Here are a few tips from make-up artist Billy Orr.
I'M NEVER WITHOUT my notebook when there's a make-up artist in the building. They are sometimes found in the photographic studio, transforming some pretty young model into a beacon of loveliness ready for a close-up. I like to see the products they use, pick up tips and watch their technique. And I quiz them about their favourite products and trade secrets.
Our fashion pages this week feature dresses for the party season. Loose flowing curls, dark smoky eyes and nude lips are the perfect modern foil to keep things fresh and on trend. Make-up artist Billy Orr created the look , and I was there, pencil poised, to give him the third degree.
Working on model Niamh Healy's curls with the Babyliss Pro Hair Wand, Orr was in his element, listing the merits of one of his favourite tools. "It's lightweight, heats in seconds and its cone shape allows varying size curls. Here comes a tip - wind ends of hair only - you don't need to go right into the roots. Leave curled hair to set while you do your make-up, and then brush out with your head held upside down. Throw the head back and spray, for a full and soft party curl. The Babyliss wand is available from Salon Services, Drury Street, Dublin 2 and it costs €63.99.
On to the make-up, and the must-have of every artist's kit seems to be MACFace and Body make-up (€36). It's the foundation that I see most artists using. It is lightweight, but gives good coverage and a natural, dewy finish. Another MAC product is a favourite of Orr's: Mineral Skin Finish Powder (€26.50) sets foundation without any hint of mattness due to its pearlised ingredients.
Chanel's Bronze Universal (€36) is another staple, for adding shape and contour, and it can even be used as a foundation on darker skins for a sun-kissed healthy glow. Orr plumps for the ever-flattering pink when selecting a cheek colour, and he loves Pot Rouge from Bobbi Brown(€26), using the shade Powder Pink to bring Healy's complexion to life. This product was also used on the model's lips, with a slick of Vaseline, which adds a gleam to lips without the gloop, to finish.
The smoky eye is the most popular look again this season and Orr keeps it simple with three products from MAC. The first is a cream shadow (€19), which he favours for its ease of application and versatility. Constructivist, which is a metallic dark brown with a red pearl finish, is applied over the eyelid. Eye kohl pencil (€17) in Teddy (a dark bronze shade) is used underneath the bottom lashes, and the finishing touch for added drama is a frosted black shade, Feline (€17), which is applied inside the bottom lashes. Lashings of black mascara on top lashes complete the eyes.
Finally, if you need some colour, or to even out skin tone on shoulders or arms, the trusty MAC face and body make-up comes into its own again, giving believable colour and natural coverage - so much classier than shimmery bronzers.