Inspirational makeover

This story is from my old beauty website & was my most popular blog. I think its still a fabulous transformative makeover.

Everyone loves to see a great makeover & for me it is truly inspiring to completely transform a women with the simple art of makeup. Behold the gorgeous Bonnie Weekes who is the subject of my most recent makeover. I have known Bonnie for many years & she has always been an incredibly natural beauty with sparkling eyes & a beautiful warm smile. When I caught up with Bonnie last year I felt that she needed to update her look & despite looking devastatingly glam, I felt that too much makeup was hiding her natural good looks.

When Bonnie arrived for her makeover last week I asked her to come wearing the face that she applies every day (see the photo below). At first glance I could see that see had way too much thick foundation on, which was several shades too dark for her naturally olive complexion. Her eye makeup also looked overdone & I felt her lipstick was too bright, making her look dated. Im a true believer that you need to see the women not the makeup, so if a face full of makeup is the first thing you notice about a person- then they are wearing too much!!

Bonnie scrubbed her face clean (& I have to say she looked amazing with no makeup on) & I applied a light moisturizer to hydrate her skin. The first step was to find a foundation that blended into her skin, but that was also warm enough to counter balance her neck & chest which are quite dark. I settled on two shades of Loreal’s True Match- W6 & W7, (W stands for ‘warm’, so if you have olive skin choose a shade in True Matches ‘W’ range). I then applied a light mineral power (Elizabeth Ardens ‘Pure Finish’ #4) to cut back shine while still leaving the skin dewy.

Next, I cleaned up Bonnies brow line with a minimum of plucking which immediately opened up her eyes, then I defined her brows with Bobbie browns Mahogony eyeshadow. For her eye makeup I kept it simple with a combo of all my favorite MAC colours… ‘Orb’ over the whole eye area to create highlight & even out the skin, ‘Haux’ (a warm pinky taupe) through the crease & ‘Mulch’ across & lid, blended over MACs ‘Teddy’ eye liner pencil to create definition. (both of these are chocolaty browns with a touch of shimmer) I used very little under her eyes- just smudge of brown shadow applied with a fine brush, then I applied lashings of black mascara to her top lashes.

I defined Bonnies cheeks with MACs ‘Harmony’ blush then I used one of my tricks which always gives the skin that extra glow- a touch of pinky-peachy blush on the apple of the cheek & in the centre of the brow bone. I do this with Bobbi Browns ‘Apricot’ powder blusher, a staple in my makeup kit.

By now Bonnie was looking transformed & dare I say it- 10 years younger! I kept her lips neutral, staying away from purples, reds & oranges- all colours that add instant years to a woman over 40. My tone of choice was Bobbi Browns ‘Brownie’ lipstick followed by a touch of MACs ‘Lust’ lipgloss.

I finished her new look by smoothing out her hair with my skinny GHD irons, then I added shine with Morrocan oil & pinned her curly locks into a side chignon. Neil Gussey, photographer extraordinaire, then stood Bonnie in the soft natural light & took her portrait which beautifully showcases her gorgeous new image. Truly inspirational…!