Interview with Celebrity Makeup Artist Vanessa Scali

We were fortunate enough to be able to ask celebrity makeup artist Vanessa Scali, who did America Ferrara’s SAG look earlier this week, some burning beauty questions!

Temptalia: America has a very full, natural brow – is there a way for women to mimic this or accentuate what they have? So many women have thin brows in a season where natural is becoming the trend.
Vanessa: You can give the appearance of a fuller brow by using a brow pencil or a brow shadow (applied with an angle brush). Using a shade a touch lighter than your brow, subtlety fill in / shade the top of the brow. It is important to do this on the top because shading under the arch can close in the eye. Where you start shading depends on the shape and fullness of your brow. Very thin brows may want shading from end to end. Medium density brows can generally start at the arch and extend out to the end of the brow. Finish by brushing your brows up into the newly shaded area.

Temptalia: What is the best way to get a long-lasting lip color that requires minimal touch-ups? Does lip liner really help it to stay in place longer?
Vanessa: There are certainly some great long wear formulas and methods. Which you choose depends on what look you want. Because America is young and has beautiful full lips, I wanted to give her mouth intensity while maintaining a certain lightness / transparency — nothing heavy and dated. I used the Lip Coloring Stick in Raisinberry all over the lip to “stain” the lip in a semi-sheer wash of color. The lip coloring stick is creamy enough to glide over the entire lip, dry enough to stay put, and has a very clean feel on the lip.

Temptalia: What do you have to pay attention to or what additional products do you use to make America camera-ready, especially with the detail picked up by high definition?
Vanessa: High definition TV picks up every detail. This means clean make up. Especially the skin. I use foundation and powder only where it is needed and very sparingly at that. To avoid powder buildup, I supply her with blotter papers for touch ups.