Smoky eyes - and the no makeup look - are in

I finally met her — a woman who does the no-makeup makeup look so perfectly. Her natural beauty made me feel like my makeup was so overdone! She had the glow of a bride (even if I’m the bride-to-be!). Despite having no mascara on, her lashes fluttered with fullness. And her cheeks? They had the color of youth.

Meet Claire Allanson, Becca international makeup artist and PR manager. With over 10 years of experience under her belt, she has worked with some of the world’s most notable fashion and beauty brands. Her editorial work has graced the pages of the fashion industry’s top glossy publications, and film and television. She has also created looks for runway shows at Fashion Week. Among her celebrity clientele, her favorites are British supermodel Erin O’Connor and the Black Eyed Peas.

Claire Allanson, Becca International makeup artist at the Becca counter in Adora: “The modern woman wants products that produce straight results right away.”

“Our aesthetic. That’s what drove me initially to Becca as a makeup artist,” Claire explains. “(Founder Rebecca Morrice Williams) is obsessed with skin looking amazing and looking like skin.”

Starting out as a makeup artist in Perth, Australia, founder Rebecca couldn’t find the perfect foundation — one that would look natural, conceal blemishes, and feel weightless on the skin. After six years of scientific research and development, she created the ultimate range of skin-perfecting products. “That’s why our foundation range is so amazing,” shares Claire.

Today, the Becca line — exclusively available in the Philippines at Adora in Greenbelt 5 — continues to please not just the most discerning beauty editors and the most demanding makeup artists but a long list of Hollywood celebrities such as Julia Roberts, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cate Blanchett, Reese Witherspoon, Cameron Diaz, Mary-Kate Olsen, Liv Tyler, Sienna Miller, Hilary Duff, Victoria Beckham and Natalie Portman; international artists like Kylie Minogue, Alicia Keys, Fergie and Beyoncé Knowles; even supermodels such as Naomi Campbell, Helena Christensen, Elle MacPherson, Kate Moss, Alek Wek, Frankie Rayder and Gemma Ward.

Using makeup to enhance a client’s features by perfecting the skin and creating a sultry feminine look with crème textures, Claire Allanson’s makeup style reflects the core of the Becca Essence. “We don’t try to cover and change what you look like,” she explains. “We try to enhance it and make you look more beautiful. We want you to look like you.”

Read on to understand how she achieves the no-makeup makeup look:

PHILIPPINE STAR: What is the biggest misconception women have about makeup?

CLAIRE ALLANSON: The biggest misconception that is out there is some women have to wear a lot of makeup to actually look like they’re wearing makeup. And the other one would be that people think you have to wear a lot of makeup in photos to look good, when that’s actually not the case. Like I hate it when brides, just because it’s their wedding day, they get a makeup artist to put loads of products on them and they say, “Oh, I need it for photos.” It’s about using products that not only look great in photos but also look great in real life as well.

Does texture play a big role in making makeup look like there’s none at all?

Definitely. Lots of women think natural makeup is only using browns and boring shades. That’s not actually the case. You can even play with bright colors. But if you have a texture that’s subtle, it gives a hint of that color. So that’s a lot more wearable today. Before, if you were to wear a blue eye shadow, you would have had to buy a bright blue eyeshadow. But now you can get maybe a blue cream eyeshadow, which just gives you a hint or like a wash of blue. Natural makeup is not conformed to browns.

What does today’s modern woman look for in a makeup product?

The modern woman is extremely busy yet she wants to look good. I don’t think she wants products that are really, really fussy. I don’t think she has time to spend an hour doing her makeup in the morning. She wants products that not only look amazing but produce results straight away.

For a busy career woman, how much time should makeup take, tops?

Fifteen minutes.

So with the right products, can they do it in less than 15 minutes?

They could do it in five. Really! (Laughs) You can make yourself look beautiful in five minutes with just a handful of products that are really, really good.

Whenever foreigners come to Manila, they always wonder why Filipinos want to look fairer. In the US and Europe, women go crazy for self-tanners and bronzers because being tan is their definition of beauty. How does Becca address these different standards of beauty?

