MAKEUP ARTISTRY MENTOR

We are beauty ALCHEMISTS

BY ANNIKA RAYMAN

In all forms of art, there is a base that the artist starts with to create their masterpiece; from a blank canvas, to a slab of marble, to a chunk of clay and beyond. With make up, there are similarities but also huge differences to this approach.

For us, skin is our base. Skin is alive, and differs person to person. A face comes with its own features, symmetry, smoothness and beauty. We know this! It is our job to get the skin of any person who sits in our chair to a point, through correct product use, quantities, and combinations of certain ingredients, that is as optimal as possible for both a smooth appearance and best longevity of the make up.

We are beauty alchemists; we must continually update and upgrade our knowledge on the features and benefits of cosmetic ingredients and their contraindications to not only provide beautiful applications but to also properly inform and improve our client’s understanding of the why’s of their make up. We must go beyond colour theory and see deeper into the uses of colour and ingredients in make up products that can help or hinder each specific client.

We at UCoD understand colours have power. Colours contain energies that express themselves differently based on the medium and how they are used. For example, Copper. Copper is a reddish-brown colour which in cosmetics is normally presented with a metallic or shimmer finish depending on the type of make up that is being used, mimicking the naturally occurring copper metal. Copper is also defined by the encyclopedia Britannica as a malleable metal that was one of the first metals ever used by humans, as it can be found in a “ready-to-go” form right in nature. It easily conducts electricity and heat, and also in certain forms can aid in pain management through its anti-inflammatory effects as well as in beauty. Specifically, Copper Peptides. Known by dermatologists to have notable antioxidant properties, Copper Peptides protect the skin from oxidative stress, thus boosting your own production and retention of anti-aging heroes collagen, elastin, and glycosaminoglycans (protein derived sugars that are known to increase and strengthen cell communication) leading to the appearance of smoother, tighter, more even, and more youthful skin.

Knowing that red is associated with energy, vitality and passion, and variants of brown are reminiscent of Earth; solid strength and resilience, it is no wonder that their shiny combination in Copper boasts so many benefits to the human experience in so many of its forms.

A smokey take on a copper eye brings out a warm bronze effect that suits the model’s skin and hair colouring. Pairing the copper colour with various cool browns, greys and black disrupts its tendency to present overly red on medium to fair skin. The copper product used contains larger sparkles that reflect light well and has more texture, this model has a large surface area on her eye and this type of product is suitable for her skin and features.

From a beauty perspective, copper make up has gotten somewhat of a bad rap. Poor use of certain tones and products on the wrong skin tones and types have often led to an over-saturated, rusty tinge of wrinkle-amplifying texture that neither amplifies nor complements a wearer’s features. Even the way products are applied can greatly affect their outcome on how they appear on the skin and what effect they have on the client’s features.

For example, on an eyelid of a person with considerable crepiness, a metallic copper powder eyeshadow with a high content of mica can exacerbate the appearance of wrinkles and age the eye area, even adding a red or tired affect when used on skin tones that are medium light to fair. Despite its general warmth many people associate copper with jewel-tone colours like yellow-gold/ emerald green etc. and reserve their use on deeper skin tones, which is not correct. Conversely, a cream or liquid product that dries to a non-transfer finish that is still copper with a lightreflective quality helps to smooth out the eyelid, and paired with a cool dark brown or black tightline and lid liner (on a fair skin) cuts the red and can make blue and green eyes absolutely dazzle like precious stones, finished off with dark or black mascara to further emphasize the whiteness of the eye, enlarging the area and making for some truly stunning make up.

Additionally, based on the undertones of the other colours used in the make up look, your focus colour(in this case, copper) can pull more red, more bronze, or more orange. Taking into consideration your client’s typical colour palette from their clothing to possibly their favourite daily lipstick will help you help them properly navigate how to effectively use copper in their daily life and also for special occasions. The pictures included in this article perfectly showcase how pairing copper with tones that exist in the mutli-dimensional colour can encourage it to appear more alike one of them than the other.

Our minds must be vast record keepers, keenly connecting each detail of our knowledge to create beautiful looks that exceed expectations. Let the power of Copper invigorate you to approach your work with fresh new takes on ideas or comfort levels you may have fallen into. It is the privilege of our craft to be working with colour; something that has existed for eternity but can change our lives every day. Wield it well.

A smokey take on a copper eye brings out a warm bronze effect that suits the model’s skin and hair colouring. Pairing the copper colour with various cool browns, greys and black disrupts its tendency to present overly red on medium to fair skin. The copper product used contains larger sparkles that reflect light well and has more texture, this model has a large surface area on her eye and this type of product is suitable for her skin and features.

On this freckled, natural red-head, we paired a shimmering copper with ultra-fine, crushed pearls in the powder with ivory-champagne, dove grey, light mauve, and a neutral chocolate brown. This combination on her skin tone, along with a peach-based blush and blush-nude lips, has resulted in the copper shadow pulling orange, making for the perfect contrast that intensifies the blue in her eyes.