Laura Mercier Demonstration

Two Makeup artists from the Laura Mercier counter in Southampton came in to do a live makeup tutorial on a model, showing us the products they used and their techniques. Laura Mercier first trained as an artist in France, however she soon fell in love with creating art on the human face and moved to New York to be surrounded my a more fashion focused environment. She built up her name and built up her celebrity client list, until she launched her own makeup brand, in 1996, with the focus on creating a 'flawless face'. Below are the steps they took and tips they gave in giving a flawless base and also a natural eye and lip.

Flawless Face
-You first need to make sure the client's skin is completely clear of other product or dirt, so cleanse the skin well with a cotton pad to make sure face is clean. Remove any excess with water on a cotton pad if necessary.
-Apply an eye serum or cream under the eyes so that the under eye area is hydrated and smooth.
-Moisturise the rest of the face to give the face some hydration.
-Apply a primer to suit the client's skin type. Laura Merier have 7 different primers according to whether the skin is oily, dry, patchy etc. The primer will create a smooth base for the foundation to adhere to.
-Apply a tinted moisturiser or foundation all over the face. Blend the product in with yours fingers so that the products warms up into the skin and to give a more natural finish.
-Conceal after the foundation so that you only conceal the imperfections that need concealing; this will mean you won't apply too much product. Use a more moisturising concealer under the eyes and lightly press it into the under eye area. An oil free concealer would be better for any blemishes on the skin.
-Apply some loose powder onto a powder puff and press this all over the face where you want the makeup to be set in place. The setting powder will set the makeup but not give a very matte finish and it gives a blurred finish on camera because it is triple milled and there is no talc.

Strobing
-Apply the radiance primer onto anywhere you want the skin to look blowy. Press this product into the skin with your fingers to melt the product in and give a natural finish. Don't rub the product into the skin as this will disturb the product underneath. Avoid adding this radiance primer on anywhere with textured skin or large pores and it will emphasise them.
-Layer the highlight powders from the Candle Glow palette on top of the radiance primer to set it and give a more intense glow. Use a small fan brush to apply this.

Brows
-To give a more natural look to the eyebrows, hold the pencil further back and use it on a slight angle to get lighter strokes.
-Keep brushing through the brow hairs with a mascara wand to remove any excess product.
-Use a powder puff on your hand so that you can rest it on the face whilst you work so that you don't disturb the product already on the face with your hands.

Sunset Eyes
Laura Mercier have a signature eye shadow look called the 'sun set eye', where all the focus is around the eyelashes and it is then blended out.
-First press some black eyeliner into the underneath of the upper lash line, making sure not to get too much onto the upper waterline to avoid smudging.
-Use an eyeshadow primer all over the eyes so that the eyeshadow does't crease or fade.
-Apply a dark eyeshadow along the upper and lower lash line and blend them both out. Keep layering these colours until you get the intensity you want.
-Finish the look with mascara.

Laura Mercier final look.

Resources:
CHESTERS, A., 2011. A Brief History of Laura Mercier [2 October 2015]. Available from: http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/fashion-blog/2011/oct/10/brief-history-laura-mercier