Have you ever wondered how your favourite movie-stars and celebrities manage the perfect make-up? Veteran celebrity make-up artist Mohamed Abdel-Hamid will make it clear for you. “My journey with the world of cinema started when I was in high school helping my uncle, the eminent celebrity beauty expert Mohamed Ashoub,” said Abdel-Hamid. “Since I graduated from the Faculty of Commerce, being a celebrity make-up artist was far from my dreams but sometimes the profession choses you,” he added. During his professional life as a make-up expert, which lasted for almost 28 years, Abdel-Hamid worked with veteran stars like Ahmed Zaki, Faten Hamama, Mervat Amin, Laila Elwi, Youssra, Raghda and others. “Very heavy eyelashes, black eyeliner of the 1960s and dark lipsticks like dark red, brown, and deep purple are very trendy to wear this winter at parties or on evenings out in general,” Abdel-Hamid said. “Generally, warm colours like orange, yellow, red and brown are preferable in the winter season. But to be more stylish this year, you can add black to any lipstick to make it even darker,” he added. Abdel-Hamid prefers to use dark lipsticks with light blusher colours like beige and light brown on the cheeks. “Don't use too much blusher or overdo it,” he said. Using lighter colour shades like gold or brown on the brows will give your eyes a beautiful glow, he added. As for the eyebrows, a straight line with a quick lift is fashionable this year. “However, it is not suitable for all face shapes as it needs a short distance between the eyebrows and lashes,” Abdel-Hamid said. Abdel-Hamid helps women who want to look stunning in how to wear the right make-up that covers and hides anything. First, try to take a nap before a party in the evening, he advises. Then, choose the right make-up colour to suit your skin tone. “All Middle Easterners have olive skin tones but they vary in colour. Olive skin is unique. Try to use colours with a slight undertone of yellow to add to the skin tone. Avoid colours like rose, pink, green, ash or blue,” he explains. Ruddy or fair skin tones can use other colours in foundations, concealers and powders that are right for them, he added. As for lipsticks, Abdel-Hamid believes that they should be dark but should also match the dress. “Make your lipstick last longer and not fade so fast by first applying a thin layer of lipstick all over your lips. Take a tissue and separate into two halves. Then place one sheet over your lips and gently use a powder puff to apply loose powder through the tissue to set the lipstick in place. Remove the tissue and then lightly apply a bit more lipstick on top,” he advises. Another trick for long-lasting lipstick, according to Abdel-Hamid, is to use a lip-liner to outline the lips, as well as to fill them in. Then use lipstick on them. For those who want to apply kohl, he advises black, saying that “black is the king of all the colours”. His advice to women is not to blindly follow make-up trends in an attempt to look current and up with the latest trends. “Pick and choose what is appropriate for you and show your beauty and at the same time express your personality. The aim is to look pretty not colourful,” he adds. For make-up artist and beauty consultant Reham Gehad, the 2016 look is the vintage look. Gehad has been working for 14 years in the field of make-up and skin care. She graduated from the School of Applied Arts in Cairo and then took make-up courses, the last at the New York Cinema Make-up School, one of the best in the world. The new make-up trend for working woman in the daylight, Gehad says, is lipsticks in brown, matt brown, or dark red with no mascara or just light colours for eye shadow. You can simply put on face powder for eye shadow, she says. Long and thick eyelashes draw immediate attention to the eyes. You can build volume by putting layers of thick mascara on your eyelashes. “Don't use coloured mascara as it is no longer fashionable. Only use brown or black mascara,” she adds. Applying blusher depends mainly on face shape, whether square, round, oval or heart. Apply blusher to the contours of the face where it will create the appearance of higher cheekbones and a slimmer nose and chin. “When you go to a professional make-up artist, she can tell you your contour line and face shape,” Gehad said. There is also a trend to use an airbrush machine, which sprays make-up onto the skin by air instead of it being applied with sponges or other methods. Gehad explains that there are now airbrush make-up machines designed for home use, and these are the easiest way for any woman who doesn't know how to put on foundation to learn. “It is very simple, and it gives the best and smoothest foundation you have ever seen,” she says. Gehad gives some tips for glowing morning make-up, the first step being to apply sun block. Then put on mineral powder and concealer if needed, or concealer and beauty balm cream. The third step is to dip a clean blusher brush in mineral powder and shake it to dust off extra powder. Apply the powder by rubbing the brush on your skin in a rounded motion. For working women, Gehad prefers permanent lashes or six-month lashes. “They are very practical and cut the time needed to put on make-up in the morning. You don't need to put on mascara. You only need lipstick and blusher and that's it,” she comments. Gehad doesn't like the use of henna to draw on eyebrows. “The first day you look ugly. It becomes better after three days and lasts for one week or 15 days. When it starts to fade away it leaves a colour that is not nice,” she comments. Instead, she prefers eyebrow powder. Use brown eyebrow powder from blond to dark brown. “The most fashionable is to make the eyebrows thick or medium long. It gives both an elegant look and a hair effect,” she said. Celebrity make-up artist Mohamed Abdel-Hamid gives his tips for the perfect eyebrows: - Look straight into the mirror and use a ruler to measure a straight line from the curve of your nostril to the inner corner of your eye and into the eyebrow. This is the beginning of your eyebrow. - Measure a straight line from the corner of your nostril to the outer edge of your iris. This is the highest point of your brow arch. - Angle the ruler from the edge of the nostril to the outer corner of the eye. This is where your brow should end. - Lastly, join the three points together and draw the shape you want. Make-up artist and beauty consultant Reham Gehad explains the mistakes every woman should avoid when putting on make-up for the daytime: - First, what God gives you is perfect. Don't try to change your skin tone. You will look weird not beautiful. - Second, don't forget to use sun block in both the summer and the winter. It has an anti-ageing effect. - Third, don't draw your eyeliner too far outside the lash line as it makes the eyes look too dramatic. Extend the eyeliner no more than two mm outside the corner of your eyes. - Lastly, don't go for dramatic lipstick. It is not appropriate for the morning. Choose a colour near your skin tone and lips, like pink or rose.
