Prep
A softening lip balm creates the perfect base for a strong lipstick.
“Start with a sugar scrub all over the lips, or just grab a wet wipe to exfoliate,” says Yadim, “Follow with some lip balm like Maybelline NY Baby Lips, then apply some concealer over the top.”
Lips
Red lips are only so impactful when it looks absolutely perfect, like a makeup artist had applied it for you.
“Backstage, we had the luxury of time. I told my team, there is no excuse, let’s take our time on making the skin really beautiful and the lip really perfect.”
“The way I do it, I apply the lipstick using my finger, as it is more precise that way. Then, I get a pencil and clean up the edges. If there is something that goes wrong or I mess up, then I use a cotton tip to make it look really sharp.”
“To finish, I clean up the edges again with concealer and a small brush. The concealer needs to be a tiny bit lighter than the skin tone, and then you get that contrast and that little pop. If you go the exact skin tone, it will just look yellow or brown or orange or pink, which you want to avoid. You want to go that tiny bit lighter to neutralise and give that sharpness.”
Eyes
Keep it simple by leaving the rest of the face bare.
“For this show, we chose not to add mascara for the cool factor,” continued Yadim. “It all started when a model came in for the makeup test, and had no makeup on – absolutely nothing. She looked like she had just come off the beach; she had a tan, and freckles. It was beautiful. I put that red lip on her, and everyone was like “oh my god it’s amazing!” It looked so good and is accessible.”
“Jason Wu said himself – the collection is a bit sophisticated this season, and a red lip can look very ‘ladylike’ easily. We combatted that by doing no makeup with a red lip; you go completely fresh, completely natural, completely beautiful. It worked. It felt young.”
Face
Create a perfect canvas with foundation and lots of concealer.
“For me, it isn’t about covering the blemish with concealer, it is about neutralising the tone of the blemish,” said Yadim. “You are never going to cover a blemish, because it is a texture. Unless you can find some new skin texturiser solution, which we are still looking for, tell me when you find it. The tone is what we are trying to combat.”
“Really though, the focus should just be on taking care of your skin. Women are more wary of that now; they put a bit of extra money into the skin care and think about it a bit more and want to implement it into their everyday routine.”