Behind the Scenes with Estée Lauder's Global Premier Makeup Artist

I recently gushed in the Toledo City Paper that I really enjoyed meeting Blair Patterson, Estée Lauder's global premier makeup artist.  He helped me get "camera-ready" for my Vanity Fair photo shoot at the Gallery Met in New York City.  "As he expertly applied product to my face, we intermittently talked of our careers and love lives in between him bestowing absolute gems of advice regarding applying makeup and my apparent calling to move to The City," I said in this previous post of my time with Blair.



Here are some of those gems of advice from behind the scenes:

• Start with a flawless and even complexion.  It's the necessary foundation to begin creating any look.  If you don't naturally have perfect skin, then use moisturizer, foundation and concealer to make your face appear perfect.


• To hide under eye circles, use a good eye cream.  "Moisturizing the eye area will help free up the trapped blood under the surface of the skin that causes the circles," said Blair.  Then use a concealer that has a pearl pigment or a little shimmer to reflect light off the surface of the area.  He used Estée Lauder Ideal Light "Brush-on" Illuminator under my eyes, which is one of his favorite products.


• Use a darker foundation on the skin below your cheekbone to contour your cheeks.  Blair used Estée Lauder Double Wear Light "Stay-in-Place" Makeup with SPF 10 in Intensity 1 above my cheekbone and Intensity 3 below.


• Apply blush to the apples of your cheeks and slightly upward and back under your eye.  Blair used Estée Lauder Pure Color Blush in Exotic Pink on my cheeks.


• When applying powder, don't drag the brush over your skin, but tap it.


• To highlight eyes, but not shrink small eyes like mine, Blair recommends dotting eyeliner in between the eye lashes of the lower lashline.


• Fill in eyebrows with an eyebrow pencil or eye shadow that is a shade lighter, unless you have fair eyebrows.  Then use a shade that is shade darker.


• Apply a bit of powder or bronzer to your neck to even out skin tone and minimize the difference between your made up face and nearly bare neck.


• For makeup to be camera-ready, wait 15 minutes so that it has time to mix with your skin's oils and appear natural.  When short on time, Blair suggests dabbing a very small amount of the Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair serum onto skin to add luminescence.

Here is a list of Blair Patterson's Top 10 favorite Estée Lauder products:

1. Double Wear Light Foundation


2. Ideal light Concealer


3. Bronze Goddess Bronzer


4. Day Wear Plus Tinted Moisturizer


5. Double Wear Eye Liners (all colors)


6. Tiramisu Pure Color Lipstick


7. Passion Fruit Pure Color Lipstick


8. Advanced Night Repair Serum


9. Blue Dahlia Eye Shadow Palette


10. Sumptuous Mascara in Black

For more tips from Blair Patterson visit here for a 2 hour makeup session with MakeupandBeauty.com and here for a Q&A with LivingMagazine.net.

All dolled up, thanks to Blair