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Backstage Beauty

Soft feminine is the style for the new year, and we've got the inside scoop on how you can achieve it easily.

Trends were less discernible on the runway for this season, with designers often creating their own looks. Despite the seemingly endless choices of styles, the makeup trend for Spring ‘09 is simply elegant and soft.

Any glitz that is being added this season comes in the form of splashes of vibrant color and sparkle. These are simple to apply and can add an intense theatrical edge, which is great for evening or formal makeup looks. Overall, the dominating imagery is soft feminine.

As the year moves forward, we will start to see a far-reaching mood emerge with the 80’s gothic looks creeping back into fashion. That new mood also represents a shift toward softer, prettier shades and application. The look is simple, clean and is reflected with heathery purples, soft pale pink, warm rustic oranges and browns or various shades of soft toned greens. Combining a lavender eye shadow with a light pink lipstick and just a tad bit of barely-there blush is a wonderful combination.

As for hair, look no further than simple and soft updo’s, with braids being a big feature this season. The opposing look is sleek, perfectly-pulled-back hair giving a super modern minimalism look, and again featuring clean, soft makeup colors and application. To achieve this season’s makeup looks, here are some backstage makeup artist tricks of the trade for you to try:

Evening Shades: Before applying your lipstick, blend some foundation over the edges of your lips. This way you’ll achieve the natural color of the lipstick tube, which will look great with a smokier eye makeup. The combination will give you the perfect look for any evening affair.

Once Upon A Time:
To get fairy tale-inspired flushed cheeks, apply a cream blush to the apples of your cheeks and blend, adding a tiny bit over your nose. Cream blush has a softer effect on the skin than powder, and is easier to blend into the skin, which creates a very natural effect.

Toning It Down:
If you do not have a cream blush, you can tone down a too-bright cheek color by applying a touch of foundation over the color to give cheeks a more subtle, flush finish—the effect is wonderful and produces a look that is radiantly healthy.

The Match Game:
The cream blush can double as a matching lip color. Be sure to line your lips with a lip liner that is almost the same color as the cream blush. The liner will create the clean edge that is needed to achieve this soft, clean effect.

Be Down With Brown:
For a softer eyelash look, apply brown mascara at the base of your lashes and black mascara just at the tips. It will give eyes a dreamy look and emphasize the ends of your lashes. Brown mascara is a very effective color to create emphasis for any eye color.

Glowing Results: In order to achieve the radiance of the soft feminine look this Spring, all you need are some basic colors and neutral shades, and you’ll create a natural glow that will look both timeless and modern. Pair this look with a few simple updo’s and you’ve got a quick and easy look that will most certainly turn some heads.

Made In the Shade:
For a full, clean brow look—even if your brows are not perfect—apply a brow powder in a shade that matches your brows. Start by brushing brows up, and then fill in with powder under the arch for a more pronounced look.

Where There’s Smoke:
You can easily create a diffused, smoky eye by lining eyes with black pencil liner, smudging it with a brush and then dusting a brown shadow over top to warm it up. This technique is especially effective when creating a softer evening or formal makeup look.

Remain Focused:
When wearing smoky eye makeup for evening, keep the rest of your face natural, matte and clean. Wear a nude lip color. It will keep all focus on your eyes.

What You See Is What You Get:
Neutralize your natural lip color by blending foundation over the edges of your lips before applying lipstick. It will make the finished lip color look truer to the shade you see in the tube.

The Softer Side:
To soften any bright-colored eye shadow, layer a neutral cream shadow like gray or brown underneath. This will help mellow the intensity of the vibrant shade.

A Healthy Glow:
To make skin glow as if you’ve been drinking 10 glasses of water a day, highlight cheekbones with a frosted off-white shadow.

Christina M. Kane is the founder and Chairwoman of the web site 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 and 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.

For the complete behind-the-scenes story and all the details on this and other exciting competitive events from across America, as well as a wealth of advice to improve your chances of victory, be sure to Order Pageantry today.

Backstage Beauty

Soft feminine is the style for the new year, and we've got the inside scoop on how you can achieve it easily.

Trends were less discernible on the runway for this season, with designers often creating their own looks. Despite the seemingly endless choices of styles, the makeup trend for Spring ‘09 is simply elegant and soft.

Any glitz that is being added this season comes in the form of splashes of vibrant color and sparkle. These are simple to apply and can add an intense theatrical edge, which is great for evening or formal makeup looks. Overall, the dominating imagery is soft feminine.

