News
Hints of Make Up
 

by Marianne Hoffa
Topic 1: Concealers

An idea was floated to do a column on make-up hints so I decided to look at my invasion photo collection from years past. I concluded that some things are meant not to be seen.So that brings us to our first topic, concealers.

Like a landlord spackling a cracked wall prior to painting, we too should strive to conceal wrinkles, crows feet, age spots, puffiness and blemishes before starting our serious painting. Like spackle, concealers work best when applied sparingly. Remember, less is best. You can use a brush, sponge or finger to gently smooth and blend the concealer.

I’m told that a dab or two of concealer under your eyes after pulling an all-nighter can deceive your boss, co-workers and even your friends….or so they say.Choose a concealer color which is lighter than, but close to, your natural skin color.

After a little practice, you’ll look great, feel great, but more importantly, you’ll be primed for our next topic: the flawless foundation.
Topic 2: Flawless Foundation
As explained in my first article, a bit of concealer works wonders in minimizing wrinkles, age spots, blemishes, and even beard stubble.

Now it’s time to paint a flawless complexion. This requires a make-up color very close to your natural skin coloring. It’s a good idea to have a palette of make-up colors as your skin will likely tan during the summer, and your color in June is usually a few shades lighter than in July or August.

I prefer to sparingly paint-on a base coat of make-up with a wedge-shaped sponge by using a gentle tapping motion. Be careful NOT to cover your concealer with the make-up except for a light hint of color. Once applied, gently, but thoroughly, powder your face to dry and the paint in place.

If successful, you will have created the illusion of a porcelain doll-like look. That’s the good news. Unfortunately you still look like yourself (but with youthful, healthy skin!)  Next time, we’ll focus on altering your features so even your mother won’t recognize you.

Topic 3: Creating an Illusion

I’m thrilled to death when someone stops me on the boardwalk and says, “Excuse me sir, but are you really Marianne Hoffa?” To me that means, once my make-up is applied, I have successfully rounded my chin, widened my eyes, narrowed my nose and concealed my wrinkles.

It’s all about symmetry. Using 3 or 4 shades of make-up, try the following. Paint a light stripe down the center of your nose (i.e., from the bridge to the tip.) Then, apply a darker color triangular or rectangular shape on the side of your nose and nostrils (see the picture* to the left).
If your jaw is square like mine,apply dark curves to create an illusion of roundness. Dark make-up will also hide your Adam’s apple or double chin. Light make-up will open the space around your eyes. Continue applying various shapes of light and dark to achieve the illusion of symmetry.

As you successfully alter your features, your face will be a patchwork of curves, rectangles and triangles; somewhat like the paint by numbers from childhood. Gently tapping this patchwork of colors with a sponge will soften the edges leaving only the desired illusion. Then, gently apply powder.

After a little bit of practice you will become more confident and comfortable with the knowledge that “natural beauty is only a myth”. It really works.
Topic 4: Lips
Let’s face it. Hardly anyone has well-proportioned, picture-perfect lips. But you would never know that from looking at our ladies of the night.  What nature has bestowed should sometimes be ignored. Personally, I have no upper lip and a thin oddly shaped lower lip; but that allows me to be creative.

Here’s an exercise. If you have some basic artistic talent, look in a mirror and draw a picture of your face. If you cannot, find a recent photo then trace your features on a thin piece of drawing paper. In any case, make certain that the area around the lips and mouth is as accurate as possible. Make sure you include any wrinkles, cracks and blemishes. Now that you have a reasonable facsimile of your face, make photocopies. Now flip through some magazines and find photos of beautiful cover girl lips. The more the merrier. Now draw these different lip shapes on your photocopies. Eventually you will find something that looks right

Now start practicing on your real face. First apply foundation on and around your lips. If the area above or below your lips is too wide of too narrow for your desired lip style, you can change that also. Darker foundation will minimize an area, lighter will maximize it.

To change the shape of your natural lip, use a lip pencil with a sharp point. Once the shape is correct, apply your lipstick directly or, for better control, use a lip brush! I find most lip pencils to be too soft to produce a sharp enough point. Store your lip pencils in a freezer or refrigerator for a few minutes to resolve that problem.

Finally, powder your lips. Yes, you heard me correctly. Cover your lips with a thin piece of facial or toilet tissue and powder your lips. That will remove much of the oil and make your lips look great for hours instead of minutes. And don’t forget to always drink through a straw and stay away from greasy snack food.
Topic 5: Eyebrows
What to do about eyebrows? That all depends on what they look like naturally and what the rest of the neighborhood looks like. Are your brows thick or are they thin? Are the follicles sparse or dense? Are you wearing a wig? If so, what color is it? As a rule of thumb, for a natural look, I prefer that the eyebrow color match that of the hair (or wig).

Eyebrow-work starts with basic grooming. That means plucking and cutting. The extent of the grooming depends on your comfort level. What you do here doesn't wash off with the rest of your make-up. For instance, it may not be appropriate for a prison warden to have the perfectly groomed cover-girl look. Sometimes plucking as few as 10 lashes can make all the difference. To thin out the eyebrow, comb straight down then snip from the bottom.

Once groomed, proceed with the shaping phase. With a sharp eye or lip pencil, fill in sparse blotches and shape your symmetrical eyebrow arch. I prefer to create a slight upward lift on the outer edges. Always powder your eyebrows to remove the shine and soften the look. Gently combing the eyebrows with a mascara wand can shape the color to look like real eyebrows.

If your wig is red and your eyebrows are not, you can use red rouge or lip stick for a closer match. If you wish to lighten your eyebrow color, use yellow or pink. An application of white or translucent powder will lighten even further.

There are many more advanced techniques for eyebrow artistry which include wax, spirit glue, bleach and glitter, but that is beyond the scope of this article. Now if all of this plucking and grooming is far too much work for a night on the town, there is always the unspeakable option. You can always cover your eyebrows with long bangs.