Spring Beauty Master Class

Spring Beauty Master Class: You could say that Maxime Poulin earned his pHd in makeup application in Paris by working alongside Guerlain’s Creative Director of Makeup Olivier Echaudemaison. Olivier is one of the most respected artists who has worked with almost every European royal family at one time. He made up Jacqueline Kennedy, Princess Grace and Princess Anne among a host of modern-day actresses. And he’s the person who develops all of Guerlain’s innovative makeup products and limited edition colour collections.

Maxime has recently returned to Canada where he now acts as the brand’s international makeup artist traveling across the country training counter managers and working with VIP clients. He’s refined his skills to an art and he clearly learned Olivier’s particular techniques. I recently sat down with him to get some quick spring beauty tips.

Dave: To start, how do women in Paris in springtime update their makeup? I’ve noticed that Parisienne women are a big inspiration this year.

 

Maxime Poulin.: Parisian women definitely update the texture of their makeup when the season changes: going into spring they want lighter textures and silky finishes. They want softer textures yes, but brighter colors. After the long gray Parisian winter they update the classic red nails and lips with sublime pinks and corals! Nails and lips are the jewels with which they express themselves! They keep eye makeup minimal at all times!

D: I’ve noticed there is a trend to these soft, watercolour shades for spring – soft lilacs, pastel blues, gentle yellow. What is the best way to wear these shades for spring?
M.P.: These pastel colors look amazing as a gentle wash on the upper eyelid, paired with a bold pencil definition and massive lashes. These gentle hues, like yellow, have a brightening effect on the whites of your eyes. Soft yellow really has the ability to reduce redness in the eyes. Pale yellow is also a great idea if you are concerned with darkness around the eyes: it will give the effect of color correction against blue and purple undertones! But you must use these colors with a nicely lined lash in order to have enough definition. These shades are youthful because of the contrast of temperatures. But to look really youthful, we need to add definition to the lashes.

D: What eye colour shades look best on blue eyes? How about brown eyes?

M.P.: Blue eyes will be enhanced by pale yellows and soft pinks while brown eyes look best when paired with blues and purples! It’s always a question of saturation of pigments and level of contrast!

 

D: What looks modern to you for spring 2016? How do you update your look?

M.P.: You need to update your foundation and make sure that your skin is glowing and radiant! You want to cheat the healthy effects of the sun on your skin with the mythical Terracotta! As spring is coming we are leaving behind the winter skin which we wanted very dewy and where we mixed oil with our foundation to get the perfect moist look! To prepare for the warmer season we want to avoid thickness and we want fresh easy skin! Textures like the Terracotta Joli Teint fluid are just amazing because you don’t even need to set it with a powder as it contains auto-fixative agents! It also adds this warm glow to the skin that makes any skin tone more youthful without ever being orange thanks to the blue radiance technology: just as blue corrects orange in the chromatic wheel. Terracotta, the first bronzing power in the world, enhances the shape of the face. Not fully matte, yet not shiny, just reproduce three weeks of sun in three seconds before the real tan kicks in! The new trend is about a bronzed complexion: much more subtle and radiant, the bronze goddess of the 70’s is back with a softer more natural approach!

D: Meteorites work so well with this feminine look. How do you complete this look with a radiant glow?

M.P.: Yes, Météorites is the perfect way to complete a new spring look. To sublimate your complexion don’t forget to always play with light and shadows to enhance natural radiance. Meteorites are perfect little handmade pearls that offer soft color correction: green corrects redness, pink corrects ashy-ness, mauve corrects yellow, beige unifies and gold and white adds light and radiance. The perfect gesture is to pick up a perfect blend of color to rebalance the tone of the face and give you the ultimate natural glow for day or evening lighting. To really perfect your complexion in spring, you need to add some colour (especially coming out of a Canadian winter…). Use Terracotta to achieve a healthy glow (which works amazing with pastel colours) followed by Météorites to enhance light reflection.