With the influx of reality TV shows such as American Idol, audiences worldwide have a chance to watch the girl or boy next door transform into a superstar overnight. Right before your eyes, a magical experience occurs and we see an “average someone” morph into a stunning specimen! Responsibility for creating the magic falls to some of Hollywood’s finest makeup masters. Here is your chance to fine tune your look as we reveal some of the secrets behind Hollywood’s stars.
What is my best look? This is the most frequent question people ask makeup artists. To determine your best look, you must first understand your style profile. A makeup artist would never apply makeup to their client without first understanding their client’s style profile. Once you understand your style profile, it is easy to bring out your best look.
So…what is style profile? Your style profile is the combination of your personality, color, identity, and image. Cooperating with your style profile allows you to achieve effortless beauty. Sound complicated? Not really. Here are the six basic style profiles and details on the looks, suggested product lines, and celebrities to emulate.
RIHANNA
AMANDA BYNES
DRAMATIC
The dramatic style profile appears to be the most common. It is both fashionable and trendy, and the majority of clothing looks good on people who are dramatic. This style looks best in sophisticated, long, sleek, always straight lines, square, sharp shoulder lines, angular necklines, shapes and edges, exotic evening wear, ensemble looks. However, some dramatics have a tendency to overdo their look to unattractive extremes.
Makeup: Makeup for this look is trendy. The latest application techniques and colors will make the dramatic beauty shine. The secret to this application is staying current with colors and application trends. Their best feature should always be the focus within the makeup application. Dramatic beauty should always wear lipstick/gloss. Skin should be flawless to achieve the various looks that this style can wear successfully.
Best makeup lines: Makeupart.net, MAC, makeup forever, Smash Box, Loreal, HIP, Wet N’ Wild, or YSL.
Celebrities: Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, Victoria Beckham, Eva Longoria.
INGÉNUE
The fundamental lines and colors for this style profile come from springtime. This style is the epitome of freshness and youthfulness. Ingénues can mix colors and patterns in a versatile and animated style so that their look is always changing. This style is usually either contemporary or retro, but the look is always animated, light, and fun. The ingénue is a sweet, youthful, and innocent portrait of femininity.
Makeup: Makeup for this look is youthful and fresh. Colors should be light and bright, but not overpowering. The secret to this look is the eye application. Eyes should be radiant and clear. Colors also should be clear and light in pigment, looking like a whisper of color. Because ingénue is so youthful, heavy dark colors are usually too harsh, even for evening wear. Foundation should be lightweight and full coverage to achieve lightness. Highlighters can be used on a more mature skin to add light.
Best makeup lines: Makeupart.net, Benefit, Bare Essencials, Tarte, Rimmel, Prescriptives, or MAC.
Celebrities: Amanda Bynes, Goldie Hawn, Charlene Tilton, Kate Hudson.
ANGELINA JOLIE
JENNIFER GARNER
CLASSIC
The ancient Greeks determined that these features and looks defined beauty as the epitome of elegance and refinement. A classic beauty is timeless and ages gracefully. Basic elements to this look are soft, refined, finished, coordinated from head to toe, well groomed, fashionable, controlled, and never trendy or faddish.
Makeup: Makeup is always clean and polished; color should never be obvious. Monochromatic (one color) lip, eye, and cheek color is best. The secret to this look is blending. Skilled blending of all makeup applications is critical; you should never see the lines of the makeup application. Evening looks can be striking or smoky, but the color application should never be too obvious. The best classic makeup lines generally have medium pigment in their colors to allow for easy color blending. Flawless skin and foundation are the key. Foundation should be full coverage (for less than flawless skin) and lightweight.
Best makeup lines: Makeupart.net, Chanel, Christian Dior, Revlon, Kiehl’s, Laura Mercier, or Avon.
Celebrities: Angelina Jolie, Halle Berry, Sallie Richardson, Jada Pinket Smith.
NATURAL
This style is the epitome of comfortable. Naturals can be strikingly beautiful and look great in a simple jeans and T-shirt outfit. This style profile is the look of the beautiful girl next door.
Makeup: Makeup for this look is natural. The secret to this look is flawless skin and to look as if no makeup is being worn. The features should be clarified and emphasized through the subtle application of color to the lip, eye, and cheek areas. The best colors for this look are with warm neutral (brown) undertones. Evening makeup should also be clear with almost no pigment; the lips hold all the color. Skilled blending is critical; you should never see the lines of the makeup application.
Best makeup lines: Makeupart.net, Neutrogena, Almay, Presciptives, or Clinique.
Celebrities: Jennifer Garner, Brooke Shields,
Anna Kournikova, Cheryl Tiegs, Fergie.
KIMBERLY CALDWELL
NAOMI CAMPBELL
GAMIN
The gamin style profile is the epitome of city chic and is probably the most misunderstood. Gamins are fun, cheeky, mischievous, boyish, and quirky. This style profile can be stunningly attractive with little makeup or can be very avant-garde.
Makeup: Makeup for this style profile can go two ways. Clean and clear as if no makeup is being worn. The secret is using a makeup line that has really light pigment. Foundation should be lightweight but full coverage. Skin texture should appear flawless. Eyes, cheeks and lips should appear clear and strong, even if there is a lot of product applied. All liners should be untraceable. Mascara should be applied but cannot be detected. The second gamin look is the grunge/hip hop or goth looks. This is the style profile that can achieve these looks without effort and look good. The secret to these looks are using makeup with heavy pigment, or using color creatively with the emphasis on bold eyes/lips and always depicting a slight masculine air.
Best makeup lines: Makeupart.net, Neutrogena, Prescriptives, MAC, or Smash Box.
Celebrities: Kimberly Caldwell, Jodie Foster,
Sandy Duncan, Carol Channing.
ROMANTIC
The fundamental lines and colors for this style profile primarily come from the 1700s. The romantic beauty is the epitome of femininity—soft and enchanting. Basic elements to this look are feminine, lacey or flowery, shapely, flowing dresses with waistlines, soft, bouncy, and never boxy or tailored.
Makeup: Makeup is always soft and blended. The secret to this look is the eye application. Accentuating the eye area with soft, radiant colors makes a romantic beauty glow. Evening looks can be stunning with a velvety rich finish on the eyes. Eye liners can be a feature of the evening look and be a different color than the eye colors. Romantic beauty can wear a lot of color; however, they are best using the basic colors with warm (brown) or cool (pink) undertones. Lip and eye colors should complement the eye color, but not outshine it. Cheek color is important to create fullness within the cheek area. Foundation should create a flawless canvas to further enhance the eyes. Creamy foundations create the best skin texture.
Best makeup lines: Makeupart.net, Estee Lauder, Bobby Brown, Maybelline, Lancome, Stila, Cover Girl, or Paula Dorf.
Celebrities: Naomi Campbell, Jane Seymore,
Nicole Kidman, Nikki Blonsky.
Christina M. Kane is the founder and chairwoman of the Make-upChannel.com, an online career and education company serving the beauty industry. Ms. Kane is a qualified makeup artist and aesthetician who holds diplomas from ITEC, London; Cidesco, London; Confederation of Beauty Therapy & Cosmetology, London; Dr. G.M. Collins School of Aestheticians, Paris; Linda Meredith Make-up School, London; and Portobello Beauty Therapy College, Dublin. Ms. Kane is a former booking agent for makeup professionals and owner of one of the largest accredited makeup schools in the United States.
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