I Took a Grasp Class With Kim Ok.'s Make-up Artist—Right here's All the things I Discovered

For those who occurred to cross by the Screening Room on the Crosby Avenue Resort you’d have seen a small group of ladies within the viewers, swiftly typing on their telephones whereas a person on the entrance of the room utilized make-up to a mannequin. Given the people’ seeming curiosity of their telephones and never the person, you could have assumed you had walked in on an extremely boring presentation. You’ll have assumed improper.

These ladies have been magnificence editors, and the person on the entrance of the room was none apart from Mario Dedivanovic, aka @makeupbymario, of Kim Kardashian West–sculpted-cheekbones fame. We weren’t tap-tap-tapping on our telephones out of apathy, however moderately a frantic need to jot down each final tip Dedivanovic casually dropped, as he demonstrated his signature bronzed, glowing look on the mannequin. Maybe unsurprisingly, West’s make-up artist has the kind of soothing demeanor and lilting voice that washes over you want a Xanax and places you in a semi-meditative state, which might be nice if he wasn’t spilling mind-blowing magnificence suggestions left and proper. So, I resisted the sturdy urge to sit down again and watch him sculpt, shade, and remodel the mannequin’s face in entrance of me, and did my greatest to file each tidbit he shared—and belief me once I say there have been many. From sandbagging to the bobby pin ear trick (it’s as bizarre because it sounds), maintain scrolling to seek out out all the things I discovered.

Say Goodbye to the Instagram Forehead

Instagram brows, for the uninformed, are the cruel, hyper-sculpted arches usually seen in your Instagram feed on people (normally blogger or Instagram make-up gurus), who favor the super-contoured look. “I don’t like Instagram brows,” Dedivanovic advised us bluntly, claiming they’re “not stylish.”

As an alternative, he begins by brushing the pure brows up utilizing a spoolie then flippantly fills them in with a forehead pencil within the outer corners. As a final touch, he defines the form by taking a forehead brush and forehead powder one shade lighter than the pencil to set all the things in place.

Attempt an Ombré Forehead (Type Of)

Dedivanovic’s greatest tip for girls with skinny brows? “Apply much less forehead product on the internal corners and extra product on the outer corners; then brush it out with a spoolie,” he says. It will assist your brows look fluffy and enviable however nonetheless pure.

Swap Out Your Eye Shadow Primer

As an alternative of eye shadow primer, Dedivanovic says he applies a light-weight wash of basis on his shoppers’ eyelids, then units it with translucent powder earlier than making use of eye shadow. “It does the very same factor as eye primer,” he guarantees.

Skip Face Primer

Dedivanovic isn’t a fan of face primers, both. “I by no means acquired into face primer,” he says. “Moisturizer works actually superbly as a primer, particularly while you use unfastened powder. It holds onto moisturizers and appears pure, not powdery.” He likes Kiehl’s Extremely Facial Moisturizer ($22).

Laura Mercier
Translucent Setting Powder
$39

Go along with Traditional Manufacturers

All of us have been eager to know the precise basis manufacturers Dedivanovic counts on, and he simply rattled off three that by no means fail him: Tom Ford, Bobbi Brown, and Laura Mercier.

Get Artistic with Free Powder

“On shoots, I barely ever use powder,” he advised us. “On shoppers and for purple carpets, I solely use unfastened powder.” He swears by the enduring model from Laura Mercier, which he doesn’t simply mud all around the face with a light-weight, fluffy brush. He mentions baking, a way the place you enable the powder to set and “bake” earlier than dusting it off. (He does advise anybody with growing old or mature pores and skin to keep away from this method as a result of it would trigger your make-up to settle into nice strains). Or there’s sandbagging, which is analogous to baking and includes utilizing a moist make-up sponge to pat a thick coat of translucent powder on prime of your under-eye concealer (Dedivanovic particularly says to be “heavy-handed”). After a couple of minutes, mud away the surplus with a fluffy brush for shiny, crease-free under-eyes.

Use a DIY Make-up Brush Cleanser

A grimy make-up brush isn’t solely unsanitary, it is dangerous in your pores and skin. Dedivanovic advised me he mixes child shampoo and tea-tree oil (“It has antibacterial properties!”) to rinse and clear his make-up brushes.

Be Beneficiant with Concealer

The key to Kim Kardashian West’s airbrushed-looking complexion? Heavy concealer use, apparently. Dedivanovic swipes a peach-toned concealer (he likes the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer $30) with a heavy hand in key areas on his consumer’s face. “I mix it out with a Beautyblender ($20), and it seems good in pictures and polishes the face,” he says. “If I used to be doing make-up on myself, I might use my finger to mix as effectively.”

