Avant Garde Make-up Tutorial

In this tutorial, we are going to get creative! I am going to show you how to do a make-up application using a lot of highlight and shadow make-up to alter the facial structure, while also giving our subject some great color and lashes.

Get this look:

Base: To start, let's prepare the base color for this application. Mix up all three highlight colors in the Highlight and Shadow Palette as well as a tiny bit of Red Corrector #1 to knock out any unwanted redness. Use the #940 Foundation Brush to apply the base that we have just mixed. Apply the base in a stippling motion so that you have an even distribution of the foundation. You are going to want to cover any exposed skin, so bring the base all the way down. You also want to take the base all the up into the hairline to make it look more realistic. Again, apply in a stippling motion into the hairline to make it look natural. Typically the next step after you finish the base application is powder to set the cream foundation. However, in this application I want to use more creams – and because creams adhere to creams, I will wait until after the application of the creams to apply the powder. Using the #410 Flat Brush allows you to get this base application into very small places like under the eyes and the contours of the nose.

Shadow and Contour: To start to bring some shadow and contour to this look, let's start with Shading #3. With this we can start to restructure the face lines starting with the nose area by shading it and softly blending it outward into the face. Now, let's set the cream shadow we applied with powder. Mix the two translucent powders Shell Loose Powder and Zero Powder. Using the #720 Powder Brush, apply the mixture in a dabbing motion, setting the cream foundation and shadow. Just as with the foundation, you want to bring the powder down and cover any exposed skin.

Eyes: Now it’s really time to focus on the eyes. Let's finish up on the brow and really bring some color into the eyes. The best technique for this application is a stippling motion. First start with the dark shadows of the brow, then use the lightest highlight color to outline the outer rim of the eyebrows. Because the forehead is a bigger space, go back in with the #940 Foundation Brush and the highlight cream make-up to cover this area. For her crease color, we will use a combination of Voodoo Eye Color and Pomegranate Eye Color. I have chosen the #320 Oval Shadow Brush for placement of the crease color, because it allows me to be exact with the application. For the inner corner of the eye, switch to the #300 Small Shadow Brush, which is a smaller brush. Now use the #800 Crease Brush to blend out the edges. Go back and forth, and when you get to the outer corner, blend in a circular motion. Make sure that that you control the edge so you don’t go outside of the crease. Now you can use the #810 Smudger Brush to get into the inner corner of the eye. Now let's use the #210 Angle Liner Brush and Espresso Eye Color for the drop shadow underneath the eye. Make sure to hug the lower lash line with the product. Apply the Espresso with a stippling motion, very softly hugging that lower lash line. Now to diffuse the bottom liner, use the #810 Smudger Brush and Berrywood Eye Color. The last color we will be using for this color scheme is the Bronzed Eye Color. Use the #800 Crease Brush to apply Bronzed Eye Color to the center of the lid. Apply Bronzed Eye Color in circular motions; don’t be too concerned about catching the bottom part of the eye because we want the center of the eye framed with gold.

Eyelashes: The next step is to apply false lashes on both the top and bottom lashes – let's start with the bottom. The key here is to let the glue get tacky before you apply the false lashes. Then, apply Voluminzing Mascara because you can never have too much volume when working with avant garde make-up! Load up the #500 Mascara Brush and apply the mascara first to the top of the lash, then underneath moving from root to tip.

Cheeks: Use the #710 Powder Blush/Brush to apply Cool Mauve Cheek Color to the cheeks. Also apply just a touch of the Bubble Gum Cheek Color over top of the Cool Mauve. Go back and forth in circular motions, lightly buffing the product on. Because this is an avant garde make-up application, we will not be applying the cheek color where we normally would if we were doing a basic beauty make-up. We are applying lower than the cheekbone to counter the lower shadow placement. Now, let's place a little bit of the Bronzed Eye Color over top of the Cool Mauve Cheek Color and Bubble Gum Cheek Color. Also, we will apply color around the ball of the nose so the whole look flows together. Apply the Bronzed Eye Color with the same #710 Blush Brush. I want the shadow on tip of the nose to be more of a mauve than bronzed shadow, so lets use the #800 Crease Brush and the cream shadow we used before. Load up the brush and apply the cream shadow just to the tip of the nose.

Lips: The lips are super important with my avant garde look, so let's start by outlining them with the Mauve Lip Pencil, and then filling them in with a blend of colors from one of the Character Palettes. The three colors I have chosen from the Character Palette are the Red, the White, and the Maroon. The last step with the lips is creating a light highlight on the bottom lip using the White cream make-up from the Character Palette. 

Final Step: The final step for this look is to create freckles. To do that, we will use the Taupe Eye Pencil.