Lessons from the masters. Makeup and beauty extrodinare, Napoleon Perdis shares what he’s learned from working with the most beautiful women in the world and those who’s business it is to be and stay beautiful. As well as quirky beauty tips, how Miranda Kerr is always photo-ready and treatments and tricks that models and celebrities use to look gorgeous for longer.
by Napoleon Perdis
I take something away from every experience I have as a makeup artist, whether I’m working on Miranda Kerr, Jessica Lowndes, or one of my customers in Brisbane. In fact, some of my best tips I’ve picked up have come from conversations I’ve had with “real” women. We all want to feel like the most beautiful version of ourselves. Experimenting with makeup and discovering what works for you and your face is the best way to maximize your assets. Here are a few great tricks I’ve picked up from my clients that can work on most faces.
1. FOCUS YOUR FOUNDATION
Many years ago, I met one of my customers in Queensland who told me that she never wore foundation on her forehead because of the heat and humidity. It was a bit of an ‘A-HA!’ moment for me and ever since, I’ve always avoided applying foundation to the forehead, instead concentrating on the feature focus area of the face to ensure a fresh, natural finish. Makeup used to be about wearing a mask but today it’s about applying your base only where you need to cover or perfect something. Real skin is in!
2. THE HOLLYWOOD ‘V’
One technique I picked up from Serena Williams on a job in New York is the ‘Hollywood V’. It’s incredibly effective and I’ve since taught it to all my makeup artists in Hollywood and Australia. The idea is to take your concealer and a brush and apply it in a ‘ V ‘ shape under each eye; the top of the V starts on the inner and outer edges of each eye, meeting in a point at the top of the cheekbone. You then blend the concealer ‘V’ into the skin before applying your foundation. If you want to intensify the brightening effect, just add a little highlighter or tone it down with a little powder. It really freshens the eyes and brightens the face.
3. EYE BRIGHT
One of my (not so) secret weapons is a bottle of eye drops. I stash them everywhere – not just in my kit but in my car, desk drawer, and overnight bag and I’ve noticed that a lot of models will carry them too. The eyes are the first place you start to look tired and even the best smoky eye can’t completely conceal irritated, bloodshot eyes. The other trick I’ve learnt and often use in makeovers is applying a white gel eye liner in the water line of the eye to brighten. I’ve also been customizing a nude liner by mixing cream concealer with white eyeliner for a more natural effect. It works really well to open and brighten up the eyes without looking as obvious as the white liner can.
4. ROLE MODEL
Good skin is probably the hardest thing to fake. The more overworked the model, the more highlighting, shading and concealing we have to do as makeup artists! You can always tell the girls who take care of themselves, whether it’s 8 hours sleep, 8 glasses of water or a healthy diet, their skin is just better, brighter, and bounces back faster. Miranda Kerr is a perfect example of this, she absolutely radiates health. Her secret: she starts the day with hot water and lemon to kickstart her metabolism and swears by two glasses of noni juice a day, a tip passed down to her by her grandmother. She lives a very balanced, health-full lifestyle and it shows in her glossy mane, perfect skin, and inspirational body. The other thing I’ve picked up from Miranda is photography tricks. She really knows the most flattering angles and how to trick lighting to flatter your face. In fact, she often gives the paparazzi tips!
