Painting the town red after makeover

Several members of the Royal family were on hand for the recent opening of the new Bobbi Brown store in Bahrain City Centre. The US-based cosmetic company's first stand-alone studio in the region was launched with a ribbon cutting by Shaikha Latifa Hamad Al Khalifa and the event was packed with members of the island's VIP list. Guests were treated to make-up demonstrations and were able to enjoy a step-by-step makeover from Bobbi Brown's team of professional make-up artists with Bobbi's own signature make-up tips and techniques being revealed to all including Gulf Weekly's own Mai Al Khatib who was happy to go under the brush and tell us all about it.

I was going out with my girlfriends that night and thought it would be the perfect opportunity to get my face made-up.

Liza, my makeup artist, not only showed me the tips and tricks of how to apply make-up but she also wrote-up a face chart for me so I can recreate the look at home.

First, she removed the make-up I was wearing to prepare my face for what was to come. Priming your skin is very important as diet, stress and weather can affect it and moisturiser is the key to fresher-looking skin to create the perfect base for make-up.

Aloe Vera calmed my skin and rosewater extract left it feeling clean and refreshed after which Liza applied a soothing face tonic with a cotton bud to soften, tone, and refine my skin without causing any tightening or irritation. The tonic is infused with cucumber extract and natural lavender to instantly soothe and calm.

Vitamin-enriched face base was then applied as the first step to prepare my skin for the smoothest make-up application ever.

The Bobbi Brown best-seller is rich in feel but never greasy and instantly hydrates, softens, and cushions the skin. Carrot extract and vitamin A complex help minimise the look of fine lines and wrinkles. Vitamins C and E help protect against environmental damage. Grapefruit and geranium fragrances leave a light, uplifting scent on the skin and with daily use skin should look and feel its best.

The hydrating eye cream was then used for the delicate skin around my eyes to minimise the look of fine, dry lines. It absorbs quickly to prepare skin for easy and smooth concealer application.

Now I was ready for the first step of make-up application; the concealer.

A concealer is used to lighten dark circles under the eye, up to the lash line and on the innermost corner of the eye.

Since I had very dark circles (the Editor works me too hard!), for extra coverage Liza used a corrector designed to be layered under the yellow-based concealer shade.

Correctors come in bisque and peach shades. Bisque neutralises pinky-blue under-eye darkness and is ideal for most skin tones. Peach neutralises purple-brown under-eye darkness common in olive, golden and tan skin tones.

First use fingers or a concealer brush to apply the corrector up to the lash line and into the inner corner of the eye. Then smooth and blend by gently patting with the pads of your fingers. Once completed the concealer is applied.

Liza applied the bisque corrector and then a sand shade concealer with skin conditioning ingredients such as Vitamins A and E to fight fine lines and provide antioxidant protection.

The second step to make-up application is the foundation.

Finding the right shade for your skin is very important. I was told that the concealer should be a shade lighter than your under-eye skin but the foundation has to disappear when blended into your skin. Liza applied three shades of foundation to my face and then patted each one down until she found the right shade. It is a mistake to test foundation on your hand, as most women tend to do, because the skin-tone on your face is totally different.

Bobbi's innovative foundation stick was designed for portability and adjustable coverage and Liza applied foundation stick Number 25 by lightly stroking it across my forehead, cheeks, nose, and chin and then blended the foundation with her fingertips and a sponge.

Loose powder was then applied for crease-free, long lasting make-up. Pale yellow powder was evenly distributed over my face using a blender brush. You can also use a mini-powder puff and for fair skin its better to use white powder. If skin feels dry then dust powder only around the nose and forehead.

Liza then asked me to flash her a smile so that she could apply my blush with a blush brush. She used sand pink on the apples of my cheeks. Always blend up towards the hairline then downwards to soften the colour. For an extra glow, Liza dusted pink shimmer all over my face with a blender brush.

Step five and six is the lipstick and gloss. Liza first removed my old lipstick and exfoliated my lips. She then used a lip brush to apply the creamy Italian Rose lip colour. Remember to follow the natural line of your mouth and evenly cover upper and lower lip. For the most natural look, line lips with a lip liner shade that closely matches the lip colour. She then finished my lips with a pink blossom lip gloss.

Step seven is defining your eyebrows. Liza applied mahogany eye shadow to fill in my eyebrows with an eye definer brush. Use the brush to pick up a small amount of eye shadow toned to your natural hair colour, tap off the excess then begin at the inner corner of the brow, following its shape and work outwards using light, feathery strokes. Then brush through brows with an upward, outward motion to blend and soften.

Once the brows were done, Liza applied eye shadow. To create a modern eye, choose three eye shadow shades: light, medium, and dark. Apply a light shade (like white or ivory) all over the lid using the eye-shader brush then dust the medium shade (like naked or taupe) on the lower lid up to the crease of the eye with the eye shadow brush. Then line eyes using a dark shade (like mahogany) with the eyeliner brush. Liza created a classy and fresh look by applying peach bronze eye shadow on my lower lid.

Next came the eyeliner. Bobbi's popular long-wearing eyeliner offers the precision of liquid liner and the ease of a gel-based formula. Liza dipped the tip of an ultra fine eyeliner brush into a black gel formula, coating both sides of the brush head and wiping off the excess on a tissue before applying it to my eyes. She had to work quickly as the product becomes transfer-resistant once dry.

The last step was my mascara application. Liza first curled my eye lashes before applying the mascara because if curled afterwards it can cause breakage. She held the black mascara wand parallel to the floor, brushing from the base of the lashes to the tips, then rolled the wand to separate the lashes and avoid clumps.

With my mascara done, my make-over was complete and I was ready to paint the town red.