Tag Archives: color-correcting

Tips for fresh clean Spring-y skin

By Liz Washer | Published February 15, 2013

Originally published on AlwaysNewYou.com

The best way to look fresh – and younger! – is to use as little product as you can get away with. You want people to see your skin and let whatever color cosmetics you choose (such as a bright lip, or a smoky eye) take center stage. So, repeat after me: heavy coverage is out, soft is in!

For starters, don’t take the word “foundation” too literally. You don’t have to plaster your entire face with base. Once you’ve found a good color match, apply only where you need coverage and let your healthy skin shine through! If you already stick to sheer products like tinted moisturizers, you’ve got that “covered” – but if not? Make your own! A full-coverage liquid or cream foundation can be thinned with moisturizer until you achieve the perfect level of coverage. Start with a very light application and build up to the amount of coverage you need, where you need it.

Got a bit of redness? Start with a sheer layer of a green or yellow color correcting primer to neutralize the flush, and then apply your skintone shade on top. Use a translucent powder to set.

Over-plucked brows will age your face just as fast as cakey makeup will. Your eyebrows provide the frame for your beautiful face, and their shape is very important, but don’t overdo it: a natural brow is far more youthful and flattering than a thin, heavily plucked one! Your best bet is to get a professional brow shaping from an esthetician, and then maintain their shape. Before you pluck out any hairs, brush your brows straight up and carefully trim the tips that reach above your brow – you may find that you don’t have to pluck as many as you thought. This will keep your brows from becoming too sparse.

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Covering large tattoos with airbrush makeup

By Liz Washer | Published October 13, 2012

Now you see it, now you don’t! (Unless you’re REALLY looking for it.)

Airbrush makeup concealing a large inner arm tattoo

This was an inner arm tattoo on yesterday’s bride’s sister, color-corrected and covered with Temptu Dura (an alcohol-based formula). I always take test photos to see if any areas are more “reflective” and need some bronzer or powder to adjust.

Everyone was really happy with the results, except the sister, who loves her tattoos and vowed revenge (“When I get married, I’m going to hire you to airbrush tattoos ON to the whole bridal party!” LOL!)

Here’s the even bigger tattoo on her calf – after I scrutinized the after photo, I added bronzer to blend in with the tan on her leg:

For tattoo coverage, I have the subject shave the entire area (body hair gets in the way of the makeup) and I start by using alcohol to thoroughly remove any oils from the skin’s surface. Then I use the principles of color theory to soften any colors in the tattoo and also to mute the black outlines, which are the most difficult to conceal against fair skin. Once the colors are subdued, it’s time for layer after layer of coverage. Temptu Dura, the alcohol based airbrush formula that I favor, does an amazing job at achieving long-lasting, transfer-resistant, and relatively realistic looking coverage (the covered area doesn’t reflect light exactly the same as natural skin as is visible above, but it’s usually pretty close and you can further adjust with powder).

The only thing that removes it is alcohol, so I always warn the subject not to drink too much since we excrete alcohol through the pores in our skin and that will absolutely break down the coverage! To remove (WITHOUT drinking yourself into a stupor), just soak cotton pads in rubbing alcohol (99% gets the fastest results) and swipe the surface until the product breaks down. Then wash and moisturize the area thoroughly.

It takes time and a lot of product to cover tattoos this big, but it’s worth it if the tattoo doesn’t fit with the wardrobe or would stand out too much in a photo. The same techniques apply for covering large bruises, birthmarks, tan lines, etc. – I have yet to find something Dura can’t cover!

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Sneak peek: Bridal Editorial at the Springfield Marriott!

By Liz Washer | Published August 29, 2012

Just a quick teaser from a recent bridal editorial project – lots more to come!

afroam bride in blush pink wedding dress at the Springfield Marriott

afro-american bride and groom at the Springfield Marriott

african american bride and groom on the Marriott rooftop in downtown Springfield MA

And check out the difference airbrush makeup made for our beautiful model’s skin (these shots are unretouched & straight out of my iPhone):

before and after wedding makeup african american bride with smoky eyes and berry lips

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Using Color Theory for Corrective Makeup

By Liz Washer | Published May 14, 2012

Originally published on HowToBeARedhead.com

Lavender primer? GREEN concealer?!?

The array of weird colors on the market is understandably baffling to most consumers, but as a pro makeup artist, I use the principles of color theory every time I apply makeup, and you can too – especially if you have a stubborn blemish that just doesn’t look good with a thick pile of concealer on top. When it comes to covering the tough stuff, color correctors work wonders – and you can get away with using less foundation as a result.

color wheels are useful for makeup selection

Here’s how they work:

Discoloration on the face has an undertone to it – for example, undereye circles are often blue, grey or violet; pimples are pink; hyperpigmentation is brown. You can cancel out the unwanted pigmentation by using a concealer in a complementary color – i.e., the color opposite on the color wheel – and then blend your natural skin color (foundation) on top as needed with a little powder to set. You end up needing less coverage because the colors are doing the work for you!

This method is preferable to using only a “nude” concealer because most aren’t opaque enough to do the job themselves: a light shade over a dark shade will create an unattractive a greyish cast. Neutralizing the discoloration with a soft wash of a complementary color saves you from having to use a thick, heavy concealer that’s just going to appear ashy and grey.

Here are the corrective formulas:

1. For blue-toned undereye circles, try a peach concealer to warm up the skin and brighten the eyes.

2. Grey tones in the skin can be adjusted with pink.

3. For rosacea and acne blemishes, use a yellow or green (be sure to use green very sparingly and sheerly, as it can drain all the pink from your skin, making you look a bit grey).

