10 Things I Learned: Hanging with Beyonce + J. Lo’s Makeup Artists.

A week and a half ago, I spent three days with L’Oreal at their Manhattan headquarters as part of my induction to their newly formed L’Oreal League. We spent quite a bit of time immersed in sessions learning all about the brand’s four pillars (skincare, hair color, haircare, and cosmetics) and as a part of that we were treated to a small group session with Sir John (you know, Beyonce’s makeup artist… most recently, he did her looks for Lemonade + The Met Ball) where he showed us how to use his personal favorite L’Oreal products and gave us a slew of makeup artist tips & tricks. Also in the group session (and a part of the League..) Mary Phillips, J.Lo’s makeup artist… she had a lot of fun tips, too!

I wasn’t obligated in any way to write a post about my experience, but I had to share a few of the fun tricks I learned. After all, you really can’t spend a day with these incredible people and not write about it!

HIGHLIGHTING // This is my favorite tip I learned: Mary (J.Lo’s makeup artist) uses a sea sponge to apply highlighter to the body. You wet the sponge, and mix up a nickel sized amount of liquid highlighter (both Sir John and Mary rave about this liquid highlighter in “Ice” with a quarter sized amount of moisturizer (Sir John love’s Eucerin for red carpet as it helps reflect light). Buff the highlighter/Eucerin mixture on using a “wax-on, wax-off” motion. That’s right my friends… the secret recipe for J.Lo’s glow = Eucerin + highlighter + sea sponge! You’re welcome.

You can also use that same ice highlighter on your eyes. Dot it on like shadow… it makes for a great base!

When highlighting the bridge of the nose, just stick to the part between your eyes (no need to go all the way down the bridge of the nose). Both makeup artists giggled about how this is a common mistake many women make. (Present company included… oops!)

CONTOURING // A lot of people (hand raised!) contour with a bronzer. This is actually not the best idea. You need something cooler (think with gray undertones) and void of shimmer. This is why Sir John loves L’Oreal’s contouring palette… the contour shade is almost gray! Also, he noted that the best time to contour skin is when it is wet from foundation… it’s the best for blending.

EYES // L’Oreal’s infallible eyeliner is so waterproof that you can wear it to the beach. Sir John likes smudging it on all over the lid and THEN applying shadow by tapping it on with a brush. Besides ensuring the shadow stays on all day, it changes the dynamic of the shadow, giving it a prismatic effect.

Never use black liner on the lower lash line – it’s too harsh! Sir John always uses chocolate brown on the lower lash line. It looks like it’s black but is just a bit softer.

THE PERFECT CATEYE // Sir John demonstrated a quick and easy cat-eye that I am determined to perfect on my own. You line your eyes and then actually use your finger to drag the liner out (before it can set). When doing a cateye, the line should never be lateral. The “tail” of the cat-eye should go slightly higher than the pupil.. the purpose is to lift the eye.

LIPS // As a skincare junkie I loved this tip… you should be using an anti-aging eye cream on your lips too. This area takes a beating (especially with the current matte trend). I never really thought about this but now I just apply my eye cream to my lips at bedtime… they’re already so much softer.

BROWS // Full brows add contrast to the eyes and make us appear more youthful! There are a million ways to tame them, but Sir John actually told us that for a few celebs, he’s used a glue stick! Shhh…. top secret! 😉 If you’re having a hard time growing your brows out, try applying Liquid Rogaine Foam to your brows to help them grow. Castor oil works, too.

HANGOVER PREVENTION + DISGUISE // Take a B Complex Vitamin when you get home from a night out to prevent a hangover. Sir John (and a lot of the other influencers in the room) swear by this… I never knew!

And if your face is swollen/puffy from a night of drinking, apply tea bags (green or mint) to the sides of your nose to reduce swelling. The quickest trick for swollen eyes is actually liner… it tricks the eye into thinking there is depth as opposed to puffiness! And for dull skin, Sir John really likes this mask.

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