Viktorija Bowers is NYC based makeup artist whose work has been featured in magazines (Cosmopolitan, Vogue Nippon, L’Officiel, Marie Claire Cn.) as well as advertising. For Wannabe magazine Viktorija talks about makeup, skin care and beauty trends in Big Apple.
WANNABE MAGAZINE: How to clean and prepare your skin for makeup?
VIKTORIJA BOWERS: Twice a week, I recommend using exfoliator to get rid of dead skin cells that gather on the top of the face and prevent moisturizer from penetrating your skin properly.After washing your face, use lightweight moisturizer, heavy ones don’t make a good base for make up application.
How to Achieve a hot summer makeup look?
Less is more. Using full liquid foundation is counterproductive, it will just melt and make a bigger mess. Use tinted moisturizer with sun protection built in it. It will lightly even your skin tone and give you glow, use concealer to cover any spots. I really like simple make up during summer, like fun bright color eyeliner (like blue and purple) pressed against the lash line, and nice light lip gloss.
What are the little tricks that will make long-lasting lip and eye makeup?
Dust powder over your eyelids to prep them for make up application. Some companies started actually making eye primer, crème that prepares your eyelids for color. For lips, you can use lip pencil that is same color of your lipstick or lip gloss and fill in your lips completely. That will make color stay little longer.
What are the basic characteristics of day makeup, and night one?
It is kind of like a night. Night is always little more dramatic and mysterious. You can pump up your look at night. Ad little more blush, deepen the lip color, smoke up your eyes. Day light can be harsh and those looks would look too heavy, but night provides perfect lighting for little bit more. Still do it in good taste.
Now, one question that concerns many women. How to apply red lipstick?
My favorite, matte red lipstick is my signature color. Key is precision and patience. Never overdraw your lips, use pencil and carefully fill your lips in, coat with the lipstick. Another technique is to use lip brush to paint on the shape and first coat, then blot with tissue, then do it again. Red is not for the faint of heart. You must wear red with conviction.
Girls who have small eyes so often with their makeup that made that they look even smaller. How to properly emphasize small eyes?
Never use harsh eye lines to frame your eyes. Your pencil should always be blended and defused to look like soft contour and never like a fence that makes your eyes even smaller. Also keep dark colors at the outside corners of the eyes, and add little bit of shimmer near tear ducts to give you that wide eyed look.
Also, how to solve the “problem” called small lips and too thin eyebrows?
Just don’t try to overdraw your lips drastically. Very little over the line is fine, everything else, you are not fooling anyone. Add a little of shimmer or light gloss in the center of the bottom lip to give it illusion of fuller lip. As far as brows are concerned, make sure that you do not fall into temptation to over pluck, but if damage is already done, use pencil that is slightly lighter than your hair color and in feathery strokes, fill in your brows, simulating hair.
Smokey eye is a trend or resist the same. What are the steps that must be complied to achieve the smokey eye effect?
Blending! For that you need a good blending brush. You can create smokey eye with one color if you blend properly. Concentrate and layer most color on the eye lid, then take soft blending brush and in circular motion lift it up to your crease until it becomes faded and disappearing. Repeat until you get desired effect.
How to hide fatigue with makeup?
Use light colors. Heavy dark colors will just make your tired marks more apparent. Add some shimmer on the eyelids, use soft pink blush to wake up your complexion and happy pretty lip gloss. And big giant cup of coffee!
How to harmonize make up with the color of eye and hair?
I am not big fan of matching things and having formula’s regarding make up. Think outside of the box. It is trial and error really. Play with make up and follow what ever suits your fancy. If you like green eyeshadow, go for it, just find the right shade of green and apply it with taste and skill. You can do that by combining neutral colors with your green, so they don’t compete with each other. Also use balance. If you are unsure, adhere to the rule that less is more. If you can’t pull of dramatic eye, with red lips, then simplify. Choose one or another in order to avoid looking cheap.
What make-up girls wear on the streets of New York, as models with you cooperated?
New Yorkers are minimalist most of the time. They love good red lip, with washed “devil may care” hair and black outfit. But there is such elegance and beauty in simplicity. As far as models are concerned, if you are on the NY street and see tall girl, with big bag (that carries her portfolio), scrubbed face with no make up on – that is the model. They can’t (and don’t do on their free time) wear make up on “go see” (auditions), since clients want to see them as blank canvas. So most of the models are clean hair in ponytail, fresh face and cute little clothes with flat shoes (high heals are hidden in their big bag and they put it on, right before they walk in to “go see”).
A large number of woman makes mistakes, but the basic foundation and powder coat. What does a young girl should not do when it comes to makeup?
One of the crucial things in make up application is to be able to match your foundation properly. It has to look like your skin, if it is too light or too dark it ruins the effect you are trying to achieve. I strongly recommend to seek out professional help at the make up counter to find perfect match.
One suggestion for modern wedding look.
Use waterproof mascara! If you are anything like me, I cried at my wedding and if I did not use waterproof mascara, I would be a disaster. Modern look right now, is actually retro look. So think of flirty liners and red lips.
You worked with a lot of celebrities on a fantastic editorials. The most exciting was the make-up whom?
Sting. Because his music was something I was conducted through the most difficult moments of my life and gave me support and courage. Yet the fact he was so dear to me in the left solid impression.
According to you, the best product ever for facial care is…
Ebryolisse moisturizer from France. Simple, is not greasy and gentle to the skin.
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