Top New Zealand makeup artist Phoenix Renata (and the glam girl behind Phoenix Cosmetics) shares her makeup tips and tricks and her desert island beauty products...
What are your desert island beauty products?
I would have to have my Phoenix Custom Blend Foundation… it is water based so it hydrates my skin as well as protecting it with an SPF and it makes my skin look 100 times better!
The makeup myth you just love to bust?
I like to bust the myth that hair can’t be tweezed above the eye brow. It is an old wives tale! Hairs grow back exactly the same underneath as they do on top – in fact, they sometimes grow back slower and less from the top and it makes such a huge difference to clean away the stray hairs from above the eyebrow.
What are your favourite all women, all colourings, makeup tricks? Makeup tips that make everyone look better!
BLUSH - No matter what your skin or hair colour is no lady should ever be without blusher. It makes your complexion look healthy and alive; it instantly adds colour and warmth to your face. It is my secret little make-up weapon.
LIP BASE – I always recommend people conceal their lip colour with a light layer of concealer before applying lipstick. Everyone naturally has a dark and plumy/red lip colour so putting lipstick straight onto that would alter the lip colour and deepen it – meaning you never get the true shade of the product. By concealing your lips you get exactly what you’re after colour-wise - and the concealer also works as a base to keep your lip product on longer.
What is your favourite makeup era and why?
The 1930’s. It is so ultra feminine and flamboyant. The make-up was dramatic, but much softer than the 1920 flapper years. There was a huge focus on eye brows; crazy brows that were so thin and round and dark - and I love eye brows! It was the era of the first platinum blonde bombshell Jean Harlow whose make-up I love! The fashion from that era is always in modern fashion today in some way – it never dates, it always looks classy.
What is your never fail makeup look?
Using colour that compliments your eye and skin tone never fails because it enhances what people naturally have. For green eyes: Olive shadow – For blue eyes: Grey/blue shadow – For brown/hazel eyes: Bronze Gold shadow.
Whose makeup would you love to do and why?
I would love to do Gemma Ward and Lily Cole’s make-up. I find their faces fascinating, they look like dolls. Models are often the inspiration for a lot of make-up artists and I know I would be inspired to do beautiful and crazy make-up on Gemma and Lily.
Reader questions:
I'd like to know how to stop my foundation sinking in to those wrinkles that are now starting to appear!
Try using a make-up base or primer underneath your foundation – this adds a layer over the wrinkles. It is the crease in the skin which makes the foundation sink in – so applying a filler to the crease is the best way to stop the product moving.
Also use an Invisible Blot Powder over your foundation to keep the product dry and to stop it from moving. Invisible Powder doesn’t appear on the skin like make-up so you can add it all day long without making your face look heavy with powder.
What is your daily beauty regimen?
I drink two litres of water every day. It is the best advice I could give – it makes your skin healthy and glow, and gives it an amazing moisturised texture.
I use a gel based cleanser to remove make-up. I tweeze stray hairs from my brows and then I apply make-up everyday – I think it protects my skin from the wind, pollution and sun.
I always apply – Foundation, Brow Colours, Mascara, Blush and lip gloss – at the very least.
Top New Zealand makeup artist Phoenix Renata (and the glam girl behind Phoenix Cosmetics) shares her makeup tips and tricks and her desert island beauty products...
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