Makeup products: how to give them a new life (and other uses), according to a famous makeup artist

MAKEUP TRICKSUsing a concealer like bronzer or an eyeshadow like lipstick is possible if you know the principles of mixology

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Perhaps the most famous and clear example of how to give other uses (and a new life) to makeup products we have in our grandmothers when they used their red lipstick as a blush. Or in the story that tells the genesis of a mythical make-up product: The Multiple stick, by NARS, inspired by that photo session that François Nars did with the model Carolyn Murphy made up, solely and exclusively, with a used lipstick on eyes, cheeks and lips.

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But the reality is that giving a different use -to that stipulated commercially- to a makeup base, a lipstick or a concealer for dark circles is something that is the order of the day among makeup artists. “The products are designed to fulfill a mission focused on the consumer, but when we discovered their potential, we expanded their versatility tremendously. Sometimes giving other uses to those stipulated requires a certain courage, but it can be done”, confirms Baltasar González Pinel, artistic director of MAC for Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Here are some examples:

#one. A nude or brown lipstick as a bronzer

"Lipsticks in these colors can be used as light sunbaths, applying them above the nose, on the cheekbones...", says the expert.

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#two. A pearly lipstick as a highlighter

Especially if it is applied to the top of the cheekbones.

#3. A red lipstick as blush

To replicate the trick of our grandmothers, González Pinel insists, however, on the use of long-lasting, pigmented and creamy formulas so that they have a melting and creamy finish on the cheeks.

By Ana Morales

#4. A dark concealer like bronzer (and other uses)

It is one of the most versatile products. And it is that the make-up artist confirms that applied with a brush it can be used as a bronzer. You can even go further and mix it with a red lipstick to achieve an even more natural and related tone. And it is that by mixing these two products, a more credible tan is achieved because it imitates the behavior of the skin's melenin when it reacts to the sun. By the way, these concealers can also be used as eye shadows and to draw freckles on the face.

#5. A dark foundation like bronzer

If in summer the base tone has been changed and during the winter it is too dark, González Pinel proposes giving it another use by applying it with a brush as a cream bronzer.

#6. A pale concealer to brighten the face

Choosing a very light concealer to cover dark circles is not a good idea, but it is a good idea to reinvent its use "to sculpt and give light to the upper part of the cheekbones," explains González Pinel.

#7. illuminating powder as eye shadow

In order to intensify the pigment of the illuminating powders, the expert advises moistening the makeup brush with a moisturizing mist -it can be Prep + Prime Fix from MAC- before applying the illuminator to the eyelids. “Getting them wet increases the shine and pigment of the product,” she explains.

#8. Coral pigments as blush

For Baltasar González Pinel, the most versatile product is color pigments. “They constitute the genesis of makeup products”, he points out. His tricks? Mix with a balm to be used as lipsticks or as illuminators. And if they are in coral tones, mixed with the makeup base they form the perfect cream blush.

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