A friend of mine is having a dress made (by her loving mother, not by a tiny sweatshop worker) out of this gorgeous burgundy-red raw silk, and she wanted some tips on what to do in terms of makeup.
Here’s a quick “hit list” for the fabric, taking into consideration (a) the fact that she’s not seeing a makeup artist to have her face done, nor is she one, and (b) the fact that we don’t want to spend her out of house and home for products she would never wear again.
Perhaps I should reword that, then — here is a “hit list” for the fabric… with her in mind!
- Red lips are out of the question. Could this dress look amazing with red lips? Absolutely — but they would have to be perfect, and finding just the right shade would be a major PITA. I’d try a “my lips but better” mauve, with a bit of a gloss but no glitter.
- Try a subtle smokey eye — I’d use chocolate browns and rich, satiny creams. (Nothing too shimmery or textured: you want the dress to have all the texture to itself!) Take a wash of the cream shadow over the whole lid, then deepen the crease with a fluffy brush and the dark shadow. Finally, take a smaller brush and smudge the darker shadow along the upper lashline.
- Black mascara. None of this “brown mascara” nonsense!
- Pink or plum blush, matte or semi-matte.
Some products I’d check out, taking into consideration budget and availability in our city:
- One shadow duo with a satiny cream and chocolate shade. Perhaps Lancome Ivory Opulence, Too Faced Sexpresso & Peach Fuzz, or even just two lovely shadows!
- A Le Gloss Stick. Maybe Pink Tease or Nude Mood?
- A MAC 217 for that crease, plus a 219 for the liner. (Budget option: Annabelle, Quo, or Ecotools brushes are your best under-$20 bets!)
And a couple tips I always give when I know there’ll be a ton of photos:
- Blotting tissue!
- Ample setting powder, preferably pure silica spheres.
- WEAR PRIMER. At least two kinds! (One face primer and one eye primer, plus the optional lip primer… no, I don’t mean two kinds of the same type.)
- Make a pact with a friend: I’ll tell you if your makeup’s off if you tell me when mine is!
- Low-shimmer cheeks. A sheen is as shimmery as is allowed!
- No SPF or talc in the foundation or cheek products.
- Always flash-test first!
What would you ladies wear on your faces for this fabric?
