An interview with Makeup Artist Lan Nguyen

Lan Nguyen was the head makeup artist for The Art of Being by Elizabeth Emanuel and she shares a few tips with us on her couture makeup look.What was the inspiration for the makeup?LN -The inspiration was based on make up that is Paris Couture. The treatment of John Galliano's catwalk shows which are full of style and colourful make up. I wanted to capture the element of this show's style which is dramatic and beautiful with a fantasy element of doll like features.How did you come up with the concept?LN - After taking a look at extreme couture make up I decided to convert it into a london style which Elizabeth Emanuel had requested. By merging together the Paris feeling of beautiful groomed features such as the eyebrows and lips with exaggerated eyelashes. I studied mannequins and dolls from natural to extreme which helped me decide on what parts I wanted to play up. Then it was about mixing in the London smokey wet look with effortless grooming.What products did you use?LN - I used the first colour cosmetic range from Rituals which consists of pure precious stones such as pearl and jade which conditions the skin. Also the key look was the perfect matte to satin finish red lip where I used the lip pencil and Lip Jewel Lipstick which has an intense color. On the eyes I used Perfectionist eyeliner for a strong gloss finish and Intense Look masacra for volume eyelashes. Also added eyelashes on top of the eye as well as bottom for added drama. Underneath the eye was a deconstructed beautiful Magic Blush in two toned pink blended as a highlighter. Finally I used Satin Finish Compact Powder which is 100% natural and gave an even toned finish.Many people commented on how couture the makeup looked. What elements can be used in everyday life?LN - You can adapt the look by filling in your eyebrows with a shade darker eyebrow shadow or pencil to make them look groomed and full. Also placing strong liner and eyelashes with a red lip is beautiful together. Keeping the rest of your make up minimal.Was this look a challenge for your team?LN - I think my team was great. Some of the girls from AOFM who assisted me had  experience in doing strong red lips and eyebrows, but in general like a test, being under pressure to get it perfect! They really enjoyed in creating the look. It has such strong technique elements and hidden contouring which is naked to the eye and when under pressure you can forget to do a few bits. I also had several make up artists friends who came to help me and for them it was totally different to be working on this show because its not often you get to create a couture look for London Fashion Week!