I understand that different cultures have different ideas of beauty. We’re not trying to change that, but at the same time we’re all about skin looking amazing and looking like skin. We can match anyone with foundation but we are all about making their skin look real. We would be against putting on, say, a foundation that was a few tones lighter because it would look unnatural. What I would recommend is you can wear a tinted moisturizer, perhaps a little bit lighter, then put the correct concealer and power on to blend it through the body. To give that illusion of a paler complexion without looking like you have a different colored face and a different colored body, you can use brightening products such as a highlighter to soften the look and give a more ethereal quality coming through. The good thing about us is that we’ve got SPF 25 or more in all of our skin products, so it’s not going to make your skin get darker.

What do you think is the top mistake women make when it comes to makeup?

I think the top mistake is they get their foundation color wrong. I would say at least 50 percent of the time, women are wearing the wrong foundation.

So is that your pet peeve as a makeup artist?

Yes. I hate it when you can see an actual obvious difference, when you can see a line. And I hate it when it’s so powdered as well, when they just put too much on and it’s the wrong color. It doesn’t look natural and fresh. And another personal one of mine is that I think a lot of women are scared of blush. Their skin looks one color and so dull, like there’s no life on their skin.

As a Becca international makeup artist, can you tell a Becca user from a non-Becca user?

I can definitely tell a Becca user from a non-Becca user. (Laughs) Definitely, because their skin will just look a lot more radiant and healthy.

Becca has a long list of celebrity followers. Who else would you love to see using Becca makeup or who would Becca love to makeover and why?

There are lots of ladies whose makeup isn’t particularly great. (Laughs) Like Katie Price in London, her makeup is always over the top. Cheryl Cole looks absolutely gorgeous but she’s too done. They’re women that have quite a different aesthetic than what we’re about.

And just recently Kate Middleton, when she married Prince William. I didn’t like it. Everyone in the UK said, “Oh, she looks so beautiful, she looks so natural.” She didn’t look natural — her eyes were so full on, not blended, really thick liner, too much eyebrow makeup.

Did you think it was a wrong move for her to do her own makeup?

Not necessarily the wrong move for her to do her own makeup but I think the products she chose were incorrect. I don’t think she was trained properly on how to do it.

Yes, she did look beautiful but she didn’t look amazing. There was no glow, no luminosity to her skin.

Today, many beauty brands combine skincare with makeup. Does Becca care for the skin too?

Yes, definitely. Rebecca, if you ever meet her, she’s so holistic in terms of skin. Yes, she creates makeup to go on the skin but she’s very much an advocate of eating well, taking vitamins, drinking loads of water, and exercising daily because all of that makes your skin better and look better without any makeup on. She thinks that makeup should be there to enhance rather than to disguise. And because of that, she’s all about skincare ingredients in the products. All our foundations have SPF25 or more, antioxidants in them, vitamins A, B, C and E in all of them. There’s licorice which is soothing on the skin and avocado oil which is very nourishing on the skin.

The whole makeup industry is going more (towards) there — skincare benefits, anti-aging benefits of ingredients. But Becca, she’s had it in there since 10 years ago when we launched in October 2001. She’s had those ingredients in her products from 10 years ago. Just now increasingly more companies are putting good skincare ingredients in their products.

Becca products are moisturizing but will they suit the Philippine tropical weather?

Yes, definitely, because you just have to pick the correct product. There are makeup products you can use to combat oil. Like the Resurfacing Primer Line & Pore Minimizing Mattifying Formula — it will give you the skincare ingredients to nourish your skin but also control your oil production so you stop from getting oily throughout the day. It will help control your oil production and will only release moisturizing ingredients over time.

Oily skin or oily climate, it’s still important to moisturize your skin and give it the ingredients that it needs. Even if you have oily skin, you need moisturizer just as much, if not more. If you don’t put moisturizer on oily skin, your skin will become dehydrated, you’ll get a layer of kind of dry crackly skin on top of your skin and your skin will compensate for that. Your skin will break out because it’s starting to get dry on top and will produce more oil.

What are the biggest upcoming makeup trends?

Definitely smoky eyes but not the classic smoky eyes. This fall/winter is like chocolate smoky eyes, it’s everywhere. It’s all about chocolate-y, bronzy, plummy tones. It’s not as structured as the average smoky eye, it’s a lot rawer, a lot more relaxed. A relaxed smoky eye.