Attempt Brighter Colours on Darker Pores and skin Tones

Dedivanovic additionally works with shoppers with darker pores and skin, like Naomie Harris, Gabrielle Union, and Jourdan Dunn. When requested if he modifies his method for darker pores and skin tones, he says the quantity of make-up you apply and mix is totally different. “You may intensify it for darker complexions, and it’ll nonetheless look pure as a result of darker pores and skin tones soak up extra mild,” he reveals. (Listed here are some extra make-up artist–authorized suggestions for darker pores and skin tones, by the best way). He additionally discusses reverse contouring on somebody with very darkish pores and skin tones, the place you deliver out the upper factors of the face as an alternative of accentuating the shadows.

Swap Pink For Taupe on Paler Pores and skin Tones

“On actually truthful pores and skin, I’ll use a very pale blush that’s nearly taupe—a delicate shade with grey undertones and pure shadow,” he says. (Listed here are some recommendations on find out how to contour when you’re actually, actually pale and a few blush shades which might be tremendous flattering on the tremendous truthful).

Choose For a Extra Pure Contour

A collective gasp was heard across the room when Dedivanovic uttered this sentence: “I’m making an attempt to deliver again a extra pure search for Kim.” Might it’s true? Might the queen of contour, full lips, and mile-long lashes be leaping on the no-makeup make-up bandwagon? (This photograph proves sure, presumably.) “Contouring is a heavier look,” Dedivanovic explains. “It’s just like the anti-fashion. Style is about being extra clear and trendy.” However there’s no denying the life-changing impact contouring can have, which is why Dedivanovic says you’ll be able to nonetheless contour however with a lighter hand. For instance, attempt utilizing a cream formulation like Tom Ford’s Shade & Illuminate ($88) palette and mixing it out with a Beautyblender. “It’ll all the time be round,” he admits. “As soon as individuals do it and know find out how to do it, it’s life-changing.”

Alter Your Eyeliner Method

We watched in awe as Dedivanovic blended a delicate line throughout the mannequin’s whole decrease lash line. However wait—isn’t {that a} no-no? “If somebody has close-set or smaller eyes, you don’t need to deliver the decrease liner too shut towards the insides of the eyes,” he says. “When you have normal-set eyes, you’ll be able to deliver all of it the best way in.”

Your eyeliner doesn’t must be excellent. As an alternative, take an eyeliner brush and mix it over your pencil liner to create a fast smokey look.

Layer Your Eyeliners

Right here’s a secret: That excellent eyeliner you’re seeing on Kim is definitely 4 or 5 layers of eyeliner. Sure, you learn that proper, 4 to 5. “I all the time layer eyeliners,” says Dedivanovic. “My largest pet peeve for pictures is when you’ll be able to see by the liner. Once you put eye shadow on prime of your liner, your pores and skin and shadow can soak up it. I apply pencil liner after eye shadow, let it dry, then do a gel or cream liner on prime, and end with a liquid liner for a shiny, inky impact.” No surprise Dedivanovic’s shoppers say his make-up can last as long as three days (critically, he even says a few of his shoppers will guide him the night time earlier than an occasion if he doesn’t have time to see them the day of—fact).

Beat Watery Eyes With This Bobby Pin Trick

“I hate watery eyes once I’m making use of make-up,” Dedivanovic sighs. Nonetheless, they’re an usually inevitable a part of doing somebody’s make-up (lifting up their eyelid and jabbing a pencil round can do this). To rectify, he wraps a tissue round his finger when the tears begin constructing, then flippantly faucets it alongside the attention. For those who’re doing your individual make-up and by accident jab your self, he says to breathe by your nostril and suck in—yup, actually suck the tears again in. Or there’s all the time this: “Once I was within the Center East, the Arab ladies shared a tip the place you clip a bobby pin to your ear and it prevents your tears from falling out.” You may wager we’ll be testing this out within the close to future.

Don’t Ditch the Powder Puff in Your Compact

As Dedivanovic put the ending touches on his mannequin, I couldn’t assist however discover he was really utilizing the puff that comes with the Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder. “I prefer to dab the powder in and actually press it in there,” he says. “Then, I take a fluffy brush and lay it on flippantly on prime.”

Hold It within the Household

By the point Dedivanovic was completed, the mannequin’s eyes regarded delicate and smokey, subtly outlined however not apparent. It was mesmerizing, really. I watched Dedivanovic hint a brown liner alongside her higher and decrease lid in addition to raise her lid as much as apply it to her waterline. “What’s that eyeliner you’re utilizing?” requested one keen magnificence editor. “This?” He regarded on the liner as we waited in breathless anticipation. “Oh, that is the Brown Liner from Kylie’s Kyliner Equipment ($10).” Who would’ve guessed? You probably did good, Ky.

Need extra make-up secrets and techniques from the business’s prime professionals? We’ve acquired complexion-perfecting suggestions from Gigi Hadid’s make-up artist!