Guest blog post by Lucia Fernandez, TUBC student at our Glendale Heights campus.
On March 20th, 2013 we had the pleasure of having Ms. Gaby Santana-Blackburn as a guest speaker for a makeup demo. Ms. Gaby is head of the esthetics program for all Tricoci schools, she has been with Tricoci University since the beginning. All the esthetics protocols and procedures, including makeup, are created by Ms. Gaby. “Makeup is an expression of art,” she says enthusiastically. The key to great makeup is to have a great consultation, for example, if someone wants dramatic eyes show them pictures and color schemes to better understand what “dramatic” is to them.
In order to have the makeup look great, the face must be properly prepped, as in a client should be informed of how to take care of their skin. Also, the face must be clean and must have moisturizer, preferably with SPF. Then one must apply primer to the entire face to ensure the makeup will last up to a whole day. Concealer comes right after, it should be applied on under eyes circles, dark spots, and any unwanted blemishes. The concealer must be a shade lighter than the natural skin tone, “you don’t want your guest to end up with raccoon eyes.” Afterward, foundation is to be applied. To determine the foundation shade for your guest do a stripe test from their chin to the beginning of their neck and which ever line disappears is the shade you use. “Remember your guest has a neck feel free to ask them to move their head so YOU don’t make them dizzy,” Ms. Gaby referred to moving around your guest. To a fairly clear complexion or someone who doesn’t want a heavy foundation application just simply dab on foundation with a Q-Tip all over the face, then lightly stipple with a sponge. For heavier foundation, just use a sponge or a foundation brush.
Ms. Gaby chose to show us a dramatic smokey eye, she drew in the lid with eyeliner as a primer as well as a base for the darker eye shadow. Then she applied the darker shade on the entire lid to begin her smokey eye, diffusing the line before continuing. Then she applied a medium shade under the brow, she didn’t highlight the brow bone because it would make the model’s eyes looks sunk in. “You must work with your guest’s eyes and figure out the best look for them.” She later applied a highlight shade in the inner lid of her eye to make her eyes pop, as well as filling in her eyebrows with a pencil and shadow. Finally, she cleaned off the fallout with a sponge with a dab of foundation and finished her off with powder, blush and a bold plum lip.
Overall, I learned that makeup can be a real work of art that takes shape with a little practice. There is always something new to learn whether it’s cosmetology or esthetics, you should always have your mind wide open to learn new techniques and tricks.