S/S 2016 Makeup Trends and A Chat with MAC Cosmetics Senior Artist Louise Zizzo

Louise Zizzo, M.A.C. Cosmetics' Senior Artist was in Singapore recently to showcase the Spring/Summer 2016 Makeup trends, and along with taking a look at the runway looks of the season (plus some face-chart fun), I was lucky enough to score a quick interview with her.

M.A.C. Senior Artist Louise Zizzo applying lashes on a model

How would you sum up the key looks for S/S16 in one sentence?

Louise: The key looks for SS16 are deliberate, decisive, playful and have a modern sophistication to them.

What are some of the key trends that you expect to extend throughout the whole of 2016, beyond SS?

Louise: The bold lip trend and no-makeup makeup.

Desigual's S/S16 modern retro look with matte orange-red lips, clean skin and black liner

I often feel a lot of modern makeup we see on social media today is actually 50's makeup transposed onto a different color palette. Strong, defined arched brows, overdrawn lips, strobing and sculpting... as a fan of glamorous retro makeup yourself, why do you think these trends keep coming back?

Louise: You are quite right the makeup we see on social media today is based on old school techniques but I think because it is such a process - it gives a feeling of glamour and it can transform you into a completely different looking person. It's playing dress up but for the face!

What are some of the strongest makeup influences/inspirations for you?
1920's, 70's, 80's decades (especially the 80's - that's when my love affair with makeup really began as a teenager).

Colored winged liner at Moschino S/S16

You said once that makeup should be approached with "intention rather than habit". I love that - but for the benefit of the readers, could you elaborate on it?

Louise: We are creatures of habit by nature and it is very easy to apply let's say highlighter because it's trendy and everyone is doing it or someone told us to do it, but our face tells its own story and we know it best, so ask yourself why am I applying this highlighter, where do I actually need it and what is it doing for my features? Another example is concealer, just apply it where you need it - which isn't necessarily all under the eye - perhaps you just need a little in the corners.

What is in your makeup bag right now?

Louise: Plushglass in "Fulfilled" - my fave! Mineralize Skinfinish Natural and Lip Conditioner.

If you were not a makeup artist you would be.... 

Louise: An interior designer.

Thank you Louise!

M.A.C. Spring/Summer 2016 Face Charts

Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum Foundation demo and review

Bobbi Brown's new Intensive Skin Serum comes in a black glass dropper bottle that might remind you of a volatile oil foundation.

But it's not.

Unlike those silicone-y, fast-drying, lightweight liquids, this is a thick luxurious feeling skincare cream foundation more similar to those that come in jars than in dropper bottles. 

Created based on Bobbi Brown's Intensive Skin Serum, this foundation amalgamates skincare and coverage, and contains Cordyceps Mushroom extract, Bamboo Grass, and Lychee extracts for antioxidant, soothing, hydrating, and anti-aging skin benefits. What it aims to do is to provide a plumping and smoothing effect to the skin.

I think the first thing you will notice most about this formula is how hydrating it is compared to typical foundations. The dropper bottle dispenses a single pea-sized amount in a squeeze, which should be sufficient for spreading over most of your face if you want lighter coverage. 

This foundation is buildable, but you need to let the first layer set a bit first. Otherwise the creaminess might end up dissolving and sheering out the first layer. Spread out with fingers or a brush, it acts almost like a tinted moisturizer with higher coverage. The sheen and hydrating texture only adds to that effect.

To build up more coverage, take a bit more product on your hands after letting the first layer set a bit, then dab a bit more where you need coverage and pat - don't rub - the product until it evens out and blends in.

This foundation gives the effect of clean, moisturized skin. It looks so real that I almost look like I have no makeup on in the "After" image. But you can see the little mole on my inner cheek is almost not visible. The little veins around my lower cheeks are also hidden. 

But you WILL need to set this foundation with powder because even if you have dry skin, it can still crease a bit around laugh lines and under the eyes. As mentioned earlier, this feels quite like a traditional cream foundation for normal to dry skins and doesn't set completely, even though it's not oily. The dewy sheen can also emphasize pores around the inner cheek area, so it's always a good idea to powder around those areas.

Otherwise, if you have oily skin or live in a humid climate, it can start to feel a tiny bit rich on the skin. 

Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum Foundation after powdered

Though Bobbi Brown states this foundation is suited for all skin types, I still believe every foundation works better on some skins than others. And this is not one that I think oilier skins would enjoy. It might not be oily or comedogenic in formula, but it can still feel a bit heavier compared to other options on the market.

My recommendation is that if you have normal to dry or more mature skin that needs the plumping and smoothing effect, and you like fluffy cream foundations like Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation or Clinique's Dermawhite, this would be a nice option to consider.

Base makeup notes:

• Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum Foundation 3.5
• Marc Jacobs Re(marc)able Concealers in 3 and 4
• Clear Last Face Powder (medicated)
• The Balm Bahama Mama powder for subtle sculpting
• MAC Mineralize Skin Finish powder in Lightscapade on cheekbones

This is pretty much what I do daily for my base routine even though I switch the products in and out. And sometimes I'll keep it simple and just keep the focus on my lips.

