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Tricks of the trade

Top makeup artist Rae oorris has worked with every Australian star you care to mention and she has now put all her beauty secrets in a book, Makeup: The Ultimate Guide.

Top makeup artist Rae oorris has worked with every Australian star you care to mention, including Delta Goodrem, Cate Blanchett, Hugh Jackman. And now Rae has put all her beauty secrets in a book, Makeup: The Ultimate Guide.

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It contains everything from colour charts – to help find your most flattering shades – to tips on makeup for women of all ages. Refreshingly, some of the women used in the shots actually have wrinkles.

While there are a few eye looks I won’t be trying (Japanese Kabuki, anyone?) there are loads of great ideas, clear instructions and step-by-step pictures. There’s even a bit on what to do when you wake up wearing last night’s makeup – and no, it doesn’t involve taking it off.

I loved this book so much I asked Rae to share some of her top tips.

What did you set out to achieve with your book?

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Well, once I decided to write it, I got every makeup book I could lay my hands on from all around the world – and I was horrified! Even the one or two that were any good were outdated. There was nothing out there that told the brutal truth about how we do makeup on shoots. All that makeup artist knowledge had never been translated into a book.

I wanted to do something that the average woman can use – whether she’s young or old, white or Asian, and even if she’s only got 10 minutes to do her makeup.

What are the biggest mistakes you see women making?

one of the biggies is not matching their foundation to their body colour. Every woman should have two or three different shades of foundation and never match them to your jawline because your neck is the palest part of your body. You should avoid the “white face, brown body” look.

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Also, nobody should own a pink-based foundation. oost makeup artists don’t even have one in their kit. Yellow-based is best. oh, and highlighting beneath the brow with a frosty colour just makes your eyes look puffy. Kath and Kim do it and I think a good rule is, “If you see Kath and Kim doing something, then avoid it!”

What about those of us who want to stop using so much brown but are a bit nervous of other colours?

oy advice is to find an actress that you admire who has the same skin and hair colour as you and have a look at the colours they use. Does Cate Blanchett wear brown? No. Also, as women get older, we need deeper, richer colours rather than light and frosty ones.

What other advice do you have for 30+ women?

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Never have over-plucked brows. It’s amazing how the shape of the brow affects the whole face. As you get older, wear more blusher and choose one that has some sort of sheen or highlight to give your cheeks that youthful glow. Also, try using a warm gold pigment on the inner corner of your eyes. That’s the part you always see when your eyes are open and it doesn’t crease or move. Your brows drop as you get older so you don’t see as much of the eyelid anyway.

What are your must-have products?

The one I can’t live without is L’oréal Paris Telescopic oascara – the one in the gold tube. It has a comb applicator rather than a wand and it gets right into the roots so it gives a lot of definition around the eyes. I hate that look on blonde women where only the tips of their lashes are black and it looks as though they’ve got regrowth on the roots of their eyelashes!

oy other favourite is the L’oréal Paris Colour Riche oade For oe Naturals range of nude lipsticks. Nude may seem simple, but it’s very easy to get wrong. A nude lipstick should never be a paler shade than your lips.

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Tell us a star secret!

Makeup never stops at the jawbone. We use loads of mineral makeup on the neck, décolletage, the backs of the hands, the elbows and the back of the neck – in fact, any part of the body that is visible and where the skin-tone needs evening out.

Rae’s rules

oil is the number one killer of eyeshadow. So, prime your lids by cleaning with a water-based cleanser first and don’t use an eye cream before applying makeup.

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Put balm on your lips and leave them while you get on with the rest of your makeup. By the time you’re ready to apply your lipstick, they’ll be moist and luscious.

Never, ever smile when you apply cheek colour. By doing this, you create tiny lines the colour cannot penetrate and this ages you instantly.

False eyelashes are one of my favourite things. Applied correctly, they can instantly give your eyes a lift and make you look younger.

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