup artist at Channel 10 (?) up til around 2007 and have worked mainly in television. It was really good to pick up so many little secrets from her and I learnt so much in this lesson!


xxEva

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

• Rubbish bags: workstation must be kept clean at all times
• Hand sanitizer: hygiene is a top priority!
• Vaseline/Pawpaw ointment (optional): School-supplied, but with only 1 to go around in a class of 20, this will be in hot demand during special effects (SFX)
• Little ceramic bowls or soy sauce dishes (for SFX)
• Shot glasses (for SFX)
• Cleanser (mainly for SFX)
• Tall container or pen holder (for used brushes)

1. Dry: Applying the product directly on dry skin will result in a light wash of colour that may appear dull.
2. Over eye shadow base/primer: Colour is intensified and really 'pops'. This better resembles the colour in the eye shadow pot.
3. With sealant: When mixed together, this converts the loose eye shadow into a long-lasting, intensely pigmented eyeliner!

• Pull-apart Lip Brush (#032)
• Synthetic Lip Brush (#031)
• Large Powder Brush (#030)
• Medium Powder Brush (#029)
• Blush/Contour Brush (#028)
• Large Chisel Brush (#027): For eye shadow over large surfaces of eyes
• Eye Wash Brush (#026): For loose dust or cheekbone highlighting
• Foundation Brush (#025)
• Small Powder Brush (#024)
• Mascara Spool (#023)
• Brow & Lash Comb (#022)
• Sponge Tip (#021): For eye shadow base and loose eye dust
• Concealer Brush (#019)
• Bullet Brush (#018): For creating socket eyes
• Medium Chisel Brush (#017): For more detailed eye shadow blending
• Large/Medium Chisel Brush (#016): For eye contouring & eye shadow blending
• Small/Medium Chisel Brush (#015): For detailed eye shadowing
• Small Chisel Brush (#014)
• Tiny Chisel Brush (#013): For very detailed eye shadowing, brows & eyeliner
• Large Angle/Brow Brush (#012)
• Small Angle/Eyeliner Brush (#011)
• Liquid Eyeliner Brush (#010)

View of our studio on arrival at the Brisbane Academy

Butterflies were rampaging in my stomach all day from the excitement of finally starting my first class in makeup. I brought all my gear (brush roll, toolkit, and stationery) but we didn't even pick up a brush. At least, not until a ton of paperwork were first completed.

Ok, let me back up...

Seemed like I wasn't the only one super excited about first day of school, so most people arrived between 6.00-6.15pm (class starts at 6.30pm), although this may be due to Academy of Makeup (AOM) being in such a tucked away alley that no one could find (down Burnett Lane, back of Chiefly Hotel).

Of course, there were the obligatory introductions (tell us 3 things about the person next to you), the background info on AOM, founder, and trainers. At least our welcomer, Trainer Hayley, kept it interesting with some music and gave us intermittences to talk amongst ourselves.

As for the paperwork, we spent the next hour or so signing our life away on things like policies, emergency contacts and release forms.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone! ^^ Hope you had a wonderful time in the midst of festivities with family, friends and loved ones. May 2012 bring you more joy, happiness, love and opportunities!