Jeffrey Tasker not only makes women easy on the eyes, he’s easy company as well. Laura Mercier’s “global makeup artist and education director” disarms with his charming personality and great sense of humor, easing tensions at high-profile fashion shows such as Miami Swimsuit Week, and shows in New York, Tokyo, London, Paris and Houston.
Tasker’s work has been showcased in international publications such as InStyle, Vogue and Nylon. He has also made appearances in TV shows like “Sex and the City,” “The Today Show,” “Oprah Winfrey” and “Good Morning America.”
His light take on fashion and life is infectious, bringing an air of freedom and fun to everything he does. In this interview he talks about the latest trends and how we can take it to the streets.
“I love Laura Mercier’s products and the range of colors, textures and formulas,” he said. “One size doesn’t fit all and Laura emphasizes this in her lineup of products.”
Global makeup
My love of makeup stems from… My love of glamour and being able to enhance every client, woman and/or man.
Makeup is… Not about masking but rather enhancing. Many clients will say to me they don’t feel pretty. It’s not my job to change them. It’s my job to make them feel beautiful and confident, but comfortable at the same time. I love to enhance their natural beauty.
Makeup has the ability to… Do many things. It can truly change the way a woman feels about herself, in a positive way.
My favorite products from the Fall collection are… Bewitched Nail Lacquer, Spell Bound Illuminator eye pencil liner in Violet, and Crème Smooth Lipstick in Flamenco.
A look I’ve been doing in the New York fashion shows is… A very classic one with a bitten lip. It’s a very structured face with defined eyes, strong bronzer on the cheeks but with a bitten lip.
A popular look on the NY runways… Is the glowing look. You can try this look by applying Laura Mercier’s Spellbound Illuminator on areas where the sun would normally hit the face such as the cheekbones, nose line, chin and collarbones.
A current look from the runways that you can take to the streets is… The very structured lip or the unstructured lip. It has been very popular since NY Fashion Week, and clients have been asking me to do one or the other. It’s called unstructured lip because there is no precise outline, so you just use your finger to dab on the lipstick. A very structured lip is where the lip line is very pronounced.
Laura Mercier’s best-selling products are… The Family Primers. We have seven different variants. One is sold every 45 seconds.
What I noticed about Filipinos is that… They like using lipstick. In the United States, lip glosses fly off the shelves. Women there mix five to six glosses at once.
The trend in US magazine editorials is… Coming back to using lip glosses.
Breakthrough product
During Laura Mercier’s launch for the Holiday 2013 collection, Jeffrey raved about its breakthrough product, Laura Mercier’s New Smooth Finish Foundation Powder (P2,250). It
provides dual coverage in the form of a sheer to medium powder or buildable wet foundation which allows you to customize your coverage.
“It’s true to tone and moves with skin. It doesn’t oxidize so it counters acidic skin and the color stays true throughout the day,” says Tasker on the strength of this product. The foundation powder comes in 20 shades and is available at Rustan’s Department Stores.