Tips & Tricks from a Dior Make Up Lesson

As a beauty and skincare lover, I am always excited to learn more! Last weekend I attended a Dior skincare and make up lesson with a top Dior make up artist. A friend of mine hosted the event at the Dillard’s at Penn Square Mall in OKC. It was a private event with 10 women. The makeup artist assured us that no matter what we would walk away with some tips and tricks for makeup and skincare. It was such a fun morning! We enjoyed mimosas and charcuteries as we went thru full skincare and makeup routines.

Before this event I hadn’t tried any Dior makeup or skincare. What I really liked about the lesson is that many of the tips were about make up and skincare in general and not just Dior specific. It also wasn’t an experience where the make up artist was trying to sell me every product. She genuinely wanted us to learn about our skin and how we can be happier with it.

Skincare Tips

Application

When applying serums or essences press them into your skin. Take the amount of product you need, apply a little to each area of your face (forehead, nose, cheeks and chin) to distribute then press the product in. This makes sure the serum goes exactly where you want it and isn’t wiped to just the outer parts of your face. This also allows you to use less of the serum which is more cost efficient! Pressing instead of wiping is more gentle on your skin as well!

For the application of cleansers, moisturizers and oils make sure you stroke up and out on your face starting in the center and then going out. You never should pull down on the skin of your face. This will cause aging and hurt the elasticity of your skin. Also don’t forget to apply all products to your face and chest. For example, once I moisturize my face, I take any extra product and apply to your neck.

Product Amount

More is not always better. I asked the make up artist about what to do to prevent a skincare product from causing my makeup to pill. She said one of the biggest issues is using too much product. Especially in the case of serums and other high concentration products start with a very small amount of the product. Many times a pea size amount is more than you need. Since the products are higher concentration you are still getting the benefits of the product.

Truth about toners

I’ve associated toners with harsher astringent like products that deep cleanse. This doesn’t always have to be the case. A toner is really any liquid product to use after initial cleansing. Some can be astringent but many can be more “essence” like and can do many other things besides cleanse. Some can moisturize, add glow, detoxify and even protect your skin.

Retin A

Retin A and retinoids are some of the best products for anti-aging. Dermatologists and estheticians all recommend them for anti age skincare routines. The downside is that they can cause your skin to peel and flake, especially when you first start using them. One tip I found very helpful is to apply your Retin A after moisturizer if you are having trouble handling it. Your moisturizer will be a bit of a barrier so your skin won’t absorb as much of it and you can slowly build up the tolerance for the product. I wouldn’t do this for all of your serums, just ones that are a bit too strong!

Timing

Give yourself plenty of time between applying your nighttime skincare and going to bed. That way everything soaks in and your pillowcase won’t absorb any of your products!

Make Up Tips

Timing

One of the biggest thing I learned is to give yourself time between skincare and make up! Letting your skincare really soak in will make sure your make up application is even and smooth.

Color Application

Whether it’s foundation, concealer, eyeshadow etc apply the product wherever you want the most concentration of color/coverage. Tap it on there and then blend out. For foundation, I now press in foundation around my nose and on the middle of my face, I then blend out. This not only uses less product but helps with not having such a jarring line where the product ends on your jaw line. For eyeshadow: I press in the color where I want the most intense amount then blend out.

Complexion

To prevent under eye cakiness, try to layer less products. First, make sure any skincare products have completely soaked in before applying makeup. If you use under eye concealer, don’t worry about putting a thick (or any) layer of foundation as well. The concealer will do the job of concealing your discoloring or dark circles but the extra layer can cause creases or a build up that doesn’t look as good. Another way to help is to go light on the finishing powder and only use a very light amount, if you need it.

Bronzer can create depth to your face but you don’t need much. Apply bronzer higher than you expect to. Starting at the height of your cheekbone but closer to your ears apply bronzer and then angle the line up towards your temple. Blend, blend, blend going into your hairline so it looks natural. Once you have the amount you like on your cheeks, apply some along the forehead hairline and then along your jawline. Again, blending is your friend!

Eye Tips

Don’t be afraid to change up your eyeliner color. The makeup artist had me try navy eyeliner because of my coloring and I loved it! It wasn’t as harsh as black and complemented the color of my eyes. She also suggested trying brown as well.

If you don’t want the look of eyeliner but still want to add emphasis to your eyes, tight line them. Tight lining is adding eyeliner to the area exactly where your eyelashes start. This will add emphasis and darkness to your eyes but not look like eyeliner. Your lashes will also look fuller. To do it, pull your eyelid up a bit with your ring finger and add eyeliner onto the base of your lashes coming at it from under your lashes. Do small strokes of liner and not one continuous line. An eyeliner pencil is the easiest way to do this but you could also use a powder liner and eyeliner brush.

For a better, fuller look on your lashes wiggle your mascara wand at the base of the lashes. This will apply a little bit more of product and give your lashes a little boost.

Products I Love

I tried and really loved alot of the products that we used. It could be a bit overwhelming to be introduced to a ton of new products so I picked out my few favorite items.

Skincare

One Essential Serum – This serum can be used in tandem with any others that you love, it should just be applied first. It is different than most serums I’ve ever used in that it detoxifies and takes out anything bad in your skin. This then allows all the active ingredients and moisturizers you apply after to penetrate better and thus work better.

Dreamskin – This was the product I was most excited to try because of the hype behind it. Designed to be the last step in your skin care routine, dream skin serum works in the moment and is ongoing. As soon as you apply your skin looks more perfect, even without makeup. The only way I know to explain it is that it “blurs” any skin issues without actually being a foundation. Redness is calmed, pores are less visible and your skin looks more moisturized. It also is packed with anti aging ingredients so in the long term it will help prevent signs of aging. This works well without make up but then will also make any foundation application look better. This product is a bit of a splurge but only need a very small amount.

Capture Youth Glow Booster – I’ve raved about Vitamin C many times and it really is an ingredient most people will benefit from. The high concentration of Vitamin C protects skin and brightens your complexion. This is another product that you only need to apply a few drops of so the bottle will last. I talk more about the skincare benefits in this post.

Makeup

Airflash Spray Foundation – Perfecting the skin doesn’t have to mean alot of product on the face. The Airflash foundation creates an airbrushed look. I’m not sure how it does it but it blurs any issues on your skin. It provides a medium coverage that can build to full coverage. What I loved about it is that after applying my skin still looked like my skin, just better. It also feels super lightweight! I’ve honestly never tried a foundation that feels lighter than this one. Application of this is a little different than other foundations because you spray the product onto the brush then apply it to your skin.

Capture Dreamskin Cushion Compact – This foundation is more than just a foundation! It is created with the correcting power of Dreamskin (see above in my skincare recs) but is a lightweight foundation. The product provides light coverage color wise but is still color correcting and skin perfecting. What I really loved about it is the versatility. It can be worn just as foundation. You could also apply before your higher coverage foundation to perfect your skin. It also is a great touch up make up. Because it is so lightweight you can use it to touch up any foundation through out the day and won’t cake up your face or feel like you have several layers of make up on. Extra bonus that it has spf 50!

I immediately bought this product to keep in my purse. I intend on using it to touch up through out the day or if I have to go to an event or something after work and don’t have time to redo my make up. It will also be a great product to have during the warm months to have spf. It is patio season and I need to have sunscreen on. If I am going from work or somewhere and then going to get drinks or dinner etc outside, I can use this product to provide spf so I don’t burn!