Despite a lifetime addiction to beauty magazines and a bower-bird love of shiny things I haven’t ever nailed the make up thing. I’m makeup challenged. Most of my days and nights are spent barefaced.
So when I had a fun night out planned as part of my Toowoomba #treatyoself staycation weekend, I wanted to put my best face forward.
Rather than stuff around with the mascara I got from the front of a magazine and try and apply my foundation that’s not quite the right shade for winter I called in an expert: Stacey from Mirror Mirror Makeup Artistry.
For the past five years Stacey has been transforming brides and babes in Toowoomba and beyond with her flawless makeup skills.
In addition to making me and my bestie look super glam Stacey was so fun to have around. She answered all my nerdy makeup questions with no hesitations and didn’t mind that I took notes. She’ll be bringing makeup lessons to Mirror Mirror soon and you can bet I’ll be in her first class.
Stacey working her magic on my BFF
The Look
For our night out we went with one of Stacey’s favourite looks – natural, dewy skin, light contouring and a smoky eye.
I quizzed Stacey about what brands she uses and the answer is all kinds. It’s more about falling in love with a certain product than a brand, although she’s partial to Nars, Stila and MAC.
First step was a cleanse with Garnier Micellar Water, followed by a light Simple Skincare moisturiser. Then she applied Gorgeous Cosmetics iPrime – which turned our eyelids white. Newbie tip: this helps eye shadow colours appear more vibrant and also helps product stick to the eyelid so it lasts a lot longer and doesn’t crease.
Next, Napoleon China Doll gel liner was smudged on with a MAC angled brush and then the shimmery rich shades in the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette were applied. Finally our eyes were finished with some subtle fake lashes – I was dubious but they merged right into my lashes and looked natural. Stacey provides complimentary lashes, so no need to shop for your own.
Then it was all about the brows baby – one of Stacey’s favourite features to play with. She used Gerard Cosmetic’s Brow Bar to Go to fill in our brows. It’s a brand Stacey loves because it offers powders for blond brows as well, which can be tough to find. She also showed us her magic trick – spraying her eyebrow brush with hairspray to fix brows into place. ModelCo mascara finished off eyes.
Moving on to foundation and first we primed with a Mecca illuminating primer mixed with a Nars liquid illuminator for a dewy effect. Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer was used to minimise pores and control shine. Then some kind of miracle occurred involving contouring with Nars Laguna bronzer and Hourglass Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder. There were sponges and brushes involved and no matter how many notes I take I’ll never be able to replicate this wizardry that resulted in flawless skin.
Lips were last, with Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Caramello and a Kit Cosmetics gloss to finish it off.
To complete our experience we received a lip wand and a little pot of lipstick and gloss so we could touch up during the night.
If you want to #treatyoself and get glam for a night out, or event Stacey will come to you, and you won’t regret it. She genuinely loves making people feel beautiful, and this is evident in her work. She also works with Minx Contemporary Hair Boutique to offer full makeup and hair services for weddings and special occasions. And look for Stacey’s work in the upcoming City Heart Fashion Event and other fashion editorial work soon!
Visit mirrormirrormakeupartistry.com.au and follow on Facebook and Instagram.
