What are the hottest makeup trends for summer, and how can you incorporate them into your every day look? Celebrity Makeup Artist Vincenza Carovillano offers her tips in an interview with The Marist Poll’s Mary Azzoli. Read the transcript below.
Mary
So, Vincenza, let’s just get right down to it. The Marist Poll recently asked Americans how often they wear make-up, and 56% of the entire population, both men and women, say they never wear make-up; but when we look at just women, only 19% say they never wear make-up. Does this surprise you?
Vincenza
Wait, only 19% never wear make-up?
Mary
19% of women say they never wear make-up. So, does that surprise you?
Vincenza
No.
Mary
Why not?
Vincenza
Because… So, that would mean… Because, I think most women feel good wearing make-up and even though people think… Even natural because even to look natural, you have to wear make-up, and it makes us feel good. You put your best face forward, so make-up is powerful and makes you feel positive and when you look good, you feel good.
Mary
Great. So, when it comes to beauty and fashion, we always talk about seasonal trends. So, what are some of the upcoming make-up trends for the summer?
Vincenza
Well, the hottest make-up trends now, I like to call it, “The Tropical Getaway,” because when I go to the stores and I research it, it’s like fantasy make-up. So, we want fantasy, honestly, with everything – – the stress of recession and everything that’s going on in life. It’s affecting everyone. So, in beauty, the colors are very much tropical, like bright aquas. It’s bolder, brighter colors, because they just make you feel better, a lot of glimmer, sparkle, dewy. So, if you add that into your make-up, it’s a good, easy way to just make yourself feel better by putting color into the make-up.
Mary
You know, you did bring up the recession, and you said that is reflected a little bit in terms of the color. So, how else are we seeing the make-up industry or make-up trends impacted, if in any way, by the current economic situation?
Vincenza
Well, definitely, I mean retail stores are definitely not doing as well as they were. I can see that. A lot of the drugstore brands like Maybelline, Revlon, Max Factor, have really upped their products with like the hottest new colors and trends. I mean you can get anything now [in the] drugstore. What I recommend doing honestly, even for us, like even our budget for make-up personally has gone down. So, we go see what the hottest new thing is and then we match it with a brand that’s less expensive. So, you can still get the look but you don’t have to buy the expensive YSL, Dior; you just match it, go see what’s new and happening and then go to the drugstore and match it with something that you can afford.
Mary
So, are you saying that professionals too are now kind of moving toward less expensive brands?
Vincenza
Yes, yes. I mean I, full-time; I’m at truTV, and our budget has gone down, and everyone’s affected by it because we don’t… One thing that I would never skimp on is foundation but color, lip gloss, it’s seasonal. You can have fun. I mean you don’t have to spend a lot of money on a cherry lip gloss. We could go to Maybelline, and they’ll have a cherry lip gloss. Then, you’re done with it in two months. So, definitely, it has affected everyone, all of us. If you can’t afford that, then go see… Research what’s happening, and the stores will always tell you. If you go into any of the great department stores, they always have the newest hottest things, and then go match it up with something you can afford to buy.
Mary
Okay. Many times we see trends in magazines, and they can be overpowering, maybe a little bit too much for the office. So, how can the average person incorporate some of these latest and greatest trends into their everyday look without going over that top?
Vincenza
I love it. When… I say it now honestly, Mary, that it’s like a Crayola box like when we did runway. I felt like it was a Crayola box: lime green on the eyes, pink on the lips, fuschia, red. I mean it was like great on the runway but not for life. So, the best thing to do is take one thing. So, if you like to pop the eyes… I love an aqua liner, so I do a nice bronzy natural make-up and then I put a turquoise eyeliner on instead of black; and it gives me that pop. I feel bold and fun, so it’s like… If you can picture that Crayola box, pick the one color and one area, either the lip or the eye, and just pop it there. You can’t do the whole runway. You’ve got to take one thing out of that, which feature you want to pop and you want to have fun with and focus on that, not everything. If you’re doing bold… Bold red lips are really in now, too. So, you’re not going to do dramatic eyes and bold red lips. Keep the eyes soft, maybe just clean black liner and then bold red lips, tone it down.
Mary
And, Vincenza, should age influence your use of these trends?
Vincenza
No. Make-up is fun. I’m so — love to break the rules. I think age influences more like in foundation and powders and dewiness. The skin should look fresh and dewy. I think that’s more affected by foundation. I mean, of course, I don’t know. I wouldn’t put lime green eye shadow on my 69-year-old mother. You know what I mean? So, I mean the younger you are, the more you could do real fun, trendy colors and that… But, it depends on the person. You know, we meet some very interesting people and who’s to tell them, and especially in fashion, that they can’t wear something bold. So, I don’t think so. I don’t think age has any soul about who you are and how you want to express yourself.
