Makeover at Soft Surroundings | Vincent Knows Best

The man who perfected mega-models like Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, and Heidi Klum recently did my make-up. He also explained every step of the process. Obviously, my entire cosmetic kit and morning routine has changed.

Let me explain: I was invited by Soft Surroundings, a.k.a. a store that literally rates its textile products by softness (yes, it’s great), to meet Vincent Longo and learn a thing or two about makeup. Vincent presently works with some names you might recognize, such as Michelle Williams, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jennifer Lopez, and Elizabeth Hurley. No big deal.

Makeup artist Sasha started out my look with a work-ready combination featuring clear skin and bright eyes. Then Mr. Longo stopped by to transform my peepers into grey and purple smokey masterpieces ready for dance parties/red carpets/watching Netflix with Lance. (Guess which one I did!)

While I hope to remember everything Vincent and his team told me, here are a few of the most memorable points…

• ‘Can I be honest? That’s entirely the wrong color foundation.’ I now practically have proof that the lighting in my bathroom sucks, as in proper light it was embarrassingly obvious that my face powder was something like four shades off. Oops. Seeing the right color on was a transformation in itself.
• You’re ‘blushing’ wrong. Apparently my face (but not everyone’s face, as the other professional seemed initally confused as to why we’d put blush there) looks best with blush on the meaty part of the cheek, as opposed to the cheekbone-enhancing areas I thought I was supposed to enhance.
• I’m not going to have bold brows. Deal with it. And they don’t grow any closer together. That’s just what they look like. Stop obsessing, Julia. Vincent applied a light brow pencil around the top of my eyebrows with a gentle hand to define the shape, but not add non-existent angles.
• Shut up and contour. By using a multi-hue face powder! When you’re covering acne, the full foundation can leave the face a little… flat. The multidimensional powder fixed everything.
• Stop smearing. Seriously, smearing the concealer isn’t helping. Dab. Pat. Tap. Repeat.

To answer your question, yes, that image is Photoshop-free. Not to toot my own horn, but I didn’t know my skin could look like that. As in, y’know, awesome. To those blotchy babes and acne-affected, this primer-foundation-powder routine is amazing. Looking for the items in the look? Check out my favorites…

As an adult acne sufferer (it’s as awesome as it sounds) with combination skin (also as awesome as you’d guess) I cannot recommend this foundation more. Skin issues? This stuff tricks those around you into thinking your skin somehow didn’t age with the rest of your body, and with some primer underneath and powder on top it stays put. Think about it like leggings: Sure, they make your ass look spectacular, but the look is even better when the under and over aspects (as in underpants and some sort of tunic/dress/skirt, because they aren’t pants) are present. Okay, okay, that might be a stretch, and actually a really confusing and stupid comparison, but I feel like it has been too long since I’ve made my necessary PSA that leggings require long tops to be pants.

Now back to the makeup. Everyone looked amazing after the event. I mean, come on… Check out Carmen and, rocking that long top I was talking about, Psyche.

 Hats off to you, Vincent Longo. I’m in love with this look.