After almost a year of following the work of famous celebrity makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic and Stephen Michael Moleski.
Who are both famous for creating the well known look of reality star’s Kim Kardashian.
Following them on their blogs, and closely watching their makeup tutorials on you tube, I think that I have finally come very close in accomplishing the look of flawlessly contoured, and highlighted skin. I’ve invested many hours on perfecting this look, and tried my best to break it down for you.
This may be long but I’m sure if you’re a make up lover like myself, you will appreciate it.
I’ve taken pictures of the products used, listed the names. I’ve categorized the products and listed them in the order used.
Here is the order:
SKIN PREPARTATION, FOUNDATION, CONCEALERS, AND POWDERS.
SKIN PREPARTAION:
I begin with a clean face. Very important! Even if you washed your face 3 hours before you applied any makeup, wash it again to eliminate any potentially accumulated dirt or oils from those 3 hours.
After I’ve washed my face, I apply a toner KIEHLS ULTRA FACE TONER using a cotton to ensure all dirt is wiped off, and pores are minimized with the toner. I follow by applying MARIO BADESCU seaweed night cream (you may skip this step if you have oily skin). I let it sit a bit to set, and depending on how my skin feels that day I put on an additional MARIO BADESCU moisturizer called COLLAGEN MOISTURE with spf. MB also has moisturizers for oily skin and all skin types. If I don’t use the 2nd skin moisturizer then I use a sheer primer like MAKEUP FOREVER HD Primer. I apply this with my hands to help warm the skin, and set the product. If I’m working with a client I sanitize my hands in between all steps or use a foundation brush to apply, and set with BEAUTY BLENDERS.
FOUNDATION:
After the primed skin has set I apply KIEHLS TINITED MOISTURIZER in Medium. I apply it with my hands, all over my face excluding my orbital socket area (eyes). The reason I skip that area is so I have the option to do my eye makeup after the foundation application, and safely wipe away any possible dropped shadow from my eyeshadow application without ruining my under eye makeup.
I apply behind my ears, near the hairline around my forehead, and below the chin and neck. Making sure everything is blended. I wash my hands in between to prevent a big mess and mixes of any other products. Then blend into skin with a lightly moisten BEAUTY BLENDER.
DO NOT SET WITH ANY POWDER YET. Instead wait about 30secs in between each cream or liquid application so it sets naturally.
NEXT with small contour brush I dabbed into the HYPER REAL FOUNDATION and begin to apply my contour starting with my cheek bones, behind my ears, under my chin and neck.
Stippling very lightly around these areas to prevent harsh lines. Soften edges with fingers or beauty blender. The brush used is #109 from MAC
POWDERS:
NEXT… A blush brush lightly dipped into BLUNT from MAC or any soft brown blushes like a combination of Rose Beige & Warm Bisque from MUD. Lightly dipping into a combination of shades will help prevent harsh lines, and keep shades looking natural when attempting to contour. Apply in a light stipple motion, and then blend out in a circular motion. I sometimes suck in my cheeks making a fish face to know the exact hallowed areas of my cheeks that I’d like to contour. I go over the cream contour that I created with the HYPER REAL FOUNDATION. I set the cream contours with the brown and pinkish blushes, and translucent powder for concealers and highlight. I set the brown and pink blush powders with a blush brush #116 from MAC.
Keep all make up MATTE till the very end. Very minimal shimmer to highlight certain areas. Too much shimmer, and any shimmer before other make-up applications can make the makeup look dirty and greasy.
Brush same blush combination under chin & neck, brushing from the chin down to the neck. Brush lightly around the hairline on forehead, and behind ears down to neck making sure it all looks even. It takes practice getting your contour colors to look natural. I went around looking like Snooki for a while when trying to my shades right.
Once the contour is in place I begin with my eyeshadow or my highlight with the lighter side of the LAURA MERCIER dual-toned concealer.
Starting with the eye shadow can help if you tend to get a lot of drop shadow under your eyes. You can just wipe away any dropped shadow, and then continue with the under eye concealer and highlight. Whichever step you decide to take next is totally optional to you.
Here are some examples of how your contour and highlighting is suppose to be looking prior to blending out, and setting with powders.
As you go through all the steps the hard lines will start to smooth out, and blend with your own natural skin tone, and facial structure.
The concealer can camouflage into your highlighter.
Begin by applying around the inner corner of your eye bring onto the eyelid, and you can use it as primer for the shadow. This technique is if you choose to do the eyeshadow after the concealer and highlight.
Depending if you have redness around your nostrils you can bring the concealer straight down your from the corner of the eye around the nostrils, lightly, and blending out into the cheek and top of lips. Back to the corner of the inner eye in a stipple motion with your finger or concealer brush lightly dabbing across under eye bringing all the way to the temple. Your concealer will begin to look like a white Zorro mask. Silly I know…… But the best way to describe the way it should be looking. I even put the concealer over the eyebrows to soften them, and help make it look natural when you put on your brow pencil or shadow. Blend very will with finger or beauty blender, softly dabbing the product into place and not wiping it away.
Make sure the brows are blended and set with translucent powder before applying any type of brow pencil or shadow. I save the brows till the very end.
To warm up the extreme highlighted area around the eyes, move on to a darker concealer or even your foundation can work. I use a darker color directly under my eyes to match other darker tones on my face from the DERMACOLOR CAMOUFLAGE MINI PALETTE. This will help prevent the crazy white patches under eyes, especially in pictures.
Blend it very well to keep it looking natural. With the #165 MAC brush I set the concealer highlight with MAKEUP FOREVER HD powder.
Your face should start looking normal at this point. The contour and highlight should start coming together very nicely. With a big blush brush like #720 from MUD or any brush similar to this one, blend whole face with small circular motions starting on the forehead working your way down.
Once you feel everything is placed right you can further blend with a blush brush lightly dipped in BENEFITS One hot minute bronze powder. Since this has a bit of shimmer you want to definitely use it toward the end. Apply it in a number 3 motion, starting at the peak of your hair line curving down to your cheek, and final curve down your neck. Repeat the same technique on opposite side.
Final steps comb brows with a mascara brush, and fill in with brow pencil or shadow.
Eyeliner reinforced with a dark matching shadow along the lash line to soften the liner, and apply mascara.
Line lips, fill in with matching lip color of your choice, using a lighter color in the center of lips, and line the lips with a gloss. This order will give the illusion of fuller lips.
Finally I save the best for last because it includes a smile. Smile and apply MAC TWO VIRTUES blush or anything similar at the apple of your cheeks with #168 MAC brush. Apply at apples and lightly stipple and drag toward temples to help blend in with contour. Top with a little shimmer highlighter MAC mineralization IMPROVISE or anything similar to it on ends of eyes, cheek bones, and nose.
I continue to reinforce blush and soft bronzers with NARS AMOUR blush and Luster if necessary.
There is a reason why I do my make up this way. This way by the end of the look, my cheeks are a little bit dewy, and my tzone areas, and nose are matte.
Here are before and after pictures of the celebrity who inspired this look, and a picture of my before and after with the celebrity inspired look.
The pictures are to demonstrate the similarity in skin tones, and not that I think I look like the celebrity :/
This can take anywhere from an hour to an hour and 20mins. Be patient with practice it will get quicker, and it’s obviously not an everyday make up. Just when you want to look and feel your best.