Super-nude makeup look with just an intense lacquered red lip

• Givenchy Ombre Couture 1 Blanc Satin on lids - nothing but tiny diamond sparkles
• Physicians Formula Organic Wear mascara - don't like this mascara in the original formula; I'm just using it up!
• L'oreal Color Riche Lipstick in RW512 Bloody Mary - a deep dark cherry-toned red
• Shu Uemura Laque Supreme in RD 02 - cherry-toned cool scarlet gloss stain

Dior Diorskin Nude Air Serum Foundation, Loose Powder and Healthy Glow Invisible Powder compact

Dior's updated the Nude range with 3 new products under the "Nude Air" series; a Serum Foundation, Loose Powder, and a pressed compact Healthy Glow Invisible Powder.

The first thing to talk about would be the drop-dead gorgeous silver packaging with the signature Dior quilting on the caps. Everything is sleek and luxe, from the silver dropped foundation bottle, to the silver capped loose powder, and the quilted compact powder which would be at home in any Dior bag. 

 But all the packaging in the world would not be any good if the products themselves can't perform.
After all, there are beautiful luxurious products everywhere.

The original Diorskin Nude range was designed to be skin-like and natural. And the Diorskin Nude Air range shares that characteristic, but also differs in 2 key ways. 

1. Texture/feel: the new range is free of talc, and formulated with volatile oils, so it goes on weightlessly and sets quickly, leaving only pigments. Compared to the previous Nude liquid formulation, this has almost no discernible texture on the skin. 
2. Skincare properties: Nude Air products contain a proprietary formula of plant oils, vitamins, and minerals to provide antioxidants and essential fatty acids, treat and nourish the skin, as well as a "hyper-oxygenated" base which delivers oxygen to the skin.

A drop of Diorskin Nude Air running lightly down the back of my hand

Nude Air Serum Foundation

The liquid is ultra-light, like all of the new generation of volatile oil foundations. It blends out extremely smoothly, but doesn't feel like it will smear around endlessly or looking patchy, as some foundations can. The coverage is light-medium; not as heavy as alternatives like NARS All Day Luminous Weightless foundation.

The closest alternative in terms of coverage and the soft-focus velvet (matte with a slight glow) texture would be Armani's Maestro foundation. I own both, but I do have to say the Diorskin Nude Air formulation is quite a bit more sophisticated.

Diorskin Nude Air foundation coverage

That's because it's more lightweight than many of its volatile oil foundation predecessors, so it blends out quicker and more evenly. But at the same time, the pigments are much finer grained and more translucent, so it almost feels like you won't get any coverage. But these translucent pigments manage to blur flaws and unevenness so effectively that I look like I applied light concealer above. My veins, dark circles, and light marks are hidden so effectively that I was extremely surprised because the foundation was so lightweight.

But the best thing for me is that the natural-looking glow of the skin is not gone. Another favorite of mine - NARS All Day Luminous Weightless foundation - has the same ultra light texture and a coverage that surpasses this, but it gives more of a matte finish and will not be able to create that
no makeup makeup" illusion.

There is no SPF so you will need to wear your own sunblock, but do also be careful to blend it out properly because while it is easy to spread and blend, and might look fine in the mirror, the pigments do refract light and it might be visible if your coverage is uneven. (See near my jaw in the right image above where I didn't take note to pat away the excess product.)

Skin-types:
The only skins I would say this might not be suited to would be the very oily and very dry. All volatile-oil foundations are a bit paradoxical because they're very weightless feeling and most set matte or velvety, which appeals to oilier skins. But at the same time, they are oil-based, and the volatile oil formulas sometimes don't set that well on very oily skins, or certain skincare products.

Diorskin Nude Air Serum Foundation retails for SGD88 from 1 April and will be available in shades 010, 020, 030, 040

Nude Air Loose Powder and Healthy Glow Compact Powder

The Nude Air powders are designed to be like "intelligent fabrics" which are breathable and also contain skincare ingredients to help limit absorption of harmful particles.

Now these will give more of a matte finish to the skin when just applied, which is expected. The textures are ultra-light and weightless, as with the foundation, but for me personally, the key differentiation would be the skincare benefits.

The loose powder will instantly cut most of the shine from the skin, even though it doesn't have that unnatural mask-like effect some powders can create. It adds no coverage, and I don't personally find that it helps provide any additional color correction, so it's literally just an additional step to set your base.

My personal preference is for the pressed compact powder because it can do double-duty (many people who want a matte and perfected finish also prefer a little more coverage). Plus, it's easier to use and more portable.

And ultimately, if you love the Dior quilting and packaging in general, compact powder IS the key item you would bring out. So if you have to pick one, I would pick the compact. Besides being more portable and having more coverage, it also comes with its own kabuki brush, if you prefer using a brush instead of a powder puff.

But this is not a powder foundation; it's a pressed touch-up powder. So don't expect high coverage.

Same as the foundation, both powders contain skincare properties, which is great for adding extra antioxidant protection to the skin in the day, but don't contain sun protection.

The Diorskin Nude Air Loose Powder retails for SGD88, and the Compact Powder for SGD86 in shades matching the serum foundations.