Next trend would be the no-mascara trend. A lot of the shows had no mascara. There are tips you can do to wear the no-mascara trend but still have defined eyes. Like wear eyeliner but not on top of the eye but from underneath the lashes. So it doesn’t look like you’re wearing any lines. You thicken that lash line but you don’t actually have any product.

Skin is continuing to be quite matte, a cashmere kind of skin for autumn/winter 2011. There were a lot of reds for lips. I’m not a fan of really bold red lips. But it will be a key color come autumn/wintertime. A strong red.

Most women are afraid of trying red lips and they stick to pinks or neutrals. How do you make red more wearable?

It’s about using different textures. You can use our Becca Beach Tint. You can use this on your lips as well. There are two colors — one called strawberry, one called raspberry. They’re both different shades of red. Put on a little bit of stain or put on a stick that is sheerer but with a hint of red. And pair that with a more subtle lip line blended in. Using different textures, you don’t really have to go into a solid block red, which was the trend on the catwalk. If you’re scared of red, it’s about adapting the color to you.

Share a makeup secret with us.

The biggest tip I would use is the eyeliner from underneath. Another one would be using a flesh-colored liner on the inner rim. Not white. It has to be a flesh-colored pencil liner on the inner rim of the bottom lash. Your eyes will look a lot brighter and it will open up your eyes. Women put a white liner in there because they see it in magazines. It’s an obvious white line. It works in magazines because the photographer retouches the whites of the eyes making them look crystal, bright and white. But in reality, you put a white pencil in there and your eyeball is going to look yellow. So put an off-white color in there and it will make the whites of your eyes look whiter and brighter.

Oh, and massage your skin before you even start. When you prep your skin, when you’re putting on your primer or moisturizer, take the time to actually massage the skin. Massage under the cheekbones, massage the temples, pinch along the eyebrows. It makes so much difference instantly. It soothes the blood circulation which makes your skin so much more radiant instantly. Like whenever I do a model’s makeup for a shoot or backstage, we always massage the skin for around 10 minutes because it makes so much difference. If you get the skin looking amazing before you put makeup on, you don’t have to put much makeup on or it makes the time much quicker because the skin is already looking great. If you do that on a daily basis, it actually strengthens the muscles on your skin, it won’t sag as much later on. Over a long period of time, the elasticity of your skin will be so much better if you’re massaging it daily.

Can you give us quick tips on how to make oriental eyes look bigger?

Can I give three? Definitely curl the lashes. Use a liner from underneath. And use the flesh-colored liner on the inner rim. That’s the best way to make your eyes look bigger but not look like you’re wearing makeup. A flesh eyeliner will open up the eyes.

The quickest way busy moms can look pulled together?

The quickest way they can look pulled together is to have products that make them instantly look refreshed. Concealer, which they can use under their eyes and will quickly fix any imperfections if they don’t have time to put tinted moisturizer on. They need to have cream blush to bring life to their skin, to make them look fresher and more awake. They need Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector, which is Becca’s highlighting liquid which makes such a difference. If their skin looks dull and they haven’t slept, it will make their skin look really healthy. It will make them look like they’ve had lots of sleep. And the flesh eyeliner. A cream eyeshadow called Quartz on the inner corners of the eyes, that will brighten up the eyes as well.

Easiest way for office girls to shift makeup from day to night?

Powder your skin so it doesn’t look too oily throughout the day. Put some Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector on then put some bright lipstick on and then not much on your eyes. Or keep your lips neutral and do a quick smoky eye. Refresh your skin first because tired skin is more noticeable than eye or lip makeup. And then add some blush.

Quickest way party girls can perk up their makeup during that five-minute trip to the bathroom?

More liner, more Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector and a little bit more of lipstick.

How brides-to-be can get that glow?

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector! (Laughs)

What makes Becca different from others? What sets it apart?

Our foundation’s color. The range we actually have, that we can match everyone. And the quality of the products and our ingredients that are in there.

Every brand has a signature of sorts. What would be Becca’s?

Real skin that looks flawless. It’s flawless but real at the same time. It’s not flawless because you can’t see the skin. It’s flawless but you can still see the skin.

What message does Becca want to convey to Filipina women?

I’d love to get them to know that their natural color with highlighting products looks so much more beautiful than a full-faced makeup, that they look beautiful more natural.

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Becca is exclusively available at Adora Department Store, Greenbelt 5, Makati. Follow @BECCA_COSMETICS on Twitter.