Makeup Tips and Tricks

If you want to take your makeup artist training to the next level, there are few in this industry better capable of guiding you than Nathan Johnson. While there are many amazing things that set QC Makeup Academy apart from other makeup schools (both online and in-person), Nathan’s expertise and genuine love of the craft definitely rank near the top of the list!

He is an industry professional who not only knows his stuff, but also truly cares about each and every one of QC’s students and graduates!

From the incredible instruction he provides throughout QC’s online makeup classes, to the support he gives in the Virtual Classroom and the amazing monthly webinars he hosts – Nathan is the embodiment of a true beauty expert, whose makeup knowledge is only outmatched by the size of his heart!

Another way he goes above and beyond in his mission to enhance our students’ makeup artist training is through his Tuesday Tips! Each week, Nathan films a short clip, in which he reveals useful tricks to help you better your makeup artistry skills. On Facebook especially, this segment – aptly called “Nathan’s Tuesday Tips” – had grown wildly popular!

In this monthly blog series, we gather these Tuesday Tips so we can share them with you here! Missed our previous installments? No worries! You can find them here:

• One
• Two
• Three

Today, we’ll take a look at another 6 of Nathan’s most valuable beauty hacks. Want to add to the knowledge gained in your classes and take your makeup artist training to the next level? Then you don’t want to miss out on these gems!

Tip #1: The secret to getting a more natural blush!

“Want a more natural blush? Try cream! It gives a beautiful glow from within – and it’s also an awesome way to tint the lips.”

Tip #2: The right way to highlight!

“Use highlight only on the bones you want to accent. Putting it everywhere, or in too many places, will take dimension out of the face – not add it.”

Tip #3: Achieving crisp, clean foundation!

“Want to keep that foundation crisp and clean? Try applying eye makeup first! No fall-away means perfect, crisp complexion.”

Tip #4: What “full coverage makeup” really means!

“Full coverage does NOT mean heavy makeup. It means more pigment in the makeup. Foundation, when perfectly applied, should always be invisible. You should see the results of it – but you shouldn’t see the product! Heavy makeup is nothing more than heavy makeup.”

Tip #5: How to transform your lashes!

“Are you dealing with scrawny lashes? Try dusting the lashes with a little translucent powder between the coats of mascara! The mascara will grab the translucent powder, resulting in lush, thick, and beautiful lashes.”

Tip #6: Creating your own, custom lip gloss!

“Want to try out your own, custom lip gloss? Try mixing your favorite loose pigment with some petroleum jelly! Voila!”

Build even more on your makeup artist training with QC’s Advanced and Specialty Courses!

Gabrielle Rivera is a QC Makeup Academy graduate and professional makeup artist. To see more of her work, visit her Instagram here. Today, Gabrielle reveals 4 mistakes you should never make with special effects makeup!

Special effects makeup is a great opportunity to step outside of your comfort zone, try new techniques, and tap into your creativity. Although special effects makeup can involve creating a look that isn’t perfectly blended or traditionally “pretty”, there are still some makeup sins you DON’T want to commit!

4 Special Effects Makeup Sins You Shouldn’t Commit

1. Don’t Overuse Special Effects Makeup Looks

Personally, I enjoy creating over-the-top special effects makeup looks as much as the next artist. However, something I learned early on in my career is the importance of researching realistic images, in order to help me bring my vision to life.

While you might think that SFX looks need to be unrealistic or exaggerated, there are still guidelines you should consider when creating these looks. The best thing you can do as an artist is to research photos of real bruises, cuts, scrapes, and any type of wound you wish to create.

Looking at realistic photos will help you to better design and color your special effects looks.

2. Don’t Overuse (and Misuse) Fake Blood

Another sin I frequently see with special effects makeup is the overuse and misuse of fake blood. Although fake blood can tie an SFX look together and bring it to life, it can also take away from the look if not used properly.

Overusing fake blood is one mistake that I find extremely common. Sometimes, even when it comes to gore-inspired looks, less is more. Time and time again, I’ve seen content where an artist spends a lot of effort adding details to their looks – only for it to be covered up with blood.

Remember: adding blood should accent your design, not overpower it!

Likewise, misusing fake blood can also quickly make a realistic design appear overtly fake. When designing a look, consider the optimal color and thickness of any fake blood you intend to use. It should closely resemble the wound or effect you are trying to create.

Pro Tip: To make a special effects makeup look more realistic, consider the direction that blood would flow from a wound, or how the blood would splatter. Don’t simply spray blood in every direction. In real life, this doesn’t happen NEARLY as much as you’d think.

