What do Mad Men, 90210 and The New Girl have in common? The small screen and Reality TV is still dictating what many of us refer to for every day style cues for fashion and beauty. Napoleon Perdis, Rescu’s Beauty Expert shares with us which ‘reality’ and TV stars give good face and how can we get their look!
Jessica Lowndes in Beverly Hills 90210:
90210 star Jessica Lowndes has that super-cool, effortless LA style. We’ve worked together a couple of times, most recently for a Nylon cover shoot, and Jessica never fails to light up a room with her impeccable, glowing skin. Her signature look is all about complexion perfection which she can easily amp up with a smoky eye, a lip stain, and a hint of cheek and she’s good to glow!
To recreate Jess’ gorgeous glow, follow these five easy steps:
1. After cleansing your skin, apply a hydrating serum and allow your skin to totally absorb the product for a few minutes.
2. Always prime your skin before any application of product, even if you’re not wearing foundation.
3. For hydration with a real radiance boost apply a tinted moisturiser (like my new Off Duty Tinter Moisturiser) all over the face. Using a product that leaves the skin with a glow rather then adding any obvious luminosity or sheen keeps your skin looking fresh all day and avoids a ‘shiny’ finish.
4. To boost radiance for normal/dry skin, apply a cream luminizer in either soft pink, gold or silver to suit your complexion; think cool tones for fair skin, warmer for tan/olive skin. Using a synthetic brush for an even application, blend over the high points of the face: on top of the cheekbones, bridge of the nose, brow bone, inner corner of the eye and cupid’s bow.
5. From here, assess your complexion and see where you might need to apply foundation or concealer. It’s ok to apply your foundation over the luminizer; it will actually fuse the products to look like your own skin for the most natural finish. But if all you need is a little concealer around the nose and under the eyes then simply warm the concealer into the skin with your fingers and you’re done. If you can’t live without powder then make sure you avoid powdering the skin in the areas where you have applied the luminizer as you will undo all of your highlighting work.
Zooey Deschanel:
One thing you can do for a simple but sultry statement is to work your lashes. The not-so-new-girl-on-the-scene Zooey Deschanel is the poster girl for perfect lashes in my opinion. She always looks so cute and coquettish without looking overdone. Once you’re lashed up, you just need to perfect your skin and add any daily essentials (maybe blush or a white liner on the water line) then you’re ready to conquer the day.
Some lessons in lash:
1. To work your natural lashes you need to apply at least three coats of mascara and allow ample drying time between coats to build volume. Apply your first coat after foundation and apply generously at the roots of the lashes. Groom your brows while the first coat dries and once you’re done, apply your second coat of mascara from the root to the tip. Right before you walk out the door apply your third coat, again paying attention to the roots to build volume.
2. To boost sparse lashes but keep them looking natural, find a full set of lashes that are just a little longer than your own and make them your signature. This will add thickness and a little length to your natural assets yet still look convincing. Apply one coat of mascara before applying the lash (especially at the root) to create the right angle for your faux lash to lie on to open the eye. Try using half of the full lash just applied to the outer corner of the eye. This will be much easier to apply yourself and also gives you double wear out of the lashes (use the second half next time). Apply glue to the strip of the lash with a cotton tip and allow the glue to get tacky for about 30 seconds before applying to the eye. This will allow the lash to set instantly and avoid that tricky slip and slide. Always apply a coat of mascara after you’ve applied the faux lash to marry the natural and faux lashes together for best effect.
3. When applying mascara always comb the lashes in the direction of the hair growth to build volume and curl. Comb the lashes at the outer corner of the eye in an outward direction, comb the lashes in the centre of the eye straight ahead and comb the lashes on the inner corner of the eye toward the inner bridge of the eye. Now bat them, Zooey style!
Mad for Mad Men:
For polished, lady-like glamour I just love January Jones’s Betty in Mad Men. Her skin is polished, her brows groomed, lashes are defined with just enough mascara, and cheeks and lips are ever so slightly stained. Her look is all about effortless perfection though let’s face it, it’s not exactly effortless!
Here’s how to get your Betty on:
1. For a long-wearing base with a satin finish, use a mattifying primer under any foundation to prevent shine throughout the day and help your foundation last the distance.
2. Betty is all about complexion perfection. A semi-matte foundation will serve you best for this look. Conceal the under-eye area with a yellow based concealer to brighten and add a touch of powder to set if necessary.
3. Apply two to three careful coats of mascara to open the eyes. Try a sweep of a peach shadow through the socket of the eye to warm the skin tone and lift the eye. Apply with a soft fluffy shadow brush to apply and blend as you go for quick and easy application. For tired eyes, line the inner rim of the eye with a white or flesh-toned liner.
4. A polished brow is essential to carry this look. And by that I don’t mean a strong, dark, or overly defined brow but rather some definition in both colour and shape. Use a brow pencil for that crisp finish as a powder can leave a hazy edge. Lift the arch by combing brows upward then smoothing the top line and the arch. Use short, flowing strokes with your pencil for a controlled application.
5. Mimic Betty’s pretty cheek look with a blush in a matte rose or peach tone and apply it to the apple of the cheek. Avoid shimmery textures that will make the effect obvious.
6. When it comes to lips, Betty rocks a good red now and then but a more natural hue works best with this look. Coral and rose shades of lipstick will brighten the lip but still appear natural and are fresh, modern tones that will add life to the face. If you want to take it further with a red lip, do as Betty does and keep it matte – and perfect! Remember, applying lip liner last will help it stay that way.