Mary
You also brought up the “rules”. Are there any hard and fast rules when it comes to applying make-up, when it comes to the types of colors you use? Talk to me a little bit about the “rules.”
Vincenza
The rules, I mean for me personally or maybe I don’t know if it’s rules, mistakes, or my pet peeves, are foundation, matching skin tone. Now we see… For me and my talent and my celebrities, the talent that I do, summer hopefully is coming, so foundation color changes. As the skin gets darker, the foundation has to change. You can’t wear the winter foundation. If you really look at women, most of them are always wearing the wrong color foundation. There’s that cut on the chin. It doesn’t match. Their neck and their body looks like it’s detached. I mean so if there’s any rule, I mean I’d rather see women not wear it, than like have different color skin or the wrong foundation color. With season, you have to change it just the way you would change your boots to flip-flops. It’s the same that you would change your foundation.
Mary
I know that a lot of times you can go to the store and you can be really overwhelmed by the selection of even foundation colors. So how can you, or the average person, make sure that she buys the correct foundation for her skin tone?
Vincenza
I would definitely… You have to test it to your body or look at your chest, look at your arm, not necessarily just the face because the face is a different color. Most women… I’m an advocate for sunscreen, so my face is always lighter than the rest of my body, but I love to tan. So, I match my face to my body, even though it may look like it’s wrong; but then when it’s on, it’s right. So, you have to really… I would recommend going to… That’s one thing I would recommend spending money or find out going to someone what tone you should be wearing. Are you warm? Are you pink? Are you cool? So you have a good match; and once you find it, you should stay with it. Foundations, that one staple product that you don’t go look for the new thing that’s happening. If you found the right color and the right texture, you should stay with it.
Mary
Are there any other mistakes that you see people make in terms of their make-up?
Vincenza
I would say make-up, applying blush. A lot of times towards the end of the ear where it’s not on the apple of the face, I like to see like where we would naturally blush; a lot of times women put it towards the back of their face towards… Like if you picture the ear versus on the apple where you’re smiling and you naturally would blush. If you had a glass of wine and you looked in the mirror and you got all flushed, that’s where blush should be. If you look at a natural little child and the way they’re happy and blushing, well most women… Or the colors too, Mary, people wear brown blush. Who blushes brown? I mean even bronzers should be golden, and blushes should always be rosy colored and should be… If anything, you could get really cheeky and do something that looks very blushed but no one blushes brown or those kind of tones. I mean that’s a contour color but that’s not something that women really need to do in life. So, on the apple, keep it rosy, keep it to the color that you would naturally. Then just look in the mirror, smile, and pop it on those apples.
Mary
I have one more question for you. Women aren’t necessarily the only ones who wear make-up. In our poll that we talked about earlier, 97% of men say they never wear make-up; yet a very slim proportion of men, 3%, say they do wear make-up at some point, whether it be going out for work or with their friends or for special occasions.
Vincenza
I love it!
Mary
As a celebrity make-up artist, I would imagine that you have to advise your male clients on how to wear make-up appropriately. So, if there are men out there who do wear make-up or who want to wear make-up, what advice do you have for them and what would you tell them?
Vincenza
I love it! I say that real men wear make-up, number one, I love it. Yes, we do make-up on all the men and the same with them. Most of the time, men should bronze the skin. If they’re putting on make-up, it should be either for a blemish and powder. A lot of times, they’re very shiny, like the most distracting… Even in life, I mean I love to do weddings and stuff, and I beg the grooms to let me powder them because that shine looks like sweat. It just looks terrible so I would say powder would be fabulous. It would give a smoother look to the skin and it takes down that shine. Then also with discoloration, so if there’s any one product, I would probably say concealer and powder for a man.
Mary
Are there products specifically made for men and men’s skin types?
Vincenza
Not really, honestly. I don’t recall right now, but there was… I want to say maybe it was Gaultier that had made a specific men’s line but no. It’s the same; skin is skin.
Mary
Okay, Vincenza, is there anything that you would like to add?
Vincenza
No, I’m so excited! Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen, very important.
Mary
And what about sunscreen, I mean what kind of SPF should you be looking for?
Vincenza
Oh my God! I do like Helioplex SPF 70 with no… I would say no fragrance, lotion, and put it underneath. That should be the first thing that touches skin because the damage of the sun, you cannot turn back.
Mary
Okay, great, Vincenza.
Vincenza
I think everyone should start with a great sunscreen and then have fun with make-up.
Mary
Well, Vincenza, I thank you very much for your time today. It has been very informative.
Vincenza
Thank you, Mary.
** The views and opinions expressed in this and other interviews found on this site are expressly those of the speakers or authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Marist Poll.
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