3. Don’t Use Sharp or Dangerous Items

In this modern age of social media, artists do not always take the proper care when creating special effects makeup looks. Sometimes, the desire to create a look that will stand out above the rest overshadows the very real need to put your safety above all else.

This is a major mistake that can prove costly, should anything go wrong. Although creativity is always welcomed, it can be dangerous to improperly use materials when creating an SFX look!

For example, artists should not use real glass, nails, or other sharp objects to bring a design to life. If creating a look that contains normally sharp objects, you should file the tips of down and ensure they are properly covered. Likewise, artists should never use real glass or metal – especially near their eyes, nose, or mouth. Instead, use items made out of plastic or other pliable materials.

This is an important step that’s often overlooked. Yes, it can be more time-consuming to create objects safely, but it’s a critical step of the process. When special effects looks are created with dangerous objects, it can be unsafe for both you and the model. So, please remember that safety always comes first!

4. Don’t Forget to Blend Your Edges

Lastly, a small detail that can take your special effects makeup to the next level and help make it as realistic as possible is to blend your edges! It doesn’t matter if you’re using a premade prosthetic, scar wax, cotton and latex, or other compounds. Unblended edges can quickly diminish the effect of your design.

Blending the edges of your special effects makeup is such an important step in creating a realistic look! It provides a cohesive look from top to bottom. There are a few ways to help blend edges, depending on what product you’re using. Let’s take a look at a few of them…

Cotton and Latex

If you’re creating your own cotton and latex build-up, the easiest way to blend your edges into the rest of your look is to heavily saturate the cotton with latex. Once the cotton is heavily saturated, it changes the consistency. Thus, it’ll be easier to smooth and blend out.

Prosthetics

Pre-made prosthetics will usually have thin edges. These are meant to help artists easily blend the prosthetic into the skin. However, depending on the quality of the prosthetics, this may not always be the case.

To avoid bulging edges, you can apply latex and cotton to the edges. This will help blend the prosthetic. Another option would be to use Pros-Aide cream, which is specifically designed to help fill in gaps or seams.

Scar Wax and Other Modeling Components

When using scar wax and or other modeling components, an easy way to blend the edges properly and seamlessly is to use any of the following products:

• Vaseline
• Lotion
• An oil that helps “melt” the product into the skin

The best way to apply any of the above products would be to rub it onto the tips of your fingers and then carefully rub along the edges of your design.

There is a lot to learn about the art of special effects makeup – particularly if you want to create professional and realistic looks. To learn more, enroll in QC Makeup Academy’s Special FX Makeup Course today!

If you want to learn how to do makeup, there are few in this industry better capable of tutoring your makeup classes than Nathan Johnson. While there are many incredible things that set QC Makeup Academy apart from other makeup schools (both online and in-person), Nathan’s expertise and genuine love of the craft definitely rank near the top of the list!

He is an industry professional who not only knows his stuff, but also truly cares about each and every one of QC’s students and graduates.

From the incredible instruction he provides throughout QC’s online makeup classes, to the support he gives in the Virtual Classroom and the amazing monthly webinars he hosts – Nathan is the embodiment of a true beauty expert, whose makeup knowledge is only outmatched by the size of his heart!

Another way he goes above and beyond in his mission to enhance our students’ makeup classes and overall training is through his Tuesday Tips! Each week, Nathan films a short clip, in which he reveals useful tricks to help you better your makeup artistry skills. On Facebook especially, this segment – aptly called “Nathan’s Tuesday Tips” – had grown wildly popular!

In this monthly blog series, we gather these Tuesday Tips so we can share them with you here! Missed our past installments? No worries! Check out Part 1 here, and Part 2 here.

Today, we’ll take a look at another 7 of Nathan’s most valuable beauty hacks. Want to add to the knowledge gained in your makeup classes and improve your game? Then you don’t want to miss out on these gems!

Tip #1: The importance of classic makeup techniques!

“Classic makeup techniques are the bases for everything in makeup. If you truly master them, you’ll see that they can be shaped, shifted, [and] transformed to create anything in makeup – from the simplest, cleanest look, to the most dramatic and unseen look!

It’s all in the precision of those classic techniques, and when you know them, you can do anything.”

Tip #2: Why practice makes perfect!

“Not everybody gets everything in makeup on the first try. Sometimes, you’ve got to practice things again, and again, and again, and again. So, if something’s a little stubborn for you, DO it – again, and again, and again, and again!

Because once you get it, guess what? [It] never leaves you.”

Tip #3: How to lift your client’s eyes!

