LMFF beauty workshop review: Make-up tips and trends 2013
THE L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival was a whirlwind week for fashion and beauty lovers alike. Diane Leow attended the Marie Claire L’Oreal Paris Beauty Workshop and shares the latest trends straight from L’Oreal Paris make-up director Rae Morris.
At the Marie Claire L’Oreal Paris Beauty Workshop. Photo: Samuel Eng
Make-up, love it or hate it, every girl needs some tricks to look her best. But sometimes beauty advice can be so confusing. What colour foundation suits your skin colour? Are there multiple ways to put on eyeliner, eyeshadow and blush? How do I know if my make-up is on trend?
Looking for the answers to these questions and more, I recently attended the Marie Claire L’Oreal Paris Beauty Workshop. In between the demonstrations and product recommendations, L’Oreal Paris make-up director Rae Morris had plenty of tips and tricks for how you can make this season’s trends work for you.
For starters, Rae says it’s all about sophistication and boldness. Think a natural base accompanied by eyes that pack a punch and a bold lip.
Nude skin
Photo: L’Oreal Paris
Any girl who has ever flirted with foundation knows it’s one of the hardest tools to use. It’s always too dark/too light/too cakey/too oily, the list goes on. But L’Oreal has supposedly come up with the solution to all these problems – the Nude Magique Self-adjusting BB cream
BB stands for Blemish Balm. It’s a popular make-up trend at the moment, especially in Asia, and is touted as an all-in-one formula. Simply, it’s meant to cover and treat blemishes like acne, sun spots and age spots at the same time.
L’Oreal’s version provides lightweight coverage, 24-hour hydration and a mild level of SPF protection. The best part though is its micropigment capsules, which are supposed to self-adjust to match your skin tone.
The L’Oreal Nude Magique BB Cream matches your exact skin tone. Photo: Samuel Eng
This was met with some skepticism from the audience, especially when they saw that the colour of the cream was white. But we were soon blown away by the even coverage the BB cream provided. It blended seamlessly into the models’ skin, giving it a nice dewy glow.
For those who are not fans of cream foundations, the Nude Magique also comes in a powder version. Rae Morris couldn’t stop bouncing up and down as she introduced this product, which can be worn on its own or over the BB cream. With a velvety texture, it is supposed to be one of the finest powders on the market.
I tried the BB cream afterwards in the L’Oreal Paris Powder Room and was surprised to find it provided reasonably good coverage and stayed matte for a good part of my crazy busy day.
Concise concealing
Photo: L’Oreal Paris
For those concerned with skin redness, L’Oreal has also introduced the Nude Magique CC (colour correcting) cream. Just like the BB cream, the micropigment capsules work their magic, turning the initially light-green cream into a shade that matches your skin tone exactly. The cream is supposed to help counter skin redness, while propagating the same properties as the BB cream.
As for matching foundations that don’t have micropigment capsules, Rae says ignore your neck and use your shoulder as a test spot as it’s a closer match to your actual skin colour than your neck. When applying, remember to blend your foundation into your neck so you achieve one, even shade overall. Then apply your concealer on top.
Rae says every girl should have two shades of concealer – one that matches her skin tone and one that’s a shade lighter. For blemishes that create a bump above your skin, use the concealer that’s the same shade as your complexion. Conversely, for blemishes that are under your skin, use the lighter shade for best results.
Jewelled eyes
Add a pop of colour to your eyes this season. Photo: Samuel Eng
Add a pop of colour to your eyes this season. Photo: L’Oreal Paris
Jewel tones are all the rage this season. Emerald was announced as Pantone’s colour of the year, while magenta and burgundy have been making the rounds on runways and high street stores for months now.
L’Oreal’s new season Colour Riche Eyeshadow Quads, pictured right, gives you a reason to vamp up the eye make-up in four steps.
For those wary of bright eyeshadows, Rae suggests starting with eyeliner. Instead of using typical colours like black and brown, try navy, which goes with every skin tone, or amethyst, which lends a bit of colour without being too dramatic.
Bold Lips
Rae’s motto for this season is go bold or go home. Subtle, nude shades are out, as are dainty glosses.
Go bright or go home this season. Photo: L’Oreal Paris
When testing lipsticks, we’re accustomed to rubbing them on the back of our hands, but this isn’t the same shade as our lips. Instead, Rae suggests testing your lipstick on the tip of your fingers as that matches the colour of your lips better.
L’Oreal Paris Make-up Director Rae Morris. Photo: Samuel Eng
Our verdict:
The Marie Claire L’Oreal Paris Beauty Workshop was an eye opener. Rae revealed some useful techniques that can be used in the Autumn/Winter 2013 season and beyond. It left me thinking about how I can be more adventurous with my own make-up, instead of always sticking to neutrals.
The $39 entry fee might have been a little steep for some students, but the goodie bag was pretty enticing. In it was a copy of Marie Clare, a L’Oreal mascara and some other L’Oreal products like hairspray, permanent hair dye and more.
After the workshop, we were all invited to the L’Oreal Paris Powder Room for a mini makeover of our choice – you could either put on a different lip colour or have your nails done.
Overall, it was a pretty fun experience, learning new make-up techniques and being pampered for a day.