Nicole Hatch recently helped us make the first of our hair/eye combination makeup tutorials.

When trying to create a look that suits dark hair and brown eyes, colours to aim for are, bronze, gold, deep purple, black, grey and browns.

A natural glow does add a huge effect to these type of characteristics.

First apply a primer, this will help the make-up last longer and it also helps the application to be applied smoother and more even.

Foundation can then be applied.

i used a light concealer to brighten the eye area and brow line. using a darker shade of contour powder i used this to contour the cheek bone and temple areas, to add definition to the face.

Pigments are great to add highlighting to the face, i used these on the top cheek, upper lip, nose and brow areas. This helps make the features stand out.

Usually i would apply eye make-up first, however the colours were quite light, so could be applied easily over the foundation without any powder dropping.

Apply a lighter shadow across the lid using a flat brush. Then using a round brush contour the darker powder into the socket line and follow around the edge of the eye, leaving the centre lighter. Then blend both colours slightly. Apply mascara to finish the eyes.

I like to use gel eyeliner and i find that i gain a neater finish. using an angled brush, pushing the the eyebrow gently upwards begin to apply the liner from the inner eye corner bringing the flick out. You can apply pencil liner along the water lines if you like.

For the eyebrows i used a brown eye shadow rather than a pencil, as this helps give a natural effect.

I then applied bronzer to the cheeks to give my models skin tone warmth.

Finally I used a deep purple for the lips.

If you would like to enjoy one of our makeover photoshoot experiences find more info here

Professional Makeup Artist Melissa Hardman takes us through our latest makeup tutorial: how to apply false lashes. Melissa is available for a variety of makeup assignments throughout UK

1). Begin by measuring the false lash strip against your eyelid. If the strip appears too long, trim away a couple of the lashes or however many are necessary, before the strip sits comfortably against your own lash line without poking into the corners of your eye. Then do the same with the other lash strip.

2). Next, apply a thin line of eye lash glue to the lash strip and allow the glue to become tacky before applying to your own eyelid. An example of a good quality eye lash glue is ‘Duo”.

3). Place the lash strip on your top lash line so that it sits right next to your natural lashes. By doing this it will prevent a gap from occurring and making you appear to have two lash lines. To check that the lashes are right up against your own, use the wrong end of your tweezers to lightly push them into place.

4). Finally, use a little bit of mascara to blend any of your own stray lashes with the lash strip, this will make them appear more natural.

Professional Makeup Artist Melissa Hardman shows you how to get the perfect lips. Melissa is available for a variety of makeup assignments throughout UK and is based in Preston.

1). Preparation is key when creating a flawless red lip. Use a lip exfoliator to buff away any dry skin on the lips, then apply a coat of lip balm to keep them hydrated. I recommend ‘Mint Julips’ lip scrub by Lush.

2). Next, use an appropriate lip liner to line the edges of the lips. Using a liner will prevent the lipstick running into any fine lines around the mouth. I used ‘Redd’ by Mac. Start at the top of the cupids bow and draw downwards, following the lips natural shape on the left side, then repeat this on the right side. To make the lips appear fuller take the liner just outside of the natural lip line. By drawing downwards away from the cupids bow, it allows you to create a softer line. Rather than drawing from the corner of the mouth up towards the cupids bow, which can create quite a harsh line.

3). Using a round tipped brush, like a Mac 316, fill in the centre of the lips with your chosen lipstick. I used ‘Ruby Woo’ by Mac, which is a matte red lipstick.

4). Finally, using a small angled brush with a little of the lipstick shade on, such as a Mac 266 brush, go over the lipliner so that the lipstick and the liner blend. Using an angled brush helps to keep the edges of the lips straight and neat.

This is a sped up version of the original video which can be found here if you prefer.

Professional Makeup Artist Nathan Lewis shows you how to do smokey eye makeup. Nathan is available for a variety of makeup assignments throughout UK and is based in Manchester. Smokey eye makeup is a popular choice of clients who come to enjoy our makeover photoshoot experiences, so we thought you might like to find out how it’s done by the professionals.

For the smokey eyes

•  To begin, cleanse tone and moisturise models face. As we are using dark colours for the eyes, I tend to complete the eye makeup prior to the application of the base/foundation.
•  Apply a lid primer (I used Smashbox photo lid primer) this will allow a longer lasting eye shadow and a more even application.
•  Using three shades of eye shadow, a pale cream, a grey and a charcoal (MAC) I firstly applied the lightest shade all over the lid. I then used the grey (medium colour) to contour the crease of the eye lids. This will give a blended out effect when the darkest shade is applied.
• Finally using the charcoal colour, apply a layer over the base of the lid making sure it meets the grey eye shadow for a blurred effect). Also blend some charcoal shadow underneath the eye to widen the look of the Smokey eye.
•  Apply black pencil liner to the bottom waterline. (Lancome)

The best brushes to use for the eyes are a large flat eye shadow brush, a crease brush and a loose crease brush (I used a mixture of Smashbox and Givenchy)

For the face

•  Use a primer for the base.
•  Apply a layer of foundation.
•  Use a concealer or a lighter foundation to contour the lighter parts of the face to contour.
•  Use a powder to set the makeup.
•  Using a contour palette with shades of browns contour the cheekbones and nose area.
• Finally you will need to fill in the brows; I used a blackup brush with a Smashbox powder palette.

Brush wise you will need a foundation brush, powder brush and contour brush and angled brow sculptor.

 For the lips

I used a blackup M17 lipstick with a matte finish.

After Photos

Our professional makeup artists who take part in our Makeover photoshoots are often asked by clients for tips and tricks used in makeup application, so we have put together some interesting content to walk you through the process. Please feel free to ask any questions (below in the comments) you may have that are left unanswered and we’ll try to give you the answers you are look for.

Leah Richardson who was the makeup artist in the video above, has outlined, each stage of the process below.

Contouring Makeup Tips

1. Foundation

Start central and work your way outwards to the rest of the face. Apply a layer of foundation then buff into the skin using a circular motion.

2. Cheeks

Using a medium shade powder, work from the temple downwards onto the bottom of the cheekbone. Using a darker powder, then work underneath the cheekbone, creating shadow to structure the face.

3. Temple & Head

Again using the darker powder, work the product into the temple area thinning the face. Work the product into the hairline focusing on the outsides of the head to thin the face or across the top of the head to shorten the face.

4. Jaw line

Contouring the jaw gives the impression of a thinner neck and stronger jaw line. Contour from the ear, onto and below the jaw line on the neck. If you want to lesser the appearance of the jaw, apply the product more on the face near the jaw to create depth, rather than under the jaw to create shadow. Contouring the chin frames the face and can also shorten the face if applied more to the face than the jaw/neck line.

5. Eye socket

Using a brown pigment, work the product into the socket line in circular motions. This will give a soft blend to the product whilst the colour and placement will deepen the socket line of the eye.

6. Highlighting

Apply highlights where wanted or necessary on the face. Applying under the brow further emphasises the socket line. Highlighting the bridge of the nose brings it forward therefor thinning the nose. Highlighting on top of the brow emphasises the brow bone. Highlighting on and above the cheekbone brings the cheekbone forward and deepens the contour.

Blend the products together using a powder brush making it appear more natural and ensuring there are no visible lines between products.