If you find yourself green with envy over the celebrities' makeup you see in magazines, in movies, and at awards shows, you're in luck. You can copy their looks and be stunning yourself! Now if only we could all get our hands on those diamonds they wear for awards ceremonies (who cares if they're just loans and they have to give them back at the end of the night?).
The Basics of Daytime and Nighttime Faces
Celebrities look just like the rest of us underneath all their makeup. They just have the benefit of learning from the experts for the days when they have to apply their own makeup, or they just let the experts do it themselves.
For Day
Usually, if you see a celebrity out grabbing Starbucks or picking up some groceries, she doesn't have a full face of makeup on. Sometimes, she's not wearing any at all. The general look, though, is a natural face. There may or may not be a little foundation. Then there's the matte, neutral shadow that looks like nothing at all but somehow manages to enhance her eyes with the help of a little eyeliner and some not-too-dramatic mascara (try Maybelline Define-A-Lash).
For Night
This, of course, is when the stars get all glammed up, whether they're strutting around on the red carpet, posing for pictures every five steps, or just out to dinner with their newest lovers. There are two ways to do this one: red lips, light eyes; or smoky eyes, nude lips. Some of the most daring of them all may pair bold lips with bold eyes. That one's harder to pull off and should only be attempted by the most experienced makeup artists (but hey, just because you're not a makeup artist by trade, that doesn't mean you can't fall into this category!).
How to Copy Celebrities' Makeup
Online Guides
It's just about every woman's dream to look as dazzling as a celebrity, to stop people in their tracks as they stare at her in awe. Always ready to scratch an itch, the internet has a few sites to share tips and tricks on how to look as good as they do-without the wealthy celebrities' makeup artists. Here are a few:Makeup 411 is one of the best on the web for offering beauty breakdowns for celebrities based on movies, television, and music videos. They give specific product recommendations, too, rather than "a blue-based red," for example. If you need MAC Russian Red to get the look, they will tell you so! Go to the Beauty Breakdown link and start browsing. Got a celebrity in mind already? You can search alphabetically.
Another good one is Makeup For Life. This one isn't as specific as Makeup 411 but it's a great place to get started. Check on Makeup Alley to find the best of the best in their product reviews sections. It'll save you money and a lot of frustration when it comes to choosing the best black eyeliners, the longest-lasting lipsticks, and mascara that won't smudge.
Good Books for Looking Good
If you've exhausted the internet sites but you're still ravenous for tips on how to create celebrities' makeup looks on your own, go to the library or the bookstore and check out some of the books they have on makeup application. Big makeup artists love publishing their tips and tricks.
Try these:
Kevyn Aucoin's Face Forward and The Art of Makeup should be more than enough to get you started. He was a master of makeup and he does an excellent job of breaking down the basics so that you, too, can look as gorgeous as you can.
Makeup Your Mind is a great one for giving you the inspiration you need to create a beautiful new look. This one does give specific products to try, as well. If you're a NARS fan, you'll absolutely adore it.
Bobbi Brown Beauty is a great book for beginners. Pick up some general tricks from this one, and go crazy.
Hollywood Makeup Secrets
Contouring: Not every starlet has amazing bone structure. The secret's in the strategically placed.
Lashes: A quick way from taking yourself from drab to glam is to add a few lashes. You can use individuals and put them on just the outer corners, or you can use whole strips if you feel comfortable.
Glow: It seems like almost every makeup line has a glowing foundation and/or blush. Some that offer skincare even have their own moisturizers to add glow before your foundation even hits your face (check out MAC's Strobe Cream).
Brows: Filling in your brows is a great way to look polished, even if you're not wearing much more than liner, blush, mascara, and lipgloss.
You can easily get the look of celebrities' makeup. All it takes is a few tricks and a little bit of practice.
