THE STAR - Saturday, December 21st, 2002
(Weekender Pg.17)

Capture ‘the look’ on camera By BOEY PING PING

CLINIQUE’S offer to look good this new year didn’t at first sound any different from the usual “makeup-cum-photo session” offered by other cosmetic brands. But this one was different.

A picture of an older woman showed one side of her face untouched, the other, every scar, pigmentation mark and wrinkle airbrushed to perfection with the help of a computer. The results were –– like Clinique’s moisturising lotion –– “dramatically different”.

I’ve never been fond of taking pictures because whenever I do, my cheeks look chubby, my eyes look squinty and the camera adds 5kg just about everywhere else. And when you’re getting on in age, smiling for the camera isn’t flattering anymore because it aggravates the fine lines near the eyes and mouth.

So the opportunity to look flawless on camera was too good to pass up.

First, the makeover.

Kaydee Lim, a freelance makeup artist clipped up my hair and proceeded to trim my eyebrows. My overgrown brows suddenly acquired a neat, tamed look. She then removed all traces of foundation with “quick dissolve-makeup solvent” but used a gentler “eye makeup remover” for the eyes and lips.

Since I have “combination skin”, Lim chose Clinique Clarifying Lotion 2 to further cleanse the face.

Lee remarked that my eyes looked tired. Can I help it? I spend most of the day staring into the computer. But I was confident that the photo imaging would do wonders to my eyes. Lee tried her best to hide the fatigue with eye moisturiser, All About Eyes and used the oil-free formula of Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion on the face to protect it from makeup. All About Lips was smoothed on to remove dead cells and moisturise the lips to help lipstick glide on easily.

Understandably, heavier makeup was applied as the bright spotlights would fade out some of the colours.

Lim applied on some foundation with the fingers avoiding the eye area. A concealer was used above and under the eyes. It went on after the foundation as otherwise the concealer would be concealed when the foundation was blended. As Lim brushed Gentle Light Powder over my face, my complexion took on an immediate glow.

Lim concentrated on purplish colours to match my outfit. She started off with a light pink from “sugar & spice” as a base colour and brushes “smashing”, a plum colour on the bottom half of the eyelid. Then she blended the brown from “sugar & spice” on the eye contour in a V-shape alternating between brush and fingers.

She drew on black eyeliner on the top lids and while waiting for it to dry, did my eyebrows. Lim recommended dark grey rather than dark brown for the eyebrows for a more natural look.

On the lower eyelid, Lim used a black eye pencil which at first looked too drawn and unnatural. But Lim assured me that she had not finished yet. She carefully blended it with “smashing” eyeshadow, and then it really opened up the eyes. To finish off the eyes, Lim curled my eyelashes with an eyelash curler and applied black mascara –– up, down, and zigzag.

Rich Textured Blush in “rich plum” was then applied, downwards and away, to prevent blusher from getting into the pores. Using a lip shaping pencil in “perfect amber” helped prepare an ideal lip shape while Long Last Lipstick in “pink spice soft shine” felt creamy on the lips. Top it off with Superbalm Lip Treatment and the lips looked glossier, juicy and enticing.

Whitening Compact Powder was used to set the makeup. Lim obliged my final request to shade the nose area to give the impression of a higher nose.

Voila!

Once the makeup was done, it only took five minutes to pose, click and shoot.

As the photographer clicked away, clever Lim aimed a hairdryer from ground level at my hair to achieve a wind-swept hair effect. I asked if it was always this fast, and they told me that if the person is in the right mood, it’s easier to get the job done.

I was given a choice of four photos to pick from. It was hard to make a choice as the guys from New Look Image Photo Studio had done a really good job. Another five minutes to touch up the selected picture and ta-da, all done! It was a miracle!

My eyebags and crow’s feet have vanished. And I didn’t even have to fork out RM1,000 for a Botox treatment. Now if only, I can find a way to keep them like that.

Some might find the pictures a little uncanny because the photographers don’t leave a single line on the face. You can either look at it as unnatural, or ultra-flawless skin. Too bad they can’t slim down the cheeks. They told me they could visually contract my face but it wouldn’t look very natural.

All in all, it took a little less than an hour to achieve flawless skin. I walked off with slightly heavier makeup than usual, but with a smile on my face, and a perfect picture in my hand. E