Makeup Tips to Help Clients Look Their Best!

Use the following makeup advice from this Emmy-award winning makeup artist to help your clients who want to look their best!

With more than two decades of experience in professional makeup artistry, multiple Emmy Award winner Kevin James (KJ) Bennett knows how to create beautiful makeup looks under all conditions. We went behind the scenes and asked KJ to reveal his secrets on creating a flawless complexion and how to translate the latest make-up trends into an “every day” look.

What are the essential products and tools in your makeup kit?

The two products I would be lost without are CoverFX Total Cover and Make Up For Ever (MUFE) HD Foundation. I’m known for my complexion work and these are the two products that make my makeup look exceptional. I also have to mention that I use amazing brushes. Using the right brushes for the job is how you create beautiful skin. You can present the most fabulous avant-garde makeup, but if the complexion isn’t on-point, it’s a fail.

Flashes of neon color on eyes and lips were prominent all over the catwalks at the New York Fashion week. How would you translate this new trend into an everyday look?

There’s no need to embrace it all (although I LOVE how bold the looks were). Just add one unexpected color into your regular makeup routine to give it a fresh perspective. Something as simple as adding eyeliner with a bold color can change your entire look. Scared of a bright red lipstick? Bright pink, coral, orange? Rub some onto your lips as a stain, blot and then add a clear gloss. You’ll have the “illusion” of a strong color without committing to it full on.

Many women today go straight from the office to a night out. What is the quickest way to change a “day” look into an “evening” look?

Easy! Add lots of eyeliner and double up the mascara (upper and lower lashes). A better coverage foundation is also a good idea if you’re the tinted moisturizer type. Always remember, evening makeup is seen in lower lighting, so you need to apply more for it to show up.

What are your top makeup pet peeves?

My biggest peeve is the, “I want a natural look” statement. Unfortunately, anyone over the age of 21 does not look their best without makeup. What you want is not “natural” but “neutral”. The best no-makeup looks use neutral colors to sculpt and accentuate your best features while not appearing like (color) makeup. My second biggest pet peeve is the “can you make me look 10 years younger” question. Want to look 10 years younger? I have the name of a fabulous plastic surgeon!

Editor's note: For more on Fall's color trends, see the Fall 2010 color trends article from the September issue of Skin Inc. magazine.

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