“We did over 400 fashion shows this season in New York, Milan, Paris, London, and even Sydney,” says Gregory Arlt, director of Makeup Artistry at MAC.
If that doesn’t make him an authority on Spring-Summer’s latest looks, know that Gregory missed out on doing the makeup of his celebrity clients for the Golden Globes just so he could fly to Manila to spread the word on what’s in.
He counts Katy Perry, Alicia Keys, Dita Von Teese, Gwen Stefani, Sienna Miller and Victoria Beckham among his clients.
He was here for almost a week, and he loved what he saw. “I love that the women here do a sort of no-makeup look that looks polished, clean and very put-together, so kudos to you! In the States, if you go to a drugstore, everyone’s kind of frumpy. Here they were so chic, everyone had her hair slicked back. They were wearing great makeup.”
How exactly are makeup trends determined at MAC?
“There are so many ways we define trends. A lot of us go to Paris for an amazing fabric textile show called ‘Première Vision’ that can help determine which direction we’ll go because we’ll see a lot of that in fashion or textures,” Gregory says.
He adds: “Colors for this year were purple and a bright orange. The overall look this season was really about freshness, health and femininity.”
’60s lashes
Spring celebrates and highlights the contours of a woman’s face. The looks, which were demonstrated by Gregory at MAC’s Spring-Summer preview last week, focused on subtly glowing, petal-pink cheeks, the “slept-in” smudged eye, see-through washes of pastels, ’60s lashes, milky pastel lips, and bright fuchsia or orange lips.
One of MAC’s trends was called “Day-Glow,” a look described by Gregory as a “raw, rugged and healthy” beauty look, their own version of the no-makeup look which favors a feminine face in lieu of sculpted cheekbones.
“This is one of my favorites; this look is really about blush. It’s all about the cheeks,” he adds.
Gregory clarifies that the blush-centric look is not about getting a cute-looking, teenybopper flush, but a cool, sophisticated, subtle coloring on the cheeks.
Natural blush
It’s blush applied to look ultra-natural, as if the bloom had happened organically on one’s cheekbones.
Gregory’s application tip for blush: “Start on the apples of the cheeks and blend it up on the cheeks so it kind of disappears.”
Gregory recommends using the brand’s pro long-wear blush formula. “This is amazing for Manila humidity; we had you guys in mind,” he says.
The look goes well with a neutral eye and a peachy-coral lip. This trend was seen on the runways of Alberta Ferretti and Diane Von Furstenberg.
MAC Philippines has the popular Face and Body Foundation to complement the structured skin look of “Day-Glow.” This formula has been a longtime favorite of makeup artists, and will finally be available here in February.
“Face and Body Foundation is amazing because it really does mimic skin,” says Gregory.
Highlights on the face
The other trend, called “Light FX,” ditches a sunlit glow in favor of a cooler, almost-white moonlit glow on the face.
The face highlight is the anti-contour. “The idea is to create depth by adding light. Having a beautiful highlight on the skin will let you see contours.”
For women who can’t step out of the house without contouring their nose using brown powder, consider blending a drop of strobe cream along the nose bridge—you’ll be surprised by the instant lifting illusion it will provide.
Makeup don’t
Another thing you should stop doing, according to Gregory is the “brontour.” “It’s my least favorite makeup look, where women use bronzer to contour their faces and they end up with orange stripes on the face.”
Another trend that is sure to be a hit among Filipino women looking to accentuate their eyes is one called “The New Eye-Deal.”
This trend shifts focus away from strong eyebrows and brings it back to sooty, smudged, “slept-in” eyes reminiscent of the ’90s; ’60s feathery lashes; and the angular liquid lines of the ’50s.
Keeping makeup on the face
As someone who has done a lot of awards shows, Gregory shares a tip to help makeup stay put: primers. “When it comes to long wear for me, it’s about primers—that’s really the secret ingredient to long-wearing makeup, whether you’re on the red carpet or the office for eight hours, it’s still a long day. I love primers, and I think women in the Philippines do, too, because it’s so humid and you don’t want to keep putting products on the skin.”
He adds: “But then it’s a catch-22 because your makeup won’t stay on. Nothing is magic, and with makeup you do have to maintain a few things. So look for waterproof mascara, pro long-wear foundation, and primers for longevity.”
Makeup no-no’s—Gregory is mum: “It’s hard to answer that question because there are so many things I might say I don’t like but readers love,” he says. “The only thing I would like to see go out the window would be insecurity. I think women should feel happy and confident with who they are,” he said.
MAC is available at the 2/F, Glorietta 3; Rustan’s Shangri-La Plaza; G/F, Power Plant Mall; 2/F, SM Mall of Asia; 1/L, TriNoma; Rustan’s Cebu; G/F, Eastwood Mall; Rustan’s Alabang; 1/L, SM Aura; and 2/F, SM Megamall Bridgeway. Visit their website at www.maccosmetics.com.ph.