4. For sun damage and hyperpigmentation, use orange to neutralize the brown – the darker the skin, the deeper your concealer should be. Orange is the most magical concealer color when serious coverage is needed – I can even use a wash of orange to soften a multicolored tattoo that needs to be concealed.

5. Enliven sallow skin with a sheer wash of lavender.

6. Add a drop of blue to cool down a foundation that is too warm for your skin, or to tone down an overly orange spray tan! Go sparingly: like green, blue tends to OVER adjust.

Liz’s product picks: Temptu S/B Neutralizer Wheel & S/B Adjuster Set, Graftobian HD Glamour Crème Corrector palette, Make Up For Ever Camouflage Cream & HD Microperfecting Primer

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Fake Awake: How to look bright-eyed

By Liz Washer | Published April 17, 2012

Originally published on HowtobeaRedhead

Guess what inspired today’s post? (groan) I don’t know what it is but some nights I just cannot fall asleep – and stay asleep – to save my life. And there’s something about a poor night’s sleep that just makes my skin look drawn and my eyes tiny and dull. Fortunately, this is an easily correctable condition.

1. Using a color corrector will help to neutralize undereye discoloration and prevent that unattractive grayish cast that happens when you pile a light color over dark circles. Reduce the appearance of undereye darkness with a creamy peach-toned concealer for bluish dark circles, or pink for greyish circles. Simply pat on a light layer and blend foundation on top to match your skin, and then set with a light dusting of loose translucent powder.

Liz’s product picks: Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder, Eve Pearl Salmon Concealer

2. Brighten the inner corner of the eye with a soft peach or champagne eyeshadow or pencil – a little touch of shimmer here will light up your eyes and make them look brighter and more open. (Curling your lashes goes a long way, too!

Liz’s product picks: MAC Shroom eyeshadow, Benefit Eye Bright pencil


3. Clarify: When you’re tired, heavy dark eyeliner all around your eyes will just shrink them further. Instead, use a clarifying pencil on the rim of your lower lashline to counteract redness – this will also open up your eyes and make them look larger. Clarifying pencils come in a variety of skin shades and appear less stark than a pure white pencil – they’re also great for quick blemish concealing!

Liz’s product picks: Three Custom Color light clarifier, Laura Geller Brightening Eye Pencil Duo

4. Blush: Don’t pack on the powder when you’re feeling dull & drawn – think sheen! A cream blush on the apples of the cheeks, blended well toward the temple, will add life and freshness to your skin, while a cream bronzer on the high points of your face will add needed warmth.

Liz’s product picks: Stila Convertible Color, NARS The Multiple


5. Eyebrow Maintenance: Fill in any eyebrow gaps with a pencil or powder – groomed brows frame your face and make you look more alert and well-rested.

Liz’s product picks: MAC eyeshadows, Vanitymark ultra-brow pencils


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Freckle-philia! Makeup That Celebrates Your Skin

By Liz Washer | Published January 26, 2012

Originally published on HowtoBeaRedhead.com

I’m a skin junkie. What does that mean? (Hint: it’s not as naughty as it sounds.) As a makeup artist, it means that I am a fan of the colors, variations, and textures present in people’s skin, and I believe that makeup should beautifully enhance our uniqueness, rather than homogeneously masking it.

For many redheads, freckles present a unique challenge – you might have some blemishes or redness or unevenness that you’d like to correct, but how can you do that without obscuring your oh-so-sassy spots?

Redhead with natural barely there makeup and a daffodil bouquet

Laura Frazier. Photo by Steph Pierce; Hair by Jenursa; Makeup by Liz Washer

1. Don’t take the word “foundation” too literally. You don’t have to plaster your entire face with base. Once you’ve found a good color match, apply only where you need coverage and let your healthy skin shine through! In the photo above, I concealed only under the eyes, around the nose, and wherever I saw a blemish, as I didn’t want anything to take away from her natural skin.

Liz’s product picks: Make Up For Ever Invisible Cover HD, Face Atelier Ultra foundation

2. Sheer it out! Sometimes we do need a bit more coverage, but we still want our freckles to take center stage. If you already stick to sheer products like tinted moisturizers, you’ve got that “covered” – but if not? Make your own! A full-coverage liquid or cream foundation can be thinned with moisturizer until you achieve the perfect level of coverage. Got a bit of redness under those freckles? Start with a sheer layer of a green or yellow color correcting primer to neutralize the flush, and then apply your skintone shade on top. Use a translucent powder to set.

Liz’s product picks: Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer, Make Up For Ever HD Microperfecting Primer (green & yellow)

3. Add some sun. Many freckly faces are also fair, but that doesn’t mean you have to stick to the pasty pink family for your cheeks! Freckles look beautiful against a soft touch of bronzer. Look for a color that’s a shade or two lighter than your freckles–not too taupe, not too orange, and not too sparkly–and apply it lightly along your cheekbones, forehead and the bridge of your nose – anywhere the sun would naturally hit your face. (Dusting a little on your neck is also a good idea if you’re particularly fair there.) This will give you dimension, warmth, and the color will complement your freckles beautifully, rather than making them look ashy.

Liz’s product picks: Benefit Hoola, NARS Laguna

To showcase your freckles, start with a very light application and stick to products that can be built up to the amount of coverage you need, where you need it. And if you’ve accidentally covered a few of your precious spots in the process? Just grab a cotton swab and a gentle makeup remover and proceed to lift the veil!

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