Colour me beautiful
Rest assured, the gift of beauty is not just a gift from the heavens. Reem Leila rummages in the make-up bags of some famous beauty artists for tips
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At the receiving end of a professional make-over; the beauty artist reveals tips and tricks for enhancing a woman's natural beauty
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Are women increasingly obsessed in their search for the "perfect look", that airbrushed, flawless, ageless symmetrical face found on the pages of fashion magazines? According to the make-up professionals, Egyptian women have become more interested in make-up. The business of beauty has evolved into a burgeoning trade which involves not only Egyptians, but has also attracted Lebanese and French make-up artists to Egypt.
According to local specialists, foreign artists are becoming popular because of their ability to speak foreign languages. "They can travel and pick up the best material and newest colours. We in Egypt mix colours and materials instead," said Mohamed Abdel-Hamid, a well-known Egyptian make-up artist.
Lebanese specialists, however, will probably command a higher fee. The price for having your face professionally made-up depends on the occasion. For example, a bride could pay up to LE2,000 for a trip to the salon, and LE3,000 if the specialist makes her up in her own home. For an 'ordinary' occasion, however, a make- over will cost around LE400 -- a price that can be slashed by 50 per cent if an assistant, as opposed to the artist, does the job.
But this is not just about money. It is about time and patience, as I was soon to find out. It takes a whole hour to have your face done, and a boring one at that.
I went to Abdel-Hamid who ordered his assistant, Fathy, to do my make-up. He took one look at me and told me I don't drink enough water, which was having dire effects on my skin.
Abdel-Hamid believes that Cairo is so polluted that it affects the colour of women's complexion. "Egyptian women have to take extra good care of their faces to prevent early aging," he noted. Abdel-Hamid added that, "women should eat lots of fresh vegetables and plenty of yoghurt. They should drink plenty of water, milk and fresh juice, as well as cut down on smoking, drinking tea, coffee and soft drinks."
Women should moisturise their skin on a daily basis, according to this expert. He suggests using natural and cheap alternatives to expensive cosmetics; things like yoghurt and cucumber. "The face has to be like a clean sheet of paper before an artist draws on it; there should be no blemishes," he says.
I was promptly seated and, as he worked layer after layer of moisturiser and foundation into my skin, he explained that most Egyptian women have sallow skin. "To get that perfectly natural, flawless look, Egyptian women have to choose the right foundation colour," he explained.
According to Nizam Shedeed, a Lebanese make-up artist working in Egypt, only yellow- tinted foundations suit the Egyptian complexion. "Most foundations on the market have pink or orange tones. Women wearing these foundations often end up looking artificial, ashy and two- toned. Foundation must be an exact match to the underlying skin tone and the foundation shade that is right for any woman is the one that disappears into the skin," he explained.
Everyone agrees that it is important that the foundation base is sheer and light to prevent caking. It should be applied on a clean and moisturised face. Foundation should be applied a little at a time and blended well into the skin either by using the finger tips or a damp cosmetic sponge. For dark-skinned women, he suggested using a shimmering powder to achieve a radiant look.
"If the skin exhibits an inflamed patch or a pimple, I suggest applying a soothing natural ointment containing aloe vera before using foundation," said Nizam. Another tip is that while applying foundation along the jaw line, the shade closest to the natural skin tone should be used. "Use a darker shade on the cheekbones, forehead and around the mouth and a lighter shade on the remaining parts of the face and then blend all well," explained the artist.
To fix the look, Abdel-Hamid explained, you have to use a loose powder. "Compact powder is just for touch-ups during the day. If you have a tendency to shine a lot, you should use an oil-absorbent powder," he explains.
The next step is the blusher. Again, there seems to be a consensus that it should be used sparingly and spread slightly beyond the cheek area diagonally upwards and then blended. To make a face look rounder, apply the brush directly across the cheekbone, whereas to achieve a more oval face, apply the brush diagonally across the cheekbone.
Colours are chosen according to what is 'in'. The latest fashion for winter 2004 is light beige, pistachio and lilac for the morning, with evenings of red and black. "These morning colours only suit women with a fair complexion. I suggest that brunettes wear oxidé (bronzage) and dark pink instead. Also brunettes should stay away from purple shades as they make them look bluish," says Abdel-Hamid.
As Fathy applied dark red to my eye lids he noted that this does not mean that women should be limited to these colours only. "I consider all colours to be the latest fashion. Each woman has her own set of colours which makes her beautiful," assures Abdel-Hamid.
For a perfect look, always draw or powder the eyebrow along the direction of the hairline using a colour that matches your hair colour. When wearing eye-shadow, according to Abdel-Hamid, it is better to paint the deeper colour on the lid and the lighter colour on the brow bone. "For a casual but polished look, apply the colour from lashes to brow bone, but avoid using light colours. Lining the eyes with an eye pencil, liner or brush helps shape the eyes as well as open them up," he added.
There is a solution for every natural 'fault'. "For eyes with narrow lids, a dark shade should be applied a little bit higher than the line of the brow bone. This will make the eyelid look larger. For sparse lashes, use a volume-adding mascara with a thick-bristled brush, while for short lashes use lash-lengthening mascara," added Abdel-Hamid.
And while this may seem a bit too much effort to put into make-up, Alaa El-Tonsy, a famous Egyptian make-up artist, says that a woman only needs to follow four easy steps before facing the world. "A combination of foundation and powder may be applied quickly instead of a concealer, liquid foundation and powder. Sweep an application sponge across the eyelid and the foundation will act as a neutral base eye shadow too. One coat of mascara on the upper lashes is all it takes to add drama and definition. And the use of a subtle, neutral blush shade that works well with all of your lipsticks and glosses is a quick and easy way to brighten the complexion. And finally, tinted glosses give maximum punch with minimal effort," he directed. As far as he is concerned, this is so easy "no mirror is necessarily required for application".
Do
+ Use a lip-liner that is lighter or close to the lipstick colour.
+ Colour the lips fully with lip-liner before applying lipstick so that you will not be caught with the border-line look.
+ If your eye-liner tends to smudge at the bottom of your eye, just line the upper lash.
+ In its powder form eye-shadow can double up as an eyeliner: wet a brush with some water, NOT saliva, before dipping into the eye-shadow (dark shade).
+ Apply make-up near a window in the daytime for natural light. In the evening use white instead of yellow light (incandescent bulbs).
+ Lipstick can double as eye-shadow.
+ To repair a broken lipstick, place the 2 ends together gently but firmly, then cap the lipstick and put in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.
+ To make your eyes look bigger do not connect the eye-liner at the outside corner of your eye.
Don't
+ Spray water or toner on make-up to set or freshen it up.
+ Use make-up to correct the shape of anything on your face, especially the lips.
+ Use foundation or colour correctors to change the colour of your skin. Foundation must match the underlying skin tone exactly.
+ Wear dark colours in the mornings.
+ Wear make-up before moisturising your skin well.
