Makeup the MAC way

Makeup can be your best friend, or worst enemy, depending on how you use it. The brand of makeup you use matters as well, as the STAR recently discovered on a visit to the MAC store in the Bay Walk Mall where senior artist for MAC cosmetics, Gisel Calvillo was paying a visit and performing makeovers.

Just for you dear reader, the STAR wanted to know what were some of the areas women went wrong with makeup applications, instead Gisel switched things around and chose to focus on ways to make your makeup oh-so right!

To create a fantastic look, some items she felt were a must were: a good mascara, a great lipstick, a flattering powder and blush of course was a must. Read on for makeup tips from Gisel herself!

Mascara: “I definitely recommend for every woman a good mascara. My favourite Haute and Naughty, because it’s a versatile mascara, you can change the wand so it has a natural finish, and you can also keep it so it has a heavier finish. I think the best part about it, mascara in general, it just opens up the eye.”

Blush: “A must. Really with blush I would use it just on the apples of the cheek, and it just sort of brightens up the face.”

Lipstick: “A great lipstick is also one of the must haves. It’s like the girl with the sexy black dress, or the girl with the stilettos. I think when you have a great pair of stilettos they might not be something you wear every day, but you always kinda have it…sort of like your magic tool. I think the same thing about red lip tick, red or a deeper tone lipstick is always a must have for every woman. If you don’t like a lot of colour on your lips, I recommend that you try one, MAC Viva Glam 1 is a really great red; it’s kind of like a burnt red and it looks great on every body. Or my personal favourite for red, MAC’s Ruby Woo. That one is like a really bright red. You can get a lot of colour impact with that.”

Face Powder: “Here in St Lucia it’s very humid so it’s important to have a good powder. MAC blot powder/pressed takes away the shine. You brush it on very softly. It takes away the shine without adding too much texture.”

Eye liner: Gisel said was the “in thing,” and though she noted eye liner was something that could be a little scary for women, for a great effect one could try using it with eye shadow allowing you to have more versatility in creating the particular shape you desire. She highlighted one area a lot of women went wrong with eye makeup: adding too many colours.

“If you’re going to add colour, sometimes its best you keep it where you have a lighter colour on the lid, and the darker colour on the crease,” she explained. “If you do that you give the eye shape more dimension. For your eyes to stand out you don’t necessarily have to add two colours, but when you do it’s good to blend it so it looks more finished, more natural.”

Makeup Art Cosmetics, or MAC as you may be more familiar with caters from people of all ages, races and sexes. According to Gisel: “Someone who wears very natural makeup can find something for themselves, or someone who likes a bit of colour who may be more trendy. “What’s the next thing I should do” is something you can definitely find here at MAC.”

“We offer something for everyone and every time you step into a MAC store you have a group of professionals who’re trained in application and products,” she told the STAR. “Our makeup artists know what they’re talking about and they know what they’re recommending to you. You get a very professional consultation, which is something a lot of brands can’t offer that we can. I think that’s something very special and it’s always fun to come to a MAC counter!”