Rebecca Perry Blog

Sure, most Allure editors can rock a bold red lip like it's nothing or do a smoky eye with, well, their eyes closed, but I'm not one of them. I've become so dependent on my day-to-day routine of smearing some foundation on, quickly tracing some eyeliner on my upper lids, and hastily brushing on a few mascara swipes that I've become resistant to any kind of makeup change. So when M.A.C. opened up a studio in New York City, I knew it was finally time to learn the right way to do makeup. And who better to teach me?

I arrived at the makeup studio for my lesson and was lead to a private room with bright makeup lights and a private vanity:

My teacher, M.A.C. artist Ashley Di Sarro, has been working with the company for eight years. She tells me her goal is to make people feel amazing about themselves through makeup. Coincidentally, I'd like to feel amazing about myself through makeup. I tell her specifically that I want to learn how to create a toned-down Kardashian-esque makeup look for everyday life (it does exist!). We decide on a subtly strobed and contoured face, with an "approachable" smoky eye. Here's what I looked like before Di Sarro got to work on me:

And now, the important tips I learned during my M.A.C. transformation into a (realistic) Kardashian.

1. Always make sure your priming skin-care products are completely blended before putting on makeup. Are you the kind of person who slaps on your serums and primers and immediately puts on your foundation? Yeah, I used to be like that, too. But Di Sarro told me it's crucial to make sure all your priming ingredients are really blended in if you want your makeup to stay in place. Otherwise, certain areas of your face may appear shinier because your serum and moisturizer didn't fully seep into the skin. Di Sarro blended M.A.C. Prep + Prime Essential Oils , Mineralize Charged Water Moisture Eye Cream, and Prep + Prime Natural Radiance Base in Yellow.

2. Only put foundation on where you need it. Guess what? You don't always have to follow all the rules! (Well, at least when it comes to the directions on your foundation bottle.) You should only apply foundation where you need coverage. For example, Di applied Studio Waterwight SPF 30 Foundation on my cheeks and chin but put hardly any on my forehead. She covered up any imperfections with K-Beautiful Face - Prep + Prime Highlighter in Radiant Rose.

3. Do your brow and eye makeup first. This is important because as Di Sarro puts it, your eyebrows "create the mood of the makeup" and form a guideline for your eyes. It's also pretty much a given that when you do your eye makeup something bad is bound to happen. You may accidentally smudge some liquid liner on your cheek or you may have to re-do your cat eye a few (dozen) times, for instance. Do all the eye stuff before you apply blush or lipstick so you don't ruin the makeup you spent 20 minutes working on. For my brows, Di Sarro lightly patted some extra foundation under my brow bone and brushed Pro Longwear Waterproof Brow Set in Bold Brunette through my arches.

4. Tilt your head back when applying detailed eye makeup. I used to think that the only way to apply eyeliner perfectly across my lash line was if I held my eyelid taut. Wrong. You don’t want to pull on your skin or raise your brows because it changes the shape of your eye. It could also deteriorate the elasticity of that skin over time. Di Sarro's tip: Whenever applying makeup to the top area of the eye, tilt your head back. This way you'll have the most control because you can see the entire landscape of your face. Di Sarro pressed on the M.A.C. Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Painterly all over the top of my eyelid, then, with a smaller brush, lined the Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Constructivist along the top part of my eyelid and just below my bottom lid. To make sure I had a record of every product she used, Di Sarro went to work on my face chart, too:

5. Dry your waterline before applying eyeliner. This one is easy. Before applying eyeliner to your waterline, take a Q-tip and rub it along your line to dry it completely. This removes any moisture from your eye or pigment from eye shadow that may have fallen on the area. Di Sarro tightlined mine with M.A.C. Eye Kohl in Costa Riche.

6. Never use a shimmery powder to contour. Di Sarro used a foundation one shade darker than my skin tone to create the illusion of depth under my cheekbones. Anything with iridescence would defeat the purpose, so put down that shimmery bronzer. It isn't doing what you want it to do.

7. Always take a step back from the mirror and look at yourself from further away. This is another simple and easy tip, but one that will save you a lot of time and anguish. You may obsess over a tiny imperfection in your eyeliner when you're thisclose to an ultra-bright, supermagnified mirror. If you find yourself getting frustrated, take a step back (and take a deep breath) and look at yourself from the distance that most people will see you. Chances are, you look fierce, and your tiny little eyeliner blunder is completely unnoticeable.