Beauty

A Brush with Beauty

A Bristol makeup artist creates flawless and natural looks

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Robin McAloon is a professional makeup artist whose clients include brides, prom-going teens and work for corporate videos and photo shoots. She also does makeup instruction for an everyday look. She lives in Barrington with her husband Patrick and their young daughters Ruby and Piper. In addition to onsite work, Robin does makeup at Hair, Heart and Soul in Bristol.

You have been working for over 15 years with brides and prom teens on their big day. What is the biggest change you have seen with makeup requests?
Whether it is a bride or a prom teen, everyone wants to look naturally pretty. Brides want a little more than their everyday look but they want it flawless and they want a natural glow. My clients will often use the term “Red Carpet Ready.” The days of heavy makeup and the plastered look are long gone. While brides want to look natural and elegant, prom teens want a bit of fun in their look which I achieve by adding to the eye either a pop of color or a soft smoky eye.

What is the most important step in applying makeup?
It starts with taking good care of your skin. If the skin is properly taken care of, even if there are wrinkles or acne the skin will respond better to makeup. Teens in particular think that by using products to dry out their acne their skin will get better. Instead the skin gets flaky, doesn’t heal and won’t do well under the make up. Teens need to find the right moisturizer to hydrate the skin. No matter the age I can’t stress enough how valuable it is to have a good skincare regimen.

How do you achieve that flawless and natural look with makeup?
I focus on building foundation slowly. Less is definitely more when it comes to makeup. Where and how I use the foundation will depend on someone’s features and what I want to emphasize. I also believe having good brushes to work with makes a huge difference in applying makeup. I always encourage my clients to invest in a good foundation brush and a good powder/blush brush.

There is big price range when it comes to cosmetics. Does it matter how much you spend?
Each person has to work with her own budget. There are great products at reasonable prices to be found at your local drugstore, salon or at the department stores. Again because foundation is the base of the look you are creating, the quality of it can make a huge difference, so be sure to get a good quality foundation.

What is your number one “go-to” product you encourage women to use?
I love color! Generally speaking color on the cheeks radiates a glow and a healthier look on every woman. A great example of a product that works well for this on all skin types is Stila Convertible Color – great for both cheeks and lips.

What is the trend for spring/summer 2013?
It’s all about a mix of bold versus subtle on the face. For example if you have a deep lip of color then go soft with the eye color.

Who are some of your influences?
Pat McGrath, Beau Nelson and Pati Prema Dubroff are three celebrity professional makeup artists whose work I watch closely. Their creative vision and distinguished techniques inspire and influence my work.

It’s May and the bridal season is heating up. How do you ease the mood of a bride?
I am a people person and I like to help them relax and just sit and enjoy the moment. I love working with my brides from the trial makeup sessions to their wedding day. I’ve been told I put them at ease, which is important; I am the last person they deal with before the dress goes on and that can set the tone for a bride’s next big moment – walking down that aisle!

makeup, natural, prom, bride, wedding, blush, eyeshadow, mascara, season, spring, fresh, look, beauty, hair heart and soul

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