Thanks to the wonderful world of Instagram we recently discovered a local makeup artist who after many years in the beauty industry has made the leap and branched out on her own.
She specialises in cruelty-free makeup, which we know our Chantal fam is right into. After a wee bit of Insta stalking we decided we had to meet the talented lady behind the brush!
The brief we set was that she had to use our makeup range in store and create a look for the festive season - anything from an office xmas party, Christmas day lunch with the fam, to a festive night out with the girls.
Megan was happy to take on the brief and was very generous with her expert knowledge, she shared plenty of practical tips and tricks. We learnt a lot and are here to share that wisdom with you!
Meet Shelley our Naturopath who was Megan’s model.
Shelley
before…
Megan explains the process in her own words much better than us. Take it away Megan.
“I started with Shelley’s eyes - the reason for this is to avoid any 'fallout' or 'panda eyes' created by eyeshadow dropping down under the eyes. I’ll apply foundation later for a clean makeup look.
I first prepped Shelley's eyelids with Living Nature concealer in the shade Medium. This was applied over the entire lid to create an even tone and give the eyeshadow something to 'stick' to. Then I set the lids with a light dusting of Living Nature pressed powder in Medium.
Eyes first.
Prepping the eyelids with concealer.
Now for the eyeshadow. I chose Living Nature Shell which was applied all over the lid. Kauri was used through her crease and blended out toward Sand, which was applied under the brow bone. These shades have a slightly purple tone that compliment Shelley’s green eyes.
Blend.
If there is one thing you take away from this - blend, blend, blend!
Then I applied eyeliner, I chose the colour storm which is a softer look than a standard black liner. Grey liner is a flattering shade and still creates the illusion of longer lashes when applied to the lash line, top and bottom. To take this look to evening you can add more liner for a smokey eye look.
Next was Mascara, zig zagged through Shelley’s lashes from root to tip to create volume without clumping. I used Living Nature in Black.
Zig zag mascara through the lashes to create volume.
Once the eyes were complete I then cleaned up the under eye area to remove any drop down from the eyeshadow.
Under eye concealer can usually be a shade lighter to brighten and remove any dark circles, focussing on the inner corner. For this we used Living Nature in Light pressed in gently with fingertips to avoid any creasing.
Foundation Match- The way to find your own foundation match is to choose between 2-3 shades and swatch on your chin. The shade that blends with the least effort and looks as natural as possible is your match. It can take a little practice but once you understand your skin's undertone (cool, warm, neutral) finding the correct shade is easier than you might think. Foundation can be applied with a brush for a professional look or with finger tips for a more full coverage finish. Soft Lights is a gorgeous foundation in that it has a real glow and creates radiance for healthy, natural looking skin.
Next up is time to set the foundation with a small amount of Pressed powder, again we used Living Nature Pressed Powder in Medium. This helps to absorb any excess shine and set the makeup for all day wear. Ideal for the "t" zone area.
After this I applied contour with Living Nature Luminous Powder in the shade Deep. Contour can be applied lightly to enhance your features and create further definition of cheekbones and jawline. An easy tip is to think of a figure '3' and sweep your brush across the top of your hairline down under your cheekbone and then another swoop down to your jawline, then focussing on the small area under your chin (this spot never sees the sun) and then reverse the action for the other side of your face, make sure to buff in and avoid any edges! The more blending the better This creates an instant lift!
Shelley's cheek Shade is Living Nature Blush in Warm summer. Blush is applied to the centre of the cheek for a youthful glow. An easy way to find this is to find the cross section between the tip of your nose and centre of your eye and then blend out towards your hairline.
Bold lip.
When going bright on the lips use a brush to create a sharp clean edge.
We decided to go bold for Shelley's lips in the spirit of Christmas. I lined her lips first with Karen Murrells Lip liner in 05 Natural Violet, this is a fairly neutral shade that matched her lip colour. Next Rymba Rhythm was applied with a lip brush to create a sharp and symmetrical bold lip. A brush is always recommended for brighter shades to create clean lines.
Brow.
Framing the face.
Once all is done I tend to go back to apply a little brow colour. By leaving them until last you can create balance with the rest of the makeup look and ensure they're not competing with a bright lip for example. For Shelley’s brows we used a palette by Sante and selected a mid tone taupe. These were gently filled in, concentrating on creating an even curve. If you are someone who doesn't wear a lot of makeup just adding brows can really frame your face and make your eyes the focus.”
Shelley
after…
These are the products Megan used on Shelley.
Eyes
Living Nature Concealer - Medium + Light
Living Nature Eyeshadow - Shell, Kauri and Sand
Living Nature Eyeliner - Storm + Midnight
Living Nature Mascara - Black
Foundation
Living Nature Foundation Soft Lights Illuminating Foundation in Soft Dawn
Living Nature Pressed Powder in Medium
Contour
Living Nature Pressed Powder in Deep
Blush
Living Nature Blush in Summer
Brows
Sante Palette
Lips
Karen Murrell Lip Liner in Natural Violet
Lipstick - Karen Murrell Rymba Rhythm
Megan can be contacted through her Instagram page for all your makeup needs. Go and have a look at her gorgeous bridal make-up.
And thank you so much Megan for creating this fun festive look for us. See you again soon!