[tabgroup][tab title=”Makeup Brush Elements “]
CREATING AN EXPERIENCE
Cozzette makeup brushes are made with 100% high quality synthetics that have excellent durability and offers exceptional softness, resilience, and shape retention for maximum artistic ability. In recent years, makeup brushes made of synthetic hair filaments have become generally accepted as an excellent alternative to natural hair. Synthetic ‘hair’ is not real hair, but polymer filaments made to look and act like hair.
Cozzette, synthetic makeup brushes are constructed using a mixture of filament diameters to achieve shapes and styles that mimic animal hair and are perfect for makeup application. Our makeup brushes vary in thickness and resilience, the filament comes to a tapered point, and some fibers are crimped or roughened to hold pigments. Just as with natural-hair brushes, Cozzette blends different size synthetic fibers to achieve desired shape and characteristics.
Synthetic makeup brushes can be used with all mediums. Short-handled, soft brushes with snap and spring are preferred for powder shadows and have the strength to move crème color. The best of both worlds! [/tab][tab title=”How To Clean Makeup Brushes”]
CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE TECHNIQUES
To spot clean with Aromatherapy Makeup Brush Cleaner, spray a tissue or paper towel with the product and gently swipe the bristles of the makeup brush along the portion of the towel dampened with the solution.
Once pigment/product is no longer on your makeup brush, swipe the bristles along the clean/dry portion of the paper until all residue and traces of pigmentation are removed from the fibers.
The normal drying time for a spot-cleaned brush is approximately 5 to 10 minutes.
To deep clean with Aromatherapy Makeup Brush Cleaner, start by submerging the fibers of the makeup brush up to the ferrule (the crimped metal sleeve that attaches the bristles to the handle) in a small Vessel (5 inch) lid or cup. Gently agitate the brush in the mixture to reach the core of the bristles and any pigment/product residue will be expelled from the brush.
Once your makeup brushes are clean, remove the excess liquid by gently squeezing the bristles (never wring, twist or pull) with a paper towel. Reshape the makeup brush head to its original form and lay flat to dry, preferably over a counter ledge to facilitate equal drying on all sides.
The approximate drying time for this procedure is 1 to 3 hours. Please note: Never submerge the entire brush in any liquid.
Tip 1: Often brushes are housed in a brush roll or bag that can smash brushes, bending the fibers. (This problem was the motivation behind the creation of Cozzette Vessels).
To reshape synthetic makeup brushes, simply dip them under extremely hot water. This will allow you to return the brush to its original shape. Squeeze out the water and lay flat to dry. [/tab][tab title=”Conturing “]
CREATING CONTOURS
Contouring techniques that enable the artist to create the illusion of well-defined features and minimize less desirable ones.
These techniques are based on size and proportion and are adaptable to be used in any medium. Contouring is the deepening of a specific feature.
The goal with contouring is to make the area appear to be receding.
Recommenced Brushes for this application:
Contouring the Cheeks Place your index finger on the side of the face where the cheekbone meets the ear to feel for the indentation. This is where the contour goes…just beneath blush. Contour supports the blush.
1. The contour should look like a shadow on the face. Choose a medium to dark neutral brown color that is 2 or 3 times darker then the skin tone. The tone should not be to warm (red) or to cool (green). Once applied to the particular skin tone you should check the color payoff to ensure that you are creating a soft shadow effect. Remember contour is to enhance bone structure and should only be used in “color” to create an intentional result.
2. Using the S135 Contour Stylist Brush, start at the hairline just below the cheekbone, adding the contour color toward the nose and tapering off near the middle of the apple of the cheek. Please note:A good rule is to apply contour color no further then the center of the eye and no lower than the top lip.
3. Adding Blush Coloration – Now that the bone structure has been enhanced. Add color and shape, with a chosen blush tone, using the S130 Round Blush Brush. The application will start with a dash (brush stroke) from the edge of the hairline near the ear toward the apple of the cheek slightly higher then the contour color added previously.
4. Apply blush on the apple to complete this step. You may ask your client to smile to enhance their individual bone structure.
5. Repeat this action until the desired depth of color is achieved.
Contouring the Nose: Consider that the nose is viewed from the sides and the front so there is very little room for error.
1. The goal is to apply an extremely fine layer of makeup as to create a seamless shadow pattern on either side of the nose tapering off toward the tip of the nose and continuing upward to the eye’s socket to render a more streamlined feature.So please be adaptable with this application. Less is more!
