The After-facial Makeover

Blush Application

After a facial is an opportune time to sell a little bit of makeup to clients—who are already conscious of their appearance, and who want a kick-start to gorgeous. A light makeover before your clients walk out the door will give them that final boost they need to feel like they can meet the day or go out into the night.

A makeover event recently took place following a peel party facial at a spa in the San Francisco Bay Area. Almost all 24 women who signed up for the special facial event jumped at the chance to have a five-minute makeover before leaving the spa. Almost all of the women bought a little something as they headed to the checkout counter, and the makeover doubled the revenue for purchases at the spa that evening. The makeover wasn’t dramatic and focused on a very natural everyday look.

Step 1: Add a little bit of concealer with a sponge. Lightly dab it in creases and anywhere redness has occurred. If the client’s eyebrows were waxed, apply it across the chin and T-zone areas where she may have had extractions, or in the crease of the nose where veins and pores can discolor the skin. Most clients will already be moisturized, but a few may need a light day cream added to the concealer for a dewy finish. Of course, this can be accomplished with a liquid foundation, but this is a very simple and quick makeover.

Step 2: Use an angled brush and a pressed dark brown/slate mineral powder. Underline the eyebrow and pull the powder through, filling in the brow near the bridge and shaping it as you pull through to define the brow.

Step 3: Beginning with the upper eyelid, apply a mineral eye liner/shadow right on top of the lashes. Start at the end and pull through. The bottom eyelash eye liner line can be applied to the lash line. Follow this by adding a little shadow if the client wants a nighttime look. A hypoallergenic mascara should be applied to the top and bottom lashes in order to frame the eyes and make them pop.

Step 4: Use a mini kabuki brush to apply pressed mineral blush; choose the shade based on the client’s coloring. Find the apples of the cheeks by asking the client to smile. Blow off any excess powder from the brush, and lightly circle the cheek and sweep up to the temple into the hair line. Use a light amount of blush, and layer it to get the desired saturation.

Step 5: Apply lip gloss to the pout and the cupid’s bow, and blot. Provide a take-home makeup retail offering—a compact that includes a blush, an eye shadow, a highlighter and two lip colors in a fool-proof color scheme so the client can have everything she needs for her face in her purse or gym bag.

Margeaux Mann is the founder of Urban Cowgirl cosmetics. She spent more than 20 years in the design, marketing and advertising worlds working on a wide variety of global campaigns and products and became inspired to start her own brand in 2002 geared toward women on the go who care about their health as well as their appearance. She can be contacted at 415-441-4044 or [email protected].

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