2015 Award Season: Red Lips

Claire Danes at PGA Awards by @itsmatin and Emma Stone at the SAG Awards

Two beautifully done red lips!  First thing with red lips, in my book, is that the complexion must be perfect. It's hard to pull off a red lip without a full face of makeup even though you want to look like you're wearing nothing but the red lip of course.  I would assume they are both wearing a full coverage foundation, concealer, lingtly contoured cheek bones, a hint of blush (more on the cheekbone than the apple as to not appear clown-like), setting powder, and it looks like Claire is wearing highlighter as well.
They both have little lid showing, however you can tell that Claire has a neutral flesh toned shadow and Emma has a a thicker lined eye with some darker brown shadow on top, which she can pull off since barely any lid shows.  Black liner is a must with a red lip, either subtly (like on Claire), or thicker and more dramatic like on Emma.  I think Emma pulls this more dramatic eye off with the edginess of her jewlery, hair color, and more filled-in starker brow.  I'm not a huge fan of dramatic false lashes with a red lip or it can look like a cancan girl.
Applying a red lip is a whole other story:  Concealer or a clear lip pencil around the edge.  Lip liner and or lip stain.  Lipstick.  A little gloss, then more liner. Sometimes it's as easy as a stain, or a liner and gloss...  And picking a color?  Put reds on the back of your hand (the side the sun sees) and you'll see which tones warm up your skin vs. making your skin look more grey, dull, or ashy.

SAG Awards: This look disected

I like her look.  However I would like to see a few tweaks, and mostly; I'm not sure if I would pair it with this dress and hair, but it is beautifully done.
The positives:  This is a great example of how browns/bronzes make blue eyes really pop, and I love a bronze eye with a purple-hued lip.  It's a great combo.
The negatives:  I would have liked to see added just a little more bronzer throughout the face (not in the cheek contour) to blend the harsh smokeyness of the eye in contrast to the colorful lip.  Obviously the dress is stark white with a lot of structure.  The hair is sleek and pulled back. I think this calls for more of a polished look with structure, like an upper only lined and slightly-winged eye,  instead of this more rich bohemian eye that has so much depth.
In my opinion the makeup would better suit softer hair and/or softer material for the dress, like something flowy, silky, or better yet a different color.  Maybe even yellow!? Purple with yellow is really pretty.  Yes something yellow with a soft ruffle on a shoulder strap or something.  Hope that makes sense.  Sometimes a client wants what they want, and this is very pretty, just my take if someone asked me to critique to the fullest, which they didn't.  So maybe I should keep my mouth shut.  Great colors and very pretty though.

Golden Globes: 80s Eye Trend

I saw a ton of super 80s-looking eyes on the 2015 Golden Globes red carpet (think 80s blush swept backwards...or in this case 80s eyeshadow swept backwards).  This example on Jessica Chastain is where it was done right.  It is paired with a pretty simple lip, and uses brown shades instead of black.  I saw other not-so-hot examples with a bright red lip and it was just too much toghether, unless it was for an editorial shoot, as opposed to being for the red carpet.  I will not name names but two Girls stars both had it and I thought "uh oh tone down either the lip or eye a little!"  This works not only with the lip but with the hair and wardrobe.  The clasic waves in the hair contrast it and give it some edge, and the makeup suits the dress, that to me is like a modern take on a dress Michelle Pfiefer might have worn in Scarface.  All the elements come together in this look.

Golden Globes: Modern Ethereal Glam

Diane Kruger, The Wall Group

The point of interest with this look is the frosty inner eye, and it is done right.  When there is too much frost all over the face it can look sweaty, trashy, or juvenille.  However when it is paired with all matte makeup on the rest of the face, other than the glossy lip, it looks sophisticated, and is a sublte way to pair the silver from the dress and jewelry with the makeup. The frosty ashy-shell color is brought just to the center of the eyelid as well, but is surrounded by neutral matte shadows in the mauve/brown tones, that way they don't blend to look grey.  Soft pinks/mauves in the cheek and lip pair really well with silver and natural tones on the eye, as to keep the whole look soft, without contrast in the rest of the face.  The soft waves in her hair tie the softness of the makeup in with the dress, and it comes together perfectly.

Maui Wedding Makeup

Old Hollywood glamour on Tina for her Gatsby-themed wedding
Photography by Amour Aeternus

Tina wanted a red lip and a "Gatsby" eye for her themed wedding in Maui at the Hotel Wailea.  I used lip stain, lip liner, and gloss. I went with a classic thin-winged-eyeliner and a subtle taupe in the crease of her eye, along with filling in her brows and a great compleion.