Makeup Lighting Tips for Home, Work, Evening and Daytime:

I often instruct clients to apply makeup in natural sunlight to ensure a nice, blended makeup look during the daytime. This is a good, general makeup tip, especially if you're just wearing mineral powder, neutral lip gloss, soft eye shadow colors with a bit of mascara on your lashes. 


But now I'm thinking, "What if you're spending most of your time in a work environment under fluorescent light? Or you're spending a lot of your free time at home entertaining friends and family for the holidays? What about evening lighting at a restaurant or night club"? 


Let's take a look at the different kinds of lighting and how lighting can affect the way the color of your skin looks and influences your makeup. 


Lighting plays a major role in how color looks on your skin.


There are 4 major types of lighting that play a primary role in determining the most approptiate and flattering colors in makeup:


1. Incandescent lighting:


Most homes have incandescent lighting which is a warm, yellow glow. It emits fewer colors and is a soft lighting. Makeup for this kind of lighting is easy because almost every color is enhanced by incandescent light. 


Tip #1: Use dark brown and purple colors with caution as they tend to look muddy in incandescent lighting.


Tip #2: Foundation makeup should be a slightly warm color in incandescent lighting.


Tip#3: Camouflage tricks should be subtle and undetectable which really translates into keeping them to a minimum and if used, learning how to blend well so they are undetectable.


Tip #4: Be especially careful highlighting with shimmer powders and blush colors as they need to be carefully blended. A good trick to help blend glitter and shimmer product is to go over the shimmer with a final application of matte powder to soften the effect of a highly shimmer look.


Tip #5: Use blush colors in a peach or coral tone because they compliment incandescent lighting.


2. Fluorescent lighting: 


Fluorescent lighting can be the most unflattering and can be a problem since it is used in so many work places. It's impossible to see true color in this kind of light because there is an absence of red rays in the fluorescent spectrum.


Tip: #1: Makeup colors with a blue tinge are generally most becoming in fluorescent lighting.


Tip #2: It's best to avoid using yellows and red in makeup which will be seen under fluorescent lighting as unflattering.


Tip #3: Glittery, frosted eye shadows, cheek blush and lip glosses can project an unflattering sheen in fluorescent lighting.


Tip #4: Fluorescent light makes dark colors look much darker, so contouring of the cheekbones or eyelids will look twice as deep and dark. This same theory applies to lip liners.


Tip #5: Matte makeup products offer a softer look for contouring. Use sparingly, if at all, under fluorescent lighting.


3. Low evening illumination: 


Many hotels, night clubs and restaurants use pink bulbs to give a flattering soft, slightly unfocused glow to everything and everyone. 


Tip # 1: For low evening light, "think pink" when choosing makeup colors to enhance your natural beauty.


Tip #2: Dark colors tend to look darker, which is one reason why "Going all out for evening", is wrong. Too much and too colorful makeup can look garish.


Tip #3: A lighter foundation or mineral makeup than the skin will usually be the most flattering.


Tip #4: Makeup with a slight frost is best for evening lighting because of it's reflective quality which creates a "candlelight glow" to the face. Use blush or bronzer with a slight shimmer to add an attractive glow to the skin by applying around hairline to play up a prominent forehead, blush on chin to bring it forward, add a touch of blush on the tip of the nose and on the center of the neck to warm up your whole makeup look. If you're wearing a low cut top or dress and feeling a little daring, add a little bronzer to the inside of your cleavage to make it even more eye catching. 


Tip #5: In this type of lighting, highlighting and contouring techniques can be used to bring out the features of the face. Try blending pearlized highlighter on top of the cheekbones to broaden and lift this area and to attract attention to the eyes. Use the same highlighter under the brow bone to makes it appear more prominent. 


4. Daylight:


Daylight makeup can appear twice as heavily applied as it actually is.


Tip #1: Avoid a heavy powder application because in this light a complexion can look dry if its overly powdered. Opt for gels and creams on cheeks, but use sparingly.


Tip #2: Color the lips with a soft tint rather than a traditional lipstick. Top off the lip stain with a lip balm containing sun protection.


Tip # 3: Become aware of the areas of the cheeks that become naturally flushed when exercising. This is the area where cheek color should be applied.


Tip #4: Blending is the key to naturally even blush and eye shadow color. Light browns, beiges, taupey pinks/corals and the non-colors such as "naturals" are usually best in daytime lighting. A natural color palette can go almost anywhere, in any lighting and is the most versatile.


Tip #5: Daylight, especially sunlight can exaggerate makeup, so it's important to avoid chalky pastels or colors that are extremely strong.


Thanks for reading,


xoLK


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