This Christmas and New Year you might want to spend a little less time slaving over a hot stove and more time in front of the mirror. Yes, 50’s glamour is back with a bang and as the film stars of yester-year will tell you, true glamour takes time. Think of Audrey Hepburn, Betty Gable, Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor. For them looking spectacular was far more important than a good roast dinner – and just think of the handsome men they attracted!
Delightful Argentinean born make-up artist Lola Pi confirms that the glamour-girl look is the one everyone wants to copy.
“Without doubt the look for this Christmas and New Year is similar to the look of the 50s, with red lips and defined eyes.
“Fortunately, this style of makeup is not very difficult to achieve, but it is fundamental that the eyeliner is applied perfectly. For those who have not had much practice using eyeliner, I advise them to avoid it completely. Rather have no eyeliner than bad eyeliner! But, if you don’t use eyeliner you will need to pay extra attention to your eyelashes. “Several coats of good mascara can make an incredible difference to the overall look - especially when your brows are correctly shaped and your eyes are nicely made up.”
Lola discovered her fascination with make-up when she was working as a model in Buenos Aires.
She says to be successful as a make-up artist one needs to keep up-to-date with new trends and keep retraining and learning different techniques. In the ten years she has practiced as a make-up artist, she has worked in Italy, Paris and Barcelona and has come into contact with many famous people at different levels. However, she says that no matter whose face she is working on she likes skin that is “healthy, clean and well-hydrated”. I am not concerned about the age of the person I am making up, but without these three things you can not achieve the best possible result with your make-up.”
“In my opinion one of the most fundamental steps is to use an eye-corrector cream to disguise fatigue and black rings and add luminosity to the face. Next you need a good base of foundation to tone and unify the skin and finally you need plenty of mascara. These three things alone will make your face look better, younger and fresher.
“My advice to be glamorous without looking overly made-up it is to apply a transparent lip shine on the eyelid under the brow bone (always from the bone of the eye downwards), followed by generous coats of mascara which separates not clumps the lashes. Finally, add a little bit of flattering colour to the cheek and lips and you will look both glamorous and subtle.
“One of my favourite beauty tips is to apply some eye shadow over the eye pencil. This helps to seal the makeup so that it last longer.”
Lola admits that the currently fashionable face bronzers are not one of her favourite products.
“Yes, they can provide a fast solution to give a bit of colour, but when a face is well made-up it should have colour whether the skin is pale or not.”
She is also keen to point out that lipliner is totally out of fashion at the moment. “Lip liner should only be used for correcting the shape of the lips. Another thing to avoid is a very pale face with no definition. Equally, you want to avoid too much make-up. If you decide to concentrate on your eyes, it is better to go for subtle colour on the lips and if you want a big bold mouth, it’s best to keep the eyes simple.”
“Personally, I believe that a make-up course is an excellent investment for any woman as it teaches them to know their own face and take best advantage of their features. This is something that most women will find beneficial for the rest of their life.”
Finally, I ask Lola if there is a famous face that she would love to work on. “Actually, no. Famous people are used to seeing themselves looking fantastic. I get great enjoyment from seeing the appreciation of a normal woman when they see their face professionally made up. When they see themselves looking so fantastic, they always tell me that it is a dream come true, and this kind of feedback gives me my greatest satisfaction.”
For more information on a make-up lesson with Lola Pi call Tel: +34 667 899 763.