“Want to keep a client’s eye lifted? Imagine an invisible line, going from the corner of the eye to the end of the eyebrow. Be very careful about when you let any product go below that line. This will always lift!”

Tip #4: The importance of practicing makeup on paper!

“Remember: not all practice needs to be on a person! If you can master perfect symmetry and precision – with all the variations of eyeliners and lip liner – on paper, you will easily [and] drastically improve what you can do on a face.”

Tip #5: Why you should use an eyelash curler!

“Open, lifted lashes are a secret that keep your client looking awake and alert. So, don’t skip that eyelash curler.”

Tip #6: The secret to perfecting even eyeliner on loose eyelid skin!

“Is loose eyelid skin causing you to have bumpy, uneven eyeliner? Here’s a trick: tilt the head back, look down (eyes open to a little crack), and that will keep the eyelid skin super tight – allowing for a crisp, even application.

Want to keep it even easier? Use a soft pencil or a liquid, because it won’t grab the skin!”

Tip #7: The quickest, easiest way to refresh your look!

“Want a super fast way to refresh your look? Try changing the lip color! It changes everything in an instant.”

The single best way to become a makeup professional is by taking proper makeup classes! Until October 16th, 2020, enroll in QC Makeup Academy’s Master Makeup Artistry Course and get our new Virtual Makeup Training absolutely FREE!

If you want to learn how to do makeup, there are few in this industry better capable of teaching you than Nathan Johnson. While there are many incredible things that set QC Makeup Academy apart from other makeup schools (both online and in-person), Nathan’s expertise and genuine love of the craft definitely rank near the top of the list!

He is an industry professional who not only knows his stuff, but also truly cares about each and every one of QC’s students and graduates.

From the support he gives in the Virtual Classroom, to the amazing webinars he takes part in each month, and everything in-between – Nathan is the embodiment of a true beauty expert, whose makeup knowledge is only outmatched by the size of his heart!

Another way he’s been going above and beyond in his mission to help our students learn how to do makeup is through his Tuesday Tips! Each week, Nathan films a short clip, in which he reveals useful tricks to help you better your makeup artistry skills. On Facebook especially, this segment – aptly called “Nathan’s Tuesday Tips” – had grown wildly popular!

In this monthly blog series, we gather these Tuesday Tips so we can share them with you here! Missed Part One of this series? No worries, you can check it out here!

Today, we’ll take a look at another 7 of Nathan’s most valuable beauty hacks. On a quest to learn how to makeup properly, and looking for ways to improve your game? Then you don’t want to miss out on these gems!

Tip #1: The power of a rich, brown eye shadow!

“If you’re ever in a pinch, and want to know something quick and amazing to do to your client, a rich, deep brown eye shadow can be a game-changer! The quality of the neutral depth of color… It works on every skin tone, every age, and ever single person – no matter what their eye color [is]. It’s pretty amazing! Try it out and see what happens.”

Tip #2: How to properly warm up your client’s skin!

“Never try to warm up your client’s skin by using foundation that’s deeper. You run the risk of creating that dreaded makeup mask; the face that doesn’t match the body. What you do instead is you match the client’s skin perfectly, and then add the warmth [and] add the color with blush and bronzer. They’ll look like a million bucks every time!”

Tip #3: How to tame unruly brows!

“Unruly brows? A spritz of hairspray on a spoolie brush is the perfect way to tame those beasties!”

Tip #4: How to capture the glow from within!

“Want to capture that perfect glow from within? Try putting your blush, bronzer, and highlight on before your foundation.”

Tip #5: How to achieve the perfect lip!

“For a perfect lip, try putting the lipstick on first – and then refine and add crispness to the lip line with your liner.”

Tip #6: How to achieve perfect symmetry!

“Having trouble with symmetry? Work on the side that’s harder for you first, because it’s way easier to duplicate that on the easier side!”

Tip #7: The secret to flawless, natural foundation!

“Want to know the secret to making your client’s foundation look completely flawless and natural? Apply a thin layer – a sheer, light layer – of foundation all over the face. Then apply a second, small layer, only in the areas that need a little bit of extra coverage.

If there are some stubborn spots? The lightest touches of concealer! But that little, tiny, magic, light-handed touch will give you that flawless face that looks like nothing’s there.”

Stay tuned for future installments of this series, where we’ll compile and share even more of Nathan’s educational and practical ‘Tuesday Tips’. The journey to learn how to do makeup has never been this exciting! ❤️️

Want to learn how to do makeup like a true industry professional? Take a course and earn your certification! Until September 18th, enroll in our internationally-leading, online Master Makeup Artistry Course, and get ANY Advanced Course absolutely free!