Evening Shades: Before applying your lipstick, blend some foundation over the edges of your lips. This way you’ll achieve the natural color of the lipstick tube, which will look great with a smokier eye makeup. The combination will give you the perfect look for any evening affair.

Once Upon A Time: To get fairy tale-inspired flushed cheeks, apply a cream blush to the apples of your cheeks and blend, adding a tiny bit over your nose. Cream blush has a softer effect on the skin than powder, and is easier to blend into the skin, which creates a very natural effect.

Toning It Down: If you do not have a cream blush, you can tone down a too-bright cheek color by applying a touch of foundation over the color to give cheeks a more subtle, flush finish—the effect is wonderful and produces a look that is radiantly healthy.

The Match Game: The cream blush can double as a matching lip color. Be sure to line your lips with a lip liner that is almost the same color as the cream blush. The liner will create the clean edge that is needed to achieve this soft, clean effect.

Be Down With Brown: For a softer eyelash look, apply brown mascara at the base of your lashes and black mascara just at the tips. It will give eyes a dreamy look and emphasize the ends of your lashes. Brown mascara is a very effective color to create emphasis for any eye color.

Made In the Shade: For a full, clean brow look—even if your brows are not perfect—apply a brow powder in a shade that matches your brows. Start by brushing brows up, and then fill in with powder under the arch for a more pronounced look.

Where There’s Smoke: You can easily create a diffused, smoky eye by lining eyes with black pencil liner, smudging it with a brush and then dusting a brown shadow over top to warm it up. This technique is especially effective when creating a softer evening or formal makeup look.

Remain Focused: When wearing smoky eye makeup for evening, keep the rest of your face natural, matte and clean. Wear a nude lip color. It will keep all focus on your eyes.

What You See Is What You Get: Neutralize your natural lip color by blending foundation over the edges of your lips before applying lipstick. It will make the finished lip color look truer to the shade you see in the tube.

The Softer Side: To soften any bright-colored eye shadow, layer a neutral cream shadow like gray or brown underneath. This will help mellow the intensity of the vibrant shade.

A Healthy Glow: To make skin glow as if you’ve been drinking 10 glasses of water a day, highlight cheekbones with a frosted off-white shadow.

For the complete behind-the-scenes story and all the details on this and other exciting competitive events from across America, as well as a wealth of advice to improve your chances of victory, be sure to Order Pageantry today.

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Once Upon A Time:
To get fairy tale-inspired flushed cheeks, apply a cream blush to the apples of your cheeks and blend, adding a tiny bit over your nose. Cream blush has a softer effect on the skin than powder, and is easier to blend into the skin, which creates a very natural effect.

Toning It Down:
If you do not have a cream blush, you can tone down a too-bright cheek color by applying a touch of foundation over the color to give cheeks a more subtle, flush finish—the effect is wonderful and produces a look that is radiantly healthy.

The Match Game:
The cream blush can double as a matching lip color. Be sure to line your lips with a lip liner that is almost the same color as the cream blush. The liner will create the clean edge that is needed to achieve this soft, clean effect.

Be Down With Brown:
For a softer eyelash look, apply brown mascara at the base of your lashes and black mascara just at the tips. It will give eyes a dreamy look and emphasize the ends of your lashes. Brown mascara is a very effective color to create emphasis for any eye color.

Made In the Shade:
For a full, clean brow look—even if your brows are not perfect—apply a brow powder in a shade that matches your brows. Start by brushing brows up, and then fill in with powder under the arch for a more pronounced look.

Where There’s Smoke:
You can easily create a diffused, smoky eye by lining eyes with black pencil liner, smudging it with a brush and then dusting a brown shadow over top to warm it up. This technique is especially effective when creating a softer evening or formal makeup look.

Remain Focused:
When wearing smoky eye makeup for evening, keep the rest of your face natural, matte and clean. Wear a nude lip color. It will keep all focus on your eyes.

What You See Is What You Get:
Neutralize your natural lip color by blending foundation over the edges of your lips before applying lipstick. It will make the finished lip color look truer to the shade you see in the tube.

The Softer Side:
To soften any bright-colored eye shadow, layer a neutral cream shadow like gray or brown underneath. This will help mellow the intensity of the vibrant shade.

A Healthy Glow:
To make skin glow as if you’ve been drinking 10 glasses of water a day, highlight cheekbones with a frosted off-white shadow.