Eye Contour: Eye contour is the most common form of this technique used. It may be referred to as the “crease” color.
The purpose is to define the structure of the eye adding depth.
1. Using the S175 The Eye Contour, start the contouring using a taupe shade that is slightly darker then the skin tone.
2. Remember this is the first step in the building process of creating a three-dimensional effect.
3. Apply the color in a broad sweeping motion from the outer corner of the eye socket toward the inner corner. Using multiple passes to create depth and blending.
4. Repeat process using the S185 Eye Contour Brush-Mini with a deeper color to further enhance the contour and/or coloration of the eye shadow design.
Jawline Sculpting: Apply makeup lengthwise just under the jawbone from the ear toward the chin to add subtle shading. This creates the appearance of a defined jaw line. [/tab][tab title=”Highlighting “]
CREATING HIGHLIGHTS
Highlights fall on the face as if to say, “Yes, that’s where the light would shine.” And so was born the notion of how light would play a major roll when it came to brightening up the complexion, eye or even developing shape on a lip.
Contour is nothing without highlight. A highlight is intended to lighten, brighten, and accent the most interesting features of the face or body. Highlight can be either matte or iridescent in texture depending on the type of payoff you desire.
Highlights should be used to enhance and brighten features on the face and body. Highlights can vary in texture and can be established using either crème concealer (for a flat effect), or an iridescent crème or powder is used for a sparkly addition to the complexion.
Brow bone/Upper cheekbone: When working with the delicate tissue surrounding the eye you must exercise the utmost control with product and pressure. Shimmery hues tend to emphasize texture.
Choose the makeup according to how the skin’s texture is. If the skin has a loss of elasticity, flat tones are best to minimize texture. If the skin can afford it let it shine!
Selecting a Highlight Shade: Once you have determined the primary foundation color, choose a concealer one or two shades lighter for the highlight or select an iridescent powder, crème or liquid for a light reflecting effect.
1. Using the S140 Highlight Brush, start to apply the product to the area just above the blush placement. Sweeping the brush from the hairline toward the center of the cheek tapering off ¾ of the way to the apple.
2. Careful not to apply a highlight to the apple or center of the cheek. This may cause a “hot” effect when photographed. You face the chance of the flash creating a reflection that will appear like a white spot of the face.
Nose and Cupid’s Bow: The purpose of highlight on the Nose and/or the Cupid’s Bow is to create the illusion of a shapely enhanced feature.
1. Start by using the D330 Stylist Illustrator Brush with a concealer shade about one or two shades lighter than the primary skin tone.
2. The color should be placed lengthwise down the center of the nose tapering off near the tip of the nose and ending at the brow bone between the eyebrows. Please note: Shimmery hues may be used to highlight the feature if the skin’s texture can afford it. Careful not to draw unwanted attention to the feature.
3. Using the D320 Stylist Designer Brush, which will allow for the utmost precision and placement of product, apply the highlight color to the area on the top of the lip known as “The Cupid’s bow”.
4. Be sure to refine the beginning and ends of the shape with the brush or finger tips.
[/tab][tab title=”HD Awareness “]
HD Makeup – Pretty From Afar, But Far From Pretty
Back in the late ’90s, Roque Cozzette was among the first in the cosmetics world to encounter a major opportunity in makeup artistry: the rise of high-definition (HD) video resolution. Where older analog technology uses 525 vertical and 500 horizontal lines of resolution per inch of screen, HD resolution more than doubles that capacity, showing viewers 1080 vertical and 2000 horizontal lines of resolution per inch. The increase in clarity between the two is monumental; details that are invisible with analog technology become glaringly obvious in HD.
Tech giant Sony was holding a training session to introduce its producers, directors, and cameramen to the company’s new HD equipment, and they asked Roque Cozzette to serve as the session’s key makeup artist. Cozzette quickly discovered his industry’s new reality: what looks beautiful to the naked eye can crumble completely under the amplified resolution of an HD lens. Because HD magnifies visual detail to a degree that neither the naked eye nor analog technology can, the slightest imperfections in a model’s makeup become obvious on camera. From fine lines and wrinkles to heavy makeup or dry skin, flaws are never forgiven when the medium is HD. But while HD cameras demand an unprecedented degree of precision from makeup artists, they also present an opportunity increased artistry and, ultimately, visual perfection. Cozzette sees HD as an incentive for makeup artists everywhere to sharpen their creative skills and think strategically, and in the years since that Sony training session, he has developed a series of best practices for working in HD.
