Beauty Tips from Chanel Makeup Artist John Fussell

By Styleofsam @styleofsam

CHANEL LÈVRES SCINTILLANTES GLOSSIMER in Desir // CHANEL ROUGE COCO SHINE in Saga // CHANEL LE CRAYON LÈVRES PRECISION LIP DEFINER in Pretty Pink

Wear Pink!  Words from John Fussell, global makeup artist for Chanel, that I LOVED hearing!

On Saturday, I was lucky enough to attend the Nordstrom’s Spring Beauty Trend Event.  Thanks to Shiroma Southwest PR for inviting me and Mr. S for babysitting!  First, we got to see an amazing fashion show.  Of course, I went gaga over the Spring colors, fabulous accessories, and fresh faces.  Then, the cosmetic brands gave us a taste of what’s new in their line for Spring and the upcoming trends.  The main focus:  Pretty Striking (bright lips with flushed cheeks) and Midnight Bronze (allover bronze with a flash of gold or blue on the eyes)!

//  with Chanel makeup extraordinaire John Fussell //

I ended my Saturday morning with an appointment at Chanel.  John Fussell was the guest for the day and sharing Chanel’s Spring “Secret to Makeup”.  He is a makeup genius, and I understand why he is the GLOBAL Chanel makeup artist.  We started from scratch after all of my makeup was removed and moisturizer applied.  Unfortunately, I am allergic to chemical sunscreen which is in most of their foundations.  Not a problem according to John.  He told me that foundation and HD cameras don’t mix.  So for actresses on the Red Carpet, he uses concealer to even out any blotches/blemishes and then uses powder.  Well, if it’s good enough for an actress, I think it’s good enough for me!

He immediately asked if I do bold lips.  OF COURSE!  He started applying Fantastic creme blush to my cheeks AND THEN MY CHIN.  He said that bold lips need to be balanced within the “trinity” of the cheeks and chin.  If you see a woman with bold lips, and you think, “Oh that’s too much!” then she doesn’t have enough blush on.

For the lips, he filled it in with Pretty Pink lip liner.  Then he applied Rouge Coco Shine in Saga with a brush.  Finally, he reminded me that lip gloss should be “where the light hits” and dabbed Desir lipgloss onto the center of my top and bottom lips.  It was a bright pink (which I LOVE).  John then explained to me that pink is a very calming color.  Apparently, studies have shown that pink can lower the heart rate and calm a person which is the reason why some prisons have their holding cells in pink!  He also told me to wear some pink, either on the lips or clothing, if I ever have to meet a new group of people!  LOVE this guy!

For the eyes, he recommended the Rose Majeur Shadow Duo and Noir Intense Waterproof Liner for a subtle smokey eye.  The purple was applied to my lid and then the light peach pink over it and blended out.  Instead of lining my lid, he said that tightlining the eyes makes the eyes appear larger contrary to what has been said in the past.  When you apply eyeliner on the outside, you have to “overcome” that line with multiple applications of mascara.  Apparently, tightlining the eyes helps to build the foundation on the lashes so it appears that they are thicker too.  On the bottom lid, the tightlining was pulled down into the lashes with a liner brush, called a waterfall technique, to create a smudgy smokey bottom lash line.  Then he finished the eye by using the eyeshadow duo on the bottom lash line.  He said that our face is composed of many U-shaped curves (the bottom of the lips and nose) and to carry that up to the eyes by using the lighter shadow below the lash line.  John said that many try to “open the eyes” by adding lots of shadow towards the temple, but it does the opposite!  Who knew!  One application of Le Volume mascara and the eyes were complete.

Framing the brows with Noir Cendre Brow pencil finished the look.  A line was drawn on the bottom part of my brow then brushed up into the hairs for a more natural look.  Honestly, the color choice for my brows is the only thing I would have changed.  Usually, I used a brown for my brows because the black looks to harsh for me but that’s just my opinion and I’m not a global makeup artist!

I used these new techniques when I got home and LOVING the difference it make with my eye makeup!  Never thought I would stop lining the outside of my lashes, but I really like how my upper lashes are more visible.  Are YOU already familiar with these makeup tricks?  And would you tightline your eyes?