Whether you’re doing your makeup for day or night, there’s one universal aim for any occasion: to look polished, pulled-together and expensive. It’s actually a finish that’s easy to achieve with just one small change, even if you don’t consider yourself particularly skilled or have a makeup bag stocked only with budget products.
That’s the view from Hannah Martin, one of the UK’s best-loved makeup artists, and the woman behind the Princess of Wales’s bridal beauty look. The key is to adopt one simple technique that’s been taking over the red carpet recently and immediately creates an immaculate, elegant effect.
Take a close look at the makeup seen on A-listers such as Anne Hathaway, Nicole Kidman, Gwyneth Paltrow and Zoe Saldaña at the Oscars, and you’ll notice that they’re wearing a very similar tone across eyes, lips and cheeks; a simple switch that whispers quiet luxury.
‘A “less is more” approach makes makeup look more expensive than it is,’ Hannah tells GH. ‘I’m a huge fan of monochromatic makeup – think Anne Hathaway at the Oscars – using the same product to create your eye, lip and cheek look, even if it’s not specifically designed for that area. Commonly, that might mean using a stick or cream blusher on your eyes, lips and cheeks.’
A soft, blunted lip pencil can work, too, and helps with precision placement. Alternatively, look for a dedicated multitasker, ‘such as the Makeup For Ever Crayons, and The ByFrow Pigment Pencils by Victoria Magrath, which she often demos online on lips, cheeks and eyes,’ says Hannah.
It looks luxe but is, of course, a handy money-saver since you’re effectively getting three products for the price of one. (Plus, chances are, you’ll already own something to give the monochrome look a try for free.)
To add to the expensive feel, Hannah advises keeping makeup ‘pared-back – steer clear of overly dark eyes and heavy mascara’.
For a seamlessly blended base-meets-blusher, Hannah has another excellent affordable recommendation to make your makeup look more expensive.
‘I’ve recently started using the new Real Techniques The Ultimate Multi-Tasker Brush,’ she tells GH. ‘It has an angled brush at one end that’s perfect for foundation, cream bronzer and cream blusher, and on the other end, a fluffy brush perfect for powder application. I did my entire base using that one brush.’
Real Techniques Ultimate Multi Tasker Brush
Real Techniques Ultimate Multi Tasker Brush
An expensive finish for just a tenner – not bad at all.