HD’s main challenges come down to two elements: color and texture. Color appears more vivid in HD than in analog, which means that makeup artists need a solid grounding in color theory to manage the intensity of different shades. Many are familiar with the process of maximizing intensity by placing complementary colors side by side, but mixing those colors in order to mute them is an even more important rule for working in HD. Generally, combination with a complementary color will work to neutralize any color that appears too intense. If skin is flushed (red/violet), for example, and appears too vivid in HD, then application of the correct shade of olive (yellow/green) neutralizes the skin’s tint and creates a natural look onscreen.
The same principle applies in working with colored photographers’ lighting gels: if lighting alters the onscreen color of a model’s skin, makeup in a complementary color will provide a neutralizing effect overall. Because variations in color appear more vividly in HD than ever before, knowing how to control those variations is increasingly essential. Texture is also much more magnified in HD, and as a result, products often become too dramatic. For example, if makeup looks matte to the face, chances are it’ll appear dry on camera; if it’s shiny, then it’s in danger of looking wet or greasy through the lens.
Additionally, heavy makeup of any kind reads as clearly artificial in HD. Where makeup artists could once use as much concealer as necessary to cover blemishes, heavy concealer is far too visible to work in modern HD formats.
Unwilling to compromise his standards, Cozzette set out to find ways for makeup artists to maintain artistic excellence while working in HD. Through a series of tests and focus groups in the studio after the Sony event, he discovered that silicone (an emollient) and mica (a mineral often ground down to work as an absorbent, or used in bigger pieces for a shimmer effect) were the two worst culprits of unappealing HD texture. Glamorous mica particles seems too sparkly; smoothly powdered skin catches light and turns shiny if minerals like mica are in the mix.
Cozzette’s work in fashion means that his models are shot in HD every day—including close-up, unforgiving paparazzi shots—and he is constantly engaged in creating new ways to keep their skin looking perfect.
Cozzette is recently launched Infinite Makeup, a foundation and concealer in one as a solution, that he knows will stand up to the challenge of HD.
He has several general guidelines for translating beautiful makeup into flawless HD:
1. Avoid setting powders that contain mica. The slippery bits of mineral are impossible to manipulate carefully, and end up highlighting even the smallest of flaws.
2. Always prep skin before applying any makeup. Exfoliation does away with many of the miniscule bumps and flakes that can stand out in HD. Cozzette relies on Kiko exfoliating wipes and sometimes even tweezers to remove any tiny flakes of skin that might remain after exfoliation.
3. Moisturize skin thoroughly; Cozzette recommends from Lait Creme by Embryolisse
4. Most importantly: know your craft. In addition to understanding which products read well in HD, it’s essential that makeup artists draw on a solid grounding in color theory to present their subjects as beautifully as possible. Without heavy concealers available to cover up blemishes and with the added variable of photographers’ lights, the best way to neutralize an unwanted color is the application of its complementary shade. Practically and carefully applied, the principles of color theory can more than compensate for the products that HD rules out.
Additionally, Cozzette offers up quick primer on texture intuition, which concerns the different granule sizes of shimmery powder pigments currently on the market. The final on-camera payoff off any product will depend on the type of camera, the lighting, and the condition of a client’s skin, but small differences in the size of a granule will always make for big changes in makeup’s HD appearance.
The following insights will help makeup artists everywhere create beautiful art and retain their clientele:
1. Fine powder pigments such as Mehron – Celebré Precious Gem Powders have the tiniest particles available. They will be somewhat reflective on camera, but will have a more refined texture. These shimmery highlighters will enhance the complexion, are acceptable on HD, and work great for digital photography as well.
2. Standard powder pigments such as Fuchsia by MAC Cosmetics are also acceptable on HD and for digital photography alike.
3. Oversized powder pigments such as MAC, Rose Gold have a larger granule size and can appear as glitter on camera. These can be used for photography, but are questionable for HD.
4. Glitter is absolutely out of the question, unless you want to create a bright, obvious payoff onscreen.
Working in HD is certainly a test of any makeup artist’s basic skills and knowledge, but it’s also an exciting avenue for innovation and creativity, and Cozzette appreciates that this challenge will inspire those in his field to new levels of artistry.
Infinite Apprecation,
Roque Cozzette [/tab][/tabgroup]