Jessica Turner At SPA+CLINIC, we’ve spoken to a number of high profile makeup artists, and there’s a general consensus among them: the trend for nude, matte statement lipstick (a la Kylie Jenner) is on the way out.
In its place, they say, will be neutral lips that look like “your lips but better” – or, as Rae Morris put it at IMATS 2016, “like the slightly pinker pout you had when you were a baby”.
Celebrity makeup artist Michael Brown is speaking at Beauty Expo Melbourne this weekend on how makeup now doesn’t need to be as perfectly placed (or painstakingly applied) as it was in the past, and looks better for it. He’ll school attendees on how to create a blended natural look at the forefront of beauty editorial makeup.
This is why we called on him how to pull off the most flattering neutral lip for a client’s (or your!) skin tone and shape of lips.
“It shouldn’t really look like lipstick, but you need to have some subtle colour on your lips that will lift the whole face,” Michael explains.
“The finish is not matte but should not be glossy, either – lips should look smooth, plump and creamy, and should feel comfortable too.”
Tone Up
Unlike choosing a flattering shade of statement lipstick, finding one’s holy grail “neutral hue” is easy, with Michael’s ingenious hack: “Bite your lip and it will turn them one shade deeper, closer to the colour their lips were as a baby. Then when you see the colour change that’s how you’ll determine their ideal neutral shade of lipstick that will look fresh and healthy.”
Crème De La Crème
When it comes to choosing the right texture of lip colour to render an everyday look, Michael says there are no hard and fast rules – as long as the formula isn’t dry or matte looking or shiny.
“For a natural, fresh finish, I love using a creamy, moisturising lipstick that’s well pigmented,” he says.
“This sort of texture lasts longer as it doesn’t dry out. Cream formulas will ensure that there’s enough hydration on the lip to look great all night with only the occasional touch up.”
Prep Rally
As the fresh “your lips but better” aesthetic hinges on soft baby lips, a flake-free mouth is preferred pre-makeup application.
While it’s tricky to do a proper lip exfoliation on a makeup client, Michael says the ultimate product to prep the lip is a lip balm with exfoliating properties.
“As I’m doing skin prep of the whole face, prior to applying any makeup, I apply a little of my favourite scrub/lip oil hybrid. The exfoliating beads in it dissolve in minutes so by the time I’m ready to apply lipstick, they’ve all disappeared along with dead skin, leaving smooth, hydrated canvas.
“This step not only ensures the colour lasts longer but my clients say they love it because it feels nice and plumps up their lip.”
After the rest of the face has been made up and the exfoliator has had time to work, Michael says the next step is applying cream illuminator on certain parts of the mouth.
“I do this to to add depth and create the illusion of fullness. With a finger, I sparingly dot a little illuminator on the cupid’s bow of the lip or the crest of the lip and then dab a tiny bit on the bottom lip,” he says.
Next, it’s time to apply the lipstick that’s been chosen based on the colour of bitten lips.
“A brush only paints on top of the lip, so colour is easily transferred – they can be great for finishing touches on statement lipstick looks, but not for initial application, and one isn’t needed at all for this natural look.
“I prefer to use my fingertip – it bonds and stains lip colour when dabbed onto skin, therefore there’s less chance of transfer,” says Michael.
While it may be common practice to outline the mouth stencil style before applying colour, Michael says he applies it as a final touch, after lipstick.
“To me, lip liner is just a slight dash of the hand with the pencil to define the edge of the mouth. Once I have applied lipstick, I very gently outline the top edge of the mouth because the top edge has to have definition on the cupid’s bow to give it some separation from left to right.
“With this aesthetic, you may not even need to line after colour is applied, it depends on the shape of the lips. Some lips don’t even need liner. If they have a good lip edge I skip it, I don’t want to force the colour to be too `perfectly placed’ or sharp.”
Michael has experience with television, runway makeup design, editorial fashion and beauty work and more. He thrives on the education of makeup and hopes to continue his tutorial work to give all women the makeup artist secrets to all things beauty.
He is presenting a masterclass on fresh look makeup at Beauty Expo Melbourne this Saturday, March 25, 2-4pm at The Makeup Hub.
