A Kenyan CNN Make-Up Artist’s Tips

By Melissa Van Tongeren | www.mvtbeauty.com

1) First and foremost and of major importance is get your foundation colour right! With the very popular trend of contouring a la Kim Kardashian a lot of women tend to go a lot lighter in colour than they really should. The contrast between the face and neck creates a mask like effect which looks dreadful, especially when photographed. My tip for choosing a good foundation colour is testing along the jaw line not the back of your hand. If a colour blends in and becomes invisible- you’ve found your match!

2) Concealing dark circles and pigmentation around the eye area. A lot of ladies of colour have problems with dark pigmentation. This can be as a result of genetics, poor diet/dehydration and or poor sleep patterns. The easiest way to combat this issue is using orange (for Asian and mixed race skin) or red (for darker toned chocolate skin). Using this tone under your foundation will counteract the darkness once you apply your foundation over the top. It is important to blend well. Use your ring finger with a light dabbing motion, the warmth of your hand will help in the blending process.

3) When contouring, a lighter tone of foundation can be used around the eye area as well as long the top of your cheekbone. This will help highlight the area as well as bring out the eyes more.

4) My top tip for eye makeup is keeping the inner corner of the eye bright with a slight cream/pink/gold shimmer. A little dab at the inner corner of the eye along your lower lash line works a treat. Helps the eyes pop even more. Works for smokey eye makeup too.

5) My top tip for making lipstick last is to layer, layer, layer. If you’re going for a bright red lipstick, my trick is to start off with a good quality lip liner. Create your shape and colour in the lips. Once you’ve done that, put a layer of fabulous red over the top, blot with a tissue to get rid of the excess. Then put some powder on your lips to set the lipstick. Do this 2 or 3 more times and I can guarantee the lipstick will stay on all day. There are many brands that now do lip stains that stay on the whole day but I find these tend to dry outside the lips and may cause them to start cracking. Keep a good lip balm to hand if this happens and keep those lips well moisturised!