Questions you've always wanted to ask a makeup artist

You know what would be handy? To have a make-up artist on speed dial to ask all those burning make-up questions that pop up when you’re working/envisioning your Friday night look/ trying to fall asleep.

“When should I actually throw away my mascara?” (After about three or four months. If it’s dried out before then, add some eye drops into the mascara tube).
“What is BB cream?” (Imagine if foundation, sunscreen and moisturiser had a baby. That’s BB cream. You can look here for a more in-depth answer).
“How do I clean make-up brushes?” (Here are some tips and here are some dos and don’ts).

Well, sadly we can’t gift you with a personal make-up artist, but we did the next best thing and got in touch with the brilliant Rae Morris. Here, she answers a few of those make-up questions that have been bugging you.

bh: What should I use to fill in sparse parts of eyebrows so they look natural?

RM: You can actually use an eyeliner gel in a colour that matches your brows on a super precise angled brush. You have more choice of colour with gels, and the gel formulation also doesn’t move – it’s seriously waterproof. You can try the No.16 Brow Definer to just fill in the gaps with little, fine strokes.

bh: How can I extend the life of dewy make-up? My face looks fresh and radiant in the morning but by 3 o’clock, it’s patchy and just awful!

RM: If it’s patchy, you may have mixed oil and water-based products on your face, which will make foundation separate. It’s an easy mistake to make as some moisturisers contain oil and most foundations are water-based, so check first and try to keep everything to a water base, as it will last longer.
 
Also, patchiness can be caused by over-powdering or powdering when the skin is too oily - the oilier the skin, the more powder sticks. And because skin never produces oil evenly, powder will stick to the shinier spots more than the not-so-shiny spots, hence why you can end up with an uneven skin tone. My golden rule is to never powder without blotting first. MAC blotting papers (Blot Film) are amazing!

If oil is not your issue, then just blot down your skin (tissues will do if you don’t have the papers), add a little more foundation to a large buffing brush and buff back in.

bh: What’s the best way to apply concealer under my eyes? Most of the formulas I’ve used crease and make my lines look even more noticeable.

RM: Try Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage – it’s so concentrated and high in pigment – and make sure you don’t have lots of eye cream or face moisturiser under the eyes. Less is best here, as the skin is too fine and delicate to hold much product. That’s why it’s best to use a concealer with more coverage, but use less of it. The skin around the eye moves so much that you will always get creasing of some kind, but keep a beauty blender close by and press the concealer back into place when need be.

Head to the next page to find out how to deal with make-up and dry skin, what to do when you're short on time, and foundation matching!

What would you like to ask a make-up artist? What’s the best make-up tip you’ve ever picked up?

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