If you’re a makeup geek like us, you already know that there are so many great perks to having a Mac Pro Membership. From discounts on your favorite MAC products, to extra goodies from shopping on maccosmetics.com, and early access to exclusive new products the year round membership is a must have for any beauty enthusiast. But what I can appreciate most about being a MAC Pro Member is the opportunity to attend MAC Pro Master Classes! Among others, this month featured a 2 hour course on “Contemporary Beauty for Women of Colour”. In this blog, I will go over some of the key points I learned from the MAC Pro Senior Makeup Artist Cynthia Rivas, including a cool trick on how to lighten your brows WITHOUT BLEACH!

I arrived at the MAC Pro store on Lincoln Road (South Beach, FL) at 4:00 pm for a 2 hour course. Most master classes have $25 non-redeemable fee which I find to be reasonable considering the amount of information being given by a professional makeup artist. Using the customized stationary provided (I took an extra one for a giveaway!) here is some key information that I learned from the class:

Prepping the skin:

Cleanse with a mild soap and lukewarm water rinse off with cold water to tighten pores
Moisturize the skin and lips. For oily skin use a gel moisturizer
Only apply primer your T-Zone not your entire face

*When applying night time makeup use a moisturizer without SPF. That way you avoid any shine or “flashback” when taking pictures. 

Foundation:

First, what’s up the shade?

Take a look at the image of the color wheel below. In reference to Studio Fix Foundations, the wheel shows the letter C# in the center which represents MAC foundations with the yellow based, cool, neutral tones. Foundation with C# are also super bendable with shades on either side on the color wheel. On the left side of the wheel, we see NW (yellow base with a little orange) and N (red base with orange mix). These shades are for darker skin tones withred as the base. On the right side of the wheel we see NC (yellow skin base mixed with green and C##, green base with blue-green tones. These colors are for light to porcelain skin tones. Another interesting fact, the color directly across from your tone “cancels” each other out. For example if you have C# tone skin use violet as a base to cancel and unevenness in your skin before applying foundation!

MAC Master Class Color Wheel 101

Quick Tips:

Color correct with a light orange cream around hyper-pigmented areas of the face ONLY. Usually under the eyes, around the mouth, and spot treat blemishes
Use a light to medium foundation coverage and build to avoid the “cakey look”
Apply foundation from the center of the face outward
Use a brush to apply but massage into skin with fingers

Highlight & Contour:

While most YouTube makeup tutorials have taught to do eye makeup first to avoid fallout, the MAC Pro makeup artist advised to do the face first, highlight and contour, then focus on the eye area.

Quick tips:

For highlighting, go 1 to 2 shades lighter than your skin tone
Lightly tap under the eye with a sponge or damp brush. NEVER drag or pull the skin under your eyes…NEVER!!!!
Use face powder to go over the highlighted areas under the eye with a “blotting” motion
Contour with a cream or powder 2-3 shades darker than your skin tone. For a natural/ clean look, both are not needed, use either or
Add a golden highlighter to the highest points of your cheekbones and a peachy blush on the balls of your cheeks to sideburns/hairline

Eyes & Brows:

Vibrant colors are the best for darker skin tones
Use light brown our a mauve for a transition color from your upper crease to brow bone
Highlight your lids with shimmer starting at the inner corner then lightly over the rest of you lid
Fluffy shadow brushes are better for the crease because they light apply the color making it easier to blend
Shadow brushes that are denser and tightly packed add more pigment and product to the lids. Choose your weapon wisely ;)
Contour the crease of your lid from the front of your brow to the end of your eye
Also go down the nose to connect the contour
Use the same highlight from under eye on the brow bone-blend
Set your eyeliner with a powder shadow in the same color for longevity

*Add clear lip-gloss on the inner corner of your lids for a sexy wet look (if your shadows are matte)

How to Lighten your Brows WITHOUT BLEACH!

Brush your brows backwards using a spooly (aka brow brush)
Using the spooly apply light brown cream and lightly comb through as desired
Brush brows back into place and set with your face powder using a Q-tip and light stroking motions

Lips:

Using a lip liner, round out the corners of the upper lip for a fuller effect
Darken the middle of the lip to make lips smaller
Lighten the middle for a fuller appearance

And of course don’t forget to lock in all your hard work with a finishing spray! You can always personalize your look by adding or removing certain steps, i.e. lashes. Also make sure to carry blotting powder or paper to keep your makeup looking fresh! For more on how to get a MAC Pro Card visit MACPro.com

Here are a list of products used during the class:

Match Master Foundation
Prep + Prime Gold
Pro Longwear concealer (NW45)
Blot Power in shade “Dark”
Refine Skin Zone (pore refining)
Mac Blush in “Devil”, “Passionately Tempted”
Gel eyeliner “Rich Ground” (can also be used as a transition color for lids)
Lip Liner: “Morning Coffee” and “Bitter Sweet”
Retro Matte Liquid Lipstick “High Drama”
Cream color base “improper cooper” (for brows)

XOXO,

Elizabeth