3 posts tagged "Angela Levin"
Makeup Bag Check: Sandra Bullock
The Mission: Give Sandra Bullock Best Actress-caliber beauty on the “off chance” she should take home the big prize.
The Glam Squad: Celebrity makeup artist Angela Levin for Chanel Beauty and hairstylist Adir Abergel for Frédéric Fekkai.
The Face: “I wanted Sandra to look like the true movie star she is, so we went with modern-classy Hollywood makeup: dewy skin, soft eyes, and a bold red lip,” Levin says of the look she crafted for Bullock, which started with Chanel’s Sublimage Fluid and Vitalumière Satin Smoothing Fluide Makeup in Shell. Using a brow powder rather than a pencil or a wax to give Bullock’s arches structure, Levin moved on to the eyes, lining both upper and lower lash lines with a brown shadow and opting for three coats of Chanel’s Inimitable Mascara in Noir—the Waterproof version, just in case any trips onto the podium should kick-start the waterworks. The X factor came from Bullock’s red lip, however, which Levin built using Chanel’s new Rouge Coco Lip Colour in Paris, which she also gently dabbed onto the apples of her cheeks—a signature trick to add a bit of warmth.
The Hair: For his part, Abergel wanted to “bring back simplicity,” which he achieved by coating Bullock’s hair with Fekkai’s Silky Straight Ironless Smooth Finish Serum and fashioning a deep side part. He then pulled all of Bullock’s hair over to one side and added a wave at the end—a popular style at the Oscars this year, also spotted on Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet.
The Result: A win over Meryl Streep and the bevy of nude lips and frizzy updos that ruled the red carpet last night.
Makeup Bag Check: Jennifer Aniston
Love her or hate her, you must admit there’s something compelling about Jennifer Aniston—no, we’re not talking about her personal life here (nor her GQ cover, for that matter). She’s pretty much got the rom-com thing nailed and has been enjoyable in other, less predictable on-screen formats as well (two words: Office Space). We attribute her success to her girl-next-door, all-American, plain-and-simple-but-still-sexy appeal. According to makeup artist Angela Levin, who readied Ms. Aniston for the Marley & Me premiere last night in L.A., the actress’ all-natural look is 100 percent intentional: “She just wants to look and feel great and happy.” Us too—she is so relatable! See below for Levin’s tips on how to put it all together:
The Face
To prep Aniston’s face, Levin used By Terry Lift and Stretch antioxidant serum around her eyes to smooth skin before applying just a touch of Lorac Natural Performance Foundation in NP6. To add a bit of sun-kissed contour, Levin used Rimmel’s Sun Shimmer in medium matte and brushed Bobbi Brown’s Bronzing Powder from Aniston’s temples along her cheekbones. For a rosy glow on the apples of Aniston’s cheeks, Levin mixed a Chanel Crème Lipstick in Coco Red with a hydrating lip treatment and a dab of Sephora Blush Me! in Rose Rebelle 1.
The Eyes
For some (very) understated drama, Levin blended Chanel Soft Touch Eyeshadow in Silvery toward the outer corners of Aniston’s eyes, using the same product in Slate on the lids. She topped this off with Nars Cosmetics Eye Shadow in Violetta on the center of the lids and under the lower lashes as a light smoky liner.
The Lips
With access to a whole host of professional and as-yet-unreleased goodies, Levin dipped into her arsenal and treated Aniston’s lips to Chanel’s Spring/Summer 2009 Glossimer in Mica.
Makeup Bag Check: Reese Witherspoon
At Wednesday night’s CMAs, country music’s finest donned their red-carpet best to honor their brightest stars. A few twang-less A-listers made special appearances as well, though, including Reese Witherspoon, who was in attendance—wearing a glorious one-shouldered Marchesa dress—as a presenter. The Avon brand ambassador was the epitome of elegance with a subtle flush and berry red lips. We tracked down celebrity makeup artist Angela Levin, who constructed the look and let us in on all the details:
The Face
“Clé de Peau Beauté makes this really great cream foundation that goes on completely flawless over well-moisturized skin. For my base, I always start with a primer, layer it with a hydrating moisturizer, and then apply the foundation.”
Get the look: Lorac aquaPRIME, $30, www.ulta.com ;Chanel Hydramax Active Moisture Cream, $65, www.chanel.com; Clé de Peau Beauté Silky Cream Foundation in 020, $110, www.paullabrecque.com.
The Cheeks
“Reese is an Avon girl and whenever we do photo shoots with them, they give me a bunch of makeup—which is how I discovered that they have this gorgeous cheek color called Icy Petal. I just tapped my middle finger on the top of the blush stick and then tapped it onto her cheeks.”
Get the look: Be Blushed Cheek Color in Icy Petal, $8, www.avon.com.
The Eyes
“To keep it super-elegant, you have to focus your energy in one place. So we couldn’t do a dark eye with the bright lip. I tried to work with a few different golds and pinks, starting with the colors in Chanel’s Beiges de Chanel eye shadow quad. I used the lightest shimmery beige on the inside of Reese’s eyes and the medium brown color on the center of her lids. Then I used Avon’s Professional Eyeshadow line by Jillian Dempsey to create a subtle smoky eye—in which I took an angled brush to apply the earthy maroon color in the trio as a liner, blending it with a taupe-y shimmer. Then I just used a few coats of Kevin Aucoin mascara in black.”
Get the look: Les 4 Ombres de Chanel in Beiges de Chanel, $56, www.chanel.com; Jillian Dempsey for Avon Professional Eyeshadow in Pebble Wash Trio, $9, www.avon.com Kevin Aucoin the Mascara, $25, www.drugstore.com.
The Lip
“When it comes to reds, there’s no one but Chanel. This color is a beautiful shade called Lover. When I gave Reese a mirror she gasped, Ooooh!”
Get the look: Chanel Rouge Allure Luminous Satin Lip Color in Lover, $30, www.chanel.com.